the constant hunger

My Love of the Cheeseburger

Sometimes I think I could become a vegetarian. Maybe more a pescatarian. Besides the ethical reasons, it would certainly cut out expenses, force me to be more creative with meals and perhaps improve my overall health. But there's one thing that makes me hesitate.

Any time, any place, you ask me what I want to eat and my answer is usually "Let's have burgers!" Cheeseburgers to be more exact. With some lettuce and tomato, it covers your four basic food groups. It's quite possibly the world's most perfect food. 

Recently, we made some cheeseburgers at home and, boy, were they delicious. Keep the seasoning simple: salt, pepper, a little Worcestershire sauce. My husband had bought potato buns and insisted that they make a better burger. He was right! Although we used cheddar, I think American cheese works better. It melts down and is nice and gooey. 

For some variation on the classic burger, check this out. Never know what kind of wine to serve with your burger? This article has got you covered. 

Happy cooking! 

Snacking on Mustard Chicken Sandwich

A sandwich is quite possibly the world's most perfect food. Read more about my love of the sandwich here and here. Today's recipes dresses up an ordinary chicken breast. You can add the mustard chicken to a salad, but I usually opt for a sandwich. You just can't beat food you eat with your hands.

 

Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons of grainy Dijon mustard

1 big garlic clove finely chopped or passed through a garlic press

1 tablespoon honey

drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

bread

lettuce and tomato to serve

mayonnaise to serve (optional) 

 

Method

Combine all the ingredients together. Make sure all the chicken breasts are properly coated. You can always double up on the ingredients if you find you don't have enough marinade. Let marinate for about an hour in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 min. before cooking.

Cook the chicken in the oven on broil or grill them in a grill pan. Either way, make sure the chicken breasts are cooked through.

Now it's time to assemble your sandwich any way you like. Enjoy this quick lunch with a friend.

Happy cooking.

Turkey Burgers and Pasta Salad

Lately I've been craving burgers on an almost daily basis. Anytime I'm hungry, I want to go out and have a burger and fries. There are so many delicious options in New York City. Some restaurants hype up their burgers to an almost cult status (Minetta Tavern, I'm coming for your Black Label burger). Today's recipe satisfied my burger craving and with an alternative to beef.

I thought by using ground turkey my burger might turn out dry and tasteless, but I had the urge to try anyways. The recipe, with the addition of mayonnaise, may seem weird but the fat content of mayo really keeps the turkey moist (and, trust me, the burger doesn't taste like mayo). 

I've also gone with a classic summer-picnic side dish, pasta salad. Believe it or not, I usually never make a creamy pasta salad, but I did have a huge craving for something a little on the richer side.

 

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsely

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

hamburger buns

arugula to serve

 

Method

Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking. It's important to allow it reach room temperature before grilling so it properly sears. 

Shape into patties and grill them on your barbecue or grill pan till fully cooked through. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the patty and grill temperature. 

 

 

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 box fusilli pasta (or your favorite short pasta)

1 large cucumber chopped

3 carrots grated

2 red bell peppers chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 chopped cilantro

1 cup light mayonnaise

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method

Cook pasta according to package directions. Run through cold water to bring temperature down before adding the ingredients.

Combine all the ingredients together and give it a good thorough toss. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

For the turkey burgers, you can certainly substitute the herbs if there is one you don't like. Rosemary and basil are always good options. The burgers were nice and juicy and the arugula gave it a refreshing peppery taste.

As for the pasta salad, you can add a couple cups of baby spinach for a nice boost of iron. And for those who like a little kick, some chopped green onion or shallots are perfect.

Happy cooking! 

Eating out: Breakfast at Tiffany's

I woke up one Saturday not too long ago and asked myself what I wanted to do with my day, what I really wanted to do. The first thing that popped into my head was "I want to have breakfast at Tiffany's!" You see, Breakfast at Tiffany's is my favorite movie. It's what I watch to lift my spirits when I'm down in the dumps. And the fact that I live in New York and could go to the same Tiffany's as Audrey Hepburn did in the movie got me excited. And so, I jumped out of bed and headed straight for 5th Ave.

I stopped at the Lindt chocolate store only a block away from Tiffany's to pick up provisions. I then headed over to Tiffany's and chomped away at my chocolate bar, admiring the creative window displays. 

I walked around for a couple of hours window shopping. All the walking and tourist dodging got me hungry so I stopped at a diner and had the most amazing chicken salad club sandwich. 

I gobbled it up just in time to make the afternoon show of an Italian movie, I Am Love. Although the movie itself isn't too memorable, there are some delightful scenes in which one of the characters, a chef, prepares some mouth-watering dishes.  

Photo from Magnolia Pictures 

Have you ever spent a day doing exactly what you wanted? What did you do? What did you eat? 

Comfort Food Poll

It's a cold, wet and dark day. No, I lied. It's actually 90 degrees outside (32 Celsius for my Canadian readers), but I wish it was cooler. I like warm weather, but hate humidity. I also like cool nights so I can sleep comfortably and this summer has been intensely hot and sticky. I am sleep deprived. Sometimes I find my mood alters with the temperature. I used to get all melancholic on rainy days and happy on sunny days. The tide has turned.

There are days when I get gloomy, not for any particular reason. It's just a temporary gloominess that makes me want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head and fall asleep in the warm cocoon of pillows and covers. 

On these down-in-the-dumps days I like to eat comfort food. Who needs therapy when there's mac and cheese? My husband asked me once to explain to him what comfort food was. I told him it's any food that lifts a persons spirits, that makes them feel warm inside and, sometimes, it reminds them of mom's cooking. 

With the help of some Foodbuzz friends, I've conducted an informal poll to find out what your favorite comfort food is. And here are the results...

 

Mac and cheese was the clear winner. Why am I not surprised? Over the next little while I will be blogging about these comfort food dishes, sharing some of my favorite recipes with you. I've already tried my hand at brownies with great success (so surprising since I was a baking virgin). 

I'm sure there are some comfort foods that I have not included in my poll. Feel free to share them with me. And tell me when you make this comfort dish. Is it always after a bad at work? Are you like me and turn to comfort foods on cold, rainy days? I'll then take the new results and work on new recipes. Oh, and I'll let you know the results. Maybe next time I'll make a pie chart. 

Happy cooking!

P.S. Because my Starbucks coffee giveaway wasn't too successful, I've decided to not do another giveaway for a while. If any of you food bloggers have any tips about putting together a great giveaway, please feel free to share them with me.