More Thoughts on Food . . .

Because I think about it just about all the time.

I realize that many of my faithful, devoted readers are fabulous cooks. I learn things from you all the time. But there may be a few of you who, like myself, grew up in a culinarily-challenged home and didn't learn absolutely anything of value from your parents regarding food preparation. (Sorry Mom, but it's true. Green bean-hamburger casserole garnished with tater tots is not the final word in taste or nutrition.)

So I thought I'd share a few things I've learned in recent months that have led to tastier and healthier meals at my house. You may already know all these things, but as I've had to teach myself, the following revelations are new(ish) to me:

1. Chicken thighs are more flavorful than chicken breasts. I always thought that a skinless, boneless chicken breast was the tastiest cut of chicken. I was wrong. Thighs have generally undergone less processing--as in, less enhanced with "chicken flavored solution" and that sort of thing, and they tend to be juicier and more tender.

2. Buying your shrimp raw and cooking it yourself tastes immeasurably better than buying the precooked variety (and cheaper). Some people don't like to divine their own shrimp, they get creeped out by all the little legs that make shrimp look like real living creatures. But it really isn't that hard or time time consuming, and the boost in flavor is incredible.

3. Pureeing vegetables makes a lovely, creamy soup without the cream. This winter I've made smooth parsnip soup, butternut squash soup, sweet potato soup and mushroom soup all from purees and they've been fab. Homemade soup is tastier and easier to make than I ever thought: I usually just make up the recipe and I never include the poultry carcasses or huge chunks of canned tomatoes my mother felt were a necessity in all her homemade soups. No wonder we dreaded Mom's homemade soup growing up; there was always a very good chance of getting a bone in your soup.

4. Spinach smoothies make a great breakfast. May sound odd, but go with me on this one--fresh, raw spinach actually has a pretty mild flavor. Stuff your blender with spinach and add a bit of whatever fruit you have on hand, I particularly like fresh pineapple or kiwi slices, then add a shot of apple juice or water to moisten it and blend till smooth. The resulting smoothie is vibrant green (unless you added blueberries, in which case it will be muddy brown) but will taste like the fruit you added. This is so good for you, you can get in a couple servings of green leafy veggies first thing in the morning instead of sugary cereal, syrupy fruit juices or empty carbs.

5. The Greeks made many notable contributions in the fields of art, language, philosophy, math, politics, rhetoric, architecture, etc. But I'm rather a fan of Greek style yogurt. I eat it for breakfast with my spinach smoothie. It is high in calcium and bacteria that are very good for your digestive system, but contains virtually no sugar or artificial sweeteners like grocery store yogurts. My two year old loves it. She usually ends up stealing mine at breakfast, so I have to eat it fast if I want more than a spoonful or two.

Greek, or Plain yogurt is great in cooking and serves as a substitute for higher fat foods like sour cream, mayonnaise, vegetable dips, ice cream and many other things.

A dollop of yogurt is a great garnish on soup. Paired with fresh fruit or drizzled with honey it makes a great dessert. I am always finding new uses for it, in fact I'm seriously considering investing in a yogurt maker so I can brew up my own homemade yogurt at home.

Feel free to share wisdom and insights you've gained in the kitchen; I feel like a true novice on my journey to culinary competence.