Beef With Sandra Lee

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Those of you that are familiar with my recipes might have noticed a common theme: I always take the semi-homemade approach.

I applaud those that make baked goods from scratch and grow fresh herbs in their apartment, but I long ago accepted that truly homemade would never be my thing. I’m way too messy in the kitchen, and if a recipe has more than 5 steps, I will no doubt make a gigantic mistake.

Remember the Friends episode where Rachel Green tries to make a “Traditional English Trifle” for Thanksgiving desert ends up with a wacky food combination that’s a cross of Shepard’s Pie and some fruity dessert?

What's not to like? "Custard..good! Jam...good...Meat....goooood!"

Yeah, that’s me (without the perfect, trend-setting haircut).

So, that’s why I cook out of a box, can or pouch 90% of the time. And I’m not ashamed! The “Semi-Homemade” approach is easy, fun and still gives me that same “look, I baked” feeling of satisfaction. Win, Win.

But, you know what’s drives me crazy… Continue Reading →

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Cheesesteaks Don’t Need Steak: Lessons Learned at HLS

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Steak Cheesesteak, Veggie Cheesesteak? Read on to find out 😉

Over the weekend, at the Healthy Living Summit, I met more amazing and accomplished people than I ever thought was possible to fit in a room, tweeted more than I’ve ever tweeted in my entire life and discovered a new kind of bread to obsess about…

Oh and I learned that the Philly Cheesesteak tastes just as good without the steak…

I’d love to recap the entire conference for you, but per usual, I’m a bit late to the game, and I imagine you’ve probably read it all a few times by now. So instead, let’s talk about some of the lessons I learned at Healthy Living Summit 2011: Continue Reading →

Posted in: Eating, favorites, Foodies, Healthy Living Summit

Meeting My Foodie “Idol”

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There was a time, not long ago,  where I hid my love for                                                          wacky food combinations.  Having just entered corporate America, I wasn’t sure if it was ya know, unprofessional to bring a giant kitchen sink salad drenched in cottage cheese, bbq sauce other random toppings to the office. Would they judge me for my eclectic (to put it kindly) food pairings?

And then….I came across Hungry Girl. All of a sudden, I realized there was a potential for my “wacky” to become the norm. After a quick read of her online newsletter, I felt like this Hungry Girl was reading my mind! 5 years, countless books and one television show later, the woman is officially a foodie celebrity. The Washington Post even called her the “queen of processed food” (which I found absolutely hilarious). I genuinely admire those who eat vegan, organic, natural, sustainable, vegetarian, preditarian, saladitarian….BUT in my sometimes UNhealthy lifestyle, none of these are options. Thus, HG works for me!

So you can imagine my excitement when I found out, via my twitter feed, that  she was conducting a book signing for her latest future best seller, “300 Under 300” at a Barnes and Noble a mere ONE express subway stop. There was no way I was missing the chance to meet the Michael Jordan of weird food. And she did not disappoint. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Foodies, Wacky Food Combos \ Tagged: , , ,