The Last Day of the Year: The Last Supper

It's officially the last day of the year.  In fact, there's only a few minutes left.  It's a new start for me; in just a few months, I'll be ready to start my new life.  I'm bidding a fond adieu to some of my favorite junk foods.  Well, it's not a permanent goodbye.  I'll treat myself every now and then.  So, it's more like a see ya later.  Today, I've been able to have a couple of those foods one last time before I put them up on the shelf.  As we speak, I'm having some super duper spicy, cheesy chili among a few other things.  It's kind of like my last supper. I've got my first feature ingredient picked for week one, and will share it with you all tomorrow.  Thank I am ready to roll!

Happy New Year to everyone who's already crossed over into 2012.  Best of luck to everyone with your various endeavors! May God bless us and keep us all in this New Year!

Replacing fat with pure F.A.T begins tomorrow!

The Faux Foodie; That Would Be Me!

When it comes to food, foie gras, sea urchin (AKA uni), beluga caviar, and escargot are just some of the quintessential foods that signify the epitome of elegance, class, and luxury.  Clearly, these are delicacies one would expect to see any foodie happily noshing on, right?  Well, not this foodie! You couldn’t pay me enough money to even swallow 1/8 of a teaspoon of any of that.  None of it is appealing to me.  I’d love to meet the guy who was gardening one day and happened to look down in the grass and saw a little snail slowly making its way through it, leaving a trail of slime in its wake.  I wonder what it was about that slime trail, or maybe it was the snails antennae that made him think, “Mmm hmm, yeah! I’ve gotta get me some of that! That looks like good eats right there.  I’ll dip you in a bit of melted butter, a little garlic, a little shallot and it’s on!”  Then again, I probably don’t want to meet that guy.  I’m pretty sure he and I would have some definite differences of opinions as to what we consider good eats.  LOL

I’ve heard so many definitions floating around about what it means to be a foodie.  To many, being a foodie means you’re a food snob who ONLY eats the best, most expensive foods on earth, and shuns any food (and often the people who eat it) that does not meet the lofty, and rigorous standards of fine, gourmet food.  This is one who takes an elitist approach to food, and wouldn’t dare eat certain things simply because it’s considered to be beneath him or her. To others being a foodie means that you’re one who has an extremely refined, discerning palate which has been trained to only be able to appreciate the finest, most delectable morsels of food.  It doesn’t matter what a food may taste like.  If it’s expensive or exclusive, to this particular foodie, it automatically means good eats. Still others believe a foodie is a trend seeking restaurant hotspot hopper whose sole purpose in life is to keep up with the newest, hippest food trends and fads on the culinary scene.  This type of foodie takes the “keeping up with the Jones’” approach to food.  This type wants to stay in the know of what the Jones’ are cooking, how they’re plating it, and what cutting edge cooking techniques the Jones’ use to get it there.  If the Jones’ say pocket lint is the new taste treat as long as it’s fried to golden perfection in rendered duck fat and served with a sweet and spicy blood orange dipping sauce, then guess who’s juicing blood oranges, pulling out the chile peppers,  and running to their closets to empty out their coat pockets? Yep, those guys.

Foodie. There are SO many definitions out there for that word. While all of them do recognize the passion for food, unfortunately, a great majority of them also allude to the idea that a foodie is definitely an elitist, snobbish, fad chasing food lover. Based upon those definitions, I am not a foodie. True, I have a refined palate, enjoy luxurious flavors and textures, and have a great appreciation for discovering new ways of preparing food.  But, I am in no way shape or form a food snob or some kind of fad loving food groupie.  I have white truffle oil, a pinch of saffron, multiple ages and varieties of balsamic, and host of other infused oils and vinegars stashed in my pantry.  But, they’re in the same pantry with hot sauce, ramen noodles, and pork ‘n beans.  I love creamy polenta made with whole cream, butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and topped with shitakes and oyster mushrooms.  But, I also love regular ole grits made with salt, pepper, butter, and sharp cheddar. 

I loathe pompous elitism in general but especially when it comes to food.  There are so many things in existence that separate people:  money, race, age, etc.  Food shouldn’t be one of them.  Food is such an integral part of life to everyone.  It shouldn’t be used in an intimidating manner.  So the notion that some people tend to use food and in many ways the term foodie as a symbol of status and as a way to establish a concocted food related caste system is repugnant to me. That’s why I call myself a faux foodie. 

