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.