Food!

Have I mentioned that I love food? I love cooking, I love eating, I love reading about food, I love planning meals and menus. I would say that probably 75% of my time is spent thinking about food in some capacity. Cooking has been very therapeutic for me during the last few months (which explains why I look like a jellybean), and I have really enjoyed experimenting with recipes and seeing what I can create.

Tonight I am baking left over lasagna. I love it when I make something delicious, and have so much left over that I can freeze it, and eat it later. It makes me feel smart. And powerful. Other things that I have in my freezer, just waiting for a day when I want to eat something delicious but don't want to work hard include: pulled bbq pork; ravioli with homemade tomato sauce (not homemade ravioli. I am not Martha Stewart for gosh sakes); half of a delectable beef roast, frozen in au jus...just waiting for a crusty roll and some provolone cheese to make french dips; chili. See how smart I am?

I think this week I am going to make vegetable soup. Like, the Weight Watchers zero points kind, except with my own choice of veggies. I love to make giant batches of this and freeze individual portions so when I am feeling fat, I can eat this for a couple days. Not sure that it actually makes me skinnier, but it makes me feel good about myself. Which is all that really matters. Other things I am craving are stir fry, tacos (traditional ground beef ones, on hard shells), and chicken pot pie. Oh, and this. The Pioneer Woman rocks the world, and I have spent countless hours pouring over her blog and trying her recipes. This sundried tomato pasta salad haunts my dreams. I make it, eat it for a week, then crave it again as soon as its done. I don't know what is wrong with me. But just look at it...

For the record, this is the picture from the PW website...I am not this good at taking pictures. But when you make it, it looks just like this. When I make it, I make the following alterations:

- I use the oil from the sudried tomatoes (instead of using regular olive oil). It's more flavorful, and why waste all of that oil?

- I add a roasted red pepper to the dressing. Trust me.

- I use extra red wine vinegar.

- I also add extra basil. Because I love it.

- And finally, I buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it, and add it to this salad. That way I can make it a main dish, rather than just a side. That gives me an excuse to eat more of it.

You should really consider trying this as soon as possible. Or any other recipes on the PW Website. If you need suggestions, let me know. More food blogging to come...