Trader Joe's Youtube

If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe's
Too cute!

The Cook's Illustrated is on Kindle

*EDIT: This book is no longer free to download but certainly still worth considering as an addition to your iLibrary!

Thank you so much @cpkimball for this gift! The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking by The Editors of Cooks Illustrated is actually free to download to your Kindle or your Kindle app from amazon.com, I just got it for my iPhone and I am so excited! The illustrations are so nice, lots of recipes and tons of good information.
I don't know how easy it will be to actually prepare dishes from the iPhone but I read cookbooks like novels so it is not that important to me, when I am ready to prepare a dish I will sort it.
I love the clickable links that will take you right to the source. In the recipe for Potato and Leek Soup there is a call for 6c Chicken Stock which is linked. Click it, get that recipe and just hit the back arrow to return to the soup recipe. Fabulous!
Be sure you visit the Cook's Illustrated website for lot's of information, recipes and other goodies or to subscribe to the site or magazines offered. You can also follow Chris Kimball on Twitter @cpkimball

Losing the Baby Weight

So, my daughter had a baby 2 weeks ago. She gained a total of 17 pounds, yes I said SEVENTEEN pounds which she has already lost. I gained a total of 15 pounds, did not actually have a baby at all and have not lost an ounce. How is that fair?
I know I am supposed to be following the Lessmeatarian way and I certainly am but this week is going to be more about taking in very few calories. That will of course mean more veggies but there is not going to be much in the way of grains or carbs.
I actually wrote this post last week and was feeling pretty frustrated. I have been much more on track this week and have dropped 5 of those 15 pounds. Carly who lives in Marseille has been following the Scarsdale diet and lost about 15 pounds as well I believe. I cannot count calories like she does though, I would go crazy and do not think that really works for me. I just have to cut out the crapfood which I pretty much have. I did have some gummy bears last night.
My ultimate goal is to not even be on a diet or to not think about weight or food in a negative way, or to consider if everything I eat is going to make my jeans not zip.

Lessmeatarian Week Four

This week I will direct you to this article by Mark Bittman. I was struck by the same statement Michelle Obama made, “You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”
I also have to say that all this organic stuff bothers me, I have never purchased an organic product deliberately and I won't. To me it just seems like marketing. Many farmers actually are natural or organic or whatever but apparantly you have to pay to get a certification which seems like such bullshit. An apple from an orchard rather than an apple flavored treat has to always be better right?
I am glad the White House chefs Cristeta Comerford and Sam Kass have made the decision to put a garden on the grounds. I do not really see it making any sweeping changes in the economy which is where I would prefer the Obama White House were focused. I am not really concerned about the freshness of their vegetables.

I have made a commitment to myself to stop buying processed foods. Back when my kids were small and I struggled financially I never went into the center aisles of the grocery, only around the outside as all I could afford were meat, dairy and produce. Now it has shifted, those items are practically cost prohibitive and you can get 4 boxes of mac and cheese for $1. A gallon of milk is $4 and yogurt that used to be 4/$1 are now nearly $1 apiece. Some things are cheap like white rice but brown rice is 4x the price, plain white pasta is cheap but the whole wheat or high protein kind is ridiculously high. I am all for eating better but I am surely not going to make my own pasta, I do not have time for that anymore but then again maybe homemade pasta should be a treat, maybe a person really should only have something like that once a week or month instead of 3-4 times from a box.
In Holland we eat a vegetable and a small serving of meat all week long for dinner, lunch is bread with one thin slice of meat or cheese or peanut butter and maybe soup, breakfast is grains of some sort. Only on Sunday do we have something special . I never eat like that in Texas. I try sometimes but I never last long.

I think I might try to stop saying "I don't have time" I really don't have time to recover from a stroke either.

