Imagining myself walking on this path gives me bliss. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1. What is your favourite “bliss” word?
2. What is your favourite “bliss” food?
3. What is your favourite “bliss” activity?
4. What is your favourite piece of “bliss” clothing?
5. Who is your favourite “bliss” author or poet or writer?
6. What is your favourite “bliss” movie?
7. Who is your favourite “bliss” person?
Answer 1 or 2 or 3 or all the questions and you will give me bliss.
Yes, this is exactly how my family sits down to eat every night. I may give the butler the night off! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“The shared meal is no small thing. It is a foundation of family life, the place where our children learn the art of conversation and acquire the habits of civilization: sharing, listening, taking turns, navigating differences, arguing without offending.” ~Michael Pollan, from his book, “Cooked”
I am guilty of much of what Pollan is railing against in his book “Cooked”. I have been wooed by the fast food industry, courted by the industrial food moguls, and a victim of food that is not really food. And I am now inspired to cook food from scratch and not just heat up “packaged ravioli with sage-butter sauce” and consider it a “culinary achievement”.
My Achilles heel when it comes to cooking is the fact that after a while it becomes too routine, and just getting some food to the table is an accomplishment itself—no matter where it comes from—the pizza delivery guy, my freezer, or a package.
Pollan has renewed my pride in cooking, and inspired me. And real cooking can be so simple—sometimes just a quick nuking of fresh asparagus from the local farmers market with a little butter and salt and pepper will satisfy that urging; other times a full-blown meal where one has to actually touch real potatoes, chop real lettuce, and cook some fresh meat meets the criteria.
I must confess that I will still rely on frozen packaged food at times—but I am now determined to take a little more time, take it that one step further, and serve real food on a more regular basis. And I must look at it as feeding my creative beast—there are so many ways to be creative and I no longer want to limit myself to writing literary masterpieces and somewhat lame poetry (I know I am exaggerating on both ends of the scale here).
To share a meal with those you love where you have actually put some time and thought into the effort is most satisfying. If we are going to do important things like teach the art of conversation, and share and listen and navigate differences—we should do it over fare that deserves that deliberation.
Bliss is going that extra mile and fixing “real food” if not every day at least as much as possible. What do you think?
Heaven on earth (Photo credit: MarocStoun)
Jessica from howsweetitis provided this recipe: Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs. yep, they’re a thing! on her blog today. I am totally stealing it and hope she does not mind. I am changing the name to Heaven on Earth Hotdogs though.
I am loving this recipe, though I most likely will find a way to shorten it up as I am a lazy cook and will probably not spend 45 minutes to cook hot dogs, no matter how gourmet. I will find a way to make these in under twenty minutes in one skillet not two—I promise. Also, they say if you change one thing in a recipe it is yours—so I am changing something—those of you who want to find out what I changed, go to howsweetitis. And I would definitely double the recipe—making six hot dogs is just not enough!
Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs
Yield: makes 6 hot dogs
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
6 hot dogs
6 whole wheat hot dog buns, toasted
1 sweet onion, diced
12 ounces of sliced mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
6 ounce cheddar cheese, freshly grated
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
ketchup, mustard + relish
Directions:
Heat two skillets over low heat. Add one tablespoons each of olive oil and butter to both skillets. To one skillet, add diced onions with a pinch of salt. Stir to coat. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the onions don’t burn. Remove lid and add honey, tossing to coat and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until completely caramelized. Once caramel-y, set aside.
In the meantime, add the chopped mushrooms to the (second) skillet, tossing to coat. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add in garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cook hot dogs as desired: either grilled or in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Place each hot dog in a bun and top with an equal amount of grated cheese. Place hot dogs under the broiler (or even back on the grill) for a minute or two just until the cheese is melted. Top with ketchup, mustard and relish, then add mushrooms, onions and bacon. If not serving immediately, wrap in aluminum foil tightly. They can be reheated this way too!
This recipe made me so hungry, I am going out to dress up some hot dogs and have them for lunch. While I am fixing them I will try not to remember why hot dogs are bad for me, or what is in some of them, or that I really should not be eating them. And for those of you who are vegetarian, health conscious, or just not into hotdogs–sorry.
My bliss today: a souped up hot dog. What is your food bliss today?
Note to readers: look in the comments–Zen A. translated the “Heaven on Earth” sign for us!
(Photo credit: ~db~)
Wonder Bread Hometown Fresh Sign (Photo credit: joseph a)
As politically incorrect
as a bologna sandwich
on white bread
with mayo or mustard or sometimes both
topped with iceberg lettuce
and cut into dainty quarters
accompanied by salted potato chips
on a styrofoam plate.
Gulping down a coke
with its empty sweet but oh so delicious calories
while watching TV
a rarity in my childhood house
where most meals were served
at the dining room table ~
meals that included meat and potatoes
and a side of vegetables or two and a salad
on china plates.
