Cooking with a Plan

A Time Out

2011-11-10T21:03:00.001-05:00

I haven't updated this blog in quite some time. My life has required that I take a time out from cooking. This year has been incredibly challenging for me and I've written some of that story through a different blog. If you are interested, here is the link:

http://thelakes-foreverafamily.blogspot.com/

My hope is that I will return to this blog at some point in the future. I so enjoy sharing and documenting my cooking adventures and I look forward to doing that again someday.

I'm Still Cooking...Kind Of

2011-02-27T17:38:00.007-05:00

Ok...so I've been MIA here on the ole' blog. I could give you a whole list of reasons, but here are the most prominent:

1. I'm taking a grad class right now that's on children and young adult literature. I have to read a novel a week (they aren't that long..but still) and write papers on each of them. I also have to read the textbook and take notes on that because there's going to be a midterm and a final. I haven't taken a written test since I was an undergrad...so I feel compelled to be prepared. Hence, I've spending a lot of my time reading and writing for this class.

2. My husband was studying for this big test he had to take for his graduate program. He needed the computer pretty much every night to study, so I didn't get on very much. His test was a month ago, so that's not even a good reason anymore.

3. I've been trying to simplify my life a bit and not feel so busy. I have grossly failed at this attempt, but I'm still trying! Instead of pressuring myself to blog or do other things on my to-do list, I've been trying to spend a little of each day doing something relaxing like reading or watching youtube videos of baby animals like puppies and pandas.

4. I've only been cooking on and off because of my schedule. Some weeks, I can cook almost every night. Other weeks I can barely cook one night because I have things to do every day after school. (For my individual definition of cooking, please continue reading below)

Even when I haven't been able to cook new and interesting recipes, I've coerced my husband to put food together for us. He doesn't cook, but he can do simple things like make pasta or saute shrimp. Sometimes I'll have him pick up a $6 dinner from Wegman's for each of us, or he'll get one of their ready-to-bake pizzas.

Let's talk about that for a moment, shall we? We moved to this area three years ago and have yet to find a pizza delivery place that has pizza we really love. Especially since we are obsessed with Wegman's ready-to-bake pizzas that they sell near their pizza shop. We always buy a plain cheese one and then add toppings. It ends up being cheaper than delivery and twice as delicious.

One of our favorite topping combinations is broccoli and mushrooms. I just toss fresh broccoli florets and fresh mushrooms with some olive oil and then scatter them on top of a plain cheese pizza. It comes out looking like this:

Doesn't that look delicious?

For me, there is a difference between "cooking" and "making dinner". I do not intend this to sound snobby in any way...I realize that these terms are the same for most people. However, cooking is my most treasured hobby. To me, "cooking" means to create something special or new, to experiment with ingredients, or to try new techniques. The purpose of cooking isn't just to feed myself or my husband, it also enriches my life and allows me to practice my skills in the kitchen. When I try out a new recipe or technique, I think of that as "cooking". When I brown some ground turkey and add a taco seasoning pouch to it, I think of that as "making dinner". When I am in the kitchen and my only goal is getting food into our exhausted bodies in the quickest and simplest way possible, I don't feel the same exhilarating feeling as when I am in the kitchen creating something new and/or unique.

So even though I haven't been able to "cook" as often as I'd like, I've still been able to feed us and prevent a nightly outing for fast food (although, I don't object to the occasional trip to Wendy's because their new fries are completely awesome...even though I feel guilty afterward)

While we're on the topic of french fries, I'd love to share a special eating ability I have. I don't consider myself a person who has a huge appetite. I certainly eat an average amount of food, but I tend not to eat a ton in one sitting. I'm not one for seconds or thirds.

However...

I have, what must be, a genetic ability to eat massive amounts of french fries when given the opportunity. I could argue that I have that same ability when it comes to cookies n' cream ice cream, but it's not as extreme. French fries are kind of my nemesis when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, and kind of my best friend when it comes to my taste buds. I cannot remember a time in my life where the prospect of eating french fries hasn't completely thrilled me. I feel similarly about mashed potatoes, but french fries hold a special place in my heart.

I don't ever seem to get full while eating them, either. It's kind of a phenomenon since I get easily full eating almost everything else. I can eat way more ice cream than I should...but I definitely reach a limit where I can go no further (especially since I have a love/hate relationship with dairy products. They always seem like such a wonderful idea at the time of consumption, but the happiness fades about an hour later...) It's almost as if I have some sort of super natural ability to eat french fries continuously, but I know I can't and shouldn't. Is anyone else like me or is this truly a special ability of which I'm to be proud (in a kind of embarrassed way)?

Too bad I don't have this issue with a healthier food, but I didn't design my DNA so it cannot be helped. It would be a lot better if I was more like this girl:

Instead I'm more like this girl:

Now, if you are still reading this incredibly long and somewhat pointless post, I will reward you with a recipe that definitely qualifies as "cooking" in my book. It was fairly simple and completely delicious.

Chicken Fried Rice with Leeks and Cranberries
~A great way to use left over rice~

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups cooked, chilled long-grain brown rice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup dry white wine

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt over chicken.

2. Add chicken to pan, and sauté for 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken from pan.

3. Add leek, black pepper, and remaining 5/8 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until leek is tender and golden. Add leek mixture to chicken.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add rice, stirring well to coat rice with oil; cook, without stirring, 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Stir rice mixture; cook, without stirring, 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Stir in chicken mixture, cranberries, and sage. Add wine; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is dry, stirring constantly.

Note: I used a rotisserie chicken instead of chicken thighs. I also used left over rice from the night before. If you don't have leftovers, make sure you chill the rice for 4 hours or more.

This recipe came from the January/February issue of Cooking Light Magazine.

Sweet Treat

2011-01-23T10:15:00.004-05:00

I have the bad habit of needing something sweet after dinner. I know that many people have this habit, so I won't be too hard on myself. Sometimes I'm able to do fruit or yogurt, but that's mostly in the summer when berries are in season. Winter fruits just don't cut it for me when it comes to a sweet treat at night.

The January/February issue of Food Network Magazine has some ideas for lighter desserts and I found one of them to be particularly delicious. As far as cookies go, this recipe is quite figure friendly. I've made them a couple of times and found them to be a wonderful light dessert. I'll eat two cookies with a small glass of milk (actually, a small glass of Lactaid because I have...shall we say...trust issues with dairy).

Word to the Wise: Just because it's labeled as "light" doesn't mean you can eat a dozen at a time. I find that people (sometimes I'm included in this group) tend to think that if something is less calories, they can eat double or triple the serving size without consequences. Not so, my friends...eating sensible portions is a habit we should stick to no matter what we're eating.

So after that uplifting message...here's the recipe!

Oatmeal Cookies
~Easy and Delicious~

1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg and 2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts
(I actually combine chocolate chips and raisins to equal a cup and leave the walnuts out...you pretty much can put a cup of whatever combination of goodies you'd like to substitute)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk brown sugar, egg, and egg whites in a bowl.
Whisk in the vegetable oil.
Stir in the oats, whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
Add chocolate chips, raisins, nuts (or a cup of whatever combination you want)
Drop large spoonfuls onto lined baking sheets and gently flatten. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

An Update for a Classic

2011-01-18T12:04:00.003-05:00

I don't eat beef. This really isn't my choice...I just don't like it. I kind of wish I ate beef because then I could try all sorts of recipes I've always wanted to make. For now I just have to continue to swap chicken or turkey for beef whenever possible.

I've made turkey meatloaf in the past and it's turned out great, but it's fairly traditional in flavor. I recently came across a recipe in Giada De Laurentiis's cookbook, Giada At Home. I may think that Giada is kind of strange as a person, but her recipes are so incredibly delicious that I'd like to eventually own all her cookbooks.

This recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients and makes a regular old meatloaf into something really special! The only remark I would make is that it's a bit on the small side. It was fine for my husband and me, but I would double it if I were making it for guests.

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
~Extremely flavorful~

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped garlic-and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey, preferably dark meat*

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch nonstick loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, eggs, olive oil, feta, salt, and pepper.
Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan; it will fill the pan halfway.
Bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 40-45 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes. Use a paper towel to remove any fat that may settle on the surface of the meatloaf.
Slice and serve.

*I only had lean ground turkey breast in my freezer so I used that. It worked out fine, but was rather pale. In the future, I will try a less lean package of turkey.

This meatloaf was so moist and flavorful...it really surprised us! Turkey can sometimes be dry and flavorless, so I always have ketchup nearby for turkey meatloaf, burgers, etc. (I actually have a bit of an unhealthy relationship with ketchup...basically, I am obsessed with it and put it on tons of things. I keep a back up bottle in my garage in case I ever find myself without.)

I've tried some other great recipes lately that I can't wait to share. I've been banned from the computer at night while my husband has been using it to study for a big test he has coming up. Once the test is over, I'd like to get some more posts up with my recent cooking adventures.

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-11T09:06:00.011-05:00

Every year, as many families, we like to make Christmas cookies. My sister and I were quite young when we first started making them on our own and it's been our special tradition ever since. I remember how we used to rub flour onto our cheeks to make it look like we had been working so hard in the kitchen. Now my sister has a little girl who helps to make them and a little boy who helps to eat them!

I can't even tell you where this recipe came from. My mom had it written on a tattered piece of paper and I copied it down from her. She may have gotten it from my grandmother who may have gotten it from her grandmother (or from the back of the Crisco container...I guess we'll never know!)

We only make these once a year because, for some reason, cut out cookies seem like a huge deal to us. It takes us hours and hours to make them, which probably has more to do with us talking and eating raw cookie dough than actually making the cookies. Nonetheless, it's a happy tradition that we look forward to all year!

Christmas Cutout Cookies

First, blend together 6 cups of sifted flour, 1 tbsp of salt, and 2 1/3 cups of Crisco (shortening) using a pastry blender or two butter knives (use the butter knives to slice through the ingredients and mix them together).
Then, take 2 cups of the mixture you made above and add 3/4 cups of sugar, 1 tsp of baking powder, and 1/4 cup of flour. Next, blend in 1 egg and 1 tsp of vanilla.
Roll out the dough (don't chill it, use immediately) and use cookies cutters to cut out different shapes. Re-roll the dough that's left after you cut out the shapes and try to make as many more shapes as you can (We always feel this tremendous sense of accomplishment when we re-roll it enough times to have only a little teeny bit of dough left over).
If you are using sprinkles, put them on the cookies now (before they bake). Bake at 375 degrees for somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes. We never remember how long they take to bake and just try to keep an eye on them (which usually means that the first batch gets a little "brown"). After they cool, decorate with icing or whatever else is edible.
Continue using the first mixture you made to make batches of dough (by adding the sugar, baking powder, flour, egg, and vanilla).

There are a few cookies recipes we make every year that are close to our hearts. Peanut Blossoms are a classic cookie recipe that we got from our Aunt Wendy. I always make Spritz cookies for me and my Mom because we love them with coffee! I can't remember where I got the recipe for Spritz cookies, but there are about a million versions online. You need to have a cookie press to make Spritz cookies and they can be purchased very inexpensively at places like Bed, Bath and Beyond or Amazon.

Peanut Blossoms

3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
14 oz. bag of Hershey kisses
Extra sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all the ingredients except the Hershey kisses and extra sugar in a large bowl.
Mix on the lowest speed until dough forms.
Shape the dough into little balls and then roll into extra sugar.
Put on an ungreased cookie sheet (I like to bake mine on parchment paper). Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
While they are baking, unwrap the kisses. When you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately press one kiss into each cookie. Let them cool completely and be careful when putting them into a container because the kisses will remain soft for quite a while.
This recipe makes about 8 dozen cookies, but I typically double it at Christmas so that I can give many away.

Classic Spritz Cookies

1 1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugar (I put it in my mixer for several minutes until it's light and fluffy)
Add the egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat together well.
Stir together the flour and baking powder and then gradually add to the creamed mixture.
Mix until it's a smooth dough. Don't chill it.
Put the dough into the press and press cookies directly onto the baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles if desired and then bake for 10-12 minutes.
Remove the cookies, cool completely on a baking rack. This recipe makes about 7-8 dozen cookies.

There are lots of other cookie recipes that I've tried and loved, but I'll leave you with one more. In many ways, this is my favorite one because they are so easy and very delicious. I make these all year around and everyone always enjoys them!

Crispy Thumbprint Cookies

1 package of yellow cake mix
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 c water
3 c crisp rice cereal crushed (Rice Krispies)
Raspberry or strawberry preserves or Andes mint candies cut in half

Preheat oven to 375
Combine cake mix, oil, egg and water. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add cereal; mix until well blended.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Use thumb to make indentation in each cookie. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of preserves into center of cookie. (Or place 1/2 of mint candy in center of each cookie).
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cookies 1 minute on baking sheet; remove from baking sheet to wire wrack to cool completely. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Food to Keep You Warm

2010-11-07T08:23:00.004-05:00

Now that the weather is changing (at least it is in Pennsylvania), I enjoy making food that is warm and comforting. The first things that come to mind for me are soups and stews.

Soups and stews are convenient and wonderful for a number of reasons. First of all, they are one pot dinners. I don't have to make anything to go with them (usually) and there is minimal cleanup. Second of all, I can easily double a recipe and freeze the leftovers for another week. Soups with a cream base don't freeze well, but almost all other soups do. Third of all, they are often very well balanced and healthy meals. There's usually at least one veggie involved and, many times, the other ingredients aren't very high in fat. Finally, they make a great lunch the next day as they reheat beautifully.

I have plenty of soup and stew recipes that I've made over the past few years. Here are some new ones I've tried in the last couple of weeks.

Shrimp and Chorizo Stew
~This is absolutely filling and delicious~

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed
4 oz. Spanish chorizo, casings removed, sliced
2 tsp smoked paprika (hot or sweet)
Kosher salt
1 cup canned whole plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 1/2 cup juice from the can
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat the olive oil in a small Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the chorizo, paprika, and 1 tsp salt and cook until the oil turns deep red, about 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes (reserve the juice), the bay leaves, thyme and oregano and cook 1 more minute.
Add the potatoes, 2 cups water, the tomato juice, and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the kale and cook until the potatoes and kale are tender, about 10 minutes more. Stir in the shrimp and simmer just until they curl and turn pink, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and ladle the stew into bowls.

Recipe from the October 2010 edition of Food Network Magazine

This next recipe seemed like one I wouldn't like at first glance. I don't mind coconut, but I don't love it. Once I read through the recipe, I realized that it was made with coconut milk which is a bit more subtle than coconut flakes. I also have an on again/off again kind of relationship with carrots. Sometimes they work for me and sometimes I find them disgusting. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just try this recipe. I liked it a lot, but I don't think I would have liked it as much without bread to balance out the strong flavors. I heated up some Naan bread that I bought frozen at Trader Joe's. Yum!!

Coconut Shrimp Soup
~This Thai recipe is packed with flavor~

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb carrots (6 to 9 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 oz angel hair pasta
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Coarse salt (Kosher)
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large (3 quart) saucepan over medium-low heat (I used a Dutch oven). Add the ginger, garlic, and the pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add the carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and 2 tbsp water until smooth; add to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Break the pasta in half; add to the pot. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the pasta is al dente and the carrots are just tender (about 3 or 4 minutes).
Add the shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with the scallions. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Great Food Fast by Everday Food (A Martha Stewart Living publication)

We all know how much I love Pam Anderson (no, not that Pamela Anderson). My parents gave me one of her cookbooks for my birthday. It's called The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great. I'm really enjoying it because she gives great tips for eating healthy without sacrificing flavor. I needed a quick recipe that used most pantry ingredients last week and I knew Pam would have one for me. This soup was fast, easy, and delicious served with tortilla chips for dipping.

Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans
~Using a rotisserie chicken makes this even faster~

2 tsp vegetable or olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz) creamed corn
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I hate cilantro, so I used Italian parsley)
Salt and pepper

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, heat oil and garlic over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Add chili powder and cumin and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add corn, tomatoes, broth, beans, chiles, and chicken. Bring to ta boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
Stir in cilantro, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Yes, it's really that simple. It's also only 377 calories per 2-cup serving.

I will certainly continue to try new recipes for soups and stews throughout these cold months. When I come across some good ones, I'll do my best to share them!

Canning Series - Fruit

2010-10-27T19:30:00.013-04:00

We gathered once again at the Kitchen Workshop for our canning series. If you don't know how to can or forget the specifics, go to this post for a step-by-step guide.
This time, our focus was fruit. This differs from the fruit spread course because these recipes serve better as dessert toppers, not as jams or jellies. We made some seriously decadent stuff! I'll just dive right in.

Blackberries in Framboise
~Absolutely delicious~

Makes about 4 (8 oz) half pints

You will need:

6 cups blackberries, divided
Water
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick (about 4 inches), broken into pieces
1 tbsp grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg1/2 cup framboise or other raspberry liqueur4 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1. Place 2 cups of blackberries in a stainless steel saucepan. Using a potato masher, crush slightly. Add 3 tbsp water. Cover and boil gently over medium-low heat until fruit is soft, about 2 minutes. Strain though a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a glass measure to collect 1/2 cup blackberry juice.

2. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

3. Combine sugar, cinnamon stick pieces, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Strain and return syrup to saucepan. Add blackberry juice, remaining blackberries and framboise. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly but gently so as not to crush blackberries.

4. Pack hot blackberries into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, using a slotted spoon. Ladle hot syrup into jar to cover blackberries lea ving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-measure headspace. If needed, add more syrup to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

5. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Raspberry Chocolate Sundae Topper
~This look just like raspberry sauce but is surprisingly chocolately~

Makes about 6 (8 oz) half pints

You will need:

1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1.75-oz pkg Ball® Original Fruit Pectin
4-1/2 cups crushed red raspberries
6-3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
6 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine cocoa powder and pectin in a medium glass bowl, stirring until evenly blended. Set aside.

(Didn't the raspberries look lovely before we crushed them?)

3. Combine crushed raspberries and lemon juice in a large stainless steel saucepan . Whisk in pectin mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring const antly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

4. Ladle hot sundae topper into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

5. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Peach Rum Sauce
~Another wonderful dessert item to have on hand~

Makes about 7 (8 oz) half pints

You will need:

6 cups chopped pitted peeled peaches, treated to prevent browning and drained
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup rum
1 tsp grated lemon zest
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine peaches, brown sugar, granulated sugar, rum and lemon zest in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-measure headspace. If needed, add more sauce to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

4. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

I'm not sure if we'll have any more canning classes this season, but if we do I'll be sure to let you know what we whipped up!

