Simple recipes Great in taste!

Simple recipes : Big in taste!
By: Aly Abaquin

When you think of Estee Lauder you think of cosmetics , perfume, and hair products.
So what’s a foodie like me tampering on the other side the fence: health & beauty?

Well did you know that Evelyn H. lauder ….authored her first cook book …...
In Great Taste: fresh simple recipes for eating & living well.
Let in your kitchen this cookbook as I did sample the recipes and quite as busy as I can be whipped up something that can an ordinary housewife, cook or just simply having fun in the stove…for you’ll discover the joy of cooking for your loved ones as I did.

We all know Ms. Lauder the Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estee Lauder companies and founder & chairman of the Breast Cancer Research foundation.

She is an authority in both health & beauty, so how can this two subjects intersect each other in this cook book. Simply put the book speaks of 125 easy to cook recipes that is good for you.

Tried & tested by the lady herself a good hostess for serving up small & large dinners with friends or just simply enjoying a cozy dinner with her husband.

Through the years she collected these recipes and wants to share to us the simple joys of cooking. As we will try to replicate the recipes ….. ala Julie when she was inspired to cook and discovered the French Cuisine from the cookbook of Julia Child. In the FOODIE MOVIE Julie & Julia.

In this case…. Aly & Evelyn… dreaming on I will simply try to replicate the food finds in this cook book …and seriously I am inspired by Lauder, the lady has STYLE…..

I will try to bring to life the some of the dishes in this cookbook and bring the pictures alive.
And Her MANTRA: Nourish the body & soul with healthy food.

She is advocating home cooked meals are better. After all “cooking for someone is an
act of love.” The kitchen is considered the heart of the house and each of everyone of us
has fond memories of their loved ones cooking up something special for us to eat.

FLASHBACK……..My memories of my childhood on how both my parents love to
cook.

Surprisingly we are lucky that both our parents showed us how to love the
kitchen…hence I inherited the way I cook of no measuring just feeling as shown by my Mom .. she always say to us ….”just trust your instincts then let go with the flow”…hmmmppp shades of Martha Stewart or The Barefoot Contessa.. …Ina Garten….
its in the genes….

That is how a foodie is born naturally I remember the days when my Mom used to do our breakfast her famous banana pancakes with maple honey syrup while for lunch she cooks her signature dish of Arroz ala Cabbana.. ( sautéed ground beef with fried egg on top of java rice & grilled bananas) take note the bananas are plenty in our neighborhood.

My Dad is in-charge of dinner and will whipped up his old trusted Pork/ Chicken Adobo (a Filipino national dish ) & onion noodle soup or the ever popular noodle dish “ Pancit” Stir fried veggies on top of crunchy rice noodles….. These foods are what we called throw everything in the WOK or Pot and presto instant 30 minute meals… BASIC MEALS that we enjoy partaking.

The 30 minute meals was happening way back in the 60’s in our household before Rachel Ray had her stamp on this slogan. Busy Parents EQUALS FAST COOKING…. So…

SO …Going back to the cook book.

Ms Lauder organized the recipes along this principles: to nourish you (Morning) energize you (Noon) & satisfy you (Night). She ensured you will enjoy preparing meals in the process.

Hoping these simple recipes are also fast to do but would not lack in taste.
While browsing from the pages I could see familiar Asian & continental recipes and
from the read on it is not intimidating to cook you just to have time for it.

So I tried my hand on the easy & simple recipes : the first
What else close to anyone’s heart any banana recipes for lunch while taking a twist in the salad ….I choose the avocado herb salad, and of course the Sole Fish with
toasted almonds & bananas… and finally scallops en papillote……

The scallops and fish is easy find in the grocery…..
Okey My Chef friend rolled up his eyes when I did The unimaginable ...get it from the supermarket…..but the scallops are freshly packed vacuumed packed & the fish is well preserved…as well

Well I told him everyone is busy these days and waking up early mornings to go to the fresh produce in a wet market is simply out of the question….a demographically aged group of 30s- 40s: upwardly mobile segment of this society, including me… as
example… as well as readers on this article can emphatize…

So SUPERMARKETS are gifts to us in this recession laden times. Making it quick and
easy cooking … so grocery cart, & coupons in hand off to the Grocery Saigon… style….

I relish thinking this is reality… Working Moms, Single moms, and Cooks in the middle class households has often or not has two jobs to juggle and cooking sometimes take a back seat to take-outs..

Welcome to 20Th century.. you’ll be surprise even in the if you get
home and bring yourself to cook & eat after laboring in the office for hours or simply braving the traffic back home….

As I discover it myself it takes a talent and genuine love for food that one cooks…and its not for everyone.. Unless your rich and you have a personal chef or a cook in the house that will pamper you in every food you desire…or you’re a hotelier wherein everything is accessible.. I told my chef friend wake up.. en masse cooks their food …and clean up afterwards… this part I hate...the cleaning part…

So I am demographically busy and the go go individuals being truth in journalism ….I’ve chosen the recipes in the book that are quick & easy cooking no sweat as I chosen it would be FUN cooking….not a TV show mind you..

FUN cooking as it would make others follow as Julie did tried 365 days …
As for me two days max my day offs….

So first thing is the avocado. One ripe avocado sliced in quarters can do the trick and then one lime cut and squeeze into the avocado and some EVOOO then pinch of salt & pepper.. presto fresh salad. Quick & easy indeed.

The sole Fish was also quick to cook . Fry Pan in hand put EVOO then toast the almonds, but in this case cashew nuts Okey …Okey I got inspired Asian style.. no almonds in sight so what to do …Improvise…then take two small bananas cut them in halves then put back the fish in the pan …. Presto 30 minutes max the fish is ready , honey please get the plates ready…. Lunch is served..
Wow quick & easy indeed….

The Scallops for dinner . Reconstitute the dried Shintake Mushroom once boated then sliced in bite size. Defrost the scallops from the freezer. The Zest of the orange scraped and put aside , the rice cooked in 20 minutes follow package directions. scoop them and put in parchment paper, Put the rice first then on top the scallops, mushroom, zest of orange squeeze the orange to then sprinkle salt & pepper ..then put in the oven for about 20 minutes….so inspiring this dishes are true to its nature Quick,Easy & healthy cooking.

Indeed the simple recipes delivers some BIG TASTE!!... in great
taste….and in style.. Ms. Lauder knows what she’s preaching… kudos and more
power… back to the basics for me too….