Seldom Made

Advent Event: 7 Days

2011-12-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Oh, how woesome to go out of town and forget your advent calendar. Then it just sits there on the kitchen table and screams at you in your dreams, "You forgot me. I cannot give you daily delight from afar!"

I didn't forget my advent calendar, because it is not tangible. But I did go out of town and did not realize that I would not have interweb access for days and days!! Oh, no!

Mind you, I did think about the advent event item I would be posting each day; so I will be making up for it over the next couple of days. Sorta like I would have done if my advent calendar was real...eat all the chocolates for one week in less than ten minutes!

So for 7 days to Christmas, I give you gingerbread house goodness. I couldn't pick just one so here are a couple of the amazing houses I found online:

I love the rustic roof!!

Pretty amazing display!

Advent Event: 8 Days

2011-12-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

We have been on the road for the last couple of days bringing our little one to Texas for the first time - she was very excited when we got out to take a picture in front of the sign just across the border. As one of my friends likes to call it, we have returned to the "mothership"! And it feels good, too.

So we always say that we eat our way through Texas when we are here because we just can't get food like that around our house. So, although it has almost nothing to do with Christmas for anyone else, here is a small list of the food I would like to eat whilst home, in no particular order and with no consideration for caloric intake. It is my Christmas gift to myself. And if I wrote a letter to Santa, this is what would be on it.

pecan tuile at the Grotto in Highland Village
sausage roll at Donut Palace (I have refined tastes I tell you)
ribs from North Main BBQ in Euless
a cheeseburger from Al's in Arlington
enchiladas from La Calle Doce in Dallas
sunset sauce and lemonade from Mi Cocina
a spicy international from Cero's Heros in Grapevine
biscuits and gravy with sausage from Cracker Barrel
enchiladas from Sylvia's in Houston
chiles rellenos from that place in Plano
brisket from Rudy's
peppermint and cookies and cream ice cream from Braums
Frito chili pie from Stanley's in Wichita Falls
chicken fried steak and fixin's at Babes in Watagua
breakfast tacos at Tito's in San Antonio
kolaches from Busy Bea's bakery
a corn dog from the state fair
pasta at Paesano's on the Riverwalk
fried okra from just about anywhere

Man, if I get what I wish for this year, I am going to have to go on a major diet in January. One can only hope!!

Don't forget to check out my giveaway and enter to win (you can only win if you enter)!

Advent Event: 9 Days

2011-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about the holidays is the holiday only (aka limited time) offerings at restaurants and grocery stores. It is a time to indulge in the "holiday flavors" - peppermint, cranberry, eggnog, and gingerbread, et. al. The bummer thing is that they are here for such a limited time and there are only so many calories a person can consume during a holiday season. Here is a small sampling:

McDonalds actually makes a very good Peppermint Hot Chocolate this year.

The snowman one is cute enough to warrant a visit to Krispy Kreme, but I would like to try the Red Velvet Cake donut too!

Starbucks cranberry bliss bars are a holiday staple for some folks.

All the shakes at Chick-fil-A are worth it, but a Peppermint Chocolate Chip one is perfect for the holiday season.

I think one would have to have a death wish to partake in 3 of the 4 holiday pancake offerings from IHOP: eggnog, pumpkin praline, and white chocolate chip mint (wait, WHAT?). But I might give the plain old pumpkin ones a try.

Apparently the chains haven't gotten around to trying to make something less decadent. I guess they figure it is the season to do it. WARNING: badly paraphrased joke ahead:

It's like, "Baby Jesus was born...where's dessert?!"
Of course if you ever find yourself on death row, make sure that you request opposing holiday seasonal offerings. Just a little holiday tip for you, no extra charge.

Advent Event: 10 Days

2011-12-15T22:37:00.000-08:00

So, we are in the homestretch for the Advent Calendar Event and I have to say I have really enjoyed doing this. I have enjoyed the few comments I have gotten and have appreciated the feedback!

Today's Advent Calendar treat is a little something special: A GIVEAWAY!!!

I want to really treat my readers (instead of just having cyber treats each day), so I am giving away a $20 e-giftcard to Williams Sonoma!!! Oh, how fun! And the neat thing is Williams Sonoma will also send a $5 gift to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Yea!

I love a great giveaway, but every great giveaway has some rules. Here they are:

1. Go to the other Advent Event posts and find your favorite, then come back to this post and tell me your favorite one. You must identify yourself in order for me to contact you later, should you win. The best thing to do is to write your email address like this: name at hotmail.com (that way you won't get crazy amounts of spam from someone trolling the net, just something from me stating you won!).

2. Tell your friends on facebook about the giveaway, and earn an extra entry (just come back to this post and tell me about it). You can do that by posting a link to this page like this one: http://seldommade.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-event-10-days.html

3. Wait until the day after Christmas, when I will announce the winner!

Here's a little bit of help in finding the posts: click on the tag at the bottom of this post that says "advent event" (next to Labels) and it will take you to all off them at once.

Disclaimer: Williams Sonoma is not providing the prize for this giveaway.

Advent Event: 11 Days

2011-12-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the annual holiday party at Fixtures. My husband is in the construction business for large custom homes. Fixtures is the place he purchases the appliances and plumbing fixtures for the houses he builds. So basically the evening is a covet fest of things I would have in that dream house we most likely will build when we win the lottery we don't play.

Since I am a foodie, it is hard not to dream every now and then about the kitchen I would have if money were no object. Drew does this too because he works around this stuff all the time; so together we have great plans for our dream kitchen. A little ogling doesn't hurt, right?

To feel like a French gourmand.

Or if we felt like the Jetsons (it's a lift oven!).

In my opinion, the most practical option.

Love the hood!

See that didn't hurt at all. Oh to dream!

Advent Event: 12 Days

2011-12-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Day late, real good nap, so not a dollar short!

I think this is officially the last day you can buy anything online and guarantee it is under your Christmas tree by Christmas morning. In light of that I thought I would let you know that one of my all time favorite gifts are cookbooks. I have a small obsession with them and a growing collection.

One of those deal a day websites, One Kings Lane is having a Kitchen essentials sale today and is offering a great deal on many, many great titles, including:

I know a few Southern ladies who would love this!

For those who love Julia Child and have already done all her recipes.

A cookbook for those who love spice! Drew would be a happy man.

I have heard really good things about this one this year.

As I was compiling this list, I realized I was doing shopping for my best foodie friend Tara. Tara, I would buy all of these for you if I could, but I already bought you the best (teacher) present...at least I hope it is something you love.

If you are interested in checking out the rest of the sale, go here. When you join their site you will save $15.00 off your first purchase. That makes some of these cookbooks almost free or REALLY cheap!

Happy shopping!

Advent Event: 13 Days

2011-12-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

I have many a food obsession. And they change periodically. But some are time-tested, full-on passions for specific food items. One of them is olives. I can't tell you exactly when I fell in love with the olive, but I can tell you what took the relationship to the next level: the relish tray at holiday gatherings.

Every year, a few times a year, my mom would make what she called a relish tray for special occasions. It had cute little pickles, green olives stuffed with pimentos, black olives, and other stuff. I never got to the "other stuff" because my brain stopped working after my eyes met olives. My mom noticed my love for olives and has indulged it throughout my life. Then, I met my husband. And guess what? He was a pickle enthusiast! So my mom renewed the indulgent relish tray and took it to the next level. Now literally EVERY time we go over for dinner, there at the end of the table where my hubby sits a small relish tray with pickles (of at least two different sorts). Sometimes, she even puts out olives for me (oh, how things have changed!).

So there is something about olives that make me think of the holidays. And I was pleased to discover that Lindsay Olives is doing something special this year during the holidays for olive lovers and people in need.

They are doing one of my favorite things: a BOGO, with a twist.

When you buy a can of Lindsay olives and put the UPC code in on their website, they will donate a can of olives to a local food bank! I love it! No one should be without olives for Christmas - am I right?

They are giving up to 25,000 cans of olives and I am going to go get a couple of cans and participate today. It's for charity. Pay no attention to the woman with the open can of olives (no utensil, just fingers).

Merry Olive, y'all! Olive Juice.

Advent Event: 16-14 Days

2011-12-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

What happened?!?!

It happens to me every time I start an advent calendar: I start out doing it faithfully every day, and then it hit a wall.

In this case the wall hit me...came right out and smacked me. And it was like it was a taunting wall because I was specifically doing a "foodie" advent calendar and blam...first case of food poisoning in my life!!

Ahh!

So while I was miserable the last few days, I did have visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, so here are abbreviated days, with a catch up for today to follow shortly.

Day 16. Sugarplums. I literally had sugarplums dancing through my head, but after I got on the Internet to find out what they actually are, I found out mine were nothing like the real thing - fake sugarplums, I guess. I was thinking they were something along the lines of a baked apple or poached pear. Wrong! I was thinking, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could find a slow cooker recipe for sugarplums?" Wrong, again.

For the uneducated (that was me about 5 minutes ago), sugarplums are a type of candy made from dried fruit (not just plums) shaped into a ring. Sounds interesting, right?
So I found this recipe from Betty and think I might just have to try it:

Day 15. Nuts. I almost drove myself bonkers (did you see what I did there?) trying to figure out what to do with some nuts I got that no one seems to be interested in. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house and I thought it would be lovely and somewhat decorative to put some nuts in a serving piece and place a nutcracker (old fashioned, not crazy looking, spooky figurine) next to it, so people could snack before or after the meal. How many were eaten by the end of the day? Not a one!

So, we are going out of town on Friday and I am at a loss. They aren't the kind of nuts you can take with you on the road because they are in the shell and frankly, I don't think I want nutshells all over the car.
So, my advent calendar treat is a question for you: What should I do with all my nuts? Should I give them to a neighbor? Find a squirrel? Help!

Day 14. Cooking with Class. The only event I went out to do whilst sick was the annual open house for my local (and favorite) recreational cooking school, Cooking with Class! I love this mother and daughter team of entreprenuers!

Each year they have a Christmas open house and this one was wonderful. They have food and wine tastings...which I couldn't partake (the aforementioned wall). And they offer discounts on lots of great stuff. I needed to pick up a very special gift for someone important, so I made the effort to get down there right when the doors opened. It was packed and full of happy foodie shoppers - my kind of people!

So my foodie treat for the day is a shout out to my Cooking with Class people! I love you guys and can't wait to take more classes with you in the future.

If you are local, truly consider taking a class with them...any class; they are all good. If you are not local, I encourage you to find a local cooking school and dive right in. You will meet like minded food lovers and new friends. Oh, and you will get to eat amazing food!

Thanks for sticking with me...here's hoping there aren't any more obstacles to Christmas!

Advent Event: 17 Days

2011-12-10T00:00:00.001-08:00

Tonight I did a little late night shopping (fueled by a stop at Starbucks to get a hot cocoa) and now that I am home and doing the advent thing...I think it is time for a little midnight snack - holiday style.

I saw these on one of the home shopping channels and I WANT!

Peppermint Ice Cream from the Pioneer Woman (if only she delivered)

We got a box of this popcorn just yesterday and yeah it is yummy!

And to finish off...an orange.

Yes, that is really the order I would eat all these things. And yes, I would eat each of these things in one sitting. This is the reason I should go to bed before 10:30; then I can keep the midnight munchies at bay.

Advent Event: 18 Days

2011-12-09T07:42:00.001-08:00

So I missed doing this last night due to a long winter's nap (I think my body thinks it is is a bear and it attempting to hibernate). But this is what was on my mind all day yesterday:

Peppermint Bark

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
12 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp peppermint extract
6 oz peppermint candies

1. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick foil; make sure you let the sides overhang so you can pull the bark out when it is done. In a heavy duty zip-lock bag, crush the peppermints
2. In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate, peppermint extract and whipping cream and stir until smooth. Pour the dark chocolate into the baking pan and evenly smooth out. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm.
3. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove the dark chocolate from the fridge and, with a paper towel, blot off any moisture that has accumulated on the top. Pour the white chocolate over the dark chocolate. Sprinkle the peppermint candies over the white chocolate.
4. Place in fridge to firm for about 1 hour. Remove and cut to your desired shape and size. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe and picture from The Hungry Housewife

Advent Event: 19 Days

2011-12-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

Ok, this one is way late in the day, but here it is.

Tonight we went to see our first movie since having our little one (she will be 6 months old on Sunday!). It is not that we haven't had a babysitter (believe me strangers tell us they would babysit her...yes, strangers...the answer is no); but more that there hasn't been anything enticing enough at the theater to make the effort. But as a foodie, the enticement is always the food at the movies.

Popcorn and coke...and a snicker bar...and maybe a few nachos...and maybe a few Sour Patch Kids...and...ooohh, that ice cream sounds good!

What is it about the movies that stirs up the junk food addict in me? I have actually gone to the movies not because I wanted to see the movie, but because I wanted to sit in a dark room and eat popcorn ravenously and drink a MASSIVE coke whilst thinking no one can see me!

So today's advent calendar foodie treat: permission to let your junk food flag fly!

And the good thing is there are some great movies that come out around the holidays that are just ripe for food pairings. Here is a sampling:

If only the theater sold a spot of tea and some crumpets to go along with this one.

Only candy at this one (Skittles, Snickers, and a sugar coma) to match the squeaky voices. You should check out this preview, it made me laugh out loud a couple of times!

For this one, I think I will go to one of those theaters where you can order a meal...hamburger sounds good.

This one has popcorn and a coke written all over it...pure indulgence. But maybe I should have two more things to eat to match the title.

By the way, we went to see the new Muppets movie tonight and I actually enjoyed most of it. It was a little tedious in parts, but overall an enjoyable flick. But the popcorn and coke were the best. Good date night!

What is your favorite food/drink combination at the movies? Don't worry, I won't judge what you shove in your face whilst you think no one is watching.

Advent Event: 20 Days

2011-12-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is 20 days to Christmas! It is such a busy time and it flies by so fast! Here is what is on the calendar today:

Around here, we often have people over for dinner in the middle of the week, especially around the holidays. When we do, I am always challenged to come up with a simple dessert to serve along with a simple meal. It can't take too much time in the day to make, but has to be indulgent (what dessert isn't indulgent?). This dessert is a perfect candidate for middle of the week entertaining during the holidays.

Croissant Bread Pudding w/ Citrus Carmel Sauce

Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
4 large croissants
1 red baking apple
6 eggs
1/2 c. plus 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2 c. half and half
1 orange
1/2 c. pecans chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray baker with nonstick cooking spray. Slice croissants from top to bottom into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside 16 of the largest slices. Cube remaining slices and place in bottom of baker. Arrange reserved slices over cubes in an overlapping circular pattern.
2. Core and slice apple, leaving peel on. Tuck apple slices between croissant slices.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and 1/2 c. sugar. Warm up half and half in microwave (on HIGH) for 2 minutes or until hot. Slowly add half and half to egg mixture; whisking until well blended. Carefully pour egg mixture over croissants. If necessary, lightly press croissants down to coat.
4. Zest and juice orange (you will need about 2 tsp. zest and 1/4 c. juice); set juice aside. Combine remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar, orange zest, and pecans; sprinkle over croissants. Bake 30-35 Minutes or until golden brown and set in center. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Citrus Carmel Sauce
Ingredients:
3/4 c. caramel ice cream topping
1/4 tsp. rum extract
1/2 c. golden raisins (optional)
1/4 c. orange juice (reserved from above)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a Microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30-60 seconds or until hot. Serve sauce over bread pudding.

The recipe is from Pampered Chef.

Advent Event: 21 Days

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Because I love to cook and grew up around those who also loved to cook, I am so excited to be able to introduce my daughter to the joys of making special things for those she loves. She has already visited me in the kitchen in the arms of her dad and she is showing interest in food...that's a great place to start, I think.

I might be getting ahead of myself here a little bit, but I can't wait to start looking at these things until she is bigger. So, today's Advent Calendar is Kiddie Kitchen things. They are great gift ideas for any of those little ones who show an interest in the culinary arts.

pretend play fruit tray from Melissa and Doug

Kids gourmet play range from PBKids

Babycakes mini donut maker - I know a kid who want this one!

