The Gals of CLC talk food!

You couldn't expect the ladies of CLC to go through Foodie Month without sharing some thoughts on food themselves. Gail, Jami and Melissa A. are here to give you the dish!

Gail:

Favorite food from another country:
Fish tacos from Mexico. Or spicy satay soup from Vietnam. Mmmmmm...

What is your go-to breakfast item?
Every morning I have a small cup of Greek yogurt with fruit and a bowl of oatmeal. And coffee. (Although I've recently become obsessed with Chocolate Rocket maté from David's Tea. It's so delicious!!!)

To what food item(s) do you have a strong aversion?
Mayonnaise. Ick. It's like thick grease.

Do you have any food-related hobbies?

I decorate wedding cakes as a hobby. My husband helps bake them (because turning out 120 cupcakes in a normal kitchen is no easy feat), and I decorate the cakes and/or cupcakes. I usually do about 3-5 contracts a year (very small scale, which works for me), and it's so nice to be able to offer this little piece of myself to help make my friends' weddings even more spectacular.

What is the last meal you cooked using a recipe book?
I made a from-scratch poppy seed cake for a New Years dinner that we were invited to. I don't generally use recipes when I cook, but I had never made a poppy seed cake before so I decided to go the safe route. Result: it was absolutely delicious (and not dry at all, contrary to what I assumed it would turn out like!)

Do you watch food shows on TV?
If so, which is your favorite? I love Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Although, I hate when it's on at the gym. Worst show to do cardio with EVER.


Jami:

I know there are some people out there who just love cooking, who spend their time watching cooking shows and trying new recipes. I am not one of those people. Anything with over five ingredients makes me nervous, especially if those ingredients include strange vegetables that need to be at a certain stage of ripeness and/or cut a specific way. Luckily, I married a man who’d rather eat dry cereal from a box than a meal hot out of the oven. Cereal for dinner worked for several years, and then we had a child who preferred to be fed actual meals. Said child grew up rather quickly, and soon required to be fed large amounts of food so he could keep up with all of his sports activities. Cooking large amounts of food that would be ready the minute he got home from practices or games defied the laws of physics and the time-space continuum, so I brought out the crockpot I had not seen since my husband and I opened our wedding presents. Low and behold, several recipes actually met my five-ingredient maximum list! This one below is one of my favorites:

Southwestern Chicken

2 15 ¼ oz. Cans of corn, drained (I use a brand that has pieces of hot peppers to continue the Mexican theme)
15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (I always skip this ingredient)
16-oz jar chunky salsa, divided (or bigger)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I usually only used 3 for my son and myself)
1 cup shredded cheese (3-Cheese Mexican is the best)
Combine corn, black beans, and ½ cup salsa in slow cooker.
Top with chicken. Pour remaining salsa over chicken.
Cover. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours.
Sprinkle with cheese. Cover 5 minutes for cheese to melt.
I also sprinkled the cheese with small tortilla rounds to give it some crunch. I served this recipe with Uncle Ben’s 90-Second Rice, the Cajun style.

Melissa A:

I know it's a less than a week before Passover, so I shouldn't be tormenting my fellow members of the tribe with this delicious recipe, but bookmark this post and save it for a post-Pesach treat!

My mother-in-law made this delicious sweet noodle kugel whenever I came to visit for Shabbat. This was prior to my marriage. The last visit to her before our wedding, she walked me through the steps of the recipe and I wrote everything down. I make it all the time and I love it. My kids like it too (and it's a challenge to get them to like most new foods). When we had a power outage last summer, we ended up eating it cold and it still tasted really good. It was a refreshing treat on a hot day.

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Boil one package of thin egg noodles until soft. Drain the noodles when done boiling and put them back in the pot.

Add 3 eggs (broken separately) and beat with the noodles.

Combine with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 stick of margarine (softened)

Add a medium jar of apricot jam

Put in baking pan and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Easy and delicious! Enjoy!