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Featured Austin Blogger :: Full and Content
Believe us when we say that you’ll want to get to know Lisa from Full and Content. As a true foodie, Lisa knows what it’s like to be the one at the table who only wants to talk (in detail) about what’s on the plate. With a true passion for good food, her blog is full of personal stories, beautiful pictures and recipes ranging from redneck sushi to Morrocan serpent cake (aka upper intestine cake– perfect for Halloween).
With a personal mission to eat a local, organic and humane diet, her recipes are the kind you can feel good about making. They are labeled vegetarian (V) and gluten free (GF) in a well organized recipe index, which makes her blog easy to navigate. All in all, we’re big fans of Full and Content.
Happy reading!
How did you discover your love of food and writing?
The love of writing has always been there. I wrote a series of novels at age eight (all highly derivative of the Black Stallion novels… little girls and horses, you know), then I destroyed them shortly afterwards out of a sense of being overly self-critical of my work. My aunt was one of the only people I showed them to. She was an artist and a teacher and understood how to deliver feedback constructively. While still being encouraging, she gave me some direction that ended up being hugely influential. She explained how even though I could see an image or a scene in my head—the readers could not—unless I created it for them. I’ve always focused on the descriptive aspect of writing, of visualizing and providing cues for the senses when appropriate. My style has evolved a lot since I was eight, obviously, and there have been many other influences, but that is still key. For me, it’s about communicating a story or idea and translating an experience in as visceral a way as possible—without cluttering the actual storyline. This ends up balancing my tendency towards analysis and keeps me from over-intellectualizing. Hopefully, both the visceral and intellectual pieces coexist in a complementary way. That’s the goal anyhow.
The childhood novel experience was also an early lesson about the creative process: that you can’t be paralyzed by any frustration felt over the outcome not aligning with your expectations. You just have to do it, then process what you would have done differently, and keep on truckin’.
So that said, the writing for the blog is still evolving, and recently I’ve really begun focusing more on the story-telling aspect rather than the food itself. I think I just finally gave myself permission to do this. You can see that in some my more recent posts, like “G’Morning Snow’s BBQ”, “An Inside Look at Micklethwait Craft Meats“, and “Robert J. Lerma, Barbecue Photographer.” (It’s not intentionally reserved for barbecue posts, but I’ve been doing a lot of those recently.)
The whole idea of the blog is, “Life, as told through the story of food.” What we eat is a subtle but strong element in how we define both our selves and others, even if we aren’t doing it consciously. And as something that we structure our lives around, it’s the perfect avenue for capturing what goes on in our own personal world. It’s the framework for exploring other ideas, which are actually the more interesting and important elements of the story (in my opinion at least), and I try to keep that in perspective.
On a purely practical level, I’m pretty obsessed with food and obviously love eating, so it’s been a great outlet for me to blabber on about it as well as document what I’m doing in the kitchen for my kids. That’s an important goal for me as well. I wish so much that we’d captured some of my grandmother’s recipes/processes, even if she did cook by instinct and not by a set of instructions. I want to do that for my kids… regardless of whether or not they hate most of what I make right now. They’ll come around. Maybe.
Has blogging changed the way you view food and cooking? If so, how?
Honestly, I really don’t think the process of blogging has altered my perspective on food or my cooking style. I just take a lot of photos of food now.
What is your favorite ingredient to use in the kitchen?
I wouldn’t say there’s a single one, but peppers of all varieties and spice levels appear pretty regularly.
What is your best memory in the kitchen?
This is not necessarily my favorite memory, but it is my most powerful and it was very formative.
My dad’s mom died when I was eight-years-old. She had a set of emerald-green, Depression glassware, and my immediate family ended up with only one of them. I hated drinking milk as a kid, but I would drink it happily at her house… but only from one of those glasses. I’m not sure what it was about the glass that made me like the milk, but there was a very specific smell when you’d tilt back your head and cup that glass over the tip of your nose while the milk ran down your throat. After she died, I continued the habit and would only drink milk from that glass.