Kid's apron from The Mint Needle on etsy - so cute!

Placemats that teach manners! Gotta love that!

And lastly, a cookbook for family time in the kitchen

Enjoy cooking in the kitchen with your kiddos...I know I will!

Seldom Saves on Starbucks coffee

2011-12-04T14:49:00.001-08:00

One of my passions is saving money and I am all the time telling my friends about the great deals I have found (usually a bit too late for them to save too). So, here is the deal I found for Starbucks coffee for the holidays at Target and Super Target.

Buy 3 Starbucks Coffee bags, Get a $5 Target Gift card.
Buy any 3 Starbucks Coffee products, Get a $5 Stabucks e-giftcard.

Here's how to get coffee on the cheap:

Purchase 3 Starbucks Coffee Bags (10-12oz) at Target ($7.99 each).
Use Maufacturers Coupons found in the paper 12/4/11 ($1/1 and $3/2 Starbucks coffee).
Use Target Coupons found in store (3 $1/1 Starbucks coffee).

Pay $16.97 out of pocket.

Get $5 Target Giftcard at checkout
Submit form for $5 Starbucks Giftcard through this link.

That is like getting 3 bags of Starbucks coffee for $6.97!! Not bad!

And remember, you can get a free tall drip coffee in store by taking the empty bags in (see offer on bag). That is another $4.95 in savings!

The offer at Target is good through 12/10/11. And the offer for Starbucks is good through 12/31/11.

I am going to check this week to see if the Target offer is also available for the VIA coffees because I love the iced VIA and could use my $5 Target card to make the deal even sweeter!

Advent Event: 22 Days

2011-12-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Growing up, there were some things that I just would not eat (just like every other kid). But now some of those things are growing on me and I have learned to appreciate them if not outright love them. One of these things is the little beautiful cranberry.

In the last couple of years I have learned that I do not like cranberry juice (still), but I love cranberry soda (go figure). I also really like homeade cranberry sauce, but still won't touch the canned stuff. And, shocking to both my husband and myself: our favorite dressing/stuffing for Thanksgving/Christmas has cranberries in it.

So I thought, for todays advent calendar, I would give those little berries some love. I short search through the interwebs gave me some really great ideas for how to test the waters a little bit more and possible deepen my love for what I used to hate. Enjoy the cranberry goodness!

Just like Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, from What Megan's Making

Cranberry Brie Bites from Recipe Girl

Cranberry Nut Bread from Once Upon a Chef

Cranberry Christmas Cake from Barefeet in the Kitchen

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce from Delicious Shots

Advent Event: 23 Days

2011-12-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Well with just 23 days left until Christmas, I don't know about you, but I am thinking about Christmas shopping. We have lots to do before we go to Texas to visit the family for Christmas. And since I only have a couple of presents picked out, shopping is on my mind almost constantly.

This year I am so thankful for the internet because it makes it so much easier to window shop, purchase, and even ship gifts to loved ones. I am also thankful for the new trend in deal-a-day websites (like Groupon, One Kings Lane, and Zulilly). It seems there is a new one that pops up everyday, each with a little bit of a twist on the deal thing. My new favorite is Open Sky.

Open Sky is like Twitter and Groupon got married and had a baby and named it Open Sky (sounds almost like a celebrity baby name, huh?). It combines the deal-a-day format with the Twitter format by getting celebrities and style mavens (called curators) to pick out some of thier favorite products and getting the manufacturer to offer thier followers a deal on the products. As an added bonus, they often send out coupon credits for anything you want to buy on the site - it is like a deal on top of a deal. There are four different categories of curators: Food, Design, Beauty, and Style.

The food curators are, of course, my favorites. They include Chefs Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio, and Rick Bayless; cookbook authors Lucinda Scala Quinn and Marcela Valladolid; and TV food personalities Martha Stewart, Ted Allen, and Padma Lakshmi. Every few days they add a new product to their list of favorites, along with recipes and tips.

So today's foodie treat for the advent calendar is a small sampling from the food section of Open Sky (all for under $100).

A Trio of Maple Syrups

An OCD cutting Board!

Cute Bird plate and noodle bowl

Comfort food bowls

If you like what you see, or are interested in finding some of your own favorites, think about signing up with Open Sky. When you do, you will get to pick what you want to see and who you want to follow, as well as great discounts on the products they find. You will also get $10 to spend on your first purchase.

Merry Shopping!

Disclaimer: If you click through the above links, I will recieve a reward for your membership in the program, but I will not be paid any money.

Advent Event: 24 days

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, winter mornings meant waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking and coming to the table to find a fresh cup of hot cocoa with lots of melting marshmallows at my place. My mom made her hot cocoa the old fashioned way: warming up milk on the stove and adding cocoa (not packet hot chocolate), then adding marshmallows just before pouring into a mug. No wonder I love winter!

So my foodie treat for the 24th day until Christmas is Cocoa:

The weather is getting cold here (for us...65 is the high today) and so I will be taking the time to sit down after putting the little one to bed to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa.

Whether you prefer the old fashioned way or the packet stuff, the joy of a warm beverage with milk and chocolate is undeniable. Here are a few ways to enjoy the day today:

Go all out with a party for hot cocoa enthusiasts:

From My.Creative.Flavors: Mexican Hot Chocolate from a Hot Chocolate Tasting party

Make it at home for you and your sweetie:

From Williams Sonoma, it froths you milk just like the coffee shops.

Or, get someone to make it for you:

Cocoa Trio from Seattle's Best.

Happy Cocoa!

Advent Calendar: 25 days

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

So here goes on the advent calendar thing:

I have been waiting somewhat impatiently to watch my favorite holiday movie since Thanksgiving day. It is normal for us to watch it on Thanksgiving night, but I didn't get a quorum on movie watching, so we just looked at Black Friday ads. Well, tonight I will demand that it get watched. Or. I will watch it myself.

My favorite Christmas movie is Elf! My niece who has seen it with me a couple times says that I laugh at it every time like it is the first time. And I do. It is so classic to me - every single scene makes me smile and it kicks off the holiday season for me in just the right way!

So, you might be wondering why I am calling this a foodie treat. Feast your eyes upon this perfect scene:

There you have it, all that a holiday season should have:
Family dinners
the Four Food Groups
and guests that stay too long

Time for me to go pop some popcorn and pour myself a soda; it's 25 days til Christmas!!

What movie makes your holiday season? Leave a comment and let me know what you will be watching this year.

Advent Calendar Event

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite things for the holiday season is an advent calendar. To be honest with you I have not used them very often, but I love the idea: the countdown, the little treat associated with each passing day. They have a way of making each ordinary day in December something to look forward to and mark as a milestone.
So this year, I have decided to do an advent calendar of my own for this here blog. And I thought I would do a foodie one. Starting on December 1st, I will be posting an item a day that will make a foodie smile and point to the wonder of the season. If anybody would like to join me, leave a comment with a link to your blog - I would love to check it out.

But in the meantime, here are some of my favorite advent calendar ideas:

From Family Fun Magazine

From Crafty Nest

From A Little Wonky

From Martha Stewart

Inspiration on Repeat

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

So Black Friday came and went and with it came Grace's initiation into our Black Friday traditions.

Here they are:

Discuss endlessly for weeks ahead of time how we are not really sure we are going to go this year because we really don't need anything.
Go to CVS on Thanksgiving morning for pre-Black Friday shopping extravaganza (this gets me so excited that I am propelled through the rest of the day (including cooking and cleaning) by the high of getting so much for so little!).
Drew checks out the paper while I cook and tells me the deals he sees as noteworthy.
After all the guests leave and the dishes are done, I look at the deals and we sit down and decide where we are going to go and what we are going to try to buy.
We go to bed and wake up EARLY! None of this late night shopping for us.
We shop a couple places and then THE REASON WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR:

BAGELS!!

Yes, we endure this whole Black Friday thing because all I really want for the day after Thanksgiving is bagels. Not just any bagels, but the Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Bagel with plain cream cheese from Bagel Bistro. Nothing beats it. And as far as I know, you can't get a bagel over the internet. Take that Cyber Monday!

So Grace got to experience all that for the first time, but I can just tell that her favorite thing was the bagels. She is definitely her mother's daughter!

But this year was really special because I got something at a great price that I have been wanting/needing for a long time: a food processor!

So, all these ideas are now spinning (pun intended) through my head of what wonders can be whipped up with this magical machine. I am thinking pie dough and pizza dough because of the special dough blade. Oh, and some carrot muffins. And sliced veggies.

Any suggestions of how to use my new machine?

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

So, it is the weekend after our first Thanksgiving with our precious little girl (now a sitter, I might add) and she sat in a high chair for the first time on Turkey day. It gets me thinking that I cannot wait to feed her real food. As much as I have loved nursing, I am so looking forward to each new taste and texture sensation that she will experience over the next year! Also, I think the whole "food is love" mantra in my head keeps telling me that I need to make things for my baby in order for her to know just how much I love her (never mind the whole "my body is literally making food for you (without effort)" thing). Someday I hope she too will cherish the times that I spoiled her rotten by making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her daily.

Which gets me thinking (in light of this Thanksgiving season): do I cherish my Father who has spoiled me rotten by providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily? Having not broken it down into those bite-size pieces lately - I have to say, "no." But I would like to resolve to do so...to relish in the fact that I have a Father who lavishes blessings on me daily.

Today we, our cute little family, went to lunch at Rubio's and then to our favorite yogurt place (Yogurt Island) and I had the rare opportunity of praying for us before the meal (Drew usually does this for us) and as I was praying I was just struck by how GOOD our God is in providing for us. He has spoiled us rotten to the point that we often times forget that He does it at all. Maybe I should remind myself that I am just like Grace - fully dependent on the goodness of my Father and from that should flow a heart of praise!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Hankerings

2011-08-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Although I have recently been brimming with thoughts of purging the house of unwanted and unused things, I have also been desiring a good shop-fest. Since, I would hate myself for buying more stuff just moments after getting rid of so much and we are on a spending hiatus, I thought I would do a little window shopping:

I saw this a while back and am so intrigued. A Colombian clay cooking pot you can use on the stove and in the oven. Oh, the braising opportunities...

A clear example of the conflict between clean and clutter going on inside my head right now. Maybe I can find the space on my countertop someday. Oh, how I want one of these.

Oh, these are pretty!

These have almost no useful purpose...but aren't they cute?!

So, a little more practical, but oh, so lovely.

Foodie Find

2011-08-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we were in Fresh and Easy (our neighborhood grocer) stocking up on easy to prepare meals to get us through on nights when I just don't have it in me to cook, when I found an item that would be for those nights when I do. I didn't even know this existed, but now that I do, I am inspired to cook all the more.

I am thinking Asian inspiration should hit sometime next week. Oh, and I just found out I got it for a good price at F&E, gotta love that! Here's what Williams Sonoma's website has to say about it:

Umami is the elusive fifth taste (after sweet, sour, salty and bitter) discovered in the last century by the Japanese and now recognized worldwide. Taste No. 5 Umami Paste, the inspired invention of cookbook author Laura Santtini, is a blend of Italian ingredients designed specifically to maximize the rich, savory umami effect in cooking. Use the red paste -- rubbed, squeezed or spread -- to impart a deep, dramatic taste sensation in everything from pasta sauces to salad dressings to grilled meat.

I am already invisioning a fish stir-fry kind of thing. We shall see...

Gone Fishin'

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am constantly saying all the foods I would like to include more of in our diet. When we first got married, I would ask Drew on almost a daily basis if he had eaten any fruit because I felt it was my wifely duty to make sure he got a well-balanced menu.

Well, to be honest, it kind of is my duty. Last year some time, I was reading the book of Genesis - you know the part where Eve gives Adam the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and he takes it and eats it - and it dawned on me that wives are the gatekeepers of the home in regards to what our husbands eat. So, it is up to me to make sure that Drew has eaten a banana or some broccoli, or fish, or whatever. Funny that when he eats junk food, that has nothing to do with me - it's all him.

Ok, so back to my constant drive to add things to our menu. I am forever saying I think we need to eat fish at least once a week. So today we ran over to Costco and got a BIG BAG of Mahi Mahi filets. We got the plain kind because I didn't want us to get burned out on one particular flavor (they had a blackened Mahi that Drew wanted, but Eve (ahem...I) convinced him otherwise by telling him I could season it for him. Then we also picked up some Texas Ranch sauce that claimed on the bottle it is great for fish and chicken. The real reason we got it is the Texas connection.

So we got home and I thawed out a couple of filets and threw Tony Cachare's (Drew loves it so much) on one and the Texas Ranch on the other. I pan sauteed the fish to great results and added some brown rice and steamed yellow squash. We split the fish and loved the results. I am going to have so much fun coming up with different flavor combinations and cooking methods for our gigantic bag of Mahi. Oh, and I even took a picture that didn't turn out that great.

Now off to wash some grapes to feed my husband (I don't think he has had any fruit today)!

Cheap Tricks

2011-08-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

So, apparently along with our fresh start, we are now going to attempt for the next two weeks to eat only at home (minus our date night in San Diego - so excited for Indian food!). It is part of our quest to be frugal for a while to get the show on the road with some of our goals for the household (new refrigerator, please?). In light of that, I have been racking my brain to have some beans and rice type meals. So far, here's what's on the line-up for this week:

Breakfasts: oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, fruit, banana bread from the freezer

Lunches: chicken salad sandwiches, quesadillas, Mexican tuna salad (a favorite around here), pimiento cheese sandwiches

Dinners: Mexican Burrito Bake, Macaroni and Cheese (adult style), BBQ Chicken in the slow cooker with rice and veggie, homemade pizza

Here's hoping...

This post is linked up to Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday

Fast Fix Friday: Roasted Garlic

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last night, whist preparing a Roasted Garlic Chicken, I discovered a time-saving trick to get dinner on the table faster that blew my mind and saved me at least 40 minutes!! So I thought I would share:

Did you know that instead of taking the time to roast a head or two of garlic in the oven, you can "roast" it in the microwave? Depending on the wattage of your microwave, you can do it in less than 5 minutes!!

Here's how:

Take the entire head of garlic (not individual cloves) and cut off the top (at least 1/4 inch).
Place in the bottom of a microwave safe bowl (I used a glass bowl with a microwavable lid).
Pour about a tablespoon of good quality olive oil over the garlic heads.
Cover and microwave for 3-5 minutes or until soft.
Let stand for a few minutes to cool and sqeeze out the garlic, discarding the paper.

There are so many great uses for roasted garlic. I used it to make a garlic butter to put under the skin of the chicken I roasted; but you can use it to make garlic mashed potatoes, garlic hummus, or even garlic infused rice cereal for your baby.

A Fresh Start

2011-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, it has been ridiculously long since I last posted. It seems pregnancy can make wanting to cook and then write about it something that I just didn't have the energy for. And then a new baby and breastfeeding really has a way of sapping that desire altogether. Thus, I am making an effort to start things fresh this month. This blog may switch gears just a little bit and focus a little bit more on EASY cooking with some tadah things every once in a while. It is just the place our life is right now. So bear with me as we adjust to life in the kitchen with a new baby. Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, here she is:

So stick with us as we figure out how to get food on the table on a somewhat regular basis. This week, I am hoping to work on lunches and dinners:

Lunch plans: egg salad sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, freezer burritos
Dinner plans: burgers, roast chicken with brown rice and squash
Snack plan: homemade roasted red pepper hummus
(This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie)
As you can see this is not a full menu plan, but it is a realistic goal for the week considering our schedule. Here's hoping...

Restaurant Week: Blanco

2010-09-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Our tour goes a little Mexican today as we discuss the food and drinks at Blanco. The concept for this restaurant is clean, fresh Mexican fare and great tasting mixed drinks. The bar is the centerpiece of the layout of this eatery. The industrial glass garage doors let lots of light in during the day, contributing to the fresh, clean vibe.