Sea Salt & Olive Oil Hand Scrub

Try this spring pick me up with ingredients you have in your pantry. Mix a little sea salt with some olive oil and scrub your hands, in between your fingers and up your arms to your elbows. Follow with a thick body creme and your skin will feel like silk! This is great for feet and the rest of your body as well but it makes a real mess in the tub, be careful as the oil will make it slippery.

You can also use it on your face but do not scrub, apply gently with your fingertips and be careful not to get near your eyes. Did I ever mention I am also a licensed aesthetician?

Lessmeatarian Week Three

Poor food choices abounded this week due to the baby coming early, I did the best I could but I am sure the gyro from the hospital deli, the Snickers and many diet sodas were not part of the plan but I am not really good enough at this yet to think clearly in such high stress situations. I will get better and by the time the next baby comes I should be more in control hahah.

I have been to the market and am ready to make a fresh start for the week. Lots of grains and veggies, very little meat and no beef at all. I will not say beef is gone for good but I sure do not want it yet. Funny that the Bittman way of eating seems to be pretty much spot on with the current food pyramid!

Lessmeatarian Week Two

Since discovering Food Matters and Bittman's philosophy I have cooked pretty much every meal we have eaten. I have cooked more meals in the last month than I have in the last year. I am also off beef. I am one of those people that never really considered food sources all that much, I grew up around cattle and I certainly understand the concept but never thought about it much and now I can't stop thinking about it. I tried to cook a small roast last week, the entire flat smelled like ass and when it was done I sliced it, nearly hurled, gave Mary her portion and put the rest in the freezer, I couldn't bear to eat it. I am not sure if it is temporary or not but the thought of eating dead cow is too much. I don't feel that way about pork or chicken, although it has always seemed weird to me to make chickens into food. Hogs do seem like they are meant to be eaten for some reason, they just look like a food source to me. Same with fish.
My report on this week is much more grains and veggies. I don't think I have had any beef at all. Mary does better right now with casserole -type dishes so there has been pasta or rice or some sort of grain every evening. Lunch is usually salad type stuff or fruit or melon and breakfast is cereal. I am feeling pretty good about it all but far from having it well in hand. The baby is supposed to come early next week so after that we can get down to it. Mary has always been a healthy eater and wants to teach Molly good eating habits. I have totally bought into this iCook-centric philosophy and I hope to be completely on track by my birthday in May.
I cannot get over my fingernails.

Dr. Oetker Comes to America via Fabio Viviani

Serious Eats has an article about this. I was first excited and then thought no, it won't be the same, won't taste as good so why even try? I have said here before that the mushroom pizza may be my favorite food in the Netherlands along with the cheese. Well and maybe the chili spice. Look, it is even on sale this week at my Plus!

Leek Soup for a Mini Detox

Mary has been retaining water and this is not good two weeks from delivery. I remember Carly telling me her French friends eat a lot of leek soup during pregnancy and supposedly that is one reason why French Women Don't Get Fat as well. I do understand the leeks work as a natural diuretic, I am not sure I can get Mary to eat this, maybe with a bit of butter or sausage. It is near 90F here in Dallas so it does seem to be time to do a spring cleaning.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow onion-I omitted this
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
about 1 pound of potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups vegetable stock
a bit of fresh dill
1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil. If you are using sausage or bacon saute this now and use less oil.
2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
5. Puree in whatever way works best for you and reheat if needed.
Sprinkle in some chopped dill. This would also be a good time to add in some cream or half and half, butter or shaved parmigiano-reggiano if you like.
Serves 4 - 6
*Recipe adapted from The Great American Detox Diet, by Alex Jamieson

*photo from How Stuff Works

Lessmeatarian Week One

My general observation so far about this eating/lifestyle plan is that it is pretty easy to eat less meat, I am having a harder time with dairy but that will come. I have been basically making the same sort of dishes I would normally but adding in more vegetables instead of meat. Yesterday we spent $48 on groceries for the week.

