Serving Sizes. A reality?

Portion size. There is a lot of talk that in the US in regards to the obesity endemic. Serving sizes are tricky. And I'm starting understand why. 

I made creamy chicken and mushroom potpie in the slow cooker. It was good by the way. 

In the photo above is how I served it. Pretty standard serving size, right? About my fist and a half or a little over a cup. 

The recipe serves four. There are three of us in my family: me, my husband, and a five year old with a very healthy appetite. 

This is what was left after serving the meal.

Once I put the leftovers in a container, I realized that there's a full second meal there. 

Now remember, this recipe serves four. This is not the first recipe that says it serves four, but really serves a lot more. 

I'm left thinking which is correct my serving size or the recipe's? And is this a reason for increased obesity? 

What are your thoughts?  

Food Snobs can use Slow Cookers.

Up until a couple of years ago, my nose up to a slow cooker. I didn't grown up with slow cookers in the kitchen. (They are very American and my Mom wasn't American.) I had some misconceptions about slow cookers that they were just for football parties or just for chili or cheese dip. An the food produced was slop, unattractive to the eye. I admit I can be a food snob.

That changed when I came across some slow cooker recipes in Real Simple magazine. They looked good. And seemed easy. I didn't even own a slow cooker. Thanks to a friend who had an extra one she didn't have a use for, I got started. 

I'm glad I gave the humble slow cooker a chance and overcame my prejudice. I'm hooked now. It is a time saver allowing me to throw everything into the slow cooker and just go. Due to where we live, we spent a lot of time on the road and add me traveling for work, the slow cooker has been very helpful in providing a good, solid meal instead of fast foodish options for dinner.

During the winter I try to use my slow cooker at least once a month.  I'll be honest I'm lazy when it comes to slow cooker recipes. All of the recipes I use are chop and dump. I like that I can get the meat already cubed. I don't braise or soften anything. The only other step is if I need to add veg near the end of cooking or prepare rice/noodles separately. If I wanted to do that I'd just "cook." Is that the point of slow cooking? 

One of my favorites, Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder with rice.

While this isn't anything like authentic Indian Chicken Tikka Masala, this recipe of Chicken Tikka Masala is tasty.










I'm off to the grocery store to buy ingredients for Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Potpie for Saturday's dinner. 

So break out that slow cooker you got for your wedding ... yes that one that's still in the box in your basement... And try something other than chili.

And by the way, I'm always looking for new slow cooker receipts that fit with the lazy slow cooker mentality. 

Presentation Matters

Presentation of food does matter. I learned that from Japanese friends. Japanese cuisine is so beautifully presented. It sets the diner's tastes buds up of a delicious experience.

That's one reason I'm not a fan of buffets. Regardless of how tasty the food is, it never looks appealing in the line and definitely not once on the plate.

Even though a friend's mother would say that it didn't really matter what it looked like since it all ends up in the same place. While she is correct, eating should involve more than one sense.

My only exception is Indian food. I think it looks so interesting with the colors and textures of vegetables and lentils.

We're having snacks tonight for dinner while watching football. And even with snacks, I like to arrange the food in a nice manner. Makes it more appealing and pleasurable experience.

Is that what dining should be?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Breakfast Rut

You know when you get in a food rut? You eat the same thing morning in and morning out. Well, I'm in a breakfast rut. I love breakfast and frankly I can't function without it. Think of coffee drinkers reaction sans coffee in the morning. Come to think of it I should be really skinny since they say folks who eat breakfast don't eat as much during the day and are able to keep weight-loss off... But I regress... Breakfast rut. I'm not a magazine person anymore. I just don't make the time for leisure reading these days, but it was the holidays and I wanted some fun reading. I picked up one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple. They had a section called 10 ideas for: easy breakfasts. I thought I'd give it a go and picked one: cottage cheese with minted pineapple. Fairly easy and quick to prepare with just pineapple, sugar, fresh mint, cottage cheese, and pomegranate seeds. I've never had anything pomegranate and the jury is still out if I like the seeds or not. On the whole though, it was a nice breakfast. Perhaps in coming weeks, I'll sample more of the recipes. Are you in a breakfast rut? - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Red Velvet Cheesecake

And in this corner... Red Velvet Cheesecake weighing in at six pounds. Yes, you read that correctly, a six pound cheesecake. While it may have been heavy, it didn't taste that way. I only make this recipe every couple of years mainly because it is time consuming. Plan on it being a two day process. I recently made it for Christmas. This is what my limited counter space looks like when I bake a recipe like this.


The cooling process is time consuming. It has to cool in the oven for 30 minutes then another 30 minutes on the rack and finally in the fridge of eight hours.


The Red Velvet Cheesecake has two layers.


Finally, ready to be eaten. Drool, drool, drool.


Red Velvet Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts to make. It is a special event dessert. And well worth all of the time. It is a knockout! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone