I love to write so I never thought of it as much of a chore, however now that I actually have to do it I find myself running out of time in the day! The baby's laundry is piling up and Dylan came home yesterday after getting his man parts removed so the house is a little crazy (and full of muddy paw prints). But at the risk of sounding cheesy, I am going to say it anyway, I wouldn't have it any other way.
So what is a busy girl to do when she is playing with a baby, chasing around a giant puppy and trying to write things that fit into the little category she is suppose to be writing in, and then she suddenly realizes she has to eat?! And did I mention this girl also has to fit into a wedding dress that will be delivered here in a month? Well I will tell you what this girl eats. My favorite thing as of late, scrambled eggs and chorizo on a corn tortilla. You might think this doesn't sound much like diet food and that is because it isn't. I don't believe in dieting but I do believe in good food in small portions. This is sooo simple to make and even though you may think of eggs as a breakfast thing, I actually like this for lunch. It is easy to hold Ally while browning up some chorizo in a pan (less than $2 for a thing of chorizo at Wal Mart!), then adding in some beaten eggs and you can easily with one hand just give it a little scramble. Throw some shredded jack cheese on top, pile on top of a warm corn tortilla and you are full and good to go for hours! If you want to make your own tortillas (which I highly recommend) follow this link to my other article where I have a recipe.
Good food for all those busy ladies out there! Plus it is so full of flavor you will feel like you are getting a special treat for being such a good little mommy! ;)
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Flu Stew
A few weeks ago my mom gave me a huge stalk of ginger, claiming that she has decided it is disgusting and does not want to cook with it. (She has never cooked with ginger or eaten it at all but bought a bunch in a recent health kick.) I happen to love the stuff so I happily carted home the fresh stuff and a little sidekick bag of candied ginger.
Ginger is one of those roots that is so healthy for you I can't believe people don't just throw it in everything! You can make it into a tea, eat it candied or pickled or if you please, even just chew on it raw. Or, my favorite thing to do with ginger, use it in soups! You can chop up a little of it and season your soup mildly with the fresh flavor, or use more to create a light and bright soup with the zingy notes that only fresh ginger can deliver.
As I said before, ginger is amazing for your health, and I strongly recommend everyone to eat it in any way you please around flu and cold season. As we have our chicken soup here in America, China has their soup-y tonic that uses a lot of ginger and lemongrass to combat the season's harshest germs. Ginger has a colorful history, including its use as one of the herbs to help combat the plague. It is prized in many Asian and Indian cultures, yet again, leaving me baffled as to why we don't eat it more often here in America. It is also used to alleviate any sort of gastrointestinal ailments (a fancy way of saying it will help your butt not stink up the house) and it has direct anti-inflammatory effects.
But if you are not used to the delightful flavor of fresh ginger (first of all, don't let your first taste be of candied ginger! It can be pretty strong!) try it in a hearty soup. While I was making dinner tonight, my simple veggie soup turned into a dinner targeted specifically at fighting flu germs by using the wonderful things I learned in school to become a natural chef. I am feeling a little germy after taking Boo to the doctors' office and there were many sneezing coughing kids...
I chose every ingredient carefully. I have the ginger and garlic for their antioxidants and cold fighting properties. Then I added onions which has a lot of the same benefits and vitamins as garlic such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Carrots and celery for flavor and because pretty much every veggie has some good for you things in them. (yay veggies!) Then chicken on the bone, becuase even though it may be thought by some to be an old wives' tale, chicken soup really does fight colds. In Chinese medicine it is thought to give you energy and chicken has been shown to support the immune system. Perfect for what we are trying to do here! And then my secret ingredient, mostly for flavor and because the high amount of vitamin C, I added 1 whole unpeeled apple with the skin on. And lastly, I used some regular button mushrooms because ancient Egyptians actually thought mushrooms were the key to immortality and would give you superhuman powers... do I need another reason? Beau has named it: Flu Stew!
Ginger is one of those roots that is so healthy for you I can't believe people don't just throw it in everything! You can make it into a tea, eat it candied or pickled or if you please, even just chew on it raw. Or, my favorite thing to do with ginger, use it in soups! You can chop up a little of it and season your soup mildly with the fresh flavor, or use more to create a light and bright soup with the zingy notes that only fresh ginger can deliver.
As I said before, ginger is amazing for your health, and I strongly recommend everyone to eat it in any way you please around flu and cold season. As we have our chicken soup here in America, China has their soup-y tonic that uses a lot of ginger and lemongrass to combat the season's harshest germs. Ginger has a colorful history, including its use as one of the herbs to help combat the plague. It is prized in many Asian and Indian cultures, yet again, leaving me baffled as to why we don't eat it more often here in America. It is also used to alleviate any sort of gastrointestinal ailments (a fancy way of saying it will help your butt not stink up the house) and it has direct anti-inflammatory effects.
But if you are not used to the delightful flavor of fresh ginger (first of all, don't let your first taste be of candied ginger! It can be pretty strong!) try it in a hearty soup. While I was making dinner tonight, my simple veggie soup turned into a dinner targeted specifically at fighting flu germs by using the wonderful things I learned in school to become a natural chef. I am feeling a little germy after taking Boo to the doctors' office and there were many sneezing coughing kids...
I chose every ingredient carefully. I have the ginger and garlic for their antioxidants and cold fighting properties. Then I added onions which has a lot of the same benefits and vitamins as garlic such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Carrots and celery for flavor and because pretty much every veggie has some good for you things in them. (yay veggies!) Then chicken on the bone, becuase even though it may be thought by some to be an old wives' tale, chicken soup really does fight colds. In Chinese medicine it is thought to give you energy and chicken has been shown to support the immune system. Perfect for what we are trying to do here! And then my secret ingredient, mostly for flavor and because the high amount of vitamin C, I added 1 whole unpeeled apple with the skin on. And lastly, I used some regular button mushrooms because ancient Egyptians actually thought mushrooms were the key to immortality and would give you superhuman powers... do I need another reason? Beau has named it: Flu Stew!
Flu Stew (ginger chicken apple soup)
coconut oil for sauteing
2 chicken legs on the bone
4 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches peeled ginger, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 unpeeled apple, cut in half
chicken broth to cover
salt and pepper to taste
In a stock pot heat the oil. Brown the chicken legs on all sides and then remove from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and the ginger and garlic and saute for about 10 until they are soft. Add the chicken back in the pot and cover everything with chicken broth. Add in the apple. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, pull it out and pull of the meat and then add back into the soup. Before serving, remove the apple.
