Food Should Be Like A Pair Of PRADA Shoes

Let me first start by saying I am a shoe lover!!  Did you get that?  I am a shoe lover!!

Okay, if I'm being totally honest, I could be Imelda Marcos's niece.  I don't really feel there is any shame in that.  Is there?   I mean, I love shoes.  I love all shoes.  I love slippers.  I love flats.  I love heels.  I love kitten heels. I love 4" heels. (since I'm 5'8" I don't often sport the 4" heel)  I love tennis shoes. I love boots.  I love all boots.

And I love food.  Unlike shoes, however, I don't love all food.  I can do without Indian food. I can do without  German food.  I can do without the English green pea.  I can do without liver. Well, you get the idea - I don't love all food as I love all shoes.  (ssshhhhh)

That being said, I feel food should be like a pair of PRADA shoes.  Food should be rich.  Food can definitely, all day long, be Italian.  Food should come in all colors.  Food should come in all textures.  Food should come in all sizes.  Food should be the perfect fit with your stomach - like when my foot slides perfectly into a size 8.5 PRADA shoe.  Food, like a PRADA shoe, should be perfection.

Mario Prada began his quest for perfection in 1913 in Milan, Italy.  His daughter, Luisa Prada, took the helm as his successor since Mario's son had no interest in the business. Luisa's daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970 and eventually took over for her mother in 1978.

I wish I could say my quest for food perfection had such an interesting history.  My quest began at the age of 11 in Mobile, Alabama when I made my first dish for my Dad - homemade meatballs with spaghetti.  Like PRADA, I did not have initial success.  PRADA's tough military spec bag was made of nylon Mario Prada had used as coverings for steamer trunks. These bags were hard to sell due to lack of advertising and high prices but the line would go on to become their first commercial hit.

My first "batch" of homemade meatballs with spaghetti was much like PRADA's military spec bag - it was not instantly popular (although my Dad insisted it was "delicious" - funny, he somehow never remembered to ask me to make it for him again).

I'm proud to say, present date, my homemade meatballs with spaghetti is one of the most requested dishes Chris asks for!  Now, granted, it's not sold in the most upscale stores across America and Europe but it IS a success!

So, would you like the recipe for my meatballs?  Well, it's below!  You  know what?  You can even cook this tonight in your PRADA shoes!  ...careful don't drip sauce on your shoes!

LISA's MEATBALLS

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2lbs. ground beef

1 egg

1 large handful of bread crumbs (mine are bread tossed in a food processor and frozen 'till I need them)

1 very small handful of fresh basil - chopped

1 extra small handful of fresh rosemary - chopped

1 extra, extra small handful of fresh thyme - chopped

1 good shake of celery seed

1 small handful of fresh parsley - chopped

1 small wedge of yellow onion - chopped

2 cloves of garlic - minced

4-5 turns of fresh cracked pepper

1 good dash of salt

1 small wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano - shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients with your hands until they are blended evenly.  Shape into small-ish size  meatballs - like ping pong ball size.

In a large nonstick pan, drizzle extra light olive oil.  Sear the meatballs - about 3 minutes on each side.  Place the meatballs in a colander so any extra oil can drain off.

On a large nonstick cookie sheet (spray it with PAM), arrange your meatballs so they are about 1/2 an inch apart.

Bake your meatballs for 20 minutes or until cooked through.   Remove from oven and add to your favorite pasta or make one of those meatball sandwiches with marinara running down the corners of your mouth when you bite into it!   Mmmmmmmmmmmm........so, so good!!

Always "Push The Parsley!"

~ A Girl Cook

OkraLogic . A Girl Cook Is Now On Twitter!

I'm happy to announce ya'll can now follow OkraLogic . A Girl Cook on Twitter!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

SALT - Sorry My Male Followers, This Isn't About Angelina Jolie

Good Morning!

