Ken's Superior Apple Crisp

Cooking, birthdays, cake and pie - all of these things came to mind when my older son decided after a trip to an orchard with his girlfriend that he would be baking his first apple crisp.  I have to really resist all temptation to join them in the kitchen as they laugh and prepare their treat.

I remember baking a customize apple pie for his birthday a few years ago - you can read more about the adventure here:

Tradition yes - cake -no

The couple begin their baking journey by prepping the apples.  For some reason I think it is funny that my son uses my Pampered Chef Apple Corer/Slicer.

They found the recipe in her mom's Pillsbury Cookbook and the funny thing is, I have the same one but have never attempted an apple crisp.  I love to cook, hesitate to bake other than apple pie and holiday cookies.

Bottom line, my son and his firlfriend baked a superior apple crisp which we topped with vanilla bean ice cream - dessert heaven.

The experience was so positive, I thought I could surely duplicate it with all of the remaining apples from their orchard trip.  Well, I followed the same recipe, but sadly mine was in no way as wonderful as theirs and I am confident enough to admit it. In fact, they have made a second crisp and I am proud to say the other was not simply beginner's luck.

 Recognizing wonderful food prepared by others is a first step in knowing when one is Fed Well.

Chocolate Drizzled Strawberries

A million years ago, when I was a teenage baby sitter, I was hired to watch over twin boys.  I had never met the family before but was recommended by a dear friend and so I was hired over the phone.  (Can you even imagine this practice today, being asked to watch someones children when they have never even met you?)

The boys were fine and once they went to sleep in their bunk beds I was quickly bored and wanted a snack to fill the time.  I had no idea I was in a "healthy house."

NO SNACK FOODS.

How could this be?  I felt I was on a quest.  Opening kitchen cabinets.  Moving things around on the pantry shelves.  Rechecking the refrigerator.  No chips.  No sugar.  No cookies.  Nothing.

Ah, but wait...an unopened bag of chocolate chips.  Of course they were destined for a wholesome batch of home baked cookies, but would they miss a few chips in a desperate situation?  I paced.  I worried.  I tried to wait it out.

Exactly 30 minutes later I cut the bag open and poured out a handful.  I was a fiend.  I had ruined the ratio of chocolate chips to cookie dough but I was calmer.  I confessed my crime when the parents arrived, right after I explained how their one son bumped his head on the wooden bunk bed but seemed fine.  I was paid and brought home - I was never invited back.  I wonder, was it the injury or the snacking?

I was reminded of this experience when I was recently hit by a tsunami size chocolate craving.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does, chocolate is the only thing that will help.  I rummaged through my stock and couldn't find a single morsel until I thought a bit more creatively.

I did have strawberries....

I did have Hershey's chocolate syrup...

and so a substitution was made for chocolate covered to chocolate drizzled strawberries. 

The insane and desperate feelings dissipated as I swirled the sliced red fruit around in the pool of chocolate.  I felt like a lady in control instead of a maniac needing a fix.

Chocolate can be a powerful drug and to feel Fed Well one must sometimes be a bit creative to satisfy the inner junkie.

Sharing: Plates, Thoughts and Tequila

A week night out with two great gal friends begins with a Cosmorita - a Cosmopolitan (my favorite) brightened with tequila.  The tequila also makes the drink a bit more edgy and I hope it doesn't impair me for work the next day.  It is wonderful.

Some nights, ordering food is simple and others you can scan a menu of hundreds of items, dozens of times and still not have any idea what sounds appealing.

Some nights, it is far easier to let someone else make the decisions.

Tonight, one friend and I talk it out and agree we want soup and to share a dish.  The soup special is chicken orzo but the broth has a bit of tomato as well.

What goes best with soup?  A bit of girl talk comfort and of course a sandwich, so we order the crispy chicken wrap to share with french fries.  Have I ever mentioned my love affair with french fries?  I am quite obsessed and possessive of crispy, golden, salty, deep fried strips of potatoes. 

The food, the friends, the warming effect of the drink and I am comforted, satiated, content and soothed.  It has been a bumpy journey recently, but with an unshakable support team, I have been able to remain Fed Well.

McDonald's Big Mac Monday

The desire for a fast food fix is fairly rare, but when it flares up it must be obeyed.

And, if one must have golden delicious deep fried potatoes in the iconic cardboard container,

they certainly must be paired with the classic heart attack on a bun, the Big Mac.

Yes, I sometimes sing the song in my head.  Especially if I have to wait for fast food.  2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Oh yeah.

A customer spills soda, a child leans on the booth behind my friend and I, same child whines and walks along the window sill as the parents eat mindlessly.  Yes, McDonald's is the place to be.