If the soup is good but tastes as if it is "missing something" a little more salt and some apple cider vinegar should do the trick to brighten it up a bit. For a heartier soup that you can use as a main course, throw in some pasta!
coconut oil for sauteing
2 chicken legs on the bone
4 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches peeled ginger, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 unpeeled apple, cut in half
chicken broth to cover
salt and pepper to taste
In a stock pot heat the oil. Brown the chicken legs on all sides and then remove from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and the ginger and garlic and saute for about 10 until they are soft. Add the chicken back in the pot and cover everything with chicken broth. Add in the apple. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, pull it out and pull of the meat and then add back into the soup. Before serving, remove the apple.
If the soup is good but tastes as if it is "missing something" a little more salt and some apple cider vinegar should do the trick to brighten it up a bit. For a heartier soup that you can use as a main course, throw in some pasta!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Give me a break
Americans as a whole are notorious for working way to hard and then crashing into a heap where we then try to recoup ourselves through beer, food, red wine, kit kats or whatever else we feel will reward us for all our hard work. I am incredibly guilty of this unhealthy lifestyle. Once I even tried to live a yogic, serene lifestyle and I worked so hard at being calm and graceful and "one with myself" that I became exhausted and couldn't stand to even think of another day of happy thoughts and early morning meditations. and yet another time I wore myself out with books on other cultures' lives and tried to make it apply to my life so I could take naps at noon every day, eat whatever I wanted in small portions, and reward myself daily just for being me. Sounds fantastic except that yet again, I threw myself into it so wholly that it became not really a lifestyle at all, but more of a race with myself to see just how laid-back I could be... A friend of mine posted on her Facebook wall the other day "Everything in moderation, especially moderation." Aint it the truth?
Today I find myself running running running, and I am finally now collapsing. Nothing went as it should, I scratched nothing off my to do list and the baby has been fussy all day for a lack of naps that she will not lay down for. Every time I lay her down in her crib where she usually will quietly play with the corner of her blanket before she falls asleep, I found her rolling around, throwing her pacifier to the ground and giggling and cooing at the walls. But if I were to give up and take her out of the crib, her eyes get sleepy looking and she starts to scream... so this has been my day. And now Beau will be getting home late, the baby is still not sleeping, the laundry is not done and I was not able to run my errands because my car is broken. But still with everything else going on I have been running around cleaning, making wedding plans and trying to get things done. And now I just can't take it anymore!
So for those times when you need a little break or a "reward" for being awesome, do what I do. Turn to food! Still probably not a healthy habit but it works for me and I figure as long as I am still exercising and my waist is nice and thin (as it is) then what can it hurt? This is my favorite go to snack for days when I feel like I am sort of falling apart. One bite and I am picked right back up and I remember that life indeed is awesome and I don't always need to work so hard. Who is gonna know if I didn't make my bed today anyway??
How to make this wonderful treat:
First I toast 2 Kashi blueberry waffles. Then I slather one with Nutella and the other with creamy peanut butter. And then my favorite part, I break up some 80% dark chocolate into little pieces and sprinkle it around. Sandwich it together and wham-o! Perfection... it is so sweet and so rich and practically makes your teeth hurt, but the sugar rush is always just what I needed, and in case you haven't all heard, chocolate is a mood booster!
Today I find myself running running running, and I am finally now collapsing. Nothing went as it should, I scratched nothing off my to do list and the baby has been fussy all day for a lack of naps that she will not lay down for. Every time I lay her down in her crib where she usually will quietly play with the corner of her blanket before she falls asleep, I found her rolling around, throwing her pacifier to the ground and giggling and cooing at the walls. But if I were to give up and take her out of the crib, her eyes get sleepy looking and she starts to scream... so this has been my day. And now Beau will be getting home late, the baby is still not sleeping, the laundry is not done and I was not able to run my errands because my car is broken. But still with everything else going on I have been running around cleaning, making wedding plans and trying to get things done. And now I just can't take it anymore!
So for those times when you need a little break or a "reward" for being awesome, do what I do. Turn to food! Still probably not a healthy habit but it works for me and I figure as long as I am still exercising and my waist is nice and thin (as it is) then what can it hurt? This is my favorite go to snack for days when I feel like I am sort of falling apart. One bite and I am picked right back up and I remember that life indeed is awesome and I don't always need to work so hard. Who is gonna know if I didn't make my bed today anyway??
How to make this wonderful treat:
First I toast 2 Kashi blueberry waffles. Then I slather one with Nutella and the other with creamy peanut butter. And then my favorite part, I break up some 80% dark chocolate into little pieces and sprinkle it around. Sandwich it together and wham-o! Perfection... it is so sweet and so rich and practically makes your teeth hurt, but the sugar rush is always just what I needed, and in case you haven't all heard, chocolate is a mood booster!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My picky piggy
The dog is giving me his sad eyes. I know he wants to go for a walk terribly and he will continue to steal the baby's binky, eat my bras and cause chaos until I take him on one. But all day I have been cleaning and rearranging furniture and basically doing everything but being a good doggy mom. Don't even get me started on how bad this makes me feel. But sometimes it is just so damn windy! I really do hate the wind...
Ally is content to play with the buttons on the Xbox remote; thank goodness she is at a pretty easy age right now. So I have taken a little break to continue to not take the dog on a walk and to just chill.
Ahhh... that's better.
In about an hour I plan to pack up the baby and go on a little family outing to the gym. Some people say not to go to the gym with your man, but I wonder who came up with the rule? I love going to the gym with Beau! We motivate each other. We get a little bonding time while we warm up and then it is off to our own areas of the gym where I am usually working out the butt area and he is off doing whatever men work out at the gym. Then back together for some cardio and a little sauna time. Plus it is kind of fun to pretend he is a stranger and to watch him from across the room... but anyway I won't get into that. I believe my grandmother reads these. ;)
This will be the very first time I have ever taken Ally anywhere where she will be watched by a stranger. (I usually leave her with my mom or Aunty Bean) She is a sturdy 6 months old now and I should be fine with the idea, but it has me strangely anxious. Not really for her safety or anything (although I am sure that is part of it) but more for the person who will be watching her! Is she going to scream and cry at them? Will they know what to do when she cries? Will they hold her like she likes to be held? What if they have terrible breath and breathe in her face the whole hour she is in there?! Ugh...
I am sure she will be fine. I guess I am just one of those silly worry wort types. And once she is back safely in my arms at home, I will continue on my mission to try ways to get her to eat carrots since I have already bought so many! So carrots and rice will be on the menu and hopefully all goes well.
Ally is content to play with the buttons on the Xbox remote; thank goodness she is at a pretty easy age right now. So I have taken a little break to continue to not take the dog on a walk and to just chill.
Ahhh... that's better.
