Eggs By Any Other Name…Still Taste Like Eggs

According to my Cooking Light cookbook, a Frittata is just another word for a really big omelette. I often eat egg whites and turkey pastrami or smoked salmon for dinner, and I was never very good at making omelettes so it just turns out scrambled. Uncle Mark and Beth are expert omelette makers (see Allison's Apprentice) but I never got the hang of it.

I used to think it was because I didn’t use real butter, or that egg whites aren’t stiff enough for omelets. I know that makes no sense since I’ve ordered omelettes in diners countless times and have had people make me homemade egg white omelettes. But instead of trying and getting mad at myself for not being able to do it, I’ve just stuck with scrambled egg whites (it tastes the same anyway!)

But something about this was intriguing. I had seen one of my girlfriends make this and was always kinda jealous that she had the skill to do so. Now that I am more confident and experienced in the kitchen, I figured the time was right to try my own.

This recipe is a modified version of Fresh Corn Frittata with Smoked Mozzarella:
· Cooking Spray
· 1.5 cups fresh corn kernels (three ears, I did not use corn)
· ¼ cup (1 ounce) shredded smoked mozzarella cheese divided. I substituted an 1/8th of an ounce of alpine lace cheese—deli counter guys are moody though, and won’t always give you an 1/8th of an ounce—it is worth asking though, I spent a whopping 48 cents.
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil. Also not used, I’m not really that into chopping fresh herbs especially when it is just for me, and I do not think the dry herbs add that much flavor.
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 5 large egg whites, lightly beaten
· 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Another recipe in the Cooking Light cookbook says to use cous cous but I substituted Panko. I added the egg/egg white and Panko mixture to the pan, fried for about five minutes and then baked it for another 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Since I wasn’t entirely sure if my frying pan was oven proof, I transferred it to a baking dish.

The Results
What I did still just looked like and tasted like an oversized omelette. While my creation was good, I think that using an actual pan that you can both fry and bake in will help maintain the quiche-like shape and texture I believe it is supposed to have. If I find one on sale I will buy it and try again. Otherwise I’m missing the point. Maybe it is so folks can be pretentious and say “I ate a Frittata for dinner.” Or perhaps it is to tell my Uncle Mark , who wont eat anything twice in one week, that he is eating a Frittata and not an omelette. That probably wouldn’t work either since he refuses to eat eggs more than once a week and doesn’t understand that egg whites have practically no cholesterol.

Whatever, Martha

If you haven’t seen the show Whatever, Martha, I highly suggest checking it out. Martha Stewart’s daughter and her friend watch old episodes of the Martha Stewart show and make fun of her. It’s hilarious! I promised you a story about our experience at the Martha Stewart taping:

Once again, we were the last people in line to get tickets, and it’s the same process with every show- wait a million hours to get in, go through security, wait again to be seated, etc. Martha’s set is HUGE! It’s exactly how it looks on tv, only bigger. You want to know the best part?? She was playing hip-hop music the whole time! Not just any hip-hop music, the good stuff from the 90’s and early 00’s. It was awesome. I guess she really did learn something in the slammer! I have a new found respect for Martha after that. In my previous post I mentioned that Rachael Ray didn’t feed us at her show. Not only did Martha give out delicious cookies that were being made on the show(ok, it was a swap out but still), she gave out Charles Grodin’s book(he was a guest that day), stuff for your pets, and a plant! Take that, Rachael!

Since Martha is now officially my homegirl, I decided to use another dessert recipe of hers and make it low-fat with fewer calories. I made a marble cake recipe for Rosh Hashana. It was actually my first time making a holiday dinner by myself and everything came out great, but since Allison went on and on with her dinner story, I’ll just stick to the dessert.

