Easy Eats

Ok, I’m young enough that I never really “got” Julia Child until last night. I just thought she was an old, slightly stuck-up lady that used to do a cooking show. But then I watched Julia Child: A Tribute with Sara Moulton on the Food Network on my TiVo. Man, she rocked! The life that she lived was pretty incredible. From spy to starting her own cooking school to basically inventing the TV cooking show as we know it. If you get Food Network, I highly recommend catching it.

My new goal is to get a copy of her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, at a garage sale or used bookstore. It sounds pretty cool. I’m going to have to check Borders and see if the 40th Anniversary edition is much better. If so, I might have to just buy it.

Summary: Screw Powerbars. Don’t buy overpriced trendy bricks when you can make your own gooey delicious energy packed sandwiches on the cheap!

Ingredients:

• Banana, sliced into 1/2″ thick coins
• Vegetable Oil (1 teaspoon)
• Peanut Butter
• Bread (2 slices)

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Although I have a lot of kitchen gadgets now, it was not always this way. I used to have only two pieces of cookware, an 11-inch Circulon Stir-Fry Pan and a large pot. I basically made soups and boiled water in the large pot, and did everything else in the Circulon. This thing is awesome. You can stir-fry, shallow deep-fry, sear meat, saute, steam, even put it in the oven. And 7+ years later, I still have it. Definitely a kitchen essential for me.

(click to enlarge)

Summary: Every one loves s’mores. Why wait for the charred marshmallows of a campfire? Make them inside! Less bugs too.

Ingredients:

• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Some form of chocolate (Hershey’s kisses in my case)

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Our little backyard garden is starting to give off some neat little veggies. Here are some peas that we just picked and shelled. Going to give them a quick saute with some onions, should be great. Here is another picture (click to enlarge):

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Summary: This is a light and healthy Asian classic. The crunchiness of the baby bok choy counters the salty soft texture of the shiitake mushrooms. Very simple to make.

Ingredients & Cost:

• Baby Bok Choy [3 heads]… ~$1
• Mushrooms [a handful]… ~$0.50
• Vegetable or Olive Oil [2 tablespoons]… ~$.10
• Soy Sauce [2 teaspoons]… ~$.10
• Salt [to taste]
• Garlic Powder/Minced Garlic [optional]

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First, I’d like to start this off like some overpriced paperback - by thanking others. These people and places inspired me to love food and start this site.

Mom - Of course. Like many other moms, my mom cooked great food almost every night in addition to working a full-time job. I still have so many recipes to inheret from her.

All the small restaurants in Berkeley, CA - Before going to college, I’d never even tried Japanese, Thai, Mediterranean, or even French cuisine. Being put in a college town with so many cheap places to eat expanded my palate exponentially. Thanks to The Cheeseboard Pizza, Bongo Burger, Chez Panisse Cafe (not so cheap, but I like it more than downstairs), Katana-ya, Blue Nile, Berkeley Thai House, and so many others. I used to think Olive Garden was authentic Italian food. Yeesh.

Food Network - Specifically Rachael Ray and her 30-Minute Meals, who’s show finally brought cooking shows to just about everyone who has access to EVOO.

There are others, but I’ll stop for now.

Welcome to EasyEats.org. Here I hope to share my passion for eating and making simple, great tasting food. You don’t need to go to culinary school, spend tons of time, or tons of money to make good food. I am a former working stiff who is going back to school and also going back to living the simple student life. That means less money, roommates, and less time to cook. All the recipes are made in the apartment of a mid-20s guy living with roommates in Portland, Oregon. I am a starving grad student, not a professional chef!

Blogs seem to be all the rage now, and I think a big part of it is that you can publish content without slaving through html every day. So I’ll start out in this format and see where it goes. This blog used to be called RealSimpleRecipes, but I got tired of typing that.