Foods I Want to Like

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There are some foods that I really, really, really want to like. I keep trying them in hopes that my tastes have changed, but I haven’t had any luck yet. I want to like these foods because other people love them, so I know I’m missing out, but… I CAN’T STAND THEM! Don’t worry over the picture, I like brussels sprouts now 🙂

  1. GOAT CHEESE: Oh, how I want to like goat cheese. I want to looove goat cheese. Everyone else does, and they look so happy eating it. It always comes on cheese plates. It comes on salads and pizzas too. But the taste of goat cheese completely repulses me. I can detect goat cheese in my food even if I don’t know it’s there, and my appetite goes kaput. Does anyone have a cure for this sickness??

  2. MINT: Why don’t I like fresh mint? It is paired with so many things that I love and want to fully enjoy- spicy Thai food, summer rolls, mojitos. Fresh mint is a real pain to pick out of food. My mint aversion allows me to imagine the true horror that people who don’t like cilantro go through. And those cilantro haters are really missing out!

  3. BELL PEPPERS: Bell peppers are so versatile and they come on so many things. They are generally easy to avoid, but I don’t want to have to avoid them. I want to make stuffed peppers. I want to enjoy gazpacho with all of its intended ingredients. I am not completely repulsed by the taste of peppers like I am with goat cheese or mint, but I don’t enjoy it and the taste tends to linger with me for the rest of the day.

  4. SALMON: Blech. Salty and fishy, not for me. But life would be so much easier if I liked salmon. I could enjoy lox on my cream cheese bagels instead of having to load up with tons of cucumbers to keep things interesting. I could order the salmon dish that appears on every menu I’ve ever read. I could cook something David really enjoys. I keep giving salmon a chance, but still no luck.

I’ll keep on trying these culinary foes, and hopefully you will see some of them featured here one day. My hopes are high. What foods are unbearable to you? Do you wish you liked them, or is that just me?

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Go-To Sea Salt Brownies

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I have wanted to make brownies from scratch for a long time, but I never felt like trying out a random Internet recipe that might not be as good as the ones from the box. I didn’t want to admit to making brownies from a box either, so the sad truth is that I went without brownies for a long time. Far too long. Now that I have this recipe, it won’t happen again. These brownies strike the perfect balance of chocolatey, chewy, fudgy, and cakey. At least they do for me.

To make these brownies, bring a pot of water to a simmer.  Set a heat-proof bowl over the pot to create a double boiler. Chop up 3 ounces of dark chocolate (I used the red Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars), and add it to the bowl with 1 stick of cubed butter. Whisk the chocolate and butter until they are melted and combined. Then, preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Remove the bowl from the heat, and mix in 1 cup of sugar. Then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, until they are completely incorporated. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt to the batter, and stir to combine.

Next, mix in 2/3 cup of flour. If you want to send these brownies over the top, which I strongly suggest you do, mix in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips as well. There are few things I love more than brownies with chocolate chips in them, especially once the brownies cool and the chocolate chips re-harden to provide a change of texture.

Pour the brownie batter into a greased 8×8 inch baking dish, making sure that the batter is in an even layer. When faced with these brownies, all Stella could do was lick her lips. Poor puppy, no chocolate for you!

Bake the brownies for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool ever-so-slightly, and then gobble them up. My favorite piece is the corner- what’s yours?

This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Shopping list:

  • Dark chocolate- 3 ounces
  • Butter- 1 stick
  • Sugar- 1 cup
  • Eggs- 2
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Flaky sea salt- 1/2 teaspoon
  • Flour- 2/3 cup
  • Chocolate chips- 1/2 cup
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Mango Strawberry Smoothie

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I’ve never been a big fan of smoothies. They have been either so cold that they constrict my chest or they are so full of citric acid that they burn my tongue. But not this smoothie, this smoothie is wonderful. No powders, no sugar, just real fruit. It’s the perfect cool treat after running through life with Stella.

To make 2.5 cups of this smoothie, add 1 cup of frozen mango chunks, 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, and 1 cup of coconut water to a blender. Run the blender on its highest setting until the fruit is smooth. Transfer the smoothie to a glass, insert a straw, and drink liquid joy. Savor these last few days of summer!

Shopping list:

  • Frozen mango- 1 cup
  • Strawberries- 1/2 cup
  • Coconut water- 1 cup
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