Canning Series - Tomatoes

2010-10-17T08:43:00.007-04:00

We had another lovely canning class a few weeks ago and the focus was tomatoes. I know tons of people who grow their own tomatoes and I hope to grow some myself someday. (Since I haven't quite mastered keeping house plants alive, I have a feeling that I'm not ready for an outdoor garden).
Here's our happy group after canning for three hours. Don't we look proud of ourselves?

When working with fresh tomatoes, you will likely need to core and peel them to use them in recipes. This is quite simple. Just boil a large pot of water and drop them in. Let them boil for a few minutes and then drain them. Let them sit for a couple minutes so that you don't burn your fingers off. Then the peel should slide or peel off easily. To core them, just take out that hard part in the middle and scrape out the seed (if you want). Here's our big ol' bowl of tomatoes after we took them out of the boiling water. The peels were practically falling off.

We did three recipes and they all came from the Ball Canning Company's website. First on the list of recipes was...

Bruschetta In a Jar
~Flavorful and great to have on hand~

Makes about 7 (8 oz) half pints

You will need:

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
9 cups chopped cored peeled plum tomatoes (about 4 lb or 12 medium)
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until garlic is heated through. Remove from heat.

3. Pack tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight. The picture below shows our cool little "get the air bubbles out" tool that came with our Ball canning kit.

4. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Next up on the list was the classic...

Italian Style Tomato Sauce
~Perfect when you need a quick meal~

Makes about 3 (16 oz) pints

You will need:

8 cups fresh plum tomato purée
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp bottled lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
3 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine 1 cup of tomato purée, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a large stainless steel saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. While maintaining a steady boil, add remaining tomato purée, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice, salt, black pepper and hot pepper flakes. Increase heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil; boil hard, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced by one third, about 15 minutes.

3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-measure headspace. If needed, add more sauce to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.4.) Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
We ended on a spicy note with...

Zesty Salsa
~Homemade salsa is such a treat!~

Makes about 6 (16 oz) pints or 12 (8 oz) half pints
You will need:

10 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 25 medium)
5 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers (about 4 large)
5 cups chopped onions (about 6 to 8 medium)
2-1/2 cups chopped seeded chili peppers, such as hot banana, Hungarian wax, serrano or jalapeño (about 13 medium)
1-1/4 cups cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional
6 (16 oz) pint or 12 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce, if using, in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

4. Process both pint and half pint jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Stay tuned for more recipes from our canning series, plus some new fall and winter recipes I've been trying!

Lunch Lady

2010-09-22T19:24:00.004-04:00

Our canning class got canceled on Sunday. Art had something urgent he needed to do that couldn't wait so he'll reschedule it for a date in the future.

So no canning recipes.

But I have a yummy lunch recipe that I've made and loved! I pack a lunch every single day and I'm not about to eat a sandwich everyday. I just can't handle having the same thing everyday for lunch. I also have an aversion to most lunch meat and PB and J five days in a row is a little overboard.
Sometimes I bring leftovers, but that's not always an option. This recipe yields enough to make two servings, so I was able to bring it two different days. It's refreshing and delicious. It's good hot or cold and it's easy to make.

Couscous Salad with Grapes and Feta

1/2 cup couscous
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 oz)
1/2 cup halved red seedless grapes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pita bread for serving (if desired)

Combine couscous and hot water (I boiled my water). Cover and let sit 10 minutes.
Fluff couscous with a fork and fold in walnuts, feta, grapes, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve with pita bread if desired. Refrigerate for up to a day (I kept it a few days and it was fine).

Canning Series: Fruit Spreads

2010-09-16T18:00:00.000-04:00

So we had our first canning class and although I had to arrive late (due to unforeseen circumstances) I had a great time! Heck, I got to take home jars of deliciousness without having to do hardly any work.

The first thing that we (I love that I'm saying "we" when I literally showed up just as we were taste testing and labeling the jars) tackled was Traditional Strawberry Jam.

Traditional Strawberry Jam with Variations
~Makes about 8 (8 oz.) half pints~

5 cups crushed strawberries (about 5 lbs)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (1.75 oz.) package Ball Original Fruit Pectin (or any brand, Ball is sponsoring this series so we are using their products)
7 cups granulated sugar
8 (8 oz.) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
Combine strawberries and lemon juice in a 6 or 8 quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin.
Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Delicious Variations:

*Vanilla Strawberry Jam (this is the one we made): Add half a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, to the crushed strawberries. Cook as directed and remove vanilla bean before ladling jam into jars. The resulting jam will be enhanced with a subtle yet distinct vanilla overtone.

*Strawberry Balsamic Jam: Reduce the lemon juice to 1 tbsp and add 3 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar accents the strawberry flavor and gives the jam a robust taste.
*Lemony Strawberry Jam: Add the grated zest of 1 large lemon to the crushed strawberries.

*Peppered Strawberry Jam: Stir 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper into the cooked jam just before ladling it into the jars. Pepper accents and compliments the strawberries' sweet flavor. Be sure to use freshly ground pepper, which delivers a fresher-quality flavor.

Carrot Cake Jam
~Makes about 6 (8oz) half pints~

1 1/2 cups finely grated peeled carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped cored peeled pears
1 3/4 cups chopped pineapple, including juice
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 (1.75 oz) package Ball Original Fruit Pectin
6 1/2 cups sugar
6 (8oz.) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
Combine carrots, pears, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a 6 or 8 quart saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring frequently.
Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Orange Chili Marmalade
~Makes about 8 (8oz) half pints~

2 1/4 lbs oranges (unpeeled), seeded and thinly sliced
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 cups water
3 dried habenero chili peppers (or 6 dried Colorado or New Mexico chili peppers)
9 cups granulated sugar
8 (8oz.) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands.

Combine oranges, lemon zest and juice, and water in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
Add chili peppers, partially cover and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until fruit is very soft, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard chili peppers.
Prepare boiling water canner, heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil and then set bands aside.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Maintaining boil, gradually stir in sugar. Boil hard, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches gel stage, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and test gel. If gel stage has been reached skim off foam.
Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

* This marmalade is quite spicy, but very delicious. We thought it would be perfect poured over a block of cream cheese and served with crackers or bread.

Come back and visit next week to see what we whipped up in our canning series.

Canning: How It's Done

2010-09-15T19:37:00.010-04:00

My canning classes have finally begun! I'm so excited to learn more about this time-honored way of preserving nature's bounty. Here we are at our first class...

Because the Ball company sponsored the canning series that I'm taking at The Kitchen Workshop, I decided to use their exact instructions for canning.

Here's how canning is done...

1. Prepare your gear

You will need a 21-quart waterbath canner with a canning rack (Ball sells them, but I got my kit at Walmart). Here's the big canner pot we used in class...

You will also need Ball glass preserving jars with lids and bands (again, Ball sells these on their website, but I got some at Wegman's and Walmart)

You need common kitchen utensils and produce/ingredients specific to your recipe.

Wash the jars, lids, and band in hot, soapy water. Rinse well.

Keep jars warm until ready to use, in order to minimize risk of breakage when filling with hot food. You can heat them in a pot of simmering water, or in a heated dishwasher.

Fill canner pot half full with enough water to cover jars with at least 1 inch of water. Heat to a simmer. Place lid on canner and keep rack to the side until ready to use. Here's what the rack looks like when it's submerged under water.

2. Select your recipe

Select your recipe and read the directions thoroughly. This is not the time to experiment. Even a slight change can throw off the balance of a recipe, turning bliss to blah.

Prepare recipe of your choice

Fill each jar with prepared food. Follow canning recipe for correct fill-level. Each jar needs space between the food and the rim (headspace) to allow for food expansion.

Remove air bubbles by sliding a small non-metallic spatula inside the jar, gently pressing food against the opposite side of the jar. Air bubbles inside the jar can impact canning effectiveness.

Wipe any food from the rims of the jars. Center new lid on the jar, then twist on the band until "fingertip tight". Ensure bands are NOT over-tight -- air inside the jars must be able to escape during canning.

3. Preserve your food

Place filled jars into canning rack, then lower into simmering water, ensuring jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Cover with lid and heat to a steady boil (this is called "processing"). Boil jars for the time specified in the recipe, adjusting for altitude (see below).

Turn off the heat and let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Remove jars from water and cool upright on wire rack or towel on countertop for 12 hours.

After removing jars from the canning rack, do not re-tighten or over tighten bands that may have come loose during canning, so as not to interfere with the sealing process.

4. Congratulations! You just canned! Press on center of cooled lid. If jar is sealed, the lid will NOT flex up or down. (If your jars did not seal, see item 6 in the tip section below) Store sealed jars in pantry for up to 1 year (I'm pretty sure you can keep them longer than this). Jars may be stored without bands, or you may clean underside of bands to ensure no moisture is trapped during storage. Enjoy your homemade food or give it as a gift!

Here are some basic tips for canning...

1. Use recipes that have been formulated for canning (there are tons of recipes on the Ball website and there are tons of books and websites out there with canning recipes). The reason for this is because there needs to be certain ratios of acid and other components in order to can properly. I'm sure you could use non-canning recipes if they have the right ingredients, but I always use canning recipes just to be safe.

2. "Headspace" is the fancy canning word for space you leave at the top of the jar when you fill it. Always measure from the top of the jar rim down to the top of the food.

3. Some tools that are really helpful when canning are a funnel, jar and lid lifter, and bubble remover. The funnel helps to fill the jar without a mess. The jar lifter helps lift the jars out of the hot water safely. The lid lifter is made using a magnet and helps remove the lids from the simmering water. The bubble remover is long and thing and used to release air bubbles and measure headspace with ease. Ball sells a kit of these things, but other kits can be found at various stores that sell kitchen supplies.

4. When recipes say "Adjust for altitude" is means that altitude can affect canning recipes, just like it does when you bake. Recipes are typically written for altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level. If your altitude is 1,001-3,000 feet, increase processing time by 5 minutes. If your altitude is 3,001-6,000 feet, increase processing time by 10 minutes. If your altitude is 6,001-8,000, increase processing time by 15 minutes. If your altitude is 8,001-10,000, increase your processing time by 20 minutes.

5. Foods like meat, poultry, vegetables, chili and fish are low-acid foods. They must be processed using the Pressure Canning method and cannot be safely preserved using the Waterbath Canning method I've outlined above. For more info on Pressure Canning, go here.

6. If the lid flexes after you've processed, the jar did not seal properly. You may refrigerate for immediate use. Or for directions on how to safely re-process the jar, go here.

7. Jars and bands can be reused. The lids cannot be reused for processing.

8. Additional FAQs and answers can be found on the Ball website.

Now that you know the ins and outs of canning, stay tuned for delicious recipes that we will be making in class. I will share them all!

Can It

2010-09-05T08:11:00.005-04:00

Now that the first three weeks of school are over (yeah...we go back early), I plan to have my life a little more balanced. For those of you who are in the teaching profession, you know exactly what I'm talking about. In the beginning of the year, you stay after school and work for hours and then come home and collapse into bed (at least I do). It takes me a few weeks to get my routines in order and then I start to resemble a normal person again.

So cooking isn't the priority for the first few weeks of school. The first week of school we ate take out every night. The second week of school I cooked twice. The third week I cooked three times. So let's hope that it will just keep getting better and better! :)

I have some recipes I've made recently that I plan to share...but I'm here to tell you about another topic I will be blogging about for the next several weeks.

Canning!

My cooking teacher, Art, has invited me to participate in the "Ball Canning Series" they are doing at the Kitchen Workshop. I am going to try to attend all six classes in the series if my schedule permits. Then I will blog about each class and share recipes and pictures.

If you are thinking pickled vegetables and jam...you are in for a surprise. We'll be covering the canning basics along with many fun and interesting recipes/variations. Take a peek at what we'll be making:

Sunday, September 12, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Fruit Spread Course

Traditional Strawberry Jam with Chef Variations

Carrot Cake Jam

Orange Chili Marmalade

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Fruit Course

Blackberries in Framboise

Peach Rum Sauce

Chocolate Raspberry Sundae Topper

Sunday, September 19, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Salsa Course

Zesty Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

Pineapple Chili Salsa

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Pickles Course

Dill Sandwich Slices

Tomato and Apple Chutney

Zesty Zucchini

Sunday, September 26, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Sauces and Condiments Course

Singapore Chili Sauce

Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce

Lemon-Sage Wine Mustard

Cranberry Ketchup

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Tomatoes Course

Basic Tomatoes

Italian-Style Tomato Sauce

Bruschetta in a Jar

So make sure you check back at Cooking With a Plan to see what we'll be whipping up at the Kitchen Workshop!

Snack Attack

2010-08-10T20:28:00.001-04:00

Snacks can be a bit of a nemesis for me. When I want a snack it's usually at the time of day where my blood sugar drops and I'm ravenous for something good (which pretty much happens at 4:00 pm every single day of my life.

The problem is...when I want something "good", I don't mean "good-for-me-good". I wish I was one of those girls that just craves a salad or carrot sticks. When given the option between steamed veggies and french fries at a restaurant, I ALWAYS want the fries. In fact, I'm quite certain that I could eat fries several times a day, each and every day. Then I could have ice cream for dessert. I love ice cream with my whole heart.

Sometimes I give in to these cravings and, you know what? Even though they are terrible for you, I don't feel guilty about eating them once and a while. My quality of life would be severely compromised without French fries and ice cream. A life without ice cream, is just not a life I'm interested in.
Anyway. I digress.

Since I can't eat junk food every time I'm craving a snack, I've had to come up with some alternatives. I'm always on the hunt for healthy things to munch on after school. I was delighted when I got my September issue of Food Network Magazine and they had a whole feature on after school snacks. They have these nifty little books in each issues that you can tear out and they give you 50 ideas for a certain type of food. This little book had 50 fun snacks to explore.

I was particularly intrigued by #21 on the list: Crunchy Chickpeas. I made them on Sunday and my hubby and I loved them. But I will give this disclaimer; they are much better when they are fresh out of the oven than they are cold. I think I'll heat up the extras in the toaster oven when I go back for more. But other than that, I thought they were really unique and tasty. They almost reminded me of an exotic popcorn type of thing. Plus, they are incredibly good for you!

Crunchy Chickpeas
~Not the best picture, but they smell heavenly!~

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Kosher salt

Heat the oil, cumin, and paprika in a large ovenproof skillet for 2 to 4 minutes.
Season with salt and then pop in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Last Summer Cookout

2010-08-09T20:04:00.004-04:00

Believe it or not, I'll be heading off to work on Tuesday. We have four days of inservice and the kids arrive on Monday! I am sad to see summer go. I had such a nice summer doing whatever I wished to do each day. I got to see friends and go shopping. I painted the inside of our house and read lots of books. I made some spending money doing this and that. We drove down to visit my sister and her family and then last week my sister brought the kids up for a visit. All in all, it was a low key summer and I loved every minute of it.

But now it's over. To celebrate my last Sunday where I don't feel the dread of starting the work week, we had my husband's family over for a cookout. It kind of amazes me that I get the "Sunday Dread" each week because I love my job so much. I truly love being a teacher. I wonder what the "Sunday Dread" would be like if I hated my job!

Anyway. I wanted to make very simple things that could be prepared ahead of time so that I could spend most of the time lounging with everyone. The meal turned out lovely.
I made my delicious Apricot Turkey Burgers. I have the recipe in this post, but I'll re-post it below anyway.

Apricot Turkey Burgers

~These are a fresh take on the typical turkey burger~

3/4 cup drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup minced shallots
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
cooking spray
6 multi-grain hamburger buns
Tzatziki sauce (I got mine from Trader Joe's...although, you can make it yourself)

Prepare the grill or grill pan.
Place chickpeas in a food processor, pulse 3 times or until chopped. Combine chickpeas, apricots, and next 7 ingredients.
Divide mixture into 6 equal portions (I actually had enough to make 7), shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve burgers on hamburger buns topped with Tzatziki sauce and tomatoes (if desired).

In the picture, I served the burgers with over fries. But yesterday I served them with this awesome new pasta salad I made for the first time. I saw it in the September issue of Food Network Magazine. Strangely, the recipe comes from the Biden family (ya know, the Vice President).

I don't know why I find that strange...I just picture someone asking me:

"Ali, this pasta salad is delicious. Who's recipe did you use?"

"Oh, thank you! It's actually an old family recipe from Joe Biden."

Maybe I'm just strange.

Soooo, why don't I just give you the recipe now.

The Bidens' Pasta Caprese

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 shallow, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar (it says optional, but I threw it in there)
2 lbs mixed heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (getting real heirloom tomatoes is a must for this recipe)
1 lb pasta (I almost always use whole wheat pasta, but I used regular campanelle for this)
12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (I used at least twice that because I love me some lemon zest)

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, shallow and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add sugar, if desired (depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes).
Add the tomatoes to the bowl and gently toss. Marinate at room temperature , about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixture and toss. Stir in the basil and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, tossing occasionally, until serving.

Because pasta salad is even better when it sits and the flavors mingle, I made it right after Church and stuck it in the fridge. The burgers took minutes to put together and I just had to throw them on the grill when everyone arrived. I was going to make my Tzatziki sauce and then I realized that it was cheaper to buy it at the Olive Bar in Wegman's than to get the ingredients. Score!

My mother in law brought hummus and pita chips, my sister in law brought drinks, and my other sister in law brought delicious brownies for dessert. It was a truly relaxing and enjoyable way to spend my last few hours of summer vacation!

Fresh, Flavorful, and Filling

2010-07-12T14:15:00.005-04:00

Last night I made the most delicious pasta salad. I got the recipe from the July/August 2010 edition of Food Network Magazine. It was pictured on the cover and I just had to eat it. It was beyond yum. I used whole wheat pasta, which makes it an even heartier meal. The fresh lemon juice and basil were just perfect in it. I'm going to try another recipe from the same magazine for dinner tonight...if it turns out well, I'll post it :)

Roasted-Pepper Pasta Salad
~Fresh, flavorful, and filling~

Kosher salt
12 oz mezzi rigatoni or other short tube shaped pasta (I actually used the spiral kind)
2 bell peppers (red and/or yellow) halved, stemmed, and seeded
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup almonds (I used whole almonds from the bulk section of the grocery store)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
8 oz bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls)*
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the pasta to the water and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water.
Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred (7 - 8 minutes).
Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover, and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking the pan, for 4-5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
Squeeze the garlic from its skin onto the cutting board (this is fun). Add 1/2 tsp salt and mince/mash the garlic into a paste with a large knife (so was this).
Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Add garlic paste and drizzle with olive oil. Finely grate about 1 tsp lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze in all of the lemon juice.
Add the bocconcini, basil, almonds, pasta, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Then toss together and serve.

