Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Welcoming Change in 2016 (Goodbye 2015!)



Despite the dreary weather and belly bursting meals as of late, I have somehow managed to get my body upright and in front of the computer. It wasn’t easy. I know I’m not alone when I say I’m feeling somewhat lethargic these last few days of 2015.  I spent this week visiting family and friends, eating everything from crispy pig-ear salad at Monument Lane (the farm-to-table restaurant my friend manages) to Kenyan fare at my friend Angela’s Christmas party, and I think I am the fullest I have been all year. I don’t like to advocate for overindulgence but if ever there were a time for it, it would be during the holidays, surrounded by friends and family.

Me (right) at my friend Angela's (middle) Xmas party in the Poconos
My cousin Brittany & I being naughty on Xmas eve
But as special as these merry times are, they must come to an end sooner or later, which means getting back to reality and getting back to work. I don’t necessarily believe in New Year’s resolutions because every day is an opportunity to make life better. But after a week of excess and lying around on the couch, I can certainly understand the need to carve out some new goals and begin again.

Play time's over! Time to get your butt off that couch!!!

2015 has been a year of accomplishments for me; I have (finally) graduated college, seen some of the world, and restored my health by making positive changes in my diet and exercise routine. Not to mention I began this blog, which I consider the first tiny step in a life devoted to learning and living better. Still I can’t help but feel like there is so much more I need to do.  The world is full of conflict and suffering, and maybe it always will be, but it seems no one has a clue what to do about it these days. I recognize that the world’s problems are my problems and I believe my greatest goal, or New Year's resolution if you will, is to help heal the injured world in any way I can.

To do this, I have to work harder, sacrifice more, and conquer my fears and weaknesses. Most of all I need to hold myself accountable and stop blaming others for the decisions I make, like, for example, blaming corporate America for not shopping local, small businesses. If I enact even small changes, and live what I believe, then perhaps in time it can add up to something big. This is my hope and this blog is my opportunity to do some good. It’s my obligation to keep working to say more and do more, but I can’t do it alone, so I hope that whoever is reading will feel welcome to share their opinions, advice, and any resources that might help on this quest of mine.

Additionally, I will be making my own changes too; in the very near future I will add several new pages that offer contemporary ways of approaching food in hopes of empowering people to improve the world, and of course their lives as well. I also plan to explore different histories of food and uncover flavors, rituals, customs, and traditions belonging to cultures of long ago. Perhaps most importantly, I will give more of my time to help others “taste life” through volunteer work and simply offering my goodwill wherever it can be received, and then write about it as always.

So to sum up, if I had to name my one resolution for 2016, it would be to work harder so that I can give more. Au Revoir 2015, it’s been a tasty year, made even more delicious by all the people I’ve shared it with, Santé and Happy New Year To All!!!


                                                     



African Mandazi to the left
                                                    




What are your resolutions? Ideas? Advice? I’d love it if you shared!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Having Fun in the Kitchen

"If this isn't nice, then what is?"- Kurt Vonnegut

To follow up my last entry, here are some pics of Brian and I practicing alchemy in the kitchen! As always, we had a blast, and got to enjoy some scrumptious soup to end our fabulous day!!


   ...Brian, "Working-IT"



Peppers, onions, garlic, & olive oil, oh my!

















...AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE
The finished product, what a beauty!




More pics from our "winter day" together (at the beach)...



No snow, but perhaps we can build a "sandman" instead

And for those that were wondering, we did make it to Zumba, but Brian only made it 15 minutes. The shimmying and shaking was too much, even for him. He'll just have to stick to beauty pageants.



Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Alchemy of Soup


When I talk about food I usually talk about more than just food. That’s because I believe food is magic; I liken it to an alchemical process whereby ingredients, when brought together, have the power to transform in marvelous ways. Similarly, humans possess this same potential for permutation, and often times mimic the food on the table. When we’re not engaged in our food, we can’t be engaged with one another either. Conversely, when we come together to cook, assigning different tasks and utilizing communication to accomplish our goal, we find we have created more than just dinner, we’ve charmed vivacity and joy into our supper and our lives.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

How I Lost 20 Pounds While Eating Pastries: The Anti-Diet Diet (don't call it a diet!)

Me, August 2015
Me, November 2015
                                 

Now let’s get one thing straight. I didn’t lose 20 lbs because I ate pastries; I lost 20 lbs while eating pastries. It might sound like an ad from some cheap infomercial, but if you keep reading I will tell you how I lost the weight and why it’s a good thing (forgive me for stealing your line Ms. Stewart).

