Cooking and Growing in the Heartland

Late Summer and Fall Update

2011-10-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Neena played in lots of leaves that mommy and daddy raked up!

Ate her very first mussel(s) and LOVED them. Mama was so proud.

Played in a HUGE corn pool at the orchard

Picked out pumpkins at the Farm Crawl

Went on a fall nature hunt with her friends

Carved a pumpkin and dug out all of the seeds, which she later ate.

Took her nature collection basket with her everywhere and collected lots of walnuts and acorns

Played with colorful spaghetti

Went on a hike at Wild Cat Den

Made yummy "food" in her mud kitchen

Mud Kitchen/Play Area

2011-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Neena loves playing in the dirt and getting messy. LOVES it. In fact, this activity can keep her entertained for at least an hour, if not longer. She loves it so much that we decided to make her a mud kitchen/play area in our backyard!

We started working on the area yesterday. I cleared the weeds out and laid down some fresh dirt. We went thrifting and found baskets for gathering, wooden bowls for mixing, a serving tray for sorting, and a couple of pots and pans. The picture below is my inspiration for the kitchen. Our next thrifting trip will be to look for old shelves to use. We're also bringing in tree stumps next weekend. I will continue to update as we make progress! I'm super duper excited for the end result of this project!

Eat Local Challenge: June 11- June 30

2011-06-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to do a local eating challenge for awhile now, but I just kept putting it off, mostly because I knew it would to be hard for us. After reading this article from Urban Farm Online I finally decided to jump in and go for it! I figured if I'm going to do it now is the best time considering all of the fresh summer produce available to us at the farmer's markets in the area.

So, starting tomorrow the Riggs-Larson family will be going completely LOCAVORE (or just loco?!) for a couple weeks. If we find we do well for those two weeks, we will continue on for another two so that we can make it a full month.

Considering we already eat quite a bit of local food and we have a garden in our backyard one would think this couldn't be that hard, but when I stop to think about how much we buy that isn't local (I love Trader Joe's), I realize the breadth of the challenge. What will we do without Neena's cheddar bunnies and peanut butter crackers or my morning cup of joe straight from the k-cup? I know we'll make it work and I know we can do it, but it won't come without its hardships.

Outdoor Play

2011-06-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

As a child I played outside all of the time. I rode my bike, caught tadpoles at the creek, made mud-pies, flower fairies, and dandelion crowns. I played hide-n-seek and tag with the neighborhood kids. I hammered open rocks to reveal their sparkly inside. I found wonder in the natural world. One of my goals as a mother is to instill in Neena and appreciation for the natural world. Playing outside is something we do a lot of. We don't use fancy toys or electronic devices, mostly we just use our imagination. The pictures below were taken within the last month.

Playing in the sand in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Playing in the mud!

Roasting a marshmallow with Daddy

Hanging outside of our tent on her first camping trip

Playing with rocks, water, sand, and sticks

"I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepapre the soil"

Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza

2011-06-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've been really into making pizza lately. I love how creative you can get with it. The crust is like a clean canvas for me! Last night I made a super delish pizza using some garden fresh ingredients and some great local chevre. YUM! This is my own recipe.

Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza
Whole wheat pizza gough (I use Trader Joe's)
Chevre -- look for a good local cheese
Homemade Pesto
Mushrooms, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Fresh Dill
Fresh Basil

- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare pizza dough. Cover prepared pizza dough in pesto. Top with chevre, mushrooms, scallions, dill, and basil. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Green Farro

2011-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of green veggies that needed to be used up so I decided to cook them up and mix them in with some cheesy farro. The results were super delish. This is my own recipe.

Cheesy Farro
1 cup farro
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil or butter

- Combine farro, wine, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until most water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add freshly grated cheese (I like lots of it), lemon juice, and butter or olive oil. Mix together. Season with salt and pepper.

Green Veggie Mix-In
One bunch Fresh asparagus (locally gorwn)
2-3 cups Fresh spinach leaves (from my own garden)
Fresh Dill, I used A LOT (from my own garden)
2-4 Fresh scallions, chopped (from my own garden)
Olive oil
Salt

- Add oil to pan and heat. Add scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add dill and spinach leaves and cook until spinach leaves wilt. Season with salt. Serve over cheesy farro.

Garden Fresh Strawberries

2011-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

First strawberry of the season! I love the juice running down her tummy!

"Mama, I think it needs some sugar."

Delish!

Chickens!

2011-06-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Thelma and Louise, two Rhode Island Red chickens, were added to the Riggs-Larson family.

They love the camera!

Hi, girls! What's up?

And, they love hanging out with their new family.

Our little urban farm is really coming together!

Becoming an Urban Farmer

2011-05-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

Our backyard has become an edible wonderland! Three garden beds and lots of containers filled with growing veggies. And soon we'll have three little chickens wandering around!

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how to do all of this gardening/farming stuff and it's sure a lot of fun. Neena and I spend a lot of time tending to our plants and getting our hands and feet dirty. This little hobby/interest has really solidified a place in my heart and I'm pretty sure Neena would say the same thing if she could talk.

My hope is to document our urban farming journey so that we can encourage more city-dwellers to do what we are doing. Not only am I providing my family with freshly grown organic food, but I'm providing my daughter with a great education in environmental stewardship and food security.

Crockpot Mu Shu Chicken

2011-03-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Recipe adapted from a recipe found on Family Fun Magazine -- I made quite a few changes. We really liked this easy to make meal. It was almost like we had ordered in Chinese. Next time I'm going to try to make my own chinese pancakes, as the flour tortillas just didn't taste the same.

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 T Soy Sauce
2 T Honey
1/4 t ground ginger
1 12 oz. bag of broccoli slaw mix (Trader Joe's has a great mix)
3 eggs
Flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients except the eggs in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Shred meat mixture. Scramble three eggs and add to meat mixture. Serve mixture in warm flour tortillas.

Clean Eaating Day 3

2011-03-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

(Miss Neena Mae playing outside today)

Can I just stop at 3 days? For real. I'm over this cleanse. My willpower pretty much sucks and I'm getting bored with our food selection. I feel this way even after I cheated a bit today--we grilled turkey burgers. It was 70 degrees meat needed to go on the grill!

I know I'm whining but I'm going to finish this cleanse. I have my mind set on Saturday when the cleanse will be over and Jake and I can indulge during our cabin getaway. We've laready planned our meal of homemade mac 'n cheese, hot dogs over the fire, and chips with Anderson Erickson dip. YUM.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Fruit Salad. Green Tea.

Lunch:

Mixed greens with avocado, tomato, black beans, and lime juice. Banana with a bit of peanut butter.

Snack:
Strawberry, banana, ginger, and wheat grass smoothie.

Supper:
Turkey burger. Kale Chips. Steamed Green Beans. Sauteed Mushrooms.

Clean Eatnig Day 2

2011-03-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Fruit salad with 2 tablespoons plain yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. Green tea.

Lunch: Quinoa with black beans, roasted red and yellow peppers, and a hard boiled egg. Green tea.

Snack: Handful of almonds. Banana.

Supper: 2 corn tortillas topped with pinto beans, tomato, avocadoes, red onion, garlic, greens, cilantro, and plain yogurt.

Today was a lot easier than yesterday, which is interesting considering there was a potluck at work today. TONS of temptations and I managed to avoid every single one. GO ME! Not gonna lie, I'm still craving something sweet and bad for me, but it's not as bad as yesterday.

Day 1 Reflection

2011-03-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

I want ice cream so freaking bad! I think the craving is worse because I know it's off limits. I don't know how people do this longer than one week.

Other than the ice cream craving, I'm doing okay. I got pretty darn hungry in the afternoon and managed to fight it off with almonds, green tea, and a banana.

Clean Eating Day 1

2011-03-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

We have officially started our 5-day cleanse. So far, so good. :-) I had a good time grocery shopping and loading up on all sorts of fruits and veggies. Surprisingly, our grocery bill for the entire week was only $80, and my cart was full of fresh produce, beans, nuts, and seeds.

Breakfast: Fruit salad with grapes, oranges, strawberries, and blueberries. Hard boiled egg. Cup of Green Tea.

Snack: Banana. Handful of almonds.

Lunch: Mixed green salad with tomatoes, green beans, red onion, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and pumpkin seeds with lemon juice and dijon mustard dressing. Cup of green tea.

Snack: Handful of almonds. 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

Supper: Roasted red and yellow peppers with quinoa. Sauteed green beans.

Yesterday's Lunch

2011-03-10T10:55:00.001-08:00

Next week Jake and I are doing a 7-day detox. Not the kind where you only drink lemon juice and take a million supplements. We are simply cutting out the following things from our diet: meat, dairy, sodium, caffeine, alchohol, gluten, wheat, and white sugar. Basically, we'll be eating a ton of fruits and vegetables and chugging down lots of water and green tea. Sounds refreshing, huh?

I thought I would practice for the detox by making a lunch that didn't contain any of the banned foods. I ended up with this: a bed of mixed greens topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes, pinto beans, cilantro, onions, and dressed with lime juice and Mrs. Dash's Extra Spicy seasoning (sodium free). It was so good and provided me with plenty of energy for my afternoon workout.

Look for posts on our 7 day detox starting next week!

Follow This BLog

2011-03-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

One of my online community friends, Kim, has chosen to go Vegan for lent and I think it's really rad! She'll be blogging about her journey at http://myveganlent.blogspot.com . I'm excited to try some of her recipes and hopefully be inspired to infuse some Veganism into our life.

Raspberry Granola Bars

2011-03-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe while searching Ziplist. My changes or additions are noted in red.

Neena loves packaged cereal bars, but they contain a lot of sugar, and many times the fruit isn't real. Plus, I was getting tired of paying so much for six scrawny bars, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and whip up some homemade cereal bars that are healthy, have real fruit, and taste delicious. Oh, and these are great for nursing mamas since they have old-fashioned rolled oats!

Bars freeze well. So double the recipe. :-)

Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars (recipe source:www.kitchendaily.com)

Ingredients:
1 C pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour -- I used 1/2 cup wheat, and 1 cup all purpose
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar--I cut this to 1/4 cup
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raspberry preserves -- I made my own by using a bag of frozen raspberries, a bit of sugar, a bit of water, and a bit of cornstarch
2 tablespoons wheat germ
Dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. .Butter and 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine pecans, flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking soad, salt, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until the mixture is througly combined.

Press 2/3 of the oat mixture in an evne layer into the prepared pan and top with raspberry preserves. Sprinkle the preserves with remaining oat mixture.

Bake the bars for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let granola bars cool. Cut into squares and serve or package.

Greek Frittata

2011-03-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Recipe from The Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes. This was an easy recipe that packs a lot of flavor. Neena loved it, too!

Ingredients:
1/2 C water plus 1 T water
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
5 eggs
2 t canola oil
1/3 C slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 C chopped kalamata olives
1/4 C diced onion
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in couscous, remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff and separate with fork.

Combine 1 tablespoon water, salt, pepper, and eggs in medium bowl and whisk together. Heat oil in large ovenproof skiller over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, olives, and onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from eat and stir in couscous and egg mixture. Level mixture with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle cheeses over top. Bake frittata for 10 minutes, or until set and cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges with a knife or pizza cutter.

2011 Veggie Garden Plans

2011-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an extremely awesome book I was able to complete my garden planning! The extremely awesome book just happens to be a companion to one of my all time favorite recipe books, The New Moosewood Cookbook. The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden: Creative Gardening for the Adventurous Cook is one of the best gardening books I've read. Actually, it's the only gardening books I've aread because the others I've attempted to read are either too boring or too techinical.

This book is full of whimsical illustrations, vivid yet succinct plant descriptions, gardening techniques, and recipes. One of my favorite features is a companion planting chart that helped me arrange my garden beds. I'll try to post the layouts as soon as I get my hands on a scanner.

The following list is my planting schedule. An asterick (*) denotes plants that I started from seed inside. The rest of the seeds will be directly sown into the garden beds.

Mid March: *Kale, *Broccoli Raab, Onions, Kohlrabi, Garlic

Late March: Carrots, Beets

2-4 weeks after Last Frost: *Tomatoes, Zucchini, *Peppers, *Cucumbers, Okra

Potted Herbs: Lavendar, Rosemary, Basil

Mid-Summer: Brussel Sprouts

Celebration Cupcakes

2011-02-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, these are named celebration cupcakes, but we made them just because. And, because I've had a major sweet tooth. These cupcakes have healthy ingredients but don't let that fool you into thinking they are low fat or low calorie. They are perfect for a child who is on a high fat, high protein diet, which is another reason I made them. Our little peanut, Neena, is a whopping 18 lbs at 14 months old so we're trying to fatten her up a bit, and these cupcakes have all the essential fattening ingredients in them.

The recipe comes from a great little recipe book, The Petit Appetit Cookbook:Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, by Lisa Barnes.

Ingredients:
1 cup organic whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 large egg

Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with baking liners or grease cups to prevent sticking. In a medium bowl, combine flours, what germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Combine buttermilk and applesauce in a small bowl. In a large bowl with an eletric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg to butter mixture and continue to beat. Alternatley add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture and beat to combine.

Seeds

2011-02-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

These little guys are keeping warm on top of our refrigerator. I can't wait to see them germinate!

Venison

2011-02-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

(Neena with a buck my cousin shot)

We are a deer meat family. I honestly can't remember the last time we had beef. Our freezer is packed full of ground deer, deer loins, deer sticks, deer salami, and deer sausage thanks to my father-in-law the hunter. I make venison chili, venison burgers, venison tacos, grilled venison loins, venison barley soup, and much more.

When I tell most people we eat deer, they shoot me a disgusted look and proceed to talk about how gross deer is, and sometimes tell me about how inhumae it is to kill an innocent animal. I ask these people if they eat meat. Most say yes. I then ask them if they know where their meat comes from. Most do not know.

I know where our meat comes from. I know the hunter who shot the deer. I know that the deer was not raised in a tiny stall and force fed a corn based diet and most likely shot up with antibiotics and growth hormones. The deer we eat have a healthy diet and are free to roam wherever they please. Deer meat is leaner and better for you. Take for instance this quote from livestrong.com,

"A three-ounce portion of cooked venison contains 3 g of total fat, 1 g of saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol. Even with the majority of fat trimmed off, an average three-ounce cut of cooked beef contains 15 g of total fat, 6 g of saturated fat and 74 mg of cholesterol."

To find out more about the nutritional values of venison and beef visit this link.

Okay, so you understand that deer is nutritionally better for you. Why else should you choose to consume venison over beef?

Eating venison is an environmentally friendly choice! Since deer are foragers they do not consume massive amounts of corn and farm raised grains, hence deer do not require massive amounts of polluted farmland to survive.

Eating venison is more humane than eating beef. As mentioned befored deer are able to roam freely whereas cattle are mostly forced to live in dirty CAFOS (contained animal feeding operations). Yes, to some shooting an innocent deer may seem vulgar and barbaric, but let's face it, deer must be hunted to prevent overpopulation. To find out more about Iowa's deer population please read, Deer in Iowa: A Historic Perspective.

I'm not telling everybody to go out and get a hunting license, but I am encouraging you to consider where the meat you consume comes from? Do you have a connection to it at all? Or, are you just buying it off the grocery store shelf? Venison may not be everybody's cup of tea, but there are ways to consume beef, chicken, and pork in more responsible ways. I encourage you to find a small family farm in your area and give them a visit. Pet the animals, shake the farmer's hand, breathe in the fresh country air, and know that you are doing your part to make food real again.

Recipe Book Rave

2011-02-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

I'm currently devouring "Cooking from the Garden" . Seriously, every single recipe sounds mouth watering. The ingredients are simple and fresh. It's making me really excited to get my garden started this Spring! I also have big plans of hosting a late Spring/Early Summer celebration in our backyard, and I plan on using a few of the recipes from this book.

A few recipes that I'm drooling over:

Okra Tempura with Soy Dipping Sauce
Kale & Cheese Rolls
Green Olive Tapenade
White Bean & Herb Spread
Lively Lemony Punch
Blackberries in Pecan Crepes
Dill Pesto -- yes please!!!
Coleslaw with Ginger-Mustard Vinaigrette
Spring Harvest Salad
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Buttermilk Cream Scones with Lemon Basil
Dill Biscuits
Green Beans Sauteed wit hRadishes & Rosemary
Garlicky Pole Beans with Dill
Garlic-Lover's Pasta with Pancetta & Walnuts

Ziplist

2011-02-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

One of my recent obessions is ziplist.com. I honestly don't know how I menu planned before it. If you register (it's free!), let me know so we can exchange recipes.

What is ziplist? (from ziplist.com)

ZipList is a free online service that makes managing your grocery shopping list easier than ever. With ZipList, you can create a shopping list which is always available to you online. You can add to or delete items from your list via the web, mobile phones, text messages, email or instant messaging. You can share your list with family members or friends so they can add or delete items as well -- and they can even help you shop.

ZipList also has a universal recipe box, so you can save all your food recipes in a single place -- whether they are your own or compiled from other online recipe web sites. Once in your recipe box, you can automatically add the recipe ingredients to your list with a single click. You can also create shortcuts , or use your list history, to quickly add often purchased items to your list. And ZipList also can categorize your items and put your list in aisle order for each store, making you more efficient when you're shopping

It's Time to Start Again

2011-02-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's time to start talking about food again! It's official, I'm diving back into the food blogging arena and this time I plan on making it bigger and better. I'm armed with a kick ass camera and a new arsenal of recipes and resources.

I look forward to sharing my recipes, shopping trips and tips, and kitchen adventures with all of you. And, as always, I fully welcome any and all feedback. Simply put, I love comments!

Some of you who are returning readers might notice a few changes from my original food blog. I'm really going to focus on local and seasonal cooking, recipes for pregnant and nursing women, and meals for busy families.

I'm really excited to be back at it and I hope all of you enjoy my recipes as much as I enjoy making them and sharing them with you. Thanks for your support!

White Bean and Chicken Chili with Cheddar and Scallion Bread

2010-02-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

What an awesome meal. Simple to prepare and jam packed with good for you stuff and protein!

Enjoy!

White Bean and Chicken Chili (Giada De Laurentiis)

(My additions and changes denoted in red)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt (more if you would like)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds -- I didn't use fennel seeds because I didn't have any
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces -- I used Kale because that's what we had in the refrigerator
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cheddar and Scallion Bread (Giada De Laurentiis)

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or coarsely grated
6 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally -- I used french bread

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine the cheese and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the scallions and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and serve.

Zucchini Pie

2009-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

Really easy and full of flavor. Would make a great brunch item.

Zucchini Pie (adapted from squidoo.com)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Cups grated Zucchini

½ cup chopped Onions

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoon freshbasil

Fresh Thyme

Saltand Pepper to taste

2 Eggs beaten

2 cups Mozzarella cheese grated

1 can refrigerated Crescent rolls

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive in skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onions, and garlic cook until tender.Add parsley, salt, pepper, basil and thyme to zucchini mixture, stir.In a large bowl combine beaten eggs and grated Mozzarella cheese, mix well. Add the Zucchini mixture to bowl and stir gently.Separate Crescent roll dough and place into an ungreased pie pan, to form a crust. Press the perforations together to prevent the zucchini mixture from escaping.Pour Zucchini mixture evenly into the crust-lined pan.Bake for about 20 minutes (or until knife inserted in center comes out clean)

Eggplant and Potato Curry

2009-09-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Eggplant and Potato Curry (adapted from Indianfood.about.com)

5-6 baby eggplants, cut into halves or quarters

2 potatoes, cut into quarters

1 onion, chopped

3 tablespoons oil

Fennel

Coriander

Cumin

Tumeric

Cayenne Pepper

Cinnamon

Curry Powder

Cilantro

Water

In a deep pan, heat the oil on a medium flame until hot.
Add the onions and spices and sautee until soft and transluscent.
Add the eggplant and potato and mix well. Sauteefor 2 minutes.
Sprinkle water on the vegetables and mix all well.
Cover the dish and cook untilthe vegetables are almost done. Check occasionally.
Remove the cover from the dish and stir. Cook until done. You may need to add more water.
Garnish with chopped, fresh cilantro leaves and serve with hot Naan -- we buy pre-made frozen Naan at an Indian store. It's really good and it saves a lot of time.

Eggplant and Zucchini Galore

2009-09-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

This weeks menu was put together to use all those yummy zucchinis and eggplants I have sitting around.

Wednesday: Baingan Aloo Ki Subji (Eggplant and Potato Curry) OR Eggplant and Peppers in a Spicy Peanut Sauce. I can't make up my mind! Help me decide!

Thursday: Zucchini "Lasagna" -- instead of pasta you use thin zucchini slices. I can't wait to make this one!

