How to Survive Summer Grill Season...

I was totally going to put up a very non-summer recipe today. However, I opened up the NYTimes and noticed that they have just released a summer cooking guide. I find the guide to be very simple but straight forward so I thought I would share. Also there is a recipe for corn soup using buttermilk that I feel was destined to be cooked by me. I still have excess buttermilk in my fridge from making fried chicken. The corn-buttermilk soup is now another option to consider. Check out the article here. Have a happy summer grilling!

Know Your Food: Is this American or Foreign or Both?

I read a lot of the NYTimes...let me just put that out there now. This evening as is normal for me, I have been catching up on the weekend long-form articles online. I found myself pulled in by this article "Why Are We Importing Our Own Fish?" This article tells the convoluted story of the American Seafood industry's practice of importing seafood that is native to North Atlantic water.

One of the things that I am learning, now that I work in a grocery store, is how convoluted the idea of food is in America. Growing up in Nigeria, I felt like I was better connected to the food. Of course, perception is different from reality and I am sure Nigeria has issues in its food chain. The more I learn about food, the more I realize that I have allowed myself to become disconnected from food. The whole idea of being able to identify the source of food and how food is created is something that I am slowly losing. It has become so easy to go the grocery store and buy food year round. The idea of eating seasonally and the excitement of the first appearance of seasonal food is something that I miss. I feel lik I can taste the difference in the food as well.

This issue of food is something that I will be talking about regularly as I come to terms with it. I hope you choose to read the article. It can't hurt to understand just a little more about your food.

Inspired: Garlicky Pasta with Shrimp

Garlicky Pasta With Shrimp Topped with Crunchy Panko Breadcrumbs

Today was going to be a great day. I pretty much had it planned out. Wake up early in the morning, take a shower and go to the movies. I planned on seeing 'Chef' by Jon Favreau. I had kept up with reviews for the movie during the release week. I even read a profile on Mr. Favreau in the NYTimes a few weeks back. The movie was definitely on my radar and I really did not want to miss an opportunity to see it in theatre.

Cue MBTA's craziness this morning. There was construction on the redline so it took me much longer to get into town than I had estimated. I was running 15 minutes late. I got into the movie theatre just as the Coca-cola ad that ends the preview session was finishing up. I was so relieved. And the movie started...and I was in awe. I loved the movie so much. It is very much a homage to the creative life, in my opinion. I loved the way food is treated with awe-inspiring amazing shots of foods being cooked and plated. It all looked so real.

Inspired: Cast Iron Steak

Cast Iron Steak. Image belongs to, and is owned by NYTimes

With the Memorial Day weekend around the corner, summer is officially about to start. One of those things that I associate with summer is a good steak. The juicy tender steak with a salad is for one of my perfect summer meals. The thing  though is I don't own a grill. I am at this stage of life where I am still sharing a house with people so I can't accumulate too much cookware. Cooking for me is really about making do with what I have at hand. This can make things slightly difficult but I have learned to get around it.

The limitation on tools in the kitchen is something the average home-cook has to deal with. That is why I loved reading this New York Times article about how to cook a steak at home. I felt like it acknowledged the limitation of being a home cook so well. I might be writing about food but I am certainly not one of the really seasoned bloggers that have tons of equipments. Lots of people that love food are just like me (some write...some don't).

Now I feel inspired to start planning my Memorial Day meal. Maybe I might give myself a treat and buy a lovely juicy steak, just to try out this simple recipe for cast-iron steak. Although I must confess that I don't own a cast iron pan so this definitely will be done in my lovely non-stick pan.

(Wo)Man Vs. Bread

First Attempt At Making Bread

In March, one of my close friends was visiting in Boston and I decided that I wanted to make a special meal for her before she left. Given that I had a limited budget, I knew I wanted to do something that won't cost a lot to make but would still be really special. I settled on making her a chicken sandwich.

This wasn't just any kind of chicken sandwich though. The bread would be baked from scratch. The chicken roasted in house. And the pesto of cost was home-made as well. There was just a little problem with this plan...I don't have an oven at home. No! This post isn't about how to bake bread without an oven. Ok! Maybe on some level it is.

NYTimes' The Hidden Dangers of Rice

A bowl of white long grain rice with Ayamashe Sauce

Last Friday as is my habit, I did my grocery shopping before I left work. I decided I wanted something low key so I settled on veggie fried rice. I would have put up pictures and recipes but my camera had a melt down this weekend so I have no pictures. Anyway, after cooking the rice on Saturday so get ready for Sunday cooking, I read this article on the hidden dangers of rice on NYTimes this weekend. I am sharing it because I found it really interesting.

The whole idea that rice could be a hidden danger is something that scares me. I am not going to over-react and say that rice is banned from my diet. Rice has been a central part of my food journey so far. I grew up eating rice. As a child, when we had the weekly food schedule, rice was served on Wednesdays and on Sundays. On birthdays, a pot of jollof rice with 2 fried whole chickens and a crate of bottles soda was the standard. For big holidays like the Eid-el-Fitr and Eid-el-Kabir, we had caterers come in and cook big pots of rice, including jollof rice and the Nigerian version of fried rice. Rice has always represented happy memories to me.

So after reading the article, I thought about and still made my pre-planned fried rice for lunch this week.

NYTimes' Mujadara

Coconut Milk, Brown Rice and Lentils

I have my cooking pretty much down to a science. On my last working day at the grocery store where I work, I plan my meal for the next week. I decide on my breakfast, my snacks and my lunch mostly. Then when I get off the clock, I shop for my ingredients before going home.