* I actually had a large ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into chunks. Incidentally, I had frozen this ball of cheese after buying it on sale. I had forgotten about it and kept it in there for several months. When I asked the lady at the fancy cheese counter at Wegman's if it was ok to still use it, she proceeded to act shocked and dismayed that I even froze it! She insisted that I couldn't freeze soft cheese like that. Um, ok...well I did, and it worked fine. The mozzarella tasted fresh and delicious. Crazy cheese lady.

I enjoy finding recipes that don't have meat in them, but are still filling. This was a complete meal and even though my husband was skeptical ("But where's the chicken?" The man loves chicken.) he quickly changed his mind once he began to eat it. Becoming less dependent on having a meat for a protein at every meal is not only good for the environment, but also for your budget. If you have any meatless meals that you adore, please feel free to send the recipes my way!

Makeover

2010-07-04T18:03:00.012-04:00

I haven't been doing a whole lot of intense cooking this week because I was inspired to do something else in my kitchen.

Do you want to know what that something was?

Painting!!! I've wanted to paint my kitchen's off-white walls since the moment we moved in two years ago. Each time I got inspired to do it, I reminded myself that I detest painting. I also had the notion that I was a bad painter.

Well, this summer I got this feverish creative burst of energy and decided to drive myself to Home Depot and pick out paint colors. Green is my favorite color and it seemed most appropriate for my favorite room of the house. I picked out a color called "Grass Cloth". There was a color that was rather close to that called "Asparagus". I had this long debate in my head about whether to get the "Asparagus" because it's the name of a vegetable and it was going to go on my kitchen walls. But I was really drawn more toward "Grass Cloth" and decided that choosing a paint color based on the appropriateness of the name would be idiotic.

Here is the kitchen the day we moved in:

And here is the kitchen now!

I suppose I could have cleaned off the counters and put away the dishes in the drying rack before taking the picture...but so what. This is an authentic working kitchen, so it's never completely clean and clutter free.

I have the most delightful plan for above the sliding glass door to the right, but I won't tell you until I do it. Once I do it, I'll take another picture and post it. I'm sure you are writhing with suspense, but you will just have to wait.

To my surprise, I discovered that I didn't really detest painting like I thought I did. I also discovered that I'm rather good at it. I don't seem to mind taping everything in sight, so the edges come out nice and neat.

I painted some of the living room/dining room walls, too!

Before:

After:

This looks a bit more orange in the picture...but it's really a golden yellowish color. It's bold but I think it's fantastic!

Hey...speaking of orange, why not paint the downstairs bathroom orange?

Boring Bathroom

Awesome Safari Colored Bathroom:

I was inspired by that wooden elephant wall hanging. It just seemed so safari-ish and I thought orange would be perfect. I also have a Van Gogh print hanging in there that goes really well with the whole orange, yellow, and red vibe.

Now I'm kind of itching to paint some other rooms...maybe the upstairs hallway? upstairs bathroom? laundry room? But before I tackle any more home improvement projects, I plan to get to the store and plan some yummy summer meals for this week!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Food

2010-06-25T15:56:00.006-04:00

I absolutely love good, fresh, and healthy food. It makes me happy...so it's happy food!

Today I had two encounters with happy food. The first was my delicious breakfast. I had a toasted English muffin spread with part-skim ricotta cheese. Then I drizzled some Stone Fruit Compote on top and cut up a big bunch of organic strawberries.

Yum.

I may or may not have had a bowl of vanilla ice cream this afternoon and drizzled some of the compote on top of that, too.

My second happy food of the day was Fresh Corn Salad. I plan to bring it to a picnic with friends tonight and serving it with tortilla chips. I got this recipe from my good friend and posted it last year. I'll re-post it below because it's so darn delicious.

Fresh Corn Salad
~I was pretty much obsessed with this after my first bite~

*Fresh Corn is important - do not substitute frozen or canned.*
Dressing:

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced (you can leave this out, if you don't like spice)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Salad:

8 ears fresh corn, husks & silk removed (I used 6)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, or whatever tomatoes you have on hand (I used a couple large tomatoes that I chopped)
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed
6 scallions (green onions), sliced thinly
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I didn't use this because I don't like cilantro...don't hate me, I know everyone seems to like cilantro. But even the smell of it turns my stomach.)
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the dressing: Shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid (or a plastic container or plastic baggie).
Cook the corn in a big pot of boiling water until tender (5-7 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut kernels from cob with a paring knife into a large bowl.
Add tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, and dressing and toss. Season with S&P to taste & serve.

*This salad can be made a day in advance.

I'm actually going to have a third encounter with happy food at the picnic tonight. It's kind of a secret happy food of mine. You see, I don't eat beef. I hate it. I want to like it, but I don't. However, whenever I even smell this happy food I practically start drooling with the anticipation of eating it. My secret happy food is....

Yes...all-beef juicy hot dogs with ketchup on top.

Ironically, I detest turkey hot dogs. I typically substitute turkey for beef in recipes all the time, but turkey hot dogs make me want to vomit.

Do you have any happy foods?

Pizza on the Grill

2010-06-25T11:49:00.002-04:00

Making pizza on the grill is a really fun thing to do in the summer. The sky is the limit when it comes to creating different combinations of toppings. The first time I made pizza on the grill was at the Kitchen Workshop. We made a whole bunch of different pizzas and had a blast.

As I perused the latest issue of Everyday Food Magazine, they did an entire feature on making pizza on the grill. I was reminded of how much I enjoy grilling pizzas and I was intrigued by their topping recommendations.

Here is the recipe for basic pizza dough that was included in the July/August 2010 issue of Everyday Food Magazine.

Basic Grilled Pizza Dough
~This is so simple to make~

1 tsp sugar
1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
course salt and ground pepper
2 1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface (I used 1 cup of whole wheat and 1 1/4 cup all purpose)

Pour 1 cup warm water (not hot) into a medium bowl; add sugar and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).
Whisk oil and 1 tsp salt into yeast mixture. (I actually add the salt after I add a little flour because I believe I heard somewhere that salt can disrupt the yeast). Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until liquid is incorporated (dough will appear dry).
Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead until dough comes together in an elastic ball (2 minutes).
Transfer to an oiled medium bowl (I actually slosh some oil around in a large ziploc bag instead...less clean-up). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes).
Punch down dough and cover; let rise another 30 minutes (I actually had to go out at this point, so I just popped the dough in the fridge...it slows down the rising, but still works out perfectly. I can be stored in the fridge for several days and frozen for up to 1 month).
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface (if it was refrigerated, allow to come to room temperature). Divide into 4 equal pieces (I actually divided it in half to make two medium sized pizzas). Let rest 15 minutes before using.

Grilled Pizza in Easy Steps

Heat it up: Set up a grill with heat source, coals, or gas on one side over medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill.
Stretch it: On a lightly floured work surface, stretch or roll 1 piece of basic grilled pizza dough or 4 oz store-bought dough into 10 inch long oval or other desired shape. Brush one side with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper.
Grill it: Using your hands, place dough, oiled side down, directly over heat source. Brush dough with olive oil and cook until underside is lightly charred and bubbles form all over the top (one 1 or 2 minutes). With tongs, flip dough and cook until lightly charred (1 or 2 minutes). Slide dough to cooler side of the grill.
Top it: Top with desired cheese and toppings; cover grill. Cook until cheese melts and toppings are heated through (2 to 5 minutes).

I chose two different types of toppings.

The first was called "Shrimp and Pesto": 2 tbsp basil pesto (I bought a jar at the store), 3 oz grilled shrimp, 2 small tomatoes (sliced or chopped), 1/4 small red onion (sliced or chopped), and shaved Parmesan.

The second was called "Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta": 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 bunch of asparagus (steamed or grilled), and 1 tbsp grated lemon zest.

Both were unique and delicious! I was especially surprised by the asparagus and ricotta cheese pizza because the lemon gave it such a fresh taste.

Some other suggestions were "Tomato, Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella", "Fontina with Carmalized Fennel and Onions", and "Sausage, Olives, and Mozzarella with fresh Rosemary". I can't wait to try some more flavor combinations!

Spicy Sliders

2010-06-24T13:24:00.004-04:00

As I meandered through the aisles of the grocery store, I came across a package of buns for sliders. As a lover of all miniature forms of food (mini hot dogs, mini tarts, mini quiches...I could go on and on), I decided to try out these miniature burgers.

So I had the slider buns and a pound of ground turkey (since I don't eat beef) and went hunting online for an interesting recipe for turkey burgers. I came across the one below on allrecipes.com and we loved them!

Cumin Turkey Burgers
~These taste and smell delicious!~

1 egg
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (I only had the jarred kind on hand)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (I only had a pound and it worked out fine)
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted (I used 12 slider buns)
Toppings could include slices of cheese, lettuce, and tomato

Mix the egg, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in a large mixing bowl until the egg is well blended. Add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, mustard, paprika, chili powder, salt, bread crumbs, and turkey; mix well and form into 6 patties (or 12 mini patties for sliders).
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
Cook the turkey burgers on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Serve on the toasted hamburger or slider buns with desired toppings (if using cheese, add to the top of burgers during the final moment or two of cooking).

I served a yummy salad on the side composed of baby spinach and arugula, fresh blueberries, fresh sliced strawberries, a dash of salt and pepper, and topped with a splash of olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar. What a fresh and tasty summer meal!

Summer days

2010-06-23T20:04:00.006-04:00

I am now beginning my summer vacation and could not be more content. I know that teachers get teased because they get so much time off...but I swear that if there wasn't a summer break, there wouldn't be any teachers.

I'm extremely passionate about teaching and truly love each and every student I have in my class...but by the time June hits, I'm SO ready for some space before I turn into "scary teacher". It's nice to have some time to myself, but by the second week of August, I start itching to teach again!

So now I am spending my days doing exactly what I wish and loving every minute of it. I've been going through some of the summer issues of my favorite food magazines. As usual, Everyday Food Magazine has caught my eye and I've been using some of their ideas to create little bits of wonderfulness. The following two recipes come from the July/August 2010 issue.

Stone Fruit Compote
~This is perfect for spreading on toast or topping yogurt~

2 1/4 cups (3/4 lbs) stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines, or plums
2 tbsp honey
pinch of course salt
3 tbsp water
a flavor combination such as 1 star anise and 2 allspice berries OR 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 wide strip of lemon zest (I used a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and the strip of lemon zest)

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the fruit is soft (8-12 minutes).
Remove the lemon zest strip and/or cinnamon stick (if you used that flavor combination).
Transfer to a pint size jar and let cool (I used a canning jar). Once it's cool, you can put the lid on it and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. This chunky spread can be put on toast with ricotta cheese or over some plain yogurt. I imagine it would be great over ice cream, too!

Couscous Salad with Black Beans, Mushrooms, and Corn
~This meat-less meal is filling and delicious~

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous (you can use regular couscous or orzo pasta, too)
course salt and ground pepper
1/2 lb sliced button or cremini mushrooms
1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno (optional, but delicious in it) thinly sliced (I chopped it)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add couscous and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant (about 4 minutes).
Add 1 1/2 cups water, season with salt, and bring got a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender (about 15 minutes)
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and then transfer to a large bowl.
Add 1 tsp oil to the skillet and cook the scallion whites and corn, stirring occasionally, until scallions are soft and corn is browned (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and then add to the mushrooms.
Add couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno (if using), and scallion greens to the mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve with avocado slices on top. (I actually added some crumbled tortilla chips on top and it was a the perfect salty companion to the salad)

For me, summer days are all about relaxing, enjoying the fresh produce of the season, and doing the things that I love. Cooking is definitely at the top of that list!

Use What You've Got

2010-05-29T08:17:00.003-04:00

One of the main premises of "Cooking with a Plan" is to buy ingredients when they're on sale and use them in several different recipes. Furthermore, use the leftovers from those recipes to make new meals!

Here's an example of buying ingredients on sale and using them effectively:

Two weeks ago, frozen raw shrimp was on sale at Giant. I bought a 2 lb bag. This week, cherry tomatoes were 2 for $4 and bagged greens were 2 for $4 at Wegman's.

Last week, I didn't have much food in the house and decided to use some of the shrimp I had bought as a base for a meal. I discovered some delicious portobello frozen raviolis in the freezer and a jar of vodka sauce in the pantry. I also had a small piece of stale bread from earlier in the week.
I sliced the bread and brushed it with olive oil. I sprinkled some Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning over them and placed the slices on a cookie sheet. I broiled the bread for no more than 5 minutes (keep an eye on it!). Meanwhile, I thawed a handful of shrimp and peeled them. I also got a small pot of water boiling and cooked the ravioli. After a very quick saute of the shrimp, I tossed the cooked ravioli into the pan and then the vodka sauce. The shrimp and ravioli heated up the sauce and we were good to go. I wish I had gotten a picture of it because the bread was all golden and delicious and the ravioli looked much more decadent than a last minute meal should look.

Ok, now flash forward to this week. I made the Barley Salad with Chicken and Corn early in the week. This used up one of the pints of tomatoes and one bag of greens (baby spinach) and all the chicken I had in the house. As expected, I was flipping through Everyday Food Magazine when I was making my grocery list and saw that there was another recipe that would use the second pint of tomatoes, the second bag of greens, and the frozen shrimp that I bought on sale last week. With about ten minutes of planning, I was able to effectively use all the food I had purchased.

The biggest reason I like to cook with a plan is because I HATE wasting food (and money!). You think that you are getting this great deal when you get the 2 items for x amount of dollars, but then you never use both things. I've thrown away many bags of unused lettuce or pints of tomatoes because they spoil. You've got to have a plan for how to use ALL the ingredients you've purchased. I find that when I don't plan my meals around the quantity of ingredients I buy, things go bad and are wasted.

Sauteed Shrimp with Arugula and Tomatoes
~This is very simple, but satisfying~

olive oil (about 1 tbsp and 1 tsp)
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (I used 1 pint)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz. wild or baby arugula (4 cups)*
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
cooked pasta** or rice for serving

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they blister, about 2 minutes (it took more closer to 5).
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until almost opaque throughout, about 4 minutes.
Add arugula, season with salt and pepper, and toss until wilted, 1 minute.
Add lemon juice and toss to combine. Serve the saute over rice or pasta (I used Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti...our favorite!).

*Arugula is fun because it's got a unique peppery taste to it.
**I made a half of a box of spaghetti...but following the mindset of this post, I could have made the whole box and used the leftover spaghetti for one of my "Asian Take Out" meals I learned to make from How to Cook Without A Book. More on that idea is coming up in a future post!

Barley is Gnarly

2010-05-26T20:06:00.001-04:00

I couldn't help myself. I love the way that "Barley" and "Gnarly" rhyme. I just had to title this post with "Barley is Gnarly". However, I wasn't completely sure what "gnarly" meant. So being the cool person I am, I looked it up online. I found two totally different meanings.
The first one is from dictionary.com

Slang. distasteful; distressing; offensive; gross: a comic noted for his gnarly humor.

The second one is from urbandictionary.comOff the hook. Totally extreme. When you've gone beyond radical.

They are obviously quite different, which could be a representation of how people feel about barley. Some people really like it and allow it to be a base for lots of other flavors. Others hate all things that can be described as "health food" and think it's nasty.
I honestly have had very little experience with barley. I may have eaten it once or twice, but I've never prepared it and never had a strong desire to prepare it. I figured it would taste...well, gnarly (in the dictionary.com sense of the word). But when I made used it in a recipe last night, I found it to be rather gnarly (in the urbandictionary.com sense of the word).

I saw a recipe in Everyday Food Magazine (I'm loving myself some Everyday Food Magazine June 2010) that used barley and thought I'd try it. Yum! The barley took on all the great flavors in the dish and made it more filling and nutritious. I actually read online that barley is considered a "nutritional powerhouse" because of its fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lack of fat and cholesterol.

Here are a few tips/shortcuts that I used for this recipe:

Instead of roasting chicken and shredding it, I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. At Wegman's, the rot. chickens are only $4.99 and perfect for this type of thing.
Instead of buying a big sack of barley (because, at this point, I was still convinced that it was gnarly), I used the bulk section of Wegman's organic aisle. Not all grocery stores have bulk sections, but they are a great money saver because you only get what you need!
I used a silpa t on the baking sheet when I roasted the veggies. I didn't want to scrap charred scallions off the bottom of the pan.
Finally, I bought a bag of pre-washed baby spinach. I'm veering away from bagged greens for numerous reasons, but this was the most convenient option on a busy work night.

Barley Salad with Chicken and Corn
~This would be a great thing to bring to a cookout~

salt and pepper
1 cup barley
2 bunches scallions, cut into thirds crosswise and white ends halved
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, about 3 ears of corn, or frozen corn (I used fresh)
Olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 fresh parsley leaves
Approx. 2 chicken breasts, shredded
At least 1 tbsp and 2 tsp fresh lime juice
5 oz. baby spinach

In a medium pot of boiling water, cook barley according to package instructions (I used the instructions at the store which said to cook each cup of barley in 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water). Drain and let cool.
Meanwhile, preheat over to 450 degrees. Place scallions and corn on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
In a large bowl, combine barley, roasted vegetables, tomato es, parsley, chicken, 1 tbsp oil, and 1 tbsp lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, toss spinach with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken-barley mixture over the spinach leaves.

Since I was feeling very much like a domestic diva, I decided to make the cookie recipe in the same issue of Everyday Food Magazine because I had the ingredients on hand. They just looked so light and refreshing in the magazine!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Cookies
~These were so easy and so delicious~

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, egg yolks, poppy seeds, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir eggs mixture into flour mixture until combined (dough will be slightly dry).
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake cookies until golden brown, 10-14 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely (or eat them warm right out of the oven because you can't wait). They can be stored for approx. 5 days in an airtight container.
Optional Step: I decided to use the lemon juice from the zested lemon to make a little glaze for the top. This is totally not necessary, but adds a nice layer of flavor to the yummy morsel. I just mixed the lemon juice with powdered sugar until it reached the desired consistency and then drizzled it on the cookies as they cooled.

