decorative food plates.

Well, I haven't really posted in a few days since I've been getting over a cold and have been kind of unmotivated. However, I'm feeling better and I wanted to make a new blog post. This one's a little different, considering that the result won't actually be edible. I studied art in college and I love making things. So think of this as a recipe for some food-related decor. This is a slightly altered project idea that I got from a book called Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects. Trust me, it's fun.

the recipe

plain, clean plate (Target has very inexpensive, melamine plates)
photocopy, print off or photograph of food
scissors
Mod Podge
paintbrush


1. Cover the plate that you'll be using with a smooth coat of Mod Podge using the paintbrush. Set the plate aside to dry slightly.
2. Get either a photograph, photocopy or print off of food that would be proportional to the plate that you have bought. I took pictures of a plate of food and then resize it on my computer to match the size of the plate I'd bought.
3. Carefully cut the food shapes out.
4. Arrange the food shapes on the plate. Put an additional coat of Mod Podge over the paper food pieces. Allow to dry completely.
Remember that these plates are for decorative use only. The plates cannot be submerged in water because of the Mod Podge, and they should not be used for food.


substitutions
You can probably use almost any kind of glue to paste the pieces down. I do like Mod Podge though, since it dries completely clear, does not wrinkle the paper, and adds a protective coating over anything.


great with
Plate wall hangers. These make really cute kitchen decor!


the review
These are ridiculously easy to make and I honestly love the way they look in my kitchen. My kitchen is decorated with lots of colors, like my green teapot, mismatched, mod-inspired silverware, and vintage, stained-glass owl napkin holder. These plates are fun and quirky and are exactly what I had in mind for the spare space on my walls. Keep in mind, your design doesn't have to be food, and it doesn't have to be for your kitchen. Lots of people have decorative plates in their homes. This could be a cheaper, and creative way to make your own.

greek cheese and potato patties

About two weeks ago, I was preparing to donate blood for the first time. I was nervous, so I was just trying to do everything that I was told--drink lots of water, eat a hearty breakfast the day of, and intake lots of iron in the days leading up to the donation. I do the first two on most days anyways, so I began focusing on the third one, especially since I know vegetarians can sometimes have difficulty keeping their iron levels up. Every day the week before I donated blood, I made sure I ate something that contained spinach. 

Therefore, when I found the following recipe, another one from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook, I decided to add spinach and see what happened. 

the recipe

serves 4

1 1/4 lb potatoes

4 oz feta cheese

4 spring onions, chopped

3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

flour for dredging

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water until soft. Drain, then peel while still warm. Place in a bowl and mash. Crumble the feta cheese into the potatoes and add the spring onions, dill, lemon juice and egg. Season with salt and pepper (the cheese is salty, so taste before you add salt). Stir well.

2. Cover the mixture and chill until firm. Divide the mixture into walnut-size balls, then flatten them slightly. Dredge with the flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the patties until golden brown on each side. Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once.

substitutions

Honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin. I only had one potato, so that made things interesting right from the beginning. I added spinach--not sure exactly how much, I just broke off part of a block of frozen spinach. Since I didn't have enough potatoes, I added a little bit of flour to help with the consistency, since I was noticed that mine was clearly too runny. And I know this is going to sound ridiculous--probably because it really is ridiculous--but my family has a strange vendetta against dill that's a little hard to explain. Anyways, I ditched that particular seasoning and went with some oregano and pepper instead. As you can tell, there was a certain point where I just started ignoring the cookbook and basically started doing whatever I wanted.

great with

If I'm remembering correctly, I had some of this with a Morningstar Farms Chicken Pattie one night. I had the leftovers another night with just a salad. Both dinners were good.

the review

So this is one of those recipes that, once I got into it and realized just how much of the recipe I was not following, I was sure it was going to taste awful once I was done. I was surprised. These didn't taste awful. In fact, they tasted pretty good. I really liked being able to taste the lemon juice, although it was subtle. I also usually love anything with feta in it. Overall, the taste reminded me of something that I've had before, but can't quite place. Perhaps a spinach souffle (but only because I added spinach--I have no idea what it would taste like otherwise). Anyways, I look forward to making these again, hopefully with a little less stress.

And maybe I'll get over that thing with the dill. We'll see.

the white plate.

I am a lifelong vegetarian. My parents raised me that way and with the exception of an ill-fated Thanksgiving turkey incident, I have remained a vegetarian for my entire life. When I was younger, I was very picky, and being a vegetarian just made that even harder. Now, I'm 23 years old and I love cooking and trying new foods. And these days, vegetarians are so lucky. There are so many more options than there used to be.

This blog will serve as a story. It will be the story of a kitchen and what comes out of it. I love cooking. By no means do I consider myself an expert on the subject. I just consider it a hobby of mine. This will allow me to document the recipes that I try and hopefully, will reach other vegetarians and give them some new ideas that they can use in their kitchens.

My goals with this blog are to provide recipes for healthy, affordable meals. This is something that I think is important and try to do in my everyday life. I have no doubt that I will make mistakes--just ask the bottle of olive oil that I broke all over my kitchen floor two days ago--but that's all part of the learning curve.

So why is this called The White Plate? I like simplicity and streamlined design. My background in art probably has something to do with that. I have white plates in my kitchen.

And let's not forget, food always looks good on a white plate.