Also, look for a post to come on the CSA we just joined. :-)

Labor Day Dinner

2009-09-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jake enjoying his Iowa sweet corn smothered in butter, parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt.

Lean steak, sweet corn on the cob, and the best damn kale I've ever made.

A close-up of the sauteed kale I have perfected!

Sauteed Kale (perfected!)

2 Cups kale

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

a handful or two of pine nuts, toasted

a few splashes of sherry or a wine of your choice

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Blanch kale and drain. Heat oil in sautee pan and add kale, garlic, sautee for 2 minutes; add kale, pine nuts, sherry, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper; sautee for 5 minutes.

Fried Zuchini From the Garden

2009-07-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

The beautiful plant.

A tiny little zuchini right next to the one I picked and fried up.

How beautiful is this? I grew it!!!

Getting ready to get dipped (in egg and milk mixture) then breaded with italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

The finished product.

Want to see more pics of my garden? Click here!

Spanakopitas and Orzo

2009-04-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

A family favorite of ours is Greek spanakopitas (spinach pies, if you prefer an easier way of pronouncing). Spanakopitas are time consuming to make but are totally worth the time because they are so gosh darn good; crispy phyllo outside, spinach, dill, onion, and melted feta in the inside. HEAVEN, I tell ya. Get the recipe here.

Orzo is such a great pasta and it's super versatile. Tonight, I prepared another family classic with it; orzo, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon ( I use the juice of 2 lemons), and olive oil. Normally, I would put fresh basil in this salad, but the basil we bought at the store somehow was no where to be found!!! I added some fresh dill instead, worked just fine. :-)

(The mouthwatering inside of the spanakopitas)

(Fresh and flavorful orzo salad)

(The crispy outside of the spanakopitas)

(Angel food cake out of the box, so what!)

SPICY Bean Tacos

2009-04-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

These were good, not great, just good. If I make them again I plan on cutting back the amount of chipotle peppers in adobo (the flavor was good but they were too spicy for Jake's taste) and replacing that flavor with taco seasoning spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic, and a little cayenne pepper)

Instead of sour cream (which we love), we used plain yogurt and it tasted almost as good as sour cream, I'm not kidding. :-)

Spicy Bean Tacos (wholeliving.com)
8 whole-wheat tortillas, 7 inches each
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic , minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped, plus more for serving (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 cup store-bought green salsa, plus more for serving (optional) - I omitted this
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed - omitted this
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil, place in oven, and warm while you prepare the filling.
-In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic; cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in beans, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, simmer 5 to 7 minutes until slightly thickened and hot. Add salsa (if desired), corn, and lime juice; cook until heated through.
-Unwrap tortillas; spread yogurt over one side. Top with the warm bean mixture, cilantro leaves, lettuce, and cheese. Fold tortillas over and serve 2 per person with additional salsa and chipotle, if desired.

I couldn't resist posting this pic of Grace. How cute is she?!

Gado Gado (gah-doh gah-doh)

2009-03-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend Alison and I went to the Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa's book sale. This book sale was dreamy--a HUGE room full of all sorts of wonderful books--we were in heaven. Among the books were lots of great cook books (YAY!) and I happened to pick up The New Moosewood Cookbook. If you don't own this cookbook walk, nay, RUN to the nearest bookstore and get it!!!

The first recipe I made from the Moosewood was a traditional Indonesian dish, Gado Gado. The Moosewood describes it quite perfectly:

"An Indonesian extravaganza: Yello rice on a bed of spinach, covered with vegetables, tofu, and hardboiled eggs. A gingery peanut suace gets drizzled over the top, and crucnhy, flavorful "final toppings" add a delightful finishing touch. AND IT'S ALL QUITE EASY-EVEN FOR BEGINNERS! HAVE FUN WITH THIS!"

Start with a bed of spinach and yellow rice (just add tumeric to your boiling rice to make it yellow)

Then top with veggies, tofu, and eggs.

Finish by drizzling with the most awesome peanut sauce ever and top with coconut flakes and crushed peanuts. There will seriously be a party in your mouth. This is a MUST try meal for my food lovin' friends. :-)

Peanut Sauce (The New Moosewood Cookbook)
Makes 2 cups
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon grated ginger
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
4 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used rice vinegar and it tasted just fine)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Crushed red pepper to taste

- Put everything is a blender (I used a hand blender) and puree until smooth. If it's too thick, add a little extra water.

- Drizzle over your Gado Gado. ENJOY!

Kitty Cat, Tofu, and Cous Cous

2009-03-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is our new kitty, Grace (I've taken to calling her Grace Face). We adopted her on Wednesday and we absolutely adore here! She's the sweetest little thing who loves to cuddle, have her belly rubbed, and sleep with us in our bed.

We were a little worried about Grace and Arlo, but so far things are great with them. Grace loves to sleep in the basement so when she's hanging out down there we get Arlo out of her cage. During the day we keep the door to Arlo's room shut; I don't even think they know that the other one exist.

For supper I made marinated tofu and served it over a bed of blanched and sauteed kale. We had yukon gold potatoes with red onions as a side.

Marinated and Baked Tofu

( I didn't measure my marinade ingredient, so amounts are an estimate)

Tofu, drained and cut into card deck sized pieces

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

Garlic, chopped

- Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic and pour over tofu strips. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for even better flavor.

- Bake tofu in oven for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

The other night I prepared an awesome Cinnamon Moroccan chicken with cous cous. The recipe can be found here on wholeliving.com. I added pecans to the apple and golden raisin mixture and mixed it in with the cous cous. I seriously could've eaten an entire gallon of the cous cous, it was that good!

This Evening Rocked

2009-03-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend has done an amazing job of lifting my spirits and awakening me. The temperatures soared to the mid-60s and beckoned many Iowans outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. I went for a jog with Alison in the morning, enjoyed an Irish meal at my employees house in the afternoon, and relaxed with my amazing husband this evening. Jake and I cooked up some sesame encrusted tuna steaks and garlicky green beans with almonds. We enjoyed our meal outside and lingered for a bit while drinking wine and beer over great conversation. Does it get much better than that? I don't think so.

Pictured above is the really tasty sauce we put over our tuna steaks (see recipe below)

Searing our tuna over white hot flames.

The finished product was quite beautiful and really tasty.

Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Carrot Ginger Sauce(Wholeliving.com)

1 medium carrot (2 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh peeled ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Coarse salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds, preferably mixed black and white
4 tuna steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)

-In a blender, combine carrot, ginger, scallion whites, vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, 3 tablespoons canola oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender jar as necessary (add up to 1 tablespoon more water, if necessary, to adjust consistency). Season with salt.
-Place sesame seeds on a rimmed plate. Season tuna steaks with salt, then press both sides of the steaks into seeds to coat.
-Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish in skillet 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (if steaks are particularly large, cook them in two batches).
-Serve fish topped with sauce and sprinkled with reserved scallion greens.

CHEERS! to an amazing evening.

Filling (and really darn good) Pasta

2009-03-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I whipped up a lunch with some random things I had in the refrigerator and pantry and I came up with a tasty little pasta dish that had kale, chickpeas, olive oil, and garlic in it. Tonight, I recreated the dish but added a spicy/zesty red sauce to it. One word: AWESOME!

That bowl of goodness you see above contains:

Whole Wheat Penne

Chickpeas

Kale

Crushed Red Tomatoes w/ olive oil, crushed red pepper, crushed garlic, salt and pepper

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

- Boil penne noodles.

-Sautee kale and chickpeas in olive oil with garlic and salt.

-Combine crushed tomatoes with olive oil, red pepper, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat.

-Toss everything together with the pasta and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top.

Beware: This is a very filling meal!

Awesome Tuna Salad and a 20k Run

2009-03-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have officially signed up to particpate in a 20k race on May 30! My friend Alison and I are doing it together. and we're using a 12-week training plan that officially starts tomorrow. I'm excited, nervous, and a tad bit crazy for spending money to run 12.4 miles!! I can't wait to share my training journey with my blog readers.

On to supper....

This tuna salad was WOW! I got the recipe inspiration from a shape.com recipe.

This is a protein-packed meal containing both northern white beans and tuna. Served over a bed of spinach leaves, it's a filling yet really healthy meal.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

1 package tuna

1 can northern white beans, drained

2 stalk celery, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 cup green beans

fresh basil - to taste

~1-2 tablespoons olive oil

~1 tablespoon white basalmic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Spinach or another yummy green

Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water then chop into bite size pieces.

Combine all ingredients and mix together. Serve over a bed of fresh greens.

Spring Fever

2009-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

A beer and grilling--it doens't get much better than that.

Add some ribeye steaks (seasoned with salt and pepper only)

Grilled zuchini, eggplant, and green beans

And, you have yourself one delicious spring-time meal. We Iowans cherish our 50 degree days in early March. :-)

Ribollita

2009-03-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

I have managed to catch the sick germs that have been floating around work and I feel miserable. When I feel miserable all I want is as big bowl of healthy soup. A couple years ago my Aunt Connie and Uncle Mike gave me a recipe book called The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup. All of the recipes in the book look amazing and it was hard to choose one to make. I finally settled on a classic Italian Ribollita.

"Ribollita is like minestrone, but includes beans instead of pasta. In Italy, this is traditionally served ladled over bread and a rich green vegetable."

This soup is full of good for you veggies and lots of flavor. The recipe calls for pesto and lucky for me I had a few pesto cubes left in my freezer (you can see the little guys in the picture above) You can find my pesto recipe here.

I sauteed some arugula and spinach to serve the soup over. The arugula added a great peppery taste. Kale would also be a great addition. Rather than serving over bread, I just served the bread on the side.

The soup was perfect and made me feel better (at least for a little bit).

Ribollita (Adapted from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stocks, sliced

1 large zuchini, thinly sliced

Green beans, trimmed

14 oz. can crushed tomatoes -- I used fire roasted

2 tablespoons pesto

3 cups vegetable stock

14 oz. can Northern White beans or Cannellini beans

Salt and Pepper to taste

- Heat oil in large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, garlic, celery, and onion and fry slowly for 10 minutes. Add the zuchini ad green beans and fry for 2 minutes longer.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, pesto, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Lower the hear, cover and simmer for ~ 25 to 30 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve over greens.