Two Sides to Breakfast

2010-05-24T19:46:00.006-04:00

Last week I had to bring a casserole to a special breakfast we were having at school. I have limited experience with making breakfast casseroles other than my Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata.
My thoughts wandered back to a dish that my friend, Jen, made for a little get together we had. I remember eating one serving and then casually passing by the food table about 100 more times to keep getting more.
I wish I had gotten a picture of this dish last week, because they look so yummy! By the time I thought of taking a picture, they were practically gone!

Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
~These are quite the crowd pleaser~

24 party size potato rolls
1/2 lb. sliced swiss cheese
1/2 lb. sliced ham
2 sticks (1cup) butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbls. mustard
2Tbls.poppy seeds

Slice rolls in half and place bottoms in 9 by 13 baking pan.
Layer on cheese and ham and top with roll tops.
Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and poppy seeds. Bring to a boiland let boil 2 minutes.
Immediately pour over rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be made ahead and heated when ready to serve.

These sticky buns may be delicious, but they are not great if you are calorie counting. I was browsing my June 2010 edition of Everyday Food Magazine and saw this healthy twist on the traditional "Egg-in-a-hole", which is usually made by frying a slice of bread with an egg in the center. I made them for dinner tonight and we were delighted with the result!

Bell Pepper "Egg-in-a-hole"
~This took less than 10 minutes to make!~

2 tsp olive oil
1 bell pepper (any color), cut into four 1/2 inch thick rings
4 large eggs
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp grated Parmesan (I actually shredded some sharp Cheddar instead)
4 slices multigrain bread, toasted
8 cups mixed salad greens (I scrapped this and make some home fries with a potato I had laying around)

In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high.
Add bell pepper, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring.
Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy. Sprinkle with Parmesan (or Cheddar) and place each egg on a slice of toast (I put the eggs between two slices of toast to make a breakfast sandwich).
Toss salad greens with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper, serve alongside eggs (like I said before, I didn't do this because I didn't have any greens...but I made some home fries instead).

Since I made this for dinner, we finished it off with some old fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I made last night as a "Series Finale of LOST Special Treat". I found the recipe online at allrecipes.com

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
~These are my husband's favorite cookies~

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Giveaway and Gratitude

2010-04-15T12:01:00.002-04:00

If you are still reading this blog of mine, I thank you. I realize I haven't been the blogger I wish I could be these past many months. I've got so many ideas and have been making so many yummy things that it pains me when I can't share them.

However, my grad class that has been taking over my life will be over in two short weeks. At that time, report cards and parent-teacher conferences will also be over. This means I will have, dare I say it? FREE TIME AGAIN!

My hope is to fill you in on many of my kitchen-related adventures in the not-too-distant future.

In other news, I learned of this giveaway from another blog I visit often. It's hosted by Girlymama and it involves le creuset cookware...which is awesome.

SO...if you're interested, head on over to Girlymama and check it out!

And you have my most sincere gratitude for stopping by...don't give up on me just yet, I'm hoping there's lots of good food that will make it on here soon :)

My New Best Friend

2010-04-01T11:27:00.008-04:00

I have a new best friend that I keep in my freezer. When I have to come up with dessert in a snap, it's always there to lend a hand. When I want to create something impressive, it always comes through for me. It's name is Puff Pastry...and we are BFF.
You can find puff pastry in the freezer section with the dessert stuff. I use Pepperidge Farm. I buy the flat sheets (two sheets per package) instead of the shells, but I'm sure they are also great to have. Puff pastry is one of those things that appears to be a painstaking thing to make and people are typically impressed when it's put before them. It's flaky and buttery and the perfect base for all sorts of flavors, sweet or savory.

In my book, How to Cook Without a Book, Pam Anderson devoted her dessert chapter to puff pastry and the many last minute things you can make with it. I've been using puff pastry long before my love affair with How to Cook Without a Book began, but I liked her chocolate turnovers idea so much I thought I would share it with you through pictures.

First, you thaw one sheet of puff pastry and cut it into nine squares (approx. 3'' x 3''). I actually made six slightly bigger ones in the pictures below. You also get out some semi-sweet chocolate and break it into nine little pieces (about 1/4 oz. each).

If you want to make Jam turnovers, just get out your favorite flavor and substitute 1 tsp of jam for each 1/4 oz. piece of chocolate (I did both below). Place the jam or chocolate into the lower corner of each square.

Then you beat an egg into a little dish and brush the egg onto the edges of the each square.

Fold each square in half diagonally to form a little triangle turnover. Place each turnover onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with the egg. I put little dollops of jam on the jam turnovers so that I could tell them apart once they were baked. You obviously don't have to do that.

Bake the turnovers in a 425 degree oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. If you are using both racks of the oven, switch the cookie sheets halfway through. If you are only using one cookie sheet, rotate it halfway through.

They come out looking delicious, but let them cool before burning your tongue so badly that you can't even taste them (obviously a lesson learned by personal experience). You can also sprinkle them with powdered sugar if you want...which I forgot to do.

If you have puff pastry, some chocolate in your cupboard or jam in your fridge, you've got a pretty impressive little dessert to serve last minute. I recently had a real BFF over for dinner (as opposed to my food-related BFFs) and she enjoyed them immensely. She also said, "Only you would have puff pastry all ready to go in your freezer". But puff pastry is not fancy-shmancy...it's literally idiot-proof and is the perfect thing to have on hand for no-fuss desserts or appetizers.

This is only 1 of the ten million things you can do with puff pastry...in fact, I used it to make something completely awesome that I'll share in a post soon.

Last Minute Meals

2010-03-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

Balancing all of my various obligations and activities has been a challenge these past several months. I find that I don't always have time to do the things I love (like blogging). But I never stop cooking; And that's not just because we need to eat to survive. I have to cook. It inspires me and gives me the lift I need during my most hectic weeks.

I've still been planning out my meals as often as possible because I truly believe that cooking with a plan is the most time efficient and cost effective way to cook. However, I've needed to learn how to come up with last minute meals when planning is just not an option.

I'm pretty much obsessed with the book How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson. I've almost read it cover to cover and completely love how confident it's made me to improvise more while I cook.

I feel as though I have a decent sense of what flavors go well together and how to pair certain foods together. However, I'm always insecure about the proportions of ingredients and feel overly dependent on recipes because I don't know how much I need of this and that. This book gives basic rules of thumb for the amounts of ingredients in certain kinds of recipes.

For example, although there are literally countless ways to make soup, Pam gives a basic recipe that you can use with whatever you have on hand. She always starts with an onion and then adds 1 lb of vegetables, 1 lb of meat, 1 lb of starch, a quart of broth, and some herbs, spices, or flavorings. Then she gives all sorts of suggestions for vegetables, meats, and flavorings that go well together. My favorite has been Sausage Soup with Mushroom, Zucchini, and Chickpeas. She has all of these somewhat awkward, but helpful, little rhymes to help you remember the formulas (i.e."Saute an onion, then add vegetables, starch, and meat. Cook it in a quart of broth for a meal that can't be beat")

She uses this same philosophy for all sorts of others things including Asian cuisine, sauteed meat with pan sauces, and salads. The book is so fascinating and my husband absolutely loves every single thing I've tried.

I've been able to make a last minute stop at the store and grab the meats and vegetables that are on sale, knowing that I can use her formulas to turn them into meals. It's also been a great way for me to use up what's in my vegetable drawer. Her Lo Mein, Pad Thai, and Fried Rice recipes work so well with tons of different combinations of vegetables. All I have to do is use what I have left and then add some chicken or thaw some shrimp from the freezer. We've pretty much stopped ordering Chinese take-out because we love these recipes so much and they are SO easy.

I still enjoy searching for new and exciting recipes to try. I just love finding a recipe that challenges me to cook with new techniques and ingredients. I don't even mind when they take a long time if I'm having a calm evening. But when the work day ends and I've got to meet with my partner for my grad class, stop at the library to renew my books, pick up my prescription at the store, and then throw some dinner together before grading a huge stack of papers...it's nice to know that I have some delicious last minute meal ideas up my sleeve!

Something out of Nothing

2010-02-27T09:18:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I have one of those nights where there isn't much food in the house...but I'm positive that I don't have the energy to go out to eat. Instead of dialing the local pizza place, I've been trying to be more creative with what I can find in the fridge and pantry.

Recently, I had this kind of night and decided to go on a hunt for some dinner. I looked in the fridge and saw three crowns of broccoli. I discovered a couple Yukon gold potatoes in the bottom cupboard. This was not looking promising...so I opened my freezer. Ah ha! There was that bag of frozen tilapia fillets that I had gotten on sale at Wegman's last month "just in case" I ever needed them. Surely, I could make something out of these ingredients.

I did a quick search online for simple tilapia recipes to get some inspiration. I could have just baked them in the oven with some butter or lemon juice on top...but I wanted something a little more flavorful. I happened upon this little gem on allrecipes.com.

With a can of tomato paste (which I always have in the pantry) and some spices, I could make something new! I didn't have the peppers, so I decided to roast the potatoes and broccoli instead.

The tilapia fillets are individually wrapped (which is so convenient), so I dunked 4 fillets (still in the wrapping) into cold water. By the time I made the sauce and got the potatoes and broccoli in the oven, they were thawed.

Baked Tilapia with Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
~Simple and Satisfying~

3/4 cup olive oil (plus more for roasting)
3 crowns of broccoli, cut into florets
2 or 3 Yukon gold potatoes (Russet would be fine, too), chopped into bite-size chunks
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 (4 oz.) tilapia fillets
1 large onion, sliced
4 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the potatoes with a generous drizzle of olive oil and several pinches of salt in a bowl, tossing to coat the potatoes. Spread into an even layer on half of a large sheet pan. Roast for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the broccoli with a generous drizzle of olive oil and several pinches of salt in a bowl, tossing to coat the broccoli. Take the potatoes out and put the broccoli in an even layer on the other side of the sheet pan. Drizzle the potatoes and broccoli with some balsamic vinegar. Roast for another 10 minutes (but check to see how they're coming along). Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and move the pan to the bottom rack.
While the potatoes and vegetables are still roasting, coat bottom of a medium baking dish with about 1/4 cup olive oil.
In a small bowl, blend remaining olive oil, tomato paste, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
Arrange tilapia fillets in the prepared baking dish. With a spatula, spread the olive oil and tomato paste mixture over the tilapia, heaping the majority in the centers of the fillets. Arrange onion slices on and around the fillets.
Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork. If the potatoes and broccoli are getting overcooked on the bottom rack, take them out and cover with foil to keep them warm.
When the tilapia is done, remove them from the oven and top each fillet with 1 tablespoon butter, and set oven to broil. Broil 5 to 7 minutes, until butter is melted and lightly brown. Serve the tilapia fillets with the roasted onions on top and the broccoli and potatoes on the side.

Even though I prefer cooking with a plan...sometimes I don't have a plan. Improvising with what you have on hand is a must sometimes and I find it to be kind of fun and quite rewarding!

Breakfast for Two -- The Snowed-in Edition

2010-02-06T09:55:00.009-05:00

This is what my car looked like when I got up this morning.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from someone I used to work with years ago. I remember her heating up her leftovers at lunch and thinking that she was somewhat of a domestic goddess. She was (and is) a great cook and I had yet to touch a raw chicken breast without ziploc bags on my hands. Time has passed and I've become so comfortable cooking that I would be fine juggling raw chicken now (which I actually can't do because I can't juggle...and it would be really weird to juggle raw meat). My friend has had an adorable little son and moved on to a different career.

Anyway, she knows that I cook now and was kind enough to send me a recipe that she was really excited about. She recently discovered the magic of a waffle iron and was searching for healthy waffle recipes. Waffles are typically not the most healthy breakfast choice, but she found a recipe that is both delicious and full of healthy ingredients.

I love my waffle iron.

While in the midst of this blizzard and I decided to try the recipe since I always have those ingredients on hand.

YUM! They smelled delicious, tasted wonderfully sweet, and were filling enough to eat all by themselves. My husband likes to think that eggs are a necessary component to any "special" breakfast and said he was going to make them. The waffles were ready so fast that he hadn't gotten the chance and admitted afterward that he was too full for eggs.

You can totally make this ahead of time, pop it in the fridge, and make a waffle or two when you're ready. Why, hello, tomorrow's breakfast:

Without further ado...

Whole Grain Waffles
~Fast, east, and delicious~

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup all-purpose)
3/4 cup rolled oats (a.k.a. "old fashioned" oats)
1/4 firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder (I forgot to type this when I first posted this recipe! Sorry!!)
2 tbsp wheat germ (my friend used ground flax seed)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (this made the recipe, in my opinion)
Pinch fine salt (I used Kosher and it was fine)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 unsalted butter, melted
1/4 walnut or peanut oil (I used peanut, my friend used unsweetened applesauce)
Maple Syrup (I had some from Vermont that a student had given me for Christmas...yum

Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high (mine just preheats without any temperature levels.
Whisk the flour with the oats, sugar, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
In another medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the milk, butter, and oil. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, to m ake a batter. Take care not to over work the batter, it's fine if there are a few lumps.
Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter per waffle (it depends on the size of your waffle iron) and cook until the outside of the waffle is crisp and inside is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. (The time varies depending on the size and spread of the waffle iron) Serve warm with maple syrup. Repeat with remaining batter.

If you live anywhere in the mid-Atlantic...be safe and enjoy the snow!

A Family Meal

2010-01-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

I absolutely live for making big family meals. There is something so deliciously wonderful about eating good food with people you care about. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to love with food.

I've never been much of a Giada de Laurentiis fan. She's beautiful, but as I watched her show I would be somewhat distracted by her huge head and short arms (think: T-Rex).

Yeah...she scares me a little, too.

I also get annoyed at the excessive amount of cleavage showing in every episode (which may account for the large male fan base she has acquired). Furthermore, I get confused by the way she talks. One minute, she is talking like you and me. The next minute, she is pronouncing Italian ingredients like she lives in a Tuscan villa on the Mediterranean coast. Just say Parmesan and marscarpone cheese like a normal person...you grew up in California. Anyway.

I got her Giada's Family Dinners cookbook for Christmas and began to try her recipes. Um, wow. Every single thing I've made from this cookbook has been completely mouthwatering. I'm sorry I called you a T-Rex, Giada, because your recipes are awesome.

I've made the following recipe three separate times since Christmas because it's a total crowd pleaser. It yields enough to make 6 hearty main course servings. If you're anything like me, I find sun-dried tomatoes to be a bit much sometimes. The way they are cooked in this recipe really mellows their flavor and they are delicious. I followed up this pasta dinner recently with a yummy dessert recipe I found in Southern Living Magazine.

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
~I use whole grain pasta to make this hearty one dish meal~

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tbsp of oil reserved*
1 lb Italian hot sausages, casings removed (I use hot Italian turkey sausage)
2 (8 oz.) packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I have yet to find frozen artichokes, so I use the canned kind in brine, not oil)
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 3/4 cups reduced sodium-chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
12 oz. penne (I use Barilla Whole Grain)
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed (she says this is optional, but I think it's essential)
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork (about 8 minutes)
Transfer sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender (about 2 minutes).
Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces slightly (about 8 minutes).
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but still firm to the bite (about 10 minutes). Drain, but do not rinse, the pasta.
Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta.
Stir in the mozzarella and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

*Those of you who are local: Jarred sun-dried tomatoes can be really pricey...especially the jars in the produce aisle. I actually found the Wegman's brand sun-dried tomatoes in oil (found in the pasta aisle) are the cheapest around.

Banana Bread Cobbler
~I wish I had gotten a picture of this...it was really good~

1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup all purpose with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 medium-size ripe bananas, sliced

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup self-rising flour (or 1/2 cup all purpose with 3/4 tsp baking power and 1/4 tsp salt)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together 1 cup flour, sugar, and milk until just blended. Whisk in melted butter and pour batter into a lightly greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish.
Top with banana slices.
Combine Streusel ingredients (brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and butter) until crumbly, using a fork. Stir oats and pecans into the Streusel mixture.
Top the banana slices with the Streusel mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (I loved it with vanilla ice cream).

Family get togethers should not force you to be in the kitchen all day. Make simple and delicious meals like this and then spend your time doing what matters...being with the people you love.

Chicken Three Ways

2010-01-25T19:02:00.006-05:00

When money is tight, I try to be creative with one cheap ingredient. This week chicken was on sale at Giant. I got one value pack for the week and got one to stick in the freezer for another week to come. I picked up a few odds and ends and walked out with enough food to make three good meals and part of a fourth.

This week is also a busy one. I've got plans Tuesday night, grad class Wednesday night, and Bible study Thursday night. I felt that it was appropriate to bring out an appliance with which I have a love-hate relationship....my slow cooker (a.k.a Crock Pot).

I know that there are countless people out there who are absolutely in love with their slow cookers. I want to be...but I've had some unfortunate experiences with mine. First of all, I don't eat beef. Many slow cooker recipes center around beef because it's the type of meat that is really good when cooked for a long time. Second of all, I've tried several chicken recipes that have resulted in overcooked dry chicken. Third of all, I've tried a couple breakfast recipes that involved eggs...which I'm quite certain should not be slow cooked (at least the ones that I made!). Finally, I am out of the house for a loooong time on most days. The 6-8 hour recipes usually end up overcooked by the time I get home. A recipe that would work for me would need to cook at least 8 hours (more like 10 on most days) and still be edible.

Here's where the love part comes in...I've found some slow cooker recipes that actually work for me!! So I pulled out two of them and got to plannin'.

On Sunday, I went to the store and made Bang Bang Chicken for dinner. I took all of 10 minutes to prep my ingredients needed for Chicken Tortilla Soup on Monday. Since all my recipes for the week required the chicken to be cut into small pieces, I went ahead and cut up the whole value pack and sectioned the appropriate portion for each recipe into plastic bags. I also grabbed a package of hot Italian turkey sausage that I had stashed in the freezer (from a buy one, get one free week at Giant) and stuck it in the fridge to thaw.

On Monday, I dumped all my prepped ingredients into my slow cooker in the morning and came home to a house smelling of delicious Chicken Tortilla soup.

On Monday night, I prepped my ingredients for Tuesday...which, again, took about 10 minutes. It's really easy when you make little meal kits like this:

On Tuesday, I'll dump all my prepped ingredients into my slow cooker in the morning and come home to Spanish Chicken and rice.

On Wednesday, I'll come home from grad class and eat left-overs.

On Thursday, I'll throw together a quick Sausage Soup with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Chickpeas.

