What the food whore wants, the food whore gets. If there is a craving that needs to be satisfied, a search will be made and locations mentally documented for the nearest restaurant that can put out the fire. If no immediate solution can be found, the food whore will conjure up the dish at home with little more than an internet recipe or improvisation and the closest matching ingredients procurable. It is empowering, this capability to make whatever the heart desires. And when the recipe comes out exactly as hoped, the small God-complex the food whore develops is a just reward for the undertaking and should be allowed to run its course. The next time the same craving hits, the food whore need look no further than his/her own two hands. Behold the power of creation.
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| Smoked salmon and broccoli quiche for the family. |
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| Tomato and arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and balsamic. |
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| Rosemary garlic roasted chicken with oven roasted potatoes and sliced tomatoes. |
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| First eggs Benedict since moving to Germany was a savory success. |
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| Fish tacos! |
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| Brunch with family and friends. |
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| French toast, berry compote, and a chicken Caesar salad, all from scratch. |
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| Mario made this tasty paella. |
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| Classic preparation of fish like my mom used to make at home: sweet soy sauce and sesame oil with wilted green onions and ginger over any type of fish. To be eaten with rice of course. |
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| Romantic dinner for two prepared by my Sweeto! |
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| Soup de poisson with rouille and croutons. Mario went to our local fish monger and got the pre-ordered fish with bones for the stock, what a pro! |
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| Simple dinner after work: Hummus with a feta, parsley, red onions and roasted pepper salad. |
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| Corn chowder with shrimp and avocado. |
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| Meatloaf cups with horseradish whipped cauliflower, green beans and cranberries. |
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| Our Chinese new year party means breaking out all the stops with stir-fried noodles, Asian chicken slaw, and potstickers. Unfortunately I did not make the Chinese baos, or filled buns, you see in the steamer. |
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| The pork potstickers from my mom's recipe and a sweet soy and red vinegar dipping sauce with ginger. |
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| Take-home chopsticks with red envelopes filled with spare change for our guests to play the dice game below. Store bought har gows and siu mais, or shrimp and pork dumplings, for eating. |
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| We play a favorite childhood dice game called Fish, Shrimp, and Crab. It's basically gambling but with small change. |
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| Another simple dinner: Beef, mushrooms and herbed rice stuffed zucchini. |
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| We make an all American meal of Buffalo wings, guacamole and tortilla chips, plus a wedge salad for a friend for dinner. |
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| A totally American invention, this salad is a wedge of iceberg lettuce with bacon, tomato, blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing you cut up and assemble yourself on the plate. |
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| Shrimp scampi with lots of garlic and a fresh toasted baguette make for a delicious impromptu lunch. |
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| Dinner's scampi finds its way to a bed of spaghetti. |
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| Superbowl party! I recreate Trader Joe's famous five-layer dip with a layer of re-fried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheddar cheese. |
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| Buffalo wings with homemade ranch dressing--they do not have ranch here, folks--veggie sticks, build your own bean and cheese burritos, Rice Krispie Treats, baklava, brownies, and salsa with chips. |
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| American commercial free broadcasting here in Germany means we get to watch the players stand around during commercial breaks. We ended up ordering an online streaming service to get the game with American commercials and commentary and put the tv on mute so the action can just sync up to the computer. Worked like a charm. |
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| Barbecue chicken with cole slaw. |
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| Homemade gnocchis with a garlicky tomato cream sauce. |
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| Caprese salad, a favorite of everyone's here. |
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| Mario Batali's eggplant parmesan recipe was crazy good. |
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| Fat slices of fried eggplant stacked and baked in the oven with buffalo mozzarella, whole basil leaves, homemade sauce, and Parmesan breadcrumbs. |
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| Bean and cheese burrito with roasted peppers, avocado and fresh salsa. |
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| A trip to an Asian festival at a temple finds me cooking up a vegetarian meal with some soy curd 'meat' stir fry. We didn't miss the meat! |
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| Sheep's cheese soufflé with a fig salad and balsamic. |
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| Mario makes a pot roast over pasta. Great winter weather meal. |
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| A creamed cheesy spinach with chicken and pasta dish and oven fried peppers with grated rock salt. |
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| We recreated two of our favorite sandwiches in San Diego: The Mona Lisa mortadella sandwich and their prosciutto version too. Sandwiches are hard to find here in Hannover other than at a Subway. |
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| Shrimp and broccoli in a saffron béchamel sauce atop De Cecco egg noodles. De Cecco is currently my favorite packaged noodle brand for its supreme quality you can taste. |
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| Pineapple upside-down cake. |
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| Chicken tagine with cauliflower, raisins, and pine nuts. |
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| I finally try my hand at my mom's wanton noodle soup recipe. Was close to my mom's and tasty but I think I can do even better on my next try. |
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| Homemade raviolis with a pumpkin, goat cheese and walnut filling. Sage butter and grated Parmesan top them off perfectly. |
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| Pad Thai! |
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| Mario misses orange chicken and was determined to make it one night. My mom would be very proud at his success! |
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| Cooked again for friends and made chicken saltimbocca with saffron orzo and a summery corn and pepper salad. |
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| Last May had me foraging in the forest for wild garlic chives. I made a whole bunch of pesto and used it in this pasta dish with caramelized wild chive bulbs. |
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| The garlic chive pesto was also used in the coucous in this dish and the caramelized chive bulbs top salmon with a fresh thyme and sweet mustard hollandaise. The side is a sweet pickled raw zucchini salad. I'm still dreaming about this dish since my own creations are often done with no recipes and I usually don't write anything down. |
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| Panang curry with fish that Mario made for me after a long week of work. True love right there. |
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| They look small... |
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| ...until you see my thumb next to it! Mario's mom Jenneke gave us this grow-your-own mushrooms kit for Christmas and it is the best thing ever! You can harvest up to a pound of mushrooms over four rounds of growth. |
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| We grilled the mushrooms, best I've ever tasted by the way, and made burgers out of them. Mayo, ketchup, mustard, arugula, onions, tomatoes, and topped with marinated spicy feta cheese and salt and pepper. |
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| So meaty and delicious on a toasted bun, we'll be making these again soon! |
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| Second mushroom harvest! Vegetarian meal made for friends: Mushroom Benedict, marinated mushrooms salad, and homemade gnocchi with thyme, truffle oil, and butter sauteed mushrooms. |
