Chef Lisa: Recipe One

2021-12-122021-12-13 Miss Poison Cooking Chef Lisa, Cooking, Images/Photos/Quotes, Tabouleh

Spent the afternoon making this. It’s really not time consuming, until you start chopping vegetables and herbs. I do a different take on it because it tastes better to me, and to those who go back for more. 😊😉
This is healthy and delicious, and you can pair it with anything. I make a lot because the leftovers are amazing to have on hand for a few days.

Today’s pot started with twenty ounces of bulgur wheat. Then I added finely chopped #Parsley and #Spearmint. Add #KosherSalt, #BlackPepper, and #Garlic to taste. Add the juice of four #Lemons🍋. Start with three and add more to taste. I did not plan to add more lemon, but it needed it. Maybe you will need five. I added two diced #EnglishCucumbers, and I mean it when I say they were huge. (The only acceptable substitute is two pounds of #PersianCucumbers. You’re aiming for seedless.). Then I added two chopped #RedOnions. Double check the taste and add additional ingredients accordingly. I add #HimalayanPinkSalt when it’s on my plate. That’s my preference, but not always. Sometimes it needs more lemon. You decide.

Some people like to chop up 4-6 #RomaTomatoes🍅 because they like it that way. To each their own. I intentionally leave tomatoes out or I’ll add them for people on the side. I feel like tomatoes overpower this too much (just as some people don’t use enough wheat and use way too much parsley), and since I’m trying to eat less tomato-based foods, this is part of why I omit them.

I was asked today why mine tastes so smooth. I suspect it’s the high quality #OliveOil, but in truth, my brother would tell you the secret ingredient is #Love. This is my favorite #MiddleEastern salad. I’m now craving #IsraeliPickles! 🤦 I’m pairing this tonight with Bourbon Glazed Salmon. 😊 #Tabouleh #Mangiare #לאכול

P.S. At the end, I added a ton of flat leaf parsley and more mint. Wash it and just tear it up, then stir it in. You’ll thank me later.

Pie For Breakfast

2015-04-05 Miss Poison Cooking, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Writing Chocolate, Cooking, Exhaustion, Fruit, Musings, Pie, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Sweets, Writing

When someone brings you two pies, each covered in chunks of Oreo cookies, with an Oreo cookie crust, and whipped cream as the filling to this confection, do you ignore this sugary delight before you (Especially when you’ve had minimal sugar for months on end.) or do you blissfully enjoy a few bites?

I have a love/hate relationship with sweets. (I said sweets, not chocolate. Dark chocolate and I are on a first name basis.) I know that too much sugar is not a good thing for anyone, but a sweet treat once in a while is not going to prematurely age you, nor will it kill you (Unless you’re diabetic and truly cannot have even small amounts of anything that is made with real sugar.). People who claim they “don’t eat sweets”, but eat pounds of fruit aren’t being realistic about their sugar intake. Natural sugar and sugar in desserts is processed the same way by the body. We know if we’re eating chocolate or peaches, but our body simply takes the vitamins from the fruit and uses what is needed, or it allows the chocolate to “calm the beast”, but after that, your body does the same thing with it, regardless of what type of sugar is may be.

Some people are traditionalists; they’ll only eat breakfast food for breakfast and “dinner food” for dinner. Me? I will reheat pizza or even Chinese food for breakfast if that’s what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes I will make breakfast food for dinner, because that’s what I felt like making/eating. Sometimes cooking an elaborate meal is simply too exhausting, so I will do whatever takes between 10-30 minutes, or less. I cook a LOT, so there are days I simply want to go on strike and not cook again for a month. This stems from exhaustion of the soul and honestly not giving a damn about what’s being prepared However, if I did go on strike, I’d probably starve, so I cook. No matter how many times you make different things, it all becomes boring at some point. I eat to live.

This is precisely why you sometimes need to be a little crazy and have pie for breakfast, or whatever suits your fancy.

Another One Bites The Dust

2014-11-212014-11-22 Miss Poison Cooking, Editing, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thanksgiving, Word Count, Work, Writing Baking, Cooking, Editing, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thanksgiving, Work, Writing

At approximately 9:00 this morning, I submitted a completed, edited manuscript back to my current client. Ten days, four revisions, and I am DONE. I felt incredibly exhilarated by that. I think it is, by far, the fastest I have edited in a while, but factoring in that everyone gives me projects with different word counts, I still think I did rather well. I delivered way ahead of schedule since this wasn’t an absolute must until January 1st. All in all, I am pleased.

I had a little health scare this week that I didn’t mention, but now that I know I’m okay, I feel like I can breathe a little easier. By the Grace of God, it wasn’t what I thought it was, and I am eternally grateful for that.

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away. I have been trying to plan my “menu” here and there this past week. Last year, while not traditional, I did break out my recipe for stuffing. If a recipe is passed down to me, I have perfected it over the years. The stuffing was my Mom’s original recipe. I don’t know where she got it from because my Grandmother didn’t cook, but my Great-Grandmother did. Even still, this stuffing is not typical of what one might expect. It is very easily made vegetarian with a few little tweaks, but I’m not making it this year. In fact, I don’t plan on making anything even remotely traditional. No turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce, nothing one might expect. It’s one big plain NO. After some consideration, I found a happy alternative.

I have absolutely nothing against traditional Thanksgiving Day fare, I’m simply not going to do all that prep work for less than 4 people. It’s a lot of work and since I am the one cooking, I make the rules. A 12-16 pound turkey is a waste when only the white meat will be eaten. It’s wasteful, but it’s the truth. So, no turkey. If I do happen to qualify for the free bird at my local store, I will donate it to one of the churches in the area or give it to a neighbor who I am sure will either cook it or donate it. Either way, someone wins. The store I go to does offer some alternatives, but if none of them can be utilized by me, it’s best to donate.

I know the stores will be jam-packed next week, but since I’m not going near anything traditional, I should be okay. I can listen to the playlist for my book instead of the Christmas music I am almost certain to be attacked by upon entering, and go about my business. It will take two trips to two different stores to get everything I need, but I will be incredibly grateful if I am able to do so, and still come in under budget. What I’m planning will last for 3-5 days, but it will get better from the first bite ’til the very last and I’m looking forward to having some fun with it. I am also considering a little baking. I considered it last year and ended up not doing it. Two different types of cake have been requested, and each of them sounds really refreshing for some reason, so I am going to try. They can both bake at the same time, cool at the same time, and be frosted next to one another. Easy. They’ll both last about a day, only because everyone here has a sweet tooth. At least by baking them, I know exactly what’s going into them, as opposed to buying them, where the ingredients are listed, but make me cringe. What I have planned, even with the baking, won’t even take me two hours to pull together. Another person is in charge of an add-on that he suggested, but everything else is me. He did offer to help, but I hate it when anyone hovers over me in the kitchen like I’m fine china and might break. UGH!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have any traditional dishes you make that are absolute MUSTS? Leave me a comment and let me know. Also, how many people are making dishes that are Pinterest inspired?