Keep it Simple. Keep it in the family of Green

I guess the biggest message of my blog is to fully enjoy food by building social networks and keeping it in the "family" of green. I'm not asking you to spend thousands of dollars on organic foods or to become Hill Billy Lou by growing your own food. Food is just such an incredible, all encompassing thing in our lives that will follow us to the day we die. In this world of growing populations and finite resources, I find it very important to care a little bit about the future generations along with my future. It takes very little effort to eat within the family of green. Just keep an open mind, an open ear, and an open mouth.

To see how important and great food is within our social networks, I recommend watching Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman.

Summer Fruitanza

Summer is such an incredible time to take full advantage of all the fresh produce. It is the one time where you need to venture forth into the farmer's markets to look for fresh fruit and vegetables!

I recently just reconnected with strawberries. I have these food phases where I really love something and I continue to eat it nonstop until I get really sick of it. So, strawberries are on the rise of the standard curve for me. They are so incredibly sweet and aesthetically pleasing. No need to bake or cook with berries for me, I love them fresh and fully ripe.

So, save the boxed oreos, chips, and other boxed goods and head for the farmer's market. You would be amazed at how much better the food tastes at the market! Plus you're supporting the local economy!

Biscuit Clarification

Biscuits are becoming more and more widespread. As a result its potential to become bastardized by commercial kitchens is becoming greater and greater. To prevent this, only buy biscuits when they are
1. Tender, soft, delicate.
2. Flaky - you should be able to taste the richness of the butter.
3. Crunchy exterior
4. Fresh!!!

Add...
a. more butta
b. jam
c. bacon
d. egg
= deliciousness

Jell-O..not so friendly

I think one of the funniest things that are unknown to most people is how animal unfriendly gelatin is. It comes from the bones of animals and is used to make friendly foods such as gummy bears and jell-o. Can you imagine Bill Cosby making a Jell-O commercial while standing in a slaughtering house?

Chocolate!

Chocolate is so delicious...can't stop eating it. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bittersweet, dark, bars, chips, curls, chunks, brownies, cookies, cakes, mousses, ice cream, gum, coke, skittles.

Those are just a few of the forms chocolate is available. Life is too short. Eat as much chocolate as you possibly can! It's been proven to make you happy and it just melts in your mouth.

Bread Making

WHY WON'T THE DAMNED THING RISE???

Bread is one of those things that is WORTH every cent that you pay for. It takes so much time and effort to mix all the ingredients to the right consistency, letting it rise, beating it down, letting it rise again, forming the loaf. If this process sounds easy, don't be fooled. It takes a lot of skill to know how much liquid to dry ingredients to use. This all differs depending on the humidity and temperature of the room. In addition, shaping the loaf usually requires a lot of skill as well.

Take my advice, buy bread. Savor every bite and appreciate the fact that everytime you eat bread, your kitchen is not covered in flour!

The beauty of bars

After recently turning 21 and spending many, many hours in the swanky Crunkleton with a large group of friends, I have learned to appreciate the social networking that goes hand in hand with cocktails, dimly lit bars, and the barkeepers.

There's something so refreshing about being in a room full of strangers of alcohol. For one, the people are usually nicely dressed and very talkative...there's this constant excited chatter that goes on.

I do wonder why people are so attracted to bars. Is it because they lead such congested, isolate lives that they need cocktails to loosen their personalities and unwind? Or is it because we're all just alcoholics?