Dessert (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And in those days dessert ~
because my father
who expected little, did expect dessert.
Bliss then was
a rare sandwich for supper
instead of the usual heavy healthy fare
and the best sandwich of all
was politically incorrect.
What did you eat that gave you bliss when you were a kid (or even now) that seems out of step with our nutrition crazed (and rightly so) world?
List of U.S. state foods (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I can attest to the fact that this recipe is absolutely outstanding–a friend served it at a dinner party she and her husband hosted last week. Barbequed Steak (even though it was cold as cold can be, Dave braved the outdoors for us), baked potatoes, asparagus and this dressing on a baby spinach salad with roasted walnuts, dried cranberries, blueberries and red onion:
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
But the big news of the night was that Debbie and Dave (our hosts) got married. They have been together for well over a quarter of a century and decided to take the plunge in a private ceremony. They broke the wonderful news to my husband and I, and our other good friends, Lee and Rhonda (who were married the same day a year later than we were) after they had celebrated our birthdays. Talk about humble hosts. I did not notice the flowers in the kitchen from their small but elegant wedding, nor the beautiful ring on her finger, (or Dave’s finger for that matter)–which makes me wonder: what kind of a reporter am I?
(Photo credit: kerryj.com)
I have not been Freshly Pressed. The Food and Wine Hedonist was Freshly Pressed for writing an article about the three things you can find in her refrigerator. Then she asked her readers what three things are always in their fridge. There were all manner of answers. Some were quite eloquent. Some were so good, I would like to get to know these people who always have sparkling wine, a good cheese and something exotic in their fridge. The Hedonist herself always has roasted walnut oil, a specialty hummus, and pecorino romano cheese.
My answer was: mold, mildew, and crumbs. She did not comment back.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that my answer was none too appetizing. Perhaps I was not supposed to be honest. Maybe my food hygiene came into question. So I think I may go back and reanswer her question, and see if she responds. What might be acceptable? Cheeze Whiz, cheese slices, and spray cheese? No, not sophisticated enough.
How about goose liver pâté, Freixenet, and caviar? (Do you keep caviar in the fridge–guess if I have to ask then I might not be too convincing.) I would love to always have Freixenet (Spanish sparking wine) in my fridge — I love this stuff.
Yogurt, soy milk, and celery? Nope, too boring.
Okay, I admit I was being tongue in cheek. Three things that are always in my fridge: mustard, mystery meat, and withered carrots. That is my answer and I am sticking to it. I have a feeling that Food and Wine Hedonist may not respond to that one either.
In keeping with the theme of bliss–what three things do you wish you always had in your fridge?
English: Swiss chard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This next recipe is for those who do not eat meat, but still eat eggs and cheese. Yes, I actually did make this recipe once. It is so unlike me, but we had an attack of Swiss chard in our little family garden, so it was in response to the abundance of green stuff that I actually turned the oven on.
Swiss chard is really good for you. Having said that, I have to admit that it is not my favourite leafy green, but it is nicely disguised in this recipe.
So, without further ado (drum roll please) here is some Swiss Chard Bliss (isn’t it amazing how I can work that word into anything?):
Baked Swiss Chard
1 lb. Swiss chard
¼ cup of butter (I probably used Becel, as that is what I usually have on hand unless it is a holiday)
1 large onion, sliced
2 eggs
Salt and pepper (to taste)
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
Cut stems from chard, then cut into ¼ inch pieces and leaves into 1 inch strips. (Let’s be honest here, I threw out the stems). Melt butter, add onion and stems and cook until onion is transparent. Add leaves and cook for three minutes. Place in greased two quart baking dish.
Beat eggs; add salt and pepper, then pour over chard. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serves 2-4 (Recipe taken from Country Cooking, by readers of Harrowsmith Magazine, attributed to Sandra Lintz ~ p. 163)
Everything thing is better with cheese! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you are not a big fan of Swiss chard you will like this recipe. If you are a big fan of Swiss chard, you will love this recipe.
So what recipe do you use to turn a vegetable which is not on your bliss list, into something that resembles bliss? And do you agree that if you add cheese to something, it automatically becomes blissful?
Mmm… baked beans (Photo credit: jeffreyw)
It is cold. It is the last week of January. It is time for a comforting recipe that is easy and good and goes with all kinds of entrées. What is this magic bean of a recipe? Why Baked Beans of course.
I love baked beans though I have to be careful not to eat them when I have to cover a municipal council meeting for my newspaper at night. I am sure I do not have to explain any further.
In fact, I have a stomach that is a bit “delicate” so when I have to work at night I do not eat before I go so that it does not do something unexpected. It is funny how we have to adapt to things in life. Nine times out of ten my stomach survives a meal successfully, but it is that tenth time that makes one take precautions. But I digress (I often think that if I did not digress, I would not have much of a post).