Here's how the magic happens:

Bang Bang Chicken over Rice
~This authentic Chinese recipe is simple and delicious~

1 chicken breast, cut into strips or 1 inch pieces (I used about 1 1/2 chicken breasts)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp grated ginger root
1 scallion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cucumber sliced
Prepared rice

Heat a wok or frying pan for a good 3-4 minutes while you prep your ingredients.
Add 1-2 tbsp oil (I used peanut) to the hot pan and then stir-fry the chicken, garlic, ginger, and scallion until the chicken is cooked through. This took me only a few minutes.
Add the water, soy sauce, peanut butter, and vinegar to the pan (stirring to coat the chicken with the liquid) and simmer 5 minutes.
Finally, add the broccoli and cucumber and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 7 minutes). During this time, the liquid added in step 3 will reduce and make a nice saucy coating on the chicken and vegetables.
Serve over rice.

The above recipe was taken from a book called Extending the Table. My husband bought it for me from 10,000 Villages (a really awesome free-trade store). It has authentic recipes from all over the world and tons of other interesting cultural information. It's definitely the kind of cookbook that you can actually read (alright, fine...I've been known to curl up with a good cookbook at bed time...even when it's just recipes).

Chicken Tortilla Soup
~This soup smells so wonderful when you walk in the door~

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth (4 cups)
4 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into one inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used Italian parsley because I detest cilantro)

Possible garnishes:

Shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla chips on top
Chopped scallions

Spray 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all soup ingredients except cilantro (or parsley).
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours (I cooked it 8-10 hours)
Stir in cilantro (or parsley). Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 15 minutes longer.
Garnish each serving with cheese and sour cream (and tortilla chips).

My sister in law gave me this recipe which she got from a Pillsbury Slow Cooker recipe book ( ya know, the kind you see in the aisle of the grocery store). It turns out so well...the chicken is moist and the tortillas dissolve a bit into the soup making it creamy and thick.

Spanish Chicken

~Haven't tried this yet, but it looks like a winner~Recipe courtesy of the Pillsbury website

1 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb Italian turkey sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 cup uncooked rice (or 2 cups cooked)
2 cups water
1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 can (3.8 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (we skipped these...don't like olives)

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix chicken, sausage, bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Cover; cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours (mine will cook a bit more than 8 hours)
About 25 minutes before serving, cook rice in 2 cups water as directed on package (or use left over rice). Just before serving, stir artichoke hearts and olives into chicken mixture.
Cover; cook until hot. Serve chicken mixture with rice.

This recipe was also taken from the Pillsbury recipe book. I think it has all the componants of a yummy sounding meal. I actually made a double batch of rice on Sunday (when I made the Bang Bang Chicken) so that I wouldn't have to cook rice again for this meal.

Sausage Soup with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Chickpeas
~Very simple, very delicious, and freezes beautifully~

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 medium onoin, choped
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1 medium (8 oz) zucchini cut into a medium dice
1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage (or you can use already cooked andouille sausage for an even easier soup!)
2 (16 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (can be optional...but I put it in)
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute to soften slightly (about 2 minutes). Add the zucchini, sausage, chickpeas, tomatoes, chicken broth, and cumin.
Partially cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors have blended (about 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.

This simple recipe is from a cookbook called How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson. It's literally rocking my cooking world and I can't wait to post more about her awesome way of cooking.

So there you have it...several meals made from an eight dollar package of chicken, some items from my pantry and freezer, and some fresh produce.

Year 1

2010-01-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about this blog that past couple of days. Partly because I have so many ideas that I'd like to post, but just haven't had the chance yet. But I am also approaching the one year anniversary of when I started this blog. I'm not really into the whole "Blogiversary" thing, but I have done some reflecting on my experience as a "blogger" over the past year.

About a year ago, I was at a New Year's Eve party and was talking all about my cooking and new recipes and how excited I was to share them with my friends. I said that maybe I would put together some sort of packet of my recipes to share with everyone. One of my friends told me I should start a blog. I immediately dismissed the idea, thinking that I wouldn't be able to do it. I don't really consider myself a writer and thought I would just sound dumb.

We came home from the party and my husband began encouraging me to do it. He thought blogging was a great idea and said it would be a great place for me to keep my favorite recipes. With his prompting, I finally went on to blogger and set up this little blog. Since then, I've been blogging (sometimes often, sometimes not so often) about everything food related...recipes, food shopping, meal planning, cooking tools and gadgets, and even my own journey with food. I've found blogging to be such a wonderful hobby for me. It makes me feel productive and creative and it helps me communicate my love of food with others.

So there you have it...I love my blog. I've been pretty relaxed about posting the last few months, but maybe I'll get started up again during these cold winter months when I tend to hibernate. Even if I don't get to blogging as often as I'd like, I know this little blog will wait for me to pick right back up wherever I left off.

And for those of you who read my little piece of the internet...thanks for visiting :)

The Most Forgotten Meal of the Day

2010-01-04T12:10:00.001-05:00

Even though everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there are so many people who skip it. I always eat breakfast (unless I sleep in until 10:00 while on winter break...then I eat lunchfast). Usually, it's not a lot but I always try to eat something.

I know that eating isn't exactly the first thing you want to do when you wake up, but it's so important to get your body going in the morning. It's like putting fuel in your body to get you cruising until lunchtime. It also tells your body that you are planning to eat today and it can burn up what's in your belly, instead of hang on to it for dear life. I don't often feel well in the morning, but I feel even worse when I don't eat anything.

I'm not a morning person at all...so please don't picture me flipping pancakes and making omelets in the morning while whistling a cheerful tune. Picture me pressing snooze three times and then whimpering under the covers until my husband finally succeeds in convincing me to get up and go to work. So, needless to say, I need something quick and easy in the morning.

I almost always combine some sort of fruit with some sort of bread. Sometimes it's a banana and an English muffin with a bit of butter and honey on it. Sometimes it's apple slices and a piece of toast with raspberry jam. This morning I tried something different and absolutely loved it!

I got the idea from Everyday Food Magazine and tweaked it a bit.

First I bought some of this: Then I got these things out:

I toasted up a slice of bread and then spread the plain Greek yogurt on it. I added a heaping teaspoon of honey and some chopped walnuts. Wow! The creamy tangy flavor of the yogurt was sweetened by the honey and the nuts added a nutritious crunch. Everyday Food Magazine suggests adding pistachios, but I didn't have any on hand. I drank a few sips of orange juice and then got my coffee to head off to work.

This quick little breakfast idea is healthy, filling, and delicious. It kept me going all morning long until I got out my delicious soup for lunch. More on the soup in a future post! :)

New Year, New Directions

2010-01-02T12:08:00.005-05:00

I was visiting a friend's blog and read through her list of goals for 2010. I was struck by how many of them resembled my own. She, like me, is not wild and crazy about the whole "New Year's Resolution" idea. I don't like to put that much pressure on myself. But I do have some overall goals for this year that I'd like to work toward. Will I achieve them all? Maybe, but probably not. I'm a-ok with that. So, without further ado, here are my goals for 2010:

1. I'd like to become much more familiar with how to cook without a recipe. I'd like to open up my cabinets and say "I'll put this and this and this together and then add a little of this for dinner". I got a wonderful book called How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson.

Not this Pam Anderson...

This Pam Anderson...

She's a great cookbook author and food journalist. Her book is really challenging me to stop depending on recipes so much and put my own knowledge and instincts into my cooking.

2. Consider planting a garden. I chose the word "consider" because I kill all plants. I try so hard to keep them alive, but always fail. I really do mean always. Herbs in the windowsill...dead. Poinsettia plants given to me for Christmas...dead. All flowers planted in the back yard...dead. In fact, last year I never got around to bringing in my flowerpots before winter came and they all froze. Which means the soil inside of them expanded and they all exploded. Only one survived and I'm looking at it right now from my window and wondering when it will also freeze and explode. My gardening skills are so bad that the previous owner of our house came back to visit the neighbors and weeded our flower beds (which was somewhat alarming because she didn't ask permission first...but at least the weeds were gone!)

Anyway.

I'd like to clear out all the flowers and such from the little garden off of my patio and plant a vegetable and herb garden. My neighbor, who just happens to be the former head of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, said that she would help me. We shall see.

3. I'd like to pursue a healthier lifestyle for both myself and the environment. I've been learning a lot about the food industry lately and feel more and more compelled to buy more organic and sustainable foods. I need to figure out a way to work these higher priced items into my shopping budget, but I think it's a challenge worth taking. I want to eat more seasonally and locally. I'm excited for the weather to warm up (in, what feels like, a thousand months from now) so that I can explore some local farmers markets and produce stands.

I also want to be more active. I want to strengthen my core so that I have less lower back pain. I also want to increase my energy level. Ironically, I'm heading over to the gym today. You may think that's not ironic at all...but I'm going there to quit. I'm quiting so that we can use that money for a Netflix subscription. Sounds like I'm getting closer to my goal of being more active by the minute! All kidding aside, I don't enjoy working out in a gym setting and have been working out more at home.

4. A minor, but important, goal of mine is to wear an apron when I cook! Seems like a no brainer, but I never remember to put one on and then I get stains on all of my clothes. I have so many grease spots on various shirts from splattering olive oil or smudges from juicy fruits and veggies. It's such a silly thing to forget, so my goal is to remember to grab it before turning the burners on.

5. My last goal is to open up our home more to friends and family. We do a fair amount of entertaining, but I want our house to be the kind of place where we can invite people over spontaneously. I want it to be a place that I'm not embarrassed by if someone stops over unexpectedly. This means that I need to pick up regularly and keep a well stocked fridge and pantry. The idea is that we can bump into people and invite them for dinner without me going into a total panic over what to serve them and where to stash all the random things lying around.

So there they are. Those are my goals for 2010. At this moment, my clothes are all over the bedroom floor, the fridge is empty, and I'm quitting the gym...it looks like I have a lot of work to do!

Giveaway Alert

2009-12-16T10:59:00.003-05:00

I don't often join in on the giveaway fun that many blogs offer. However, I am a huge fan of Nigella Lawson and my friend's blog, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, is doing a giveaway of her new book. If you are interested, head on over there and check it out!

Gifts from the Kitchen

2009-12-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

I am very familiar with the plate of Christmas cookies or the banana bread that you are often given around the holidays. Not that I don't love cookies and breads...but I get so overloaded with them during the holidays that some of them are sure to go to waste.

I recently learned how to do some "gifts in a jar" from a friend of mine and from a whole pile of books I checked out of the library on the subject. These gifts enable a person to have most of the ingredients to make something, but they can make it whenever they want to instead of having to eat it right away.

Here's the one my friend taught me to make:

Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

Large canning jar (1 quart, I think)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Scraps of fabric
ribbon or twine

Mix together the flour and baking soda and carefully place into the bottom of the jar as the first layer.
Place the brown sugar as the 2nd layer and the white sugar as the 3rd.
Top the white sugar with the quick oats. Then, use the chocolate chips to fill to the top.
Cut out a piece of fabric into a circle and tie onto the top of the jar with ribbon or twine.
Attach the following directions (either handwritten or typed on nice paper)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Empty jar into bowl, stir in butter, 1 beaten egg, and vanilla. Mix well.
Drop on cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.

What I love about this gift is that it's inexpensive and actually useful. When someone is in a pinch they can grab the jar and whip up a treat! Like I said before, there are tons of books on these types of gifts and I plan to try some more. You can do it with soups, special hot chocolate and tea mixes, muffin mixes, breads, and scones.

Go ahead and research some additional recipes and I'll share the good ones that I come across. It really makes a thoughtful and practical gift!

Thanks

2009-12-03T20:05:00.008-05:00

Thanks for visiting even though I didn't post anything for the entire month of November. I could list all the things that have kept me crazy busy over the past many weeks...but I'm not going to. For me, writing this blog is fun. It's something I do that is relaxing and gives me a great deal of gratification. I use it as a resource I want to make my favorite recipes. I use it to share recipes with others. So thanks for stopping by...and thanks for not getting irritated at my inconsistent blogging habits.

Speaking of being thankful...I hosted Thanksgiving last week. It went SO well! Turkeys totally do not stress me out anymore. The first time I made a turkey, I did not give it enough time to thaw in the fridge. The day I was supposed to cook it, I stood in front of the kitchen sink crying while the stupid frozen turkey bobbed up and down in icy water it was supposed to be thawing in. Then when I finally got it thawed, I began to gag when all of the "parts" emerged from the inside of the turkey.

Now I thaw it well in advance. I grab those "parts" (a.k.a. giblets and neck) with bravery and throw them in a saucepan to boil away for the gravy. What a different a few years makes.

I've done a previous post on some Thanksgiving recipes that I enjoy. I thought I would add to that post here. It may be too late for Thanksgiving...but if you're making a turkey for the holidays, here's how I do it.

Ali's Favorite Way to Roast a Turkey*

15 lb - 20 lb turkey
1 lemon
1 orange
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 head of garlic
1 large onion
1 stick of butter, softened
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the gizzards and neck and put into a small saucepan filled with water and an onion. Bring to a boil and then simmer for several hours.
Rinse the turkey, inside and out, and then pat dry with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper the inside of the turkey.
Cut the lemon and orange into quarters and stuff inside the turkey. Take a few sprigs of each fresh herb and put aside. Stuff the rest of the herbs into the turkey.
Cut the head of garlic in half crosswise so that the cloves are cut in half. Cut the onion into large pieces and stuff the garlic and onion into the turkey.
Remove the thyme, sage, and rosemary leaves from the stems and chop finely. Mix the herbs into the softened butter.
Gently use your fingers to separate the skin from the breast meat of the turkey. Massage the butter directly onto the meat, under the skin. And yes, I truly "massage" the butter into the meat.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and place into a roasting pan. Pour some olive oil over the skin and then generously salt and pepper the outside of the turkey. If you have a few bits of fresh herbs left, toss them on too!
Cover up the bird with foil and put in the oven. Depending on the size of the turkey (look it up online) set your timer for a few hours before it's supposed to be done (mine was 20 lb. so I cooked it for about 4 1/2 to 5 hours). A few hours before it's done, go ahead and baste it with some of the pan juices.
About 45 minutes or an hour before it's due to be done, remove the foil so that the skin will brown up (think of the olive oil as tanning oil).
Check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. It should be around 165 degrees or the juices should run clear when you pierce it with a knife. Take it out, and cover it with foil. Let it rest for a good 20-30 minutes. It stays hot under the foil and the juices go back into it so that it's nice and moist.
Carve each breast off as one large piece and then slice into thick slices. I think it's so much tastier that way...I just don't like the traditional thin slices as much.
While the turkey is resting, remove the pan drippings from the roasting pan. Strain out the gizzards, neck, and onion from the saucepan. Combine the remaining liquid and the pan drippings into a larger saucepan. Make a mixture of flour and water and whisk into the drippings. Strain several times if there are lumps. My grandmother did this part, so I won't pretend to be an expert on gravy making...but it seemed relatively simple and turned out delicious!

*I am kind of against stuffing the turkey. I know a lot of people do it very successfully...but I feel as though I'd have to cook the turkey long enough to allow the stuffing to get done and meanwhile, the turkey would get dry. Plus, I just love all those aromatics that I use to stuff the turkey.

My sister almost always makes the stuffing for Thanksgiving and tried a different recipes each year. This is the one she tried this year and it turned out great!

German Stuffing
~This stuffing is a great mix between sweet and savory flavors~

2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onions
4 tbsp butter
6 cups chopped and peeled apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup prunes, chopped
1 bag cranberries (fresh, not dried)
16 cups cubed white bread or 2 bags of stuffing
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup apple cider
1 cup turkey or chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Saute the celery and onion in skillet until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and add apples, raisins, prunes, cranberries, bread, sugar, and salt.
In a smaller bowl, beat eggs, cider and stock.
Pour over bread mixture and toss lightly. Stuff turkey (if you are doing that) or bake in a casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

You didn't think I forgot about dessert, did you? I don't really like the texture of pumpkin pie, so I make pumpkin bars instead. They are awesome!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
~These are so moist and flavorful~

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Recipe taken from www.foodnetwork.com and is written by Paula Deen

And last, but certainly not least, is my Aunt Diana's apple pie recipe. She is the master pie maker of the family and I was fortunate enough to have her teach me how to make pie at a young age. Here's the simple recipe for a delicious pie...

Aunt DD's Apple Pie

9-12 Granny Smith apples (depending on the size and depth of your pie plate)
Dash/pinch of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
Handful of flour
Sugar and cinnamon to taste
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup Crisco (shortening)
1/4 cup ice cold water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Core and slice the apples to about the same size slices. Stir together apples, salt, sugar, handful of flour, sugar and cinnamon until the apples make their own juice.
Combine 2 cups flour, salt, and Crisco in a large bowl. Cut with a pastry blender or two butter knives until the mixture becomes flaky.
Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until it can be formed into a ball.
Knead for a minute or two, and then split in two (patting into two discs). My Aunt doesn't do this...but I refrigerate the discs for about a half hour to let it rest.
Roll out one of the disks until thin and even. Gently fold in half or roll around the pin to transfer it to the pie dish.
Add the apples to the pie dish and put a few small chunks of butter in the apples.
Roll the 2nd crust and place on top of the apples. Crimp to the bottom crust around the edge of the pie. Cut a few slits in the top to let the steam out and brush with a mixture of 1 beaten egg and a few tablespoons of milk or water. Sprinkle with a little sugar to make it sparkle when it's done.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour on a tray (in case it drips over the side of the pie dish). Cover the edges of the pie with foil or a crust cover, if they begin to burn before it's done. I usually check it by sticking a butter knife down through one of the slits to see if the apples are cooked.

I have been blessed with so many wonderful things in my life...I truly have a lot to be thankful for.

In Case You Thought I Disappeared...

2009-11-01T07:45:00.007-05:00

The past few months have been....hmmm, how should I say this? INSANE.

I've done fun things (like celebrate my birthday) and not so fun things (like writing a case study for my grad class).

I've mostly been cooking up literacy, math, social studies, and science activities instead of interesting new recipes. What can I say? When you are in charge of teaching the youth of America, you have to prioritize sometimes.

Sure I've been cooking...just not anything new or interesting. I did squeeze in a cooking class and we made some stellar recipes that I'll share in a future post.

I've made some meatloaf, some soup, some pasta favorites...and yes, some chili. But I haven't made anything new or particularly special.

I've been making A LOT of hot beverages thanks to my sweet husband who bought me this for my birthday:

I'm pretty much obsessed with it...it's the gift that keeps on giving. Sometimes when people come over I force them to drink several hot drinks, whether they want to or not.

