FOOD Inc.

So I watched Food Inc last night.

I'm about a year late to the party on this one,

but SERIOUSLY.

It's something you need to watch

to help you seriously evaluate what you are eating.

Now, now...

don't roll your eyes at me

because I'm that girl

who is constantly filling up your newsfeed with food porn.

I'm not someone who lives by rigid diets

or can promise that I am intentional about everything I eat.

BUT, I make sure that whenever I eat something-

it's not overly processed.

I pay a little more to get a little less food

because I want to consume for food that is a higher standard.

And after watching FOOD Inc, I'm even more committed to this idea.

It's so important to support food industries that produce pure food.

I used to think we did it to help them, 
you know- support the poor little farmer & his farm.

But I've come to realize that we need to support local farmers

for the very selfish reason that our bodies need "real" food.

The US doesn't make it easy for the average family to make this choice, I know...

I noticed this when I offered to replicate the same meal I make here almost every week 

while home in the States over Christmas.

Here in England, I can roast a free-range chicken, make a salad, 

roast various organic vegetables, get a baguette & butter all for £10.

It cost me $50 to buy the same things at Whole Foods in the States.

But the standard is just so different in the UK
because the people don't put up with lower quality food.

And they might gag if the stumbled upon 
a 10 foot space section of a grocery store devoted entirely to Pop Tarts.

Anyway, it's a lot to think about...

but it's worth your time to consider.

In the meantime, here is something that you can make that is simple & delicious.

I adapted it from the amazing risotto Helena made me recently for dinner.

I know risotto can be daunting if you've never made it,
but, please, don't fear the risotto... embrace it. 

Ingredients, serves 4:

four or five cups of chicken broth/stock

butter

an onion, finely chopped

a clove or two of minced garlic

2 cups of arborio rice

1.5 cups (or a small bottle) of Champagne... or any sparkling white wine you can find afford

a bit of kosher salt

pinch of black pepper

a cup of fresh parmesan (no, not the kind from the can. the real kind.)

a handful of mushrooms, sliced (optional)

a bunch of asparagus, cut in segments & washed really well to get all crunchy dirt bits off (a tragic mistake I made the first time I made this)

lemon (but only if you have one lying around)

Method:

Get a pot of warm chicken stock simmering on your stove.

Melt a small chunk of butter in a separate stockpot over medium-high heat.

Add in a chopped onion & your garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent.

Now add in the rice and stir until the rice starts to look transparent- about 5 minutes.

Add your champagne. Stir & allow the rice to absorb the liquid.

Now ladle in a cup of warm chicken stock.

Stir in the stock. Continuously stir until the stock is absorbed.

Continue this step several times until the rice is softened upon taste... you may think it will never happen, but it will! It just takes some love & about twenty minutes. Just keep stirring & loving on it.

Meanwhile in a skillet, toss in the lardons (pancetta/bacon/whatever). Let it brown.

Remove the bacon- add the asparagus & mushrooms. Let them cook in the leftover bacon goodness

& a splash of the chicken stock. It will help soften them up as they cook. 

Squeeze a lemon wedge over them for a bit of extra flavor.

When the rice is cooked, but is still slightly firm, take it off the heat. 

Grate in your parmesan. Toss in salt to taste. Throw in pepper.

Now, add in the bacon, mushrooms & asparagus. Stir to combine. 

Serve yourself a manly portion. Feel like a lady. 

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

**no, i'm not a dietician or politician. please don't hold me accountable to have the knowledge of one.

A Little Introduction: Les Profiteroles

Do you know what profiteroles are?

It's okay if the answer is "no."

I have to say, I dind't know what they were for too many years.

{It's a shame I bare daily.}

In case you are in the dark, like I once was,

let me do you a quick favor 

and introduce you to your new favorite dessert.

I'll do my best to paint a picture of what awaits you

the next time you see "les profiteroles" on a menu.

Start with the basic construction of a cream puff.

Imagine the small, orbs of slightly-chewy pastry puffs

filled with cream inside it's cavernous center.

Now, subtract the cream.

Add really cold, vanilla ice cream to where it once was.

Then, pour warm dark chocolate over the top.

Quite a lot of it, actually.

Sometimes, you'll have the addition of roasted almond slices to sprinkle on top.

Once you have all the components in place,

grab a spoon

and get to work.

You don't have much time to waste

once that ice cream starts warming up.

For all you visual learners,

here is a quick tutorial.

These particularly delicious profiteroles were from Cafe Constant,

a really delicious restaurant near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

If you'd like to eat here

{which I highly recommend!},

be there when the doors open for dinner at 7pm.

If you are just 5 minutes late,

you could find yourself standing at the bar

for up to 2 hours waiting for a table...

which means you'll have to watch all the restaurant eat their profiteroles first.

*All images original to Aspiring Kennedy. Please source accordingly.

What I Miss.

I'm a little hungry still after dinner.

I ruined my dinner by scarfing down 

a (third) macaron

that was headed to be thrown away

around five this evening.

{Real classy, I know.}

A few hours later, my stomach is ready for round two...

...or was it three?

Our cabinets are pretty bare bones at the moment,

and in my state of dismal hunger

(read: dramatic)

I'm hallucinating that some of my

favorite American staples were lining the shelves...

especially these bad boys.

Back in my Dallas days,

my friend Kellee & I would plow

through one of these bags without regret

while our husbands chatted late into the night

on everything from Seinfeld 

to men that wear tight pearl snap shirts 

with dragons on them.

Tonight, 

I'd take a bag of these

& my friend to hang out with me.

What would be the perfect addition to your day?