In about an hour I plan to pack up the baby and go on a little family outing to the gym. Some people say not to go to the gym with your man, but I wonder who came up with the rule? I love going to the gym with Beau! We motivate each other. We get a little bonding time while we warm up and then it is off to our own areas of the gym where I am usually working out the butt area and he is off doing whatever men work out at the gym. Then back together for some cardio and a little sauna time. Plus it is kind of fun to pretend he is a stranger and to watch him from across the room... but anyway I won't get into that. I believe my grandmother reads these. ;)
This will be the very first time I have ever taken Ally anywhere where she will be watched by a stranger. (I usually leave her with my mom or Aunty Bean) She is a sturdy 6 months old now and I should be fine with the idea, but it has me strangely anxious. Not really for her safety or anything (although I am sure that is part of it) but more for the person who will be watching her! Is she going to scream and cry at them? Will they know what to do when she cries? Will they hold her like she likes to be held? What if they have terrible breath and breathe in her face the whole hour she is in there?! Ugh...
I am sure she will be fine. I guess I am just one of those silly worry wort types. And once she is back safely in my arms at home, I will continue on my mission to try ways to get her to eat carrots since I have already bought so many! So carrots and rice will be on the menu and hopefully all goes well.
Ally's Carrots and Rice
1/4 cup pureed carrots from the previous recipe
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (aprox.)
boil the water and then add in the brown rice. Boil for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender. In your baby food maker or a food processor, blend the rice with some of the liquid. Continue to add liquid until the rice is the right consistency. Once smooth and baby food looking, stir in a bit of the pureed rice with the pureed carrots. Bam! Isn't making baby food fun? If only everything in life were as easy...
1/4 cup pureed carrots from the previous recipe
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (aprox.)
boil the water and then add in the brown rice. Boil for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender. In your baby food maker or a food processor, blend the rice with some of the liquid. Continue to add liquid until the rice is the right consistency. Once smooth and baby food looking, stir in a bit of the pureed rice with the pureed carrots. Bam! Isn't making baby food fun? If only everything in life were as easy...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Chicken & Asparagus
I love everything about the holidays! Especially all of the food at all of the many holiday parties. We have all been there, eating too much and getting a little tubby around the middle. Maybe even getting lazy from all of the sugar overloads. But I don't even mind the extra weight or the laziness as long as I get to eat and eat and eat!
Some days after eating and eating and eating I forget that I actually have to make dinner so that we can eat some more! It seems impossible that we will ever be hungry again after some of these holiday spreads, but inevitably after some time we are indeed hungry again. And on these days when I am lazy from coconut macaroons, holiday cookies, and little plate after little plate of delicious finger foods, it really helps to have a quick meal on hand. One that is loaded with good for you-ness too so you can get that energy back! And as it would happen, I have one of those recipes.
My mom gave me this recipe a few months back and I made some improvements on it. It is a beautiful little dish that looks like it takes lots of time (but of course it doesn't), and what I really love about it is that your vegetables are cooked right in!
chicken roll, mashed potatoes and gravy, romaine lettuce salad
Chicken and Asparagus Rolls
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1 lb asparagus
salt and pepper
and handful of flour
toothpicks
procedure
after flattening the chicken breasts to all the same thickness salt and pepper them and set them aside. (I marinated my chicken breasts for 4 hours in a dry brine. it was delicious! The brine is from William Sonoma. If you do not have a brine and want more flavor than just salt and pepper, you can make your own brine with course sea salt, pepper, dry sage and some dry thyme. rub the chicken, then pat it dry before cooking)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a slice of cheese and some goat cheese crumbles then some asparagus on one end of chicken and roll it up. Hold it together with some toothpicks. Do this to all of them.
Roll the rolled chicken in flour and brown it on all sides in a pan with some butter or oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before eating.
Some days after eating and eating and eating I forget that I actually have to make dinner so that we can eat some more! It seems impossible that we will ever be hungry again after some of these holiday spreads, but inevitably after some time we are indeed hungry again. And on these days when I am lazy from coconut macaroons, holiday cookies, and little plate after little plate of delicious finger foods, it really helps to have a quick meal on hand. One that is loaded with good for you-ness too so you can get that energy back! And as it would happen, I have one of those recipes.
My mom gave me this recipe a few months back and I made some improvements on it. It is a beautiful little dish that looks like it takes lots of time (but of course it doesn't), and what I really love about it is that your vegetables are cooked right in!
chicken roll, mashed potatoes and gravy, romaine lettuce salad
Chicken and Asparagus Rolls
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1 lb asparagus
salt and pepper
and handful of flour
toothpicks
procedure
after flattening the chicken breasts to all the same thickness salt and pepper them and set them aside. (I marinated my chicken breasts for 4 hours in a dry brine. it was delicious! The brine is from William Sonoma. If you do not have a brine and want more flavor than just salt and pepper, you can make your own brine with course sea salt, pepper, dry sage and some dry thyme. rub the chicken, then pat it dry before cooking)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a slice of cheese and some goat cheese crumbles then some asparagus on one end of chicken and roll it up. Hold it together with some toothpicks. Do this to all of them.
Roll the rolled chicken in flour and brown it on all sides in a pan with some butter or oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before eating.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
ms. piggy is delicious...
Alright folks! Between the baby and the endless list of chores I have yet to get to today, this is going to be short and sweet. But I feel it is very much worth your time!
I have an incurable addiction to magazines. For some reason I just really love the quick bursts of information littered with tips, recipes and glossy ads for things I can't afford. But being that we are trying to be super money savers lately, magazines are not on my list of things I am allowed to buy. But every once in a while a girl has to make an exception... like when this months issue of Better Homes and Gardens is just bursting full of delicious looking recipes I must try! So on my coffee table it sits, dog-eared and with pages ripped out. One of those pages in particular I want to share with you. A recipe for a stew that sounds like it has odd ingredients but is actually one of the most delicious stews in my recipe box!
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
1 2 1/2- 3 lb pork loin cut into cubes ( I actually used pork roast on sale that I cubed and it was fantastic.)
3-4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz. apple-cranberry juice (a little over a cup)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
(my procedure is completely different than the magazine's. so if you want to see how to do it their way, buy the mag!)
Preheat the oven to 325. cut off all if the extra pork fat and render in a cast iron dutch oven on a low heat. Once rendered, remove the fat pieces and brown the cubed pork on each side. Set aside. Add the butter and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the sweet potato and saute for a couple minutes. Add the meat back into the pot, sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add the juice and chicken broth. The meat should be just barely covered, you can add more chicken broth or water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and half of the sage. Put the lid on the dutch oven and place inside the oven. Cook for about an hour, until the flavors are melded together and the pork is cooked all the way through.