I am surprised at a couple of things, my nails are quite amazing. I have been distraught over the last couple of years that they were weird looking, all ridgedy and brittle and were just not cute. It was not a huge deal of course but disconcerting as I knew they should not look that way. A week into this and they have grown about 1/8 inch and are much smoother. On the same note, my hair is feeling very healthy. This may seem trivial but I am quite vain actually and happy about this, I also seem to be sleeping better and have more energy.

I have lost two pounds but to be fair I lose and gain this same 8 or so pounds every month so I am not really ready to declare an actual lost until the bouncing 8 is gone. I do really need to lose 30ish pounds but this is more about being healthy than losing weight, one should lead to the other.

In the interest of full disclosure I need to make a few comments. First of all I eat crapfood day in and day out, I believe the day I discovered the book I had a cupcake with pink frosting and 1/4 bag of dark chocolate M&Ms left over from Christmas for lunch, breakfast was probably just coffee. I usually ate at least one meal a day from McDs or Sonic or maybe Chicken Express, if I had time in the morning I would get takeaway breakfast as well. Home cooking for me usually meant a frozen pizza or a Lean Cuisine.

I have been on every diet known to man, had some success and then went right back to eating crapfood. I have done diet pills and Medifast under the supervision of my doctor who has basically told me I am never going to get rid of this weight until I make a decision to make changes as apparantly he does not have access to the magic pill. I have been on blood pressure meds and Metformin for Type 2 diabetes for about two years now.

The other disclosure or comment is that I started using Spirulina when I started this eating plan, I do not know how much effect this has on results but to me it does seem to fit right in with the direction I am headed.

Lessmeatarian

Sometimes I see something and think wtf, how did I miss that? I know I am a little well you know, but I honestly completely missed this book . Here is the interview that gave me the first clue after following a link from @bittman So I just signed up, purchased the ebook to read on my iPhone and when I can get out to Barnes & Noble I will buy the 3d version. I hope it has recipes, surely it does.
I am really at the end of my rope here, I am so tired, SO tired of being unhealthy. I am overweight sure but it isn't really about that although it would be nice to wear more fashionable clothes but mostly I just don't want to die. And I am just so tired. There isn't anything wrong with me, well nothing that being fat hasn't brought on, I am just out of shape, I don't exercise because I am too tired and I am too tired because I don't exercise. I know I should eat better, I want to eat better but I have no motivation because I am too tired.

It isn't like I can't workout, I am living in a lovely building that has an amazing gym on the third floor, there is even an elevator to take me to it. I have trainers and socks an iPod and a fancy sports bra, nothing stopping me. I am just too tired. I did have a cupcake, ham sandwich and M&Ms for lunch...

i Chef?

I was starting a new post and it began "When I was cooking professionally... I will make that post another time as I have now been distracted by something else, no, not a shiny object this time. Yesterday I read this post on Tigers & Strawberries explaining to us all that you are only allowed to call yourself a chef if you are an actual chef de cusine, If you do not know what that is, have no fear as the author will tell you.

Cambridge shows this entry chef -noun [C] a skilled and trained cook who works in a hotel or restaurant, especially the most important cook. I actually think the position the author is describing would be the executive chef to whom the chef de cuisine will report but to be completely fair, these titles are all just assigned by whoever makes the rules in that particular kitchen, it means whatever the person bestowing the title says it means. The man that owned my last restaurant called me the prep cook. Seriously. I in turn compared him to the manger in Waiting even though he was nothing like that.
This morning I read another What is a chef-type entry, one which was written so poorly I am not really sure what we are being told, I think in the end it is some sort of a tribute to Nigella. I guess my point here is so what? I mean I sure as hell ain't no Alain Ducasse or Gordon Ramsay or even a Bittman or a Nigella but I went from waitress to General Manager in the corporate world where I had to do everything from cleaning shit in the toilets (gah! that merits a separate blog post, people are nasty) to assembling last minute parties of 50 church goers, the Kryptonite of every restaurant employee.

