I hope I was able to remembered this concoction well enough for others to copy because I sort of made it up as I was going along but it was too yummy not to have a savory dish finally make a recipe debut.....
 

Saute the onions, garlic and pepper in olive oil until the onions are soft then add the sweet potatoes.  Season with salt and cook for a few minutes, until potatoes start to brown.  Cover with chicken broth, add bay leaf and the frozen corn.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.  Sprinkle fish and shrimp with Emeril's Essence.  Add fish and shrimp and cook for an additional 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and stir in milk.  Serve and ENJOY!

And the winner is....

Let’s set the obvious reasons aside for the moment (bistro versus fast food) and look strictly at the patty.  The addition of ground bacon to a burger introduces a new flavor profile as well as a different source of fat to the burger.  Fat is an important part to a good, juicy burger.  A lean burger is typically a dry burger so adding bacon to a leaner beef mix should, in theory, make the burger nice and juicy. And, lets be honest, everything is better with bacon!

I enjoy the occasional fast food burger.  But, in your typical fast food burger, the patty isn’t the star.  Without the cheese and sauces, fast food burger patties are quite dry and blah.  Since becoming gluten free, I typically go for chicken sandwiches at fast food joints because they still have something going on in the absence of the bun.  The one thing that the Bacon Insider had going for it, was that the burger tasted delicious even though it was VERY dry!  The Bacon Insider has chunks of meaty bacon you can see in the patty which makes it salty and smoky but also results in a hockey puck.  With the brioche bun and bacon mayo (and maybe the addition of some cheese) it might have been a pretty good burger.  But something that kind of bothered me… the floral shape of the burger.  It wasn’t a round patty.   It was scalloped.  It might be something gimmicky they’re going for, but it makes it seem that much more processed.

I am a medium to medium-rare burger girl.  I don’t want it bleeding but I don’t want it grey.  The problem with fast food burgers is that they HAVE to cook the hell out of every single one of their burgers due to too many salmonella scares.  Bistros have a bit more control over their product and can, therefore, customize their preparation and is a major factor in why Slater’s 50/50 patty is so much better.  The 50/50 burger is 50% beef, 50% bacon and cooked to perfection.  It’s the kind of burger that causes juice to drip down your hands when you bite into it.  It’s not obviously bacon-y but you know it’s better than just beef.  The bacon adds a little something special and even though you can feel your arteries clogging with every bite, you keep going until there aren’t any left.  Coupled with a maple bacon milk shake and fries, it’s an indulgence I am happy to have to have a couple of REALLY hard work-outs to make up for.

The moral of this story is, if you’re simply jonesing for a fast food burger, go ahead and order the Bacon Insider.  It’s pretty good.  But, if you’re jonesing for a phenomenal burger masterpiece, go to Slater’s 50/50.  It’s the kind of burger you dream about.  (Those of you who aren't in Southern California and can’t go to Slater’s… get yourself to Southern California already!  You’re missing out!)

But, you know, I might be biased because Slater’s has gluten-free buns so I can get the whole experience... and I know the executive chef (Hi Brad!).

People have been making and breaking  New Years resolutions for millennia!  In Roman times, on January 1st the highest officials would swear oaths to the Emperor and make resolutions to remain loyal to the republic in celebration of the two-headed god of new beginnings, Janus (for which January is named for), who looked both into the past and future.   

I don't usually make "resolutions" but I, like many other people, do take the dawning of having to remember to add one when writing the year as a time to reflect on the past 365 days and determine what can be done to make this year even better.  And, after a two week - much needed - holiday vacation, I am ready to get back into the swing of things and start 2014 off right!  This includes getting my body back to a healthier and happier state preparing me for the loads of adventure ahead of me this year (more to come on that soon).  Due to the hustle and bustle of trying to see everyone while in California and falling victim to the sweets and good eats of the holidays, I am starting off 2014 with my back hurting worse than it has in a long while and bouts of fatigue are setting in with a vengeance.  I have been noticing the deterioration of my good habits and the development of ones which I am sure are the culprits for getting me to this point, most of which revolve around food.  So, while mentally I am happy, physically I am not, so, it's time to make a change!

To "restore [my] body's natural ability to heal itself" I will be doing a 21-day cleanse, detox and diet called Clean by cardiologist Dr. Alejandra Junger, M.D.  I have done "detox" diets before.  The detox phase of the FatSmash diet is my typical go to get myself back in-line and has never steered me wrong but, this time, I wanted something more.  I don't want to just re-teach myself to eat better and get myself back on track after two weeks of cheats; I want to help myself through the healing process of my illness and I think this program could do just that.   The program focuses on both inner and outer (mental and physical) health and there is a whole section on Nutrigenomics and gene expression, which really speaks to my scientist side.  This program is about rebuilding and restoring your whole body to become healthy and happy.

I will be going through this program with the help and support of the Curry Girl's Kitchen, my cousin and aunt's company which teaches healthy eating habits.  If you are interested in trying this type of program yourself, check out www.cleanprogram.com and contact the Curry Girl's Kitchen (tell them Caitlin sent you).  If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can even participate in weekly classes during the program where you will be guided through each week learning "clean" recipes.

2013 was an incredible year, but I have a feeling 2014 is going to be even better!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the food.  We celebrate Christmas Eve with a big fancy dinner, which I have been in charge of making the past few years, and I always make multiple goodies to share with friends and family.  This year my family is hosting the annual block party and I was put in charge of the baking.  So, rather than provide the typical spread of sugar cookies and gingerbread, I decided to go rouge and gourmet things up a bit.  Cookies on tonight's menu:

And, for your cookie pleasure, you can find recipes below.

Disclaimer for the GFreers who follow me: Since I have yet to master a GFree chocolate chip cookie and I am the only GFreer attending the party, I made all of these gluten-filled.  The Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix is delicious, however, and would probably benefit from the addition of some bacon.  The biscotti can be made successfully subbing the flour for a gfree blend with the addition of a tsp of xanthum gum.