- Me, watching the Food Network constantly.
- Me, collecting recipes from the Food Network's website. I'll be channeling Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray by the time this 3 weeks is up (oh yeah, and I didn't know that was going to rhyme).
- Me, finding all kinds of amazing "foodie" blogs, as they are called, and copying those recipes into a huge recipe book which I believe will weigh more than our entire family combined when I'm done. Food is endless!
- Me, staring longingly at the string cheese in the fridge and the bowl of half-eaten cereal that Ellie leaves in the morning. I used to look at that bowl in disgust. I mean, come on, soggy/crunchy Life is good, but not completely sogg-ified. Now I would slurp that up right through a straw if I could.
- Me, having a much greater appreciation for what I'm eating now and realizing that I just want to eat the really good stuff. None of that processed high-fructose syrupy sloppy corn-soybean-wheat-based balfjldksajfa;sjflsa;jfsla;. Ya feel me? Love your food! Your food will love you back.
- Me, having to learn to sleep on my stomach because it "gribbles" at night and I can't sleep. Yes, that's for REAL! Metabolism resetting is a big deal. Just look at how big the words are! "Metabolism" and "resetting."
- Me, feeling like I'm being "reset" like an alarm clock but my stomach rebelling against me. "No, McKenz. You aren't an alarm clock! You loathe alarm clocks! You throw alarm clocks against the nearest hard surface!" And yet, I am tick-tocking through this all the way up until the end of September.
- Me, feeling obligated (and lovingly so) to share these amazing websites I have found. I'll throw in a recipe just to tempt you. And I know you'll want to instantly make it because you're feeling hungry right now after reading this blog. And you know that you, in fact, can eat whatever the heck you want. Sidenote: when I start rolling in the dough (ouch, it hurt to type that word), I'm going to donate a bunch of my cash to starving people. I have empathy for them now! P.S. this post was not meant to be a vent/complaining wah-wah-wah mush of words. Just to entertain, as always. Or inspire. Or both! So check out this recipe and get coookin'! (Another P.S.: I saw this made on Food Network, and it looked so stinking amazing my stomach actually rumbled out a tune! I think it might've been the Rocky theme song, but I can't be sure...)
Cheddar Dill Scones (from the Barefoot Contessa)
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.
Oh yeah...for those of you who have never watched Food Network because you're afraid it'll make you wanna cook...I'd say just switch on the telly and let your mind do the molding. You'll start to get tricky with your food. And by the way, I enjoy watching the shows like "Paula's Home Cooking" and "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," but that doesn't necessarily mean you should make those foods all the time. Just a tip. A drippy onion burger or deep-fried doughnuts sound good, don't they? But your body is screaming NOOOOO! I don't mean to sound like a health nut (guilty as charged), but I'm just sayin'...there is such a thing as healthy+tasty. And to prove it to you, I have included these awesome websites! Oh yeah..the recipe above...it's not exactly healthy. But moderation is key. I feel like a walking contradiction here.
WESBITES...that you should really check out. I mean REALLY.
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2004/02/master-recipe-list.html (personally, I'm ADDICTED to this one! And she also breaks down how much each food item is per serving, and guess what? They're usually mega cheap! Woo hoo!)
http://blog.healthyeats.com/
http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/
http://www.nutritiondata.com/ (this website is sooo cool because it tells you not only the nutrition facts of just about ANY food you can think of, but the glycemic index, the vitamins, minerals, if it will help you lose/gain weight, and how healthy the food actually is)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/ (if you can't find time to watch TV, just check out the website. It does the job equally well. It's just cool to watch the food be made, and then of course see the chefs "ooh" and "ahh" over it, as they always do. Not very biased, are they?)
Now go, my fellow bloggers. And don't think that I'm going to start a "foodie" blog and forget all about this one! At least, not yet. :)