Remember back in the day when wearing real fur was so big?  I never owned any real fur.  But, I do remember twirling in a mink coat at a store when I was much younger thinking “someday, someday, someday!”  The idea of having real mink was such a luxury.  The elite, the rich, the famous wore them.  Then, years later we learned of all the suffering that animals went through just so we could have that coat, and the idea of having real fur was no longer desirable; many people switched to wearing faux fur.  It still looks and feels good, but the distasteful part of it has been removed.  Well, I’m doing the same thing with foodie that was done with fur, which is why I call myself a faux foodie.  I’m keeping what’s good about it, the passion, the excitement, the love of food, but getting rid of all of the nonsense that makes it seem intimidating.  I don’t subscribe to ideas like:  I’m better than you because I eat this.  I will never eat this because only those kind of people eat that.  This tastes great because I paid $75 a pound for it. Chef So and So said this is fantastic and I saw So and So from my favorite TV show eating it, so I know it tastes good. Nah, that’s not me.

If I say I don’t like something it’s because I don’t like it, not because it’s not ritzy enough for me.  If I eat something and like it it’s because I enjoy the flavors, not because some food god convinced me it tastes good even though it tastes like fire roasted garbage sprinkled with pink salt and peppercorns.  I know that $75 a pound cheese doesn’t necessarily taste good just because it costs $75 a pound.  If I don’t want to try something it’s because I have some aversion to it, not because I’m intimidated by it or don’t feel worthy enough to eat it.  Like I said earlier, I have no desire to eat those above listed luxury foods.  I’ve had plenty of opportunities to, but just don’t find those foods enticing.  Having said that, I don’t feel that a lack of willingness to eat certain things even remotely diminishes one’s passion and love of eating, cooking, and learning about food.  There are plenty of other things to sink your teeth into. 

To me, a foodie should simply mean one who loves and is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about cooking, eating, and shopping for good food.  So, until that definition is considered the norm, I proudly call myself a faux foodie.   

Great Googly Moogly! F.A.T. Cooking Kicks off in Two Days!

Where has the time gone?  Wasn’t it Christmas Day just yesterday?  I can’t believe it’s December 29^th already. I’ve been SO busy and so much has happened in the past few days that I haven’t had a chance to blog.  There are only two days left in 2011.  I only have two whole days left before I change my life!  That also means I only have two days left to eat junk food without feeling extraordinarily guilty about it.   It sounds horrible, but there are SO many sinfully, greasy, buttery, delicious things that I want to eat before I start my F.A.T. journey.  Here’s a list of 10 things (in random order) that I wish I could sink my teeth into right now:

1.  A cheese steak from Big City Hot Dogs

2.  A brisket sandwich with LOTS of Blues Hog BBQ sauce from McGonigle’s

3.  A maple butter blondie from Applebee’s 

4.  A turtle sundae from Culver’s

5.  Just about everything at Grandview China Buffet

6.  Mushroom and Italian Sausage Pizza from Papa Keno’s

7.  My mom’s chicken and dumplings

8.  My homemade chocolate ganache cake

9.  My mom’s creamed peas and carrots

10.  My dad’s fried corn with strick-o-lean strick-o-fat

I need to stop thinking about those grease laden foods and focus!  It’s not like I won’t EVER be able to have any of that again.  I’m not giving up fat completely.  I can treat myself to something every now and then...maybe once a month or so.  Only a fool would say they’re never going to eat any “bad food” ever again.  “My momma didn’t raise no fool.” LOL

I’ve been so busy, I haven’t even decided on the ingredient I’m going to feature for week one.  There are a couple of ingredients that begin with the letter “A” that I’ve been considering, but I keep flip-flopping between them.  Does anyone have any suggestions for an ingredient that begins with the letter “A” that you’d like to see me cook with?  You can either leave your suggestion in a comment here, or send me an email.  I think it will be better if I pick my ingredients raffle style.  So, I’ll put all the ingredients I’ve come up with and any that I get from you guys into a bowl and pull one out.   Once I pick it, I’m stuck with it as my feature ingredient for the week. That might be fun. J

I’m both excited and a bit nervous about this venture.  I’m going to put away my bad eating habits, and take on the alphabet of ingredients that are waiting to receive the F.A.T. treatment.  An ingredient for EVERY letter of the alphabet WILL be featured. Amazing, healthy food WILL be prepared.  Every unwanted pound WILL come off.  Failure is NOT an option. 