This recipe was given to me by my sister, hence the name:
Great Baked Beans à la Peggy
4 – 15 oz. cans of baked beans (any kind you like; if I am feeling virtuous I choose the kind without pork—if I need comfort, I choose pork and beans)
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp. vinegar
¾ cup molasses
1 tsp. dry mustard
¼ cup ketchup
Bacon on top
Bake one hour at 350 degrees then 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
So simple, yet so good. You may think the magic ingredient in this is the bacon, but the real ingredient that makes all the difference in the world is molasses. Seriously—it gives it the right “body” and makes it kind of velvety—words I know not usually ascribed to baked beans, but it is true.
Sometimes I do not use this official recipe because I do not always have all the ingredients—if you have no dry mustard, use the yellow stuff. No molasses, throw in some brown sugar or maple syrup. No bacon? Cry a little—then make it anyway. Sometimes I crisp the bacon and put it right in with the beans. You can get as creative as you want.
I use this recipe when I have family dinners and it always disappears. For these dinners I serve it with spiral cut ham, cranberries, coleslaw, green stuff (I will give you the recipe for this some day), and roasted potatoes.
(Photo credit: sachman75)
I have two questions for you today. The first is existential: Would you consider someone a coffee lover if they have to use 3 teaspoons of sugar and a pint of milk in their morning coffee?
The second is: What is your favourite comfort food bliss? Feel free to answer one or both questions—and if you want to leave a recipe, feel free.
As good as Soup Nazi’s Soup (Photo credit: naokomc)
Feature blogger of the day: the usual bliss.
Why? First and foremost because of the name of her blog, but today she featured a most delicious soup recipe and she also has not taken her tree down, which will make anyone who has not taken their tree down yet happy. Blissful even. Her excuse is that she is sick, but personally I do not think she needs one. Many years I do not have my tree down by this date. I consider this year a fluke.
Unusual blisses:
1. A chili dog on a hamburger bun. The hotdog buns were gone, but I still had hamburger buns and the makings of two chili dogs. It tastes just as good on a hamburger bun as a hot dog bun. My recipe for a chili dog: hot dog, fried; top it with chili, mustard, and onions. Bliss.
2. When something broken gets fixed. My furnace was broken and it is fixed now. No more expensive electrical heaters (which did the trick but did not add much to my Christmas decor). Bliss.
3. A new handle on my back screen door. Now it does not open at random. Bliss.
4. A flu shot given by my favourite nurse who knows how to give shots that do not hurt. She did not even have to ask me what flavour I wanted (a trick my doctor used when I was little). Bliss.
5. Finding a blog called the usual bliss. How fortuitous is that. Kismet. And again, bliss.
What are some of your unusual blisses?
Just Wondering
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Do you tend to have a different personality when you comment on blogs? I do.
There are some blogs that I really admire, and feel that my response should be somewhat intelligent. Though I have always thought I was fairly bright, sometimes there is a chink in my armour and I discover (somewhat nonplussed) that I have vast reservoirs of things I should know, but don’t.
Then there are the funny blogs, where I feel not quite up to the challenge, but I try anyway—sometimes successfully, but sometimes I probably come across a bit lame. I have a gentle sense of humour, sometimes clever (I think) but never of the slapstick genre which could make me look a bit like a stick in the mud.
I am awed by many of the poetry blogs—their way with words is amazing and sometimes (if truth be told) I am not positive about what they are alluding to—so I read the other comments first to see if I am on the right track. But I so admire those who can describe things beatifically.
Most photography blogs are pretty straightforward and I can appreciate the talent that goes into the photos (I can appreciate but not duplicate). These blogs open up a whole wonderful world—but I can only comment on how the photos make me feel, and not their technical expertise.
I love food blogs—I cannot add much but my admiration though. But I enjoy reading about food—always have, always will. (And of course, eating it!)
There are some blogs where I just click with the author—anything I say is accepted with a laugh or a smile and I am free to express myself as myself, with no fear of being misunderstood. These blogs represent the good friends I have made in this cyber world.
I have had a few rare comments that seem set on trying to get an uncomfortable conversation going—where I am affronted by an opinion rather than presented with one. I try never to do this as I am not sure how to respond and do not want to put others in that position. I have learned not to comment when I am tired, or in a bad mood, or upset. At the beginning of my blog career I may have left a comment or two I was not proud of—and they haunted me. So I try very hard to be, what is that elusive word?—nice, which does irritate some as they want what they call real feedback that shows backbone. I have a backbone, but prefer to keep it out of my comments.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde poster. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I always strive to be myself, but have come to the conclusion that I have several selves.
Bliss is the realization that we have alternate personalities. So—do you have a different personality depending on the blog you comment on?
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on May 15, 2013 at 12:07 pm Comments (71)Tags: humour, food, comments, blogs, personality, split personality, talent, photography, click