Posted by Amelia on Apr 1, 2009 in
Food is more than fuel!,
Healthy Girl To say that I’ve been a little stressed/depressed/humiliated/obsessed about my recent acceptance of the medical establishments title of “obese” is an understatement. It seems that all I can think about for the past week is my weight. I just about had a breakdown just now when I weighed myself with the Wii twice in five minutes and the second weight was .4 pounds heavier. (I know that using the Wii as a reliable scale is not a good idea in any way.) It was simply the weight that made me panic. Literally, absolutely panic. Can’t breath, heart pounding, elephant standing on my chest panic.
On a number of occasions, I have had therapists or doctors suggest that I might have some sort of eating disorder, but I’ve always written it off. Honestly, who has ever heard of a fat girl with an eating disorder? I always assumed that bulimia was more about the puking, but with the *very* limited amount of research that I have done in the last half an hour, it seems that the compulsive fasting/dieting that I do is considered bulimic behavior as well.
So, yeah, maybe they’re right. There is a lot more to this that I’m not talking about here obviously, but I just wanted to actually put it out ther efor the world. Since I’m finally coming to terms with the weight and my health, and along with that my relationship with nutrition, food, and exercise, it will only be right for me to start being honest wtih the world about it.
Posted by Amelia on Mar 11, 2009 in
Food is more than fuel! So we all know that I got my favorite christmas gift ever this year. My *lovely* Kitchen Aid Mixer!
And boy, oh boy, does this poor guy get a work out! I am constantly mixing something up in it. I think I was the bowl at least three times a week. So, I decided I should start sharing some of the recipes I’ve been trying out.
I got this recipe from the lovely Chele. It’s amazing. It’s definitely a RICH cupcake, so you won’t have to eat 12 of them to get your chocolate fix. I made them without using cupcake liners this time, but the next time I make the recipe I’m definitely going to use them. They’re very moist and tend to be a bit sticky to hold in your hand.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Filling:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
2 tbl sugar
1 tbl milk
Batter:
2 c sugar
1-3/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 c water
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/3 c butter
2 c powdered sugar
6 tbl cocoa
3-4 tbl milk
1. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and milk until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, baking soda. In another bowl, whisk eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened (Batter will be thin).
3. Fill paper lined muffin cups half full with batter. Drop teaspoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into centers, cover with remaining batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
5. In large bowl, combine frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cupcakes.
Store in fridge.. IF there are any left!
I have nothing today in terms of personal holiday festiveness. I’ve been utterly focused for the last 36 hours or so on the fact that we got approved for a new duplex and will be moving in after January 15. That means that once Christmas hits, I have three weeks to organize and pack our apartment. I’m incredibly excited, to say the least.
So, I am turning to the Holidailies writing prompt for the day:
Share a favorite recipe that you like to make (or persuade someone to make for you) at this time of year.
I make some of the yummiest fudge on earth. I generally do not like to tell people what exactly is in this recipe, particularly before they have tried a piece. The stuff is amazing. It melts in your mouth. It’s sweet and creamy. Probably the smoothest fudge you will ever experience. Problem is…
The main ingredient Velveeta processed cheese product. I know, I know. It sounds disgusting. As an ex of mine used to say, if you mix a pound of powder sugar and a bunch of coco on just about anything, it would end up tasting delicious. I wouldn’t go that far, because there are a number of items I just can’t fathom tasting good no matter how much sugar I put on them. Besides, this stuff is great!
My paternal grandmother introduced it into our family lexicon two decades ago, and it has stuck. There is always a bunch of it on any Christmas cookie tray. Along with those awesome little chocolate covered peanut butter balls. But tonight, I share with you the recipe for:
VELVEETA FUDGE
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 8 ounces pasteurized process cheese, Velveeta, cubed
- 1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, about 5 cups unsifted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
Preparation:
In a large saucepan over medium heat butter and cheese cubes together, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Sift together confectioners’ sugar and cocoa; add to cheese, mixing well. Stir in non-fat dry milk, vanilla and nuts. Turn into a 9x9x2-inch pan; chill until firm and cut into squares. Makes about 3 pounds of fudge.
***Edited to say**** Do NOT under any circumstances use generic processed cheese food. The oil content is different in every kind and you may end up with a greasy disgusting mess if you don’t use Velveeta. Believe me. The extra $2.00 is absolutely worth it.
