Like Mama Made It

Soul Food

If you're Southern, have ever dated anyone Southern, or if you've ever been to the South, I guarantee you that you've heard someone utter the phrase:  "like Mama made it."  Now, there are other variations of the phrase, such as:  "Like Grandma fixed it"  or perhaps:  "the way Great Aunt Sally used to cook."  But I'm sure you get the gist.  Sometimes, there's just nothing like having good, old comfort food.

In fact, if you're a foodie like me, I'm sure you've been to the hot, new restaurant in town only to notice collard greens, macaroni and cheese and pork chops (insert other traditionally Southern, home-cooked food) on the menu.  There's an obsession both in and out of the South with Southern cuisine and comfort food that has inspired the whole push for nouveau Southern restaurants and farm to table cuisine (although this doesn't have to be Southern, it often is).  Truth is, as much as I like preparing and eating "fancy" food, soul food/comfort food just makes you feel good from the inside out.

Laurie's been a bit under the weather this week, so last night, I decided to see if my own brand of home remedy made her feel any better - pork barbecue, cabbage and corn on the cob.  There's nothing better than coming home to the smell of homemade maple bbq sauce, if you ask me!

Plus, I had to find an excuse to test out those pickles I made earlier in the week.  Not to toot my own horn, but the pickles are awesome.  After last night and packing our lunches, there are none left!  These are super easy, so I'll share the recipe with you - also, they're ready after only two days so you can enjoy quickly.  They're the perfect thing to take to a picnic or a tailgate - everyone loves pickles at a cookout!

LJ's Easy Sweet Pickles

LJ's Easy Sweet Pickles

2 lbs cucumbers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tbsp sea salt/kosher salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
2 small Mason jars

Slice the cucumber into pickle "chips" or spears (depending on how you like them) and place them in the Mason jar, leaving a little room for the liquid at the top.  Combine the vinegar, water and spices in a sauce pan and bring to a roiling boil.  Pour the mixture into the Mason jar and CAREFULLY screw the lid on the jar.  Warning:  You will burn the hell out of your hand if you don't use a thick kitchen towel to hold the jar.  I did not process the Mason jars because I knew we'd eat the pickles within the week, but this is an option as well.  You can easily find instructions on processing jars online.  Let the jar cool to room temperature before you place in the fridge, and your pickles should be ready to eat in two days. :)

The cutest sous chef ever!

I actually have to get a little work done and should be listening on this conference call, so I need to keep it short today.  The next time I make barbecue (I totally cheat and throw a pork shoulder in the crock pot, then shred it) I will have to share my spin on a paleo barbecue sauce.  It's delicious, easy and surprisingly healthy.

I'm sorry the posts have been very sporadic lately, but my summer is just so busy but not in a bad way...way too busy having fun.  :)  This weekend, Laurie and I are headed to Jason Aldean on Friday and I'm going with my buddy, Brandon, to Dave Matthews on Saturday.  Wahoo!  That's one thing I absolutely love about summertime.  I love sitting outside, drinking a cold beer with awesome friends and listening to great live music.  Oh, and I can't wait to wear my cowboy hat to Jason Aldean!  Until next time, you guys have fun and be safe.

Lauren

Summer is Slipping By...

I don't know about you guys, but the last month and a half has flown by!  I blinked and now, it's nearly August, the humidity is oppressive, college football is right around the corner and I'm looking at the calendar for the Fall to determine when I need to ask for leave for a mini-vacay.  It seems like just yesterday Laurie and I were camping out for Memorial Day Weekend!

Shrimp and Onion Mexican Pizza

This weekend, one of my best friends in the world, Anna, was up here visiting, so I didn't really dig too deeply into the CSA box.  I've been eating pretty healthy lately, so this weekend was a big splurge for me.  We picked up Lost Dog (my favorite sandwich place) and picnicked while watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days outside in Rosslyn and brunched at some awesome spots in Alexandria (chicken and waffles is all I can say), so the only meal I really cooked was Saturday night.

Since Laurie worked late last night, I was bored and decided to make Mexican pizza with the leftover fajita stuff from Saturday.  I wish I could share the recipe with you, but I simply threw shrimp and onions in a pan, toasted tortillas, added a little shredded cheese and topped with pico de gallo and a fennel, cabbage and radish slaw I made this weekend.  Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and I love playing "Chopped kitchen".

