When in Oz

I’m afraid it may have happened…

We’ve crossed over that perilous line and we now enjoy eating at home more than we enjoy eating out.  We believe that the food we cook at home is not only better for us, it tastes better too (save for those rare exceptions).  We’re not yet sure, however, if this is something to be celebrated.  Food is something to be enjoyed, right?  I never knew it could require this much thinking. 

Ryan and I have always loved cooking together and cooking healthy foods is that added bonus that makes us feel better, mentally and physically.  I recently finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and while I found some of the book unrealistic and “preachy”, I learned some valuable lessons about what we eat and where it comes from.  The lessons learned were very serious in nature.  It wasn’t her writing style or delivery, it was the fact that the lessons couldn’t be ignored.  I couldn’t go back to a time when I didn’t know what I now know.  Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give to it (or any book, for that matter) is that it made me think….a lot.

With new inspiration for healthy dinner ideas, I whipped up these wonderful rolls from the Healthnut Blog.  They were super easy and DELICIOUS.  I didn’t have zatar mix on hand so I improvised with freshly chopped basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, and garlic.  I also subbed natural honey for the sugar.

I can only imagine the possibilities with these babies.  I think they’d be equally delicious as sweet over savory.  Next time I may try honey and cinnamon before I roll them.

The rolls were our accompaniment to a Honey-Balsamic Bean Salad from 101 Cookbooks, equally as yummy as the rolls, and to-die-for Balsamic Chicken –which we’ve made again since this dinner– from Food Loves Writing. The chicken is easy, delicious, and cost-effective…we call that the TRIFECTA.

Following this dinner, the next day we shared a lunch at a Chinese restaurant –that shall not be named– at the Food Court at Chadstone Mall, one of the bigger shopping centres in our area.  The meat was anything but fresh and the rest of the dish was bland and way too salty.  We both walked away feeling disappointed and dissatisfied and that’s when it hit us.  We could’ve done a much better jobs ourselves and we would’ve known where the food came from, and enjoyed cooking it and eating it together.

The Food Court is no top restaurant, to be sure, but this and a few other recent experiences have left us wondering if we’ve crossed over.  I think even a couple of months ago we would’ve left that Chinese restaurant thinking nothing about our meal, other than it was a decent, cheap meal for us hungry shoppers.

It’s funny (or maybe not?) how a few months, some spare time, and a good book can change perspectives.  With our container garden plans in the works I expect you’ll hear more from us on this topic.  For now, we’re just enjoying the amazing fresh produce we have in Australia, one bite at a time, and contemplating some very important questions.  Is this a “coming-of-age” milestone that many home cooks experience as they delve deeper into their grocery aisles and markets or quite simply, are we food snobs?  And if the latter is true…Is that a bad thing or a good thing?