Apparently, NOT itching all over is not an option either.  Yes, I realize that’s an over share.  As we speak, I’m having a really bad allergic reaction to chocolate…again.  So, I’m going to cut this short:  I have a hot date with Benadryl and calamine lotion. Remember to send me any “A” food suggestions!  Tomorrow, I’ll explain why I call myself a faux foodie, and I’ll share a shameful, yet eye opening experience I had with food the other night when I was frustrated and a bit depressed.  

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Bite

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Today is the day where the world slows down and takes time out to honor and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…something we should do EVERY DAY in my opinion.  But, on this day, December 25^th, people set their differences aside.  Peace and goodwill is wished for all, and everyone is considered to be a brother.  Neither race nor creed matter on this day as we gather together in churches, homes, and in the streets to sing songs of joy and talk about God’s goodness and the miracle of Jesus’ birth.  We thank Him for the many blessings He’s bestowed upon us: grace, love, hope, joy, peace, and our taste buds.  Leave it to a faux foodie (I’ll explain what I mean by “faux foodie” later.) like me to put taste buds on the list of blessings from the Lord.

Christmas Day usually culminates in a meal shared with family and friends.  Spiral-cut ham, warm, buttered rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, and a myriad of other holiday favorites adorn the dinner table.  Sugar cookies decorated with festive holiday sprinkles, gingerbread houses, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, Christmas stollens, and peppermint bark claim their rightful places on the dessert table.  My peppermint fix came in the form of peppermint creams courtesy of my friend and coworker, Bobbi (Thanks, chica!!).  Spicy eggnog, warm apple cider, and mulled wines quench our thirsts.  I hope that after everyone has torn open their presents, had their fill of eggnog (I hate the stuff personally), and is all Christmas caroled out, they will keep with them the true meaning of Christmas.

So, once again, Merry Christmas!  May the love, peace, and joy of Christ fill your heart and fuel your actions everyday, and not just on this one.  

Finding Comfort Through Comfort Food: Scrambled Eggs, Buttered Toast, and a Cup of Tea

It was a dark, rainy, and dreary day.  It was the kind of day made perfect for relaxing on the sofa with a good book, a steaming hot cup of tea, and the therapeutic sound of nature’s sound machine as rain drops pitter pattered against the window pane.  A pair of sinfully comfy PJ’s, big, fluffy slippers with cute animal faces on them that you’d NEVER want anyone to catch you in, and a nice snuggly blanket make up the mandatory dress code for a day such as this. Unfortunately, it was also Monday.  So, instead of luxuriating the day away on my sofa, surrounded in comfort, I went to work…against my better judgment.

It was DEFINITELY a Monday.  It was one of those Monday’s that I wish I could’ve grabbed a remote control and either fast forwarded through it, or pushed rewind and started it all over.  Unfortunately, I possess no such gadget with that kind of power, so I was forced to stumble my way through the day (literally).  I didn’t feel well when I woke up yesterday morning, which is the reason I considered calling in sick.  But, I decided to press my way and went on in.  Upon arrival, my day went something like this:  spill hot, apple cider all over my desk; drop a large, jarred candle on the floor while cleaning up the cider; clean up glass from the candle; fix the copier; see what’s wrong with the printer; spill MORE  cider all over my desk; clean cider (and die of thirst because I was afraid to get anything else to drink); trip over the file cabinet; get mud in my shoes after my heels sank in the ground; and the list went on and on. Needless to say, I was anxious to get back home and the comforts it offered.

Strangely enough, throughout the day only one comforting meal came to mind: scrambled eggs, buttered toast (margarine actually), and a cup of tea.  I found this odd considering how many comfort foods there actually are that I could’ve desired and reached for:  warm, rice pudding; cheese filled croissants drenched in homemade strawberry preserves; dangerously rich, homemade chocolate truffles; gooey baked mac and cheese made with seven cheeses; potatoes whipped with cream cheese, kissed with garlic, and sprinkled with chives; chicken and the world’s most perfect, PERFECT dumplings (MAJOR shout out and a hint-hint, wink-wink to my Mom); a trio of sautéed mushrooms and onions with a touch of sherry, cream sauce. And this doesn’t even scratch the surface on foods I consider comfort foods.  So, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a cup of tea may seem like an odd meal of choice to combat the type of day I had yesterday.  But, I’m not talking about your average, willy nilly, run of the mill scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a cup of tea.  I’m talking about my mom’s!  This woman is a magician! I don’t know what in the world it is that she did/does to take such humble ingredients and elevate them to a level that royalty would appreciate, but she does it. 

I was rather sickly growing up, or as my siblings put it, “Something was always wrong with you.” LOL I was served this meal of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a cup of tea quite regularly.  I’d be in bed and the smell of that simple, yet delectable meal cooking away always warmed my heart and soothed my soul.  That smell emanating from the kitchen was a way of letting me know that love, in the form of my mom, and nourishment, in the form of the food was on the way.  That smell made me know that no matter what was wrong, no matter how badly I felt, I would be OK.  It was pure comfort.  I would get so excited when I heard the tea cup clinking against the saucer as my mom made her way up the hall to my room.  She would bring the meal on a pretty, little bed tray (with the napkin folded into the perfect point), sit beside me, put her arm around me, and pinch my cheeks.  Till this very day, a cheek pinch from her makes me feel like I’m the best girl in the world, and I grin like a Cheshire cat.

That meal was always the same:  perfect. The toast (cut into perfect toast points) was always toasted perfectly with just the right amount of butter on it so that it was still crisp, but had a slight softness to it as well.  And, she never buttered the part where I picked it up with my fingers.  I’m not sure if she did that purposefully or if was a stroke of genius done by accident. I loved knowing I wouldn’t have greasy fingers after eating my toast. The tea was brewed to the precise strength I liked, perfectly sweetened, and served boiling hot.  She and I share an affinity for scalding hot, hot drinks.  My dad STILL remarks that you can’t drink anything that hot, but we’ve always managed.  J The pièce de résistance were those glorious scrambled eggs:  flavorful, fluffy, creamy, buttery love on a plate. It was always such a comfort to me.  It still is.  I’ve tried to duplicate it, but just can’t.  There’s an expression people say of a cook when they’ve made something that tastes REALLY good:  “They put their foot in it.”  My mommy must’ve put both of her feet into her scrambled eggs, because I have no idea what makes them taste so good, and NOBODY'S scrambled eggs can touch hers.

I sure wish I could've had scrambled eggs, toast, and a cup of tea when I got home on Monday evening.  But, just thinking about it did the trick to help snap me out of my Monday blues.  For our New Year's Eve celebration this year, my family's decided to do a comfort food theme instead of a fancy dinner.  My mom’s already promised me her amazing chicken and dumplings, but I wonder if I can weedle some scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a cup of tea out of her too.  Hmm…. J

Spotted Dick: Sounds So Bad, Tastes So Good

When I think of countries with rich culinary heritages that boast cuisine full of amazing flavor combinations and cooking techniques that I’m hankering to try, England has never been a country that springs to mind. Sure, England’s known for pub food, fish and chips, and a host of dishes with adorable and hilarious names: bangers and mash, bubble and squeak, Welsh rabbit, sticky toffee pudding (which I love), pasties, and crumpets just to name a few.   But, England is definitely not on my top 10 list of countries to visit when I think of places to visit just to try an authentic dish the country’s famous for.  I don’t even think it’s on my top 50 list.  The only time I think of England in relation to food and drink is when I think of tea.  I don’t say that to be disrespectful or insulting.  I’m an avid tea drinker and have the greatest respect for the art of crafting fine English tea or any tea for that matter. I never thought their lack of food that truly interests and inspires me hurt my opinion of the English culture.  I always felt that what they lacked in cuisine they make up for it with those fantastically snazzy hats so many of them like to wear. 

With all that being said, England does have one funny sounding food that’s intrigued me ever since I was five-years-old: spotted dick.  Spotted dick is a steamed sponge pudding traditionally made with wheat flour, eggs, sugar, suet (fat from around the loins and kidneys of animals, usually sheep or beef –mine was made with canola though…they’re a little more health conscious now), spices, currants or raisins (the spotted part of the dessert) and other ingredients.  It’s often served over or topped with warm custard.  Spotted dick was featured on a cooking show one Saturday morning, long before we were lucky enough to have TV channels dedicated solely to food.  The ladies on the show went wild over it.  At that age, the only puddings I was familiar with were chocolate, vanilla, and rice pudding.  So, the idea that there was such a thing as sponge pudding intrigued me, and the idea that it cooked inside of a can baffled me.