Delish! I served this stew with Hawaiian sweet rolls because it was right before
Thanksgiving and they were on sale. The rolls were perfect with it!
I have an incurable addiction to magazines. For some reason I just really love the quick bursts of information littered with tips, recipes and glossy ads for things I can't afford. But being that we are trying to be super money savers lately, magazines are not on my list of things I am allowed to buy. But every once in a while a girl has to make an exception... like when this months issue of Better Homes and Gardens is just bursting full of delicious looking recipes I must try! So on my coffee table it sits, dog-eared and with pages ripped out. One of those pages in particular I want to share with you. A recipe for a stew that sounds like it has odd ingredients but is actually one of the most delicious stews in my recipe box!
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
1 2 1/2- 3 lb pork loin cut into cubes ( I actually used pork roast on sale that I cubed and it was fantastic.)
3-4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz. apple-cranberry juice (a little over a cup)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
(my procedure is completely different than the magazine's. so if you want to see how to do it their way, buy the mag!)
Preheat the oven to 325. cut off all if the extra pork fat and render in a cast iron dutch oven on a low heat. Once rendered, remove the fat pieces and brown the cubed pork on each side. Set aside. Add the butter and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the sweet potato and saute for a couple minutes. Add the meat back into the pot, sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add the juice and chicken broth. The meat should be just barely covered, you can add more chicken broth or water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and half of the sage. Put the lid on the dutch oven and place inside the oven. Cook for about an hour, until the flavors are melded together and the pork is cooked all the way through.
Delish! I served this stew with Hawaiian sweet rolls because it was right before
Thanksgiving and they were on sale. The rolls were perfect with it!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Gravy Me
"mmm biscuits and gravy," I mused out loud. I had wonderful memories of sitting around campfires with my family, thick buttery biscuits smothered in creamy country gravy on my paper plate. We never got very fancy with them, it was all mostly pop-out-of-a-tube biscuits and some simple gravy from a packet, but it is truly one of my favorite meals.
"I've never had 'em," Beau said. I stared at him in disbelief and bought some biscuits the very next day. How on earth could anyone have lived for 25 years and never have had biscuits and gravy??
So this morning while I was lying in bed waiting for Beau to get the baby without realizing he was gone taking the dog for a walk, I decided this chilly morning was the perfect day to enlighten Beau with the beautiful thing that is, yes I will say it again, Biscuits and la Gravy!
I use the basic pop-out biscuits with a little black pepper sprinkled on top and melted butter painted over the top after they get out of the oven. Nothing fancy! And then, you can buy the Jimmy Deen sausage in the little tube and either make it into patties or brown it in a pan in crumbles that will later get mixed into the gravy. Mixing in some seasonings makes it that much more special. It sort of depends on what you like, but some garlic salt, fennel, or thyme are all yummy. And then the best part... gravy.
Some people seem to be letting their lives pass them by without ever knowing how to make homemade gravy. Shame on you! It is so easy and so so delicious! You will only need a few things:
a couple Tbsp of butter
a small handful of flour
about 2 or 3 cups of milk (this is country gravy, not brown)
salt and pepper
the drippings from the sausage you were cooking, or any other yummy drippings
a whisk
Heat the milk in a pot or the microwave. In a pan (it does not have to be a pot. I use a saute pan with sides) melt the butter. Once melted, sprinkle the flour in the pan and whisk it around until incorporated. Without letting it brown, slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Let it simmer at a medium heat while whisking until it begins to thicken. This can take about 5 minutes. If it never thickens, sprinkle in a little more flour and whisk. Once it is thick and has cooked for a while (you want to cook out the flour flavor) season with salt and pepper, then pour in the drippings (and sausage if that is how you roll) and stir. Ta da! That's it! Be sure to taste it for the correct seasoning. It may take more salt than you realize.
Then you can pour the gravy over your sausage and biscuits and savor. Mmmm... Best when enjoyed by a campfire, but when this is not possible, it is just as good when sitting across the table from your man.
Monday, November 15, 2010
when life hands you Lentils
This past week has been one of those weeks that flies by and all I can really remember of it is little blurs of exhausting events. You know that kind of week...
swoosh! There goes me getting scammed with a fraudulent check! Vroom! There's my doctor prescribing me the wrong birth control and it causing my breast milk to dry up and my baby to scream at me with hunger pains! Smash! I've just been hit with wedding to-do's and Christmas plans and a super tight budget! ...sigh...
Along with the bad, there has also been good but it was the kind of good that brings along its buddy, emotional exhaustion. Trying on wedding dresses, talking about the invitations and flowers and center pieces and Ahhh!!! With a really tight budget and only 7 months until the wedding date, I feel like I have been hit with a truck (a truck with cans tied to the back and "Just Married" written on the back windshield.) And along with everything else, as my baby gets bigger and cuter and more fun, she also gets more opinionated, fussy and she is starting to teeth. Needless to say, cooking fabulous meals and then writing about them has been way down on my to do list. And I mean waaay down. But I decided to sit at the computer today and blog anyway because I needed a little quiet mommy time. A little place where I can let it all hang out and complain.
Because today, as visions of Christmas to-do lists danced in my head and images of white dresses clouded my eyes, I did the classic Jasmine California stop a little ways up the street from my house and was immediately pulled over and ticketed. She said it was because my registration was expired, but no where is that mentioned on the ticket, just that I ran a stop sign (which I think is a little dramatic. "Ran" is not the right work for a really quick little stop-and-go-right-away). So there it is. A whole new week and already I have to show up in court and pay a fine for goodness only knows how much.
And now I am looking around and I can see that my flowers need to be watered, the wedding magazines need to be picked up and dinner needs to be started before my man gets home. The baby needs a nap, the floor needs to be vacuumed, the bills need to be paid, and the sink is full of dishes. I think of all of these people who give me strange looks or make snide comments because I stay at home to take care of my baby instead of working a "real" job and I wonder what their lives must be like where they can get away from it all for 8 hours a day and then come home to their family life. I think of it as a break! Don't try to tell me your life is harder because you have a real job. I never get a break from this! I don't get vacations or lunch breaks, and most of all, I don't get a paycheck! I am up at the butt crack of dawn with a boss who greets me by crying and sucking all of the nutrients out of my body and then poops. I spend my day making my man's house a place he is happy to come home to and I make sure his "kingdom" is running smoothly. Sometimes I forget to eat and I will dance around having to pee for hours before I get a chance to go. My hair looks like crap and the only make up I have time for is concealer to hide the dark circles and some mascara to make me look awake.