All By Myself

2009-02-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

Jake's in Iowa City for the annual Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice (the journal he was on in Law School) symposium so I have the house to myself tonight; it's taking me back to the days of living on my own and having to cook supper for only one person, which, in my opinion, is hard to do. I had quite a collection of veggies in the fridge so I decided to roast some up (my favorite thing to do with veggies) and throw them over a bed of spinach, arugula, and quinoa. I really love arugula but have a hard time finding it around here. Luckily, Dole began making a really great arugula and spinach mix that is now available at my local grocer! I don't think I've mentioned arugula in any previous posts so here's the down low on the stuff: high in vitamins A and C and contains barely any calories (2 calories/half cup!) PRetty SUPER! P.S. It's a great addition to pesto!!

After posting, I realized I've never given a good SHOUT OUT to quinoa (quickly becoming a kitchen favorite in our household). While doing my food research I found that quinoa is a seed that is a relative of leafy green vegetables. Who would've thought? We always have a bag of quinoa on hand. It's easy to cook, it taste wonderful--nutty, and creamy and crunchy at the same time--best texture ever! Find out more about this magical little seed by clicking here.

Texas, Y'all

2009-02-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

The beautiful River Walk in San Antonio. Every city with a river should have something like this.

El Mercado. I so wish I would've bought one of the dogs. How great of a conversation piece would that have been?!

Dancing in the oldest dance hall in Texas located in Gruene (the cutest little Texas town)

Outside of a great pottery store in Gruene. I bought a clay bird there.

The restaurants in Texas are all big and decorated with all sorts of great stuff.

Someday when I have lots of money saved I'm going to open a restaurant like the one above; antique store/restaurant.

More of the antique store/restaurant. Everything in this pic is for sale(except the table)

A Texas sirloin. YUMMY. Obviously, my SUPERfoods diet was not sustained on my trip to Texas.

Honey Bears, Mac and Cheese, and Soup

2009-02-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

This little honey bear always makes me smile.

He was a perfect compliment to Whole Wheat Flax'n 'Nana Muffins.

I found the recipe for these muffins on the back of my Hodgson Mill Flax Seed box. They are really, really, really, really, really good. Doesn't hurt that they are really good for you.

Smear the muffins with some peanut butter and drizzle with honey and you are in for a treat.

Whole Wheat Flax'n 'Nana Muffins (Hodgson Mill Recipe-altered)

1/4 cup flax seed

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 bananas, preferably brown, mashed (the recipe suggest using apples, which would be good too)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk (I ended up using about 1 cup for more moisture)

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Blend dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a seperate bowl; combine egg, vegetable oil and milk. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in banana and nuts. Fill well greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until top springs back when touched.

I made this soup for supper tonight. Tonight I altered it by adding Indian spices (curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon) and it tasted even better than the first time I made it.

Last night I had a major craving for mac and cheese (the best comfort food EVER!) I used this recipe and this recipe as inspiration and came out with a bowl of this:

Mac and Cheese with a healthy kick! The spinach and mushrooms were a great add-in and the recipe I followed for the cheese sauce was made without butter. I also used the Barilla Plus pasta.

The Next Time I Bake...

2009-02-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

I'm making these. The blog author claims they taste similar to the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. I love Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.

The Boastful Baker

P.S. Cool new website find! Click here for major food porn.

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

Oh, Valentine's Day, not a day I've ever gotten too terribly excited about. I'm not a cold-hearted romance hater, I just could never get giddy over the entire holiday. I do make an attempt to celebrate it and this year's celebration was simple and relaxing. We spent time at a resort-style hotel with Jake's parents and family friends and I went to a casino (I HATE casinoes). Despite my hatred of casinoes we had a very lovely weekend.

On Friday night I sauteed some chicken breast, made mango salsa, and cooked up some yummy black beans and rice. The mango salsa was really yummy and made a great addition to our cumin and cayenne pepper seasoned chicken breasts.

Mango Super Salsa (all measurements are estimates)

1 mango, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 half red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped

1 half tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

Adobo seasoning

Cumin

Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper (all spices are to taste)

- Mix all ingredients together and serve.

My mother-in-law and me being goofy. Like always. :-)

Being a Nurse

2009-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

My beloved husband had an accident this weekend. While snowboarding in Iowa (yes, in I said in Iowa) on a small ski hill he fell and broke his arm, a clean snap all the way through. The poor dude is in a full arm splint and in quite a bit of pain. This is where you realize marriage is quite wonderful even when things are looking a little down. I've enjoyed playing nurse; wrapping his splint, bathing him (we laughed for about 10 minutes straight during this), buying him the first two seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and cooking him a yummy meal. He visits an othapaedic surgeon on Tuesday where he will get a cast (which I heard goes quite well with suits).

For dinner this evening I wanted to use bok choy so I made a stir-fry that was inspired by this recipe on Cuisine Nie. Lots of bok choy, mushrooms, red peppers, and tofu served over brown rice. HEALTHY, HEALTHY, HEALTHY!

I really enjoyed this meal except that I suck at cooking tofu. I've yet to master frying it and this time was no different. In the pic below things aren't looking too bad...yet.

However, once added to the veggies my tofu fell apart into tiny little pieces and made the stir-fry a little mushy. I think I'm gonna stick to baking tofu unless one of you as some good advice for me.

Taco Salad Done Healthy

2009-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Taco Salad Done Healthy

Lean Meat (Venison), Avocadoes, Purple Onions, Tomatoes, and a little bit of cheese rest on top of a cup and a half of fresh spinach.

SMART Girls and Ice Cream...HOORAY!

2009-02-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

I know that I brag often about how much I love my job. I want to present you with further evidence as to why I love my job sooooooo gosh darn much. I run a program at the Club called SMART Girls. Yesterday the SMART Girls learned about science by exploring careers in science and learning about women who are scientists. To celebrate our new found knowledge we conducted our own little science experiment by making ICE CREAM!!!

The girls worked in teams to shake their bags of half and half, vanilla, and sugar.

The final results were really tasty (especially after we added in M&Ms and Sprinkles!)

Homemade Ice Cream in 5 minutes

1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes

-Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

QQQQuinoa and a Kitchen Cart

2009-02-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

In order to recover from my Super Bowl binge fest I decided I would eat lots and lots and lots of vegetables today. Tonight's bowl featured quinoa, chickpeas, brocoli, zuchini, red and green peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and yellow carrots.

I toasted the chickpeas with some garlic, pepper, and salt to give them a little kick.

I put olive oil, salt, and pepper on the vegetables and roasted them for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I tossed the quinoa, chickpeas, and veggies together.

COMING SOON! Pictures of my new KITCHEN CART!!!

SUPER Bowl

2009-02-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

I have to start this post off with a picture of my cute pregnant friend Amie. She's rockin' the 5 month belly and lookin' good.

I made some hot wings. Just frozen wings, baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes with lots of Frank's hot sauce smothered all over them. Not good for you at all, but OH SO GOOD!

I also made some really good mac and cheese. According to Martha Stewart this was supposed to be Perfect Macaroni and Cheese. I wouldn't call it perfect but I would call it really darn good. I omitted the white bread from the below recipe.

Perfect Macaroni and Cheese (Martha Stewart, 1999)

6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar

2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano

1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

The whole crew in our 3-D glasses.

Friday Night With Friends

2009-01-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

We had our friends Nick and Alison over for dinner last night. A few sangrias in we took this picture (we actually took 6 pictures until we settled on the perfect one). We ate a really good meal, played Wii, and blared our stereo while singing along to Old Crow Medicine Show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Beatles, and John Prine.

For dinner we had a very flavorful and healthy Mexican lasagna.

Mexican Lasagna (From Cuisine Nie) My add-ins are in red.

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and ground pepper

10 ounces fresh baby spinach

Nonstick cooking spray

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans

2 chicken breasts, seasoned,cooked and shredded

1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)

8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, chicken, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Alison made a delightful and fruit-filled sangria. I had a wee bit too much but it was sooo worth it.

Sparkling Sangria (from Michael Chiarello- Food Network)

1 cup brandy

1/2 cup orange liquer (we used Grand Marnier, we're fancy like that- ha!)

1/4 cup sugar

1 orange, thinly sliced

1 pint blackberried (or any other berry)

1 lime, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 bottles sparkling wine, chilled

In large pitcher or bowl, combine the brandy and orange liquer. Pour in the sugar, stir until the sugar dissolved. Add all of the fruit at once. Add the sparkling wine and serve.

The sangria maker poses with a glass.

The dinner table set. What a great night!

Chicken and Chips

2009-01-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to write much about tonight's dinner. It was good. It was basic. It was healthy. Here's the inspiration for it. I do want to add that I absolutely adore roasted red peppers. YUMMY.

I am going to go on and on and on and on and on and on...about kale chips! OMFG, these were just as good as everybody has raved about. They took a total of 2 minutes prep and 15 minutes baking. Jake, who is a big junk food fan, said these were just as good as potato chips and was sad when we had eaten them all up.

I got the recipe from Katheats.com. I was really generous with the paremsan because I love parmesan. Only thing about these delicious little snacks is that you have to eat them immediately after baking because they get soggy if stored overnight. If you have any ideas on how to keep them crispy, let me know.

Kale Chips:
1 bunch of of kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to about 375 degrees
Tear the leaves off the thick stems into bite size pieces. Spread out on cookie sheets.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and salt and peper.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until edges are brown and kale is crispy when moved in pan.

Long Weekend

2009-01-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jake and I just returned from a long weekend in his hometown. We went back to attend the funeral of a dear family friend who lost her life after a courageous 6 month battle with pancreatic cancer. Funerals are never easy and we are emotionally drained. However, we did get a chance to celebrate Linda's life with many loved ones. Jake's mom delivered a beautiful euology at the funeral that made us laugh and cry. Please remember to live each day fully, and always remember, "at least you made a memory." (Linda's words)

Before leaving for Atlantic, Jake and I whipped up a meal with random stuff in the refrigerator.

We ended up with tomatoes, kale, mushrooms, and green onions over whole wheat spaghetti. I sauteed the kale in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes before adding the tomatoes, mushrooms, and green onions. Pretty darn good!

Hump Day

2009-01-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump Day, All!!! The weather has warmed up in Iowa (30's!!). My body is feeling amazing. My wonderful husband had a gift waiting for me when I got home (a post to come on that!!!!). And, supper was quick, satisfying, and tasty. Veggie burgers with hummus, spinach, and tomatoes. A fresh spinach salad with red peppers, mushrooms, zuchini, and feta cheese.

Just look at the yummy hummus.
Love me some salad.