Got your Java? I've got mine and I'm all snuggled in looking out the window at the beyond beautiful 4" of snow.  (we're supposed to get 3-6" more on Sunday! ---ohhhhh yeahhh!!) All of the trees look like a Chef took a world-size shaker of powdered sugar and dusted everything.  Some of the branches look as though they've been dipped in white chocolate.  Hmmmm.....is this where the treat "chocolate bark" came from?

So we all know it's snowed in the Ozarks.  We all know we have 4" of snow.  Where there is snow there are, hopefully, salt trucks.  Last night as I was sitting in the living room watching "American Idol" with Chris (the auditions are the funniest part - after that I lose interest) and listening to the salt truck drive by, it hit me ...tomorrow morning's Blog will be SALT!  I think it's safe to say the large majority of us cook with salt.  Lord knows I do!!  (big, hearty chuckle)

First, let me start by saying I'm a salt kinda gal.  I salt it.  I salt it all.  Is there such a thing as too much salt?  Yes, absolutely. Have I over-salted before?  Yes, absolutely.  After I over-salted was I scared away?  No, absolutely not!  I'm a salt kinda gal.

Salt, also known as table salt, or rock salt, is a mineral that is primarily composed of sodium chloride.  Now that doesn't sound very appetizing does it?  "Honey, will you please pass me the sodium chloride?"  Did you know the taste of salt is one of the basic human tastes?  Health authorities have recommended limitations of salt intake due to  the risk of possible health problems, one of those being high blood pressure.  Followers (and I love each of you!!)  please be responsible with your salt shaker.

There are low sodium versions of salt; there's Morton's Lite Salt (with 50% less sodium), Lawry's makes a low sodium seasoned salt, and there's even a Himalayan Pink Low Sodium Salt - who knew?!?!  I have tried, and used, the Morton's Lite Salt - it' okay - definitely offers a different taste - but you still get that "salt sensation."

Now, some of you may be thinking....is Lisa one of those "salt snobs?"  No, I am absolutely not a salt snob!  In our cupboard right now is a good 'ole container of our local grocery store brand of salt.  In other words, it was the least expensive salt on the shelf.  Now, to jazz it up, I poured the salt in a decadent wooden salt bowl and I salt with my fingers -there's no pouring of the salt out of the metal spout on the container.  Wait!!  Oh my gosh...I...AM...a salt snob!  I think I'm actually a closet salt snob.  Sigh.

One of my favorite things to make is Jerusalem salad. Oh my gosh!  It is soooo good to me!  It makes my stomach not only sing - it makes my stomach sing like Elton John - like Barry White - like ABBA - like Frank Sinatra - like The Rolling Stones .....it just makes my stomach SING!!

We top one of the breakfast's at our B&B (please see the link on my main Blog page!) with Jerusalem salad.  I eat it over couscous.  I toss it over grilled chicken or fish.  I top butter lettuce with it.  I just love it!  Oh, and one of the essential ingredients is, you guessed it, salt!  Not a lot of salt (seriously, it's not) - just enough to add another layer of flavor.

To wrap it up (oh! you could also put it in tortilla wraps!) my Jerusalem salad recipe is below!  I hope you enjoy it!

LISA's JERUSALEM SALAD
(for one large batch)

1 English cucumber
1 pint grape tomatoes (sliced) or 3 vine ripened tomatoes (diced)
1 large handful of fresh parsley (diced)
7-8 turns of fresh cracked pepper
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 shakes of garlic powder
1 large handful of purple onion (diced)
salt - to taste

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Meatloaf , The Industrial Revolution & The "Meat Porcupine"

Meat: (n)   Nourishment; food
Loaf:  (n) A shaped, usually rounded or oblong, mass of food
___________________________
Meatloaf.  Meat.  Loaf.  Meatloaf.


As a child, this was a word that made my stomach sink.  When told we were having meatloaf for dinner I immediately thought....what have I done wrong?  Why am I being punished?  Had they found out I made a D in Social Studies ...again?