I then built several restaurant kitchens from the ground up, from the floor tile to every recipe, spoon and spatula, I purchased the goods, hired and trained the staff, tweaked and slaved, sweated and swore, cooked my ass off from 4-5am til it was done every day for over a decade to create a restaurant. The last one still puts 14-18% on the bottom line week after week and trust me if you don't know what that means it is good. Damn good. In fact I consistenly delivered an 11 to 14% in the corporate world. Yes, I really was that good. ::blink blink::
So am I a chef? I have never been to formal cooking school other than here and there, I have never studied under a master and have never even been to New York City but I do meet all the criteria laid out in that blog post as to what makes a chef. I no longer toil away in my restaurant, when we split he dropped some cash on me and I hopped on a jet and stayed away until I stopped twitching. I am not sure I could ever bring myself to cook professionally again as it just takes so much of your soul and he took what was left of it.

Now I have a little food blog. I adore cooking and eating, I love to read blogs written by other people who cook and eat, I love to watch cooking shows on tv, if I ever met Eric Ripert, Tom Colicchio or Tony Bourdain I would probably pee my pants. I cannot cook as well as they do, or even come anywhere close but I bet I could run a kitchen as well as any of them. So am I a chef?
So what if I am or not and so what if all of these other food loving people are not, so what if they call themselves a chef or a cook or a mom or dad, who cares? They aren't hurting anyone. I actually AM a chef and it doesn't nbother me so why does it bother all of these supposed non-chefs? So the bottom line here is could you please refer to me as Chef Juli from now on, apparantly I have earned it.

National Pie Day Part Two

So I was not really feeling Pie Day after all. It is still pie, right? Goat cheese, a little of all the other cheese that was in the fridge, tomatoes, oregano and some peppers. Looks like pie to me!

National Pie Day Part One

So apparantly this is the day for pie. I am off to the market in a minute to see what there is to inspire me to make pie in the dead of January. I know Central Market has those delightful tiny Neapolitan Mandarins but I am not feeling that for pie. They have some lovely Pears but that was my ex's favorite pie and I am still a little shaky on that front so don't think I will be going there today. I have a lot of cantaloupe but that just doesn't sound like a pie ingredient either.

I bet I end up with Buttermilk. Oooh maybe Chocolate Buttermilk, why not gild the lily. The difficult thing here is that I am planning a rustic pasta for dinner and some cheese and fruit would really be better. But what the hell, pie day only comes once a year. Apparantly.

What to Ditch in the Kitchen -Mark Bittman says

David Lebovitz posted this link over on Facebook . The author seemed to be outraged, I am not outraged but then I have no emotional investment in Mark Bittman .

Here are the items he says are out.

Packaged bread crumbs or croutons.
I do only use the Japanese kind but how would you even make that from scratch?

Bouillon cubes or powder, or canned stock.
They do have a lot of salt but I cannot see how powdered bouillon could possibly be out.

Aerosol oil.
Okay, what? Does he mean Pam? I could live without it but I do use it occassionally.

Bottled salad dressing and marinades.
Alright, I will give him that one.

Bottled lemon juice.
I always use fresh lemons so yeah okay.

Spices older than a year.
Definitely agree on this one, who has spices around a year? Ohh yes, my boyfriend. Garlic powder that is now a garlic brick.

Dried parsley and basil.
Yeah, just uncalled for except I do like dried parsley for tea.

Canned beans.
I cannot really see me cooking chickpeas but maybe those are not beans. I do like canned beans, they give over a different product than fresh that sometimes works better.

Imitation vanilla.
ew, seriously? People use that?

Grated imitation “Parmesan” (any other pre-grated cheese).
See above

Canned peas (and most other canned vegetables).
Ahh here we go well canned green peas are disgusting but again, some veggies are ok canned I think.

Tomato paste in a can.
Can you make your own tomato paste? I get it in a squirty tube though that I keep in the freezer, is that ok?