The Obama Kitchen

2009-01-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

During my morning musings on New York Times I came across an article about a woman, Alice Waters, who is at the forefront of a campaign to urge the Obamas to "set an example for the nation on culinary issues like the naming of a White House chef and growing organic vegetables in the White House garden. "

I find Ms. Walter's campaign to be intriguing and worthwhile. So many people look up to the Obamas and they can set a great example for millions of people whose diets are poor. Afterall, 34% of Americans are considered to be obese and 32.7% are considered overweight!

I am convinced that everybody, regardless of their economic status, can eat healthy. It's going to take education and what a better place to start educating than the White House?

Veggie Curry

2009-01-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have been craving a curry like CrAzY lately. So, I made it! I threw cauliflower, green beans, carrots, red peppers, and chick peas into my saute pan. Seasoned them with curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Covered and steamed for 10 minutes. Added about 1.5 cups of plain yogurt to the pan, mixed it up and served over quinoa and sprinkled some cashews on top. My craving was satisfied in about 20 minutes. Perfect.

The inpsiration for this recipe came from Savvy Vegetarian, which is a great website.

While eating this meal I came to realize that chick peas are quickly becoming one my new favorite foods. I just love their nutty, earthy taste. It doesn't hurt that they are really good for you too!

OH HAPPY DAY!

2009-01-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING GREAT. THERE WILL BE PEACE!

Sunday Supper and a Few Other Notes

2009-01-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

I had a very active weekend and I'm preparing for a very busy week. In prepartion for the week I prepared one of Jake and I's favorite comfort foods, French Onion Soup. I slow cooked it so our house smelled of delicious carmelized onions for most of the afternoon. Today I added a bit of bbq sauce, brown sugar, and a tablespoon of flour to thicken it up a bit. I was pleased with the results. Instead of swiss cheese I topped it off with freshly shaven parmesan.

On Thursday night Jake and I made a really good stir-fry and I couldn't resist adding a pic of the delectable bowl. We used the vegetables I chopped last Sunday.It made cooking so easy when things were already chopped.

On Saturday I took a group of Club kids to the Des Moines Playhouse to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was hands down the best theatre experience of my life. No joke. It was truly magical to see Willy Wonka come to life like that! I really do LOVE my job.

These kiddos and I go to all of the Children's Theatre performances during the year. Plus, we get to eat lunch with all the actors before the performance. How cool is that?!

I start classes back up tomorrow and I'm a bit anxious about it. The syllabus for the course I'm taking is 14 pages long!! That's right, 14 pages! I'm going to do Moon Salutations Yoga tonite in order to get rid of some of that anxiety.

Big day at the Club tomorrow. It's MLK DAY!!! and we have all sorts of fun stuff planned. I'll post some pics from the festivities. :-) With that, remember to get out and do something tomorrow. Keep the spirit of MLK alive.

SUPER Salad

2009-01-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm chillin' at home today because school/Club was cancelled due to the VERY cold temperatures (-25, -45 degree wind chill!) Arlo and I have been relaxing. I had a boiled egg, sprouted grain bread with peanut butter, and a cup of red tea for breakfast. Then I did 20 minutes of yoga, took a bath, and read. For lunch I worked with what I had in the refrigerator. I ended up making a salad with spinach, red and green bell peppers, green beans, yellow squash, zuchini, tomatoes, onions, lentils, and feta cheese. I drizzed olive oil and basalmic vinegar on top, and seasoned with some salt and pepper. IT.WAS.GOOD.

Happy and Healthy Eating!

White Bean, Kale, and Chorizo Soup

2009-01-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

All I can say is OMG! This soup was soooo freaking good. The flavor, the texture, the smell, all of them wonderful. Just look at all the goods stewing togehter below. The starch from the potatoes thickened the soup just enough to make a hearty bowl of soup for a VERY COLD night in Des Moines, Iowa.

A simple recipe will assure this soup will be a keeper in your recipe box ( I know it's a keeper in mine). I adapted the soup from a Sara Moutlon recipe. The changes I made to the recipe are indicated in red.
White Bean, Kale, and Chorizo Soup:

1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern, rinsed and picked over - I used two cans of Northern White Beans so I didn't have to soak dried beans
8 1/2 cups chicken stock, (preferably homemade) -I used 5 cups
1 bay leaf, preferably Turkish
Kosher salt
Pinch saffron threads - didn't use
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 Spanish chorizo sausages, about 3/4 pound, cut into 1/2-inch dice -- I used organic chicken chorizo to reduce the fat in the recipe--really good!
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced

2 medium potatoes, cut potato chip style
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 small bunch kale, about 3/4 pound, tough stems removed, washed well, and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Sherry vinegar, to taste -didn't use
Cumin
Cayenne Peper

-Place the beans in a large pot or soup kettle. Pour in 8 cups of the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Cook, partially covered, stirring often and adjusting the heat to keep it at a slow steady simmer, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
-Soak the saffron in the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock.
-Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Add the onion; reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the red pepper and the paprika,cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 2 minutes longer, then transfer the contents of the skillet to the bean pot. Stir in the saffron with the soaking liquid, the chorizo, potatoes, and the kale. Bring back to a simmer and cook just until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the vinegar, and serve hot in warmed soup bowls.

Dinner was enjoyed with a tasy bottle of Warsteiner Dunkel.

Oatmeal

2009-01-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

I've become inspired to eat more oatmeal thanks to a great new blog my friend Chelsey reccomended. Kath Eats Real Food is a fantastic website full of great healthy foods prepared by Kath (who is going to school to become a RD). Kath is also an oatmeal fanatic; she makes all sorts of delicious looking oatmeals and her blog was even featured in an article on dailyspark.com that talked about National Oatmeal Month (yes, it's National Oatmeal Month-get out the horns and celebrate!)

One thing that makes Kath's oatmeal look so good is all the yummy stuff she adds to the steaming bowls of healthy heart goodness. This morning I made up my own bowl of yumminess. I started with quick oats and flax seed. I added bananas, a teaspoon of peanut butter, and some chopped pecans to the oatmeal. WOW! It was so good and so filling.

I will call this little creation Banana Nut Oats.

Veggie Spaghetti

2009-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

After a looooonnnngggg day at work I wasn't in the mood to cook anything too complex, so I settled for spaghetti with lots of veggies and fresh shaved parmesan cheese. Thankfully I chopped veggies yesterday, so I didn't have to do any chopping tonight. YAY for easy!

I served my homemade sauce over the Barilla Plus Thin Spaghetti; the stuff is really yummy and good for you.

I love Muir Glen's Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil for the base of my sauce. In my opinion, Muir Glen's tomatoes have the best flavor of all canned tomatoes.

Spaghetti Sauce with Veggies
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
A few good glugs olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fresh thyme
Your choice of veggies ( I used zuchini, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers)

- Saute garlic in olive oil until light browned. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, thyme, and veggies to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

I CANNOT wait for tomorrow night's dinner!

Salmon and Green Beans

2009-01-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner was simple and delicious; salmon with a simple asian glaze, sauteed green beans with garlic and soy sauce, and a baked potato.

Salmon with Asian Glaze:

16 oz. salmon filet

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Wisk together soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Glaze salmon filet with mixture; marinate 1-2 hours. After salmon has marinated, heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake salmon for 10-12 minutes or until it's flakey.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Soy Sauce:

Fresh green beans, snapped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

vegetable oil

Place green beans in a stock pot and boil for 20 minutes; drain. Heat vegetable oil in saute pan; add green beans, garlic, and soy sauce. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Weekly Lunch Prep

2009-01-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

My grocery shopping trip was fun today. It felt good to go with a meal plan and buy all sorts of whole foods for the week to come. After returning from the store I put in a Beatles CD, turned up the stereo, and prepped for this week's lunches. I started by making a basic hummus.

Yum: Olive oil and lemons.

Hummus:

2 tablespoons Tahini

1 can Chick Peas

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

Juice of half lemon

Approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil

Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Pepper

Place tahini, chick peas, garlic, lemon, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper into food processor. Begin to blend together while drizzling in olive oil. Blend until smooth consistencey. It might be necessary to add a bit more olive oil or a little bit of water to reach your desired consistencey.

After making the hummus I chopped all sorts of colorful and bright veggies. Don't you just love the colors of vegetables? This weeks veggie selections: Carrots, yellow squash, zuchini, red pepper, green pepper, and celery.

All packaged up for easy packing in the morning.

Let us not forget the nutritional value of these SUPERfoods!

Tahini (made from sesame seeds)

Lunch with Little

2009-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Jake and I are planning on doing our grocery shopping this evening so we didn't have much left in the refrigerator or pantry to cook up a lunch. Luckily, I always keep several bags of frzoen veggies in my freezer; I found a bag of stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, red pepper, carrots, onions, and mushrooms) and decided that was going to be the base of today's lunch. I also had a jar of Patak's Korma Curry (this is not a healthy sauce, so don't pile on too much) and some lentils. PERFECT! Lunch was stir-fry veggies with korma curry served over lentils. Delicious and healthy!

I boiled 1 1/2 cups of lentils for 20 minutes. In the meantime I sauteed the veggies and added the Korma Curry. I added the yummy veggie mixture over the lentils.

This meal is really healthy and provides quite a few SUPERfoods: Lentils, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, red peppers, and onions.

I <3 Kale

2009-01-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

"The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around."

"Although there are over 100 different glucosinolates in plants, only 10-15 are present in kale and other Brassicas. Yet these 10-15 glucosinolates appear able to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers. "

SOURCE -- check out all of the benefits of Kale here.

I threw in a cup of kale leaves to my leftover spicy Thai noodles and tofu. The earthy taste of the kale blended well with the Thai spices.

FIND SOME DELICIOUS KALE RECIPES TO COOK UP IN YOUR KITCHEN:

Heidi at 101cookbooks.com has some amazing recipes for kale that can be found here.

This is also a great link to kale recipes.

Eat your kale, people! It does your body good!

Lunchtime Made Healthy

2009-01-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Since starting the SUPER food diet I've been taking my own lunch to work. One of my favorite SUPER food lunches is the Green Giant Health Blends. The Health Blends come in portion controlled steam packages that you throw into the microwave for 3 minutes, and voila you have perfectly steamed vegetables for lunch. One steam package can fill me up if I pair it with cottage cheese and a fruit. At $1.89 per package, it won't break your bank either.

Lentil Soup and Mushroom, Onion, and Muenster Cheese Sandwiches

2009-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

This meal was packed full of SUPER foods and really, really, really good. The Lentil Soup recipe came from 101cookbooks.com. I made cery few changes to the recipe and I was quite satisfied by the final results; a steaming bowl of soup with lots of lentils, kale, fire roasted tomatoes, and mushrooms. I added a bit of red pepper powder and cuming to spice it up a little bit.