I mean, come on, who says "Awesome!!  We're having meatloaf for dinner!!"  or "We have to stop playing Barbies with the Barbie Jeep, Barbie Townhouse and Barbie Jet because I have to hurry home for meatloaf!"  or "Meatloaf!  Wow, I must have done something really, really, really good to deserve meatloaf for dinner - it's like Christmas has come early this year!!"  (and it's the month of May)


Could the higher powers not have at least come up with a more enticing name than meatloaf to fool us innocent kids?


Parents have been fooling kids since the 19th century with meatloaf.  The Industrial Revolution made it possible for ground meat to be manufactured and sold to the public at a low cost.  A 19th century recipe by the name of "Meat Porcupine" told cooks to ground their meat and mold it into an animal shape that they were to decorate with pieces of ham and bacon so it looked, well, so it looked like a porcupine.  We can all thank the "Meat Porcupine" for Americans incorporating ground meat into their meals.

Chris came into the kitchen a few minutes ago, opened the refrigerator, and turned around grinning like a kid in a candy store who had a $100 bill in his pocket.  (remember, we went into FRANTIC mode at the grocery store yesterday due to the impending snow)


Still grinning, he asked "What are we having for dinner?"  I replied, "What would you like?  I'll make anything you'd like. How about meatloaf?"  Silence.  Not just silence.  Silence like the kind of silence when you're taking the SAT.  Silence like the kind of silence when you're a child sitting in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa Claus to come falling down the chimney with all 200 presents on "your list."  Silence like the kind of silence in a dentist's waiting room.


I looked up and the grin had disappeared.  Instead, I was looking at a broken man.  Head down.  Shoulders hunched.  I couldn't help myself.  I started laughing.  Chris said, "No thank you.  I'll just make a cheese sandwich."  "Chris!, I said, my meatloaf recipe is really good!"  Chris looked at me like I had told him I just spent $5,000.00 at Zappos.  That would be a look of utter shock and disbelief.


Have I mentioned my Dad told me, has always said to me, "Lisa, your head is as hard as a walnut."  Well, we all know that's pretty darn hard!  I think you get my point!


Well, that was it!  I decided we were having meatloaf.  Not only were we having meatloaf for dinner tonight, we were having meatloaf that was so good the next time Chris was looking at a menu in a restaurant and considering the Osso Buco or Filet Mignon, he'd suddenly pause and ask our server, "Do you serve meatloaf because I love meatloaf!"


I'll let you know if I've converted Chris from meatloaf hater to meatloaf lover tomorrow.  In closing, two things:


(1) I want to thank the Industrial Revolution and "Meat Porcupine" recipe for making meatloaf possible.
(2) My meatloaf recipe is below!


Always "Push The Parsley!"
~  A Girl Cook




LISA's MEATLOAF ~ THE ONE THAT WILL CONVERT MEATLOAF HATERS
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F


2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 package andouille sausage (diced or cut into chunks - whichever you prefer)
1/2 yellow onion (diced or cut into chunks - whichever you prefer)
4-5 turns of fresh cracked pepper
4-5 good shakes of extra light olive oil (more if you need it)
1 green pepper (seeded & diced)
1 large chunk of feta cheese (crumbled)
2 large handfuls of grape tomatoes (diced) or 1 large vine ripened tomato
sea salt - to taste (I'm a salt gal)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 large handful of parsley (torn)
1 cup breadcrumbs (my breadcrumbs are bread I toss into a food processor and freeze for later use)
1 egg
1 can Rotel (whichever heat you prefer)
4-5 slices peppered bacon (you can also use turkey bacon)
catsup (to coat the top of the meatloaf)


Place the fully cooked andouille sausage, onions, fresh cracked pepper, extra light olive oil, green pepper, grape tomatoes, sea salt and garlic into a pan - turn to medium heat.  Sautee the ingredients until the sausage appears golden-like (about 3-5 minutes - stirring often). Toss the ingredients into a colander to drain any excess olive oil off


Place the drained ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add the ground beef, feta cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg (mixing with your hands until all ingredients are mixed evenly) and shaped into a loaf.  Wrap each piece of  bacon around the meatloaf with the open ends underneath the meatloaf to secure them.


