Because I Love You, Here is a Dose of Self-Sabotage

Hello dear friends,

Today I am blogging to recommend a cookbook.  One that, if purchased, will give you tons of recipes, tips, and info about eating healthy and having ample time to do so in your busy schedule.  In other words, you'll have no reason to ever read this blog again.  I can only hope that you'll choose me over Williams-Sonoma, or at least think of me fondly once in a while.

Okay, enough dramatics!  Seriously, people should own this cookbook:

A wonderful friend gave me this book for Christmas and I'm a huge fan, HUGE!  Not only does it have wonderful recipes and yummy pictures, it has a list of what to stock in the kitchen, recipes you can make in advance, ideas with no cooking required, and a guide to the super foods!  Each recipe gives you the caloric value per serving and the health benefits on the main ingredients.  It is fantastic!  There are vegetarian and vegan friendly ideas, as well as carnivorous delights.  You will learn about nutrition and cooking with this glorious little book.  Go buy it and then tell me what recipes you want to stuff in your face first.

Your neighborhood Saboteur,
Melissa

P.S. Since we're talking Sabotage and all....

Confessions of an Awful Baker

I love to cook and when it comes to searing, roasting, broiling, mixing, spicing, dicing and eating, I've come a long way.  I'd say I'm even good at this point.  But baking, what an elusive temptress she is.  I'm awful at it.  Even recipes I've successfully created before are always at risk of going horribly awry.

Take the pumpkin bourbon cheesecake I made on Thanksgiving.  I've made it for other occasions and it was great.  Thankgiving? Well, it tasted okay, but it looked disgusting.  I think I may have purchased light cream cheese by mistake, but I'm not sure.  Whatever I did, the pumpkin and cream cheese were a worse mix than the Jets & Sharks during that dance scene in West Side Story - they refused to mingle and as a result, my cheesecake looked like week-old oatmeal.  Not exactly an appetizing dessert.  Luckily, two of my beautiful attendees also provided post-dinner sweets.  Baking is a bitch.  So high & mighty with her exact instructions.  Whatevs.  I don't get it, and I don't like that I don't get it.  I'm over you...

That's not true, I totally want to be awesome at everything related to a stove and/or oven. Next year, I want to bake Christmas cookies that make Santa bring me a gd Mercedes.

I write this blog for a couple of reasons: sympathy (let's be real, everyone loves sympathy), but mostly as warning.  You see, dear friends, I'm going to master the art of baking.  I will own that bitch called baking if it kills me.  As a result, I'll probably be posting about burning stuff, ruining cakes, drinking wine, and crying a bit more than usual.  If you have any tips, suggestions, or word of encouragement (see sympathy above), please send them my way.

Love and dough,
Mel

Hey Cupid....Stuff It!

Hi gang,

It's almost Valentine's Day and while some of us will be consuming our body weight in chocolate candy, others will be preparing delicious meals for loved ones.

Is anyone still looking for ideas?  Maybe wishing there was some source out there to provide inspiration?

You're in luck!  My insanely talented friends at Herbivore Productions have a video to help you!  Herbivore Productions makes awesome movies, and now, awesome cooking shows.

Watch, laugh, learn, and tell your friends.  I told my friends.  Hello, friends.

If you like the video, show them some love where it counts....on Facebook.  Like 'em here: Feed The Beast

Enjoy!