The sandwich idea came from CuisineNie. (thanks to LJ for introducing me to such a fabulous blog).

I'm attempting to provide nutritional information for all of the SUPER foods listed on my website. From this point on, each SUPER food will be a clickable link that will take you to a nutrition fact page. Here's to happy and healthy eating!

Lentil Soup:

2 cups lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

-Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.
-Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Serve with plain yogurt.

Mushroom, Onion, and Muenster Cheese Sandwiches:

1 onion, sliced

1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced

4 slices muenster cheese

Spinach leaves

4 slices whole wheat bread

-Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil. Toast bread. Place cheese, onion and mushroom mixture, and spinach on toasted bread.

Morning Starter

2009-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

As part of my SUPER food diet I have stopped easting my bagels and traded them in for something a little more nutritious (I still sneak a bagel every once in a while!). I've really been digging my breakfasts of fat free vanilla yogurt (SUPER food), granola, and blueberries (SUPER, SUPER food). I simply mix the granola and blueberries (frozen) in with my yogurt and I have a delightful breakfast that energizes and revitalizes me. Drink with a cup of green or black tea (both SUPER foods) and you have one SUPER breakfast. YUM.

Fajitas

2009-01-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love fajitas? We made these the other night and we pretty much ate all of 'em up! I put a lot of onions in my fajitas because I love onions. This is another great SUPER FOOD recipe when paired with a yummy bowl of black bean (SUPER FOOD) soup.

Fajitas:

1 lb. chicken, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced - SUPER FOOD

1 red pepper, sliced -- SUPER FOOD

1 medium onion, sliced

Adobo seasoning

Chili Powder

Cumin

Salt and Pepper

-Season chicken and vegetables with a mixture of the above spices. Saute peppers and onions in oil until soft; remove from pan and place in bowl. Saute chicken until throughly cooked; add to vegetables and mix.

-Warm tortillas up and place fajita mixture in warm tortillas. Serve with tomatoes (SUPER FOOD), cilantro, and sour cream.

Simple Spinach and Tomato Pasta

2009-01-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

This pasta is packed full of good for you stuff and is really easy to make. Spinach and cherry tomatoes are the stars of this recipe and are both SUPER FOODS that pack a lot of nutritional punch.

Simple Spinach and Tomato Pasta

Half box spaghetti (preferably whole wheat)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh spinach
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Bring spaghetti to boil; drain. Add tomatoes, spinach, oilve, salt and pepper, and cheese to spaghetti and mix.

Super Food for a Super ME

2009-01-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Last week Jake and I started our super food diet. I cannot believe how much of a difference it's making in my life; I already can tell that it's making a difference. I have more energy, my skin is glowing, I'm not constantly tired, and my system seems to be cleaning its self out. Some of my favorite super foods and staples in our current diet:

Blueberries

Spinach

Tomatoes

Almonds

Yogurt

Peppers

Cottage Cheese

Edamame

Oranges

Avocadoes

Barley

Oats

Carrots

Green Onions

Garlic

Brocoli

The diet is really quite simple: LOTS OF FRUITS, VEGGIES, and WHOLE GRAINS. I was scared that it might be difficult and expensive to maintain the diet, but I was wrong.

From this point on, when I post a recipe or talk about a meal I will be listing all of the super foods in that meal. There will be a tab on the left hand side of my blog in which you can click to check out super food recipes and ideas. This will help me track my diet and will help my readers develop their own super foods diet. I will also be offering tricks and tips for making your diet budget friendly and tasty.

So, please, join me in making a SUPER ME and SUPER YOU!

Bringin' It In

2009-01-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

With good food, good friends, and good times.

Saying good-bye to 2008 and welcoming 2009 is bittersweet. 2008 was a year full of many amazing things for Jake and I personally. 2008 was also a tumultuous time in the World. It's my hope that in 2009 there might just be a little more peace on earth.

Amie's BLT Dip:

Alison's Mushroom Risotto:

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (you may need a little more)

1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

1 box of mushrooms (button white or baby bellas), sliced

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cup wine (dry white or red – I used red at New Years)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-Place chicken stock and dried porcini mushrooms in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and as soon as it does, turn down and keep warm. Leave dried mushrooms in stock while you dice your onion, garlic and slice your mushrooms. When done, check and make sure the dried mushrooms have softened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and do a rough chop through them.

-In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms (both fresh & softened) and cook until the onions and mushrooms are tender, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Toast the rice, taking care to stir often, about 1 – 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1 ladle of warm stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue with remaining stock, adding 1 ladle at a time, and allowing each addition to be absorbed, until the rice is tender to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

*Note: I have to give a tip of the cap to Giada DeLaurentis of Food Network as this is an adaptation of her recipe and who "taught" me how to make it. Also, I believe the real key is patience…add the liquid 1 ladle at a time and stir, let the starches develop…it's totally worth it in the end!

Happy NEW YEAR to all!

More recipes....

Alison's Cheese and Sausage Balls:

Jenn's Spinach, Artichoke, and Green Onion Dip:

Cheese and Olive Plate:

Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs with Edamame and Rice

2008-12-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

I found the inspiration for the recipe in Real Simple magazine. The original recipe called for ground chicken and a few ingredients I didn't have sitting around the house (fresh ginger and green onions) and since I was too lazy to run to the store, I cooked up turkey meatballs with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. The results of this recipe were SUPER DELICIOUS.

Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs with Edamame and Rice:
1 lb. ground turkey
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
A few generous splashes of soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for cooking up the meatballs

1 cup rice

1 cup edamame, shelled

Combine turkey, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, and soy suace in mixing bowl. Shape mixture in to meatballs. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook throughly.

Serve over rice and steamd edamame. YUM!

Beef Barley Soup for a REALLY Chilly Night

2008-12-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

Sub zero temperatures. Wind reaching 45 miles per hour. A flat tire on the Subaru. Three reasons to have a hearty bowl of beef barley soup. I substituted ground deer meat for the beef and threw in random veggies we had in the freezer. I love soup because it's a great way to "clean" out the freezer and fridge.

Beef Barley Soup (my own creation):

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 cup water

2 - 3 cups beef broth

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup pearled barley, uncooked

1 1lb ground deer or beef, cooked

1 cup frozen lima beans (or whatever you have in the freezer or fridge)

2 cups frozen carrots

1 bay leaf

Thyme

Salt and Pepper

Splash Hot Sauce

Bring tomatoes, water, and beef broth to boil. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hour in dutch oven. This would be easy to do in a crock pot too.

I had an awesome weekend with my in-laws! I miss them already. :-(

Tis The Season for Reubens

2008-12-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

My fabulous husband made some really good reubens for supper. They were really good! After dinner we had a mini Christmas with one another. We couldn't wait to give our gifts to one another...

Even the wrapping paper was cute. :-) Gotta love our cutesy nicknames on the package.

I got "Across the Universe" (my new movie obsession) and Bill Bryson's "Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" (a book I've been wanting to read FOREVER!)

Jake LOVED his absolutely beautiful ties from esty.com seller Toybreaker.

The quality of the ties is second to none and the fact that they are handmade makes them that more special. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing from Toybreaker.

White Bean Chicken Chili w/ Pepper Jack Cheese

2008-12-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

This is a yummy one from Jake's mom, Shelly. Super easy, super flavorful, and super good!

2 cans northern white beans
16 oz. salsa
1 can diced green chilies
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz. hot pepper cheese
4 boneless chicken breast, cubed and sauteed (really good if you slow cook the chicken and shred)

Place all ingredients in dutch oven or slow cooker and heat until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

Happy holidays from us!

Beef Tips Cabernet

2008-11-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

The inspiration for this recipe came from Katie over at Good Things Catered. And, as she mentioned in her post this recipe is "FULL of flavor". I opted to cook mine in a crock pot rather than a dutch oven.

I prepared this recipe for two servings only. It can easily be adjusted to serve more.

1 lb. beef sirloin, trimmed and cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 package mushrooms, dusted and quartered
Fresh Rosemary Sprigs ( I used two)
Fresh Thyme ( I used two)
2 Bay leaves
1 cup cabernet sauvigon
1 cup beef broth
flour (for thickening)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in frying pan. Add beef and brown for 2-3 minutes. Remove beef from the pan and place in crock pot. Add wine to the pan to deglaze. After deglazing add wine to crockpot along with beef broth. Add mushrooms and herbs to the crockpot. Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Before serving thicken w/ flour and water mixture.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

My mashed potatoes

4 large potatoes, peeled and halved
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
Butter ( I usually add 1/2 a stick)
Milk (A few splashes until I reach the desired consistencey)
Sour Cream (2-3 tablespoons)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring potatoes to boil in stockpot, boil until potatoes are easily pierced by a fork. Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Add garlic, butter, milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to potatoes. Mash with potato masher or hand blender.

This Pasta is Da Bomb

2008-11-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Bow Tie Pasta w/ Boursin Sauce

I found this recipe in the Bride and Groom First and Forever cookbook that was given to us as a wedding shower gift.

This pasta is super flavorful (thank to the Boursin cheese) and really easy to make. We've made it twice since finding the recipe and I've changed it up each time. Below is the original recipe and in red are the changes I've made. This is a recipe that is sure to impress. Enjoy.

8 ounces bow tie pasta
14 medium asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces any vegetable works well, we used broccoli once and asparagus the other time
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, mince
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, preferably parmigiano reggiano
2 ounces boursin cheese , garlic and fine herbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper, plus more as needed
fresh flat leaf parsley, for garnishing (optional)
3/4 cup reserved pasta water I used 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup white wine for more flavor
Chicken is a great add-in to this pasta

Put the pine nuts in a dry small skillet over medium heat. Shake constantly until evenly toasted on all sides, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Fill a large saucepan three fourths full of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook until tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.

Set the pan over medium heat and heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pan, then add the reserved cooking water. Add the tomatoes (if using), Parmesan cheese, Boursin, dill, and the 3/4 teaspoons lemon pepper and toss to combine. Stir in the pine nuts. Season with kosher salt to taste and more lemon pepper if necessary.

Divide the pasta between 2 bowls and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Homey Kitchen

2008-11-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Look what I just ordered from singlestonestudio's etsy shop!! It's going to go great in our kitchen!

One of the Country's Best Sandwich Places

2008-10-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

According to the August 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine the market 2 blocks from my apartment is the #10 best sandwich shop in the United States.