They were running a special the day we visited including 2 margaritas and 2 "appetizer" entrees for $25. We bit. Drew had the margaritas and said they were pretty good. We settled on the braised short rib and avocado cheese crisp and the nachos con queso blanco. The braised short ribs on the cheese crisp (much like a quesadilla, but better) were phenomenal in the flavor department. They were just the right texture and combined very nicely with the avocado and generous sprinkling of cilantro. It was so good, we almost forgot to take a picture. The nachos were nothing really special and left us wishing we had ordered another option of cheese crisp (the chipotle shrimp and corn sounds really good).

We stopped in for lunch and were surprised by very large portions! Very great lunch spot, but we will have to go back for dinner sometime. The Restaurant Week menu looks amazing!

Pizza with panache

2010-09-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

So, I have mentioned a local recreational cooking school around here via my Baking Course posts (I promise, I have more of them!), but I have not mentioned some of their one-off classes which are phenomenal. I have attended the fresh pasta workshop and the fresh pizza workshop. Most recently, I had the pleasure of taking my foodie friend Tara with me for the pizza workshop. The teacher, Julie, is an authentic Italian chef with quite the credentials. But it is her lifetime of experience the students benefit from most in these classes. She is a wealth of knowledge and is ready and willing to answer all the questions we have.

I have been wondering for a long time why pizza recipes call for corn meal for dusting. I learned at the class that the cornmeal acts as "little wheels" to help the prepared pizza dough to transfer from the pizza peel to the the hot stone in the oven. Genius!

On the menu for the class were:

Fresh Pizza Dough

Pizzas: Margherita, Quattro Stagioni ("Four Seasons"), Smoked Salmon w/ Goat Cheese; and Carmelized Onion, Mushroom and Fontina

Calzones: Four Cheese and other creations of the imaginations of the students
Flatbread from the Grill

Needless to say, we ate well that night as we learned a lot about traditional Italian pizza and were encouraged to get in the kitchen to make our own combinations. Julie teaches the foundations of food, leaving lots of room for variation and playfulness. My favorite combination of the night was the Carmelized Onion, Mushroom, and Fontina.The class is interactive and is a great way to meet new friends interested in food (as we did!). As for pictures, Tara's talented techie husband helped us out by creating a link to the pictures from the class. Thanks, Spencer!

The best part of the evening was the opportunity to take some fresh dough home to make pizza for our families. Tara and I jumped at the chance and Drew was thankful! The next night, while I did some things around the house, I sent Drew to the store to come up with his own toppings for our pizza. He did great, bringing back fresh mozzarella and pancetta. I threw some marinara down, added these toppings and some very thinly sliced red onions and we were set! The results were amazing (that's it pictured above). We are going to be having pizza regularly around here, I think!

Restaurant Week: Culinary Dropout

2010-09-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Apparently one of the places to see and be seen in Scottsdale on a Saturday night or Sunday morning is Culinary Dropout (evidenced by the high number of groups of people asking the staff to take pictures of them, maybe the paparazzi had the night off). Drew found this restaurant through some online research and it sounded interesting to him. The concept: laid back vibe, no uniforms, comfort food. The resulting experience: a place that says it doesn't want to be fussy, but ends up being a fussy type place for hipsters to hang. Don't get me wrong, it was just right, just not the "underground, subversive, aren't we so different" place one might think.

We started with an order of house made potato chips with onion dip, some olives, and prosciutto. The chips are wonderful, but the dip tastes more like a ranch dip than onion dip. The olives and prosciutto are part of their "make your own meat and cheese platter" antipasti menu and I love this concept! They could not have picked two greater suckers for this, we could have eaten solely from this part of the menu.

I ordered the artichoke salad with asparagus, endive, and Parmesan. Let's just say this salad was divine! I love a good salad and crave them quite often. The downside to ordering this salad is that I have a new crave-able salad and no way to get it when the craving strikes! The vinaigrette on this salad makes it out of this world, but they could leave a little off because the salad gets a little soggy after it sits for a little while. Drew ordered the pork belly Cubano sandwich and was very pleased with the results. He didn't find the pork belly as salty as he was expecting.

For dessert, our server brought out their salted caramel custard, my new favorite. I haven't stopped thinking about this dessert since I had it. The dessert comes topped with house made caramel popcorn - wow! The caramel topping is the perfectly prepared caramel sauce, salted and just the right thickness. And the custard itself - sublime, creamy, not at all eggy. Oh, I need some more of that, stat!

You too can enjoy one of the carmel custards as part of Culinary Dropout's Restaurant Week menu. They have a 3 course meal for $58/couple including a glass of wine each. Sound's like the perfect date night to me! It's a great way to check out Phoenix magazine's Best New Restaurant for 2010.

Note: sorry there are no pictures to ogle. The Dropout's outdoor lighting was less than perfect for photo-taking.

Restaurant Week: Bourbon Steak

2010-09-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

Next on the list of the taste tour that is Phoenix is Bourbon Steak. The Michael Mina steakhouse is located on the property of the Fairmont Scottsdale. We have seen other Mina restaurants while travelling, but we could not pass up the bar menu burgers and duck fat fries (voted best in the valley).

We are early diners (made painfully obvious by the fact that we arrived at the restaurant before the kitchen was open), so we pretty much had the place to ourselves for most of our visit. We were in good company though with the bar staff of Kyle and Mike. All of the bar menu drinks are made with fresh squeezed juices and are expertly made with care by the friendly bartenders. I ordered a Lemon Drop that tasted like a glass of ice cold lemonade and Drew had a Dark and Stormy upon Kyle's recommendation. The rum drink is popular at the bar (and must be made with exceptional ingredients because Drew's attempt to recreate it at home this evening was less than successful).

We chatted with Kyle and Mike while waiting for the food to arrive and were rewarded for our wait with the most exceptional appetizers EVER! I have heard about duck fat fries for a while and I was ready to experience them first hand. These were amazingly crispy and flavorful. Each order of fries comes in three different flavors with three dipping sauces. The first is flavored with paprika, the second truffle oil (the ladies love truffles), and the third rosemary and other herbs. I can't remember the dipping sauce combinations because, honestly, the fries don't need them - they speak for themselves just fine. We also ordered red onion rings that were perfectly prepared and elegantly presented.

Then the burgers. I ordered the Salmon burger done banh mi style (carrots, cilantro, jalapenos, lettuce) - oh so good! Drew had a make your own creation beef burger with jalapenos, mustard, and grilled onions. We didn't really discuss the food much because we were too busy eating! Other options on the bar menu look great too! Next time I might jump out there and try Mina's lamb burger.

If you are still planning on booking a flight to Phoenix, definitely stop in to Bourbon Steak during restaurant week because they are featuring a $39.00 prix fixe menu that looks fabulous. Wish we could head back to Phoenix just to try it! I hear that while you are waiting for your food they give the duck fat fries out for free!

Restaurant Week: Z'Tejas

2010-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sad news met us when we got to Phoenix last week: we were a week too early for Restaurant Week. As some of you may know, we travel for the express purpose of filling our bellies with good food. Often we are restaurant-starved in the desert and so each new city brings on new culinary adventures.   Phoenix is no exception. Everywhere we went while we were in Phoenix, we met someone who suggested the place we had to go to get...Mexican food, breakfast food, pasta ("better than in Italy," one man added), etc. It seems there is no shortage of beloved eateries in the greater Phoenix area.   Although we were there too early this year, you still have time to book a flight because all this week I am going to be reviewing the places we enjoyed.   I am not a travel agent, but I can plan an amazing vacation for your tastebuds!

First stop is Z'Tejas. This is a must stop location for us when passing through Phoenix. It is a restaurant with locations in Texas, Arizona, and California, but the Scottsdale location wins hands down on the quality of food and the friendliness of the servers. The food is always exceptional and the margaritas were voted by the locals the best in the valley.

We started with a Trio of Salsas (house, spicy, and green) and some guacamole; a great way to start the meal. Also included with all orders is a skillet of cornbread that does the Texas tradition proud (with a hint of sweet).   Drew also started off with the 6th Street Margarita (their house) because he says it is one of the best restaurant margaritas out there (more on the liquor part of our Phoenix trip here).

Our meals were the Smoked Chicken Enchiladas and the Seafood Enchiladas. As always the Smoked Chicken Enchiladas were great! I call them Texas on a plate. The seafood enchiladas, while good, just don't do it for me, but Drew liked them. I would recommend the Barbacoa Enchiladas, but I hear the Chile Relleno is amazing. It is so hard to try something new at a restaurant when you only get to eat there once a year! (Sorry for the blurry pictures, they were taken on Drew's cell phone and I spared you from the truly horribly blurry ones!)

Don't forget to save a little room for dessert because the cobbler with seasonal fruit is amazing! Also on the list of must-haves is the brownie - it is sublime (for a brownie).

If you are heading out to Phoenix for restaurant week, you won't find Z'Tejas listed among the participants. This is likely because they have great food at affordable prices everyday and they have one of the best happy hours in the valley. Even if you stop in for appetizers, drinks, and dessert, you won't be disappointed.

Why are we here?

2010-09-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Since I have never really taken much time to introduce myself to my readers (possibly because I know most of you), it seems after a year of blogging about kitchen stuff, it is time to ask the question: Why are we here? Well, I am not so sure about the rest of you people, but I am here because:

I love food! In my family growing up, food meant LOVE. Breakfasts at the kitchen table included a have-it-your-way indulgence by my mom. I would get whatever I wanted (from omelets and oatmeal to cinnamon toast and lemon pound cake). Sack lunches were filled with homemade goodies and, often, a note from mom saying she hoped I was having a good day. Dinner was always something tasty and satisfying. But the common theme to every meal was the healthy dose of love included in each bite.

I am not in any way loyal to recipes. Thus the name of the blog. I rarely make the same meal twice. My husband and I just passed our 6th anniversary but we broke the 1,000 mark on recipes long ago. This could be thanks in part to my college roommate. We had a deal: I cooked, she did the dishes. Sadly, the only thing she ever wanted was teriyaki chicken and rice. Let me tell you, two years of the same food does two things for you: put you off wanting teriyaki chicken ever again and take back the reigns in your own kitchen. But, man, if you ever need to know every way teriyaki chicken can be put on a plate, I'm your girl.

I am not a food snob. That doesn't mean I don't like good food, it just means it doesn't have to be fancy to be extraordinary. There's no putting on airs here. I am a Texas girl, trained to make Tex-Mex and Southern foods with love, not condescension. Often, you will find comfort foods and simple flavors with fresh ingredients.

I am not perfect and neither are the recipes I try. The most notable mess in the kitchen in the last year was not spared from a review on the blog. We have a policy in our house: If it is horrible, we will order out. There aren't a lot of horrible reviews, but we keep it real around here and let you know how it can be improved or when the only improvement is forgetting it ever happened!

So now that you know a little about me, I will let you in on a little secret...

I am attempting to become the next food blog star! (I know!) This competition is sponsored by FoodBuzz.com and is just starting this week. The first challenge requires me to tell you about my blog and why I should be the next food blog star.

I am not really looking for stardom (I don't think I can handle the paparazzi), but am hoping to make it to some of the later rounds so I can stretch my blogging muscles (locating them might be the hardest part). In the spirit of the stretch, I have some things planned for this fall and winter (my favorite time in the kitchen!) and I look forward to sharing some new recipes I have gotten from some of my readers!

So if you like what you have heard so far or you just want to push me to try new things on the blog: VOTE for me (I feel like I cam back in high school, running for student council) by clicking on the little thing to the right with my picture on it (starting Monday). I would make campaign promises, but those are always broken and I would never do that to you (you see what I did there?).

Here's to new adventures!

Kinda Moroccan

2010-09-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

I realize proportions in this picture make it look like there is a ton of couscous on this platter. Sometimes proportions are correct!

I had a recipe for a Greek Spiced Sirloin and decided to make it. But, I decided to go a little Morocco with it. This brought on a conversation regarding how interesting it is that people from completely different parts of the world eat similar foods with very similar ingredients. Additionally, the way these foods are served is similar in the region of the Mediterranean and Northern Africa. Imagine that!

I am just happy that the foods and flavors taste so good!

So, The steak is pretty much self-explanatory. Heat grill, add rub to steak, grill, rest, serve! Before the steak was thrown on the grill (a.k.a. George), I grilled up some red onions and zucchini spears with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I also got a box of couscous going (such hard work!). The dip in the back is a yogurt, sour cream, cucumber mixture similar to raita (a.k.a. Indian cuisine happiness). Oh and I threw in some feta, because there is always room for feta (or is it Jell-o?). The only thing missing was pita!

Do you like my serving suggestion? We simply love our dishes made by a family friend. Go to his website to check out some of his other pottery designs!

Dinner with an 8 Ball

2010-09-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Drew's status update on Facebook said something along these lines.

You know how sometimes parents get their kids to eat new foods by telling them they are some gross thing like brains or eyeballs? Or they tell them a particularly named food item is actually called something else, like "Princess slippers"? Note: I made that last one up (oh, parenting is going to be fun!). Well, I have discovered the grown up version of this game. Call all somewhat questionable foods by drug names.

I was at a party last night (pot-luck), and someone came up to me and told me to try something. I asked, "What is it?" and the reply: "Crack."

My response: I took a bite.

Example 2: This week's CSA box included some squash type thing. Upon futher research online (don't you think it would be helpful if they put a list in the box?), we found out this particular variety of squash is called 8 Ball Squash. The response: Oh, we need us some of that!

The first "hit" (ha) of our 8 ball was a success. I decided to wade in slowly and go with a tried and true method (roasting with olive oil and a little salt and pepper - can't go wrong with that). But as I was preparing the squash, I started to get all sorts of ideas for it: vegetarian lasagna, 8 Ball parmesan, etc. Ahh...you could even scoop out the insides and create little bowls for a soup! Because of the texture of the squash, I would think this is a vegetarian's favorite. I hope we get some more in our box next week!

Note: I paired the squash with pork chops (smoky - cumin, paprika, spicy montreal steak seasoning) and some Au Grain potatoes.

A Theme

2010-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I was having a conversation with a South African lady I met the other day at a cooking class and we were talking about what type of food we prepare most in our homes. I told her we like lots of Tex-Mex flavors. I don't think this could be more true! Hopefully, my faithful readers, you are not tired of reading about cilantro because here goes...

While menu planing a little while ago, I came across this great looking recipe for rosemary chicken thighs. They have a fresh rosemary, Dijon mustard, garlic, and honey marinade and are grilled to perfection. Sounds great, right? Well, then they had a note about being able to substitute cilantro (or some other herbs) for the rosemary. Say no more! I was determined to switch it up to the cilantro because of my love affair with said herb (1. Drew knows all about it and is usually ok with it; 2. yes - I am aware that others are in love with another herb, not me!)

Paired with the chicken recipe was a procedure for sauteeing spinach for a side dish. We had some Chinese spinach from our CSA box, as well as garlic and leeks. So I heated up the pan, threw some garlic and the leeks in, and waited a minute or so, then added the spinach. After the spinach wilted down, I turned off the heat and added salt and pepper. Great results.

We had an avocado that was ready, so that got thrown on the plate with the chicken and the spinach. Easy, simple supper!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of 08/30 - 09/05

2010-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week I finish up my Baking Course (more posts about that to come), so I will have a little more time to work on menu planning! Getting back on track!

Monday: quick dinner while prepping final exam!

Tuesday: Lunch: Bacon Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner: Balsamic Flank Steak, Vegetable, Potato

Wednesday: Dinner: Smoky Pork Chops, Vegetable

Thursday: Lunch: Tuna Salad w/ Lemon Aioli
Dinner: BBQ Shrimp, Mashed Potatoes

Friday: Dinner: Thai Chicken Stir-Fry Salad

Saturday: Lunch: Buffalo Club Sandwiches
Dinner: ? (Gotta keep the mystery somehow!)

