sans makeup at a cookbook signing

upon reading a while ago that gp went to her "my father's daughter" book signing in east hampton sans makeup. i admit, i was shocked and amused. i thought to myself it must be a play on her "i'm not for plastic surgery" stance. but still, i was intrigued.

what does the dalai lama eat?

upon reading the art of happiness, i became curious as to what does the dalai lama eat? i could learn more from this guy on training myself how to be happy.

despite common perceptions that monks are vegetarians, the dalai lama is not a vegetarian. addressing criticisms regarding his meat consuming habit, the dalai lama said there are vegs and non-vegs monks.

“In vinaya no prohibition in eating meat, so monks in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, they take both veg and non veg food. One time I asked, discussed this subject with a monk from Sri Lanka about 40 years ago, he said Buddhist monks are neither veg nor non veg."

from his own web site, the dalai lama typically eats hot porridge, tsampa (barley powder), bread with preserves, and tea for breakfast.

hmm, that's not much of a difference from our eating habits. but i wonder, if these preserves come from france?

strawberries and homemade creme

i have found paradise, in a bowl, among the mix of only two ingredients. pure heaven!!

Cream Cheese and Marshmallow Creme Mix
8 oz. cream cheese
a small jar of marshmallow creme

mix together in a blender, and serve with whichever fruit you like. it works great on pound cake, lemon cake, or any kind of sweet cake!
credit: the mother-in-law

a quote to start off your day

to change your life: start immediately, do it flamboyantly, no exceptions.

- William Jones

greens, soup and chicken

Chopped Greek Salad with Pita Chips
ingredients
Stacey's Pita Chips
1 small head iceberg lettuce
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 ounces crumbled Feta
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

directions
1) put together all the ingredients except for pita chips, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano

2) mix olive oil, vinegar, and oregano; put them in the salad

3) top off with pita chips

4) serve!


credit: Real Simple

Miso Soup
ingredients
Edward & Sons Miso Soup Mix
2 shiitake mushrooms, diced

directions
1) boil water, add mix to a 8 ounces bowl or soup cup
2) add shiitake mushrooms, letting it soak and become soft
3) serve!

Chicken Milanese
Chicken Milanese, in my opinion, is among the most convenient and satisfying recipes. It only takes 15 minutes to prep, another 15 minutes to cook. You can opt to squeeze a lemon for additional taste.

ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, washed and dried
1 cup milk
2 cups plain bread crumbs (try Japanese panko in place of crumbs if you have some in stock)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1) place the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper

2) using a mallet, pound the breasts until they are very, very thin -- you should be able to see almost through them

3) put milk in a small bowl and the bread crumbs on a large plate

4) dip each piece of chicken into the milk, and then dredge it in the bread crumbs, tapping off the excess to make a even coating

5) then heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet big enough to hold 2 pieces of chicken in a single layer

6) cook for about 4 minutes on the first side, or until evenly browned and crisp. You will see the chicken stiffing up upon moving around. This means they are ready.

7) flip and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, or the other side is browned and crisp. The chicken should be firm to the touch.

8) wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and the remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

credit: my father's daughter by gwyneth paltrow

Dinner for the evening:

Tip: 1 cup isn't necessary for milk - I was a bit annoyed to have used up so much milk just to soak the chicken in. Try 1/2 cup, then add as you go. Wiping out the olive oil from the skillet isn't necessary either - you could still add as you go.

dishes v. jigsaw puzzles

I haven't posted in a while - I also haven't gotten a chance to enjoy a jigsaw puzzle game.


you might ask, why the connection? It's like putting together a finished product using ingredients as jigsaw puzzle pieces. You could only hope they fit together, like a finished recipe and it is delicious. When you finally taste the dish -- there's nothing else as satisfying as to discover what you have accomplished.


I've always been fascinated with Gwyneth Paltrow. No, I am not a member of her fan club, nor am i a member of a "we hate gwyneth" club. But there's something about gp and her GOOP Web site.


while I obsessively check my e-mail to see if a GOOP newsletter has arrived, I ordered her "my father's daughter" cookbook from the library and meticulously studied it. made copies. highlighted the important ingredients. stocked my kitchen and pantry with recommendations she made.


finally, a recipe -- "chicken milanese" caught my attention. It reminded me of my mother's recipe; she'd make a beef version when I was a child. I loved it with french fries she would recycle the cooking oil she used for the thin beef. Then my sister, the chef in the family, decided to mash boneless, skinless chicken breasts just like my mother does with thin beef, and fry them in bread crumbs. Bingo! I was hooked.


unfortunately, the original recipe called for an absurd amount of oil, which is far more fattening and less healthy. I was able to conserve my ingredients with the chicken milanese recipe. but fortunately, with this recipe, I was able to apply my cost effective technique by conserving ingredients.


now, back to gp's recipe, i followed it step-by-step, and used milk in the place of eggs. i admit, I was skeptical to use milk - i was skeptical of their capability to hold in bread crumbs just like egg yolks. I then was forced to use olive oil. This girl rarely uses olive oil, but I was astonished.


olive oil tastes so much better; there is a whole new dimension to this kind of condiment. It takes you to places where you haven't been to before in your life. There is a taste lingering in your mouth from the aftereffects of olive oil. It swims around in your mouth before settling down in the sides of your tongue. there is a tingling feeling, the good kind, of course, that you cannot and never want to get rid of.


tomorrow, I promise, I will post the recipe and add a tip as well as a photo.


happy cooking,
Heba