Pour the can of Rotel (with 1/2 the liquid drained) in a dutch oven or pan sprayed with PAM.  Evenly coat the top of the meatloaf with the catsup.


Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F for 1.5 hours or until done / no longer pink with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Check the meatloaf after an hour to see how it's progressing to see if you need to adjust your time.  In my experience, all ovens cook differently.  


Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Snow = Soup?

Good Morning!

So I woke up to a snow covered Winter wonderland and it's still snowing.  There's something about snow that turns me back into a kid.  I want to shrink back to five years old and put on my all-time favorite bright green winter coat with the fur trimmed hood and make snow angels.  I want to play in the snow until my cheeks resemble red delicious apples and I can't feel the tip of my nose.  I want to make snowballs and throw them at the house ....even though I was told not to.  I want to build, not just a snowman, a snowman family.  I used to eat snow but, present date, I can pass on that as I'm now aware of germs and Lysol is a close personal friend of mine.

I woke up, jumped up to look out the window behind the headboard of our sleigh bed (it's snowing and we have a sleigh bed - how apropos, right?), and shouted "Chris, it's snowing!"  Now, let me go back a moment - I don't think I mentioned it was 5:30AM and Chris was sound asleep.  Chris jumped up, "What?  What?  What's wrong? What?"  I was already out the bedroom door by his third "what?"  Poor Chris - he's not what you'd call a morning person.

So here I sit with my laptop watching the snow fall by the light of the street lamps and my mind is racing .....what to cook today?  Comfort food?  Mexican?  Chinese?  Should I attempt a seafood feast the Gorton's Fisherman would be proud of?  I don't  know, the latter is kind of tough - I mean, he's been trusted since 1849.

Our neighbor was rushed to the Hospital yesterday (she's okay and is coming home today) so I'm definitely making my chicken soup to take over - nothing says comfort (to me) like chicken soup.  Although Campbell's chicken noodle soup was a large part of my childhood, we have since parted ways.

So I've got the chicken soup on "the list." I've got soup on the brain.  Hmmmm - what about turkey meatball soup? Can you feel it?  Baby sized meatballs (seared and then baked) - a scallion fresh herb broth simmering while the meatballs are in the oven filling the kitchen with the aroma of rosemary, thyme and basil .....yes, I most definitely think it will make my stomach sing.

Okay, so now I've got two soups on the list - pretty good considering it's 7:13AM!

Off to the kitchen to refill my coffee and find some inspiration.

'Till Later!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Dinner = Cheese Dip!

For any of my followers ....and a "Thank You!"....to each and every one of you!! .....who grew up in Little Rock ....a "Taco Kid" cheese dip was / simply is THE BEST.

Sadly, that was not the case tonight.

I decided I was actually not hungry but I made Chris some slap-yo-mama good cheese dip.

Interested?

Well here ya go:

Cook 1/2 lb. ground beef (you can substitute turkey or chicken)

In a double boiler, add 1 large chunk of Velveeta, 1 can of Campbell's Nacho Cheese Soup, 1/2 of a small yellow onion, 4-5 large shakes of garlic powder, 1 small handful of torn cilantro, 1 diced Habanero pepper, 2-3 grinds of pepper, a toss of salt, a large squeeze of fresh lime juice, 5-6 hearty shakes of Tabasco .....and stir 'tll it all melts.

Drain and rinse the meat.  Add the meat to the melted "concoction."

Chris only eats his cheese dip with RUFFLES thick / wide ridge potato chips.  Try as I may, I cannot wrap my head around this.  Tortilla chips - yes!  Warm tortillas - yes!  Potato chips? ....weren't those made for French onion dip?  Just sayin'.....

Whatever your favorite, dip it into this dip and your stomach will sing.  Oh, and prior to making your stomach sing, please partake in an antacid, Prilosec, baking soda with water ....well, you can pick up what I'm throwin' down!