Jake and I go to Gateway Market all of the time, mainly because of it's location and the variety of items that we can't find in chain stores. I admit to stopping there for breakfast and paying an extreme $5 for a bagel and coffee (shame on me--that's not in the budget) but I had never had a sandwich there; after reading the article I HAD to try one. I opted for the beef brisket and chuck burger and Jake had the slider sampler.

Ther verdict: The burger was good but not great. I asked for it cooked medium and it came well done ( I really do not enjoy well-done beef). The flavor was so-so and didn't have any outstanding qualities. I will admit the price wasn't bad and will go back for a second try; it may have been an off day. For the best burger in Des Moines I suggest Francie's in South Des Moines.

Jake's slider sampler was quite good. We particularly enjoyed the lobster shrimp roll.

Have any of you readers enjoyed an extraordinary burger somewhere? Please share. I love burgers!

Fried Fish and Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potatoes

2008-10-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Jake's dad is the ultimate outdoorsman. He's a fish and wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (he's really good at his job). We are constanly blessed with the fruits of his hunting and fishing labors. Our freezer always has venison and fish in it - YUM! Now, I will admit it took me awhile to like venison but now I use it instead of beef. Plus, meat products from hunting and fishing are much more environmentally friendly than farm raised meat.

This evening we fried up some blue gill and catfish that Jake's dad caught. His dad makes a really good and simple breading. We had some really good sweet potato fries and jalapeno creamed corn on the side.

Fried Fish:
2/3 fryin' magic

1/3 cup finely crushed corn flakes

milk

1/4 cup oil

fillets of fish

Place fish fillets in milk. Remove from milk and cover with breading. Heat oil to medium heat. Fry fish 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon.

Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries (thanks to Mom for the idea):

3 large sweet potatoes, cut like steak fries

Generous amount of olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to fit yout taste)

1 tablespoon chili powder

salt and pepper

Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet. Combine oil, sugar, pepper, chili pepper, salt and pepper. Pour over sweet potatoes and make sure they are all coated. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Healthy Black Bean Soup

2008-10-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Another recipe from our belated wedding shower. This recipe is from my Mom who found it in one of her Rachel Ray coookbooks. It must be a Rachel Ray week for me.

The soup was really easy to make, full of veggies, and perfect for a chilly fall night. Cornbread was a perfect accompiniant. Only bummer thing about this soup was that I accidently bought black soy beans instead of real black beans! Black soy beans are not that good.

Black Bean Soup:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan
1 sprig fresh bay leaves or 1 large dried bay leaf
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 ribs celery with greens, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cans black beans (15 ounces)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander -- I omitted this and used fresh lime juice in its place
Salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons hot sauce, divided
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 can diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with peppers and onions or stewed tomatoes (15 ounces)

Heat a medium size soup pot over medium-high heat. Add EVOO to hot pot then bay leaves, jalapeño, garlic, celery and onions. Cook 3-4 minutes, then add red peppers and continue to cook. Drain 2 cans of beans and add them. With remaining can, pour the juice and half the beans into the pot. Use a fork to mash up the beans remaining in the can. Stir the mashed beans into the pot and season with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce. Add stock and tomatoes to the stoup and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes over low heat.

Pumpkin Pasta and Pilgrim Pie

2008-10-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

I finally made a fall themed -meal!

I found a pumpkin pasta recipe on Rachel Ray's page on foodnetwork.com. The recipe was easy to prepare and took about 15 minutes (just like the recipe stated) Super flavorful and savory. It was accompanied by a spinach salad with apples, walnuts, and my cousin's awesome salad dressing.

One of my fondest childhood memories is making pies with my grandma the night before Thanksgiving. All of the ladies and girls would gather in my grandparent's small but functional country kitchen to make at least a dozen pies for the big feast the next day. One of my favorite pies is grandma's pilgrim pie; it's a pecan pie with coconut and rolled oats--SOOOOO GOOD! When I was preparing it this evening the memories of my childhood easily resurfaced. I could smell her kitchen, I pictured the mess of baking supplies splattered on countertops, walls, and the floor, I remembered sticking my tiny fingers in the pie filliing to sneak a taste, and I could recall the laughter that filled that tiny kitchen. What a wonderful thing! I hope you enjoy making the pie as much as I do.

Pilgrim Pie:

2 eggs, beaten,

1 cup sugar

1 cup karo syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 oz. butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup chopped pecans

Pie shell -- I just used an already made one

Beat together eggs, sugar, syrup, vanilla, butter, and salt. Stir in coconut, rolled oats, and pecans to mixture. Put into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and 30 minutes at 350 degrees ( I have no idea why she does the heat change, but she always has done it that way).

Grandma's words of wisdom to me at the bottom of the pilgrim pie recipe card:

"To Jenny: Spoil your husband, but don't spoil your children." Grandma raised 6 wonderful children while working full time as a teacher and farmer.

Green Eggs and Ham

2008-10-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Wanna know what's been keeping me busy?

My wonderful Club kids! Above is a pic of some of my Torch Club members serving Green Eggs and Ham to the younger kids at the Club. These kids are AMAZING.

Torch Club members are responsible for planning and implementing Club and Community service projects and events. The first project for 2008 was a Green Eggs and Ham day for the little kids at the Club. Torch Club members read Dr. Seusse's famous book, colored pictures of Sam I Am with the little ones, prepared and served Green Eggs and Ham, and played pin the green egg on the plate.

Green Eggs and Ham are easy to make! Just follow this recipe on seussville.com!

"Say!I like green eggs and ham!I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!And I would eat them in a boat.And I would eat them with a goat...And I will eat them in the rain.And in the dark. And on a train.And in a car. And in a tree.They are so good, so good, you see!"

Marsala Chicken

2008-10-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

In late August my family held a late wedding shower for Jake and I. At the shower each guest was asked to bring a recipe card with their favorite recipe written on it. We got some great recipes and we're determined to try them all before the New Year. Tonight, we made the Marsala Chicken from my Cousin Jake and his beautiful wife, Carissa.

Jake pretty much cooked the Marsala chicken while I worked on the salad and dressing. He did a great job! The recipe was easy to follow and didn't take long at all. The next time we make it we'll add some prosciutto and make more sauce.

Marsala Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed marjoram

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 tablespoons sliced onions

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup marsala

salt and pepper to taste

Mix flour, marjoram, salt and pepper; lightly press chicken into flour mixture, both sides.

Cook mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Remove and replace with chicken in same skillet on med-high 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and onions, then add broth and marsala; cook uncovered 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.

Transfer chicken to serving plate, spoon mushroom mixture over chicken.

Long Lost Recipe: Amazing Salad Dressing

2008-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

In May 2007 my cousin made this really great salad for a family gathering and gave me the recipe via e-mail. I made it once and never printed off the recipe. Well, today I was rummaging through old e-mails and I happened upon it. It was like finding $10 in my winter coat when I bring it out of storage. SOOO EXCITING!

I'm going to make this tonite with Chicken Marsala. I'll post pics later. But, until then, here's the recipe.

My Cousin's Super Delicious Salad:

1/3 C White balsamic Vinegar

1 C Maple Syrup

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 C chopped garlic

1 C olive oil

2 T Black Pepper

2T fresh Basil chopped

Combine all ingrediants except Oil, Once combined add oil. Salad consists on field greens, golden raisins, grape tomatoes, gorganzola cheese and toasted walnuts

As an extra shout-out ot my fabulous cousin. I just caught sight of this beautiful wedding cake she did for a wedding. So talented. :-)

French Onion Soup

2008-10-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Jake loves french onion soup. His love affair began when he had Panera's--which, is really good.

My dad always made french onion soup when we had it at home;I got his recipe and that's what I made last night for dinner. This recipe takes A LOT less time than other french onion soups, but keep in mind it isn't as flavorful because you don't cook the onions as long. It's still really good and easy to make on a night you don't have a lot of energy or time.

French Onion Soup(recipe is cut down for 2):

2 onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (using fresh would be even better)

1 bay leaf

2 cans or 20 oz. condensed beef broth

Splash of cooking sherry or red wine

2 slices French bread, toasted

Swiss Cheese (or any yummy cheese of your choice)

Melt butter in stockpot and add onions. Cover and cook over low heat for 25-20 minutes (onions will become carmelized and really yummy smelling). Stir occaionally. Add broth, wine or sherry, and spices. Heat to boiling then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Set oven to broil. Place toasted bread in ovenproof bowl. Pour in onions and broth, top with cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Stewed Green Beans

2008-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my Green Beans and Red Potatoes entry, I had planned on using the leftovers to make stewed green beans similar to this recipe on Good Things Catered. Instead of lamb I used beef and I added potatoes. I make a stewed okra that is very similar to this recipe. I highly suggest using okra in place of the green beans. SUPER GOOD!

Since I used leftovers I cut the original recipe down by quite a bit. You will notice the changes in the recipe below.

This made for a really good and filling meal when served over rice.

Stewed Green Beans:

Fresh Green Beans

Red Potatoes

1/2 lb. beef

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

20 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 bay leaf

Salt and Pepper

In stockpot brown meat in butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add tomato sauce and water to the pot. Season with bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

And, for dessert. Ben and Jerry's One Cheesecake Brownie. Oh, how I miss the days of factory seconds in Vermont.

Green Beans and Red Potatoes

2008-09-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is quite possibly one of my favorite comfort meals, and most fitting to my "Cooking in the Heartland" theme. My grandma always seemed to have a big pot of green beans and red potatoes with bacon during the summer. Such a simple combination. When my mom and dad visited last weekend they brought me a big bag of garden fresh green beans. Of course, I had to make green beans and red potatoes. I omitted the bacon because Jake and I were too lazy to go the store. I plan on using the leftovers to make a green bean stew similar to this recipe from Good Things Catered, I'll use beef in place of the lamb.

The recipe is simple...

Fresh out of the garden green beans (use as little or as much as you want), snapped and washed

Red potatoes (use as much or as little as you want), washed and cut

1 small onion, chopped

Fresh Cut Bacon, sliced into smaller pieces

Salt to taste

Place green beans,potatoes,onions,and bacon into large pot of water ( I used chicken broth and water). Sprinkle salt into water and bring to boil. Gently boil for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain water and serve.

* Arlo, our bird really enjoyed the green beans, too. :-)

Basil Pesto

2008-09-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

I cannot take all the credit for tonight's dinner, considering that my mom was the person who actually made the pesto sauce. She makes a rockin' pesto every year with the tons of basil she manages to produce. She freezes a majority of the pesto in ice cube trays then gives me cute little frozen pesto cubes in plastic bags--super easy and convenient for quick meals.