I carved this pumpkin:

Sonny carved this pumpkin:

We also went to a big Birthday/Masquerade party and had a fabulous time with some of our very best friends:

So even though I've been cooking without a plan, I've been doing some pretty cool stuff. As soon as I shut this computer, I'm going to allow myself an hour to dive into my newest cookbooks before I write some lesson plans. I can only go so long without experimenting in the kitchen!

Bon Appetit!

2009-10-16T22:11:00.003-04:00

Yes, this is me in front of Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian

Last weekend we journeyed to Washington D.C. for my cousin's wedding. The wedding was fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

It was especially fun to get out for the evening after being horribly sick for an entire week. The previous weekend, I woke up with a horrible headache, chills, body pain, and a high fever. I was also coughing like crazy and ended up tearing a muscle between my ribs because of it. What a truly awful week. I went to the doctor twice and missed 5 days of work. I have never missed more than 2 days in a row and I felt so overwhelmed at how much work was waiting for me upon my return. Slowly, but surely, I'm recovering and beginning to catch up on everything I missed.

Seeing the Julia Child exhibit was such a great experience for me. As we all know, I'm a big Julia Child fan. There were a lot of people there because of the movie, J ulie and Julia. I was a Julia Child fan long before the movie came out, but it doesn't bother me that there's a sudden surge of interest in her because of the movie. I think it's great that a whole new generation of people can experience the fun of watching The French Chef. In the exhibit there is a TV with a constant loop of clips of Julia doing her various shows and television appearances. People of all ages, from little tiny kids to elderly men and women, were all standing around the TV laughing at Julia's antics. It takes a pretty special person to appeal to such a wide range of people.

After coming back from eating soup for a week straight, I scrambled up some Turkey Chili and then some Spinach and Cheese Lasagna from the leftover chili this week. I'm anxious to try some new recipes in the coming weeks. I feel like I've been pretty disconnected from my kitchen due to sickness and a very hectic schedule.

It's time to channel some Julia Child and get back into the kitchen. Bon Appetit!

Cheddar is Better

2009-10-15T18:40:00.000-04:00

I love cheese. I especially love some good sharp cheddar cheese. I used to only like mild cheeses...I didn't know what I was missing. Sharp cheeses have so much flavor and can enhance recipes in ways you wouldn't expect.

A couple weeks ago, we made recipes out of Cabot Vermont Cheddar Cheese in cooking class. Art wanted to test some of the Cabot recipes before using them in a future class. Here's a couple that I just loved. The recipes and pictures are straight from the Cabot website.

Creamy Cheddar Spread
~Wonderful with pears and apples~

8 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar*, grated (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup Cabot Sour Cream (could substitute Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons white wine or apple juice
Large pinch ground mace or nutmeg
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)

In food processor, combine all ingredients; process until smooth. (Alternatively, use electric mixer to blend ingredients; spread will have coarser texture.) Serve with whole-grain crackers, rounds of French bread or slices of fresh apple and pear.

*Try Cabot Garlic & Herb Cheddar a tasty variation.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
~One of my favorite comfort foods!~

2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter
2 cups peeled and diced boiling potatoes (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
2 cups milk
3 cups broccoli (chopped florets and thinly sliced stems)
8 ounces Cabot Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add potatoes and onion and cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer.
Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer and cook until potatoes are nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes longer.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Winter Squash Gratin
~This has a really nice and unusual flavor~

1 1/2 cups Cabot Sharp Cheddar*, grated (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 3 slices firm white bread)
2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds dry-fleshed winter squash, such as Buttercup, Hubbard or Kabocha, peeled and seeded
3/4-1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine cheese and bread crumbs in bowl and set aside.
In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and sugar. Stir often until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in salt, thyme and pepper, then transfer mixture to 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
Cut squash into smaller chunks and cut these chunks into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Add to onions and stir together well.
Pour 3/4 cup of chicken broth evenly over squash. Cover dish tightly with lid or foil and bake for about 70 minutes, or until squash is tender and broth is nearly all absorbed. If squash appears dry, add remaining 1/4 cup broth.
Sprinkle squash with reserved bread crumb mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 20 minutes longer.

*Or use Cabot Garlic & Herb Cheddar.

Cranberry Apple Cheese Strudel
~This was my absolute favorite recipe of the day~

6 cups sliced tart apples
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
3/4 cup ground almonds or filberts (hazelnuts)
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup trans-fat-free margarine, melted
1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 (16-ounce) package frozen fillo dough, thawed
8 ounces Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar, very thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease baking sheet and set aside.
In large bowl, combine apples, cranberry sauce, almonds or filberts, sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest; set aside.
In medium skillet over medium heat, combine 1/4 cup of melted margarine and breadcrumbs; cook, stirring, until breadcrumbs are lightly browned; transfer to plate to cool.
To make first strudel, place sheet of fillo on kitchen towel and brush with some of remaining melted margarine. Top with 4 more sheets of fillo, brushing each with more margarine.
Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs evenly over layered fillo. Top with one-fourth of cheese slices.
Top cheese with 5 more layers of margarine-brushed fillo.
Two inches in from short edge of fillo, spoon half of apple mixture in 3-inch-wide strip. Top with another one-fourth of cheese slices.
Using towel to help, roll fillo tightly up around filling (jelly-roll style), brushing exposed bare surface of dough with additional margarine as you roll.
Use towel again to transfer strudel to prepared baking sheet. Brush top of strudel with more margarine and sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons breadcrumbs.
Repeat entire procedure to make second strudel. Transfer seam-side-down to prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve warm.

I'm excited to try these recipes out at home and I think I'll search the website for even more recipes...because I'm pretty much obsessed with cheese.

Girls Only Getaway to the Mountains

2009-10-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

For my Aunt Kathy's 50th birthday, we went on a Girls Only trip to the Poconos. It was my Mom, my sister, and my Aunts (Aunt Kathy and Aunt Lori). My Mom's other sister, Aunt Diana couldn't be with us and we missed her terribly. She always brings such joy and laughter to the people around her. She also is a phenomenal cook and baker and would have loved all the things my sister and I created. We will do the trip again, Aunt Diana, and you'll be with us next time!

We had a wonderful time. My Aunts live in Florida and North Carolina, so I don't get to see them that often. It was so much fun to talk until the wee hours of the morning and just hang out with one another. My sister and I decided that we would cook the entire weekend because we don't often get to cook together. She's been cooking long before I started and it was such a special time for us to be in the kitchen side-by-side.

We took pictures of most of the food we made, but they weren't on my camera and I need everybody to email them to me (hint, hint). The house that my Mom's good friend graciously let us use was absolutely unbelievable! I wish I had snapped a picture of the kitchen, because it was divine. But here's what the dining room looked like:

And here's what the view from the main balcony looked like (every bedroom also had it's own balcony):

And without further ado, here was our Menu (some are links and the many can be found in the recipes below)

Friday Evening
Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Pear Cardamom Bread

Saturday Morning
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
Herbed Scrambled Eggs

Saturday Evening
Zesty Ravioli Skillet
Herbed Garlic Bread
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Plum Galette

Sunday Morning
Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata
Pecan Praline Bacon
Cranberry Lemon Scones
(I used lemon instead of orange)

Snacks
Fresh Corn Salad
Puppy Chow
Banana Bread

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
~These have a really unique flavor~

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat until it bubbles. Ladles the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes.
Distribute a rounded tbsp of bananas on each pancake.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until bubble appear on the top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used.
Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Recipe taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Herbed Scrambled Eggs
~These went nicely with the pancakes~

Crack 1 dozen eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with a 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Cook over medium and allow to set a little bit before "scrambling". This gives the eggs a nice texture that is more like folds of eggs instead of lumps. Then add shredded provolone and/or Parmesan cheese while the eggs cook and then sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as chives and Italian parsley when they are done cooking.

Zesty Ravioli Skillet
~Fresh and flavorful!~

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
6 oz. provolone cheese, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes with onions, undrained
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 package small frozen cheese ravioli
Halved grape tomatoes (optional)

Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Finely chop the jalapeno and add to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute or until crisp tender. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.
Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes until simmering. Add ravioli, stir to coat. Cook, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until tender.
Stir cream into skillet. Cook, uncovered, 1-2 minutes or until simmering.
Sprinkle spinach over ravioli and cook, covered, 1 minute or until spinach starts to wilt.
Remove from heat and top with cheese. Cover the hot skillet and let stand 1-2 minutes so that the cheese can melt. Garnish with grape tomatoes, if desired.

Recipe taken from The Pampered Chef

Herbed Garlic Bread
~I ate what seemed like 500 pieces of this~

1 loaf of nice crusty Italian bread
1 stick( or maybe a little less depending on how big the loaf is)of butter
3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic
dash of garlic salt (optional)
a couple tbsp chopped fresh herbs like Italian Parsley and Basil
Olive oil
Handful of shredded provolone or Parmesan cheese.

Soften some butter and mix some minced garlic in it, you could add some sprinkles of garlic salt as well to add flavor. Spread that on the bread. Then add the chopped herbs. Drizzle with olive oil on top and added shredded provolone and Parmesan cheese. Put it in the broiler and WATCH IT until it gets golden on edges and cheese melts.

Plum Galette
~This recipe was so easy and very impressive~

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling (skip 2 1/2 cups of flour if using ready made pie crust)
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (skip if using ready made pie crust)
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar (only need 5 tbsp if using ready made pie crust)
1 teaspoon salt (skip if using ready made pie crust)
1/2 cup ice water (skip if using ready made pie crust)
1/4 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted
5 to 6 plums, halved, pitted, and sliced inch thick (keep slices together)
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

*I used a Pillsbury ready made pie crust from the refrigerated section and it worked wonderfully*

If you choose to make your own pie crust, follow these directions. In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Don't overmix. Remove dough from processor and shape into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
Here is where I began. Wipe bowl of food processor clean and add almonds, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons flour; pulse until ground to a coarse meal.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness (I didn't have to do this...I just unrolled the ready made crust). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet (I made it on a stoneware pizza stone); sprinkle almond mixture over dough.
With a spatula, transfer plums to dough; press lightly to fan out, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edge of dough over fruit. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Brush crust with cream; sprinkle galette with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until crust is golden and underside is cooked through, about 70 minutes.

We had such an amazing time as a family. There is nothing in the world that makes me happier then sitting down to a table of delicious food with the ones that I love.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kathy!

Remember me?

2009-10-03T08:07:00.005-04:00

I have been absent from this blog of mine because my life has been filled with many many many other things lately. As much as I love blogging, my family and job need to come first.

I've been doing some cooking, but not as much as I would like. I've been mostly throwing convenient meals together before running off to do something or after getting home from an impossibly long day. Sometimes you just go through times like this and then they pass. Let's hope this hectic lifestyle settles down so that I can find time to do the things that relax me once again.

I have several posts in mind with various recipes I've made recently, so I will post them this week. I've been holding off on some of them because I don't have pictures, but I guess that doesn't really matter all that much. I just love posting recipes with pictures so that you can see the wonderfulness!

Here is a simple recipe to hold you over until I get those other posts together (I'm sure you've been waiting with bated breath). This past week, Sonny and I went over to his sister's house and enjoyed a delicious meal with some lovely people.

She asked me to bring a salad and I discussed with my cooking teacher, Art, what I should make. I've never been a huge salad maker, not because I don't like salads, but because I don't really feel I have a knack for putting things together in a salad. I need to get over it and try some new salads because the one I made on Tuesday was awesome. Art gave me wonderful guidance and here is what we came up with:

Spinach Salad with Cheddar, Sauteed Pears, and Pecans
~This is ridiculously simple~

1 8 oz. bag of baby spinach
2 or 3 red pears, cored and sliced thinly (unpeeled)
6 tbsp unsalted butter (use the real stuff)
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
handful of chopped pecans (or walnuts)
handful of dried cranberries
handful of golden raisins

Here is what you can do ahead of time: Place the spinach in a large salad bowl and sprinkle with the cheese, pecans, cranberries, and raisins.
Right before serving, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pear slices to the hot butter and saute for a just a few minutes (about 5) so that the pears become softened, but not mushy.
Remove the pears from the pan and add to the salad. Then pour the remaining butter in the pan over the salad (it acts as a dressing).

You may be thinking that butter-dressing is gross, but it's not. It's awesome. And you may be thinking that butter-dressing will make you fat, but it won't. It's only 6 tbsp for a whole big salad that serves at least 4 people.

This salad was a wonderful thing to make in the fall when the pears are particularly delicious and in season. It also went so nicely with the lovely meal that my sister-in-law made that included chicken cutlets drizzled with a creamy pan sauce and served with roasted potatoes and baked apples.

I absolutely love this time of year because the food is so memory provoking. I can remember eating and smelling apples, pumpkin muffins, soup, and cinnamon throughout the autumns of my childhood.

And let's be honest...the main reason I love fall is because my birthday is in October and when it's my birthday I get to eat cake and open presents.

Happy October!

Confession

2009-09-12T23:33:00.004-04:00

I did not cook this week. Not one.single.night.

On Monday, we went out to eat at The Olive Garden for my Dad's birthday.

On Tuesday, we ordered pizza while my father-in-law fixed my car.

On Wednesday, Sonny picked up the $6.00 dinners from Wegman's. I ate mine in about 15 minutes before rushing back to work for Back to School night.

On Thursday, I went straight to grad class after work and then straight to Bible study. I ate some grapes and cheddar goldfish in the car on the way there.

On Friday, we ordered take-out because we were absolutely exhausted. We ate it on the couch while watching DVR episodes of Top Chef and Project Runway. Then I went to bed at 10:00...on a Friday night.

Today, we went to a Hawaiian luau. They roasted a pig. The whole pig. It had an apple in its mouth. They hacked the whole thing up and served the shredded meat on hamburger buns. I ate some because I kept telling myself that the pork on my hamburger bun didn't come from the pig that was staring at me with an apple in its mouth. It actually tasted great. So did the cupcakes I brought that were a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Each cupcake had about 8,000,000 calories, but they were delicious. I'll have to share the recipe sometime.

I'd like to say that I'll cook tomorrow...but I just don't know. Lately, I've only been able to do one day at a time. I know I'll be cooking again soon because I can't not cook for very long.

So I confess that I didn't cook at all this week. And, you know what? I'm OK with that.

Doesn't everybody have weeks like that every once in a while?

Straight from the Garden

2009-09-09T08:00:00.002-04:00

I haven't been very good at posting all my cooking class adventures, but we've been cooking up some marvelous fare.

A couple weeks ago I actually brought my camera to cooking class and got to take a few pictures of the delicious food we cooked together. Here is a picture of us signaling to Art (our teacher) that we've got everything under control:

We made several dishes from ingredients found in the garden. Here were my particular favorites...

Romas and Goats
~I don't really like the name of this recipe~

1 cup panko*
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup butter, melted
11 oz. goat cheese, softened
1/2 tsp freshly ground back pepper
1/4 tsp salt
12 Roma (plum) tomoatoes
Pesto (somewhat optional...and I often use Classico's ready made pesto)

Stir together panko, Parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Then stir in butter and set aside.
Combine goat cheese, pepper, and sat in a small bowl.
Cut tomatoes in half horizontally and trim a small amount from the rounded edges (this gives them a flat part so that they can stand upright instead of roll around).
Remove the seeds and pulp (we used spoons).
Spoon about 2 tsp goat cheese mixture into each half.
Dip tomato halves, upside down, in breadcrumb mixture, coating generously (if I remember right, we spooned the breadcrumb mixture on top of each tomato).
Place each tomato right side up on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving platter and serve drizzled with pesto.

*Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are large coarse breadcrumbs that are excellent for creating that perfect crispy topping. You can substitute toasted plain breadcrumbs.

Recipe from myrecipes.com

Zucchini Cakes
~A great recipe for using up zucchini~

1 small zucchini, shredded (I do this in my food processor)
1 pouch (6.5 oz.) cornbread mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
vegetable oil

Place the shredded zucchini into a microwave bowl and cook on medium for 2 minutes; drain.
Combine zucchini, cornbread mix, egg, and milk. Let stand 5 minutes.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a pan and drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the hot oil.
Cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. These are good when they are served alongside something with a sauce, as they are very good when dipped into something.

Recipe taken from the September 2009 edition of Woman's Day Magazine

Zucchini Ginger Cupcakes
~These were SO good~

Cupcakes:

1/3 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp finely grated fresh orange zest
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (2 medium)
3/4 cup mild olive oil
3/4 cup mild honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh orange zest

Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with liners.
Pulse crystallized ginger in the food processor until finely ground, then add flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, zest, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Pulse until combined.
Whisk together zucchini, oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Then stir in flour mixture until just combined.
Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until tester comes out clean, 20-24 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.
Beat together frosting ingredients with an electric mixer at high speed until combined well and becomes fluffy (3-5 minutes). Frost the tops of cooled cupcakes.

Cooking class is such a great way for me to unwind and spend time with people who love to cook as much as I do. I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity to take these classes! If you are interested, go to www.thekitchenworkshop.com

*Someone recently told me that I should post my pictures in a bigger format..thanks for the great advice :)

A Battle Conquered

2009-09-04T22:07:00.010-04:00

*FYI: This is quite a long post. It's also much more personal then I tend to be on this blog. But I think it's an important story to tell. So, here I go...

I've hesitated to write this post. It's not easy to write about and I wouldn't do it if I didn't think that my words could possibly make a difference for somebody out there who is struggling.

I love food. I love making it. I love giving it to people. I love eating it.

It wasn't always that way. I actually grew up as a very picky eater. I enjoyed about 10 things and suffered through anything else I was forced to eat. I hated meat. I wasn't huge on vegetables. I loved grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken nuggets in the shape of stars and dinosaurs, alphabet oven fries, and pudding pops. I also loved Ritz crackers.

I didn't like to cook or even be in the kitchen when someone else was cooking. One time my Mom tried to get me to peel shrimp and I started to cry while I was doing it. They were so cold and slimy. I started gagging. Another time I tried making chicken and was so overwhelmed with how gross it was, I put plastic bags on my hands in order to touch it.

My weirdness about food wasn't just that it smelled and tasted and felt strange. My biggest issue was that...it was food.

When I was in sixth grade I suddenly became aware that my body wasn't the same as the girl who sat next to me. She was small framed and tiny. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't skinny. I started to feel "big" when I compared myself to others. The thought started following me everywhere I went. I would walk by windows and catch my reflection. "Why are you so big?" I would ask myself.

I started to cut back. At first, it was a good thing. Maybe a bowl of ice cream after dinner each night is not always the best idea. I was making healthy choices. I lost some weight and people responded.