But the thing is, I wouldn't trade this last hard week for anything in the world. I do this job for free, but what I get out of it is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a man who loves me and tells me so when he comes home to me every night. And that screaming, pooping little bundle of spit up makes me more happy than I ever thought possible. So when my washing machine breaks, and the the car won't pass smog and I get a ticket, a fraudulent check, and the wrong birth control all in one week, well that's okay. Because I also get the toothless smiles, the hugs and all of the love I need to keep me pushing through.
So thank you to my little family! I love you guys and I am so happy that you love me enough to put up with the very simple dinner I will be serving you tonight; and I know you will not make a single complaint even if you really want to. =)
After a Hard Week Lentil Soup
4 or 5 strips of bacon
1 16 oz pack of lentils
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
3 small carrots
1 large beef (or pork) stock bone with marrow
in a saute pan, cook the bacon and render out all of the fat. Set the bacon aside and keep the fat. Dice all of the veggies and saute in the bacon grease. Add the lentils and saute for 1-2 minutes to soak up the bacon flavor. Pour the whole mixture in a crock pot, add filtered water a couple inches over the lentils and add in the beef bone. Cook on low until lentils are soft. Add more water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs if you want them. Thyme, oregano, or sage are all good in this soup.
swoosh! There goes me getting scammed with a fraudulent check! Vroom! There's my doctor prescribing me the wrong birth control and it causing my breast milk to dry up and my baby to scream at me with hunger pains! Smash! I've just been hit with wedding to-do's and Christmas plans and a super tight budget! ...sigh...
Along with the bad, there has also been good but it was the kind of good that brings along its buddy, emotional exhaustion. Trying on wedding dresses, talking about the invitations and flowers and center pieces and Ahhh!!! With a really tight budget and only 7 months until the wedding date, I feel like I have been hit with a truck (a truck with cans tied to the back and "Just Married" written on the back windshield.) And along with everything else, as my baby gets bigger and cuter and more fun, she also gets more opinionated, fussy and she is starting to teeth. Needless to say, cooking fabulous meals and then writing about them has been way down on my to do list. And I mean waaay down. But I decided to sit at the computer today and blog anyway because I needed a little quiet mommy time. A little place where I can let it all hang out and complain.
Because today, as visions of Christmas to-do lists danced in my head and images of white dresses clouded my eyes, I did the classic Jasmine California stop a little ways up the street from my house and was immediately pulled over and ticketed. She said it was because my registration was expired, but no where is that mentioned on the ticket, just that I ran a stop sign (which I think is a little dramatic. "Ran" is not the right work for a really quick little stop-and-go-right-away). So there it is. A whole new week and already I have to show up in court and pay a fine for goodness only knows how much.
And now I am looking around and I can see that my flowers need to be watered, the wedding magazines need to be picked up and dinner needs to be started before my man gets home. The baby needs a nap, the floor needs to be vacuumed, the bills need to be paid, and the sink is full of dishes. I think of all of these people who give me strange looks or make snide comments because I stay at home to take care of my baby instead of working a "real" job and I wonder what their lives must be like where they can get away from it all for 8 hours a day and then come home to their family life. I think of it as a break! Don't try to tell me your life is harder because you have a real job. I never get a break from this! I don't get vacations or lunch breaks, and most of all, I don't get a paycheck! I am up at the butt crack of dawn with a boss who greets me by crying and sucking all of the nutrients out of my body and then poops. I spend my day making my man's house a place he is happy to come home to and I make sure his "kingdom" is running smoothly. Sometimes I forget to eat and I will dance around having to pee for hours before I get a chance to go. My hair looks like crap and the only make up I have time for is concealer to hide the dark circles and some mascara to make me look awake.
But the thing is, I wouldn't trade this last hard week for anything in the world. I do this job for free, but what I get out of it is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a man who loves me and tells me so when he comes home to me every night. And that screaming, pooping little bundle of spit up makes me more happy than I ever thought possible. So when my washing machine breaks, and the the car won't pass smog and I get a ticket, a fraudulent check, and the wrong birth control all in one week, well that's okay. Because I also get the toothless smiles, the hugs and all of the love I need to keep me pushing through.
So thank you to my little family! I love you guys and I am so happy that you love me enough to put up with the very simple dinner I will be serving you tonight; and I know you will not make a single complaint even if you really want to. =)
After a Hard Week Lentil Soup
4 or 5 strips of bacon
1 16 oz pack of lentils
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
3 small carrots
1 large beef (or pork) stock bone with marrow
in a saute pan, cook the bacon and render out all of the fat. Set the bacon aside and keep the fat. Dice all of the veggies and saute in the bacon grease. Add the lentils and saute for 1-2 minutes to soak up the bacon flavor. Pour the whole mixture in a crock pot, add filtered water a couple inches over the lentils and add in the beef bone. Cook on low until lentils are soft. Add more water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs if you want them. Thyme, oregano, or sage are all good in this soup.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
You say veggies, I say Pie!
All day I have been absolutely convinced it was Tuesday. Maybe if I do not cook dinner myself then the day is not a real day to me or something, but it got to be about 4pm before I finally realized it is Wednesday. Then I did a little dance because it is hump day and Beau gets paid on Monday. Woo hoo!
It was another one of those hectic type days where Ally is fussy in a doctor's office, but this time it was her doctor and she was getting her shots. I hate hate hate taking her to get her shots! I know it hurts me more than it hurts her, but oh does it kill me! Thankfully the nurses who give her the shots are all very sweet and always try their best to make me feel better. I would love everything about the doctor's office if it wasn't for some very odd murals on the walls. When you first walk into the building there is a painting of a tree and a couple fictional story book characters. You think "aww, a little kid friendly painting. how sweet." But then you look at it again and notice, oh my God is that a vagina??!! I swear the center of the tree, where the painter was trying to make a tree-like face I am assuming, there is a huge tree vagina. It looks so lifelike and pornographic I can't believe I seem to be the only person (besides my mom) who notices! It could be my dirty mind, but I sort of doubt it. And that's not all. When you go inside the office, in the hallway directly behind the waiting room, there is more to the painting. The artist painted the back of the vagina tree and made it look as though you were looking at the same scene from the waiting room, but from the back. Neat, right? Wrong. Behind the tree, in the dark shadows is the tin man wielding his ax very threateningly and looking like he is ready to hack the little storybook girls to pieces who are standing innocently in front of the tree... and did I mention this is my pediatricians office?