Premade pie crusts.
Wow, no. Just don't make pie.

Cheap balsamic or flavored vinegars.
Well, no I don't think I use cheap ones and never flavoured, that is odd.

Minute Rice or boil-in-a-bag grains.
uhh guilty but only to go with chili because when I make chili I really don't want to cook. Even rice and I am a pro at making rice.

“Pancake” syrup.
What else do you put on your pancakes?

He also added in his blog Pop Tarts and bottled water. I have to agree on both but kids sort of need Pop Tarts. I would feel sorry for a child that never had one. I used to put butter on mine and once as a grown up when I was well, emotionally challenged canned cream cheese frosting.

Sexy Sorapot

This may be the sexiest teapot I have ever seen. Designed by Joey Roth and available for $200-$250 at Sorapot . It does look like a lot of effort for a cuppa but it sure is pleasing to the eye.

Eet Smakelijk

I saw this tablecloth over on elit alice and had to post here. So cute! A little pricey at over 100 euros so I won't be adding it to my textile cabinet (oh wait, I don't have one of those anymore) but if you are flush, head over to ontwerpduo and pick one up. One other thing I need to look for before I leave are barbeque accessories. There is some great stuff at World Market that I really need to have.

Jamon Iberico Bellota

I get email updates from la Tienda regularly. I love this virtual shop and have found many items and foodstuffs there that make me think of the pleasures Spain has to offer without leaving my flat. There is no question that the jamon in Spain is the best in the world, but $1400 for a ham? Seriously? I could fly over there and get my own for that price. This jamon comes from the Cerdo Ibérico which eats fallen acorns. I did a little reasearch and it seems that not only are the males castrated but the females are spayed to prevent them being bred by feral or other domestic hogs.
This made me think about the ranch down in the Hill Country. T constantly curses the feral hogs that can destroy a property in no time if they are allowed to run free. This is a real problem for farmers and ranchers in Texas and probably other areas as well. These hogs can weigh over a thousand pounds. They are very smart also which is a little scary when you see some of the stuff they do. I imagine them having a beer in front of the flatscreen during the week when there are no humans around. I thought maybe I would encourage T to consider fencing off some areas under the live oaks. What if we snagged a few and fattened them up on acorns. I could use the Benjamins. Do acorns fall off Live Oaks?

Gourmet Guts

ew. Seriously. Offal and entrails are being touted as the "it" foodie experience but I will not be jumping on that bandwagon. Liver is as adventurous as I will get and that has to come from a fattened goose, served near the shore at Carly's flat in Marseille. I just don't see it.

I mean sure, cooking can get boring like any other profession/art but I cannot see myself ever getting that bored. Now granted I am no Rocco but I still do not see it in the future of Chef Juli. Nope.

*photo from Wikipedia

My Dutch Kitchen

Jenn and Marloes posted photos of their Dutch kitchens. Our kitchen is pretty small by American standards but quite roomy enough to get the job done. I would like to add some more shelves on one wall, there is a lot of wasted space there and I do not have a proper oven. The Dutchman has baked some fabulous things in the convection/microwave thingy but I have not been brave enough to figure it out yet. I would probably not consider baking cakes or pastries because the fresh items for purchase are much nicer. I have never tried to make a Thanksgiving dinner anyway, I am always in the US for that. Aside from not having an oven the only thing I don't really like is the small sink. I would love to remove the wall between the kitchen and the living room as well but the Dutchman assures me that is not going to happen lol, however he does agree that some small changes should be made.
I am very lucky to have a beautiful large stainless steel dishwasher, a combo washer and a wonderful balcony. We have two actually, one off the kitchen that we use more for utility reasons and the one off the dining room that is our small suspended garden. The kitchen is on the sunny side of the flat which works out perfectly as the other balcony is shaded by one of the largest trees I have ever seen. It is magnificent.