How could we possibly follow up our lunch date?  You guessed it, with a lunchtime trip through Wal-Mart. 

How can I begin to compose or post about a lunch at McDonald's on a blog titled, "Fed Well?"  Life is about balance and moderation and making good choices.  For food and diet it may also include giving in to an occasional craving without a boatload of guilt or falling completely out of the boat into a sea of unhealthy eating.  Family members have made fun of me for my ability to only eat a handful of M & M's and put the individual snack size bag away. 

I came, I saw, I ate the Big Mac, now I can move on and continue to be Fed Well.

Solo Breakfast Burger

Wanna know a secret?  Sometimes, I eat alone.  Yeah, with nobody else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpzqQst-Sg8

(Sorry George Thorogood fans)

But seriously, when my friends aren't at work who take the "breakfast train" with me, it is a little bit lonelier.  I love though when my biggest decision is what to order.

I have a few favorites like a hard boiled egg on whole wheat toast, but it was time for what I have nicknamed, "The Breakfast Burger."

Sausage on a grilled hard roll (no butter) and cold tomato slices.

For the past few years I have discovered I have a real thing for having tomatoes in the morning. 

No topics of conversation when I eat solo... but I confess, that is when I like to surf the internet for a few minutes and check a few fellow bloggers or a bit of celebrity gossip. 

What's your go-to breakfast?

How do you pass the time when you are eating alone?

Customized Eggs Benedict with a Side of Personal Life

http://www.cupandsaucerdiner.com/

Turning a corner.  A powerful phrase.  Strong emotions are attached when one turns a corner in life, whether by choice or force, the turns are far more difficult than the straight lines.

Faced with the latest in a series of events that combine to create one of only a handful events that change a person's entire life, I reach out to friends and family.  We share stories, theories and feelings over meals.  On a fine Sunday morning, I meet a friend that I have known for all but about 8 years of my life.

I don't need a menu.  I know what I like and am not feeling adventurous and so Eggs Benedict but with the substitution of tomato slices for the English Muffins and a cup of tea with milk. 

I am thankful for being accommodated in my request but did not think to ask for the tomato slices to be left cold rather than grilled.  Unfortunately, a large portion of the tomato is left on the plate but the poached egg, the Hollandaise and Canadian bacon more than satisfy.  The eggs are pillowy, yielding a creamy yolk and topped with a rich, luscious sauce. 

My friend orders French Toast but offers me quiet understanding and let's me empty out all of the latest chain of events.  I have learned that I make new discoveries in the telling and it is quite therapeutic.  She offers a point of view, advice and thoughts. 

When I am able, I switch roles and want to know about her world, her family and her life.  It is the give and take, the back and forth, with a serving of sincere caring that makes a relationship.  Any relationship.  I need to feel what it is like to be on both sides again, to come out of my selfish retreat of healing and feel my first steps back into the world may have appeared wobbly but felt strong and sturdy.

It is common for people to say things like, "we grew up together," and yet, are we ever really done growing?  I'm definitely in the middle of a growth spurt.

Our food finished, our dishes cleared and it is time to return to the business we go about on a weekend morning.  We are at our beginning, in the town we grew up in and I know we will always be in each other's lives.  With each of the circular chapters I move through, she has been there at various distances but sharing this experience with her leaves me feeling Fed Well.

A Cocktail and Dinner at Cosimo's

http://www.cosimosmiddletown.com/

I was meeting a special friend for dinner on a Friday and picked the restaurant based on geography.  I've been to Cosimo's several times in the past, once for a Hudson Valley Restaurant review and a number of private parties so I felt good about my choice.

I arrived early after a particularly difficult day and though I was tempted to meet my companion at the bar, I refrained.  We asked to be seated outside and after reviewing the cocktail list, selected a variation on adult lemonade with vodka and Chambord.  A smile in a glass.

I never even opened a menu.  I quickly glanced through the specials and decided on a soup and left the main course to my partner.  We were brought bread and seasoned dipping oil fairly quickly.

Plain bread could be found underneath this layer of a cross between focaccia and pizza.  Delicious, but for some reason I always expect bread to be served warm.

The soup is sausage, butternut squash and potato - no fancy name.  My expectation was that it would be creamy but in hindsight I do remember the description including the phrase "tomato broth."  It was quite flavorful but not as full bodied or creamy as I may have imagined.

Our main course to share, a whole wheat pizza crust with veggies and cheese.  I am now able to listen and enjoy the food.  The crust is quite crisp, the vegetables are al dente and though the first bite or 2 may require a fork, the slice can be picked up and eaten "New York" style if preferred.

I feel compelled to look at the dessert menu but refrain from indulging.  Though the al fresco dining area is not far from a fairly busy thoroughfare, we shared our stories and food and left feeling Fed Well.