These are the original ingredients:

 Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf

· 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
· 1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup sugar
· 3 large eggs, room temperature
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
· 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder

What I used to make it low fat, everything the same except:

- 1/4 butter and 1/4 applesauce (instead of using all that butter)
- 1 egg and 6 whites (I learned my lesson per- the egg white disaster.com)
- 2/3 milk and 1 tablespoon cream of tartar (instead of buttermilk)

I have no idea what the difference is between regular cocoa powder and dutch-process cocoa powder, so I just used the regular. You don’t really have to substitute the buttermilk, but I didn’t have any and I don’t like the way it tastes. Making this was a pain in the ass, and not as easy as I thought, and on-top of it all, it tasted like crap! I did everything right according to the recipe, but I think it was the cake flour that made everything taste bad. When Allison was here we tried to make an angel food cake from scratch and used the same Swan’s Down cake flour which also came out bad and didn’t taste right either. If anyone has suggestions of what cake flour to use, I would appreciate it because until then I’m not making another cake from scratch! I bought a loaf pan and everything, just to throw it all out.

I decided from now on that instead of making low-fat desserts from scratch, I am going to buy pre-made mixes and make them low fat and see which ones taste best, how many calories you can save, and rate them accordingly. It’ll be a guide for those of you that want to make a quick dessert without the added fat and calories, so stay tuned. So for now my Martha recipes are on hold, but in the meantime I encourage all of you to watch Whatever, Martha. I should get some kind of endorsement from her already:

The Rosh Hashana Meal

“The food is outstanding!” said my brother Steve, which just has to be the nicest thing he has ever said to me.

I made the lemon-chicken dish with both thighs and breasts. The breasts came out a little dry even though the sauce was good. If you are going to bake chicken, definitely stick with thighs. Even though it is technically dark meat it really doesn’t have a lot more fat. Just make sure to take the skin off.

Corn salad. We usually have a Claremont salad on the holidays, a cousin to cole slaw that has cabbage, apple cider vinegar, five or six different spices and Equal. I am very bored with this dish so I said I’d make a corn salad.

“Is the corn fresh?” my brother asked. He has an aversion to canned vegetables.

“What do you mean ‘fresh?” I retorted.

“Did you make corn on the cob and take the corn off?”

I said, “Don’t worry, it is not canned.” My brother Steve seriously never has a clue how long it takes to cook, especially holiday meals. This used to really bother me but I must be mellowing in my old age.

I took two packages of Green Giant frozen corn and let it defrost naturally over a few hours in a colander. I had a Seven Seas dry Italian dressing package and followed the directions to make it. Instead of using regular vinegar, I used ¼ cup each of Apple Cider and Raspberry Blush vinegar. It was a little too vinegary, so I added a couple of sugar packets too. I also used between one and two tablespoons of olive oil. Since we were transporting the salad to the Upper East Side from Forest Hills, I did not add the dressing to the salad til we got there lest the corn get soggy. I also added a couple of fresh mushrooms but you can add whatever you like (tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers come to mind). The salad got rave reviews.

Mashed Cauliflower. This is a dish I originally discovered on one of my many attempts at a low-carb diet. I once tried to make it with Frozen Cauliflower (one of those steamers packets) but it was GROSS! Just buy a head of cauliflower, add it to boiling water for ten minutes and use some type of mixer with a bit of margarine, olive oil or skim milk to mash it. I have a smoothie maker that works very well for pureeing. I also add a tablespoon of minced garlic that helps bring out the flavor.

Baked Sweet potato chips. Peel and cut four to six sweet potatoes and spray with an Olive Oil misto. I microwaved about a quarter of a cup of margarine with some garlic and poured that on top. I bought a crinkle cutter that makes the fries look cute too. Any extra potatoes can be frozen (they are sitting beside the frozen lemon chicken).

Chocolate cake. I cheated a little with this. Instead of making it from scratch, I bought a Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake mix and made it low fat. Six egg whites, one egg, ¼ of apple sauce and ¼ of oil. It came out very light and fluffy. I bought a separate chocolate frosting that came with some sprinkles on top (it is called “confetti.” I normally wouldnt've done this but my four-month old niece Lea niece loves colors. Too bad she was sleeping when dessert came.)

