FOOD...one of my favorite things!

What is the one thing, other than water and oxygen, that is seemingly impossible not to adore and is needed for your survival? If you answered food, then you are correct! (Here's a virtual cookie as a prize!) There's a network and a channel dedicated to food, countless magazines and books about it, critics galore and unimaginable amounts of places to eat this magnificent part of our lives. You hear people say, "I can't survive without doing this (specific hobby or job)!" but food is the only thing you can become incredibly passionate about that you can't live without. Maybe that's why so many people are chefs. It's sure one of the reason I wish to become one, next to being a writer.

My plan is after college to acquire a good job where I can use writing and on the side cook for myself (and later my family) as well as write novels. If my novels are published (please, please, please!) then I will use the money to support my family, travel, help the word and go to culinary school. After culinary school, I dream of opening a restaurant where the menu and decorations are different every month. It would have a mashed/baked potato bar to explore while you wait for your meal and a chocolate fountain available to use after. YUMMY! It would really express who I am and would be a really fun place to eat.

Anyway, I expressed my love of food today at my aunt's. I did "Chopped", which is a TV show where chefs create an amazing appetizer, entree and dessert that must include some specific ingredients, no matter how wacky or gross. The ingredients I had to use were a wierd tasting microwavable Jenny Craig tomato florentine soup, red onions, olives, whole wheat crackers, laughing cow french onion cheese, snap peas and cherries. A pretty good basket compared to what the real “Chopped” chefs sometimes have to use. With these food building blocks, I made a twist on spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were pitted cherries covered in a laughing cow and salami cheese mixture and rolled in whole wheat cracker crumbs. The cheesy meatballs were then fried up in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil. The pasta sauce was constructed of the tomato soup, snap peas, olives and onions, as well as some fresh tomatoes and tomato puree to thicken it up. Fresh and powered garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper were added to season the sauce. For the pasta, I just made just cooked whole wheat penne and topped it with some grated parmesan. The plating came next. I spooned on some of my homemade marinara sauce and set a roasted red pepper on top of it. The pepper served as an edible bowl for the pasta, which I set a cheesy cherry meatball on. Then, walla, I served it to my hungry aunt for lunch. She enjoyed it and went back for seconds.

*Sigh* I love cooking...and eating...and food in general! =D

Welcome! =)

Take a deep breathe and brace yourself. Your about to take a journey into the mind and opinions of a teenage girl. I welcome you with open arms and as the candlestick in "Beauty and the Beast" would say, "It is with deepest pride
and greatest pleasure that [I] welcome you tonight. And now [I] invite you to relax, let [me] pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner!"
Of course, dear reader, you are not off to enjoy a scrumptious french meal (even though that sounds sooooooo good right now!) but are about to enjoy a hopefully satisfying and meaningful series of blogs. I will try at the best of my ability to create an array of great blogs that will entertain and delight you. I come prepared with no special writing training under my belt and have no great tales of fantastic adventures across the world and beyond. I come to you just with my love of writing, passion for cooking, heart for animals, people and Jesus and desire to live life to the fullest. To me, these seem like good building blocks for a blogger and I hope you think so too.

Adios for now and thank you for embarking on my blogging journey with me. :)