Tag Archives: recipe

19 Week Grapefruit

Posted on February 28, 2010 | 5 Comments

It’s week 19. Almost halfway though. Time is going by very fast these days

This week the baby is 6 inches long from head to baby butt. So it is supposedly mango/grapefruit size. Mangoes are super gross this time of year, but grapefruits are a pretty safe bet. So that is what I am featuring this week. During my first trimester I ate at least one a day for a while, so of all the fruits and veggies that have been suggested as comparisons, this one is probably the most accurate. I am sure the baby’s genetic make up is no less than 50% grapefruit.

Which means baby will smell really good and be slightly pink in coloring.

What you see above, is this recipe for grapefruit basil salad*. It seems like an unconventional flavor combination, but it works surprisingly well. The balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper marinated the grapefruit, basil, chives and red onion. The result was a refreshing salad that should be eaten on a patio in the sun.

However, I ate it in the dark, inside my apartment with the heat blasting because I live in Siberia. I will have to try it again when Chicago becomes more like Florida during the mid-summer. Because I have a feeling that my pregnant self will not be using the oven much come June and July. Just a hunch.

**Important tip: If you make this, I suggest trying to slice the grapefruit like this. That way, you do not have to deal with the tough pithy membranes that I had in my salad*.

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Posted in maternity series, pregnancy

Tagged 19 week belly, baby size compared to fruit, food, grapefruit, grapefruit and basil salad, maternity photo series, photography, pregnancy, recipe

18 Week Sweet Potato Fries

Posted on February 21, 2010 | 6 Comments

It’s time for another week of maternity and food shots. Seems like time is going REALLY fast by the way. I can’t believe I will be halfway through this pregnancy in only two weeks.

This week, the internet gods of pregnancy have emailed to inform me that baby Boley is about the size of a sweet potato (about 5.5 inches from head to butt). Soon we get to start adding the leg measurements into this equation which means suddenly baby will appear to grow from a something like a grapefruit to a melon within a span of a couple days. This is not exactly the case, but then again this is all very silly with the fruit and veggie thing in the first place.

Once again, the grocery delivery service gave me slightly smaller sweet potatoes than I would have picked out for this shoot, but let’s all pretend they are a bit more rotund. LIKE MY FACE.

Dear FACE, please stop growing. Not cute.

I don’t think I have given credit to the photographer, Mr. Boley. He is not super thrilled about being on the cold porch for these shoots, but he is getting used to the idea. Today he made me sing the filet o’ fish commercial and talk on the potato phone so I would loosen up in front of the camera. I would rather be behind the camera taking the photos, but that is clearly impossible in this situation.

Porpus Boley has been a wonderful director of photography throughout the process. She is generally excited to inspect each food item. NOT TODAY. She doesn’t want anything to do with potatoes. They are neither cute nor tasty in her feline opinion.

DO NOT WANT.

She is right about this being an ugly food. I added the bunny to up the cute factor.

This week, I made a simple and tasty batch of sweet potato fries. You can find a million websites with different spice blends to put on these guys before baking, but you really don’t need a recipe. Just a few favorite herbs and spices that you aren’t afraid to mix.

Here are some important notes to remember when making sweet potato fries:

Make sure they are cut into small, even sized fries. 1/4 inch is a good measurement, anything too large will be a mushy mess.
DO NOT crowd the pan. Do a couple batches instead. If you crowd the fries they will steam instead of bake. Hence mush mess.
Bake at a high heat. 425 degrees for 15 min. Then turn the fries and return them to the oven for 10-15 more minutes. DO NOT open the oven to peek on them all the time. Let them do their thing. Otherwise, mushy mess.
Experiment with different crisping methods. I have heard that soaking the raw fries in cold water for 10 minutes will remove some of the starch and allow for a crisper outcome. I have also heard that tossing them in egg whites is the way to go. Let me know if you find the perfect method.

All in all, they are a healthy and unexpected fry option, that is generally a winner for most people. And if you are pregnant, they have all these wonderful vitamins and nutrients that your baby will love you for. (If you are not pregnant, don’t worry, you are allowed to have nutrients, too.) So skip the McDonalds’ version, and treat yourself to a healthy plate piled high with these seemingly indulgent fries.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, food, pregnancy

Tagged 18 week belly, cat, food, maternity photo series, photos, pregnancy, recipe, sweet potato fries

17 weeks Turnip Bump “Glump”

Posted on February 16, 2010 | 2 Comments

Welcome to week 17 of the my maternity/food series. If you missed last week’s edition, check it out here.

This week, the What-To-Expect-Baby-Bump-Circus emails suggested that the baby was now the size of a large onion or turnip (or a bit over 5 inches long from head to bum). Unfortunately, I have my groceries delivered, and this week the produce was a bit on the small side, so let’s all pretend that objects in this photo shoot are larger than they appear. Except my cheeks, in which case you can obviously tell the camera adds 10 lbs…ahem.

