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By Emily, September 3, 2010 5:10 pm

Last week, Rachel Wilkerson challenged her readers to own the things they feel guilty about, especially if they’re not actually sorry.   Sometimes I get caught up in the health blogging world and don’t want to post everything I’ve cooked because not everything I’ve made is healthy.  But this is a food blog.  It’s not a health blog, or a vegetarian blog, or a weight loss blog.  It’s about what happens in my kitchen.  Granted, that’s usually healthy, vegetarian food because that’s what we usually eat.  But not always.

Everyone likes butter and fat and sweet treats.  But unlike some people I know, I haven’t cut them out of my diet.  Just because we don’t really eat meat, it doesn’t mean we don’t eat cookies.  Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, says “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.”.  It may be my favorite rule in the book.

I love making baked goods and comfort food.  And I’m not giving them up any time soon.

Two of my all time, absolute favorite food bloggers are Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, and Deb Perelman of smitten kitchen.  Sorry I’m Not Sorry.

What sorts of recipes do these lovely women post?  From their “About” pages:  ”A lot of comfort foods stepped up a bit” (Deb) and “… all the cowboy-friendly dishes I’ve taught myself to cook through the years. There’s butter involved.” (Ree).   Their recipes are amazing and I’m going to continue making them.

That’s right:  no substitutions, agave, stevia, vegan cheese or fake butter here.  Just like grandma made ‘em.

So, with that said:

Wednesday I made Deb’s snickerdoodles.  It’s  the same recipe I used last September when I was out of work, which makes me wonder if they’re the official cookies of my unemployment.  Anyway, they’re awesome.  And I didn’t bother to halve the recipe.

Yesterday I made Mac and Cheese…and Panko a la Ree for dinner.  We ate about a third of it, and I expect the rest won’t last long.  The tomatoes make the dish.  (That’s summer squash in the background, I know it’s hard to tell.)  I hadn’t made mac and cheese for awhile and it’s so good!  By the way, once you start cooking for yourself, the stuff in the box with the powdery orange “cheese” doesn’t taste so great.

This morning I made the Peach Shortbread from smitten kitchen, for no other reason than it appeared in my Reader, I love peaches, we had peaches that were past their prime, and I didn’t have any other plans for the day.   There aren’t too many things I like better in this world than peaches or shortbread, so the recipe struck me as pretty genius.  Did I mention I’ve got time on my hands?

How do we do it?

We love our freezer, for one thing.  The cookies are hanging out there and we’re taking out a few every day to eat-a little trick I learned from my mother-in-law.  It’s the perfect way to always have fresh cookies.  Moderation still matters (but you knew that).

And I don’t always cook like this, only when I actually get some free time (thanks unemployment!).  Soon it’ll be back to vegetable soup, rice and beans, and pasta with tomato sauce.  But sometimes life (and meal planning) need a change of pace.  And I’m not going to not avoid posting something delicious because it’s not “healthy”.

I asked Brian the other day if we could open a bakery (because it’s as much about the creation as it is about the eating).  He said no.  So I guess I’ll just keep making things for the two of us.

I love making baked goods and comfort food.  And I’m not giving them up any time soon.

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By Emily, January 18, 2010 1:05 pm

Fabulously Broke did a post a few days ago featuring her Confessions of a Foodaholic, which she got from eemusings and Asian Pear, who got it from Not Quite Nigella.  (I love the internet!)

I thought it’d be fun to share my own.

I go through phases where I don’t eat any breakfast

I know that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day” and I believe it.  But when I get up at 5:15, I’m really not hungry.  Of course, by the time we’re headed out the door, I’m starving, but the thought of food when I first wake up just isn’t appealing.  At the moment, I’m trying to make sure I eat a bagel or something before I leave, but we’ll see if that lasts.

I am a tea addict

Even if I’m skipping breakfast, I never skip my tea.  I usually start the day with a cup of black tea, but as the day progresses I’ll consume a few more.  Brian and I have a whole drawer full of tea.  I don’t think the caffeine has much of an effect on me…I just love the taste.  And the warmth.

I deconstruct my sandwiches

Whenever I’m eating a sandwich, I stop eating it normally when there’s somewhere between a quarter and a couple bites left.  Then I take apart whatever’s left and eat just the filling, leaving the bread behind.  I don’t know why, it’s just one of those weird habits.

I get bored of food easily

One of the reasons I started cooking was to escape the boring lunches I’d been taking to school every day.  I like eating left overs, but I can only eat the same meal 2 or 3 times before I can’t eat it again for a month or so.  I don’t understand people who’ve eaten the same thing for breakfast or lunch for years.  I just can’t do it.

I really don’t like salad

I love vegetables.  I love healthy eating.  But I really don’t care for salad.  I can’t remember the last time Brian and I bought lettuce.  I’ll eat it if it’s served to me, or comes with a restaurant meal, but I never make it for myself.

I get really frustrated when I don’t plan an awesome menu for the week

Cooking and blogging are my hobbies.  People know this is what I do.  I’m really Type A and set really high standards for myself.  Between the internet, magazines and my cookbooks, I have tons of recipes.  So when I don’t have a lot of time during the week to plan a great menu or cook impressive meals, I get frustrated.  Sometimes I wish I had a job that didn’t require prep outside of the work day so I could spend more time in the kitchen.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

I’ve always said that I don’t like PB&J, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually had one.  Nevertheless, the idea grosses me out.

I would rather eat lunch/dinner food for breakfast and breakfast food later in the day

That’s just the way it is.  Give me a sandwich, pizza or pasta for breakfast and I’ll be happy.  Eggs and pancakes make great dinners.

I get annoyed when people at the supermarket have carts full of processed foods

Over the past year I’ve realized how easy it can be to make healthy, cheap food at home.  It makes me sad to see people with carts full of TV dinners, packaged snacks and soda.  I wonder if they know what they’re eating and how much better tasting and healthier food can be.

That said, what I think I should be eating and what I actually eat don’t always line up.

Nevertheless, I’ve still got processed food in my pantry.   How could I not?   I still eat meat, though I frequently debate with myself about whether I should go vegetarian.  I have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing better than I used to be (Soda is an extreme rarity in my life, we almost never eat fast food, I do cook at home every night of the week, many of our meals are vegetarian).

What are your food confessions?