She was the first person close to me that I lost. A couple of years later, I also lost my aunt (the one who had given me the writing advice). A short time after that, I started noticing that I was forgetting details about my grandmother, but when I drank milk from the glass I could feel the cool, silkiness of her droopy cheek as I “hugged her neck.” I could smell her White Shoulders perfume, and I could see the glisten that seemed to always be in her blue-blue-blue crystalline eyes. I could hear the distinctive crackle of her voice, and I started drinking the milk out of that glass not because I wanted milk, but so that I could remember her. Then one day I dropped it. And it broke into too many pieces to ever repair. And I just lost it right there in the kitchen, much to my family’s confusion. The whole “no use crying over spilled milk” expression took on a completely new meaning that day. I was terrified that I would never be able to remember her again as she was without that glass… and also that the same thing would happen with my aunt, that I would lose my memory of her details. And then it would happen with everyone else, one by one.
But that didn’t happen. Instead I learned the power of taste and smell to transport you back in time and open up your memory. All I have to do now is think of drinking milk from that glass, and I can see, smell, hear, and feel her. There are similar tricks with my aunt and with others I have lost since then. I just had to learn how to recognize the triggers and how to control them. And they are still with me through those senses. Food, taste, and smell are the engine of a time machine.
What is the best thing about your kitchen?
I don’t like having generic objects in my house. Almost everything has a connection to a person or an event or a place or I have assigned some kind of meaning to it, even the stuff form IKEA. My kitchen is filled with memories. I have an antique butcher block and several display items from my great-grandfather’s general store. I have all the mismatched serving dishes that my grandmother and my great aunts used for our holiday meals. The hand-spun ceramic pitcher that holds all my utensils beside the stove is one I made in college… lots of memories there I won’t into. College, you know. There is a collection of food-related artwork by family and friends on the wall, and things I’ve picked up on my travels. For starters.
What is your favorite meal to prepare?
Anything where I can stand there for an hour and zone out while drinking a glass of wine. It’s a very zen thing for me, and I don’t have a single favorite. I experiment a lot and like to try new things. Recipes shift based on what is in season and what I have on hand. But if I had to pick one I say Cold Peanut Noodles. Since I cook seasonally, by the end of each season I start anticipating all the produce that’s just over the horizon. As soon as cucumbers hit, there’s a cold peanut noodle frenzy. It’s one of the things I most look forward to each year. The recipe is insanely easy to adapt to personal preferences, and I can eat it for several meals a day for days on end before I get sick of it. Even my kids will eat it, kind of.
What does your dream kitchen look like?
More counter space. Robot dishwasher.
What 3 guests would you like to have at your dinner table?
Evel Knievel, Ernest Hemmingway, Teddy Roosevelt. No reason other than I think it would be pretty entertaining to see exactly how the room came to explode before the night was over.
What does the word “sustainable” mean to you when it comes to food?
Well, that’s complicated. It’s both one of the easiest and the most challenging areas where our personal habits and decisions can have an impact.
It’s easy because changing our habits on food consumption—both in terms of what we are eating and what sources we use for our food—has a ripple effect on so many environmental issues. Too many to even go into. And our food consumption happens three times a day, or more, for those of us who are lucky. That’s a lot more opportunity to make responsible choices than even basic consumer consumption, so the potential impact is pretty big.
It’s challenging because of all the complex issues of availability, access, cost, education, and the simple but powerful emotional sensation of eating. I’ve already talked about it enough here. Food is memory. It’s lifestyle. It’s how we see ourselves and how we judge others. It’s reward, and it’s punishment. It’s denial, and it’s power. That’s a lot of stuff to sort out. You’ve got to be pretty dedicated to change your habits in a way that will have impact. You’ve got to be educated about the complexities of the issues and keep the learning process open as new information becomes available. You’ve got to have access to responsible food sources or be the squeaky wheel in order to change the system so that you do. You’ve got to have an adventurous attitude towards eating. And that last item is one or the other. There are people in my family I won’t mention by name (but I will tell you they are my brother… sorry, Bro) who have existed in periods of their life eating only bulk, frozen, fried cheese sticks from Sam’s Club. It’s a wonder those people didn’t get scurvy during that period of their life. But people like what they like. That’s a broader category for some than others. And many people would like to make healthier choices, but the options just aren’t there or they are out of reach. The immediate obligations of everyday life take precedence over the long-term. Making “sustainable” choices is a luxury many just can’t enjoy.
Speaking for myself, I do my best, and then I don’t. I have reorganized my finances and lifestyle gradually over time so that I allot more to food so I can buy the “good stuff.” I eat seasonal produce most of the time. I don’t buy factory meat, (though I don’t always ask at restaurants, and I assume if they aren’t touting it, that’s where it comes from). I barter and trade with people who grow or make their own food. I cook way more than the average person, and I preserve a lot of the basics for later. I blog partially because I realized what I was doing in my kitchen was influencing others. I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, and I promote Meatless Mondays and local producers and vendors. I’ve been using reusable bags since the mid-90s, which was very confusing for a lot of retail workers up until the recent past. I live in a place where I have been able to do all this, and I make just enough money to wiggle it around.