With the exception of beans, tomatoes, peaches, and beets, I normally steer clear of food that comes in a can.  But, for years I’d secretly hoped I would get the chance to try what seemed to me a strange phenomenon of a dessert, spotted dick.  For some reason, I never, ever saw it in ANY store until here recently. When I saw it in the display case I immediately reverted back to the kid I was in 1985 and jumped up and down like an idiot and exclaimed, “Oh, my God! I finally get to taste spotted dick!”  I don’t think I need to explain why that’s not the best comment to make around people who have no idea that I was talking about food.  Needless to say, I quickly made my way to the cash register before the senior citizens who were shooting laser death ray-like looks at me could pick up any of their produce and throw it at me.  On a bright note, the cashier knew what spotted dick was and completely shared my enthusiasm over it being in our store.  She made me promise to come tell her how it tasted after I’d tried it.

Last night, I stood over a pot of simmering water and watched my can of spotted dick gently bob up and down and swirl around the pot. I read the short ingredients list for the fifth time and tried to imagine what this pudding was going to taste like.  The ingredients in it were normal enough, especially without the suet in it.  But, after coming right off of the bacon cupcake disaster which also featured normal ingredients that should’ve tasted good together, I couldn’t imagine what I was in store for which made my stomach sink.  Regardless as to how the TV ladies reacted when they ate it, how could it be possible that something with a name that sounds so terrible even remotely taste good?  Someone had to have given it a bad name for a reason.  I REALLY didn’t have high hopes for this dessert at that point.  I didn’t make custard to go with the spotted dick like I was supposed to (sue me).  I figured the spotted dick would be gross and it wasn’t worth making custard since I’d be throwing the pudding out anyway.  

After 35 minutes of can bobbing, I removed the pudding from the pot with a slotted spatula, dried it off, sat it on the counter, and stared at it.  I realized that in 2 minutes I would finally have an answer to a question I’d wanted an answer to for 26 years:  Is this funny sounding food really as good as they said it was on TV?  I pulled out my can opener and opened the can.  Almost immediately I felt warm and fuzzy inside.  The aroma from the spices was completely reminiscent of the holidays.  That’s when I panicked; I should have made the daggone custard!  Instead, I quickly toasted some walnuts, made a quick caramel sauce, and whipped cream. I took a knife and unloosened the pudding from the sides of the can and turned it out on the plate.

The steam from the spotted dick and the spices were very inviting.  I cut a wedge of it with my knife; it was a little dense, yet moist. I took a bite and was utterly surprised. It was delicious!  The wheat flour gave it an earthy taste.  It wasn’t very sweet, but the raisins gave a much needed pop of sweetness when I bit into them, and there were just the right amount of spices that made me want to go in for another bite.  It was definitely a dessert pudding, but I could taste how easily it could be repurposed to make a savory stuffing. I almost kicked myself because I immediately saw how good this pudding would have tasted with custard.  Then, I remembered my walnuts, caramel, and cream.  I put a thin layer of cream on top of the spotted dick, and sprinkled toasted walnuts on top.  I loved the contrast in texture the nuts provided.  A few drizzles of caramel gave me the sweetness I was looking for to make it a nice little dessert.

I completely see why spotted dick has been eaten in England for so many years.  It’s a nice dish to have while hunkered down in front of a fire place on a cold winter’s night.  The spices evoke a sense of warmth and hominess. I’m glad to know that my first taste of this dessert wasn’t an interpretation of what a foreigner like me thought spotted dick should taste like.  With the exception of using caramel, cream, and walnuts instead of custard, this spotted dick was the real deal.  It was made IN England BY English people.  So, knowing that what I had was authentic was very exciting.  Spotted dick.  Who knew?  It sounds so bad, but tastes so good.  I really enjoyed it, and plan to make it again…WITH CUSTARD.  :-)

Here's a pic of the spotted dick with nuts and some of the cream that had melted on top.

National Cupcake Day – When Cupcakes and Bacon Collide…The Aftermath

So, yesterday on National Cupcake Day, I finally experienced that elusive Canadian maple cupcake that I’d been trying to get my hands on for quite some time.  Unlike the bacon maple donut I referenced in my previous post which I said offended me, this Canadian maple cupcake took it one step further and just pissed me off.  After just one bite, it left me asking “Why? WHY? WHYYYYYY?”  But, I stopped asking that because obviously, the cupcake couldn’t hear or answer me, and I was no where near the cupcakery to ask the baker.  So, unfortunately, there will be no pic of this train wreck of a cupcake; I’m full of complaints.  L

But, before I start bashing, I have to mention the positives. The counter attendants were warm and friendly (as always) and treated all of their customers like old friends.  The sight of the display cases filled with various flavors of gorgeously adorned, tasty little cakes couldn’t help but make me smile. And even though I’d bought those cupcakes (I picked up extras for others to try) myself, the cute little box they packed them in made me feel like someone had just surprised me with a gift.  Finally, the amazing aroma of maple syrup wafting out of the box on the ride home had me tempted to try licking the air to see if I could taste it. 