But anyway, Ally got her shots and she is now sleeping soundly in her crib and Beau and I are full and on the couch, both on our separate laptops. (technology sure gets in the way of bonding doesn't it?) After my emotionally exhausting trip to the doctor, i wanted an easy dinner to make and I am so lucky that this one was! I have never attempted anything like it and it just happened to be very simple and completely fantastic! What was it? Mushroom Pot Pie! And if you already have the ingredients to make a crust, as I do, then all you need to buy is a couple different types of veggies and boom badda boom, there it is! Super cheap, super easy, super healthy and yummy. I have been working on this crust for some time and I think I have it perfect! It is flaky and buttery and the exact kind of crust that I cannot stop eating.
VEGETABLE PIE
for the crust:
1 1/3 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter (I used a butter margarine blend for money saving sakes), chilled
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold water
for the filling:
2 small onions, diced
2 small packs mushrooms, sliced
1 cup diced green beans
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups broth
3 heaping tsp flour
large pinch dried sage
salt to taste (make sure to taste! It uses a lot)
to make the crust: mix together the flour, salt and oregano. Add in the butter in chunks and the shortening. Use your fingers to mix and crumble together the mixture until it is incorporated. Slowly add in water, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Form into 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill. It will be a little soft, but it rolls out fine with a lot of flour on top and on the rolling pin. Roll it out and place in a pie tin. Cook in a 350 degree oven until golden; about 20 minutes.
for the filling: saute the onions and mushrooms until soft. add the rest of the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add stock then flour. Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft and sauce is thickened. Pour into pie pan. Top with the other half of the dough (the raw half) and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to set up.
I really enjoyed this dinner! The filling is very versatile though, you can add whatever veggies you want, meat, herbs or anything else you can dream up.
It was another one of those hectic type days where Ally is fussy in a doctor's office, but this time it was her doctor and she was getting her shots. I hate hate hate taking her to get her shots! I know it hurts me more than it hurts her, but oh does it kill me! Thankfully the nurses who give her the shots are all very sweet and always try their best to make me feel better. I would love everything about the doctor's office if it wasn't for some very odd murals on the walls. When you first walk into the building there is a painting of a tree and a couple fictional story book characters. You think "aww, a little kid friendly painting. how sweet." But then you look at it again and notice, oh my God is that a vagina??!! I swear the center of the tree, where the painter was trying to make a tree-like face I am assuming, there is a huge tree vagina. It looks so lifelike and pornographic I can't believe I seem to be the only person (besides my mom) who notices! It could be my dirty mind, but I sort of doubt it. And that's not all. When you go inside the office, in the hallway directly behind the waiting room, there is more to the painting. The artist painted the back of the vagina tree and made it look as though you were looking at the same scene from the waiting room, but from the back. Neat, right? Wrong. Behind the tree, in the dark shadows is the tin man wielding his ax very threateningly and looking like he is ready to hack the little storybook girls to pieces who are standing innocently in front of the tree... and did I mention this is my pediatricians office?
But anyway, Ally got her shots and she is now sleeping soundly in her crib and Beau and I are full and on the couch, both on our separate laptops. (technology sure gets in the way of bonding doesn't it?) After my emotionally exhausting trip to the doctor, i wanted an easy dinner to make and I am so lucky that this one was! I have never attempted anything like it and it just happened to be very simple and completely fantastic! What was it? Mushroom Pot Pie! And if you already have the ingredients to make a crust, as I do, then all you need to buy is a couple different types of veggies and boom badda boom, there it is! Super cheap, super easy, super healthy and yummy. I have been working on this crust for some time and I think I have it perfect! It is flaky and buttery and the exact kind of crust that I cannot stop eating.
VEGETABLE PIE
for the crust:
1 1/3 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter (I used a butter margarine blend for money saving sakes), chilled
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold water
for the filling:
2 small onions, diced
2 small packs mushrooms, sliced
1 cup diced green beans
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups broth
3 heaping tsp flour
large pinch dried sage
salt to taste (make sure to taste! It uses a lot)
to make the crust: mix together the flour, salt and oregano. Add in the butter in chunks and the shortening. Use your fingers to mix and crumble together the mixture until it is incorporated. Slowly add in water, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Form into 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill. It will be a little soft, but it rolls out fine with a lot of flour on top and on the rolling pin. Roll it out and place in a pie tin. Cook in a 350 degree oven until golden; about 20 minutes.
for the filling: saute the onions and mushrooms until soft. add the rest of the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add stock then flour. Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft and sauce is thickened. Pour into pie pan. Top with the other half of the dough (the raw half) and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to set up.
I really enjoyed this dinner! The filling is very versatile though, you can add whatever veggies you want, meat, herbs or anything else you can dream up.
Monday, October 25, 2010
surprisingly delicious spaghetti
One of Beau's favorite dinners is spaghetti. To be honest I never take the time to make meatballs, I just brown up some hot Italian sausage and add it to a jar of red sauce. It is quick, Beau likes it, and I happen to really like the sausage over meatballs anyway. But all that heavy sauce and noodles always leaves me sluggish and bloated and I feel heavy even the next morning. So as much as Beau loves it, I tend to be more hesitant to make it.
And then I discovered a whole new way to make spaghetti! Okay, well it isn't actually new at all but it is something I never tried because the ingredients always scared me off a little bit. I have heard it called several different things so I just call it spaghetti a la delicious. You create a little sauce with fresh or canned tomatoes and a things like anchovies and capers and I find that if I use whole wheat noodles then I don't feel so bad about scarfing down a second helping. And as it turns out, the anchovies scared me but the whole meal comes together really well and tastes fantastic! Plus it is so fast to make. If you just take the time to measure everything out and chop it up then you can just toss it all together in only a few minutes.
Spaghetti A La Delicious
handful of whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 6 anchovy filets, mashed with a fork (optional for a vegetarian version)
1 can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted or with herbs)
a small handful of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp capers, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh oregano and thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cook the spaghetti in salted water
heat the olive oil in a pan then add the hot chili flakes and garlic. saute for a couple minutes until garlic is brown. Add the anchovies and saute for a few seconds, then add tomatoes and simmer (while stirring) for about 5 minutes. Stir in olives, capers, brown sugar, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss together until it is coated.
Remember that capers and anchovies are salty on their own, so taste before adding any more salt!
And then I discovered a whole new way to make spaghetti! Okay, well it isn't actually new at all but it is something I never tried because the ingredients always scared me off a little bit. I have heard it called several different things so I just call it spaghetti a la delicious. You create a little sauce with fresh or canned tomatoes and a things like anchovies and capers and I find that if I use whole wheat noodles then I don't feel so bad about scarfing down a second helping. And as it turns out, the anchovies scared me but the whole meal comes together really well and tastes fantastic! Plus it is so fast to make. If you just take the time to measure everything out and chop it up then you can just toss it all together in only a few minutes.