Sunday: Lunch: out
Dinner: Chicken, Pesto & Tomato Flatbread

By Request

2010-08-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if I have included this recipe on this blog, but it is considered a favorite around here; so I would be remiss not to share it with you.

How, you ask, does a recipe rise to the level of being prepared more than once? I am not sure - but most of our favorites have some sort of heat and are usually inspired by Mexican flavors. But, it is not about what makes a favorite so special. It is more about recognizing them when they come along! Drew is usually my gauge for this.

So, imagine my pleasure that one of our favorites is also incredibly easy to prepare. It is great for those nights when you just don't want to cook or you don't want something heavy. We were at the grocery store the other day getting some items for the week, when Drew announced he was in the mood for Mexican Tuna Salad with a specific type of Doritos chip! I think this is the first time Drew has actually requested dinner (he is really good natured about the food thing and usually eats what is placed in front of him without complaint)! So, plans changed and we headed home to get started on dinner.

Ten minutes later we had this lovely meal:

Mexican Tuna Salad
2 containers of tuna in water (prefer albacore)
2-3 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Serrano pepper, finely chopped (seeded, if necessary)
2 Tbsp. cilantro, snipped
2-3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
Pepper to taste

Drain the tuna (if necessary, not necessary if you have pouches) and put in a medium size bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Chill for a few minutes if you can. Serve with a half avocado per person, with crackers, as a sandwich, or with Doritos (Drew recommends the ones in the purple bag).

It doesn't get much easier than this! The above measurements are best guesses, so feel free to adjust them to taste.

Easy dinner, happy couple!

Simple Summer Dinner

2010-08-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of the things we found when we opened this week's box from the CSA was fennel. I have to be honest, I haven't used fennel that much because the flavor can be a little much for me (and Drew). It was most recently featured prominently in a Christmas dinner a few years back via inspiration from Mario Batali - great Italian Stuffed Pork Loin. So, I guess you could say it's been a while.

I recently came across a recipe for fennel salad that sounded interesting, but the ingredients were less than desirable for our family. So starting from there, I went online and looked for fennel salad recipes. Most I came across included citrus. This was a no go for us as well, so I settled on the most simple one I could find. This was proof that simple ingredients (if fresh), prepared simply are the best. Here is the recipe. I was also able to use one of the red onions from the CSA.

So once I got the salad, I decided to do simple sandwiches to go with them. It is insanely hot and humid here this week (not normal for the desert of So. Cal.), so I didn't want to turn on the oven. This turned out to be a simple summer dinner. Drew especially liked the salad dressing (I used a good amount of pepper).

Are you interested in fennel? Do you have a favorite recipe that utilizes this crazy vegetable? Please let me know, I am going to need to some if we get any more fennel.

Summertime Soup

2010-08-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Since we recently decided to give Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) a try, we have been inundated weekly with a large amount of veggies (some of unknown nomenclature). This week, I was lagging behind the using up of the veggies, so I decided to do a clean out the fridge recipe of my own making. The resulting soup was not bad! I started with some leftover Rotisserie Chicken, and the veggies you see here:

Not a bad start - for those of you who can't identify the items on the cutting board...neither can I! Just kidding! They are: onion, garlic (an amazing rare variety that is extremely spicy when raw), zucchini, spinach (another odd variety), kale, collard and turnip greens, and a Yukon gold potato.

Obviously, since this is a clean out the fridge recipe, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand. I only used half of each of the greens because I am going to use them for another recipe.

Here's the recipe for the soup.
Various veggies (chopped)
Rotisserie chicken (skin and bones removed, chopped)
Chicken broth
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Tarragon

Once you have got the veggies chopped, heat a dutch oven over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil in the bottom. Add the onions and garlic, let them soften. Add spices and stir into the onion mixture.
Add the veggies (pay attention to cooking times for the veggies - I added the zucchini much later in the cooking time). Cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until veggies are soft.
Add any quick-cooking veggies and chicken for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with crusty bread.

Don't you just love my vague recipes?

This soup was very good and summery! Drew liked it so much he drank the broth - always a good sign!

Baking Day: Part Two

2010-07-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, the rest of baking day was so-so; meaning there was one good recipe and one not so good recipe. Good news first:

The zucchini carrot nut bread is very tasty. It is a quick bread recipe from my professional baking course. I attempted this at home a couple of weeks ago to less than stellar results. The reason is because the book says to make them into muffins and I wanted to make them into loaves. This is normally not a problem if I had been thinking and changed the temperature of the oven and the cook time. Instead I had loaves that were done on the outside and still dough on the inside. Not good.

The results this time were perfect. I froze one loaf and cut into the second and will share part of it with family. The difference with this recipe is it is a mix method of preparation instead of a creaming method. Thus, the result is less like what we Americans are used to in the texture department. The quick bread/ muffins end up being very hearty...less like eating cake for breakfast (a practice I highly recommend due to my mother indulging my A.M. sweet tooth...carmel sundaes and lemon pound cake for breakfast, anyone?). The heartier texture goes well with a warm beverage in my book!

Then, I made the not so good recipe. No offense to the recipe creator - it just wasn't my bag. The recipe from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg for Banana Ginger Chocolate chip Bread (sounds great doesn't it?) was too gingery for me. The small chunks of crystallized ginger were a taste sensation I was not feeling. In fact, I don't think I really liked the chocolate chips in there either. I guess I will have to stick with the old-fashioned Banana Nut bread. I made these into muffins instead of loaves with the proper temperature and time adjustments. I think these will be given away to ~~unsuspecting~~ thankful friends and family.

All in all, not a bad baking day, except for the clean up. What to do? Leave the dishes for the A.M., after the coffee and zucchini carrot nut bread!

Baking Day: Part One

2010-07-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

Since I am taking a Professional baking course right now, I have convinced myself I need to practice what I learn. But fitting baking into your schedule is pretty difficult. Especially when you would rather hold down the couch with the latest good read. But I extracted myself from the couch today with the intent of making 3 different recipes. I thought this would not take all day. I thought wrong!

On the list for the day:
Weekly Batch of French Bread (seeking perfection, starting at zero)
Batch of Zuchinni Carrot Nut Bread

Batch of Banana Ginger Chocolate Chip muffins

So, I got started on the French bread first thing this morning. This is a formula that calls for the sponge method of bread making. Basically this is a process whereby, you make prepare a small amount of the flour and water necessary for the bread with the yeast required and let that ferment together for a period of time before making the rest of the dough. (For those of you who were paying attention to the last post, this sponge process is pre-12 step program) The sponge gives the French bread a ton more flavor than a traditional formula - it is basically yeasty goodness with butter on top!

Once the sponge was put together and had fermented for it's required time, I got started on adding the rest of the ingredients. Then I got all excited because this was to be my stand mixer's innagural dough mix (it was a big day for the mixer!). My excitement soon melted away when I discovered my stand mixer does not have the power (insert poor Robin Williams impression of Scottie from Star Trek here) to knead dough properly. Basically, what happened was a whole lot of shaking and very little combining. So, I got a crash course in hand kneading. Thankfully, I had the benefit of watching a guy from my class on Sunday do this very thing because our dough was too big for the mixer at class. Sadly, this also means that I had no idea what my hands were supposed to be feeling.

Somehow, I made it through all this unscathed (not so sure about the dough) and got to the benching process. Then the waiting game began. Once both my lumps of dough were ready, I formed them into rather pretty French loaves and waited for them to rise. After a quick water wash and some cuts, they spent time in the oven and came out beautiful.

We cut into one and had some with dinner and Drew declared that they "taste like French bread." Success!
Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the results, but there are pictures of the other recipes in the future posts about my baking day.

Back in the Swing

2010-07-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I posted an actual meal on here. I have been slacking in the proper meal making department, as well as the proper picture taking department. Sometimes I guess you just need to take a break!

Break over...Here's the latest dinner from our house...

drum roll please! Taco Salad.

Can you tell I have been slacking lately? So, this recipe is not inspired by any recipe rather a reminder I got from my email letting me know how much I like taco salad (Don't you get those types of emails all the time?). So I ran out and got a couple ingredients and used some of what we had on hand to make up the rest. "What goes on my taco salad?" I hear you ask.

Here is the rundown of ingredients:

Lettuce

Sharp Cheddar cheese

red onions (organic from our CSA!)

taco meat

cilantro
green salsa
black olives
cucumbers (organic from our CSA!)
creamy cilantro dressing

This is a sad salad indeed. But because Drew does not like much more on his salad than lettuce and cheese, this was stepping out there. If the avocados from our CSA were ready, they would have made the cut. Overall, it was a nice summer meal.

Drew's contribution to our dinner was a cocktail of his imagining. It all started a couple days ago when we found a liquer on sale for $4.00/bottle...crazy, right? So, we snatched up a bottle and Drew started brainstorming what we could do with it. He came up with a rasberry-lime concoction that was pretty tasty. The recipe still needs a little tweaking, but it looks pretty, doesn't it?

Baking School: Week 4

2010-07-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Leah and I am a breadmaker.

For the last week, I have been working on a 12 step program. No, not that one. The one that results in warm kitchens, yummy smells, and yeasty goodness of a whole other sort: the 12 step program for baking bread.

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for this year to learn how to make bread. But ,I have to be honest, I was pretty intimidated by my goal. I had never attempted anything beyond banana bread and I had never used yeast in my life. So, imagine my terror when I opened my textbook and found out the process of making bread was even more involved than I had ever imagined!

Thankfully, our teacher is helpful in guiding us through the program, defining terminology, and encouraging us to go for it. Over the last week, we made: focaccia, sweet rolls, danish, brioche, french loaves, and whole wheat dinner rolls. Whew! That is a lot of bread and a lot of patience! If there is one thing I am learning about baking in general each week, it is patience. The process of baking is not something you can just speed up because you are running short on time, or you just want to get it over with. Attention to each of the 12 steps is necessary in order to acheive the best possible results.

So, my teacher suggests that we select one type of bread and make it until we know it fully. I think I am going to choose french bread. My goal is to make it at least once a week for a while. That means lots of bread to give away! That also means I will be well on my way to fulfilling my New Year's resolution.

Produce Overwhelming

2010-07-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Anybody who knows me, knows I tend to be a planner. In the kitchen, this is abundantly clear by my monthly menu plans and the long lists I make to get everything done before every dinner party. So my world was rocked earlier this week. I had been planning this for a while, but I don't think I really could have been prepared for what hit us...a produce storm of unknown proportions.

We bought a share at a local farm. Well, actually, we bought a trial share of a local farm and we are splitting it with Mom and Dad. The farm is certified organic and the produce is amazing! It is beautiful! I love the concept of getting fresh produce on a weekly basis and it only costs $16/week! But here are some of the thoughts when we got the first box:

Peaches! Look at the peaches! What is this? Is this lettuce? It doesn't look like lettuce. Wow, look at these cute little carrots! Do you like beets? Do you like grapefruit? I think those are greens - I am not sure what kind. What is that triangular leaf thing? It has no smell. What am I going to cook with all this produce? Oh, its spinach! This is so exciting! What am I going to cook with all this?!!

After getting the baskets and getting all of it put away, I started really wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had a breakdown the first night - I don't think we ate any of the produce. Then, as I lay in bed, all these ideas came to me:

Drew likes grapefruit and I can cut it up for him and make homemade fruit cups. Zucchini Carrot Muffins. Arugula Pesto. Collard and Beet Greens and Pork Chops. Stir-Fry. Roasted Beets. Spinach Salad with Cucumber.

And I thought, this may be fun.

So the answer to the question, "What's on the menu?" may be up in the air for a little while, but I think it is worth it considering the harvest of ideas and the harvest of produce!

Baking School: Week 3

2010-07-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

I had a friend in high school that used to quote an (unknown to me) eighties movie all the time. We would be mid-conversation and she would spout off, "Shut your pie hole!" I often took offense to it, but it was definitely memorable!
So this week, the theme is, "Open your pie hole!" Our class covered the very intimidating (to me) topic of pastry, more specifically: pie. And I have a confession regarding pie-making:

I have never made a pie crust from scratch before.

I know, I know, this adventuresome kitchen rat, has never made a pie crust. I have always been intimidated by the procedure. It seems everyone has a recipe for the perfect pie crust. They also have different techniques for creating the perfect crust. Pile on this the fact that the crust has to be rolled out into a perfect circle and placed in a pie tin, and I am flustered and scared.

Well, not anymore. Well, sort of! Let me explain:

This week I learned a great recipe (butter is always better!) and a great method (hello, food processor!) to take all the intimidation away. The procedure takes very little time and surprisingly few ingredients and is relatively simple to get together.  Our teacher was definitely a help in de-mystifying the pie crust for me. She guided us through the right and wrong ways to make a pie crust and pointed out what we were looking for along the way.  I now know how to make a flaky pie crust and a mealy pie crust and when each is appropriate. I know how to avoid "soggy-bottom" and make a pie so tasty, there is nothing left on the plate but crumbs.

So that's what I learned and I was so excited to get going and start practicing!  Then, I tried it...and my first pie crust fell! AGHHHH!

But, I am not daunted...I think I have "figured it out" and I will be working on it again today. I think the problem was docking. I docked the sides of the pie crust as well as the bottom. This time I am only going to dock the bottom of the crust. Fingers crossed!

If I get it right, I have a very strange idea up my sleeve. Our textbook mentioned that back in the day, home cooks would make 21 pies a week because they had a pie at every meal. This is because most pies back then were meat pies. Although 21 pies would be a bit much (and unnecessary considering modern refrigeration), I am kind of getting the idea of having a pie week. Drew would be scared, if I had shared this little idea with him. He'll never know what hit him!

Off to the kitchen...

"Men may come and men may go...but Pie goes on for ever." George Augustus Sala

Baking School: Week 2

2010-07-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

This week was the first week we actually got into the kitchen for baking. Last week, we just discovered the proper way to measure ingredients, crack and separate an egg. This week, we separated into teams and baked three different items per team.

The topics for the night were quick breads and cookies. We read a couple of chapters in our textbooks ahead of time, so there wasn't a need for lots of lecture. However the discussion of the different methods of preparation helped to clarify some of the things I have wondered for a long time. Specifically, the instruction found in many recipes regarding mixing. Have you ever wondered what they mean when they say mix just until ingredients are incorporated/wet?   And then when you are spooning the batter/dough into the cooking vessel, you discover a big hunk of unincorporated flour/dry ingredients? And you wonder, should I mix this and run the risk of over-mixing, or not mix it and run the risk of having a hunk of flour in my sweet thing?
I might be alone in this, but I don't think I am. I have come to the informed decision to err on the side of moist. Over-mixing can lead to an unfriendly characteristic called tunnelling and tunnelling does not taste good (it does not taste actually, because it is basically a hole in the middle of your baked goodness, and that is not fun).

Anyway, my team made biscotti, zucchini carrot nut muffins, and lemon cookies. Each of these recipes were selected because they allowed us to practice different methods of preparation: creaming, bagging, aggrandizing the eggs, etc.
For the Biscotti, we chose to add lemon zest and pistachios. This was a wonderful flavor combination, but I don't think they go with coffee very well. I have never been one for citrus and coffee.
The zucchini carrot nut muffins were actually very tasty. We made them using the batter method where basically you dump all the ingredients into the bowl and mix.   The alternate method, used by most bakeries these days, is creaming. The result of the creaming method is a more cake-like muffin - basically eating cake for breakfast (that is something I can get behind!). The result of the batter method is a heartier muffin, something more wholesome and satisfying for breakfast. These muffins were very tasty and hearty, even with the addition of bran (something I usually tend to keep far away).
For the lemon wafer cookies, we got to work with the creaming method and the bagging method. It was very easy to do the creaming method, because anybody who has made a cake from scratch has done this. It is basically just creaming the butter and the sugar until a desired result is reached. The bagging method is where you place the dough in a piping bag and pipe the cookies onto a cookie sheet. I have never done this for a cookie; but I find it useful because it produced even sized cookies.