Here’s a tip: if you have portion control problems like I do and do not want to buy a whole bag of chocolate chips or sprinkles, you can go to a yogurt store and buy small sides for about 75 cents. Unfortunately, I bought a side of chocolate chips and a side of carob chips and ended up eating both before I got to bake them into the cake…If anyone else has this problem please let me know so I do not feel like a crazy person that lacks self-control!

The Beginnings of a Sweet Year

After several lists and emails between my mother and I, she informed me on Erev Rosh Hashana that we actually do not need both stuffed cabbage and chicken, since she already made brisket. Of course, she only told me that after I made three pounds of both chicken thighs and breasts, some of which is now happily sitting in my freezer.

I had the stuffed cabbage left over from a couple of weeks ago, and although it was low-fat, everyone insisted it was very filling and very good. After dinner, there was a lot of the cranberry/tomato sauce left over, and when we were clearing the dishes I said we should throw it out. However, my mom and her best friend insisted that was wasteful and that we should save it for my dad to put over pasta on Sunday night (I think that’s kinda gross, but my dad will put just about anything over pasta!)

The other dish I made on Friday night was my homemade cole slaw. That’s pretty easy. Just get shredded cabbage in the bag and add about a ¼ of a cup of low-fat mayo (I prefer Hellman’s); a tablespoon of skim milk and a couple of sugar packets. The recipe also called for vinegar. I didn’t have white vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar. This was a bad idea and made the whole dish taste rancid…I suggest not using vinegar at all if you are going to make this type of cole slaw.

My dishes complimented the homemade matzoh ball soup, gefilte fish, brisket and noodle pudding nicely, but I did a lot more work for Saturday Night. I'll be posting that next!

Pre-Rosh Hashana Emails

From my mother to me on Wednesday regarding Erev Rosh Hashana dinner, where we will be six people, and Rosh Hashana on Saturday, where we will be eight people:

Will talk to you later, but this is what I have that you are doing for Sat:

Corn salad
chicken dish
stuffed cabbage
sweet potatoe

Are you bringing any dishes for Friday.

This is the menu so far:

Fish
Soup & MB (matzoh balls)
brisket
noddle pudding
purchased cole slaw
fruit
cake
tea

L'Shanah Tovah

Mom


My response:
I'm going to make cole slaw instead of corn salad on Friday and i'm making a cake for Saturday.

Is Marsha making a cake for Friday?

What about string bean casserole and I can make chicken or moussaka for friday if you think we need it.

Final reply:
I answered this, but I don't think you got it.

Marsha is bringing some kind of dessert on Friday (either store bought or homemade).

If you want to make an additional chicken dish for Friday okay, if not I can make the
cutlets. I have the ingredients for string bean casserole for Friday, and I thought you were
going to make that cauliflower dish for Saturday.

Let's decide because I want to have all ingredients by Thursday, okay? And if you need
the car to transport anything let us know. Picked up the good fish this a.m.

Love,
Your Mother

Stay tuned...

Tastes Like Chicken? Thank God NO!!!

I can’t eat any more chicken.

At least that’s how I felt before I made my baked eggplant sandwich.

I was originally going to attempt Eggplant Parmesan, a dish I like but I know is very fattening when you order it in a restaurant or via takeout. However, I did not have any mozzarella cheese and was not in the mood to go spend another $6, so I modified the recipe and used the following (remember, I’m one person):

- 1 small eggplant
- Italian Bread crumbs (about ¼ of a cup, I just placed them in a bowl)
- 2-3 egg whites
- Olive oil Misto or cooking spray

1. Coat a large frying pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Turn burner on a low flame.
2. Cut eggplant lengthwise, I think I had about eight pieces.
3. Coat eggplant pieces in egg white, then dip in bread crumbs.
4. Place in frying pan, turn over when browned (about five minutes on each side).

Once the eggplant was in the pan about 10 minutes, I noticed that it was starting to burn a bit.
I transferred the eggplant pieces into a Pyrex dish, and then baked them in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

I took them out of the oven, but the pieces were still kinda tough. It probably could’ve baked another 10 minutes or so. I actually just lost patience with the process and ate the pieces on a hoagie roll. It was a decent enough quick dinner that was cheap, didn’t require a lot of ingredients and was much better than take-out (apologies to all my local Italian restaurants but try laying off the grease)!