Spaghetti A La Delicious
handful of whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 6 anchovy filets, mashed with a fork (optional for a vegetarian version)
1 can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted or with herbs)
a small handful of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp capers, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh oregano and thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cook the spaghetti in salted water
heat the olive oil in a pan then add the hot chili flakes and garlic. saute for a couple minutes until garlic is brown. Add the anchovies and saute for a few seconds, then add tomatoes and simmer (while stirring) for about 5 minutes. Stir in olives, capers, brown sugar, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss together until it is coated.
Remember that capers and anchovies are salty on their own, so taste before adding any more salt!
Man Stew!
I thought for sure I would have posted this stew at least once, but after searching through blogs of rainy days' past, I didn't find it! So I feel it is absolutely necessary to share this easy and hearty stew. I make it a lot because Beau likes it and it is super easy. I make it in the crockpot, but you can make it in a regular soup pot too. (slightly different directions for a soup pot will be at the bottom of the recipe)
We call it...
Man Stew! And you will need...
3 small carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 strips of bacon (this is for the grease. if you would rather, a little olive oil will work just fine too)
2 lbs of stew beef
3 Tbsp flour
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bottles Guiness beer
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
In a large skillet, cook the bacon to render the fat. Remove bacon and set aside. Saute carrot, onion, potatoes, and celery in the bacon grease until soft (potatoes won't be soft, but that is ok). Add the stew meat and brown. Once brown, sprinkle with flour and coat everything. Saute for 1 minute to cook out the flour flavor. Transfer to a crockpot and add tomatoes and beer. My crockpot takes hours on high to cook, but if you have a good crockpot you can cook it on low. Let it cook until meat is done and tender and the stew is thickened. Stir in fresh oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
If you do not want to use a crockpot, do all of the steps in the soup pot and simmer for 2 hours on the stove.
This is a chunky and hearty stew and is really yummy with just a hunk of bread as a side. Don't worry, the beer taste cooks out and makes a yummy broth. :) I did learn however, that the extra stout Guiness does not taste as good, you have to buy just the regular beer in the black bottles.
Enjoy!
We call it...
Man Stew! And you will need...
3 small carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 strips of bacon (this is for the grease. if you would rather, a little olive oil will work just fine too)
2 lbs of stew beef
3 Tbsp flour
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bottles Guiness beer
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
In a large skillet, cook the bacon to render the fat. Remove bacon and set aside. Saute carrot, onion, potatoes, and celery in the bacon grease until soft (potatoes won't be soft, but that is ok). Add the stew meat and brown. Once brown, sprinkle with flour and coat everything. Saute for 1 minute to cook out the flour flavor. Transfer to a crockpot and add tomatoes and beer. My crockpot takes hours on high to cook, but if you have a good crockpot you can cook it on low. Let it cook until meat is done and tender and the stew is thickened. Stir in fresh oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
If you do not want to use a crockpot, do all of the steps in the soup pot and simmer for 2 hours on the stove.
This is a chunky and hearty stew and is really yummy with just a hunk of bread as a side. Don't worry, the beer taste cooks out and makes a yummy broth. :) I did learn however, that the extra stout Guiness does not taste as good, you have to buy just the regular beer in the black bottles.
Enjoy!
Friday, October 22, 2010
No such thing as too much pumpkin!
"umm... not that I don't love your pumpkin waffles, but do you think maybe sometimes we can have regular waffles?" -Beau
Okay, I guess I go a little overboard on the pumpkin this time of year. But I can't help it! Pumpkin spiced anything is delicious and for some reason it is only delicious around this time of year. This is hands down my favorite time of the year. I love how (in Southern Cali anyway) it is always blistering hot and then all of a sudden it happens almost overnight; the wind blows in a chill, the trees are suddenly an array of beautiful golds, reds and yellows and the sky turns a silvery gray. It is beautiful! The air smells like damp earth, and there is no better smell than the smell of a wet desert. I get a thrill from pulling out the old cozy sweaters and fuzzy socks. A rush of childhood memories of Falls and Winters past hit me full force as I slip into an over-sized hoodie and cuddle up with a book while listening to some of my mom's favorite old CDs. And then the best part: I'm already bundled up all the time anyway, so I have no qualms about baking (and eating) all my favorite goodies!
I am not huge about decorating my treats into little spookie critters or covering everything in candy corn. What I like the most is what the season has to offer this time of year, and it finds its way into everything I make: apples and pumpkins! Sure apples are in the store all year around, but this is apple season and there is nothing better than an apple just picked off the tree in its season. There is something intoxicating about the smell of a perfectly ripe apple. It smells so sticky sweet and almost flowery. Yum!
And then there are pumpkins... where do I even begin with pumpkins? As a kid I thought pumpkins were just for decoration and then I got a little older and discovered the joy of pumpkin pies, pumpkin spiced cookies and cakes, lattes and anything else you can throw some pumpkin in. I have so many pumpkin recipes I had a hard time narrowing down which one to share, but in the end it was obvious what my favorite has been lately: pumpkin waffles! I make a bunch of batter and store it in a mason jar in the fridge so I can get to it whenever I have the urge, which is more often than I should. I could literally eat these waffles morning noon and night which is probably why Beau is so sick of them.
Yesterday when I woke up it was gray and drizzly outside and absolutely freezing in my house. I stuffed my feet into really tacky fuzzy socks decorated with green and white stripes and put on two sweaters and did the only thing I could think of to do when you wake up and everything is drizzly. I turned on my computer and played some rainy day music and then pulled out the waffle iron. The smell of these pumpkin waffles set the mood for the rest of my day and I could not have been more happy to sit at my table and eat while watching the rain glisten off the field behind my house and the crows bounce around eating walnuts that had fallen from my tree.
Pumpkin Spice Waffles with Walnuts
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or from a can)
1 2/3 cup milk
4 bsp melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl beat the eggs, sugar. Then add the pumpkin, milk and butter. Fold the wet into the dry. Pour some batter into your waffle maker and sprinkle with walnuts. Cook according to your iron's directions. Serve right away with some fresh whipped cream or maple syrup. Mmmm...
.....
This another recipe to celebrate the season that I got from a tart recipe from Julie Child's The Art of french Cooking. The tart is delicious too, but if you ever have a few extra apples and you don't want to eat them inside a pastry shell, this is just as good on its own!
Applesauce
3 lbs apples, peeled and cored and diced
1/3 cup apricot preserves, forced through a sieve (this is to get all of the large bits of apricot out. If you don't mind large bits then you can leave it as is)
1/4 cup apple brandy or rum
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
zest of 1/2 lemon Place the apples in a saucepan, cover and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once tender, beat in the rest of the ingredients. Raise the heat to a boil, stirring until applesauce is thick
(p.s. these are not my pictures! I stole them from Google because my camera was lost :) but it is found now, so pictures of my food will be coming soon! ... Nice picture of waffles though right?)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
what is green, warm, and delicious all over?
