the UGC: The One Where I Start to Talk About Food More

The One Where I Start to Talk About Food More
October 09, 2009

I've been trying to cook more. Unfortunately, most of what I'm cooking is giant batches of soup so I have something to eat for lunch every day (cheaper and healthier that going out to lunch!), and I don't find that terribly interesting to blog about (though I might put together a list of "take this for lunch" recipes, but not just yet). So what I end up cooking for dinner is usually quick and not that interesting, so I'm hesitant to blog about it. Also, as I ponder blogging a bit more about food, I wonder if it's okay for me to post other people's recipes? As long as I give them credit? Do I have to ask first? Is there a "Food Blogging for Dummies" somewhere? Because I think I need a copy.

ANYWAYS. I have a couple of recipes for you and if you follow my flickr stream, this is old news, but if you don't...here's some recipes I've made lately that you should maybe make too:

Simple Sesame Noodles from the Pioneer Woman (and seen in the photo above). I found this recipe on a day when I wasn't feeling too hot, and this sounded like the exact thing I wanted for dinner (I crave noodles when I'm not feeling well). As fate would have it, I had all the ingredients at home, and this ended up being exactly what I had for dinner. It was simple, quick and tasty. I have another similar noodle recipe that I love to make, and I wasn't sure I needed TWO noodle recipes, but I was wrong. This one is a bit mellower and a bit sweeter. The scallions give it just the right amount of oniony kick. I could see making this again and adding some cooked chicken or little baby shrimps. Yum.

Parmesan Polenta with Eggs and Roasted Mushrooms from the kitchn. I love food like this. Simple and comforting. I made it on a Monday night when I also planned on making a big batch of soup and knew I needed something quick. This might not seem like a quick one at first glance, but the way you cook the polenta for this involves almost no stirring and gives you time to prep everything else. I saved myself even more time by buying pre-cut mushrooms at the store. I even had time to sautee a little bit of spinach to add some green to the dish. There are so many ways you could customize this...green onions instead of chives (which I thought about doing and my friend Courtney actually did), or some other dried herbs when roasting the mushrooms, or even add other leftover roasted veggies, and OH MAN, wouldn't it be good with caramelized onions? The possibilities are endless. I'm definitely making it again and next time I'm adding some dried thyme to the mushrooms, and I'm not going to overcook the eggs (but it was still good despite that!).

$\"Monday$ \n\n\nI've been trying to cook more. Unfortunately, most of what I'm cooking is giant batches of soup so I have something to eat for lunch every day (cheaper and healthier that going out to lunch!), and I don't find that terribly interesting to blog about (though I might put together a list of \"take this for lunch\" recipes, but not just yet). So what I end up cooking for dinner is usually quick and not that interesting, so I'm hesitant to blog about it. Also, as I ponder blogging a bit more about food, I wonder if it's okay for me to post other people's recipes? As long as I give them credit? Do I have to ask first? Is there a \"Food Blogging for Dummies\" somewhere? Because I think I need a copy. \n\nANYWAYS. I have a couple of recipes for you and if you follow my flickr stream, this is old news, but if you don't...here's some recipes I've made lately that you should maybe make too:\n\nSimple Sesame Noodles from the Pioneer Woman (and seen in the photo above). I found this recipe on a day when I wasn't feeling too hot, and this sounded like the exact thing I wanted for dinner (I crave noodles when I'm not feeling well). As fate would have it, I had all the ingredients at home, and this ended up being exactly what I had for dinner. It was simple, quick and tasty. I have another similar noodle recipe that I love to make, and I wasn't sure I needed TWO noodle recipes, but I was wrong. This one is a bit mellower and a bit sweeter. The scallions give it just the right amount of oniony kick. I could see making this again and adding some cooked chicken or little baby shrimps. Yum.\n\n\n $\"Monday$ \n\n\n Parmesan Polenta with Eggs and Roasted Mushrooms from the kitchn. I love food like this. Simple and comforting. I made it on a Monday night when I also planned on making a big batch of soup and knew I needed something quick. This might not seem like a quick one at first glance, but the way you cook the polenta for this involves almost no stirring and gives you time to prep everything else. I saved myself even more time by buying pre-cut mushrooms at the store. I even had time to sautee a little bit of spinach to add some green to the dish. There are so many ways you could customize this...green onions instead of chives (which I thought about doing and my friend Courtney actually did), or some other dried herbs when roasting the mushrooms, or even add other leftover roasted veggies, and OH MAN, wouldn't it be good with caramelized onions? The possibilities are endless. I'm definitely making it again and next time I'm adding some dried thyme to the mushrooms, and I'm not going to overcook the eggs (but it was still good despite that!).

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