But… I won’t give up barbecue. I won’t. Not until I have to. In my world complete denial leads to a backlash, so I opt for moderation instead. We pick and choose. We all have our heroin. Personally, I try to balance it elsewhere. I’m sure there is tons of rationalizing that goes on for everyone. The point is to never be too self-satisfied and to keep examining our own habits and their impacts. And maybe only eat barbecue once a week.
Favorite Recipe to Date?
My Creamed Sweet Potato Greens with Bacon surprised me by how much I liked them. I’d had the greens in a salad but never cooked them before. I now crave these year-round, and all I can say is gigantic HOORAY that they are in season again!
What three recipes would you share with our readers?
My all-time most popular post is a collection of recipes and tips for how to use loquats. I got a little obsessed, and apparently there are a lot of people out there who are interested: Loquats, Here’s What You Do With Them.
My recipe for Broccoli-Beer-Cheese Soup is my next most popular one and also one of my own personal favorites. When broccoli season rolls around, this is the first thing I make. It’s easy, accessible, and completely decadent… don’t try to lighten this one. Just indulge.
Homemade Peaches and Cream Ice Cream, just like Mama used to make. For real. It’s her recipe.
Featured ATX Food Blog: Sweet Tidbits
We’re always blown away by the creative way folks in this town write about food. Mary, from Sweet Tidbits, is one of those people. Not only does she give us unique and delicious recipes, she interviews fascinating folks in Austin and takes beautiful photos of all of the above.
Her blog is definitely something worth checking out. Take a minute to get to know Mary and then head on over to Sweet Tidbits!
How did you discover your love of food and writing?
As a kid, I moved around a lot so I found myself alone at times. I used writing as an outlet to write poems, songs and just get my thoughts out on paper. Cooking was a big deal in my life, so I put the two together and started Sweet Tidbits
Has blogging changed the way you view food and cooking? If so, how?
It’s helped me break down the cooking process in my head. On my blog, I try to showcase the entire process from beginning to end. I cut and put all the ingredients out on the cutting board, I wash my hands and take pictures. I consider the lighting, angles and colors. There’s a lot that goes into preparing a meal in the kitchen nowadays including food styling. It’s a whole production for me. I ask myself “Is this picture going to make any readers want to eat this?”
What is your favorite ingredient to use in the kitchen?
Do I just have to pick one? Okay, lemons. I love lemons. I squeeze them on my fish, I make lemonade with them, and I use them in almost all my salads.
What is your best memory in the kitchen?
When I first cooked chicken. I washed it, put salt, pepper, butter and sour cream on it, stuffed a bunch of garlic all over and put an onion in the middle. It came out so good! Ever since then, I haven’t been able to marinate it any other way.
What is the best thing about your kitchen?
My island! I keep it clean and organized so when I’m ready to cook I can lay al my stuff out and start. It’s my little organized space away from the rest of the kitchen.
What is your favorite meal to prepare?
Are you really going to make me choose?! I would have to say anything with pasta. I have a pasta bake that I make that everyone is always satisfied with. It’s not on the blog yet, but you’ll have to check back later to get the recipe!
What does your dream kitchen look like?
I think a great meal could be made anywhere and you don’t need a dream kitchen to cook and share the love but my preference would be open, organized and lots of natural light.
Favorite recipe to date?
My mozzarella, tomato and black olive pasta
What three recipes would you share with our readers?
Spice Feta and Pita Chip Salad
Featured ATX Food Blogger: Salts Kitchen
To continue with our cookie theme, we are honored to offer up this recipe from Salts Kitchen. Rebecca, one of our beloved ATX food bloggers, is incredible for many reasons. First of all, her blog is full of delicious recipes. Secondly, the girl is gluten-free (GF) and dairy-free.
If that doesn’t deserve a round of applause, we don’t know what does.
Not only does she come up with amazing recipes, she does it in a way so those with allergies or diet restrictions can partake in her tasty dishes. We love that she steps up to the plate (pun intended) and gives us dishes where no one is left wanting. Dairy? Wheat? Not necessary when you take a page out of Rebecca’s book.
