A new visitor to my blog might, after a few posts, come to the conclusion that I have an obsession with Food....
A Food Fetish!
And they'd probably be right.
There's a lot of reasons for that, and as many things psychological and physical go, it started with childhood.
I grew up in the Southern tradition.... with influences of Deep East Texas and Cajun (Coon Ass) Cooking.
I also grew up Poor.... I won't say dirt Poor.... or I missed any meals Poor.
But I do remember my Mom and Dad talking about the Wolves at the Door many times....
And there are no Wolves in Jefferson County, Texas.
But we always ate good.... better than most...something I discovered when I visited my rich friends houses in high school.
Roast Beef, Gravy, Rice, Salad, Fresh Garden Veggies (yes - we always had a garden).... and wild fowl was often on the table - Ducks, Geese, Doves, Quail - and Fish - Freshwater Bass, White Perch - Saltwater Trout, Redfish.... and don't even talk about Grits and Eggs and Cathead Biscuits (and No - there were no Cat ingredients - they were called Cathead Biscuits because they were so big and fluffy, they were as big as a cat's head)..... and Red Eye Gravy.... from the Au Jus of the meat just cooked mixed with seasoned flour, water and coffee.
Sounds like a Menu at a Fine Restaurant Right?
Yeah.... I ate like that growing up.
Fresh Food - Well Seasoned, Prepared from Scratch with Love by my Mother.
She taught me how to cook as early as I could stand on a chair next to her in the kitchen.
I was cooking from scratch biscuits at age 7 and full 4 course meals not long after that.
I would go out in the morning at sunrise with my Benjamin Pellet gun at age 7 and come back within an hour with several mourning doves shot off of fences, out of trees and off high line wires in the pastures and fields around my house.
Imagine a Mother turning a 7 year old loose in the fields by themselves with a weapon capable of harvesting small game and birds cleanly and humanely..... in this day and age.
There would be calls to CPS and a visit by the Police.
But in 1969, in Beaumont Texas on South Major Drive - surrounded by cow pastures, rice fields and large growths of tallow trees..... that was the way it was... No Big Deal.
I would bring back the freshly killed doves to the house (notice I said "killed" not "harvested" - I didn't go pick the birds off the trees.... I consciously and intentionally ended their lives with a .22 caliber pellet). So much for politically correct. I didn't even know what that was.... I just knew that I was helping feed my family at age 7.... and I knew I loved the tastes of doves for breakfast.
I would come back and pluck the doves and clean them fully - Yeah Aaron, we didn't just breast them!
The breast was separated from the back and legs because they cooked differently.
My mother would fire up the cast iron skillet and season the doves with salt and pepper and roll in seasoned flour and fry with a little Crisco.
Served with creamy grits with butter, over easy eggs and one of those cathead biscuits covered with pan gravy, this is by far the best breakfast I have ever had.
What started as a child who was served incredible home cooking by his mother has developed over the years into an incredible appreciation of food and its taste, texture, color and nutrition and the mix of proteins, starches, vegetables, fruits, nuts / seeds, condiments and spices as well as cooking techniques to provide a pleasing culinary combination to the body, mind and spirit.
Speaking of pleasing to the body, mind and spirit....
Take a look at this dish -
TJ's Uncured Peppered Turkey Bacon
Boiled Egg
Diced Baked Sweet Potato
Kale
Kalamata Olives
Nutritious and Tasty Food and Beautiful Weather...
That's a good combo too!
Makes you wanna get outside and just...
How much simpler can you get than this....
Arugula, Tomato, Fresh Basil and Sweet Onion drizzled with EVOO and seasoned with S&P.
TJ's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup with a dash of Turbinado sugar added and a nice slice of TJ's Turkey Meat Loaf submerged and topped with julienned Fresh Basil....
And what makes a boy happier than a Hoppy Boy!!! Thanks Aaron!
Shit.... I already knew this.... I love Cabernet and Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts!
If you have lost touch with your body... and are just...
Feeling so Numb...
Try this!
Take a half a banana, slice up a yellow squash, throw in a scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder, a handful of kale, 3 or 4 leaves of fresh basil, some carrot sticks and a sprinkle of salt....
Pour in a cup of Fruit Punch Creatine mix or Water or your favorite drink.
Put the mix on a Nutribullet for 10 - 20 seconds.
And you end up with an incredibly silky smooth green - gold mix of
I feel Good!!!
Drink this and you'll wanna get up and dance....
Like James Brown!!
Dig the Do and the Sweater!
Slice up some yellow squash and a big jalapeno...
Season generously and grill in a hot, dry (no oil) cast iron skillet.
Make a nice bed of Spring Mix, Arugula and Carrot Sticks!
Add in some leftover sauted kale and broccoli slaw.
Add the hot veggies to the cold salad....
Last course....
A huge pattie of the 96% lean Angus ground beef and veggie mix ringed by slices of baked sweet potato sprinkled with cinnamon.
Wow Wow Wow..... If you are a big eater that wants a little waist.... try this dish on for size!
That is a huge amount of food that, along with the protein - veggie drink sports at least 60g of protein and every conceivable nutrient the body could need.
And the kicker is that IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND TASTES GREAT!
So.... do I have a Food Fetish?
You could call it that.
Or you could just say....
I love Great Tasting and Nutritious Food.
Either way works for me.
Oh.... and there is another reason why I do all these pictures, recipes and info exchange on selecting, preparing and eating great food.
I hope this information will help someone else out there the way it has helped me.
Great Tasting Nutritious Food can be the difference between....
The Person You Are
And The Person You Want to Be!
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