The other team made corn bread, tea cookies, and a different variation of biscotti.   The best part is we all get to taste and take home some of the results!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of July 5-11

2010-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

This week we are trying something different as part of the All You Grocery Challenge. We are going vegetarian! It has been hard to come up with all new recipes for veggie week, but I have figured it out and I hope it goes well. Here is the rundown:

Monday:
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Vegetable and Brown Rice Stir Fry

Tuesday:
Lunch: Fresh Pesto Pasta Salad, Fruit
Dinner: Hearty Minestrone w/ Barley, Sage, and Beans

Wednesday:
Lunch: Grilled Cheese
Dinner: Ranch Style Beans, Cornbread

Thursday:
Lunch: Couscous Salad w/chickpeas
Dinner: Bacon (sneaking in some meat!), Lettuce, Avocado Bread Salad

Friday:
Lunch: Spicy Southwest Sandwiches
Dinner: Tomato-Jalapeno Pasta

Saturday:
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches
Dinner: on the way to a concert in LA

Sunday:
Lunch: TBD
Dinner: Sopes with Black Beans

Triple Take

2010-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I used to go visit my grandparents in the summer. I have lots of memories, but one of the most distinct is the impression I got that old people eat dinner early. My Granny and Papa ate dinner at (I kid you not) 4 PM, every night. 4 PM!
Well, the Hudson household just got a whole lot older. At least for the next couple of months. On Monday nights I have Baking School and I have to be there at 5 sharp. I don't want Drew to go hungry, so I started cooking dinner at a little after 3 PM. I think my lunch had just been digested when I started making dinner. It is too much! But it is worth it for the valuable instruction I am receiving the rest of the evening!

So what was cooking in my kitchen at 3:30 PM Monday afternoon? Triple Decker Tortilla Bake. It is yet another recipe from the CookMag Ultimate Mexican (a must own around these parts). This is a very simple throw it together kind of meal perfect for those nights when you don't have a lot of time. Here's the basic concept:

Salsa (I used Fresh and Easy, New Mexico)

Corn Tortilla
Mashed Pinto Beans
Tortilla
Corn
Cheese
Salsa
Corn Tortilla
Mashed Pinto Bean
Corn Tortilla
Salsa

Throw this in the oven at 450 F and bake for about 12 minutes, covered with foil. Take the foil off and add some more cheese. Melt the cheese in the oven for a few more minutes. Top with avocado and cilantro (you could probably also do sour cream, but I wouldn't).

There it is. Simple? Yes. Tasty? Yes. Sounds good to me!

I've Got Mail

2010-06-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Going to the mailbox can be an adventure around here. In a Forrest Gump kind of way, you never know what you're gonna get. Here's what came today:

It got me intrigued (it took a few minutes to get it open). I guessed it was coffee. Drew guessed it was tea. We agreed that it was something "green."

I opened it and...

Thanks Vocalpoint! I can't wait to try these! I already enjoy Crystal Light, so these should be great!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of June 28-July 4

2010-06-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is the second week of the All You Grocery Challenge and I am working hard to keep the budget under $50.00. Last week's grand total spent on groceries was $40.27, but we were gone for much of the week. Here's hoping we are going to make it this week. Here is the plan*:

Monday: Breakfast: yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers (pizza for me, chili for Drew)
Dinner: Triple Decker Tortilla Bake

Tuesday: Breakfast: Bagels and fruit
Lunch: Mexican Tuna Salad
Dinner: Grilled Chicken w/ Baja Black Beans and Rice (carry over recipe from last week)

Wednesday: Breakfast: English muffins and fruit
Lunch: Pesto & Prosciutto Poached Egg Sandwiches
Dinner: Black-eyed Pea Cakes w/ Collard Greens

Thursday: Yogurt and Fruit
Lunch: Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Panini
Dinner: Black Pepper Shrimp

Friday: Bagels and Fruit
Lunch: Lobster Ravioli w/Pesto
Dinner: Going to local baseball team game!

Saturday: Oatmeal and Fruit
Lunch: TBD - hoping for chipotle!
Dinner: Sausage & Pepper Calzones

Sunday: Smoothies
Lunch: TBD
Dinner: Celebrate the 4th of July at the Parents' house

*The best laid plans, and all that junk...

Texas Red

2010-06-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Since Drew and I are true Texans, we understand one thing about chili: there are no beans in Texas Chili. Anything with beans in it that others would call chili is actually soup.
But with that knowledge bred in to us from an early age, one would think the recipe for the perfect Texas Red would be taught to Texan children along with the ABC's. This, sadly, is not the case. The reason: like the perfect Texas Brisket, and bull riding, chili is a competition. It is the kind of dish that every man has a recipe for and no one will tell. Or they will "tell" you, but they leave out that one special thing that makes all the difference.
So, we have had some trouble getting a Texas Red to please the palate and have the right texture. Our last adventure in the kitchen ended with some amazing taco meat (I am not kidding). Tonight, we have almost gotten there.
We have tasted the promised land and it tastes oh so good. I just need to get the texture just right. So, like most Texans, I will be tweaking my recipe for the next 10 years. I think if I haven't conquered chili by the time I get to 40, I should just give it up as a lost cause, and eat somebody else's.

So what is the recipe you ask. Well, I am going to give it to you like any self-respecting Texan would: vague. Here's what you do:

Chop an onion. Cube some sirloin meat (about a pound). Mince 2 cloves of garlic.
Warm up your pan (I used an enameled cast iron dutch oven - small) with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Add these ingredients. Let those work together until the meat is seared on all sides.
Add 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper and a few good shakes of hot sauce. Stir well to coat.
Add 1 small can of tomato sauce (let that work for a minute). Add a couple cups of beef broth (you could also use a good beer, but I wouldn't). Stir well, cover, and let simmer for a good long while.

You can top your chili any way you like, but I like mine like the song says: "Lots of cheese and onions." Enjoy. Let me know if you try it and if you like it. Oh, and I guess you will just have to trust me that I wasn't leaving out the good part.

Just Not What I Grew Up with

2010-06-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

There are certain things you should just not mess with. I have written about my Granny's recipe for Mac and Cheese before on this blog. To me, it is what Mac and Cheese should be. I would describe it as dry - meaning it is not made with a bechamel sauce. It is the easiest mac out there (the blue box does not exist in my world). So, tonight, I went up against all my preconceived and correct notions about this dish and went for a new recipe.

The recipe from Cooking Light for Stovetop Mac and Cheese (with chicken sausage) was not bad, it just isn't what I grew up with. It could not be much more simple to put together, but the taste and texture is just not what I grew up with. I did, however, enjoy the addition of the sausage (it brought a nice flavor). By the way, this dish works well when cooking for 2. There's enough for dinner size portions and a little bit leftover for lunch the next day.

Grocery Challenge: Week 1

2010-06-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to Henry's Farmers Market to get most of the groceries required for this week. I got lots of great produce and a couple indulgence items (we don't normally get these, but they were a great price). I got Drew a couple of things for a treat - grapefruit juice and all-fruit Popsicles; and I got a some orange juice for me. But the best deal of the night goes to eggs - organic, free range brown eggs, to be more exact. They were marked down to 2 dozen for $4, I had a coupon, making them $1 a dozen. When they rang up at the register, I found out the regular price is $4.99 a dozen - what a GREAT deal! The grand total was $21.38! Not bad for most of the week's grocery needs.

Tonight, we stopped by Walgreen's and CVS to get some great deals and ended up buying bread, jell-o, Chex mix, 4 packages of Life Saver Gummies, and a pack of Reese's Pieces. The total for these items was $8.99.

This brings me to TODAY'S TIP: Think outside the grocery store for grocery items. You can often find basic grocery needs at places like the drug store and the dollar store. Often you can combine a manufacturer's coupon and a drugstore coupon to increase your savings.

UPDATE: On Sunday, we had to stop by Ralph's to get a couple items for Sunday night's dinner. While we were there we got some items for Week 2. I separated out the items and the total for items for Sunday's dinner was $9.90.

Grand Total for the week's groceries: $40.27. Not bad.

Let Me at It...oh, Wait...

2010-06-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

We got back today from our modified staycation (e.g. free nights at a local hotel) and I was ready to sprint to the store and get started on our All You Grocery Challenge. In my opinion the first trip to the store, sets the tone for how the rest of this challenge is going to go. So, I had my coupons, had my list, had everything I needed. And then...I was attacked with stomach cramps that I have been looming for the last 24 hours. They make me in the mood only to lay and hope someone will come along and take out my insides because I am sure I don't need them any more.

Which brings me to what I have been thinking about regarding this challenge. Always be ready with PLAN B. Drew, unbeknownst to me (due to my prone passed out state), went to the freezer, grabbed one of the many convenience freezer meals we have (purchased on sale, with a coupon, and got a giftcard, thank you), and made dinner! What a wonderful husband I have!

So my tip for the day: Be prepared for plans to change.
This can mean having convenience foods on hand to make for a day when you are under the weather.
This can mean having snacks in your purse, when the day stretches a little further than you were expecting.
If you have a secondary plan, it will prevent those desperation trips to the drive-thru and help preserve your waistline!

Check back tomorrow for details of my late-night trip to the grocery store.

Back to School

2010-06-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have always been a sucker for back to school. I love the search for new school supplies, the difficulty of remembering your locker combination, the newness of teachers on the first day. My brother and I used to "play school" every year, a few weeks before school was about to start. While we ate breakfast or on the way to school, my dad would lecture us again about the importance of getting a good education. He trained us to believe that school was our job; school was for learning, not for socializing. So, I have always approached school as sacred: pay attention, get your work done, don't pass notes (and don't write on your hand!).

When I was a kid, we moved a lot and I started at a lot of different schools, not always on the "first day." I was forever introducing myself, hoping to find someone to sit by at lunch, and adjusting to different teaching styles. It was different to move that much, but it prepared me for later in life. When I was a young girl, I spoke so softly, that people constantly had to ask me to repeat what I had said. I was painfully shy. I still am today, but I have learned to overcome it by being thrust into new situations so often.

So, yesterday as I got ready for another "first day of school," I was thinking about all the same things I thought about when I was growing up: will I do well? will I find somebody to connect with? will they think I am a total loser? But, I was also thinking that this would be different than any other school experience I have ever had before. This would be a hands-on, get-knowledge-where-you-can-get it experience. This would not be the one where notes were passed while the lecturer droned on and on. This would not be the read 100 pages and write a three page report kind of class. And I was excited!

I walked into my Professional Baking class last night, met my fellow students, and got to work. The lecture was a little long and the practicum was short, but I really am looking forward to the coming weeks. Things I learned at class last night:
The proper way to wash dishes (in a restaurant)
How to work with ratios in formulas (not recipes) to work with the ingredients you have
How to crack an egg (and to think I have been doing it wrong all these years)
How to separate an egg (been doing that right!)
How to measure and weigh ingredients

Next week, we are learning quick breads and cookies.

Happy Birthday, Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

My dad has the special distinction of celebrating his birthday on or around Father's Day. When we were kids, we had such a hard time coming up with what to get him for both occasions. I remember very distinctly getting my dad a pair of gardening gloves when I was 9. I thought this was the perfect gift and he, being a professional landscaper, found it amusing. I was not so amused at his amusement - I was heartbroken that he didn't like my gift (I now know that it was strange,akin to giving a vacuum cleaner to your mom for Mother's Day). Many years have passed and I have gotten a little better at figuring out what makes a great gift. Part of what makes a great gift, is a great meal. So I decided to make dinner and invite Dad over for a Dad's day/birthday celebration.

The recipe for last night (Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-dried Tomatoes) was from Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentis. I have rarely used this cookbook because Drew is not so much on the pasta. I LOVE pasta and so I have to have a relationship with it at arms length or Drew will not be able to get his arms around me. But, hey, we were celebrating, so why not?
After going to the store to shop for this pasta, I was unable to procure artichokes as prescribed in the recipe (it calls for frozen), so I decided to use some asparagus we already had on hand. I also did not use white wine in the recipe, I just used more chicken broth.

The resulting pasta was very good, very flavorful. Delicious. I took two servings (I told you I LOVE pasta). Dad really liked it too, which was the goal for the night.

Happy Birthday, Dad! Happy Father's Day! So thankful you are my dad and my friend - the relationship we have is something special, something unique, and something I cherish! God bless you this year!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of June 21 - 27

2010-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

We have a crazy week ahead of us! This marks the beginning of the All You Grocery Challenge and the first day of school for me. I am taking a Professional Baking course (more on that tomorrow) and I am so excited about what I am going to learn. We are also taking advantage of two free nights at a local hotel. To top that off, we are hoping to have some family over later this week to celebrate yet another birthday! So, with all that in mind here is the plan*:

Monday: Breakfast: yogurt and fruit
Lunch: leftover pasta (from last night)
Dinner: snacks we are taking to the hotel (my class is tonight)

Tuesday: Breakfast: TBD
Lunch: TBD
Dinner: out at a restaurant (we have a gift card)

Wednesday: Breakfast: TBD
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Mushroom and Bacon Stuffed Trout, Grits and Greens

Thursday: Breakfast: oatmeal or yogurt and fruit
Lunch: English Muffin Pizzas
Dinner: Stovetop Mac & Cheese

Friday: Breakfast: oatmeal or yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Tuna Garbanzo Salad
Dinner: Sopes, Sopecitos Con Chorizo

Saturday: Breakfast: Pancakes and Eggs (maybe some bacon)
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: on the way to a concert in L.A.

Sunday: Breakfast: smoothies before church
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Slow-Cooked Chile con Carne

*Best laid plans of mice and men..., etc, etc.

Taco Tuesday

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

OK, seriously there is a pattern forming. What can I say? We heart Mexican flavors. So, for your salivation enjoyment, I bring you Pollos Dorados (from the Ultimate Mexican cookmag - like I said before, purchase it - you will not be sorry).

The recipe is fairly straightforward, but I did change it so here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
can of Rotel tomatoes and chiles
1 cup of shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie)
corn tortillas
Oil for deep frying
Choose your own garnishes (suggestions: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onions-green)

Procedure:
1. Start heating the oil for deep frying (You want it to get to 375F before dropping in the food)
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in saute pan over medium heat. Saute onions until soft. Add the Rotel (do not drain). Cook uncovered until most of the liquid evaporates. Turn off heat. Stir in chicken to the tomato mixture.
3. Warm the tortillas in the microwave (wrapped in damp paper towels) for 20 seconds (2 at a time). Place a small amount of chicken mixture on one end of the tortilla, roll up and secure with a toothpick.
4. Place prepared tacos into the heated oil in batches of 3 or 4. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate.

These are very good, if somewhat greasy. It's good to have something junk foodie every once in a while. And, hey, we southern woman love us some deep-fried food.

Churros Magnificos

2010-06-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

I sense a theme lately in my posts. Must be a Mexican mood! For dessert for my mom's birthday, I decided to make her favorite Disney dessert. She calls them Charos (yes, like the singer - I don't think she would taste good deep fried, but it might be a way to get her to be quiet), but the actual name is Churros. We have been going to Disneyland with her for about 5 years and she still hasn't learned how to say them, but she sure knows how to eat them! They ARE especially tasty at the end of a fun-filled, junk-foodie day at Mickey's home.
I have tried churros before with very unhappy results. So, armed with a new recipe and an important innovation from Drew, I was ready to make this dessert. The results were pretty good! I got the recipe from Ultimate Mexican. It is simple to prepare and tastes and smells great! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
vegetable oil for deep-fat frying
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Procedure:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir mixture until it forms a ball and pulls away form the side of the pan. Remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add vanilla and egg, beating well with a wooden spoon.
2. Transfer batter to a pastry bag (or cookie press, see below) fitted with a star tip. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pipe 4 inch long logs onto prepared baking sheet.
3. In a deep saucepan, heat 3 inches of oil to 375F. Fry logs, a few at a time, in hot oil about 2 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm while you do the remaining batches.
4. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll warm churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

The innovation Drew came up with was using a cookie press to create the traditional churro shape. I have a Pampered Chef cookie press that has never seen action. I opened it up and checked out the designs and Drew helped me pick one that would work - it was perfect. The press also made forming the Churro dough into churro shapes so simple. If you don't have a cookie press, you can use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of June 14 - 20

2010-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Another week, another menu. We are trying to eat more at home this week as we gear up for our Grocery Challenge, starting next Monday! Also, we have a couple big events this week. One of my friends is graduating from nursing school. We are so proud of her that we are throwing her a party to celebrate! Also, this week is my dad's birthday and Father's Day - how's that for a busy week? Here's the plan*:

Monday: Lunch: Sesame Brown Rice Salad
Dinner: Beef Taco Hash

Tuesday: Lunch: English Muffin Pizzas
Dinner: Pollo Dorados

Wednesday: Lunch: Pesto & Prosciutto Poached Egg Sandwiches
Dinner: Grilled Halibut Sarandeando

Thursday: Lunch: Sandwiches/Chips
Dinner: Spicy Basque Style Chicken

Friday: Lunch: TBD
Dinner: Graduation Party Dinner!