She came into in.gredients, enjoyed a glass of wine, and developed a recipe for GF salted cashew cookies. They look delicious and Rebecca has attested to their rich and creamy flavor.
All you gluten-free, dairy-free eaters rejoice! You’ve found a food blog where you can make everything posted. Salts Kitchen is where it’s at.
Happy eating!
ATX Blogger Spotlight: From Maggie’s Farm
A big part of in.gredients is getting to know our community. Austin is filled with people who care about food, sustainability and building community with their neighbors.
Meeting Maggie- the writer, photographer and recipe developer for From Maggie’s Farm– was like a breath of fresh air. With a big heart and an even bigger laugh, she filled in.gredients with her magnetic personality as she wandered around getting inspired for her feature on our website.
Maggie is a farmer in the hill country of Texas. Known for her canned goods, she produces artisan foods using sustainable, organic food from her garden. Her blog is full of stories about life on the farm. The challenges and humor that comes with raising goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits. Beautiful photographs accompany every post, and best of all are the recipes. Oh, the recipes.
After her trip to in.gredients, Maggie developed a Pumpkin Pork Belly Mixed Bean Cassoulet recipe that is drool-worthy. This recipe was made from items that she found in the store, and she wrote a two part series about her trip to in.gredients.
Maggie took the time to get to know the store and our ethos. By writing up such a thoughtful review of her experience she emphasizes the importance of shopping mindfully and supporting local farmers and businesses.
Her budget for most meals is $5 per person, and she was able to prepare this dinner-party-worthy dish AND meet her budgeted allowance. A win for Maggie and a win for the store.
We’re blessed to have such a vibrant food community. The people of Austin love to grow, gather, produce and eat together. And when you’re filling your stomachs with Maggie’s pumpkin pork belly, you remember why you love living in Austin.
Her delicious recipe can be found here. Happy Eating!
Daily Recipe: Superfood Kale Salad
We’re adding in-house salad to our menu!
This week, our lovely TK made a vegan, raw kale salad packed full of super foods.
It’s the kind of salad that will probably leave you feeling like a super-hero for the rest of the day.
Kale and chia seeds… Need we say more?
And at only $.60 an ounce, you can get a bowl of salad for about $3.00- talk about an incentive to eat healthy.
Happy eating!
in.gredients In-house Kale Salad
in house recipe from TK
Serves: 4
- 1 bunch JBG kale ($3.00 a bunch)
- 1/2 pound of Tecolote bell peppers ($4.50 a lbs- $2.25 for 1/2 pound)
- 2 lemons ($2.00 a lbs, $1.50 for 2 lemons)
- 2 tbsp honey ($.44 for 2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds ($.56 for 2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds ($.24 for 2 tbsp)
- 4 tbsp raisins ($.38 for 1/4 cup)
- 2 tbsp olive oil ($.81 for 2 tbsp)
- garlic salt (to taste)
Approximate total for in.gredients: $9.18
Approximate per person for a family of four: $2.30
First things first, wash and de-stem your kale. You will want to take some time to massage the kale to tenderize it.
Cut up the bell peppers, and toss the veggies with the chia seeds, sunflower seeds and raisins.
To finish off the dish, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and garlic salt and toss with the salad. Then enjoy. This salad will keep well (covered) for a couple of days in the fridge.
Daily Recipe: Baked Apples with Walnuts, Honey and Cinnamon
It’s time for a dessert. Having gone a week of daily recipes without offering up a dessert seems down right silly.
Our apologies.
To make up for it, we bring you a recipe that has Fall written all over it. There’s something about pair
ing apples with cinnamon that turns any dish into a perfect celebration of the season. The fantastic thing about this recipe is that it only has a few in.gredients, is easy to make, and it seems kind of fancy.
Winning.
So, to make the dessert debut, we give you baked apples stuffed with toasted walnuts, honey and cinnamon.
Happy eating!
Baked Apples
Serves 4
Adapted from The Greedy Gourmet
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp honey ($3.50 a pound, $.44 for 4 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional) ($2.25 a lbs, $.14 for 2 tbsp)
- 4 oz walnuts, roughly chopped ($2.75 for 4 oz)
- 4 Top of Texas apples ($1.90 a pound)
- lemon juice ($2.00 a pound, approximately $1.00 for 1 lemon)
approximate in.gredients total: $6.23
approximate cost per person for a family of four: $1.55
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the chopped nuts with the cinnamon and honey in a bowl. If you are feeling the need for an extra sweet kick, add in the brown sugar.