VIP's? Not in my kitchen...

My interest for cooking increased quite a bit after Allison and I went to live tapings of cooking shows in New York. We saw Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart. When we went to see Rachael’s show, audience members who didn’t have tickets had to get there an hour before to wait on line to get in. And there was no guarantee that you were going to get in either. After waiting, we were lucky enough to get the last two tickets for that taping. There’s this whole process where you have to check in, go through metal detectors, and then sit in the waiting room until you are called row by row to go into the studio. Since we were last in line, we were last to go into the studio, but to our surprise the assistant told us that were going to be sitting in the VIP bridge since there were no more seats left. She informed us that it’s a cool view because you get to see everything taking place and it’s where the camera, sound, and technical people sit as well. It is also where Rachael’s family and friends sit when they come to a taping. So once Rachael came out, she waved to everyone and looked up at us, and as she was waving she gave us the DIRTIEST look ever! I don’t know if she was thinking, “who are these bitches sitting in my VIP spot?!” or “do I know those girls?” or “they are too pretty get them out of here!” Either way, it was really uncomfortable and made us think of her in a different light. The show itself was entertaining though, Bruno from "Dancing with the stars" was there, Dr.Phil was there, and she demonstrated how to make a “zin zen chicken,” which we didn’t get to taste but it was available to buy at the Marriott after the show (Martha gave us food at her show!).

Anyway, one night when Allison and I “cooked through the phone,” we made a Rachael Ray barbeque chicken burger recipe using ground turkey breast instead of chicken because it's leaner and has less fat. It came out pretty good, and when I attempted to make it again a month or so later, I didn’t use the worcestire sauce that the recipe called for because it didn’t sit well in my stomach the first time (yes, our whole family has sensitive stomachs). I’ve made this recipe quite often for my dad and I, and the last time Allison came down I made it for her and she thought I was hiding a secret recipe from her when in reality she’s the one that showed me the recipe in the first place! (We won’t go into her selective memory right now).

I don’t remember Rachael Ray’s original recipe, but this is my version of it:

1 pound Jenni-O ground turkey breast (don’t even get me started with the difference between ground turkey and ground turkey breast!)
1 egg
1 small can of tomato paste
3/4- 1/2 cup of ketchup (eyeball it!)

Preheat oven to 450. Whisk the egg first into a bowl, and then take about 3/4 of the turkey breast at a time and break it up into the bowl. Start adding ketchup, making sure that the turkey breast is getting mixed in with the egg and ketchup. It’s best to use your hands to mix it all up, but it’s SO cold so I usually use a spatula. Then add about half of the tomato paste and mix it in as well. If all the turkey is covered with the mixture and it looks more “red” instead of “pink,” you don’t need to add anymore tomato paste or ketchup. Then take the turkey and roll into patties, big or small depending on preference. Allison says (and she’s right) that if you make them small-medium it cooks faster. Cook them for about 20 minutes and check them, turn them over and put them back in accordingly. The cooking time probably takes 30-35 minutes depending.

This recipe is a lot juicer than just plain turkey burgers and tastier too! I guess I have to give Rachael Ray credit for a good recipe, but until she apologizes to us, I prefer Martha! Just wait until the post about Martha’s show; I don’t know if you can handle it….

Cooking Together, Even When We're Apart

Nothing makes me happier than when a new recipe turns out well.

I’ve been making a basic lemon chicken for a while. That grew out of an attempt at a chicken francaise recipe where I realized the flour did not add any flavor and only added calories. I tend to obsess about a food for a few months and then grow bored with it and that happened for me with the lemon chicken. So after thumbing through my large Cooking Light binder cookbook, a Chanuka gift from Uncle Mark that has become my cooking bible, I stumbled across a Honey Lemon chicken recipe.