Saturday: Lunch: TBD
Dinner: Asparagus Soup, Chicken Cobb Salad

Sunday: Lunch: TBD
Dinner: Dad's Birthday/Father's Day Dinner!

*The best laid plans of mice and men...etc.

Feliz Cumpleanos

2010-06-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a birthday dinner for my mom. Because she loves seafood and Mexican cuisine, I decided to make some Seafood Enchiladas from the Ultimate Mexican cookmag I told you about a few weeks ago. This was a good idea indeed! I am not usually one to order seafood enchiladas. I usually like the basic cheese and onions enchiladas I grew up with, so this was a departure.

The procedure for this recipe is very easy, but takes some time throughout the day. You have to re-hydrate some dried chiles earlier in the day (this affords you time to take the requisite Sunday afternoon nap). Once that is done, the hard part is basically over. The rest is just mixing and rolling. The entire process takes less than a couple hours.
The recipe calls for either shrimp or crab. We decided to do a mixture of both. I mean, we are celebrating! Once the chiles are ready (re-hydrated and cut in pieces), you add the seafood mixture and some shredded Monterrey jack cheese. Roll this mixture up into some warm tortillas and it starts to look like enchiladas. The interesting thing about this recipe (which I would change should I do this again) is the sauce. It is basically a gravy (I am not kidding). This is a little discomfiting to my Tex-Mex loving heart. If I were to do it again, I would definitely add a lot of spice and change up the structure of the sauce (it has a LOT of flour in it).
The result: Very, very mild enchiladas. Not necessarily bad, but not enough flavor and spice for me. I would kick it up about 3 notches in the flavor department. But, mom loved them (so I guess these are a success!).

For an appetizer, I made a new guacamole recipe (I can't get enough of avocado based dips!). I really liked it but I think I will add cumin next time. These are the ingredients: green onion, cilantro, serrano pepper (seeded), avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper. Mmm! Oh and we tried out some new chips from Food Should Taste Good. If you haven't tried these yet, check them out. They are multigrain (read: healthy) chips that really do taste good. If you go to their website, you can get a coupon!

Overall, Mom was happy. And you know that old saying, "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Well, I think the converse is true as well.

I Feel Like I won an Academy Award!

2010-06-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Sadly, I have to decline my acceptance and wrote to tell the people over at Foodbuzz this morning. I am so sad because I was so excited, but I have other plans. I hope I can bring this dinner party to you in a future month!

I just checked my email and found out that my proposal for Foodbuzz's 24 meals in 24 hours has been accepted! I literally jumped up and down for a couple minutes and ran upstairs (almost falling on one of the last steps) to tell Drew. I am so excited about the prospect of having a great meal event to blog about here and being featured for Foodbuzz!

So what can you look forward to? A Moroccan feast! More details to come later, but I have lots of great ideas! Click here to find out more about last month's 24 x 24.

Jalapeno (Not on a Stick)

2010-06-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight dinner could not have been more simple. I realized after a long day, I did not have all the ingredients to make another recipe and was too tired to try harder. So, I made up a "new" recipe. The resulting Stuffed Jalapenos were my take on a friend's recipe. I didn't call her to get the recipe, I just guessed. I thought they were great, the only problem was the last one was SPICY!! Here's the recipe:

Stuffed Jalapenos (Jalapenos Rellenos)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bulk sausage.
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half width wise (if desired)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
7 to 8 jalapenos, split in half and seeded

Procedure:
1. Brown sausage in a skillet until no longer pink. Get the bacon going in another skillet. Cook until lightly crisp (not fully cooked). Drain sausage and bacon on paper towels. Let cool slightly.
2. Preheat broiler. Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic. Add cooled sausage and combine. Stuff the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeno halves using a teaspoon. I over-stuffed them, so you might be able to do more jalapenos for this recipe based on the size of the jalapenos. Wrap the bacon strips around the stuffed jalapenos and secure with a toothpick
3. Place the jalapenos under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep your eye on them so they don't get too brown.

These are great for appetizers! Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of June 7-13, 2010

2010-06-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Menu Plan Monday is here again and finds us with a busy week! We are going to Disneyland later today so I have it a little bit easier on the cooking front.

Monday: Lunch: Hot Dogs and fruit
Dinner at z'Tejas (I got a coupon for my birthday - free meal for me!)

Tuesday: junk food at Disneyland (is there a better kind?)

Wednesday: Lunch: sandwiches
Dinner: Scallops with Garlicky Tomatillo Sauce

Thursday: Breakfast with Mom for her birthday (it's a surprise).
Lunch: Frito Chili Pie
Dinner: Penne with Asparagus, Spinach, and Bacon

Friday: Lunch: Kesir
Dinner: In'N'Out on the way to a concert!

Saturday: Dinner: Seafood Enchiladas, Sides; Dessert: Churros

Sunday: Dinner: Stir-Fried Szechuan Steak on Rice, Zen Temple Dumplings

Wow! I am hungry just thinking about what we are going to eat this week!

Grocery Challenge

2010-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Although I do not want this blog to turn into a deals-finding blog, I am, by nature, very frugal. I enjoy getting a great deal on the things I would buy anyway. So, when I found the All You Grocery Challenge was running this summer, I was so excited. "What is this strange idea?" you ask. Well, here are the details:

The challenge starts June 20th and runs for 4 weeks.
The purpose of the challenge is to help you stay on top of your grocery spending by allotting $25.00 per person in your household per week for food expenses.

That's about it. At the end of it, there may be a prize in it (I hope it's me, but I am not holding my breath!): a $1,000 gift card for groceries! That would cover a lot of food!

So, I will be participating and keeping updates right here on this little blog. This will include any really great tips on savings I get (including local store deals). Anybody up for doing the challenge with me? Check it out here, sign up and leave me a comment saying you are in!

Wordless Wednesday: Catching up

2010-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Calzone Casserole

2010-05-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I had never heard of it either. And to be quite honest, after eating tonight's dinner I wonder why you don't just make it into a calzone. It has all the same ingredients as a calzone, but is just formed different. Oh the lengths food editors will go to come up with a new recipe.

Tonight's recipe is inspired by a Cooking Light recipe called Spinach-Feta Calzone Casserole (see here), but I changed it very much so here's the adapted recipe:

Ingredients
1 pkg Pampered Chef Pizza Dough mix (or any pizza dough you have) + ingredients to make the dough
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
salt & pepper to taste
1 large bunch fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped
1 1/4 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. Italian cheese blend
1 c. cooked chicken breast
2 Tbsp. Garlic Oil
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning blend

The Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Prep the dough according to package directions. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a 12" square. Place the dough in an 8x8 baking pan. Leave the excess over the edges.
2. Heat oil in dutch oven and add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Salt and pepper the onions and keep warm.
3. Add spinach to pan in batches, stirring often, until the spinach wilts (about 4 minutes).
4. Add spinach, ricotta cheese, Italian cheese, and chicken to the onion mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir well. Pour spinach mixture into the prepared pizza dough crust. Fold edges over the top and brush with garlic oil. Sprinkle Italian seasoning blend over the top.
5. Bake in oven at 425 F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This was not Drew's favorite dish, but I really enjoyed it. The fresh spinach tasted great and the ricotta was very mild. I would make this again for a pot-luck event.

An Apple a Day

2010-05-25T08:25:00.001-07:00

Our harvest

Chick and Champ

2010-05-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner was one of those easy to throw together kind of meals you need for a Monday night. In about 30 minutes, dinner was on the table. It was flavorful and comforting.

The menu: Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Tenders (Cooking Light), with Green Onion Champ (Cooking Light) and green beans.

For the Spicy Honey- Brushed Chicken, I swapped tenders for the recipe-called-for chicken thighs because I got a great deal on tenders this week at the market. After getting half of my tenders in the rub mixture, I went ahead and cooked some plain ones alongside the ones for the recipe so I can use it for a recipe later in the week. The only thing I changed about this recipe is the glaze that is brushed on at the last minute. The glaze calls for honey and apple cider vinegar. I wanted to kick it up a notch on the spice, so I added about a teaspoon of Siracha to it. Drew likes his food really spicy, and the results were definitely spicy. They had a great flavor. I would definitely do this treatment for chicken tenders again, using alternative spices because it adds lots of flavor without adding any fat! Gotta love that. Since they are very figure friendly, we thought we would add a little bit of ranch and buffalo sauce for dipping - a great pairing.

For the uninitiated (as I was before this afternoon), "champ" is an Irish term for buttery mashed potatoes. This version is very comfort-food pleasing. For some reason, potatoes are not often on our menu. We both grew up in household that ate potatoes often, but I still haven't added it to our list of "often" foods. This might be because that list is incredibly short! If you get a chance to try this recipe, do. It is really good and flavorful. A new cooking technique for me was the addition of green onions to the milk, heating it up and then adding it to the potatoes before mashing. It infuses the green onion flavor very nicely into the potatoes and could have many applications.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Menu Plan Mondays is hosted by Organizing Junkie. This is my first time to post and link to this meme, so if you are new here are a few things about me and the blog:

I cook most nights of the week that I am not too tired.
I cook a new me recipe almost every time I cook. I am what some may call adventurous in the kitchen.
I am priveleged to do the two above things because it is just me and my husband, no kids. I realize life will not always afford this luxury, so this blog helps me chronicle this season in life and the food we eat.
I have decided it's time to keep myself accountable for my menu planning.

So here goes our first week.

Monday: Spicy Honey Baked Chicken Tenders, Green Onion Champ (potatoes), Green Beans (steamed)

Tuesday: Spinach-Feta Calzone Casserole

Wednesday: BBQ Flank Steak Sandwiches (w/ some sort of starch)

Thursday: New Orleans-Style Shrimp, Corn on the Cob, New Potatoes

Friday: Grilled Chicken and Tapenade Sandwiches, Potato Chips, Frozen Lemonade with Coconut Rum

Saturday: Out to dinner with friends

Sunday: Mexican Tomato Bean Soup with Corn Dumplings

I am also going to try to get some baking done this week. Stay tuned for updates.

What's on your menu for this week?

What is IT?

2010-05-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

One question. One answer. Only one woman knows the answer (and it is not me).

This arrived in our kitchen today. We don't know what it is and have not opened it yet. Any guesses?

Enchiladas Especial

2010-05-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

If you get anything out of this post, please get this: Get thee to a book/magazine seller and buy this publication from Better Homes and Gardens: Ultimate Mexican.
Drew and I picked it up at our local SuperTarget a couple weeks ago and immediately were inspired to cook almost every recipe in it. We will work our way slowly through this one!
Last night we started with 3 recipes - each of them perfect in their own right.

On the menu:
Avocado Salsa
Enchiladas Suizas
Sangrita (for tequila tastings reviewed on Drew's blog)

To start the evening off right, I made this salsa that is a definite keeper. I have always been intimidated by tomatillos. The reason for my phobia? The only thing I can think of is the skins. There is something about them being wrapped up that makes me nervous, I guess. So, last night I got over the fear and took the plunge, using two cooking applications on the tomatillos. Tomatillos, consider yourselves conquered. No longer will I shrink back at the "difficulty" of your green, papery skin. Honestly, they could not be easier to prep and they taste great. This particular salsa includes avocado, boiled tomatillos, green onions, sour cream, cilantro, salt and pepper. The flavors need a little time to meld in the fridge and the wait is well worth it. Oh, boy this was good and it got rave reviews!

For the entree, I made Enchiladas Suizas. This one is too easy, if you already have some chicken on hand. Thankfully, my father-in-law spent most of Saturday slaving over a hot smoker to prepare some smoked chicken for our enchiladas. I am sure a rotisserie chicken (what the recipe calls for) would work; but if you happen to have a special person in your life, who just happens to know how to use a smoker, it may be time to butter them up. The smoked chicken was perfect with the sauce I prepped. The sauce consisted of the tomatillos (roasted this time), garlic, red onions, jalapenos, cilantro, fire-roasted tomatoes, cilantro, and creme fraiche. The prep for these enchiladas is so easy and pretty much idiot-proof. A good thing for my somewhat off-headed evening (Drew slipped me a decongestant). And the result: OH MY GOODNESS!!! These. Were. Wonderful. Definitely a do again. I can't wait to try all the other enchilada recipes in this book. The recipe makes a generous 12 enchiladas, so it easy could serve 6 with the addition of side dishes.

For side dishes we did Taco Rice (not that memorable) and fresh corn-on-the-cob (thanks to my friend, Tara's farmer connection).

Be sure to check out Drew's post about the tequila tastings we did last night to accompany dinner. When I say "we," I mean they (I HATE tequila). I am sure he will have great things to say about the process.

Saturday Sort

2010-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hesitantly, I am introducing a new feature to this blog. It is called the Saturday Sort and is devoted to organization in the kitchen (and elsewhere, if I ever get past the kitchen). I worked hard this week to get my out-of-CON-trol pantry in order. I moved on to the refrigerator/freezer. The hard thing about this is the need to show you the before and the after picture. I LOVE the after pictures, but I am not so fond of the before pictures. But in the interest of full disclosure, I feel I must let you know that I am, in fact, human and life gets away from me sometimes...the result is the following....AHHH!

The Before (how embarrassing!)

Although, I did not read this article from Real Simple regarding cleaning out your pantry, I did use the following tips for cleaning out the pantry:

1. Assess the contents - sort out and throw away what you will never use. I did this by putting like things with one another in one area of my kitchen as I took everything out of the pantry.

2. Store foods systematically - in my kitchen this means things are sorted by baking, cooking, grains, snacks, cereals, drinks, and condiments.

This may seem overly simplified, but it really is easy to do these things. My general rule of thumb is to be zealous for ridding myself of things I will not use. When in doubt, throw it away (or donate it, if possible). It is very helpful to start with a clean slate and the only way to do that is to remove everything from the pantry and start from square one. With a bare pantry, it is easier to think about how you cook and store food and go from there. I forgot to take a picture of my empty pantry, but if you can't use your imagination to picture it, well...

So using those two (incredibly over-simplified) rules-of-thumb, here is the result.

Ahhh...doesn't that feel much better?

Banana Bake-Off

2010-05-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Something has come over me in the last few days. I feel like baking more than normal. Maybe I am trying to get it out of my system before it is way too HOT to bake anything! Oh, and when I have lots of ingredients to use up before they go bad, I also get the baking bug.

