Some people see no harm in giving in to temptation and indulging once-in-a-while in unhealthy life pleasures. The best excess is eating dishes without counting the calories that go with them. What's your guilty secret when it comes to food?
Indulgence is defined as the act of rewarding desire and as thoughtless or meaningless behavior. There is a little of each when we spoil ourselves with food and for me – well, I do it once a week on Saturday night.
Food indulgence is a form of raw bliss. For a moment we break out of our required rules of eating to give in to our desire. Anything forbidden or restricted and considered unhealthy or too much of a good thing is an indulgence. Yep – and I am pretty sure that I have more than just a few. In fact, I have many!
I wrote an entire blog on chocolate September 15th. I will admit, like my mother, I am hooked. No getting around it, I would choose chocolate over almost anything else.
I love Key Lime Pie…so much that when I need a sweet fix, Key Lime Pie is my indulgence of choice. The recipe in this picture is about 500 calories and 26 G of fat…a far cry from the Weight Watcher’s version that I wrote about some weeks back. I just have to run a lot longer on the day I decide to eat the “real” Key Lime Pie recipe. Worth it – most definitely!
Like Julia Child, it’s all about the butter! I'm not a cheese expert but the best extra aged gouda I've ever had was definitely buttery. Extra Aged Gouda is one of the finest cheeses in the world and I can’t get enough of it when my indulgence screams cheese.
"Elegant and tropical with hints of lemon oil essence, key lime and yellow grapefruit. Notes of ripe pineapple and mango can be found throughout this exquisitely balanced Chardonnay. Lushly layered and viscous with a firm acidity and enchanting creamy texture. The finish lingers on and on." I think that my next job in life is that of a wine taster.
This has always been a celebrated indulgence with friends. Open a bottle of KJ and who knows what kind of other optional extras you will give in to when you decide to kick back and let it all pass for just one night.
Italians love Bruschetta and it's perfectly all right to dream up your own variations, as long as you do not invite an Italian purist to the table. Like Pizza, use lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic. For bruschetta that tastes like the classic pizza Margherita, pile on tomatoes, cover with shredded mozzarella and bits of fresh basil, top with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and broil just long enough to melt the cheese.
Also, try spreading an olive tapenade over the bruschetta, add finely diced shallots, and finish with a dash of fresh oregano or marjoram. You can try any variation...heaps of mushrooms, zucchini, or other substantial foods and you've got a great lunch or dinner.
Cooking and drinking go together for me. When I'm at home in my own kitchen, bring it on. Unless it's something really complex, or something that I can't fake my way through I love a drink while I cook dinner. Last night I only had one glass of wine while making dinner and one with dinner. Incredible self-discipline if I must say so myself.
Whoever has the best fried chicken recipe wins! If one thing can side track me faster from the blueprint of healthy eating, fried chicken is it! I loved Kentucky Fried Chicken before we even knew there were indulgences!
French Fries/Hash Browns/Potato Chips/ Baked Potatoes…loaded thank you!
I love potatoes. Give me a plate of hash browns, extra crispy French fries, baked potatoes loaded, or my mother’s pan or riced potatoes with gravy and I am a girl in food heaven. I now am in search of the perfect French fry recipe and will try a million using fresh cut potatoes until I find one. If you have one, send it to me. Stay tuned.
Give me a bowl of New Orleans Bread Pudding and I know that fall just arrived. For the many who never got the familiarity of the late Austin Leslie’s expertise, he was one of the great, real Creole Chefs in the country and his bread pudding recipe happens to be one of my favorites. Look for other recipes this fall that will leave you in after-dinner ecstasy.
I never liked living in the south but I LOVE Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins. Cannot think of anything I enjoy more on a cold day in the middle of winter with a big bowl of gumbo. More comfort food recipes to come including my homemade gumbo that I learned to make at the New Orleans Cooking School.
Man cannot live on bread alone but this woman can…need I say more? Some easy and homemade bread recipes from my favorite bread chef this fall.
This is the “I love Ice Cream” Facebook Page. Me? Long before Facebook, I use to eat it for breakfast.I grew up with Bridgeman’s Ice Cream so pardon me for sounding like an Ice Cream snob but I like GOOD ICE CREAM!
Did you know that 97% of Americans love Ice Cream? Over one-quarter (27%) say chocolate is their favorite flavor while 22% each say vanilla and cookie dough/cookies and cream is. These are some recent results from The Harris Poll® by Harris Interactive®.
Having an occasional treat once a week makes me happy. Tonight is Saturday and I am already planning my weekly indulgence.And since it was a pretty crazy week, I'm going to indulge in a few of them.
You could almost hear women cheering in the streets when new studies associated compounds in chocolate to heart health.
Chocolate. Just the word brings on a passion.
I take in a good whiff every time I ride by the Bloomer Chocolate factory at 600 West Kinzie St. on my way home out of Chicago. The smell…well it all goes back to my mom and her addiction to Mars Bars.
History: Chocolate is produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. It has been produced for centuries with its earliest recognizable use around 1100 BC. Mesoamericans make chocolate beverages including the Aztecs and Mayans and is now served in the bean-to-cup chocolate operation at XOCO in Chicago. You can’t wait until the dead of winter to try it. All you chocolate lovers out there – be prepared to be instantly hooked…and oh, by the way, did anyone mention that you will never recover?
White chocolate only contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk but no cocoa solids and thus does not qualify to be considered real chocolate. Drat! I love white chocolate! Some things I remember about white chocolate? Well, I close my eyes and can remember how my sister Krissy’s white chocolate chip cookies taste. To die for!
So what was so unique about a Mars Bar? Don’t really want to know the calories and fat grams…did not make an ounce a difference to someone like my mom who was addicted and could have cared less. It was almost a respect that could not be discussed but rather just enjoyed – in silence and savoring every flavor until the last bite. Yep – I can still taste that too. So, my addiction to chocolate comes from my mom. Thank goodness she was not addicted to any of my vices!
One of my favorite chocolates on the planet is DOVE. Been there with all the others and have compared but nothing else can weigh against the taste of DOVE chocolate. I don’t particularly care for their website – as a website designer to be- but I can attest to the fact that their chocolate is simply the best! I can pop a Promise in my mouth and be happy all day – why is that? Hate to admit it but chocolate just improves the attitude that I have with the rest of the world. If I am feeling a bit off, chocolate takes me right back on and makes me feel like everything is OK and can survive another day. Doesn’t it astonish you that a food can do that? It’s what I love about food. Sometimes it can carry you off to another place.
A million reasons to love Chocolate. What is yours? Write me and let me know.
Oh, and by the way, we have heard this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process. It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?