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Native American or Not, Stinging Nettles Here We Come!

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and didn’t allow not even one single green been to go to waste!




You know I didn’t.

In fact I am still hungry; hungry to learn more about traditional Native American foods, that is.

After writing Moving from Reservations to Rituals I was curious to learn more about the traditional diet that existed before Native Americans were relocated to reservations and stripped of their cultural heritage. I wanted to know how their original foods compared to modern replacements. I wanted to know and I still do. But I am learning... 

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Moving From Reservations to Rituals



"Savor the ritual of the table" -Alice Waters; The Art of Simple Food



   From left to right: My "Gramio", my brother Justin, My friend and sister-in-law Vicki, and my loving boyfriend, "Garbster"

In just a day or two we will be celebrating, quite possibly, the foodie's favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! But what makes it a foodie favorite? Good food makes even the greatest of times that much greater, but there is obviously so much more to enjoy than food ...

Monday, November 23, 2015

My New Book!!!


Found this gem in the bookstore yesterday and just had to buy it! I read 20 pages and so far I am in love! 

Friday, November 20, 2015

The Last Supper

As promised, waffles!

Supper, breakfast, it's always a good time for waffles


And not just any waffles, Belgium Waffles! Belgium is most famous for the following foods: waffles (duh!), french fries*, chocolate, speculoos, and in some places, such as Brussels (where we were), Mussels. The diet has been described as combining the heartiness of German cuisine with the attention to detail afforded by the French. Being situated between the two nations, this most certainly makes sense, and for the most part I would have to agree. So which food was my favorite? Keep reading to find out...

Monday, November 16, 2015

Walk a Bit Further

                                  
                                               You never know what you'll find 

While Amsterdam might be better known for its other kind of edibles (also delicious!) I was fortunate to find a quiet place on a quiet street (a real rarity in Amsterdam) that served up some delicious homemade hot chocolate. As is the case in much of Europe, The Netherlands is known for their chocolate. However, if your looking for a hot cuppa coco in the city center, most shops will serve you an instant-nesquik-like powder mixed with boiling water. That will be 4 € please.

Fortunately that wasn't my experience. With a little bit of searching, Brian and I managed to find a real gem and paid less then we would at any tourist trap. See, walking is good for you! 

                                     

When we walked into Black Gold (specialty coffee & vinyl shop) we were greeted warmly by the gentleman behind the counter (sorry I wrote down his name but have now misplaced it, sorry nice man who makes amazing hot chocolate!!!) we ordered two cocoas to go for our canal tour and were pleasantly surprised to find someone who actually took the time and effort to melt down real chocolate! Sure it took a bit longer, but in the mean time we made chit chat, learned about the neighborhood, and exchanged foodie talk.

The cherry on top, well actually the cream, was that our freshly frothed cocoa was smothered in it; chemical free, hand-whipped cream that is. There were no swirly hearts or fancy designs as you can see in the photo above, but both Brian and I agreed it was the best hot chocolate we tasted throughout our travels.

 We were freezing our buns off in front of our hostel, "The Clink", but that didn't deter us from our mission.

Rather than a sit down dinner, we walked and walked and walked and eventually stumbled upon several foodie finds that proved to be satisfying, usually in more ways than one. 

 Nutella covered waffle and jelly donut. #DeliciousLunch.

    
   Rainbow Space Cakes. Enough said.


     And finally later that evening After 45 minutes of walking... dinner at Jacketz! where you can enjoy 
    a massive baked potato stuffed with a filling of your choice. On the left: sweet and tangy pulled pork
    in whisky maple sauce. On the right: Beet root with an ensemble of mixed nuts.
    
 
   A close up of my grub, which was locally produced without pesticides or hormones.


   This photo is of me trying to look like a serious journalist in front of tantalizing chocolate. Well I tried.

Overall I was delighted with all the "edibles" we discovered while in Amsterdam, many of which, we would have never found if not for a desire and willingness to literally go that extra mile and explore our surroundings. Our long walks led us to some delicious encounters, not to mention helping us burn off the extra calories (nutella waffles aren't exactly "diet" food). I'm so glad we decided to put forth some effort and not simply settle for overpriced, underwhelming tourist traps; our tastebuds were too!

Next meal? Belgian waffles...

    Brussels here we come!
    