"Look at you!" they'd say. "You are growing up to be such a pretty young lady". "You are growing so tall and thin...you look great!" There was nothing wrong with these compliments...but I interpreted them as: The smaller you get, the better you look.

I started cutting back more. And then I would cut back a little bit more. Pretty soon, I was watching every bite that went into my mouth. Food was bad.

As I began high school, it became a bit more intense. People around me were noticing that I was funny about eating and I started to feel defensive. I was paranoid that someone was going to make me stop dieting. My family started asking questions and I finally decided to re-work my game plan. That's when I started throwing up. It was perfect. I could eat whatever I wanted and then get rid of it. Everyone saw me eat, I got to enjoy junk foods, and my body didn't have to digest them.

I used to visualize the food going to different parts of my body. I became obsessed with getting rid of it before it reached my thighs, and stomach, and hips.

The secrecy and control were really addicting. It appealed to my ambitious personality. I'm very goal oriented and love working toward the completion of tasks. This fit me perfectly. I could set weight goals or track my calorie intake. Once I reached the goal, I would set a new one. I was never satisfied.

In the spring time of my freshman year in high school, I broke. I was getting overwhelmed by it all. I felt weak and faint all the time. My stomach hurt. I had terrible heartburn. I decided it was time to come clean. I told my parents that I needed help and I began an outpatient program at an eating disorder facility in Philadelphia.

My dear father drove me all the way into the city every morning and then turned around and went to work. Even though I was the one who told them I needed to go somewhere, I started resenting them. I wouldn't speak to him the entire way and would often barely mutter a goodbye before getting out of the car. I had all these emotions, and I couldn't sort them out.

When I got there, I had to take off all my clothes to get weighed so that I couldn't trick them by putting rocks in my pockets. We had to eat a certain number of calories each day or they made us drink protein drinks. If you refused to drink a protein drink, you would get a feeding tube. I drank the drinks.

If bread and butter were part of your meal, you had to use all the butter. That means if you didn't use the whole slab on your bread...you had to eat it. They let you have some control over what you ate because you could pick from a list. Each week, they upped your calories. Whenever I went to the bathroom, someone had to watch me.

Most of the people there were inpatient. I was lucky to be outpatient because most of them seemed miserable. There was a young girl named Emma. She was about 13 years old. She was very sick. She cut her arms and always found ways to trick them and get away with eating less. There was a pregnant women who was skin and bones. Her husband had her court ordered to be in the program. She was so sick that she couldn't see how much danger her baby was in because she refused to eat. There was an older woman who had abused laxatives for 20 years. She had to get multiple surgeries in an effort to help her regain the ability to go to the bathroom. There was a woman there who overate. She couldn't control her eating and weighed several hundred pounds.

The facility wasn't a bad place. It sounds scary, but they were trying to help me. Sometimes breaking the habits of an eating disorder can be kind of like detoxing. I had to re-learn how to eat and digest. I would feel bloated and sick after eating because I couldn't throw up. When I couldn't finish my meals, I would cry the entire time I swallowed down the protein drinks.

During the day I would go to individual therapy sessions, group therapy discussions, and various activities. We did art, music, and drama therapy. We had to meet with the dietitian. At the end of the program we had to design a healthy meal and cook it ourselves. We made tacos. I remember it vividly. When I was released from the program, they gave me this piece of paper with a big flower on it. The women in the program all wrote words of congratulations and encouragement on the petals.

I went back to high school and faced my peers. They knew where I had been and I was embarrassed. I began acting out my frustrations by drinking and smoking. I was soon found out by my parents and they intervened. I met with a counselor and began to make progress.

Throughout the next 7 years, I relapsed 3 times. The last time was in my sophomore year of college when I dropped over 20 pounds in 4 weeks.

I can't really remember when I decided that enough was enough. I wish I could remember if there was a moment that I just decided to stop. What I do remember is the moment I decided not to start again.

Two years ago I took a medication that ended up causing some weight gain. I was becoming more and more unhappy with my body and started feeling those old temptations rise up within me. And then I remember thinking to myself...no. No more. I had a husband and family who loved me just as I was. I had a classroom full of little girls who looked up to me as their teacher...their role model. I realized that God loved me and didn't want me to do this to myself.

I made an appointment and went to the doctor. I asked him to guide me in how to lose my unwanted pounds in a healthy way. And then I began to eat healthier. I watched my portions. I lost a few pounds here...and few pounds there. Over time, I gradually shed my unwanted weight.

In the meanwhile, I learned to cook. I discovered new foods and new ways to eat them. I took cooking classes and found out that making food was something I was good at. The girl who used to hate food loved to cook! My family still marvels at the irony of it all. They would never have guessed it would turn out this way. My parents come over for dinner and I'm slapping all sorts of slimy things around my kitchen in an attempt to make a delicious meal. No more baggies on the hands...no more crying...and no more gagging!

I don't just love to cook...I have a true passion for it. Making and eating delicious foods is one of the biggest pleasures in my life. It's the way I unwind after a long day. It allows me to have time that is all my own. I don't have to talk to anyone and nobody is talking to me. I can just be quiet with my thoughts and use my creativity to create something to be enjoyed. Cooking is the way that I show my love for people.

I named this post "A Battle Conquered" because I truly feel that this battle has been won. I have no desire to treat my body that way ever again. I want to honor and protect the body God has given me. I want to be healthy and happy. I want to have healthy and happy children someday.

Just because I have conquered this battle, doesn't mean that the journey is over. I am forever on a quest to take care of myself and make good choices...sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't.

The difference is...when I catch a glimpse of my reflection I think, "You're not perfect...you never will be. But you are worthy of being loved and accepted...just as you are."

*If you, or someone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder...please reach out for help. It's not hopeless. Talk to someone you trust or email me at cookingwithaplan@gmail.com

Two New Recipes and Two Old Faithfuls

2009-08-30T08:19:00.004-04:00

I could not have been more pleased with my meal plan for this week. I decided to make my old faithful Turkey Chili recipe that I use alot in the winter. I know that chili tends to be something people make when it's cold out...but the way I look at it, we eat lots of hot meals in the summer, so what's the big deal?

I also used two new recipes that I got from a very good friend of mine who happens to be a fabulous cook and hostess. She invited a bunch of us gals over for a pedicure party. We sat around in a circle outside and ate tons of delicious food while soaking and pampering our feet. How clever is she to think of such a fun get together? Here's a picture of all of us (courtesy of her wonderful husband, who selflessly babysat while we gabbed the night away):

Here was my plan this week:

Monday: Turkey Chili with sour cream, scallions, and tortilla chips

Tuesday: Spinach and Cheese Lasagna (using leftovers!)

Wednesday: Thai Chicken Salad

Thursday: Leftover Lasagna and some Fresh Corn Salad for munching

Friday: Chinese Take-out :)

Saturday: We were invited to a party, so I got another night off of cooking

*Warning: There are several paragraphs below describing how I planned out and cooked my meals...don't be overwhelmed...I just went in to detail to show you how easy it is to do things ahead*

This plan worked perfectly. On Sunday night, I came home from cooking class and threw together a big pot of the Turkey Chili while watching Mad Men with one of my favorite friends. (What is Mad Men, you ask? Well, it's only the best show ever that airs on Sunday nights on AMC) You might think I'm crazy for cooking after going to a three hour cooking class...and that may be true...but this chili is so easy to make that it takes me no time at all. I just put the ingredients together and let it simmer on the stove while I watch TV.

The Turkey Chili was ready for me after quite a long day at work on Monday. After dinner was cleaned up and I had gotten a chance to relax for a little bit, I headed back into the kitchen to make the lasagna for Tuesday. I would hardly call this cooking as it literally took me 10 minutes to make. The recipe uses leftover Turkey Chili as the meat. All I did was mix some ricotta cheese with some spinach and layer the whole thing up with no boil lasagna noodles. I popped a lid on the casserole dish and into the fridge it went until Tuesday.

After making the lasagna, I poured a smidge of olive oil over some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and put them into a 350 degree oven. While my husband and I watched TV, they roasted for about 25-30 minutes. I took them out of the oven, let them cook and popped them into the fridge as well.

Tuesday night I got home late and my husband had already put the lasagna into the oven. Ahhh, the joys of planning ahead.

On Wednesday, I took out the roasted chicken breasts from Monday night and shredded them for the chicken salad. With the roasting out of the way, the meal came together very quickly (I would say no more than 15 minutes). Part of the prep for making the chicken salad is to blanch some asparagus. Since I had a pot of water already boiling for that, I went ahead and cooked the corn right after I was done cooking the asparagus. Now I already had the most time consuming part of the Fresh Corn Salad done.

Because dinner was so simple, I went ahead and threw the Fresh Corn Salad together and then called it a night. On Thursday, we ate leftover lasagna and also munched on some Fresh Corn Salad with leftover tortilla chips from Monday's chili.

Without further ado...here are the recipes that my dear friend sent me. They are from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Fresh Corn Salad
~I was pretty much obsessed with this after my first bite~

*Fresh Corn is important - do not substitute frozen or canned.*
Dressing:

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced (you can leave this out, if you don't like spice)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Salad:

8 ears fresh corn, husks & silk removed (I used 6)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, or whatever tomatoes you have on hand (I used a couple large tomatoes that I chopped)
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed
6 scallions (green onions), sliced thinly
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I didn't use this because I don't like cilantro...don't hate me, I know everyone seems to like cilantro. But even the smell of it turns my stomach.)
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the dressing: Shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid (or a plastic container or plastic baggie).
Cook the corn in a big pot of boiling water until tender (5-7 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut kernels from cob with a paring knife into a large bowl.
Add tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, and dressing and toss. Season with S&P to taste & serve.

*This salad can be made a day in advance.

Thai Chicken Salad
~This keeps well to bring for lunch the next day~

Chicken Mixture:

8 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (or you can use skinless/boneless breasts like I did)*
olive oil
salt
ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds diagonally
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced diagonally
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (just toss them around in a dry frying pan over medium heat)

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp dark sesame oil (I used the regular stuff)
1 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.
Put the chicken in a pan and rub each breast with olive oil.
Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes(more like 25-30 for boneless), or until internal temp is 160. Set aside until cool enough to handle.(Remember, I did this a couple nights ahead of time to save time).
Remove the meat from bone, discard skin, and shred the chicken. (this is obviously if you decide to use bone-in chicken)
Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.
Cut the peppers into strips, same size as the asparagus.
Combine the shredded chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken mixture.
Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

* This recipe serves 12...so I obviously didn't want to make that much for the two of us. I halved it by using 4 chicken breasts, but used the same amount of peppers, scallions, and asparagus because I love all those things. Then I kind of forgot that I halved it when I made the dressing, and ended up having some left over which I used as a salad dressing for my lunch the next day.

Not only did we have a great dinner each night this week, but we also had plenty of leftovers for us to bring for lunch. The grocery bill came to about $80, but that included daily essentials that we were out of (milk, orange juice, bread, toilet paper...) and some ingredients that were on sale and could be used in future meals (Buy one, get one free frozen shrimp...yes, please!).

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer!

*P.S. I don't know why the chicken salad recipe is written in black and the rest of this post is normal...sometimes blogger and I don't get along.*

Easy Meals for a Busy Week

2009-08-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

This past week, I felt a little bit like this:

As I said in a previous post, this week was my first week of school. Teaching 2nd grade can be pretty tiring, so I needed easy and delicious meals to whip up each night.

I turned to Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008 and found some fabulous recipes. All three recipes in this post are from that cookbook. Cooking Light continues to impress me with their easy and healthy recipes.

I made the following menu:

Monday - Spiced Salmon with Mustard Sauce and Sauteed Spinach in Butter

Tuesday - Apricot Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce, Oven Fries, and Salad
Wednesday - Left Over Burgers and Salad
Thursday - Turkey Tacos
Friday - Date Night Out

Saturday - Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce over Brown Rice

My plan was pretty simple. The salmon came together in a snap on Monday night and didn't need any prepping ahead. The turkey burger meal was also fast and easy, so I threw it together when I got home from work.

While the burgers were cooking, I cooked up the turkey meat for the tacos on Thursday and popped it in the fridge. This was also cost-effective because I bought the family pack (3 lbs) of ground turkey, which is less expensive per lb. I used 1 1/2 lbs for the burgers and 1 1/2 lbs for the tacos.

I had a girls night to go to on Wednesday, so my husband enjoyed left over burgers since the recipe yielded 7 burgers. We even had enough to each bring a burger for lunch! On Thursday night, the tacos were ready to assemble.

On Friday night we went out to a favorite local diner that is inside a small airport. As you eat, you can watch planes land and take off. It's not a very glamorous place, but I find it so romantic. We were there over sunset and got to watch the plans take off into a pink and yellow sky.

My desire is to get all sorts of things done today, so tonight I plan to quickly thaw some frozen shrimp and put the meal together fast! I think that some instant brown rice will round the meal out well. I'll have to update you to tell you what I think of the recipe. We'll head to the movies after dinner for Date #2. My husband likes to take me on dates when I have long and tiring weeks...I'm a pretty lucky girl!

**Update: The Spicy Orange Shrimp was SO delicious. It took minutes to make and my husband and I enjoyed it very much!**

Spiced Salmon with Mustard Sauce*
~This was so easy, it didn't even feel like I was cooking!~
(We were so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of this one!)

2 tsp whole-grain mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 (6 oz.) Salmon fillets
Cooking spray

Preheat the broiler
Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a fork.
Rub mustard mixture evenly over fillets. Place fillets, skin sides down**, on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

*I served this with one bag of baby spinach that I sauteed in 2 tbsp of butter until it was wilted. I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on it and it went well with the salmon.

**I actually removed the skin beforehand. You can remove it afterward or eat it with the skin. I always take it off, though. I think it's a mental thing...the skin just creeps me out.

Apricot Turkey Burgers*
~These are a fresh take on the typical turkey burger~

3/4 cup drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup minced shallots
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
cooking spray
6 multi-grain hamburger buns
Tzatziki sauce (I got mine from Trader Joe's...although, you can make it yourself)

Prepare the grill or grill pan.
Place chickpeas in a food processor, pulse 3 times or until chopped. Combine chickpeas, apricots, and next 7 ingredients.
Divide mixture into 6 equal portions (I actually had enough to make 7), shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve burgers on hamburger buns topped with Tzatziki sauce and tomatoes (if desired).

*I serve these with oven fries. To make them, I sliced up 1 large potato into thing even pieces. I tossed them with olive oil and placed in a single layer on a sheet pan. I sprinkled them with kosher salt and some Moroccan seasoning (since I thought it would go well with this particular meal...you can season them however you wish). They take about 20-25 minutes to crisp up in a 425 degree oven.

I made a little salad for the side by combining mixed greens, sliced English cucumber, dried cranberries, chickpeas, and Tzatziki sauce.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce*
~This was easy and delicious!~

1 1/2 lbs peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I will use Simply Orange juice because I don't have fresh)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp chile paste with garlic
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped green onions (scallions)

Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, toss well to coat and then set aside.
Combine juice and the next 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry 15 seconds or until fragrant.
Add shrimp mixture and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce is thick and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

*I plan to serve this up over brown rice.

If I didn't come up with an easy and attainable plan to get meals on the table, I would've been tempted to grab pizza or fast food this week. The first week of school is always grueling, so cooking with a plan was a must!

I'm Still Here...

2009-08-17T17:16:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a bit because I've been busy getting my school year started. I've been setting up my classroom, reviewing curriculum, and meeting my new little munchkins. In fact, today was the first day of school!

One little boy came in with a huge smile on his face and handed me an apple. What a cutie!

Anyway, I'm still here and I'm still cooking. In fact, I am trying out a few new recipes this week and will post them if they are yummy. The recipes look tasty, so we'll see!

I hope you all are having a fabulous week! I'll be tying shoelaces, labeling folders, explaining classroom rules, returning parent emails, opening water bottles, playing "getting to know you" games, giving placement tests, and trying to keep the kids from hurting themselves or each other. I may even do some teaching! ;)

The Perfect Picnic

2009-08-10T19:07:00.000-04:00

My husband and I decided that we were going to enjoy our last day of summer vacation to the fullest. On Sunday night, I prepped some various items for us to snack on in the great outdoors.

We have the coolest picnic cooler bag thing that Sonny's cousin gave us for our wedding...it looks like this:

I packed it up with the following items:

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Homemade Granola Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made the Curry Chicken Salad on Sunday night and popped it in the fridge. I set up the cucumbers and yogurt to drain overnight for the Creamy Cucumber Salad. The Homemade Granola Bars were also made on Sunday night. I grabbed a bag of pre-formed chocolate chip cookie dough from the freezer and placed the frozen balls of dough directly in the oven on a cookie sheet (I always reserve some dough when I make cookies so that I have it on hand in the freezer for occasions like this).

By doing a little bit of work ahead of time, all I had to do was assemble the sandwiches and throw the cucumber salad together before leaving for our picnic.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
~With a little planning ahead, this is very simple to make~

4 hothouse cucumbers, thinly sliced (3 to 4 pounds)
2 small red onions, thinly sliced in half rounds
Kosher salt
4 cups (32 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Mix the cucumbers, red onions, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt in a bowl. Pour them into a colander and suspend it over a bowl. Wrap the bowl and colander with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to drain for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl.
Pour the yogurt into a sieve (mesh strainer) lined with a paper towel and suspend it over another bowl. Wrap the bowl and sieve in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the second bowl.
When the cucumbers are ready, roll them up in paper towels or a kitchen towel and press the towel lightly to remove most of the liquid.
Place the cucumbers and yogurt in a large bowl with the sour cream, vinegar, dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Toss well and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and serve chilled.

Recipe taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Homemade Granola Bars
~These smell delicious as they are baking!~

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates (I got prunes)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (I always get nuts and dried fruit from the bulk section in the grocery store...it's so much cheaper and I can get exactly the quantity I need!)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.
Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

We found the perfect spot under a big tree right by the water...it was so peaceful.

Here is a picture of our lovely picnic before we ate it all up!

The weather was hot, but it was cool and breezy by the water and under the shade of a tree. It was a truly relaxing and lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.

Julie & Julia

2009-08-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

August 7th was a big day. It was my sister's birthday. AND it was the day that the movie Julie & Julia finally came out!!

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I am a bit...shall we say obsessed?...with Julia Child.

I've been excited about this movie for months. My sister loves to cook and we love bonding over food. How perfect to see this movie with her on her birthday! My mom, sister, and I had such a nice time together.

You'd think my mounting excitement over the past few months would only set me up to be disappointed. No. I loved it. I just loved it.

