I am finding that writing a food blog is tending to be a double edged sword. I do really enjoy it, but there can be some down sides. I guess that goes for most anything really. There are even parts of our favorite hobbies and interests that we may not like so much. I thought I would take a moment to share some of my recent thoughts on food blogging:

The Good

I love getting to make these delicious recipes, and share them with you. It is great because it helps me to focus my creativity and introduces me to new flavors that I might not have ordinarily tried. I am always thinking about food in one way or another, but I have found that having the blog inspires me to look for new recipes, and to learn more about effectively modifying recipes.

The Bad

Looking back over the past couple of weeks, I have realized that I have been leaning towards the more decadent and fattening of food choices. When flipping through my cookbooks it is so tempting to turn to things like my Peanut butter cheesecake, Kentucky hot browns, or Katherine Hepburn’s brownies, and think how wonderful they would be to make and post on the blog. Don’t get me wrong, they were wonderful! But, the problem comes in when I am making a couple of those types of things each week, and then by the time I eat leftovers for lunches and snacks, I am eating very high calories meals most days of the week. I just need to spread those types of things out a little!

Jessica, a new friend of mine, recently posted about how she does not consider any type of food to be “good” or “bad”, that in moderation, all foods are fine. This is one food principle I believe in very strongly. The things I hate about diets (OK, that can be a bad word if you want!), is that they flat out do not work! Especially for us “foodies” who have a deep appreciation for the things we eat, it is almost insane to try to say that a particular type of food is off-limits. I really enjoyed making up some of my healthier, lighter recipes like this orzo stuffed acorn squash, my curried butternut squash and sweet potato soup, or even the chocolate muffins I made as a replacement for Vitamuffins. I have absolutely no intention of giving up on making the more deliciously decadent creations, but I think I probably should toss some lighter options into the mix.

So, on that note… I give you a salad we tossed together the other day. Recipes basically do not get any easier. We were in a hurry to get to yet another church pot luck, and (I promise I am not exaggerating here), we literally threw this together in 5 minutes. Don’t let the simplicity fool you though. This is a flavor combination that I find myself repeatedly returning to. There is something amazing about mandarin oranges and spinach that makes them just seem to fit together perfectly.

Asian Citrus and Spinach Salad

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INGREDIENTS

• fresh baby spinach
• mandarin orange slices
• portabella mushrooms, sliced
• crunchy chow mein noodles
• red onion, sliced

METHOD

This is another “no quantity” recipe. As a simple salad, there is no reason for me to try to tell you how much of each ingredient to add, because it is purely up to your individual taste. I will say however, that this salad makes an incredible flavor combination, especially when paired with a good Asian salad dressing, especially one with a strong ginger taste.