Food: it's more than just nutrition, it's creation

I woke up this morning with ambition. Ambition to cook. What did I want? 

BANANA PANCAKES

of course!

So, I went online and searched for a recipe. This one looked the best:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons
• 3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/3-inch slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In large bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In separate bowl whisktogether egg, buttermilk, milk and melted butter. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir until the flour disappears, but being careful not to overbeat the batter. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt about 1/2 tablespoon remaining butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake. Immediately press 4 or 5 banana slices into each so the batter oozes slightly over the fruit. Cook until bubbles appear and then flip and cook on the other side, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the pancakes to a platter and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batches, adding butter to the pan as needed. Serve hot with syrup.

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Sure enough, I made the recipe and the panCAKES were delicious! Seriously, they tasted more like cake than any breakfast I've ever had. 

My boyfriend's portion was half gone before I even put mine on the plate!

I take pictures of all the food I make, with the exception of quickie meals like sandwiches. Why? Well, I'm proud of my creation. And, I guess a lot has to do with the fact that I consider food a creation. Actually, I consider food to be one of the most beautiful creations on earth. Because I'm a...

FOODIE!

I love all things food. Central Market? My crack-cocaine. Elaborate presentations? I'm all about 'em! Ridiculous combinations of foods whose names you can't pronounce? Throw 'em my way!

I love finding new restaurants in the Dallas and Austin area (I go to Austin about once a month for a weekend), or in the Milwaukee/Chicago area when I return home. To me, it's just as important to try the foods of your own culture as it is to try the foods of others. I keep constant tabs on restaurant happenings in the Dallas, Austin, Milwaukee, and Chicago area. Too few people appreciate their own culture enough.

My boyfriend, Clayton, enjoying his first Friday Night Fish Fry, a Polish Milwaukee tradition

Fried catfish and wings at Aw Shucks on Greenville Ave. in Dallas. Best wings I've ever had!

Finger lickin' good barbeque in rural Texas

Garrett's famous popcorn in Chicago, IL. The best you'll ever have! Get the Chicago Mix!

But more than anything, I love experiencing the foreign flavors of new cultures. The more exotic, the better.

A crepe stand outside of my favorite tea house in Milwaukee

Milwaukee's only Oakland Gyro's, open 24/7 with the best gyros in town

And... I swear this isn't because I'm from Wisconsin (I don't like cheddar)... but... I am totally guilty of loving a good cheese plate. An artisan cheese plate. Each cheese is so representative of its own culture. When I bite into a cheese, I am instantly connected to its origins. I am swept away to a new land, with a visual of someone else, a few thousand miles away, eating the same cheese and having the same moment of simple appreciation. 

I whipped up this little number for my boyfriend and I on Valentine's Day: spinach au fromage with sliced french bread, Onion and Chive Boursin, warm brie, sliced apples, red grapes, imported Sicilian sausage, and of course, crackers. Who said college kids eat like crap? 

I followed the cheese plate with flank steak cooked in a cocoa and coffee bean paste (that I made), asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and onion rings (that I did not make).

For the grand finale, I prepared a chocolate cake with chocolate chip fudge frosting in the middle and fudge frosting on the top (my boyfriend loves chocolate). And don't forget the decorative kettle popcorn drizzled with caramel, white chocolate, and milk chocolate. Seriously. Like what? So good.

Just cheesy enough for Valentine's Day

Remember how I called Central Market my crack-cocaine earlier? I wasn't lying. I could spend hours in that store, soaking up the whirlwind of different sensations. Here are some of my more interesting Central Market finds:

"Gummi Techno" bears: metallic gummy bears

UT + Zapp's= a match made in heaven

Dragon plum pitaya fruit

A better idea than ice cream. Fun to try but nasty to taste

All in all, I seriously enjoy food. I don't like gorging myself, I don't OD on frozen pizzas, I eat food that I can call an "experience." Mindful eating is the key to a great relationship with food. Thinking about each bite. Eating slowly. It may drive your dinner partners wild, but your pleasure is well worth their wait.

Studying... Clearly...

I don't want to study.

I never want to study...

But I always HAVE to study.

I care about my grades.

However, it needs to be stated that I care so much about learning, not just about my grades. I truly absorb and retain concepts that interest me, and regularly reference them in everything I do. In fact, I totally understand why SMU insists upon a liberal arts education for every student- it really makes you smarter. Being educated in the liberal arts means being "well-rounded." In today's educated world, being well-rounded is one of the only ways to get an edge over your competition. Let's face it, knowing a little bit about a lot of things is nice, and knowing a lot about one thing is nice as well. However, if you know a little bit about everything and a lot about one thing, you've got the advantage. I believe that nothing makes an argument stronger than a diverse set of evidence. Thus far, SMU's liberal arts classes have provided me with just that- a diverse set of evidence. Every day, my ideas are strengthened by my liberal arts knowledge. Also important, liberal arts education allows young adults, like myself, to dabble in different areas of study. I believe that this is crucial, as so few incoming freshmen know exactly which majors and/or careers they wish to pursue. Learning a little bit about everything can help many students figure out exactly what it is they want to learn a lot about. Turns out, there really is a method to some of SMU's madness.

Anyway, I've really just been struggling with this darn 8 am. I love the material, but I hate the time. So rough. I feel horribly complaining, as the professor of that class makes the Plano-Dallas commute every day, and still manages to arrive at 5 am on the dot. Sometimes, she even manages to be early. Also, if I'm really going to focus on feeling bad for complaining about waking up early, I could remember the thousands of people across the world who have to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning just to get their water for the day.

Plus, complaining gets you nowhere. Nowhere but a blog post, it seems like.

My exam material remains untouched.

In fact, I am currently daydreaming while gazing through Fondren's perpetual florescent haze at all the students doing their work (or not doing their work). I should probably, no most definitely, stop this.

If this blog was a person, I'd tell it to wish me luck.

If I was my own best friend, I would tell myself to study.

So, since my best friends aren't with me and I don't believe in luck, I guess I should get at it.



PS- I stopped at Central Market tonight to pick up some dinner and encountered the most interesting gentleman. He works behind the preprepared foods counter, and has gray, untamed hair. He wears a red hat that he swears rarely leaves his head. All sanitary concerns aside, this guy was cool. He had an interesting story to tell, and I was pleased to listen. Turns out he used to write copy for Leo Burnett in Chicago. Since learning about Leo Burnett, the man and the agency, in David Hadeler's Advertising Literacy class last semester, I've developed a vested interest in all things Leo. I was impressed by the late Leo Burnett's life-long dedication to values and the family. Burnett emphasized this dedication in his retirement speech, known as "When to Take My Name Off the Door." In it, Burnett explains to his audience that he understands that one day his name may be removed from the door of the agency and replaced with the name(s) of the new owner(s). It is only when Leo Burnett Worldwide fails to adhere to the value system upon which it was built that Burnett insisted that they take his name off the door.

As of February 17, 2011, Leo Burnett's name is still on the door. His commitment to values, and to apples and black pencils, still remains obvious as one strolls through the agency's halls today. I have been fortunate enough to pay Leo Burnett's Chicago location a visit, and was blown away by the powerful presence of tradition and excellence. Burnett employees seemed to be proud of their work, and their heritage, and confident that Leo Burnett's name is here to stay.

Below is a video clip of Leo Burnett's infamous speech, "When to Take My Name Off the Door."

Ok, for real now. I'm going to go study.