I also made pickles last night, and I promise I'll share the recipe with you tomorrow if they're any good.  We're starting to have the same problem with cucumbers that we did last month with lettuce - way too much!  It's my first time making bread and butter pickles, so it may be hit or miss with them.  Regardless, I'll let you be part of the experience.

Lauren

Spaghetti Pie, Oh My

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and spent yesterday afternoon watching one of the best World Cup Finals I've seen in a long time!  I'll admit that I was pulling hard for Argentina (it's hard not to love Messi), but the German team was just too good.  I also want to thank everyone for supporting me and reading my last post, even though it was a little emotional.  I'm a pretty private person, but sometimes it just feels good to share.  On to the food!

Last Thursday, Laurie was craving pizza, so we decided to take a healthy spin on it and create a spaghetti pie.  Now, I can't take credit for this at all (wish I could).  Laurie is the evil genius that introduced me to this wonderful creation - last time she sent me out to the store for a spaghetti squash, I came back with butternut squash.  Rut row!

You guys have to try this though.  It's easy, healthy and delicious.  The first time Laurie fixed this dish for me, I almost positive that we ended up eating an entire casserole dish of it.  I'm not sure that's something I should be proud of or not, but you get the picture.  The best thing about this dish is that you can alter it to suit your own taste...don't be afraid to swap out the Italian sausage for pepperoni or try it with just veggies. :)

The picture does not do the ymminess justice. :-/

Laurie's Spaghetti Pie

1 spaghetti squash
3 eggs whisked
1/2 onion (we used white)
1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of sliced zucchini
1 lb Italian sausage
1 cup of tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce
A few sprigs of fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to top

Spoiler Alert:  This is the easy way to cook spaghetti squash!  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place spaghetti squash cut side down in a microwave-safe container and nuke for 8-12 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. Once squash is done cooking, remove threads and place in an 8×8 greased baking dish.

Place a large pan over medium heat. Add italian sausage and onion. Cook until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.  In a separate pan, cook the zucchini and mushrooms.  Combine the ingredients, add pizza sauce and salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.  Add sausage mixture to the 8×8 dish and mix well with spaghetti squash threads.  Lastly, add whisked eggs to the baking dish and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.  Place in oven and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust.  Add a little Parmesan cheese if you're feeling frisky.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Lauren

A Weighty Issue

Disclaimer:  This post is less about food and more about me.  Mom would call it a "Come to Jesus" moment.

We survived Hurricane Arthur!!!  Yay!

I have a confession to make.  I haven't posted lately because I've been eating like crap.  Yes, I can blame vacation - stuffing my face with hot dogs, beer, chips, candy and pies (all delicious, all not so healthy), but if I'm being completely honest, it goes way beyond that.

Roughly a month and a half ago before I left for a work trip to Argentina, I found a lump in my left breast.  I tried to stay calm, pack for my trip, focus on my meetings in Buenos Aires and set up a doctor's appointment upon my return, but my health weighed heavily on my mind.  It may seem ignorant, but the first thing that ran through my mind was that I'm way too young to have breast cancer.  Fast forward a few weeks, post-exam, post-mammogram, and I'm listening to doctors refer to my lump as a tumor and insisting that I see a breast specialist.  That's about the time I decided to start this blog...I really just needed to take my mind off health issues and focus on something positive.

Well, I have good news for you!  I DO NOT have cancer (or any other health issues), but I'm carrying around about five extra pounds from stress eating and drinking over that time period.  While it turned out to be a benign cyst, I was so worried during the process, partially due to the "sky is falling" attitude of my doctors, that I didn't feel much like cooking and just generally felt depressed.  There were days that I didn't even feel like rock climbing, and working out is usually my solution to everything.

Pan-roasted salmon with sorrel sauce

Yesterday, I got a final clean bill of health from my doctor, so it's time for me to shed these few extra pounds and start eating better.  Laurie has a big birthday coming up in a few months (the dirty thirty :) ), and I want to look as good as I feel when we're celebrating.

Last night, I started cooking again and fixed pan-roasted salmon with sorrel sauce and a fresh cucumber, tomato and onion salad.  It was my first time experimenting with sorrel (it was in our basket last Thursday), and it gave a yummy, lemony zing to the salmon.  I know that I'll definitely be using it in the future to liven up some of my dishes.

This week, it looks like we'll be getting cucumbers, onions, parsley, zucchini, swiss chard and cabbage in our box.  Can't wait to share those recipes and pictures with you!

Lauren