'Till Tomorrow!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Possible Snow = Frantic Grocery Store

I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there until I was a full blown annoying 5 year old who thought it was most fun to throw snowballs at cars driving by our house. We got snow.  It snowed.  A lot.  I have pictures of me in the snow where the snow was up to my waist.

I've been snow skiing.  I've skied down Buttermilk Mountain in Snowmass in less than favorable conditions.  I've skied in Breckenridge when the snow was coming DOWN.

I've been snowed in at airports.

I have conquered snow covered hills as both a youngster and adult ~ as a youngster on a sled, as an adult on skis and on foot.

All of these things did NOT prepare me for the scene at the local grocery store when snow is predicted in our small town nestled in the Ozark Mountains.

Exactly what happens to these people?  I mean, it SNOWS in the Ozark Mountains yet people act like they are actually living in the Amazon swinging from tree to tree on hearty vines and applying suntan lotion every hour on the hour and  then....OH MY GOD....it might snow!!

Chris and I go to the grocery store today and as soon as the electronic doors slid open the chaos inside hit us like those black crows in the Windex commercial hit the glass doors.  I paused a moment before I selected a cart ....as the sanitizing spray was spraying everything BUT my cart ....and looked at the people.  They were young.  They were middle aged.  They were elderly.  But they were ALL absolutely FRANTIC.

We started off in the meat section with our grocery list.  You know when you're driving and there is an accident and the traffic slows to a creep because everyone wants to slow down and look?  Well, that's what the meat section looked like.  And let me tell you .....these people wanted their MEAT!

Chris and I split up and tag-teamed the grocery store.  Of course, this involved me being 2 aisles away at all times and Chris searching for me up and own the aisles with handfuls of grocery items.  This, of course, enhanced the already positive experience we were having.

Finally, we wrapped it up.  The elderly bearded man who always RUNS to the lane I'm checking out in (because I tip him $1 when he takes my groceries to the car) says to me, "So ya'll are full with guests at the B&B looks like."  I replied, "No, this is actually just for us."  Both he and the checker broke out in gales of laughter.   You see, apparently I am, after four years, officially a local.  I now seamlessly blend in with all of the other frantic Amazon loving citizens of our small town nestled in the Ozark mountains.   I overreact at the possibility of snow.

So what's for dinner you might ask?  So many choices - steak, a ham, chicken, chicken pot pie (for Chris), grilled chicken salad, meatloaf, tacos / taco salad, salmon....I'll stop here because it's getting a little ridiculous.

I'm relaxing right now listening to some great jazz and pondering what to cook.  Maybe while I'm in the shower washing off my suntan lotion from my afternoon in the Amazon it will come to me.  Stay tuned!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Ohhhh, What A Night!

Hey!
Do ya'll remember that song?  I know I am SO dating myself (lol) but I always loved that song.

What a fun food-filled day with my handsome husband Chris and his family!  It's always so good for the ego to serve family - I mean....really....what are they going to say?  "Wow, this could give ALPO a run for its money?"  I say this in fun because my family are followers  ....wait, maybe they're just followers because they want me to cook for them again!  (lol)

Lunch was sandwiches.  Now by sandwiches I do not mean slap some bologna on some white bread with store brand mayo.  No ma'am.  By sandwiches I mean homemade bread with homemade guacamole and smoked turkey salad speared with organic grape tomatoes.  Fresh fruit salad dusted with brown sugar hung out with the sandwiches.
( pics tomorrow)

Pre-dinner appetizer - a feta cheese ball with carrots & snap peas. (feta, cream cheese, NY super sharp cheddar, pepper, garlic powder, scallions & Weber's chicken grill seasoning.  No, I did not use a grill to make the cheese ball - I just "pushed the parsley!"   Hmmmm - maybe I could invent "the grilled cheese ball." I mean, there's grilled cheese, right?  Hmmmm - I'm envisioning the fire department pulling up at our Bed & Breakfast.  "Ma'am....we're here to put out the cheese ball."