Sunday, November 8, 2015

Gutten Tag Germany!

No Weckmann is complete without a smoking pipe.

    Some very German food at a very German beer garden in Düsseldorf. Brian and I both ordered the main dish, which was an assortment of cabbage in apple sauce, potato dumplings, and pot roast. While I wasn't overly impressed, Brian polished off both his meal and half of mine along with a frosty Füchschen Alt, Düsseldorf's dark, home-brewed ale.

    A view of the brewery from our table 

     Brian enjoying his grub.

    How about a refreshing German Aperol Spritz from the top of Rheinturm (tower)?

     View from the top

... Next stop Amsterdam!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

From Crepes to Chestnuts: Flavors of the Fall in Europe (so far)

        
    
Last Friday my friend Brian joined me in Paris to partake on the last part of my adventure through Europe. After a long weekend of seeing all the sights and tastes that Paris has to offer (including a mind blowing cabaret performance at Crazy Horse) we jumped on a train to Zurich, Switzerland. With no expectations or prior knowledge of what the city had in store, we were delighted and well, completely blown away(as was our cash), by the beauty of Zurich. I won't even try to put into words--instead here are a few photos capturing a glimpse of magic from the old town. And yes, it was well worth the price.

                

               
                                       
           The crazy delicious and crazy expensive Cafe Conditorei Schober all ready for the holidays 

Our next stop is Dusseldorf, Germany, for which we, once again, have no expectations. But before we get there let's take a timeout to savour the flavors of Paris and Switzerland. 

Some of the best highlights from my time in Paris with Brian included sampling local cuisine, both classic and new.

Brian enjoying his first Croque Monsieur. 

For those who are unfamiliar, it's a really fancy french grilled cheese, with gruyere on the top of the bread and ham in the middle. Our meals were accompanied by a simple, but vibrant salad of tomatoes, olives in parmigiana, and romaine. But what Croque Monsieur would be complete without french fries? No ketchup needed! With crisped potatoes seasoned to perfection condiments would only be a detriment to this tasty dish. Perhaps some dijon mustard though :)

Next up...




Un petit bistro pres de mon apartement where we enjoyed a lighter, more modern meal de poisson; pour moi, I enjoyed saumon with pesto and alphalpha sprouts atop olive oil and balsamic Ratatouille*. Brian had un poisson blanc, seabass with the skin left on and cooked to a delicious crisp, over rosotto. We were brought sel de fleur (flower salt) and as is custom, a freshly baked baguette to enjoy alongside la repa. 

Happy Halloween! Someone is very happy with his meal! Me and Brian (aka Ms. Muro the beauty pageant queen) enjoying our homemade dinner woth fresh ingredients all bought at the local marchè. Pictured: pineapple curry chicken, green beans with mushrooms sauteed in garlic and olive oil, fromage and fresh baguette, all washed down with a french sauvignon blanc.

Welcome to Switzerland!


 Here in the land of chocolate we were welcomed with hazlenut hearts on our pillows! And that was just the beginning...

               

Hot chocolate with, you guessed it, more chocolates...

               
   Yummm hot chocolate with Rum and whipped cream

Death by chocolate. At cafe Conditorei Schober.

         
              View of Cafe at night.

Believe it or not we did eat other foods besides chocolate. The first evening we sampled local Swiss fare at Cafe Zahringer...

                                       

I'm so excited I just can't hide it! Roasted wild boar with carrot, glazed chestnuts, spaetzel, cabbage and orange slice. With this hearty supper I'm ready for winter!

And alongside out hot chocolate we enjoyed what I would describe as the most delicious bagel of my life, at a mere 11 franks what a bargain!

                                                         Pictured: salami, red pepper, pepperoni, romaine, and pesto.

Brian's sandwich: goat cheese, romaine, pesto, tomatoe.

Everything has been so delicious, unique and above all, fresh. Everyday Brian and I find ourselves trying new flavors and loving what we taste; today glazed chestnuts, tomorrow who knows? Perhaps wienerschnitzel and a microbrew from a German Biergarten, the possibilities are practically infinite. And the best part of it all? We are having a blast, taking in each new (sometimes strange) and exciting sensory experience all while being true to our outrageously goofy selves. See...

                                                                   


                                            


                                     
                                       Miss Muro riding in cognito on the TGV train to Zürich 

So what flavors and fun times does the rest of Europe have in store for Miss Muro and Heather?
We can only imagine...

       
  
                                                                 Sashay Away!



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