There’s a popular song by the hip-hop artist Soulja Boy Tell Em called “Kiss Me Through the Phone.” If he were writing about Beth and I, he’d call it “Cooking Through The Phone.” That’s because when Beth and I aren’t together we sometimes literally cook on the phone. This is so I can be encouraging, offer direction and try not to let Beth get too angry at herself if things don’t “look” correct. Uncle Mark will not eat anything he doesn’t recognize and my Aunt Leslie was an extremely picky eater so I do understand why.

Beth’s perfectionism when it comes to food starts at the market. One day I need to record Beth at the supermarket, picking out tomatoes and potatoes, and not allowing me to buy any piece of meat that has the slightest trace of fat on it. At times when I would food shop by myself I would buy meat and not let her in the kitchen so I could cut it away before she could see. I patiently explain every time that a little fat is ok, you can cut it away and it tends to add a bit of flavor but it hasn’t sunk in yet.

The Recipe

- 2 ½ Tablespoons Honey)
-½ teaspoon grated lemon rind (is this different from lemon zest? If so please tell me how)
-1.5 cups fresh lemon juice (about six lemons)
-¼ cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (3 pounds, but I used 1.5 pounds and halved everything)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-¼ teaspoon pepper
-cooking spray

Place first five ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken, seal bag. Chill two hours, turning occasionally.

Modifying the Recipe

I cheated and just placed the five ingredients in a measuring cup. Then, I used a whisk to combine everything and poured it over the chicken thighs in a 9x13 Pyrex dish. I took the leftover lemons and placed those in the dish too. I baked the chicken at about 400 for 20 minutes, then turned them and baked for another 15 minutes. I never really cooked chicken thighs before but I think this came out great. It reminds me of the honey chicken my father used to order at the Shalimar diner, off the Pasta and Saute page (more on my family’s love of diners to come…)

What Happens in Florida...

Meanwhile, down in Florida, the chicken breasts needed to cook a little longer because from what I understand they were thicker.

How did Beth’s come out? She said it was “good” and so did my uncle. An “it’s good” is always high praise from Beth and Mark—but they only mention how good something is once. This differs greatly from my family, who tend to sing the praises of a good meal throughout it—“OMG Allison, this is delicious” my mother might say. “Oh it is so good tell me what you did again” (even though it may be the second or third time I have reviewed it with her…). Even though my mother, brother and sister-in law also tend to be picky, we still all love to EAT. My father, on the other hand, also likes to eat but tends…not to be as picky. Much more on them to come…

Oh, you the healthy type? Well here goes some egg whites...

My first attempt at making a dessert recipe low fat was Martha Stewart's “fudgy brownie” recipe. Um, yeah. They weren’t "fudgy" and they didn’t taste like brownies. What did they taste like you ask? Applesauce. Yep, applesauce. I clearly haven’t mastered the art of making desserts low fat yet, but hey, it was my first attempt and they could’ve tasted a lot worse. Maybe.

The ingredients in the original recipe are:
· 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
· 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
· 1 1/2 cups sugar
· 4 large eggs
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt

What I used to make it low fat:
· 1/2 cup of I can’t believe it’s not butter (less fat and calories)
· 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels (I like the taste of semi-sweet better and I'm too lazy to chop)
· 1 cup of sugar
· 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of applesauce (1/4 cup of applesauce = 1 egg)
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 3/4 cup flour
· 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Allison told me to use egg whites instead of the applesauce, but I hate the idea of using 6 whole eggs to make 2 egg whites so I didn’t listen to her. I should have. After about 30 minutes I checked the brownies by sticking a tooth pick in them and it didn’t come out clean, so I waited another 5 minutes. Then another 5 minutes. Finally I took them out. I waited a while to see if they would harden and they didn’t. I tried cutting them and lifting a piece out of the pan, but it was so soft it broke apart before I lifted it. Like I said, it tasted like applesauce. I was pretty disappointed because when I make regular desserts they come out good. Allison and I came to the conclusion that the substitution of I can’t believe it’s not butter and applesauce made it too soft and perhaps I should’ve used one or the other. Or maybe I should’ve gone with the egg whites. Clearly I’m not the healthy type. Sorry, Pitbull (and Allison).