Dinner  - organic spinach ribbons & extra wide egg noodles topped with basil brown gravy chicken & smoked mozzarella.  Hearts of Romaine dressed tossed with olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, salt, pepper & garlic powder hung out with the entree tonight.  Oh, also basil & pepper bread twists.  Sadly, I just realized I did not take a picture of dinner.  No worries - I'll make it again!

We're supposed to get up to 3" of snow tomorrow (ROCK & ROLL BAYBEEE!!) so I'm going to be snuggled in with Chris and our "kids" - Molly, Noel, Dasher, Ping, Pong & Matilda - and I'll become a cooking fool!

It's a perfect time to experiment with "new" foods - we are in low season right now for our Bed & Breakfast and it's really the best time to (a) blow a stove up, (b) infuse the house with the smell of seafood gumbo or (c)  burn batch after batch of blueberry muffins until I get them JUST right.  Me and blueberry muffins - we need to get in a boxing ring.

On that note - good night all!  'Till Tomorrow!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

A Big, Blonde "Oops!"

Good Morning Everyone! ....or it will be once I get some java running through my veins.

Actually, on that note - hang on - be right back.  Okay, back!  Steaming fresh ground organic java in my hands!

A friend of mine, Glenda, pointed out a rather embarrassing faux pas on my part.  When I enthusiastically began my name search process, and eventually turned to anagrams, I had a lot of past attempts running through my head.  In my excitement, I mistakingly entitle my Blog  ~ OkraLogic . A Girl Can Cook when it SHOULD be ....
OkraLogic . A Girl Cook.

What's a blonde to do?  Well, I corrected it!  I didn't need a recipe for this  - just a simple knowledge of how to operate my Blog.

Thank you Glenda for catching this mistake so early on - I owe you a batch of my out-of-this-world  fresh zest orange chocolate chunk cookies!

Gotta hit the kitchen and make my smoked turkey salad  - Chris' mother, aunt and grandmother are arriving today for his belated birthday celebration.

For lunch, I'm serving smoked turkey salad sandwiches on homemade bread (smoked the turkey on The Big Green Egg) with a fresh fruit salad.

For dinner - well, that's still up in the air - guess you'll have to come back later in the day to see what I came up with!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Cook

Dinner Tonite 01.17.11 - Kansas City Strip Steak Beer/Parsley/Horseradish Marinade

Dinner.  Diner.  Dine.

I actually prefer the word supper.  Why?  I don't know - it seems so simple - so unpretentious. Makes me think of the old black and white TV shows, ya know?  ...everyone is called to supper

Down to business!...

Tonight is Kansas City Strip Steak Night.  As you read earlier, I'm embracing the low carb "thing" and Chris came back from the grocery store with the steaks.  Immediately I began thinking of a marinade that would be made from fresh ingredients and have a "kick" to it and make my mouth do a dance.

Here's my marinade creation:
In a blender combine half a beer (flavor of your choice), a good couple glugs of olive oil, about half a  chopped purple onion, a small handful of torn parsley, a small spoon of  horseradish (creamy or plain - I used plain), several shakes of salt and pepper, and several shakes of garlic powder.

Blend until the mixture has a pseudo smooth consistency / appearance.

Prick your steak with a steak knife so you have several "holes" the marinade can soak into.

Pour the marinade over your steak(s) and refrigerate up to 5 hours - remove 15 minutes prior to grilling.

Enjoy!

"Always Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Can Cook

My Low Carb Day - Day 1 (01.17.11)

So I've started this low carb "thing."  Why?  Well, I'm trying to prevent myself from looking like MADEA.

That being said, today has gone like this:

Breakfast:  Turkey Bacon (cooked stove top and sprinkled with fresh cracked pepper & garlic powder) - it is crispy and slap-yo-mamma good.  + Scrambled Eggs - seasoned with salt & pepper - not too exciting.

