Inspired

Sometimes my obsession with The Food Network yields fabulous meals. I have been so inspired this week by the foods that my favorite chefs have been whipping up. Tonight I'm making sloppy joes (a recipe from my favorite nutritionist) with roasted asparagus. Yesterday I made a fabulous lemon broccoli pasta with pine nuts courtesy of Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). Tomorrow I'm making another recipe from a nutritionist - meatloaf (with ground turkey breast), steamed broccoli and roasted garlic and rosemary new potatoes. This weekend I'm going to make a lentil and rice salad and a spinach salad with prosciutto and an orange vinaigrette. YUM!

Husband thinks it's cute that I get excited to make such all American dishes like sloppy joes and meatloaf. I never had any of these growing up as my mom was a pretty traditional Chamorro cook. Things like pork adobo, kelaguen, finadene, white sticky rice & kadoo (that spelling is so weird but my mom says that's correct). I thought the term BBQ meant meat marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and onion. It wasn't until I was in high school and was invited to a friends BBQ and looked at her puzzled when I tasted the traditional American BBQ sauce. How embarrassing. It's not like Chamorro food is well known around here. My poor husband rarely get potatoes with dinner - it's always rice! White sticky rice. Trying to cut back on the white rice but brown rice just isn't as good when you grow up with the white stuff.

Watch Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel. He is hilarious. I love his wit and humor. He travels around the world sampling various cuisine and meeting other foodies in the area. Be prepared to laugh and/or be grossed out.

Daughter awake! More later.