I love my little apron. It is actually my husband’s grandmother’s nanny’s apron. It is in pretty good shape for being an antique. I love the little characters stitched along the bottom:

Oh, onion skins. I can’t resist an onion pic. If you have been here for a while you already know how I feel about these luminous bits that we all throw in the trash. Even though I discarded them as usual, the least I can do is give their image a permanent home on the internet:

Porpus, director of maternity and food photography, much preferred the week 16 shoot. She is not a huge fan of onions. Clearly.

So what did I make from the turnip and onion? Well, it started off as being a dish that resembles vegetable Cornish pasties. It ended up more like something my mom would call a “Glump.” I know this sounds gross, but it is quite the opposite. We often had glumps when I was little. Tuna glumps to be specific. I know that sounds even grosser, but it is really just a pocket of rolled-out biscuit dough with a cheesy, gooey, savory filling.

My glump creation consisted of :

potatoes
turnips
onions
carrots
mushrooms
garlic
cheddar cheese
milk
egg
rosemary, sage, thyme
salt and pepper
refrigerated biscuit dough
and a wee bit of butter

They come out looking like fancy hot pockets. I decided to call them Bump Glumps, in honor of the belly.

The belly approved.

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Posted in pregnancy, Uncategorized

Tagged 17 week belly shot, baby size compared to fruit, bump glumps, food, maternity photo series, onion, photography, pregnancy, recipe, turnips

16 Week Guacamole

Posted on February 7, 2010 | 5 Comments

Every week, thousands of pregnant woman receive communication from websites they have signed up for. The email/text/app tells them what to expect from their bodies that week, as well as how the baby is developing at that stage. In almost all the updates, the baby is compared to a fruit or vegetable, just to show you how large he/she is by that week.

I just hit the 16 week mark yesterday (4 months for those of you who don’t speak in weeks). Baby Boley has just passed the avocado size this week. (Yes, I am aware that I am more melon sized than avocado, and no, I don’t believe twins are in there.)

But seriously, food is for eating, and I am not totally on board with it showing up in my prenatal updates. So I have decided to put food in its place. My mouth. This week, guacamole was a no-brainer. Especially on Superbowl sunday. Stay tuned for next week’s recipe that will feature a large onion. And if you hang around until July, you will get a lovely watermelon or pumpkin recipe.

I didn’t make this one up on my own, but I did add some cumin to the mix. If you are even slightly a fan of guac, I highly recommend this top recipe from All Recipes:

Guacamole by Bob Cody.

EDIT: It has come to my attention that this may be considered creepy–eating a food that is supposed to be your baby. Hmmm. Not what I intended, but I think I am going to stick with the recipe thing regardless. Don’t be scared!

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, pregnancy, Uncategorized

Tagged 16 week belly shot, baby size compared to fruit, food, guacamole, maternity photo series, photography, pregnancy, recipe

Tomato Class

Posted on August 3, 2009 | 2 Comments

What is better than watching cooking shows on a lazy Sunday morning? Actually being in the chef’s kitchen and eating their food. That is kind of what I got to do yesterday.

Unless you are new to Megagood, you are probably aware that I am obsessed with fresh tomatoes. So when my friends, Ryan and Sarah, told me about a class at the Chopping Block featuring recipes starring tomatoes, I was definitely on board.

This was not one of the classes where we were in the kitchen cooking; we were sitting in the kitchen eating. And we excelled at it.

Here is the demo classroom. We sat at the oversized butcher's block counter.

We learned how to make Bloody Marys, Fried Green Tomatoes with Tarragon Aoli, Tomato Chowder, Heirloom Tomato and Peaches salad, and Mushroom and Goat Cheese Stuffed tomatoes. The dishes ranged from fairly to entirely delicious and all of them tasted like summer. The key was freshness.

The stand-out dish was the Heirloom Tomatoes and Peaches salad. I think Gimmeyummy will freak out about this one:

It doesn't look like much, but it is one of the best flavor combinations I have had in a long time. Slice up some peaches and fresh heirlooms. Drizzle good balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the mixture. Rip up some fresh basil and add it to the goodness. Then fresh-ground salt and pepper. You will love it. I'm 99% sure of it.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Daily Picture

Tagged basil, chopping block, cooking, cooking demo, Daily Picture, food, heirloom tomato and peach salad, photography, recipe, tomatoes

Mega Mash Up

Posted on April 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

What are these gorgeous little purple flowers called? There is an army of them taking over Chicago. And I like it.

Here is a sneak peek at the roof-deck-garage that is being built in our backyard. I was going to wait until it was totally finished to do a post, but I am too excited to wait. Something that concerns me about the roof deck is the low power lines. What are they planning to do with those I wonder?

