Hello, fellow foodie fanatics!
I'm Diana, life long Chicagoan, northwest side to be exact. Go Cubbies! I love my city and all it has to offer, but recent vacations to Arizona and Southern California have me actually rethinking my love for my city, though!
My foodie fascination started at a young age, as I grew up in a hispanic household (1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Mexican), who are a loud, lively and feisty group of people and love to eat, drink and be merry, even on a non-holiday. We grew up in a household of four, yet my mother always found it necessary to cook for an army, so leftovers were our friends, because you didn't waste food at my mother's house!!
Many of my early memories were surrounded
I'm Diana, life long Chicagoan, northwest side to be exact. Go Cubbies! I love my city and all it has to offer, but recent vacations to Arizona and Southern California have me actually rethinking my love for my city, though!
My foodie fascination started at a young age, as I grew up in a hispanic household (1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Mexican), who are a loud, lively and feisty group of people and love to eat, drink and be merry, even on a non-holiday. We grew up in a household of four, yet my mother always found it necessary to cook for an army, so leftovers were our friends, because you didn't waste food at my mother's house!!
Many of my early memories were surrounded
around family gatherings that featured foods with some of the most incredible flavors. Check out that picture to the right, that is circa early 1980's in Mexico...that is my amazing mother with my Uncle Rogelio and my late Uncle Vidal, slow roasting a whole pig over an outdoor spit. My dad slaughtered the pig, which resided on my Uncle Lalo's ranch. Everyone did their part! Additionally, I also learned at an early age about sustainability and that whole snout to tail concept - as I said before, you never waste anything. And you feed everyone, including the neighbors. And they also returned the favor.
And I still laugh when I think about this, but I didn't discover the joys of salt (outside of prepackaged and restaurant foods) because my mother believed that well seasoned food didn't require salt (plus, it was healthier for Dad). The seasonings in her dishes featured all kinds of fresh and dried herbs/spices and aromatics like garlic, onions, etc., that created some amazing layers of flavor where you didn't even miss the salt.
To this day certain spices/smells make me think of some of her famous dishes, like Arroz con Pollo (rice and chicken), Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pollo gisado (chicken stew), bistec con cebolla (thin cut steak with onion), salt cod and potato salad, Pernil (roasted pork - I can't remember if it's shoulder or butt), and then of course, the worst but best thing ever to eat, Tostones con Mojo de Ajo (fried plantains with a garlic oil dipping sauce). Drool. Wow, I may have to post some of that deliciousness someday!
But back to the salt situation - to be honest, I really never missed the salt until I took a cooking class about seasonings/oils/flavorings and learned the wonderful wonders of flaked sea salt! Yum!
I love to cook and take cooking classes, but for personal reasons I try and keep it on a healthier tip, but when I'm out with friends or my wonderful boyfriend, I sometimes treat myself and indulge in something I don't eat everyday, like a lovely fresh pasta...or a kickass bruschetta...or mushroom encrusted pork chops...or a juicy, handcrafted gourmet burger...or a lovely cut of fish (I LOVE ahi tuna)...or better yet, dessert!
I have to admit, I refuse to eat weird things because I tend to be a little squeamish when it comes to certain foods. There is some weirdness that I WILL eat, like Menudo (no, not the boy band) and the legs of a delicious grilled calamari. Other than that, my proteins are the basics - beef, chicken, pork or fish. It's all in the preparation and the layers of flavor that gets my attention, that's for sure.
If you ask me what my favorite meal to date has been, I'd have
And I still laugh when I think about this, but I didn't discover the joys of salt (outside of prepackaged and restaurant foods) because my mother believed that well seasoned food didn't require salt (plus, it was healthier for Dad). The seasonings in her dishes featured all kinds of fresh and dried herbs/spices and aromatics like garlic, onions, etc., that created some amazing layers of flavor where you didn't even miss the salt.
To this day certain spices/smells make me think of some of her famous dishes, like Arroz con Pollo (rice and chicken), Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pollo gisado (chicken stew), bistec con cebolla (thin cut steak with onion), salt cod and potato salad, Pernil (roasted pork - I can't remember if it's shoulder or butt), and then of course, the worst but best thing ever to eat, Tostones con Mojo de Ajo (fried plantains with a garlic oil dipping sauce). Drool. Wow, I may have to post some of that deliciousness someday!
But back to the salt situation - to be honest, I really never missed the salt until I took a cooking class about seasonings/oils/flavorings and learned the wonderful wonders of flaked sea salt! Yum!
I love to cook and take cooking classes, but for personal reasons I try and keep it on a healthier tip, but when I'm out with friends or my wonderful boyfriend, I sometimes treat myself and indulge in something I don't eat everyday, like a lovely fresh pasta...or a kickass bruschetta...or mushroom encrusted pork chops...or a juicy, handcrafted gourmet burger...or a lovely cut of fish (I LOVE ahi tuna)...or better yet, dessert!
I have to admit, I refuse to eat weird things because I tend to be a little squeamish when it comes to certain foods. There is some weirdness that I WILL eat, like Menudo (no, not the boy band) and the legs of a delicious grilled calamari. Other than that, my proteins are the basics - beef, chicken, pork or fish. It's all in the preparation and the layers of flavor that gets my attention, that's for sure.
If you ask me what my favorite meal to date has been, I'd have
to say the Cioppino at RM Seafood in Las Vegas. A couple of years ago my sister and I traveled to Southern California and Vegas, and every day we made a stop at a popular (and/or new) restaurant, I hope to blog about that experience someday! The RM Seafood experience was amazing, not just the food, but the service and ambiance. I'd go back for that Cioppino in a second!!
But on a side note, I'm also discovering all kinds of great dining spots all over Chicago with the Boyfriend, my friends and family, which has been great fun. I hope to share some great experiences with you soon.
I am also a huge fan of shows like Top Chef and pretty much anything on the Food Network and now the Cooking Channel. PBS also has some great shows you shouldn't miss! My favorite chefs are Rick Mooonen, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Hubert Keller, John Besh, Stephanie Izard (I met her! Sorta.), Ming Tsai, and the list goes on and on and on. But for the ones I've named I love their cooking styles, approachable nature and amazing talents. I'm such a groupie!
Please join myself and Starr on this very blog as we take you on some foodie journeys in and out of our own kitchens!
But on a side note, I'm also discovering all kinds of great dining spots all over Chicago with the Boyfriend, my friends and family, which has been great fun. I hope to share some great experiences with you soon.
I am also a huge fan of shows like Top Chef and pretty much anything on the Food Network and now the Cooking Channel. PBS also has some great shows you shouldn't miss! My favorite chefs are Rick Mooonen, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Hubert Keller, John Besh, Stephanie Izard (I met her! Sorta.), Ming Tsai, and the list goes on and on and on. But for the ones I've named I love their cooking styles, approachable nature and amazing talents. I'm such a groupie!
Please join myself and Starr on this very blog as we take you on some foodie journeys in and out of our own kitchens!
2 comments:
I can reate to not wasting any part of a pig. Growing up I ate every part, from snout to tail. These days I just stick to ham and bacon.
That picture of your mother is awesome - I love how she has her hand on her hip and is giving the pig the stare down. :-)
Post a Comment