lemons

What happened last night when I opened the fridge and came face to face with empty shelves and bits of this and that. . . I made dinner.

First I reached for the sweet potato, onion, garlic, and frozen corn. Once that was cooked up nicely on the stove top, the question remained. . . what next?

I weighed my options: One tortilla, a pantry full of grains, and 1 batch of leftover pizza dough in the fridge. A peek into the freezer revealed frozen pesto discs from the summer, and the decision was made. . . it would be pizza.

One pesto round coated the veggies nicely, while another round mixed into ricotta. With no mozzarella to be found in my fridge, a half container of leftover ricotta (past its date but not funky yet) would suffice as the cheesy element.

Dough was patted and massaged with oil and garlic, pesto veggies and pesto cheese poured on top, and the oven beeped with anticipation.

425 degrees and 20 minutes later, dinner was ready.

That night, making something out of nothing was quite delicious.

Be Well.

5 days, 2 breakfasts

Last week was spent out of town, conferencing and businessing in the Midwest. So naturally cooking and eating rhythms were just a tad out of wack.

Case in point, on day 1 of the conference, I walked into a lunch buffet of deep dish Chicago style pizza, chafing dishes with even more food, some of which were also starchy, and cheesecake. Quite a spread for 12pm on a Wednesday, where the only plan afterward is to sit more, listen a lot, and eat again later!

Having suffered from conference eating syndrome three weeks prior, this time I came prepared to dodge overindulgence by starting the day off on the right foot.

This time, I brought oatmeal.

It was an afterthought really. Minutes before embarking for the airport, quick oats, craisins, raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts were hastily double bagged into a Ziplock and stowed in my tote.

Little did I know what that Ziplock bag would really provide in the days to come.

For four consecutive mornings, the sustenance that came with my hearty, warm, and creamy oatmeal mix, became a stabilizing force for my blood sugars and for my ever changing morning routine. It stuck to my ribs, remedied lingering food hangovers, and harnessed my AWOL prone appetite.

A breakfast thrill seeker I have always been, but on that particular week, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, were all about the familiar.

Then came Sunday. An appreciation brunch for friends who hosted me for the weekend was in order. And so came the crepes.

Crepe making doubt is something many may face. Partly because the crepe has been glorified as gourmet or exotic. But really, the challenge is in its delicacy not in its complexity.

In fact, once I started mixing together the very basic ingredients (milk, water, eggs, melted butter, and flour), muscle memory kicked in and a delicate crepe maker I became once again.

The spinach Havarti mushroom filling satisfied the need for savory, and banana peanut butter chocolate nailed the sweet. The ricotta cinnamon strawberry filling didn't really deliver, but experimentation with fillings are what makes crepes so fun.

May your first meal of the day always be a good one.
Be Well.