Allison's Apprentice

Hello, blogger world.

Thanks for the intro, Allison. Since spending 4 months with me in Florida last year, Allison has taught me a lot about cooking. I didn’t even know how to “brown” meat, let alone cook a full meal before she came. I guess I knew some basics, but was always too lazy or didn’t really care since my mom did the cooking at my house. Unfortunately, my mom passed away last year and left my dad and I to fend for ourselves in the cooking department. Before Allison came down, my Dad and I would order in most nights with the occasional omelette thrown in. All that changed once Allison arrived. As soon as she got to my house, she was in complete shock that our fridge,freezer, and pantry were bare. Before she even unpacked, it was off to Publix to stock-up on food. Before I go any further I have to tell all of you that Allison’s favorite place on earth is Publix. There is no Publix in New York, so it’s a treat for her to go every time she is down here. It’s like watching a kid in a candy store- I’ve never seen anything like it! Throughout her stay here, we would go to Publix at least once a week and although I can’t stand the long lines and the amount of people there it was amusing just to watch her in action.

Over the past year, thanks to Allison I developed a new confidence with cooking and am able to cook most nights if I really want to. But, I’m still pretty lazy and it takes some motivation to actually cook. It’s no fun cooking by myself, especially when my Dad could care less about what we eat for dinner and I have no help in the kitchen. He does do the dishes though so that’s a plus. He also has a sweet tooth which is why I started baking in the first place. I would make brownies, homemade cookies, cakes, etc. The problem is, since there were only 3 of us there would be a lot left over and all of us are somewhat conscious about our weight so the desserts would go to waste after a few days. When Allison came up with the idea of starting this blog, I not only wanted to make desserts that were lower in fat/calories but I wanted to cut the recipes in half as well. How it’s going to taste I have no idea, but I invite you come along on this journey and find out with us. Along the way you’ll read funny/crazy stories about us, our family (mostly crazy), and whether or not healthier, lighter cooking can taste just as good or better than regular recipes. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a crazy ride…

And For Dessert...

Part of my interest in cooking stemmed from a four month stint in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. with my cousin Beth. I insisted that if I was going to stay with her and my Uncle Mark for the winter I couldn’t eat take out all the time and we were going to cook most nights. Beth had never really cooked before but shows real talent, especially when it comes to baking. Beth is going to chronicle attempts at figure-friendly baked goods while I keep attempting main courses. Her first blog entry follows:

Stuffing Cabbage

Stuffed cabbage is something I crave maybe once or twice a year.

I know. It is labor intensive. I tried making it one other time, maybe 10 years ago, neglecting to realize cabbage’s sour nature. This time, I made sure to add sugar AND cranberry sauce.

Armed with:
- homemade tomato sauce (See yesterdays post)
-1 pound of ground chicken (I make the butcher grind from actual chicken breast)
-two cans whole berry cranberry sauce
-1 can of diced tomatoes (one of the secret ingredients I use in many recipes)
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup panko (using panko instead of bread crumbs or rice to keep the dish relatively low carb)
-3 egg whites (equals one egg without the 15 grams of fat)

I started on my stuffed cabbage journey.

The Assembly Process

Steam about 8-10 cabbage leaves.

Combine ground chicken, panko and egg whites. Because I know that this type of ground chicken sometimes doesn’t hold together, I also add a bit of tomato sauce.

When the cabbage looks like it is wilting, drain it. Begin adding the ground chicken. The recipe says to use about a teaspoon. Then, I roll it like a burrito. I’m never very good at rolling burritos or wraps, and food service folks make it look so easy!

Combine the tomato sauce (about 28 ounces), two cans of cranberry sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes and brown sugar in my biggest pot. I turn my burner to low.

Waiting to Boil

My creations are stacked on each other in the pot. There isn’t enough liquid to cover them all. I run out to get more diced tomatoes and I am debating whether buying spaghetti sauce is a better option. I can’t stand the thought of ruining my homemade sauce with all those preservatives. I find the last can of diced tomatoes at Rite Aid, return home, add it to the pot and turn the timer on for an hour.

