04 March, 2011

cooking at home


here's a little secret about me:
it's probably not really a secret... who am i kidding?

i'm really picky about what i eat.

like, obnoxiously picky. it's a problem, really. over the years, i've figured out that i'm a "super-taster," which is just a fancy way of saying that i have more taste buds and experience taste with more intensity than the average bear. combine that with a pension for snobbery and a palate that's getting more refined by the day, and you've got yourself a picky eater.

soooo, this has been a problem for me and levi. the restaurants in long beach have been going downhill over the last year or two, and i don't want to spend money on food that i don't like, so we're running out of places to eat! unless we drive to l.a., of course.

our solution: cook dinner at home.

i now cook dinner at least 4 nights a week. the goal is to eat at home 5 nights a week and eat out the other two.

i'm starting to get the hang of it! i've always been a decent cook, but it's hard to keep it up every night of the work week. the more i do it, the easier it gets to put meals together. i've even started cooking without recipes! yay! i'm so legitimate.

here are two meals we had this week that were especially delicious:

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balsamic honey glazed chicken breast, mashed potatoes (with greek yogurt instead of butter), spinach and carrot salad, and GIGANTIC cheddar biscuits à la olivia. i couldn't finish my biscuit, but, surprisingly, i ate every last bit of my chicken. it was SOOOO GOOD.



and then i got creative. last night, we had grapefruit pizza.

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pre-baking:
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post-baking...yes, i burned it a little. my broiler was tricky. :\
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ready to serve!
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my recipe

ingredients:

pre-baked pizza crust
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
ruby red grapefruit
shelled and chopped pistachios
goat cheese, crumbled
ricotta cheese mixed with crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper
baby arugula
avocado, chopped

directions:

1. brush olive oil over pre-baked pizza crust.
2. spread with ricotta mixture.
3. sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles.
4. salt and pepper entire pizza.
5. add grapefruit and pistachios.
6. put in broiler on high. broil for about 10 minutes. keep an eye on it though, or the crust might burn like mine.
7. toss baby arugula with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
8. pull pizza out, top with arugula and avocado. serve immediately!


it was seriously incredible. i'm so proud of myself for coming up with it!


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15 comments:

  1. pizza is our favorite thing to eat at home -- why have i not thought of incorporating more things like one of my true loves-- AVOCADO!? yuuum. i'm hungry now ;)

    i supppppose avocado hummus and pretzels will do until dinner.

    thanks for sharing sweet girl! x

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  2. There is something DEEPLY right about goatcheese, olive oil, pizza crust, avocado and grapefruit-- WOW. It's like one of those moments when you find the exact perfect words to describe something, and it's like those awesome words were just WAITING for somebody to put them together. BRAVA!

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  3. i'm super picky too and i've found that eating at home is a good way to save money AND be happy with what i'm eating. those mashed potatoes look amazing- i'll have to trade it greek yogurt for butter next time!

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  4. Ummmm... can you teach me how to cook like that?! Seriously. My mouth is watering.

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  5. this recipe looks amazing first of all.
    and i have found the same thing. cook at home and be satisfied about your food. because i hate spending money on food i wish i never got.
    agreed!

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  6. that pizza looks heavenly!!! i bring my lunch to work + cook dinner 7 days a week. financially it's just not an option (and in my opinion, a total waste) to eat out regularly. for me, i'd rather eat in, then go to an amazing restaurant w/ good food or a really cool scene than eat often at so-so spots.

    keep sharing recipes! :)

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  7. I thought those were scissors in your salad bowl at first and was like hmm jasmine has an interesting way of consuming salad. :)

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  8. Nah, picky eaters are the ones that only eat chicken fingers and french fries. You eat things with lots of color and with ingredients that I would have a hard time finding at my local store in the Midwest.

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  9. @merry - i guess you could call me a "particular" eater then. :) we're lucky in california because there's great produce available year-round, and we have a Whole Foods right by our house! they carry a lot of high-quality stuff that you can't always find at a regular grocery store, or if you do find it, the quality isn't as good.

    @jessica - i agree. however, we really don't seem to be saving much money by cooking at home. we split everything at restaurants so we can usually get by on not much money. i am more satisfied with the food i make though. at least, i have control over the quality of ingredients i'm eating. it seems like all our former favorites in long beach are trying to save money by using crap ingredients. unfortunately, i can tell the difference now! after being exposed to the good stuff, i really can't go back. we try to save eating out for really great restaurants...mostly in l.a. it makes it more of an event, and i'm able to enjoy it more now! i think cooking at home will start saving us more money when we have a family.

    @bre - HAHA! maybe levi just likes things that look like scissors because he's a hair stylist. ;)

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  10. i'm a picky eater too! and i use that same excuse that i have extra sensitive taste buds. but i think it's a lie, cause i can eat verrry sweet things and be just fine. really i just have a sweet tooth and hate anything healthy. i must say though, that pizza looks delicious! what a fabulous creation.

    rebeccawithanR

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  11. yo jasmine! i want that hair post lady!!!!

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  12. i'm the same way... so much that i cross the line into being obnoxiously picky but i like to tell my husband that it's all for the greater good since it means he gets a home cooked meal most nights!

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  13. All of that food looks delicious!!!

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  14. That looks so yummy! When we got married I couldn't cook the end. I've learned over the years and now I cook most nights of the week. Mainly, I cook dinner so that we can have leftovers for lunch instead of going out. That pizza looks yummy, and I'm super picky with my food, especially pizza since I don't eat cheese. Hopefully I can alter this recipe and try it out!

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  15. those pizzas look amazing! i just LOVE homemade pizza and make it quite often, but i have never topped it with avocado before!!! genius!

    great blog - i'm your newest follower!
    cheers,
    cailen
    www.cailenascher.blogspot.com

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