I’ve decided that i’m only going to rely on the Holidailies‘ writing prompt if I have no other holiday related ideas to talk about. Today I’m in a particularly Christmas’y mood, so I don’t really need it.
W and I went grocery shopping last night. As I was grabbing the eggnog that I’d been craving for my coffee all week, I also grabbed a package of lefse. I crave that stuff year round. Lefse has always been my favorite holiday treat. And it was such a huge and important part of my family. I’ve been looking for the last few hours now to try to find a class on how to make it, but I’m coming up short thus far. I think I’ll be calling the Sons of Norway tomorrow to see if they can point me in the right direction.
What is lefse? Oh, my. It’s heaven on a griddle. It’s thin, potato based Norwegian flatbread, though I personally tend to compare it more to a tortilla. A potato based tortilla rolled out paper thin.
I know my descriptions aren’t so great, so I thought I’d give you a little photo based Lefse 101~!
lefse n. A round flatbread of Norwegian origin, traditionally made of a potato- based dough and baked on a griddle
Real homemade lefse cannot be replaced. However, of the lefse that I have purchased in stores, this is the closest to real. It’s still a bit sticky for my taste, but it’s delicious, none the less.
Step One: If it isn’t fresh off the griddle, warm lefse up slightly in the microwave (10-20 seconds). Smear it with a thick layer of margarine. Margarine is the preferred spread in my family. Butter is always too hard and doesn’t spread easily, which has a tendency to tear the very thin lefse. My grandmother was the queen of paper thin lefse.
Step Two: Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Every family has a topping preference, just like the butter/margarine war. Some like cinnamon and sugar. Some like lingenberries. Some like just plain buter. My grandfather was a fan of putting turkey, potatoes, gravy, and cranberries on his and making a “Norwegian Burrito:. I’m pretty easy and just like plain ol’ brown sugar.
Step Three: Roll and DEVOUR! I don’t have any special rolling technique. Some people like the fold the end over and roll thing, but I’m just gonna shove the damn thing in my mouth, as quickly as possible, so I don’t bother with the fancy stuff.
I try not to do many memes when I am blogging, but maybe one or two a week won’t kill me. And it keeps me in the habit of sitting down, opening my blog dashboard, and posting (even if it is totally inane and meaningless!) Besides…sometimes memes are just darn fun! I snagged this one from cheleblog.
Omnivore’s 100 Meme
Instructions:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating, or will never eat again.
4) italicize ones you haven’t eaten but WANT TO TRY
5) Leave the ones you haven’t tried, but are indifferent about
(Of course for me, there is a #6 instruction which says “Make notes on the ones you feel cannot be on your blog without some form of commentary!”)
1. Venison - I grew up with hunters. Our basement freezer was always well stocked with venison cuts of all types! Steaks, chops, sausage, jerky
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile/Alligator
6. Black pudding My grandma is a big fan of blood sausage and tries regularly to sneak it onto the plates of unsuspecting dinner guests.
7. Cheese fondue — Cheese is a food group of its own in my world. Melty cheese? Even better!
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes I guess it was technically a grape based wine but with an infusion of raspberries. I purchased it at Saint Croix Vineyards while I was touring the winery and it may be amoung the most delicious things I have ever tasted.
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans Red beans and rice are a bit of a staple in my life.
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de Leche
28. Oysters From birth until age 21, when grandma got too sick to make it, Oyster Stew was tradition on Christmas Eve. Wacky Norwegians and their traditions. But that buttery soup with little crackers in it is SO SO delicious!
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu — food is SO not worth death!
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – Have not tried, but only because I don’t like Big Macs
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer
59. Poutine
60. Carob Chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin- Upon further research, I found Kaolin used to be one of the active ingredients in medications like kaopectate. (They’ve recently changed their formula.) It’s a drying clay to help stop diarrhea.
64. Currywurst
65. Durrian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (Just fancy words for “chittlins”)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe Beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam Let’s not overlook my hometown of Austin, Minnesota, otherwise known as Spamtown, USA, home of the Official Spam Museum and the annual fourth of July celebration SpamJam. Ah the pride I feel when I think of home.
92. Soft Shell Crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee One of the few benefits I received from working for the large corporate coffee behemoth that shall not be named was the opportunity to drink some truly amazing coffee.
100. Snake