Now let’s talk about dinner.

I really love mashed potatoes. I love any buttery, cheesy, starchy comfort food. I have only made mashed potatoes once though. They are associated with holidays, and I have only hosted one holiday thus far. They take a long time to make unless you buy potato buds or instant mashed potatoes, but I have never attempted either of those. Last night, I thought I would try an alternative to spuds, and made a cauliflower mash up instead.

Results: OMG. Tastes way too good to be healthy. But it is indeed the healthiest comfort food I have eaten in months…if you don’t count the butter; but I bet you could use olive oil instead.

Megagood Cauli Mash Up

Rough idea of ingredients:

1 head of chopped cauliflower
Salt...um not sure how much. It is up to your taste.
Fresh ground black pepper
Shredded or grated Parmesan. I am sure you could do other cheeses as well, but Parm is really flavorful and you won’t need much. I bet goat cheese would be delicious also. Or cheddar? I will have to experiment a little more.
Your favorite blend of herbs. I used Italian Seasoning last night.
Horseradish. I can’t help but add a heaping couple of spoonfuls for kick.
Butter. About 2-3 tablespoons.
All purpose flour. Only a teaspoon. It helps everything stick together and adds body.

Pretty lousy directions:

Boil water. Generously salt the water. Add the chopped cauliflower and simmer for about 8-10 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce the cauli. Basically make sure it is seems “mashable” to you. Drain the cauliflower and put it into a LARGE mixing bowl. This could be messy.
Add all the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and use an electric mixer or potato masher to blend all the goodness together. When it starts to look like the consistency of a starchy comfort food, you are getting somewhere.
Return the mash to the empty pot on the stove. Heat the mash on low and continue squishing the chunks in the pot. The cheese will get melty. Taste it. Add more salt if you want. Add whatever you want.
Plate it and then trick your dinner date into thinking they are eating indulgently on a weeknight.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Daily Picture

Tagged cauliflower, comfort food, cooking, Daily Picture, dinner, flowers, food, mashed potatoes, purple, recipe, roof deck

Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cakes

Posted on April 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

I admit to my total obsession with lemons. I probably use hundreds a year. “Lemon tree” should be added to the list of trees growing in my imaginary backyard.

I was inspired to bake this weekend when I saw a recipe for these cupcakes. They seemed too wintery for April, but I still wanted to do a filled cupcake. In hindsight…the Irish car-bomb cupcakes would have fit right in with the RAIN/ICE/SLEET (update: SNOW) today…the weather is officially being put on notice.

Megagood Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cakes

Steal someone’s recipe and make it my own: Lemon Cream Cupcakes
Here is my addition:

When you spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, add a teaspoon of spreadable fruit as a second layer. Then cover that up with one more spoonful of batter. Magic! You have a strawberry filled cupcake. I learned that the batter for the cupcakes is very thick. Putting the dollop of the fruit on top of the batter so that it sinks in during baking doesn’t work. You have to layer it manually. Otherwise they will look like this:Oops. I can see the strawberry insides. Where is the fun surprise factor? You want them to come out of the oven looking like this:

The fresh strawberries are a delicious pop of color that tops-off each cupcake. They are megatasty.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Daily Picture

Tagged baking, cupcakes, Daily Picture, food, lemon, lemon frosting, photography, recipe, strawberries

It Must Be May Somewhere

Posted on March 23, 2009 | 3 Comments

I actually said that at dinner. I meant “spring,” but for all I know, it really is May in California, and Chicago is stuck in a sick joke of a time warp. How else do I have “fresh” arugula, basil, and strawberries for my dinner? While I tap my foot impatiently until the farmer’s market opens downtown–7 am, May 14th, 2009–I thank California and the time machines that the produce presumably arrives in. They run on solar, right?

Tonight, the meal was spring themed. I got the idea from the Cooking Light magazine that my MIL keeps me subscribed to every year. There was a whole section about seasonal and local foods. It was somewhat of a tease, but I was inspired. I made linguine with Arugula Pesto and Strawberries in Meyer Lemon Syrup with whipped cream.

Cast of Characters for Arugula Pesto Linguine. Garlic always secures a supporting role.

"Bah! Did you put that Basil leaf on there for the photo?" Nope. I love basil. It cleases the palate. Kind of minty if you eat a big leaf of it after dinner. Garlic doesn't know how to handle it.

"Bah! Did you put that Basil leaf on there for the photo?" Nope. I love basil. It cleanses the palate. Kind of minty if you eat a big leaf of it after dinner. Garlic doesn't know how to handle it.