Lunch:  Hearts of Romaine tossed with olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, sea salt, garlic powder, fresh lemon juice and fresh cracked pepper.  I sauteed Smart Chicken tenders in the same ingredients as above (sans the garlic wine vinegar and lemon juice).  I sprinkled some sliced organic tomatoes, diced English cucumbers & feta cheese and ....my stomach sang.

Snack:  Protein Shake:  1 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt, 1 cup frozen / thawed no sugar added strawberries & ice.  It was really, really good!

Dinner:  Kansas City Strip Steak with my homemade marinade (read my Blog Post entitled "Dinner Tonite . 01.17.11 for the recipe!) with some brilliantly green broccoli.  I made fresh parsley rice for my husband and I had hearts of romaine tossed with olive oil, garlic wine vinegar,sea salt, fresh lemon juice and fresh cracked pepper.  I must tell you....my marinade is what turns steak into sinfully good steak!!

Would I like to eat some fresh out of the oven sourdough bread slathered with butter right now?  Absolutely!
Will I?  No.  I'm going to be good and I'm going to keep cooking!

"Always Push The Parsley!"
 ~ A Girl Can Cook

Welcome To OkraLogic A Girl Can Cook!

I'm A Girl Who Can Cook.  I'm a blonde girl who doesn't need a recipe to make ice cubes.

Welcome to OkraLogic!

What a day!  I've created my cooking blog and what I hope becomes much, much more than that.  I've  had sooo much going through my head!  Cookbooks!  T-shirts!  Baseball Caps!  Coffee Mugs!  On down the road....a monthly magazine! You've gotta walk before you run and I've definitely been "walking" today!

The idea came to me last night as I was in bed reading a magazine article about two women who started their own business out of their homes and, two years later, are successful business owners!  They've been featured in national magazines and have turned their hobby of cake decor into a serious j-o-b.

I thought to myself - self, what are your hobbies?  What do you have a passion for?  I kept coming back to cooking!  I do love to cook.  I not only love to cook - I love to create.  I don't measure and I like the unusual.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with traditional food (we all have our favorites) but I like to "push the parsley."  I like to make my stomach sing.  I like to make it different.

I woke up this morning and started "walking!"  I started racking my brain for a blog name.  I thought to myself it has to "pop!", it has to be unique, it has to be a play on words, it has to be memorable.  I tossed a couple of ideas out to a friend I was on Facebook with and let's just say he was not impressed with my efforts! Frustrated, I started playing with anagrams.  I came up with, of course, so many.  I knew when it found me it would speak to me.  About an hour into it, and three large styrofoam cups of coffee later, I hit a personal jackpot.  A Girl Can Cook = Okra Logic.  I was SO excited!   "Chris!",  I yelled through the house to my husband - who came running looking like a wild deer thinking I had managed to set a portion of the house on fire.  I shouted, "I found it!  I found it!  This is It!"

From that point on, it was "walk, walk, walk!"  Within 30  minutes I had the domain name registered and was Googling t-shirts and baseball caps to print the logo on.  I was envisioning the cover of the cookbook.  I was discussing with Chris the possible contents of a monthly magazine.  We were talking about selling our barbecue sauce on the web site.  I emailed my fabulous web designer to get the ball rolling.  Bottom line ...I was as excited as a spear of broccoli about to be buttered.

So you might ask, where did I learn to cook?  Honestly, I have no idea.  I just started cooking.  The first thing I remember making was spaghetti and meatballs (homemade meatballs of course) for my Dad when I was in the sixth grade.  To this day, he insists that meal was "wonderful!"  Considering I let the pasta soak in water all day ....because I wanted to be prepared....and when he came home they resembled paper mache, I'm certain he was being extra kind.  No matter!  I kept on cooking!

I am delighted you are a part of OkraLogic and look forward to sharing my passion of cooking and recipes with you.  I also look forward to you sharing with me.  I love to learn and I love to create.  On this day, January 17, 2011, fasten your apron strings because it has begun!

Always "Push The Parsley!"
~ A Girl Can Cook