One of my favorite veggies, Brussels sprouts are quirky, adorable, stinky and–gulp–healthy. They are surprisingly versatile, but for this preparation, I stuck to simple.
Steam the Brussels sprouts whole until tender. Saute over high heat in brown butter, adding thinly sliced garlic about halfway through. Once the garlic is golden brown and the outer leaves of the sprouts have blistered, season with S & P and be done with it.
The best thing about exercising is the excuse to eat more. Since starting culinary school, I’ve taken to running to balance out the dramatic rise in butter consumption. Last weekend I participated in a mud run–six miles of trails, studded with military-style obstacles, with mud pits planted at the halfway point and just before the finish line.
Naturally, the night before the big race, I had to carbo load. I mean, how else could I have possibly made it through such a race without a stomach stretched out with carbs?
Pasta carbonara. It’s easy, delicious, and doesn’t take much time to perfect. While the pasta is boiling (I used orzo), saute onions and bacon. In a separate bowl, beat eggs together with parmigiano reggiano and a ton of freshly ground black pepper.
Once the pasta is done, drain well and add to the bacon and onions. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir until warmed through. Season with salt to taste, and top with extra cheese and pepper.
Not only do I want to eat this in my underwear, after burning off all the calories during the mud run, I want to do pretty much anything in my underwear. And if you start moving around some more, you’ll wanna do the same.
It’s been a while since I’ve eaten something healthy for dinner. I blame you. Instead of sulking around, complaining that you continue to force me to indulge, I helped myself to a healthy dose of radicchio and herbs.
I used fresh tarragon, dill and parsley for greenery, and a vinaigrette of mustard, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and S & P. Though simple to prepare and minimal in ingredients, this salad is bold. For some, it may be “too herby” (you know who you are), for others the radicchio may be too bitter. But if you’re looking for a salad that is easy, healthy, and gutsy, this is it.
Plus, you’ll feel so good about yourself after eating it, you’ll wanna strut around in your underwear.
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding butter. Here’s what I have to say about it: I love it, and it makes things taste good; it’s not particularly nutritious–in fact, excess intake can negatively impact heart health. So what’s a person to do?
Eat it. Enjoy it. Don’t go overboard. Only purchase really good butter, or make it yourself.
You can make butter from heavy cream by shaking it vigorously in an air-tight container, which is tedious but trains your bis, tris, delts and pecs (I guess). Otherwise, drag out your stand mixer or food processor to do the trick.
Click here to watch a thorough, easy-to-follow tutorial created by “Uncle Knick Knack”.
We’ve been practicing pastry in school lately, and last night we made genoise, a light, airy (and nearly flavorless) cake. After frosting with fresh butter cream, I decorated the top with juvenile handwriting that read Happy Bday!, intending on freezing the cake and using it to celebrate one of my best friends’ approaching birthday. Unfortunately, the cake is crap and the butter cream separated, producing a streaky, unattractive appearance. No way am I serving this to anyone…
(This picture makes the crap cake actually look decent. It wasn’t.)
…except myself.
As soon as I got into my apartment, I jumped out of my clothes and gorged on this terrible little cake in–you guessed it–my underwear. And as I did, I wondered why I chose to stand over the sink and continue to serve myself sliver after sliver of disaster. I felt like someone was watching me, and I was right–it was my conscience.
This is a lesson to all: if it tastes awful, stop eating it. In fact, throw it out. Get it out of the house. Instead, eat something you enjoy. Once you’re done, you may be annoyed that you consumed more calories than necessary (or humanly acceptable), but at least they weren’t wasted on crap, like mine. See–even dietitians need reminding.
eating in your underwear 