Next, you will want to core the apples-scooping out the insides so you have enough room to stuff in the nut mixture. You will also want to score (make shallow cuts) the apples around the middle. Place the apples in a baking dish.
This is where it gets fancy, messy and a can be a little bit frustrating. You will want to fill the apples with the nut mixture, which works best if you spoon a little in the apple and carefully use your fingers to pack the apple full.
Our local, Top of Texas apples are pretty adorable and tiny, so the stuffing might be challenging. If you get to a point where you feel like throwing the whole dish out the window, take a step back and make a few tweaks. You can easily cut the apples up, toss with the nut mixture and bake it into a crumble. Both ways are going to taste delicious, so do whatever is the easiest for you.
You will then bake the apples 30-40 minutes until the apple is golden and soft. If the apple starts to brown before it is ready, you can cover it with foil.
This dish is delicious served with greek yogurt (a healthier option than ice cream.)
A few notes on the recipe. Small apples will need a shorter cooking time, so make sure to keep your eye on them when they are baking. And if you have extra nut mixture, place it in a separate baking dish, cover it with foil, and pop it in the oven with the apples. That way you can serve the apples with the extra stuffing and nothing goes to waste.
Daily Recipe: World’s Best Hummus
We are big believers in snacking.
What is an afternoon without your 15 minute snack break?
Having something that is healthy and filling can make all the difference when you have a long day ahead of you. There are a number of choices, but one of our favorites is hummus. This middle-eastern dish is easy to prepare, and it makes enough for the whole week.
Pop it on a carrot stick, smear some on pita bread or spoon it directly into your mouth. This hummus is versatile and can also make appearances in your lunch (greek inspired wrap, anyone?)
Happy eating!
Worlds Best Hummus
Adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
- 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans ($1.20 for 1/2 pound)
- 1/2 cup sesame tahini ($1.52 for 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup squeezed lemon juice ($2.00 a pound)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ($1.64 for 1/4 cup)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed ($1.10 for a head)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 cup water
Approximate in.gredients total: $7.46
First things first, you’ll need to cook the beans. You can either soak them overnight, or you can place the beans in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the beans soak in the warm water for 1 hour.
Now to cook the beans. Drain the water and rinse the beans. Then, dump them back in the pot and cover with several inches of cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Let simmer on medium heat, covered, for an hour or until tender.
Once those bad boys are done, all you need to do is combine the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. You’ll want to taste the hummus and add more lemon, tahini, garlic or salt to taste.
Any hummus you don’t plan on eating during the week will freeze well.
Featured ATX Food Blog: The Kid Can Cook
Austin is blessed to have so many people who care about food. Here at in.gredients we’re all about fostering that community, and with the huge local food blog scene, we think it’s about time to start our own ATX Food Blog Spotlight.
This week I had the pleasure of meeting and talking recipes with Michelle from The Kid Can Cook. Not only does she have incredible recipes on her blog, they’re designed so that your kid can be a part of the meal preparation. For those of you with children, you know how awesome it can be to get a kid interested and involved in the kitchen.
This fall-inspired granola is perfect for a yogurt parfait or just to have around for snacking. With pumpkin seeds, candied ginger and pumpkin pie-esque spices, this take on the classic is a perfect way to celebrate the season.
Happy eating!
Harvest Granola
Original Recipe from The Kid Can Cook
Makes about 4 cups or 16 servings
- 3 cups rolled oats ($2.00 a lbs)
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds ($1.35 for 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup candied ginger ($1.25 for 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup raw sugar ($.30 for 1/4 cup)
- 1/3 cup canola oil ($.50 for 1/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup ($1.81 for 1/3 cup)
- 1 cup dried cranberries ($1.82 for 1 cup)
Approximate total for in.gredients: $9.03
Approximate total per person (16 servings): $.56
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and prepare two cookie sheets with a layer of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine oats, pumpkin seeds, candied ginger, all the spices, and the raw sugar. Stir until well mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk together canola oil and maple syrup. Hint: If you measure the oil out first, the measuring cup will be lubricated, making it easier to get all the maple syrup out.
Pour the oil and syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until well coated. Spoon out in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheets and bake in the oven for about one hour, stirring gently every 15 or 20 minutes to make sure the granola is browning evenly.
Remove from oven when crisp and golden brown. Allow the granola to cool slightly before adding dried cranberries and tossing to combine. Store in an airtight container in your pantry and enjoy!
in.gredients 