The movie alternates between telling Julie Powell's story and Julia Child's story. Both are true stories. Julie's story is about her attempt to break the monotony of her life by cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. She chronicles her culinary adventures on a blog she names, "The Julie/Julia Project". The project not only brings excitement and opportunities into her life, but gives her an insight into who she really is.

Julia Child's story is based on her autobiography called My Life in France. The movie follows her as she learns to cook at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She eventually gets involved in writing a cookbook that becomes Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Amy Adams (Julie Powell) and Meryl Streep (Julia) are just wonderful in their roles. I can't get over how much Meryl Streep looks like Julia in her scenes (especially the reenactments of The French Chef episodes!). The movie artfully jumps back and forth between their stories and I really identified with each character.

One thing I really liked about this movie was it's depiction of marriage. I was reading an article recently that said a lot of movies show the "falling in love" phase of relationships or they show marriages breaking down. The article (wish I could remember where I read it!) talks about how refreshing it is to watch a movie that paints a realistic picture of healthy, happy marriages. I don't know the current status of Julia Powell's marriage, but Paul and Julia Child had a famously successful marriage. She adored him and he supported her hopes and dreams 100%. In the movie, Julie Powell's husband also loves and supports her and she loves and appreciates him. It just made me feel happy.

I could go on and on about the movie...but you should just go see it! Before the movie, my cooking teacher, Art, emailed me this article. It's very long, but really interesting. It begins by talking about the movie Julie & Julia, but then goes into commentary on the cooking trends in America and our overall attitude toward working in the kitchen. It's written by Michael Pollan who recently wrote a book called In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

Anyway...it is unlikely that I'll become a famous cookbook author or TV personality like Julia Child...but, as I've said before, Julia inspires me to believe that it will never be too late for me to pursue my passions and become who I am meant to be.

Friday Night Feast - Birthday Edition

2009-08-09T08:28:00.000-04:00

I had the honor of preparing my sister's special birthday meal...and it happened to fall on Friday. Friday Night Feast Time!

I kept bugging her all week about what she wanted me to make. Finally I gave her a huge stack of random recipes and told her to pick out what sounded best to her. I loved all the things she picked! Two of the recipes were ones I've never done before, but I'm hardly ever afraid to try new recipes. In fact, I absolutely love to try new recipes and do so often.

I was able to make almost everything the night before so I could enjoy the day with the birthday girl. Here's the birthday girl, by the way:

I love her.

Birthday Feast Menu

Grilled Shrimp with Strawberry-Mango Salsa
Pepper-Crusted Maple Glazed Salmon
Creamy Parmesan Swiss Chard Gratin
Fresh Blueberry Pie
Pear Cardamon Bread with Vanilla Ice Cream

Grilled Shrimp with Strawberry-Mango Salsa
~This was a wonderfully refreshing first course~

Shrimp Marinade:

1 1/2 lbs raw large shrimp (or you could use scallops...I used some thawed out frozen shrimp)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salsa:

1 mango, peeled and diced
1 package strawberries, sliced thinly
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I used about 1/2 a pepper to make it less hot)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 or 3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Make sure the shrimp is shelled and deveined. Prepare the grill.
Combine oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add shrimp (or scallops) and toss lightly to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. (I prepared the marinade in a large ziploc bag and then threw the shrimp in there to marinate).
Meanwhile, combine all of the salsa ingredients. The salsa should stand at least 15 minutes before serving so that the flavors mesh together. (I made it the night before and stuck it in the fridge..it was perfect!)
Grill shrimp on medium heat until pink and opaque (or until firm for scallops). Don't over cook...it only takes two or 3 minutes on each side at the most! (I skewer the shrimp to make them easier to turn).
Serve the shrimp on top of the salsa. The shrimp tastes great warm or at room temperature. This salsa is great for lots of things...grilled fish, meat, or tortilla chips.

Pepper-Crusted Maple Glazed Salmon
~So simple, yet so delicious~

(I doubled the quantities below in order to serve 6)

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each
1/4 cup cracked black pepper
Vegetable oil spray

Prepare the marinade by whisking the maple syrup and soy sauce together. Pour the marinade into a large ziploc bag and add the fillets. Press the air out of the bag, seal it, and turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade.
Set the bag in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Place pepper on a small plate and remove salmon fillets from the marinade. Generously spray both sides of each fillet with oil (cooking spray). Pat the top side of each fillet into the cracked pepper to coat.
Grill fillets pepper side up for a 3 or 4 minutes and then turn to grill an additional 3 or 4 minutes (you may prefer to cook it longer or shorter depending on your preference).

Creamy Parmesan Swiss Chard Gratin
~This is a very decadent side dish~

2 tbsp unsalted butter; more for coating the gratin dish
1/2 cup toasted, coarse fresh bread crumbs (or plain store bought)
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 tsp salt, divided
3 strips bacon
1 lb Swiss chard(1 or 2 bunches) washed and drained, stems removed and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices, leaves cut into 1/2 inch ribbons
1/3 cup parmesan
freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a shallow 5 or 6 cup ceramic gratin dish (or any shallow medium sized baking dish). Melt 1 tbsp of the butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and the garlic to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes. The cream should reduce to 3/4 cup. Take the pan off the heat and remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon. Let the cream cool slightly and then season it with the salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain and leave the bacon fat in the pan. Add the remaining tbsp butter to the skillet.
Add the chard stems and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until softened. Add the chard leaves and season with salt. Saute until all the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the chard to the gratin dish and spread them evenly.
Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and cheese over the chard. Pour the seasoned cream over all and top with the buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes; the gratin will be brown and bubbly. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

All three recipes were learned at The Kitchen Workshop

~This was a beautiful meal to celebrate a beautiful person!~

Who Knew?

2009-08-08T20:14:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of some lentils:

Dictionary.com says that a lentil is:

A leguminous plant native to southwest Asia, having flat pods containing lens-shaped, edible seeds.
The round, flattened seed of this plant.

The reason I looked it up is because I've never eaten lentils before and assumed they were some sort of bean, but wasn't sure.

Whenever I heard of anything with lentils in it, I thought, "Um...no thanks". The word "lentil" doesn't sound good. It sounds like something not edible to me...like some sort of utensil used in urgent situations. I imagine someone saying, "Go get me the lentil...quick!"

Anyway, I saw a Barefoot Contessa episode recently (Ina Garten's show on the Food Network) and she was making Lentil Vegetable Soup. She was oh-ing and ah-ing about how awesome it was. I figured that I would try it since lentils are supposed to be super nutritious and the ingredients are not expensive (so I wouldn't feel bad if I hated it).

My husband and I were in awe of how flavorful and awesome this soup was! The recipe yields a whole bunch and we've been eating it for days because we love it so much. I will be making large quantities of this soup and freezing it. Because I like to freeze things. Make this soup...it's delicious and not hard to make and good for you!

Lentil Vegetable Soup
~I Love it!~

1 pound lentils (they are by the dried beans)
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (I used dried)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I forgot this and it still tasted awesome)

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot on medium heat (I used an enameled dutch oven), saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes.
Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through.
Check the seasonings. Add the red wine/vinegar and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Lentils....who knew?

Can It

2009-08-06T08:52:00.005-04:00

So I haven't been doing much by way of cooking lately. My sister has been visiting and her daughter was a bit sick earlier in the week. I was feeling a bit rotten myself. We ended up eating this and that during the day and Wegman's takeout at night. My Mom also bought a lemon cake from Wegman's. I love it with my whole heart. After a lengthy discussion with my sister about portion size and sticking to a moderate daily intake of food...I ate three pieces of cake.

I am finding that summer is less "cooking with a plan" for me and more "have fun and figure it out as you go". This is due to the fact that I'm a teacher and don't work during the summer (don't hate me). However, the school year is about to commence and I am getting geared up to start planning and cooking ahead. It's really the only way I can handle getting dinner on the table after a tough day at work. And in the beginning of the school year, there are usually a lot of tough days.

I did do something rather special this week. I canned (I don't really like that it's called "canning" because they aren't cans, they're jars...). My neighbor has been doing it for a couple of years and she graciously invited me over to show me how it's done. I did all these!

Actually, I could have done even more but I ran out of jars. It was a really interesting process and I am definitely going to do it again this season and in the summers to come. I know that some people might cringe at the thought of canning and preserving because it seems like this huge ordeal.

I'll be honest that it can be a bit labor intensive, but it's a very simple process. If you are making a lot of things, it can take a while because you have to sterilize the jars for a certain amount of time (for small jars we did about 10 minutes) and then you have to fill them and put them back in the boiling water for a certain amount of time (in our case, 10 minutes). It doesn't seem like that long, but if you have to work in batches it can take a while. If you are doing it with a friend, you can chit chat and work on other things in the meanwhile. I really enjoyed it.

Here are two of the recipes we did. Both recipes can be made without the intention of preserving, but need to be kept in the fridge and used within a few weeks. Both of these recipes come from the great cookbook by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard called The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving.

Peach Mint Salsa
~This chutney-like salsa is delicious on grilled chicken or fish~

2 cups chopped peeled peaches (about 4 medium peaches)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp pickling salt (you can use kosher, but pickling salt is sold right next to it)
the zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

You can peel the peaches by dropping them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then plunging them in ice water. The peels should come off easily. If you have trouble, it's not that big of a deal for some of the peaches to be chopped with the peel on.
Combine the peaches, onion, peppers, honey, salt, lime zest and juice in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently (uncovered) for 5 minutes (stir occasionally).
Stir in mint and cook for 1 minute.
Fill sterilized hot jars with salsa, leaving a 1/2 inch of space between the top of the salsa and the rim of the jar (this is called "head space"). Process 10 minutes for half-pint jars ("process" means boil the jars).
Serve with tortilla chips or use it to top chicken or fish. I'm sure it can be used in other ways, as well!

This recipe only yields two cups of salsa, so it can easily be made to be eaten. If you are canning it, I would double or even triple the recipe.

Raspberry and Blueberry Jam
~This can be made year round with fresh or frozen berries~

3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (unsweetened)
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (unsweetened)
1 large orange
6 1/2 cups sugar (alot of sugar! but this recipe yields alot of jam)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin (found near canning supplies in grocery stores)

Mash raspberries and blueberries in a large saucepan. I mashed them the point where the raspberries were pretty mashed up but the blueberries were mostly whole.
Zest the orange and add the zest to the saucepan. Remove the white rind of the orange and chop the orange by hand or in a food processor.
Add orange pulp, sugar and lemon juice to the saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin.
Ladle into hot sterilized jars and process 10 minutes.

I have the ingredients to make Apricot Honey Butter, too. I am going to pick up some more jars and give it a go at home. I'll try to remember to take pictures so that I can do a post on the process step-by-step.

Tomorrow I am attempting to make a Friday Feast: Birthday Edition for my sister's birthday. If it turns out as good as it sounds, I will be sure to share it with you.

*I apologize for the poor quality of my picture...I have trouble taking clear pictures that aren't washed out with my camera's flash. My camera takes great pictures outside...not so great inside.

Let's Wok and Roll

2009-07-28T13:43:00.001-04:00

Last year I bought a brand new wok from a yard sale. The couple had received it for their wedding and never even opened it. I was all excited at finding a bargain and beginning some Asian inspired cooking adventures.

So I took it home and set the box down in the garage and didn't touch it for a year. Why, you ask? Because I don't really know how to use wok and Asian cooking intimidates me.

A few days ago, I decided to challenge myself. I had a handful of Asian ingredients in the fridge and some egg noodles and chicken. I was going to break in the wok! I figured it couldn't be any more complicated than using a skillet, right? It was time for me to find my inner wok star...like this guy:

I poured a bit of peanut oil in the bottom and cranked up the heat. Meanwhile, I retrieved my chicken from the fridge that I had sitting in a marinade I created on a whim that morning. Basically I threw in a couple tablespoons of anything Asian I could find in my house. This included Soy Sauce, fresh ginger, Hoisin sauce, chili paste, and red pepper flakes. I also threw in some olive oil, minced garlic, and red wine vinegar. I let the chicken marinate for a few hours. It certainly smelled good when I got it out.

The little 1 inch pieces of marinated chicken sizzled in the wok as I dropped them in. I threw in a little more fresh ginger and hoisin sauce for good measure. When the chicken was cooked through, I put it aside and grabbed some frozen broccoli I had thawed from the freezer and some chopped bok choy someone had given me.

In they went! Once the the broccoli was tender and the boy choy was wilted, I added the chicken back into the wok and tossed it all around with some sesame oil.

Meanwhile, I had boiled some egg noodles and threw them into the mix. I was having a great time...there was steam all over the room, loud sizzling noises and a huge mess in the sink (my husband kept a safe distance from the kitchen).

I would say that my experimental cooking was somewhat successful. It certainly didn't taste bad, but I think it was lacking the kind of flavor that really "wows" you. It seemed like I had added all sorts of flavor, but there was just something missing. Any suggestions?

The next day, I grabbed some sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion, minced fresh garlic, and chopped fresh parsley. I sauteed the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in some olive oil and added the parsley at the end. I took the leftover Asian explosion from yesterday out of the fridge and threw the mushroom onion mixture on top. It really helped the flavor and tasted great!

This "cooking without a recipe with what you have on hand" may be something people do all the time...but it's new to me.

I'm going to force myself to do it more often. My future attempts may end if success or in failure...but I'm sure going to have a good time!

More Produce Please?

2009-07-28T13:18:00.006-04:00

I already posted some wonderful recipes that can be made with some fresh produce. Here's a couple more to add to the list.

Fresh Peach Chutney
~This is a very versatile recipe~

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large sweet red pepper, seeded, diced 1/4 inch, about 1/2 cup
1 small white onion, peeled and diced, about 1/2 cup
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup white raisins
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds firm, fresh peaches, blanched to remove the skin, pit removed, sliced into wedges

Put the vinegar and both sugars into a non-reactive pot, place over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeño, raisins, garlic, ginger, salt and simmer 10 minutes.
Add the peach segments and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes. If the peaches are still firm allow to cook several minutes more. If you would like the syrup thicker you may also allow to cook for a minute or two to reduce liquid.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pot. Serve at room temperature.
Transfer all excess to a clean container and refrigerate, covered, for several weeks.

Recipe taken from epicurious.com

The reason I love chutney recipes is because they are so versatile. You can use chutney to top chicken or fish. You could add it to a sandwich as a condiment. You can spread it on crackers as a snack or appetizer. It's just plain good. It keeps very well in the fridge for at least two weeks. You can also freeze it, I would presume. I topped some salmon with this chutney and it was superb.

Fresh Blueberry Pie
~Yum, Yum, Yum~

1 prepared 8 inch pastry shell (I used the Pillsbury pie crust from the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
3 pints fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar

Place a 9 inch pre-made Pillsbury pie crust in a glass pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Pul it out of the oven and pour a pint of blueberries in the semi-baked shell.
Combine the flour, butter, lemon juice, and sugar in a sauce pan, stirring to combine. Add the remaining 2 pints of blueberries.
Cook the mixture on low heat until it begins to form juice. This may take several minutes, so just keep stirring and keep an eye on it. It might seem as though it won't get juicy, but it will. You can add cinnamon or vanilla if you want.
Pour the cooked mixture on top of the uncooked blueberries in the pie, add a top criss-cross pie layer (or just a solid crust layer) and baked it at 450 for about 11-13 minutes.
I found that letting it cool to room temperature and then putting it in the fridge really helps it to firm up, so that the juices don't run everywhere when you try to cut it. I even enjoyed serving it cold with some ice cream...I know pie is often served warm, but it tasted great cold!

Recipe taken and adapted from allrecipes.com

Having fresh produce is completely wonderful...it just inspires me to get into the kitchen and get creative!

A Friendly Lunch

2009-07-23T08:02:00.001-04:00

My friend, Jill, lives right near by and happens to be a wonderful cook. I stopped over to visit with her for a while the other day and we collaborated to make quite a fun lunch.

I brought along my homemade peach jam and suggested we eat it with a French baguette and some nice sharp cheddar cheese. I also brought the rest of my apricot pie for us to indulge in after lunch.

Jill made a curry chicken salad that we ate over lettuce. I was delighted with this recipe and amazed at how simple and delicious it was. She said that her mom made up the recipe and taught her how to make it. I told her I would need to post it on my blog ASAP. She graciously gave me permission:

Curry Chicken Salad
~This is great on a sandwich or on its own over lettuce~

The white meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 carrot, sliced into thin ribbons (I used a vegetable peeler)
1 tbsp honey
approx. 1/2 cup of light mayonnaise (it was about two good scoops out of the jar)
the juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/2 cup golden raisins (I love these, so I put a lot in)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup sliced almonds (I actually didn't have these on hand when I made it today, so I left them out...but they taste great in it, if you have some)

Combine the shredded chicken, carrot, honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, golden raisins, curry powder, and almonds in a medium sized bowl. Stir until well combined. Serve over lettuce or on a sandwich. Store in the refrigerator.

It comes together so easily and tastes so great...I'm sure that I am going to be making this recipe quite a bit for my packed lunches when school starts up. Thank you, Jill!

Cooking with a Plan

A Time Out

I'm Still Cooking...Kind Of

Sweet Treat

An Update for a Classic

Christmas Cookies

Food to Keep You Warm

Canning Series - Fruit

Canning Series - Tomatoes

Lunch Lady

Canning Series: Fruit Spreads

Canning: How It's Done

Can It

Snack Attack

Last Summer Cookout

Fresh, Flavorful, and Filling

Makeover

Happy Food

Pizza on the Grill

Spicy Sliders

Summer days

Use What You've Got

Barley is Gnarly

Gnarly - adjective, gnarlier, gnarliest.

Gnarly - adjective

Two Sides to Breakfast

Giveaway and Gratitude

My New Best Friend

Last Minute Meals

Something out of Nothing

Breakfast for Two -- The Snowed-in Edition

A Family Meal

Chicken Three Ways

Year 1

The Most Forgotten Meal of the Day

New Year, New Directions

Giveaway Alert

Gifts from the Kitchen

Thanks

In Case You Thought I Disappeared...

Bon Appetit!

Cheddar is Better

Girls Only Getaway to the Mountains

Remember me?

Confession

Straight from the Garden

A Battle Conquered

Two New Recipes and Two Old Faithfuls

Easy Meals for a Busy Week

I'm Still Here...

The Perfect Picnic

Julie & Julia

Friday Night Feast - Birthday Edition

Who Knew?

Can It

Let's Wok and Roll

More Produce Please?

A Friendly Lunch