The result is a Wednesday evening banana bake-off. I was perusing some cookbooks on Wednesday afternoon and came across a most intriguing recipe called King Cupcakes. They of course are inspired by the KING of rock'n'roll, Elvis' love of peanut butter banana sandwiches. The back story on why this recipe jumped off the page is Drew (my most-of-the-time non-dessert-loving-husband)'s love of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup inspired by the same thing (he has a knack of finding a food/drink item that no one else likes, falling in love with it, and lamenting the all-to-soon disappearance of this item for YEARS after they are gone). Thus, I thought he would at least try these cupcakes.
Oh, and I also had some over-ripe bananas that needed to be used mos'scocious (I have no proof that Elvis used this phrase, but I imagine him saying it and smile).
So, I got started on the cupcakes and found them easy to make. The original recipe is from Cooking Light, so I, of course, used all the real ingredients to make sure I got every bit of fat in each morsel. I will not put the recipe since you can find it here, but I will tell you that the frosting requires a little tweaking. I added a hint of milk to make it spreadable. Oh...these are really good. Drew said he would prefer a little more banana flavor in there. This could be accomplished by the inclusion of banana extract and the exclusion of vanilla extract...I think.

While I had almost all the ingredients at hand, I also whipped up some of my Granny's Banana Bread. I did change the recipe for the first time. The recipe calls for water and I substituted milk. I did not find too much of a difference, so I guess you could do it either way. I think I will take some over to my neighbor friend tomorrow. As stated in a previous post, I love my Granny's Banana Bread and am thankful for her example in the kitchen...great memories. It is amazing that though our loved ones pass on, their recipes remain with us as part of their legacy.

Mother's Day Brunch and Dessert

2010-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am one of the few people in this world to be blessed with two mothers and a mother-in-law. One of the nice things about mother's day is that I get to celebrate these wonderful women in my life by treating them with things they love.
Sadly, one of my moms is not close by, so we just get to talk on the phone. But someday I hope we can do a special mother's day brunch together!

This year we changed things up for Mother's Day. We did not go to church and, instead invited Mom and Dad over for breakfast. It ended up being brunch due to 3 disasters in the kitchen before 9 AM! Fun way to start the day.

So the menu for our feast was Scones, Fruit Salad, and Bacon and Cheese Quiche. I had been looking all week for a particular item to try a new recipe but cannot locate it in the store (anyone know where I can find some malt powder?), so I decided to go with an old favorite: Classic Cream Scones from Southern Living Magazine. The Fruit Salad was inspired by a recipe in Cuisine at Home, but is completely different. And the Bacon and Cheese Quiche was a recipe found on a delightful cooking blog I found a couple weeks ago.

The adventures of this morning began shortly before 6AM. I got started on the scones and was very happy at the success of this recipe. It could not be easier to make these (15 minutes to oven, tops) and they are wonderful plain, but can be accented nicely with the addition of lemon curd or clotted cream. They were so easy in fact that I am thinking of getting into the kitchen later this week and playing around with this recipe. I am thinking cinnamon pecan scones (maybe with maple)?!

For the fruit salad I was unable to get some of the necessary fruit for the recipe from Cuisine at Home (sad lack of good peaches thus far this year) so I went with what I could get. Aren't all the best fruit salads made from whatever you have on hand? I was concerned with the sweetness of the strawberries I had picked because they were HUGE(!) so I worked up a little concoction of agave nectar lime and lemon juice and poured it over the fruit. The results were wonderful.

Now for the woes of the day. The first: the pie crust fell in the oven while pre-baking it. The second: the second pie crust fell in the oven while pre-baking it. At this I almost cried. What to do? Run to Target for another pie crust (the frozen kind that won't fall in the pre-baking stage). Success! The third: Upon filling the pie-crust after getting it pre-baked, it overflowed...and overflowed....and overflowed. Verge of tears again. I slipped it into a pie pan and threw it in the oven and prayed for success. Thirty minutes later...success...yay! I don't know what was wrong with the pie crusts, but I did buy the store brand and I am considering taking them back and asking for my money back. Have you ever had this happen to you? The quiche tasted great - I will definitely modify this recipe in the future and use it again. I forgot to take a picture, but after all that, can you blame me?

So, with breakfast finished, I got started on a dessert we were taking to the fish-fry at my sister-in-law's house for Drew's Mom. Morgan requested the dessert based on the picture when she was here on Thursday, so I could not disappoint. Besides I had been thinking of making it all along. The recipe for Strawberry Pizza is from Cuisine at Home mag. It is basically a pecan, shortbread-like cookie with a mascapone filling, topped with strawberries (it should have also had chocolate shavings on top, but I had a hard time locating a dark chocolate bar). This was surprisingly light after a heavy meal. It was perfectly sweet (but not too) and the pecans were a nice treat with the strawberries. I don't think it needs the chocolate, but if you love chocolate, it might be a must. Mmm...too bad I didn't get any to bring home, man was it good!

So, there you have it. A mother's day meant to honer the mothers in my life. I am thankful everyday for the women God has placed in my life to teach me the path of womanhood. Someday, I hope to be a mom to some little one, so I can tell him/her all about his/her grandmothers. Thanks, Moms!

A Young Favorite Returns

2010-05-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a Thursday with Morgan day! I love when Morgan comes over...great conversation and great food are always in order.

Tonight we had an old fashioned recipe made somewhat different by one modification. I got the recipe for Meatball Stroganoff out of a Cuisine at Home recent issue. Yes, it is what you are thinking: beef stroganoff with meatballs instead of chunks of meat, pretty clever. I actually began making this dinner a couple weeks ago when I made the meatballs for this an tomorrow night's recipe and flash froze them. They had a great deal on ground sirloin, so I jumped on it and made enough meatballs for two completely different recipes. I have to say these meatballs are stand-alone good. I highly recommend the recipe from this mag for meatballs.
The dinner is very easy to prepare once you have the meatballs thawed out. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. I was hoping the sauce would be a little spicy because of the addition of paprika and cayenne, but was surprised to find all heat missing. If I were to do it again, I would double the ammount of cayenne to give it a little kick.

I paired dinner with some asparagus. We found great thin asparagus at Henry's Farmers Market yesterday and I was pleased with the result. Don't you just love when you find a great, fresh ingredient at a great price?

After washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen a little bit, and an episode of the Golden Girls (yes, I introduced Morgan to Rose Nyland), we got started on the dessert. This one was interesting. Morgan and I made a Chex cereal based recipe a while back. When she got in the car today, she told me she was craving it again. So, I set about creating the recipe as I remembered it. Well, I got the recipe completely wrong, but we ended up with a nice after dinner treat. She will also be taking some of it in her lunch tomorrow because we don't need the temptation around here for very long. The recipe is Snickerdoole Chex Mix and can be found here. We will have to try the one she was craving next time.

Cinco Salsa

2010-05-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

After a long day of shopping for and working out with our new fitness equipment device, we were not so hungry for a big dinner. So in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I threw together a few of my favorite ingredients for a salsa before the produce went bad and made some plates of nachos for us. Oh, and Drew made some sort of adult beverage to go with dinner - and who said he wasn't festive?
Simple dinners are the best, in my opinion. There is nothing like great fresh ingredients working together to bring about the most flavorful and enjoyable meals. What is your go to "easy" dinner that makes all your tastebuds smile?

Summer Shrimp Salad

2010-05-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing the Mexican theme for this week, I found a great recipe for a Shrimp Taco Salad out of the current issue of Cooking Light.

Let me just begin by saying this was a fabulous salad. I am surprised it was so light in calories. I am not sure if it is still light in calories when you take seconds, but I don't think the food scientists at Cooking Light take that into consideration.
The salad is pretty simple. It starts with a dressing made with lime, cumin, chipotle, and (oddly enough) maple syrup. I did a little modificaiton on this one because I didn't have any chipotle hot sauce (haven't seen that in the store before, will have to check on that), I used some Knorr chipotle seasoning and a little Tobasco. Drew must have liked the combination because he commented on the spice of the dish. While getting the corn going on the George Foreman, I got the shrimp skewered and put in on the grill. After adding the rest of the ingredients (beans, avocado, cilantro, I added red onions, and lettuce) to the deskewered, cooked shrimp and the decobbed (new word, I think) corn, and tossing; it is ready to go!
It turned out beautifully and I will definitely add this one to my list of summer salads because it did not heat up the house at all! As stated above, we did have seconds and didn't feel guilty or ashamed. Thanks Cooking Light!

When Cinco de Mayo becomes, Dos, Tres, Quatro and Cinco

2010-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Around here we enjoy foods with a Mexican flavor. Blame it on our love of Tex-Mex. Blame it my small obsession with cilantro and avocados. Blame it on my constant search of something good enough to make repeatedly. Whatever it is, Cinco de Mayo ends up stretching into a few days from that lonely old one day at the beginning of May.

So, tonight, I gave a new one a try, messed it up slightly, yet it was still good. I got the recipe for Mexican Ceviche Tacos out of a recent issue of Bon Appetit. We went by Henry's to get some fresh fish this afternoon, and at the recommendation of the butcher, we decided on sea bass. When I got home, I washed my hands and got started on the ceviche. I was all excited about getting to use my awesome knives Drew bought me for Christmas, that I ended up adding ingredients before the intended time, but I stirred it all up and chilled it in the fridge while I took a nap.
When I woke up it was time for dinner (no comments on the length of my siesta), and it only took a couple of minutes to stir in the remaining ingredients avocado, cilantro, and romaine lettuce and stuff them inside corn taco shells.
The result: A nice spring/summer dinner (no heat necessary). I think we might try another fish next time, just to change it up. Oh and the avocado was PERFECT!

N'alens Date Night

2010-04-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight we took the closest thing to a trip to the Big Easy we will ever probably have. We hold nothing against the food in New Orleans, just the dirty streets, binge drinking, and opressive voodoo are not really our idea of a great vacation spot. But those Cajuns sure know how to cook up some flavorful food, so I thought I would give it a try.
I tried a dinner for 2 menu out of a recent issue of Cuisine at Home (I highly recommend this cooking mag, because there are no ads, just recipes and the food is always, always good). The Recipes were Jambalaya Wraps, Fried Okra, and Hurricanes. Drew, our household bartender, helped me out with the hurricanes while I finished up dinner.
The recipe for the jambalaya wraps was adjusted while I made them to increase the flavor profile. I added some PC Cajun Rub, a lot more Tobasco, and left out the wraps. I was thinking it looked so good by itself, I was wondering why the tortilla made it any better, so I left them out. This is a great quick recipe for two (it actually makes enough for a third wheel, too) and tasted great. As always, the ultimate compliment in our house is seconds.

For me the star of the night's dinner was fried okra. My favorite southern vegetable...I will eat it any way you give it to me, but fried, it can't be beat...mmm...where is the rest of it? Oh wait, there wasn't any more.
Now for the Hurricanes...Drew said took a sip and said they were a lot less rum-flavored than he was expecting. I took a sip and said all I tasted was rum. Such is life in this house. I switched to water immediately and Drew was left to try to finish the drink meant for 2 without me. Don't worry, I don't have an inebriated man in my house.
Great dinner with my man.

Something new, No I really mean it.

2010-04-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I tried not only a new recipe, but something I have never had before. I have heard of lots of burgers before and I tend to go for the original; but I decided to jump out there on something new. The recipe: salmon burgers. This is something that can be easily made from pantry items. In fact I had all the ingredients but the buns (English muffins). So it helps the pocketbook.

The recipe can be found in Everyday Menus.
Small confession: I wasn't feeling making dinner so much last night. Drew even offered to make something really easy, but I was determined I was going to make dinner. The determination paid off because 15 minutes later we were sitting down to dinner of salmon burgers and salad. Wow. This is one of those you have to have in your back pocket for something tasty, but so easy! I also love that we used the canned salmon from Costco I purchased just for something like this. I highly recommend this one. I even whipped up some tartar sauce to top the burgers in that short amount of time. I could not be more pleased! Love it!

Have I Told you Lately...

2010-04-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

that I love my slow cooker.
It is the perfect thing for "those" days. Today's recipe afforded the luxury of reading in the afternoon and cleaning the rest of the downstairs without being too exhuasted to cook dinner.
The recipe comes from the Everyday Menus cookbook and is something about Spicy Pork. Sadly (more so for Drew's tastebuds), it is not really spicy. Mild would be putting it lightly. There is flavor, but a definite lack of spice. I even traded out one can of diced tomatoes for fire-roasted tomatoes. The recipe could be modified next time to add LOTS of spice for Drew's benefit.
I served this over rice and steamed some broccoli in the microwave. Thank God for the modern era of cooking.

all while waiting for sauce to thicken

2010-03-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last night's dinner was an adventure. Let's back up to Monday, when I went to SuperTarget to shop and discovered they had boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a price somewhere around $2.29/lb. I was pretty sure I could find a better price, so I passed. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. I go to my go to spot for chicken thighs (Stater Bros.) to discover they don't even have any in the store. I was bummed because I was tired and wanted to get home and get dinner started. So I had to go back to SuperTarget. Imagine the joy this bargain shopper had when I got to the chicken thighs and found they had a $3.00 off coupon on the package! This bumped the price of the chicken thighs I got to just under $.99/lb. Oh yea!!!

Well, I got home and got started on dinner. The recipe from the Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook was Sweet Glazed Chicken Thighs. Putting it all together to put in the slow cooker is speedy; I think I had it together in less than 6 minutes. So I sat back and relaxed while they got going. Little did I know the hard part was yet to come.

When the chicken is ready (tested with a thermometer), the recipe states: "Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to sauce in slow cooker, increase heat to HIGH. Whisk constantly until sauce begins to thicken, about 6 minutes later." What happened six minutes later? Besides an arm cramp, absolutely no thickness - none. So I added more cornstarch...and then a little more....and then, at the 15 minute mark - I gave up. So we had chicken and rice. Nothing else. Sad dinner. I was even going to get some broccoli going, but my arm hurt! The saving grace for the recipe is the chicken is really good and tender, if a bit dry.

Game Night, Pizza Night, Same Diff

2010-03-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Trying to get back into the swing of things has made for a tiresome day. Thankfully, we were rewarded with a great (and important) win by the Mavericks tonight (Dirk for his 2nd career triple-double) and a pizza worth the time it took to make it.
We are pretty simple pizza eaters by most standards. Every once in a while we will step outside the box and try something new, but mostly we like pepperoni. Drew prefers onions with his; I like black olives (as many as possible) with mine. So it was not anything special, but it was good.
I used the Pampered Chef Pizza Dough mix. This was the first attempt and skepticism soon turned to incredibly doughy hands, followed by...SUCCESS. It actually did what it said it was going to do...I was thrilled. Thank you PC. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other half of the dough produced by these efforts...any suggestions?
After the dough was together, I rolled it out into a thin crust and spread some pizza sauce over most of it. To top the pizza I used mozzarella and parmesan, pepperoni, onions on one side, black olives on the other, and sprinkled the top with a little Italian seasoning. I threw it in the oven for 17 minutes and was very pleased the results. I think it is better than Pizza Hut and a whole lot cheaper.

Back to Basics

2010-03-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

After a monthlong lack of posting and planning, I am back and ready to cook again. I cooked a couple times in the last month, but mostly relied on the kindness of friends and the greed of the fast food industry to get us through.
So I thought I would wade into the shallow end and then work back up to full speed (yes, that's a mixed metaphor). Thank goodness for a slow cooker and lots of recipes to try. Tonight's came from Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook - Cheesy Chicken Casserole. Don't you just love the recipes that don't try too hard in the name department? This one is simple to throw together. It is also nice because you can start it later in the day than most SC recipes and it is still ready in time for dinner. I served it with salad. When we tried it, Drew said it is called Chicken Devan (sp?) and tastes like what his mom made. This is a pretty good compliment for Drew and then the compliment of all compliments for every displaced Southern woman...He went back for SECONDS! So this one was a hit! I enjoyed it too, I think it could have been a little less creamy, but it was great in the taste department.
Oh and by the way, wading into the shallow end does not include taking pictures of the results...sorry, deep end later in the week.

Mmm...Cozy Soup

2010-02-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

It happened last night. I made dinner! Not just slapping something together like I have been doing for the past three weeks or taking the easy way out and buying dinner out. No, this was actual dinner and it was good. It was good to get the cooking juices flowing again...maybe I will keep this thing up!

