Homemade Comfort - A Poem

Nothing compares to homemade soup. The heated, salty broth mixed with the sweetness of vegetables: carrot, potatoe, celery, cauliflower, onion, green pepper -- all paired ever so sparingly with mini pasta. The second helping tasted even better than the first.

Nothing compares to homemade soup when your mama makes it for you when you're feeling under the weather. It's like a warm embrace on a cold winter's eve: Soothing, wholesome, fulfilling. Mama always has the perfect RX.

Nothing compares to homemade soup when you haven't eaten a full meal in 2 days. The void that had developed in the pit of my stomach, angered by the pains of illness, only to finally be comforted by this delicious liquid goodness. My god, have I never been more happy to simply taste something of substance. Never had soup tasted so good, so complete.

Nothing compares to homemade food as it brings with it the comforts of home and heart: Dependable, safe, nourishing. I remember when I was a kid, it was always the comforts of homemade food that always brought a smile to my face. From my nonna making us homemade lasagna to penne to pizza and to my mom who always made the best in homemade baked goods: brownies, biscotti, banana bread -- nothing else ever compared. Even now, nothing does.

Do you have a favourite comfort food? If so, what is it? When do you most crave it?

Buon Appetito,
Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl

Kale-ifornication

[http://www.boston.com/finds/thegrommet/august/Kale%20Chips.jpg]

Hello my lovely foodies!

Apologies for my delay -- caught a terrible stomach bug this weekend, no fun :(  But alas, I am back, slowly but surely, and today I want to talk with you guys about the following: kale! 

Why kale you ask? Well, it's yummy, low carb (few of the many reasons why it's good for you), and, as far as my social media feeds go, everyone is coming up kale.  As part of my New Year's resolution, I wanted to find new ways to eat the food I love while maintaining a lower carb in-take. One of the first foods that came to mind were chips. I love chips! Actually, I love potatoes, but that's a different post.  I thought to myself, how could I satisfy my chip craving with something low-carb: kale chips! 
 
So, after many hours of Pinterest surfing (yes, I got distracted with boards other than kale), this is what I came up with.

You will need/do the following:
- preheat oven at 300 degrees
- large cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- 4 cups of kale/without stems
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. himalayan pink salt

- 1 tbsp. garlic powder  - 2 tbsp. parmigianno grated cheese   

To start, I bought a bag of pre-washed kale and began to tear away the stems.

Next, I poured the extra virgin olive oil over the kale to give them a coating, that way the ingredients would hold better to the leaves.

After, I laid the kale evenly on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and sprinkled the salt, garlic powder, and cheese. I tossed the kale with the ingredients and evened out the leaves again. Lastly, with the remaining cheese, I sprinkled it atop the kale.

I placed the kale in the oven, middle rack, and let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Make sure to check in at the 10-minute mark to ensure it doesn't burn -- you don't want the kale to brown. Let cool for 15 minutes. 

  

Verdict: Not bad haha! I would probably add a bit more salt, maybe an extra pinch or 2, and add more cheese. Replacement for chips? Probably not, but all in all, it was a great experiment and I would try it again.  

Are there any snacks you've modified according to your diet?  If so, what snack was this and how did you make it?  

Buon Appetito!
Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl     

Food: A Love, Passion, Philosophy.

[Photo Credit: Me]

Welcome Everyone!

It feels great to be writing again. Why? I love food! Morning, day, evening, night, and 2am after a film. Food is love. Love is food. Food is the way to my heart. Rick, my S.O., can attest to this. Tonia’s sad? Here’s a latte. Tonia’s hangry? Let’s grab some sushi. Any man or woman with a significant other who is easily hangried will agree that food is THE answer; THE solution.

For those of you who don’t know me and are reading my blog for the first time, I’m Tonia! Friends call me Ton-Ton, T-Rex, and Frodo(thanks to our Ad Layout course). I’m currently in my fourth and final semester of the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Sheridan College and absolutely love it. Going back to college after my HBA at UofT was the best decision I made. True, it took me two years to figure things out, but nonetheless, I did and chose to go back to school. Funny, I had my post, post-secondary epiphany while I was cooking. Cooking (and food) have always been therapeutic for me. It’s the one thing in life I can do by feeling and it always works out. There’s no right or wrong. You can either add more or less ingredients, or start over. And that’s okay.

In addition, I owe this love of food to my grandparents. They take such great joy in watching us indulge in the meals they create and share. It’s a defining characteristic of being Italian, at least in my family anyways. I also owe a lot to my dad. He loved food. Food to him had this innate value, beyond that of nourishment. Food was an experience, one that was shared with those he loved and cared for. I can’t thank him enough for that philosophy, it’s one I strongly believe in and live by every day.

Which brings me back to the theme of my blog. We were asked by our fabulous Interactive Marketing instructor (hey Tina!) to create a blog about something we’re passionate about. Food was the first and only thing that came to mind. Since I had already created my food blog sometime ago, I figured it was only right to stay true to that calling and continue to express my undying love for food to the digital world. So, without further ado, here is my blog...again.

Buon Appetito!

Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl