About Me
;)
I am freakishly organized and full of ideas, and I am so glad to be the owner, operator, and creator of this blogchild for more than 5 years now.
I am a 30-something-year-old fun-loving lady who, thank God, married a man who likes to try different things. We spend most of our time thinking of our next adventure or planning a get-together for friends and family. I get excited about cute serving dishes and polka dot anything.
In 2003 I graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism. I loved living in Chicago but I don't miss the traffic! Now, nine years later, I work in Des Moines for Diabetic Living magazine and website as Senior Nutrition Editor. I write about all issues related to diabetes management, including food, nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle. Prior to working at Diabetic Living, I was the Associate Health Editor at Cuisine at Home magazine where I tested, tasted, and developed recipes and wrote about food, with a focus on nutrition. Before that, I worked at G&R Publishing & CQ Products in Waverly, Iowa, where I wrote, marketed, and sold cookbooks and craft books. Throughout my career I've researched thousands of recipes and dozens of health topics, and I love to discover new things. I especially love the entire process of watching a story come together, from the initial brainstorming stages all the way to your inbox, mailbox, or the shelves of a store.
In addition to working full-time in publishing, I'm pursuing a degree in dietetics to be a Registered Dietitian (RD). Currently, I'm one year away! I love every single nutrition course I've taken, and I enjoy absorbing as much information about nutrition, the body, and health as I possibly can.
I try to have a positive outlook on life, and like to think I can make a positive difference in anyone's day. From the bottom of my heart I believe the groundwork of all happiness is health. I believe this because I know what it feels like to be both unhappy and unhealthy.
As far as food goes, I'll try almost anything once, though I was not always this way. I used to get in trouble for inspecting every bit of food in detail before it even graced my lips. Now I'm a little more adventurous. And those who know me well know I'll never turn down a bet ... and that is how I get into some of my Fear Factor-esque tasting episodes. Fortunately I have had the chance to taste many cuisine in many places. Unfortunately many of these palatable adventures were early in my life, when I was squeamish at best.
My favorite family food tradition is ice cream! Every year for my birthday my family gets together to take turns cranking the handle on our old-fashioned ice cream maker. We change up the flavors and have many great stories! My second favorite food tradition is potato soup. Chris' mom makes potato soup with dumplings for Christmas every year. She welcomed me to the family by giving me the recipe.
I pride myself on making the best guacamole this side of the Mississippi. In fact, I have cooking success with almost anything that involves an avocado. I also make real good soup, and I can pull a fancy appetizer out of my sleeve at a moment's notice.
Now that's enough about me ... onto Mr. Shafer!
Jessie
2 Comments
Reader Comments (2)
Jessie- Would you share your guac recipe with your readers?
Definitely! There are no big surprises in the recipe, but the real trick to Jessie's Famous Guacamole is the "mashing". I try to mash most of the ingredients with the back of a fork, but it is desirable to leave some bigger chunks of avocado and tomato for a perfect guac consistency. Also, it is imperative to pick avocados that are dark but not too soft. Hold the avocado in your hand and squeeze lightly. If your fingers make a light indentation, the avocado is probably too ripe. On the other hand, if the avocado is still green and hard, it will not make good guac. I like to buy a partially green/mostly dark avocado about 2 to 3 days before I prepare the guac. Another trick I learned from the produce manager at my local grocery store: to speed up the ripening of a green avocado, place it in a plastic bag with some flour.
3 avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 T. minced red onion
1 T. minced fresh cilantro or 2 tsp. dried cilantro
Pinch of garlic powder or onion powder
A few drops of lemon juice
Coarse sea salt to taste
Mash two of the chopped avocados in a bowl with a fork to a pretty smooth, but lightly chunky texture. Add the remaining chopped avocado, chopped tomato, and minced onion; mix lightly, breaking up any big chunks. Season with cilantro, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Add a little salt and mix again. Season with more salt to taste, if desired. Warning: this is NOT a low calorie recipe, but it's oh-so-delicioso! Avocados are high in calories and fat, but they are a good source of potassium and are very high in fiber.