At this point in the process, I always feel like whatever I’m doing is going to come out like crap but I keep forging ahead. That’s mostly because I really have nothing else to do. And my apartment already smells like cabbage, so I might as well continue.

One hour goes by, and I taste the sauce and debate transferring it to a pan and placing it in the oven for an hour. I decide not to do this (for no particular reason, just instinctive) and let the simmering continue for another hour. I realized that everything in the pot was still cold, so I turned my burner up to “two”—I guess that constitutes a low flame on my oven. I started this at about 3 pm, and by 6 pm I tried a piece. It had to be some of the best stuffed cabbage ever and I hope to make it for the High Holidays in a couple of weeks.

You say tomato...

The first time I ever attempted tomato sauce I used some type of olive oil that contained Omega 3 oil and tasted like crap. I thought if I kept cooking the sauce, the taste would go away. I’ve learned that’s not a good strategy. So instead of wasting three precious Sunday hours on the endeavor and then being mad at myself for not stopping sooner, I threw the concoction away. It was several years before I tried homemade sauce again, and until very recently I would make too much of it, opting to use two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes thinking that’s what you “had” to do.

So the recipe, which I kinda made up:

-One 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
-1-2 cans of tomato paste
-1-2 bay leaves
-Sprinkle of basil
-Sprinkle of parsley
-Sprinkle of onion
-Sprinkle of pepper
-Sprinkle of red pepper
-A handful of mushrooms

(Sometimes, I’m of the Rachel Ray school of not really measuring things, but adding a bit of spice at a time, and then adding more if things taste bland. Other times, I do think it isn’t a big deal to measure stuff in a teaspoon or tablespoon and I am not sure why she thinks you are saving so much time by not measuring.)

I know that red pepper can make things very spicy, so I use it sparingly. When I tasted the sauce it was too spicy. After about an hour of simmering (I set the timer to go off every 30 minutes to remind myself to stir and taste the sauce while watching a rerun of Supernanny) I added two packets of Domino sugar to tone the spice down.

In the beginning, I would add ketchup to the sauce, thinking that my Italian friends that love to cook once told me that’s their secret ingredient. (Note to anyone reading: telling an Italian person that you added ketchup to sauce, let alone telling an Italian person that THEY TOLD YOU to do this, i s very offensive and may cause them to not speak to you again.) Another 30 minutes go by and the sauce is STILL too spicy, so I add another two sugar packets, let the sauce go another 30 minutes and then call it a night—I’m impatient and figured I’d let it sit in the pot in the fridge overnight and modify anything in the morning. Stay tuned, I’m using the sauce in a very non-labor day treat, Stuffed Cabbage!)

Cooking Light and Right

Hi, I’m Allison and I’m a foodaholic.

Ok, that might be an exaggeration but I definitely love to eat. Last year when I lost my job I needed to fill my time with something so I started cooking. I’m a relatively picky eater–at least that’s what everyone tells me, I don’t really see it—so I’m surprised I didn’t start making my own recipes a long time ago. I used to make very basic meals in pursuit of a 45 pound weight loss that I’ve maintained, but those recipes consisted mainly of ground turkey and chicken drumsticks, with an occasional meat loaf thrown in. I used to love take out and going out to eat but now I definitely prefer home cooking. Why am I telling you all this? I’m starting a blog about low-fat cooking. I don’t intend to be Julie Powell or Julia Child, but I’d like a way to connect with other people that also love to eat but want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong—I love Rachel Ray and Paula Deen as much as the next person, but is all the butter and oil really necessary? I watch so many of those shows and simultaneously figure out how to make their recipes healthy –haven’t they heard of the olive oil misto spritzer or Pam for pan frying? I know there are tons of blogs and articles about healthy eating and low – fat cooking but so many of them say the same things over and over. I’m trying to put a new spin on an old hobby and am starting with the basics, tomato sauce!