What Inspires Me (Food I WANT to Make)

A little more about me...

Let me lay it all on the line: I am NOT a part of any "camp/side/team/campaign" in these food wars that are seen all over social media.  I do have strong convictions about what I eat, but they don't fall inside the lines of many food circles I've seen.  For me, it's not all or nothing.  (All vegetarian/no meat, all natural all the time/nothing processed, etc.)  Though these philosophies may hold true for some people and work well, they are not for me.  My beliefs about what I eat and what I feed my family are fueled by my beliefs about life, in general.  Related to food, I believe:
1) My body is a temple; it matters what I put in it.  I should eat healthy, make wise choices, and take care of myself and health overall.
2) I do NOT want to live forever.  I believe there is something much greater waiting for me after this life, and I have no desire to stretch it longer than it is meant to be.  That being said, I'm not going to give up some "guilty pleasures" like ice cream and cookies, or an occasional serving of mac & cheese, or cow's milk, or red meat, or whatever the latest "controversial" food is that has been around forever and been eaten by my parents and grandparents and generations before, in an attempt to live longer.  I simply want to have a good quality of life, and for me, that includes an occasional indulgence.  I love the common phrase "everything in moderation" because I think it's so true and that's what I keep in mind when meal-planning and eating.

SO, here are some things that truly inspire me in my cooking:

FRESH FOOD

I try to buy fresh food whenever possible.  It is hard to do it all the time when you live in a small city, inland, with practically 6 months of winter.  During the summer months, I serve as many fresh veggies as possible, and continue to buy fresh as long as it really looks good, the price is right, and I can believe in the freshness.  (Sometimes in the winter I think it's better to buy frozen rather than "fresh" because "fresh" may not be what it seems.  Frozen vegetables are usually frozen right away and therefore may actually be more fresh than what is in the produce section.)
The aromas and flavors of freshness are truly inspirational.  I love fresh herbs, fruit, vegetables, and cheese, and finding ways to serve them as is, or incorporate them into other dishes.  Some of my favorites include: parsley, basil, tomatoes, parmesan, peppers, broccoli, strawberries, apples, lemons, limes, feta (to name a few!).

MY OWN TRAVELS & EXPERIENCES
So far, I have traveled to 14 different countries, and sampled amazing food in each one!
Some highlights for me:
Spain
Paella--I think I made it once before, but for some reason, haven't tried again.  It's so delicious when done right, I have to try again sometime this year!
Tapas were one of my favorite past-times during my 5 months in the country.   (Tapas are a small appetizer-portion dish served with a glass of wine.  They started in Seville where small plates were given with a glass of wine to cover it and keep the flies out.  Then it was thought, "Why not put some food on this tiny plate?!"  Thus, tapas were born.  There are tapas bars throughout the entire country now and they are busiest around the 5:00-7:00 hour (between lunch and dinner--served around 9:00 or 10:00) or Sundays after church.)  I do have a Spanish cookbook given to me by a friend that I need to break open and study at some point.  I would love to have true tapas nights once in a while with friends.  Hopefully this blog will help discipline me to do so...

Italy
The pizza in Rome was truly amazing.  Unlike any pizza I've had here--they use several different types of cheese, including bleu cheese (or gorgonzola) on some!  I have tried recreating these pizzas before, and may do that again...
I love to make bruschetta.  I remember being served bruschetta at every meal dining out in Rome.  I definitely don't serve it at every meal, but we have it often enough and I like to think I was inspired by the true Italian bruschetta.

France
Duh. 
Okay, the truth is, while I visited 2 different cities in France, I wasn't able to eat a whole lot other than baguettes and cheese (and mustard while in Dijon).  But I did treat myself to a bistro dinner one night in Paris and it was unbelievable.  I still dream about the dessert I had, though I can't seem to describe it well or find anything even close to it around here.  I also ate a lot of fresh food from the cheese, vegetable, and fruit stands I ventured by.  The bakeries were amazing, and of course, I had to try a few different kinds of crepes.  I haven't attempted to recreate those yet, but it's on the list...

Bistro I ate at my first night in Paris.

Greece
Randy and I went to Greece on our honeymoon.  Over the past year, I feel like I've been on a Greek "kick."  I LOVE feta cheese.  Adding it to salads, pasta salads, and pizza is always OK by me!  I also make my own cous cous,  which has a Greek inspiration.
I really do love the flavors of Greece!

This is actually Bailey's cheesecake, from Dublin, Ireland.  This is something specifically that I would like to recreate soon!

Wine Country (Sonoma Valley)

My husband and I recently took a relaxing trip to Sonoma Valley, California.  This was the perfect vacation for me right now because it was restful and rejuvenating and I was able to learn a lot about something I love: wine!  I fostered my love of a good vino while I was living in Spain.  Wine was served at every lunch and dinner and with tapas in between.  What choice did I have? :) Sonoma Valley is a very laid-back part of wine country (so I'm told by people who have been to other parts of wine country in California).  Most wineries need no reservation and are open to the public.  It's easy to drive around and just stop in at any winery for a tasting and/or tour if you hit them at the right time.  We learned a lot about what goes into making wine and how a lot of the flavors are extracted from (or in some cases, added to) the fermented grapes.
Did you know that red grapes are fermented with the skin on and that white grapes are fermented without their skin?  Or how about that the French came up with the idea of toasting the wood to make the wine barrels so that you can get different flavors of oak, cinnamon, chocolate, even caramel notes in certain wines?  These are just some of the things I learned about while exploring the vineyards.  For me, the best part was smelling a glass of wine and feeling my taste buds sing before a drop even touched my tongue. 

Sticking your nose to the glass and feeling a tingling sensation in the back of your mouth and on the sides of your tongue which inevitably starts the salivation process is a wonderful experience that just enhances the taste of a wine.  Then, imagining it being paired with cheese, chicken, fruit, steak, barbeque, etc.  The knowledge and experience I gained from this trip I hope to put into practice in my future cooking and wine pairings with meals.  It was a fantastic vacation!

West Coast Combo!  West Coast pizza is NOT your typical Chicago-style, or East Coast pizza.  But this particular pie, was very yummy!!!  It had a ranch dressing for the sauce, topped with pepperoni, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, basil, red onions, mushrooms, cheese, and a drizzle of barbeque sauce.  I can't wait to re-create this one!