Warm spinach salad... I have come to the conclusion that this is the most delicious way to eat spinach! I will be honest, I am not the best when it comes to eating my veggies; I am more in the fan club of sweets, fruit and lots of bread and grains. But like a good girl I make sure to include some green stuff as often as I can. This recipe is incredibly simple and super delicious.
Warm Spinach with Roasted Garlic
1 bag baby spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
preheat oven to 400 degrees. cut off the tip of your head of garlic with a sharp knife and wrap it in foil. roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. it is done when it is fragrant and the clove is golden brown once peeled. once it is done, let it cool and then peel off the skin
in a saute pan, heat the olive oil. add the spinach and immediately drizzle lemon juice over the top. saute the spinach until halfway wilted, about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and toss with the garlic cloves and salt. serve immediately
Delicious!
Warm Spinach with Roasted Garlic
1 bag baby spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
preheat oven to 400 degrees. cut off the tip of your head of garlic with a sharp knife and wrap it in foil. roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. it is done when it is fragrant and the clove is golden brown once peeled. once it is done, let it cool and then peel off the skin
in a saute pan, heat the olive oil. add the spinach and immediately drizzle lemon juice over the top. saute the spinach until halfway wilted, about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and toss with the garlic cloves and salt. serve immediately
Delicious!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Less Fat... More Scraping?
Okay, so I am going to admit something a little embarrassing today. I have a serious woman crush on Jennifer Aniston (I mean, it. I'm kind of obsessed). I know she is not the hottest person in Hollywood, but for some reason I just love her. She seems incredibly approachable to me and she seems to have a little bit of a hippie side, which appeals to my hippie side. Plus, I am a yoga freak and they say that is the secret to her fantastic arms and legs. So there it is! I am crushing on a 40 year old actress who does yoga.
But that is not exactly why I am writing this blog; it is only partly relevant to Jennifer. It just so happened that some time ago Oprah did an article on Jennifer Aniston having a dinner party in her home and she ran it in her O Magazine. The article described Jen's home and the little dinner party she was having and it also interviewed her personal chef's and listed the menu they prepared for the party. In the menu, under the appetizers, her chefs prepared (among other things) mushroom quesadillas. Not that I had never heard of a mushroom quesadilla before, but they did something different I had never heard of. In order to cut out any unnecessary fat, the chefs cooked the little Mexican treats on top of course sea salt! Apparently the salt acts as a barrier to keep it off the pan and from burning instead of the usual pat of butter or margarine that creates a nonstick surface. I read this little tip while I was reading the article (and relishing the pictures of Jennifer's beautiful kitchen and patio) and I was instantly intrigued.
So today while I was at the store I bought some whole wheat tortillas and a few quesadilla goodies and decided to try it for dinner. I prepped my mushrooms (always wipe with a damp cloth, never ever run under water! They absorb the water and shrink a lot when you cook them) and got everything ready and sprinkled the salt in the pan anticipating a magical little barrier and a perfect quesadilla. Well unfortunately that is not what I got... the salt sort of adhered to the tortilla and made a little bit of a salty mess. I kept scraping it off so it wouldn't be too icky tasting to eat. They were right though, they don't burn! But who would want to eat so much salt?
Fortunately I am a good scraper and I was able to save our dinner. And with the difficult cooking process aside, they were delicious! I was very impressed with the combination and I must admit I actually liked the way it tasted with no fat on the tortilla. Sometimes a little butter can make it taste more fried and kind of heavy. These were light and healthy but still really filling! So if you want to try these cooked with a little Pam, a little spot of butter, or if you don't mind scraping off salt, it doesn't matter, but I do suggest you try them!
Mushroom And Spinach Quesadillas
4 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsp course sea salt (if you plan on cooking it this way)
In a small saute pan, heat your olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms and oregano and saute until lightly golden and delicious. set aside. In your other pan add the salt (or butter or whatever) and heat the pan. Lay down a tortilla and on one side layer mushrooms, spinach and cheese. Fold over and cook until golden and crispy and them flip it and cook until golden and crispy. Do this for every tortilla. Makes 4.
But that is not exactly why I am writing this blog; it is only partly relevant to Jennifer. It just so happened that some time ago Oprah did an article on Jennifer Aniston having a dinner party in her home and she ran it in her O Magazine. The article described Jen's home and the little dinner party she was having and it also interviewed her personal chef's and listed the menu they prepared for the party. In the menu, under the appetizers, her chefs prepared (among other things) mushroom quesadillas. Not that I had never heard of a mushroom quesadilla before, but they did something different I had never heard of. In order to cut out any unnecessary fat, the chefs cooked the little Mexican treats on top of course sea salt! Apparently the salt acts as a barrier to keep it off the pan and from burning instead of the usual pat of butter or margarine that creates a nonstick surface. I read this little tip while I was reading the article (and relishing the pictures of Jennifer's beautiful kitchen and patio) and I was instantly intrigued.
So today while I was at the store I bought some whole wheat tortillas and a few quesadilla goodies and decided to try it for dinner. I prepped my mushrooms (always wipe with a damp cloth, never ever run under water! They absorb the water and shrink a lot when you cook them) and got everything ready and sprinkled the salt in the pan anticipating a magical little barrier and a perfect quesadilla. Well unfortunately that is not what I got... the salt sort of adhered to the tortilla and made a little bit of a salty mess. I kept scraping it off so it wouldn't be too icky tasting to eat. They were right though, they don't burn! But who would want to eat so much salt?
Fortunately I am a good scraper and I was able to save our dinner. And with the difficult cooking process aside, they were delicious! I was very impressed with the combination and I must admit I actually liked the way it tasted with no fat on the tortilla. Sometimes a little butter can make it taste more fried and kind of heavy. These were light and healthy but still really filling! So if you want to try these cooked with a little Pam, a little spot of butter, or if you don't mind scraping off salt, it doesn't matter, but I do suggest you try them!
Mushroom And Spinach Quesadillas
4 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsp course sea salt (if you plan on cooking it this way)
In a small saute pan, heat your olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms and oregano and saute until lightly golden and delicious. set aside. In your other pan add the salt (or butter or whatever) and heat the pan. Lay down a tortilla and on one side layer mushrooms, spinach and cheese. Fold over and cook until golden and crispy and them flip it and cook until golden and crispy. Do this for every tortilla. Makes 4.
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