Linguine With Arugula Pesto

12 ounces uncooked linguine
1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cups of basil leaves
2 cups of arugula
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in a serving bowl.
Place 1 tablespoon pine nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until minced. Add arugula and basil and all over ingredient except the cheese and pasta.
Add pesto mixture and reserved cooking liquid to serving bowl; toss well to coat. Serve with cheese.

Source: Cooking Light, April 2009, Page 107

The only things I changed were the addition of a sauteed chicken breast, more basil was added, and only 8 ounces of pasta were used. The result was like eating fresh spring grass with a side of robin and babbling brook. But delicious.

I can’t put into words how happy this dessert made me:

I don't want to type this.

I almost uploaded the plated dessert twice. It was that good. But here is a zoom for emphasis on the goodness.

It is such a simple dessert with whole ingredients. Clearly, I added some blackberries into the recipe. Sometimes the simple combinations have surprisingly complex flavor. Your kitchen will smell like a strawberry stand at the farm. Grind the lemon rinds and berry tops in the garbage disposal for increased smell-good action. Then please comment after you eat it, because I still want to talk about how good it is. Bonus points if you eat it outside on a deck.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Daily Picture

Tagged arugula, berries, blackberries, cooking light, dessert, dinner, food, pasta, pesto, recipe, spring, strawberry, whipped cream

Chutney is good. Negative 17 is bad.

Posted on January 16, 2009 | 1 Comment

So this is the third day that Justin’s classes have been cancelled because his school is closed due to dangerous temperatures. I am so jealous. Yesterday, when it was only -10, my breath steamed up into my eyes (the only uncovered part of my body) and then instantly froze to the lashes. Hence, freezing my EYES SHUT. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.

There was some happiness yesterday. I am completely obsessed with cranberries. I have been eating them non-stop for a couple months. I am wondering if there is some vitamin in them that my body is craving during the cold, sunless months. So I mentioned this to my friend Dan, who is also craving the cran. He sent me a cranberry chutney recipe that is delicious! And the ingredients were really pretty. The star of the production was the smell in the house as the chutney cooked down. Can I upload smell yet? It is 2009, and we should have that capability.

So thanks to Dan for the recipe. And also for still being my friend somehow. When we met 11 years ago, we both had purple hair and combat boots. Now I blog about vacuums and recipes.

Here are the pretty berries and the other ingredients in this mix. Too Thanksgivingy? Nah. Is too delicious to eat only one day of the year.

They look almost as happy as summer strawberries...if you squint.

Ingredients

Just went into the pot. Waiting to pop.

Couldn't resist adding some orange zest.

Final addition of apples and celery. Do not freak out about celery. It is for texture, not taste.

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients:

1 pound Cranberries 12oz Bag
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ginger (I forgot to get this, and added orange zest)
3/4 teaspoon Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1 cup Water
1 cup Apples Chopped
1/2 cup Celery Chopped

Directions:

Cook all ingredients except chopped apples and celery uncovered in 2 quart pan on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until juice is released.
Add celery and apples.
Simmer until thick.
Refrigerate for about 8 hours.

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Daily Picture

Tagged chutney, cranberries, Daily Picture, food, negative temperatures, recipe, winter

Accidentally Delicious

Posted on January 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

One of my favorite things is creamy blue cheese bubbling on the top of a fillet. But this isn’t really the kind of heart attack I want to eat every week, nor can I afford fillet in most of my Peapod orders. So, I buy the blue cheese crumbles and throw them into things and pretend it is just as good.

Tonight, I threw the crumbles into a pan of mushrooms and it was more than good. So I thought I would share a rough estimate of what happened. We will call it a “recipe.”

Sometimes when I cook immediately after getting home from work, I am not paying 100% attention on how I get to the end dishes. I have to wind down from work and the commute, and generally during the week I go straight to the kitchen and begin the unwinding as I cook. Have you ever ended up in your driveway on the way home from a familiar place, and you can’t actually remember how you got there? This occasionally happens to me at the dining room table. This means I can’t duplicate certain things that I have made, since they were created without recipes or precision and probably depended on my sense of smell and mood at the time.

But here is a rough way to make delicious mushrooms and blue cheese. Very easy and rewarding:

Megagood Mushrooms

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium low heat.
Add slice mushrooms to pan. (By the way…do you wash mushrooms? There is a debate about this because many people claim that mushrooms are like sponges and they will absorb too much water, thus effecting taste and texture. hmmm.)
Add rosemary to the pan. I add a lot. But some people don’t like it as much as we do. Use your best rosemary judgement.
Add about a tsp of fresh lemon juice and a little zest if you are feeling frisky. Lemon adds freshness to a rich dish.
After the mushrooms have started to shrink up and brown, add one clove of chopped garlic to the pan. You want to do this at the end so that the garlic doesn’t burn and become bitter. It cooks much faster than your precious mushrooms.
Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Add blue cheese crumbles in the last 30 seconds.