Jake and I boiled up some spaghetti, chopped up some tomatoes and mushrooms, and sautteed shrimp. We added the veggies and shrimp to the pasta and smothered it with declicious pesto!

Not so happy with my food pic tonight--the lighting is weird. The pic of my awesome parents is pretty great though. Can you believe my mom is nearly 50 and has gone through open heart surgery? God, she's amazing!

Mom's Basil Pasta:

2 cups fresh basil

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil (this is an estimate, you may need more)

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I love these, I would add more)

Salt and Pepper

Place all ingredients except olive oil in food processor. Gradually add the olive oil while processing the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Serve with pasta or freeze to use later. You can always add more to the pesto (arugula is the bomb in pesto!) This is just a basic recipe--get creative, all!

Asian Noodle Salad and Pot Stickers

2008-09-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

WOW! I just got done with supper and it was sooooo good I couldn't wait to sit down and blog about it.

I made the Asian Noodle Salad off of the famous Pioneers Woman's blog. I've drooled over her recipes for awhile but had never made one of them up until tonight. It was amazing. The flavor, the texture, the color, the presentation, all of it! The only bummer thing about the salad was the fact that I had no bean sprouts ( I wasn't about to use nasty canned ones) and I was too lazy to run to the Asian market on the other side of the city.

The pot stickers were flavorful but something went wrong in the cooking part of it. They were a bit gooey. I had made pot stickers once before these and I really enjoyed them--I don't know what I did differently this time. I don't think I browned them enough before adding the water.

Asian Noodle Salad:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled -- I used 1/2 package

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage -- I used half

1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage -- I used half

1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach -- I used half

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin -- I omitted this

1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”) --- I omitted this

3 sliced scallions

LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch

1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet -- didn't have any so I used almonds instead

DRESSING:--THIS IS AMAZING!!!
Juice of 1 lime

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped

2 cloves chopped

2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped

More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.

Pot Stickers:

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 cup napa cabbage, chopped

3 scallion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon seasame oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Soy sauce

Salt

15-20 wonton wrappers

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

Mix pork, cabbage, scallions, cilantro, ginger, seasame oil, sugar, salt, and soy sauce together. Lay out wonton wrapper and place 1 tablespoon (or a bit less) in the middle of the wrapper. Fold wrap in half over mixture and seal together with water; repeat until meat mixture is done.

Heat vegetable oil in deep fry pan. Place pot stickers into heated oil and brown both sides (approximately 30-45 seconds per side) Add water and bring to gentle boil for 8 minutes. Remove from water and serve.

Puttanesca

2008-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Before making this I had only had puttanesca from a jar. I always loved it out of a jar but figured making my own would taste even better--which is true! And, OH MY GOD, it makes your house smell amazing.

I used a puttanesca recipe from Rachel Ray. You can find the recipe here. For some reason I was thinking puttanesca would be really hard to make. Boy, I was wrong. SUPER EASY AND SUPER QUICK! That's just the way I like it.

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
A few grinds black pepper
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Fried Rice

2008-09-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

I make fried rice on nights that we want a tasty and filling meal without a lot of work. The first time I ever made it I used a recipe, but haven't since then. I throw in whatever veggies I have in the refrigerator and it always taste good. I used carrots, celery, green onions, garlic, and mushrooms( a bag of mixed organic mushrooms from Woodstock Farms)when I made this. The great thing about fried rice is that you can add almost anything to it. I love it with fresh ginger and chicken. YUM!

I've come to realize that I suck at writing recipes. If you have any advice on how to make them better, please let me know!

Fried Rice:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon dark seasame oil

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup celery chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1 cup mixed mushrooms

2 eggs, beaten

Soy Sauce to taste

-Heat vegetable oil and seasame oil in a wok or frying pan. When the oil is hot add the vegetables and rice and cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir constantly.

Make a well in the center of the rice and pour eggs into it;let cook for about 1-2 minutes then stir into rice. Stir soy sauce into the rice and cook for about 1-2 minutes. EAT UP!

Green Turkey Chili

2008-09-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last year, on a cold winter night, my friend Alison had me over for soup and Project Runway--a nearly perfect night in my opinion. We were in the middle of a diet frenzy so all of our cooking was healthy and we both fit into jeans 2 sizes smaller than what we wear now. We made a delicious and low fat turkey chili that rocked my world ten times over--so much so that it's become a staple recipe in my life. We got the recipe from one of those health magazines, and unfortunately the clipping is long lost, but luckily, it's an easy recipe and one that sticks with you even after it's gone.

Being that I'm trying to fit back into my small jeans again, the hubby and I are trying to eat healthier. And, there's a chill in the air that had me dreaming of warm soup all day. Seems a perfect day to make Green Turkey Chili.

The recipe called for any type of pre-processed green salsa. We selected the Pace Salsa Verde (pictured at right) and it's the only kind I've ever used with this recipe. I had never been impressed with a Pace product until I tried this. Don't feel obligated to use this in your soup, it's merely a suggestion--you could be super natural and make your own, but I'm lazy on weeknights.

Ingredients:

1 small white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 jar salsa verde

1 can northern white beans (or any type of white bean you like)

2 cups chicken broth

Drizzle bottom of saucepan with oil, heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, sautee until transluscent. Add ground turkey to sauce pan and throughly cook. Add cilantro, salsa verde, beans, and chicken broth to saucepan;stir. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2008-09-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

A yummy recipe from realiable Betty Crocker. Breakfast is going to be yummy this week!

Cinnamon streusel topping:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons firm butter

Muffins:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degress. Grease 12 regular size muffin cups. In medium bowl, mix 1/4 cupe flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly.

In large bowl, beat milk, oil, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once just until flour is moistened (will be lumpy). Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle each with about 2 teaspoons streusel topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until gold brown.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

2008-08-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday my mom's family held a belated wedding shower for Jake and I. Each guest was asked to write down their favorite recipe on a recipe card and provide a gift that could be used in or with the recipe. We received some really great recipes (lots of classics) and some really great gifts. I finally got the microplane zester/grater I've wanted!

I will post pics of the gathering as soon as my mom send them.

Our goal is to prepare all of the recipes that were given to us within the next month. We started last night with My Aunt Connie and Uncle Mike's recipe for Spinach Stuffed Shells. The preparation time on these suckers is pretty much nothing. And, the nutmeg (yay for my new microplane zester/grater) adds the perfect amount of kick and surprise to them

Spinach Stuffed Shells:

1 box shells

2 cups spinach

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Cook shells according to package. Combine spinach, mozarella, cottage cheese, eggs, and nutmeg. Stuff shells with the above mixture. Place in 9 x 13 pan; pour spaghetti sauce over shells. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinklw with freshly grated parmesan cheese, bake for a few minutes more. Remove from oven, let stand for 5-10 minutes. Serve.

Super Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I felt like crap. I mean absolute CRAP. My head was stuffy, my throat was sore, my body was achey, and all I wanted was chicken noodle soup, lavender tea, and sleep.

So when I got home from work the hubby and I went to the grocery store to pick up a rotisserie chicken and came home to make some chicken noodle soup.

I don't use a recipe, so I'm estimating on the amounts.

Super Simple Chicken Noodle Soup:

2 cups shredded chicken

1 big carton chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1-2 cups egg noodles

1 tablespoon hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth and 1 cup water to boil in stockpot. After liquid has come to a boil add chicken, carrots, celery, green onions, egg noodles, and hot sauce. Boil for 10-12 minutes then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve steamy hot.

My Family Can Cook (and EAT!)

2008-08-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jake and I headed back to my hometown for the annual Founder's Day celebration. Every year my uncle (who has an amazing kitchen that I am intensely jealous of) invites lots of people over and we cook lots of really good food and gorge ourselves silly. The picture above shows my cousins Jake and Brandon thoroughly enjoying their meals.

Our family has a few staple recipes that tend to show up at most of our gatherings. One is Spanakopites and the other is Dolmades. My grandmother is from Greece and those are two of her favorite family recipes. Along with the Dolamades and Spanakopites we had shishkabobs, stewed okra over rice pilaf, orzo salad, and a Greek salad. A serious delight for the taste buds. The recipes for dolmades and spanakpites follow. Please forgive the non-descript recipes as they are family recipes and we pretty much know how to make both without looking at the recipe. The next time I prepare either of these, I will take pictures of the folding process to better illustrate how it is done.

Dolmades: ( This is the basic recipe, I always add more tomato paste and olive oil)

2 lbs ground beef

1 cup long grain rice

1/2 cup onion, chopped

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice from one lemon

Jar of grape leaves (can be found at most markets)

Mix all of the above ingredients together, except the grape leaves. Lay out a grape leaf and add about one spoonful of filling in the middle. Fold the leaf around the mixture and place in large pot. Continue this process until all grape leaves are stuffed. Once they are all placed in the pot, cover with water and boil for 20-25 minutes.

The following link has a great guide on folding the leaves: http://www.lerios.org/recipes/dolmadakia.php

Spanakopites:

2 packages chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

1 package crumbled feta cheese

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup parsley

1/4 cup dill (I use fresh if I have it and put more in)

2 eggs, beaten

1 package phyllo dough

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

melted butter

Saute onions in butter until clear. Add spinach and cook until dry. Add parsley and dill;stir and cool. Add feta cheese and eggs to spinach mixture; stir well.

Combine parmesan and bread crumbs; set aside.

Lay out one piece phyllo dough (The other phyllo dough should be placed between slightly moist towels to keep it from drying out) Brush melted butter on the phyllo dough, sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Fold dough into thirds, add 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture; fold into triangles. Brush with butter and place on baking sheet. Continue process until all spinach muxture is used. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown.

Uncle Mike enjoys the meal. Go OBAMA!!!

PIZZA!

2008-08-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love pizza?! Jake and I most certainly do. One of my favorite things about pizza(besides how tasty it is) is how easy it is to make. Putting together a pizza at home hardly takes anytime and it allows you to be creative as pizza toppings are unlimited.

This evenings pizza was simple but delicious. I'm lazy and hardly ever make my own crust; I cheat and use the pre-packaged stuff you just have to add hot water to. Taste just as good as my homemade crust. The toppings included pizza sauce; fresh mozarella cheese; fresh basil; and italian sausage. Pop that in the oven at 450 degrees for 12 minutes and VOILA! it's tasty pizza pie.