Now, here comes the negative part.  I was grossly disappointed with this Canadian maple bacon cupcake.  I’m shocked that a place that has so many extraordinary delights could have served up such an epic failure of a cupcake like this one.  I think the devil’s wife might have snuck into the kitchen and whipped these bad boys up while the regular baker wasn’t looking.  Here are a few of my complaints:

1.   Why so much frosting?      Frosting in general is primarily sugar; maple syrup was added to this one.  On what planet does it seem like a good idea to pipe 1 ¼ inches to 2 inches of frosting on top of a cupcake?  If you’re going to make frosting that sweet, a smear will do.  After recovering from near hyperglycemic shock, I almost felt I should call a dentist to see if the frosting caused cavities to form in my teeth.  

2.  Suey! Where’s the bacon? Diced bacon was invitingly sprinkled on top of the frosting.  So, why couldn’t I taste it?  It certainly looked and smelled like bacon. It just didn’t have any taste, and to add insult to injury, it was limp.  Who wants limp bacon?!?  That's just cruel.

3.  Don’t fake the cake!            The description claimed that the cake itself was Canadian maple bacon.  Somehow, that translated into a heavy, flavorless, white cake speckled with pretty, little, pink things moonlighting as bacon. The cake had somewhat of a greasy quality to it that I’m assuming came from the pink things.  Strangely enough the grease had no taste either.

4.  Balance the flavors.             Sweet and salty go hand-in-hand when balanced correctly.  This cupcake was obscenely, cloyingly sweet.  Because the bacon was so flavorless, there was nothing there to help balance out the sweetness…not that any dessert should EVER be that sweet.  I almost sprinkled a little sea salt on top of it to see if that would help salvage it.

There is so much more I could say about this cupcake, but I guess I’ll hold back.  I’d really love to hear what some of you who I know tried this cupcake today have to say about it.  But, keep in mind that since I had such snarky comments, I PURPOSELY am not mentioning the name of this cupcakery, and ask that you follow suit so I can avoid a possible law suit in the event they feel it's slander. LOL   All joking aside, they do fine work…just not with this particular cupcake.

I hope anyone else who might have celebrated National Cupcake Day enjoyed their cakes immensely.  J  But, since I’ve experienced this disaster of a cupcake, I’m going to go ahead and finish out the work week with what I'm anticipating will be an equally dissatisfying dessert. LOL Tomorrow I’ll be sampling an old, English classic: spotted dick.  Yeah, I don’t have high hopes for this one at all.  

National Cupcake Day 2011 – When Cupcakes and Bacon Collide

There are only 16 days left in 2011. Just 16 days to finish making the annual New Year’s plans with my family, 16 days to think about making New Year’s resolutions, and just 16 days for me to sneak in a few extra treats before I dive into the kitchen on January 1, 2012 to begin a healthier lifestyle by cooking my way through the alphabet and replacing fat with pure F.A.T. (Flavor. Aroma. Texture). This was on my mind yesterday at work when I handed my supervisor some paperwork and she said, “Did you know that tomorrow is National Cupcake Day?  Better yet, did you even know that there was a National Cupcake Day? I sure didn’t...” She said some other things that I’m sure were very interesting, but unfortunately I didn’t really hear them.  I had cupcakes on the brain!  But, I somehow managed to yank myself out of my Broadway style musical reverie of dancing badly with my coworkers in my favorite cupcakery while sampling their latest and greatest selection of cupcakes just in time to hear her say, “We should be able to get some free cupcakes tomorrow.” Free cupcakes you say?  Score! 

While it’s true that there will be delicious, beautiful, free cupcakes all over Kansas City today, there’s only one cupcake that I have my eye and my taste buds set on.  It’s one that’s been eluding me because I can never get to the cupcakery on the days they serve it.  It’s the Canadian Maple Cupcake.  It’s a maple bacon cake with maple butter cream frosting topped with crunchy bacon.  I’m all for combining savory and sweet elements together to get a perfect and sometimes complex bite.  And you really can’t go wrong with adding bacon to just about anything, so this cupcake is right up my alley.  I’ve actually had a bacon maple donut before. But, surprisingly it was severely lacking bacon.  You can’t call a donut a “bacon maple donut” and not give me that glorious, distinctive essence of pork; I was so offended by that donut.  I so hope this cupcake doesn’t disappoint, especially since I’ve been trying to sample it for so long.

So, in honor of this hallowed occasion, National Cupcake Day 2011, I will modify my work schedule, brave the elements, and journey far and wide to acquire this elusive Canadian Maple Cupcake.  Actually,  the weather's going to be pretty nice, I’m just going to cut my lunch short so I can leave the office a few minutes early,  make two right turns, hope I don’t get caught by the train, and stay on the same street for about 15 minutes until I arrive at the cupcakery.  But, you get my point; it’s a bit of a drive just for one cupcake.  So, later today, I shall "have my cake and eat it too"…I can’t imagine what in the world else I’m supposed to do with it.  

 I’ll report back to you good people as to whether or not this cupcake lived up to my hopes and expectations.  If it does, I’ll post a pic of it and tell you what made it so great.  If it doesn’t, I’m just going to complain about it. LOL

The Challenge: Swapping fat for pure F.A.T.

The Challenge: Lose weight and develop a healthier way of eating by replacing fat with F.A.T. and     making dishes with weekly featured ingredients corresponding with the letters of the alphabet.     

Let me start out by saying that I AM NOT a fat basher.  I LOVE IT!  FAT IS DELICIOUS!  I just know that eating that fantastic stuff on a regular basis is not the way to go if I’m trying to achieve good or better health.  So, beginning January 1, 2012, I’m embarking on a culinary voyage where I’ll be eliminating a good chunk of fat (or making it walk the plank as it were) out of my diet in an effort to lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle.  That sounds like a tall order because as I’ve already stated, FAT IS DELICIOUS!  But, it is a necessary journey and one well worth traveling because while I’m fostering healthier eating habits, I’ll also be introducing myself to some new and exotic flavors and ingredients.

In order to do this, I had to honestly ask myself, “Why do I eat fat?”  Well, if you ask me, there are primarily three main reasons why anybody eats it.  Outside of the basic need of food for sustenance, they’re the same reasons why we eat anything. And, ironically the first letter of each of the reasons I’ve come up with spell out fat:

Reason #1: Flavor.    First and foremost, we eat and cook with fat because it’s full of flavor.  Fat gives food an undeniable depth of flavor that’s truly sublime. It just tastes good!

Reason #2: Aroma.   The aroma of fat is intoxicating.  I don’t think anyone can count the  number of times they’ve salivated over the aroma of fat sizzling away on the stove or grill, and licked their lips in anticipation of what was to come when whatever morsel of food lucky enough to be slathered in said glorious fat finally hit their plates.

Reason #3: Texture. The texture of fat provides an amazing mouth-feel to food.  Fat can truly transform a dish; its various textures can be crispy, crunchy, buttery, creamy or supple.  The texture it provides to food makes the eating experience that much more enjoyable.

Now that I’ve completed my praise fest on fat, I’ll say that my plan to reduce it from my diet is by replacing it with F.A.T.  Instead of eating and cooking with so much fat, I’m going to coax out great flavor, aroma, and texture (F.A.T.) from other ingredients to achieve the same or better results than I’d get if I cooked with a lot of fat.  To help facilitate this and keep it interesting, each week I’m going to feature a different ingredient to coincide with a letter of the alphabet and will come up with dishes featuring those all important elements of F.A.T.  I’ll be going from A-Z and back again.  I’ll post pix of my successes and give you all the skinny on my flops.  And to any skeptics out there, there most definitely are ingredients that coincide with EVERY letter of the alphabet.  You’ll have to check back and see what I come up with.  J

You can clearly see that I don’t hate fat, which is why this challenge is so daunting to me.

Hopefully, blogging about this effort and making it public will help keep me on the straight and narrow, and maybe even inspire others to try to get a handle on their poor eating habits. 

The fun begins on January 1, 2012, so stay tuned to see what my first ingredient will be. In the mean time, we’ll hopefully get to know each other a little better because I’ll be blogging to give you a little background about me and giving you my two cents about food. Feel free to comment, email, and send ingredient suggestions.  Wish me luck!