Dinner for last night. Lentil with Spicy Italian Sausage (recipe from Bon Apetit January 2010) with French Bread. The flavors on this one were fabulous and it smelled great while it was getting going. I left out the parsnips, because what have parsnips ever done for anything? Drew had gone and picked up some fully cooked spicy hot links from Target (their Archer Farms brand) and they were perfectly flavored, lots of jalapeno bits in there! The best part, Drew didn't have to spice the soup at all!

On a sad note, I have figured out that my breadmaker is only half useful. I think there is something wrong with the heating element because it does not bake bread. It makes a lovely dough, but it is too high-minded to deign to do something like make bread (oh, the foolish pride of machines!). I have been putting it to good use lately in the dough department and finishing the breads in the oven; but I tried to make a loaf, start to finish in the maker yesterday and it started mocking me just after the dough was prepped (this involes an annoying beeping sound worse than an alarm that must be electronic speak for, "Think again"). Drew agrees with me that this is sad because the house still smells like bread, but there is no bread to be had. Not to be deterred, I simply had to have bread yesterday; so I ran out to Fresh and Easy and got a loaf of french bread. I was sad because I could have made my own, but I used the last of my yeast on the doomed loaf.

Anyway, that was a good news, bad news sort of post, but mostly good news because dinner was great!

Italian Feast

2010-01-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

We had my parents and an old friend over for dinner the other night and I went all out on the menu. I have been intrigued by a recent Bon Appetit article about meatballs from different parts of the world. So I tried one of the recipes. The name is really long and I can't remember it, but it was the Italian version of Spaghetti and Meatballs.

The process, though somewhat time consuming, was very straightforward and the results were tasty. I don't think I let the sauce thicken enough before serving, so the texture was off (my cooking fault, not the recipe). The meatballs were very flavorful and tender. I enjoyed them very much.
Obviously, I made pasta to go with the meatballs and tossed a simple salad with green onion and roasted asparagus. I also made the French bread mentioned in a previous post.
And for dessert, by request from Dad...a pumpkin cheesecake. This is his favorite dessert that I make...this time it could have been a little better, but it did taste right.
I think I must have been off in the texture department the other day...hmmm. Oh, well.
We had a great time at dinner and played a new game called Things. Lots of fun, lots of laughs. Thanks for the fun evening!

Bread Making for the Month

2010-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

As stated in a previous post, one of my resolutions for this year is to learn how to make bread. I have had a 66% success rate thus far and thought I would share with you my results.
The first attempt at bread was the easy way out...I made pita bread. With the help of the bread machine (purchased by my husband a scant 3 and a half years ago), the dough was prepared. This was not without some trouble because I did not realize how difficult it was to seat the bread pan in the machine...you really have to push down hard to get it in the right spot. So after Drew's help and encouragement, I got the pan seated properly and in a short time had dough! I threw it in the oven for the specified time and... SUCCESS! It tasted really good too!
The second attempt was for Jalapeno Bread. Drew was very excited about this prospect. This was the first time I tried to prepare the bread from start to finish in the breadmaker. I don't know what went wrong, but the bread did not bake properly. It was not finished when the machine said it was finished and so I put it on a timer for another 20 minutes. It still was not cooked because the machine shut itself off after about 5 minutes. FAIL!
The third attempt, I got a little ambitious. I decided to make French bread for our guests on Saturday night. As per the first attempt, I made the dough in the breadmaker and then finished it in the oven. This was the first time I had to deal with timing on rising and baking. It came out just great! SUCCESS!

I am not sure what to make this week, but I have discovered finishing the bread in the oven has been my only successful mode of breadmaking. I want to give the machine a chance to redeem itself this week. Any suggestions?

Stir Fry Light

2010-01-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have been cooking lately on an infrequent basis. I am trying to remedy this, but the motivation center in my brain is still on vacation. Yes, I know it has been three and a half weeks since we got home...oh well.
But lest you think we have not been eating, I have been cooking and then waiting to post about it and then thinking it is way too late, and then, and then...this is a track procrastination has taken most of my life. Oh for an actual workable routine again!

So here is what we had for dinner one night this week...Shrimp Stir Fry from Cooking Light. One of my favorite dishes to make is stir-fry because of good young kid food memories and because of its ease of preparation. The thing that takes the longest when making Stir Fry is the rice (and I have a rice cooker for the microwave from PC that is wonderful to this task). So this one had a sauce, broccoli, onions, and shrimp. It was good and it was pleasing to the eye. I did think it had a little too much rice wine vinegar in the mix and would modify future incarnations to remedy this. Oh, and my Stir Fry pan from PC is my favorite pan (don't tell the others).

Ode to Ohh La La

2010-01-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

There is a burger joint out here in the desert serving what might possibly be the best burger I have ever had. Tonight when I started thinking about dinner and the burgers we were going to have, I decided I was going to do my "version" of them in hopes that it would fight the craving for a little while until we go there again. I will spoil the ending and say it didn't.

The Ohh la la burger is an all beef burger with bacon, boursin, and wine infused sauteed onions with a chipotle mayo. It is perfection! I love it but the man who takes my order hates me because I change their burger every time. If you read the above list of ingredients you would think that would be enough, but all their burgers include pickles, lettuce, mustard, and tomato. Why, I ask, would you ruin the first list of ingredients with the second list? One of life's mysteries.

So tonight...Drew got a burger seasoning kit from Target that he really wanted to try (he is all about seasonings) and so he made the patties for the burgers. I fried some bacon and put the burgers on the George Foreman. I did not do a chipotle mayo because honestly, I would not use it in any other circumstances and struggle with the amount of condiments already in my refrigerator. I also did not do the onions (which I did not remember until after we started eating). The burgers looked great...so excited to get my mouth around one.

They were not that great...bummer. Drew did not like the seasoning blend and only ate half of his burger. I did not really enjoy it either and only ate about half of my burger. I guess that's what amounts to a diet in this house.

Guest Post: Steaclectic

2010-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here is my first guest post by my favorite blogger:
I guess it takes sickness to get me to write on my blog. I wouldn't say that it's because I haven't been wanting to write.... well, I've just found other normal stuff to do with my time. Most of it not important, but that's what happens. But today I am doing a guest cooking blog appearance! My wife has not been feeling well this week, and today wasn't any better. This afternoon I went to Target and picked up some filets and decided that I would do dinner rather than picking something up.

I wouldn't say that it's pretty, but I decided to do a steak trio. Each steak was rubbed with a different spice. Starting on the left: Williams Sonoma Coffee Rub(I know), Cracker Barrel "Mud" rub(w/ Brown Sugar), and a pepper blend w/ smoked sea salt(my creation - the rub, not the salt which is from Williams Sonoma). Two new and one tried and true.

I rubbed down the steaks and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes prior to putting them into a cast-iron skillet. Make sure to put a little olive oil in the skillet while heating up just to give it a nice surface so you don't really burn off the rub. I like a medium-rare steak - I'll have you know that my wife didn't know the greatness of the medium-rare until she met me. She has tasted the light. - which is about 4 minutes per side. You don't want to turn more than once. Take the steaks off the skillet, and cover with tin foil for 10 minutes to allow the meat to rest. It'll still cook a small bit while resting.

Now for the fun part, EATING! Leah and I were in agreement on steak order. In third place was the Mud Rub from Cracker Barrel. The crust created by the brown sugar in the rub was the best crust that I've seen on a homemade steak in a long while. It caramelizes down to a nice brown color. While that was nice the taste was not the best. Leah didn't like one of the spices in the rub. I believe that there was a fennel taste in the background. For me, if I had added salt I believe the taste would have been ten times as good.

In second place was the Coffee Rub. We've done this one before so we knew what we were getting into. The rub creates a good crust, but doesn't have the same texture as the Mud Rub. You don't taste the coffee that's in the rub, but it does add a flavor to the meat. If you know me, I absolutely HATE coffee! I've been through the account of Genesis more times than I can count and there is not a mention of coffee anywhere to be found. BUT, if you read closely in Revelation you'll find that coffee was thrown into the lake of fire along with the demons. It's in the original Greek, trust me.

In first place....... uh..... well by deduction, the pepper blend and smoked sea salt won out. Those simple ingredients create one of the best tastes. It also allows the meat to shine through. The pepper blend includes white, black, red, and red pepper flakes. Williams Sonoma has hit a home run with their sea salt selection. The smoked just melts into the meat and adds a hint of sophistication. I can't explain it, but it gives it almost a sweet flavor when you taste the salt. They also have a few other salts that look excellent!!! I would recommend this one to anyone wanting to try something new.

So there it is! It's not as good as my wife's food blog, but you'll have to make due until she starts cooking again.

Enjoy! -D

Resolved

2010-01-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

New Years always brings the resolutions on so I started thinking of mine for this year rather early. Drew and I decided at least a couple months ago that we were going to try to read a book a week for the new year. This resolution has resulted in the creation of a new blog by the both of us. Check it out.

Other New Year's resolutions for me this year are food related - what a surprise!

1. Learn how to make bread
2. Learn how to can/preserve.

I do feel somewhat home on the range with these two resolutions. I did not grow up in a household where either of these two things took place. Thus, they are quite foreign to me. I sat down this past Monday and started to read on how to make bread - this made me a little more fearsome of my resolved choice, but by Wednesday, I was feeling better. So, here goes the adventure. I will try to include pictures of my successes and failures.

Z'Tejas: the Phoenix Edition

2010-01-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

An entire post ought to be dedicated to the reason we stop in Phoenix every time we drive home from Texas. There are many places to stop along the way, but this restaurant is what draws us to Phoenix.
Z'Tejas is a "chain" in the sense that there are many locations around the southwest (and one in Seattle). But it is truly something special! It was started in Austin Texas and serves food that is decidedly Texan in flavor.
This time around, Drew stated, "I hate this restaurant because everything tastes good." Each time we go we struggle to decide what to order, but because we go so infrequently, we end up ordering the same thing.
We started with the Texas Trio - a set of chips and dips to put all others to shame - hand-hacked guacamole, queso, and roasted pepper salsa (their house salsa). Our waitress was generous to bring one of the daily salsas - green chile with avocado - the best green salsa I have ever had!
For the main course, we got the usual. Green Chile Barbacoa Enchiladas for Drew, Santa Fe Smoked Chicken Enchiladas for me. There was ample sharing between the two of us. The Santa Fe Enchiladas can best be described as "Texas on a plate." The Green Chile Enchiladas are a very simple flavor combination, but the flavor really works, while the Santa Fe Enchiladas are a complex blend of flavors that leave you hungry for more. Oh, for three stomachs to try all the other items on the menu in one sitting.
We also ordered dessert - Cobbler with Ice cream on top. Superb - loved the ground pecans in the skillet...mmmm. I think I could just eat pecans and warm fruit from a skillet with ice cream on top and be a happy woman!
Drew also endulged in his customary Margarita trio. He always starts with their house margarita (6th Street), then moves to another "new" one, and finishes with his favorite. He would have to tell you all about the flavors because you couldn't pay me to take up room in my belly with anything but the food at this place.
Z'Tejas, we know you well. Thanks for the great food!

Blizzard '09

2010-01-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Previous to this year, I have never been (to my knowledge) within 100 miles of a blizzard. So indulge me a little bit, while I share my tale. I can almost guarantee you, it will be my only one ever!

We set out on Christmas Eve to go to Mamaw's house (a trip of about 2 hours). About halfway through the trip we hit blizzard conditions (yes, in Texas!) and had to stop for the day. It was all of 12 noon and we found the only hotel on the way to Witchita Falls for quite a while. We had to stop a mere 45 miles from our destination and bunk down for the night. Although I did not throw a fit, like the child in the room next to us, it was the most surreal Christmas I have ever had. Drew fell in love with the snowy conditions and alternated between looking out the window at the snow and going outside to check out the snow. I have never been a fan of snow, so I lay in bed most of the afternoon.

We had a very special microwave dinner for our Christmas Eve feast (ramen noodles and campbell's soup...mmm...good) and did catch most of It's A Wonderful Life. What memories we have!
We awoke on Christmas Day and tried to wait for the sun to come out to melt some of the ice on the roads. We set out about 11:30 AM and commenced our two hour trip to Mamaw's. Drew drives exceptionally well on ice and I was very thankful for the safe trip.
I was even more thankful to see family and have a great Christmas dinner at Mamaw's. This was our debut Christmas as a couple at Mamaw's house and I have many great memories from our time there! I love spending days and evenings around a table, playing games, and laughing with family. This is what holidays were made for!
Since we had been so delayed by the snow, we decided to stay a litlte longer in Wichita Falls! We set out on Tuesday headed for El Paso. On the way home, we hit the rest of the weather conditions we had not yet seen on our trip: sleet and fog. There were a few snow flurries mixed in, but no ice. This resulted in easy driving conditions the rest of the way home. We arrived back in the desert to temperatures in the 60's. How good it is to be home!

Most of the Rest of the Trip

2010-01-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the destruction of the Mavericks by the Lakers tonight presents the opportunity to catch up on my neglected blog. Sad...sad. Let's think of the things over the last week or so that have made life not sad at all. We were in Texas for the rest of the year and made it back to Cali just in time to celebrate New Year's with my parents (a tradition we all enjoy).
To sum up most of the rest of the trip:
Our first weekend in Texas was filled largely with sports and eating. I think these two things would take up most of our time if we were to move there. Highlights for the weekend: I Frateli pizza - a knockoff of a much more famous eatery in Dallas (Campisi's) which has a great oval thin crust pizza. The best part: when I called to place the order, not only was delivery FREE, but they give a discount in the amount of the points scored by the Dallas Cowboys on the day of (or after) the game - 22% discount - if you know the amount of points scored. Pretty cool!
On Monday before Christmas Mom and I set out to pick up my older two nephews. We had all plans and intentions of going to an Ice Spectacular at the Gaylord in Grapevine. We got all the way to the front of the line to find out they were sold out until much later in the day. All was not lost, however, because I got to have a wonderful conversation with Aidan about the finer points of theology. Among the questions answered on the way to the Gaylord: "Could Samson catch the fish that ate Jonah?"
Tuesday brought much stress for me as I attempted to drive back to my brother's house (a place I have been to quite a few times and which has not moved). We got lost and stuck in traffic, arriving there over an hour late and thus decided to go out to eat! Good dinner at Cotton Patch Cafe - thanks Jordan and Sarah!
Wednesday evening saw the arrival of more relatives (my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my little 2nd cousin)! We made an easy go of it for the evening - lasagna, salad, garlic bread - and had easy conversation. I love spending time with family!

Day 6: Dallas

2009-12-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

I feel I have sufficiently recovered from the events of last night to write about it. Extreme disappointment is not the emotion of the evening, more like outrage!

Let's start with the good stuff of yesterday...
We slept in until late and I had a couple cups of coffee with mom. Once we extracted ourselves from the couch to shower and get ready, we went and grabbed lunch. Drew always talks about this sandwich shop he likes and so it was time to give it a try. We went over to Firehouse Subs. As the name might lead you to believe, it was started by firemen and serves really large portioned sandwiches. Drew got the Italian and I had the Chicken Salad. I think I would go for the Italian next time. It was a good way to get the day going.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing around the house, gearing up for the Mavericks game.
This was the first time we have ever been to see a "home game" for the Mavs. The energy in the building and the fact that our cheers for our team were not met with jeers were the things we were looking forward to the most. The American Airlines Arena is new since my days in Dallas and is much superior to the Reunion Arena of my youth. We were like to two little kids, all smiles and contentment, just being in the building. The game was truly a great game. The problem was the officiating. It was obscene. I haven't seen it's like since the '06 finals vs. the Heat. The highlights of the game, as you may already know, were: Dirk coliding with Landry and coming away to realize he had some of Landry's teeth in his elbow. Landry earned a trip to the hospital. An almost brawl between Kidd and Anderson directly in front of our seats and the Mavs bench. This resulted in a phantom technical on Carlisle, the coach of the Mavs. Then there were the "conferences" (at least 3, by my count) between the refs that lasted anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes each, resulting in ridiculous calls. We were, as I said, outraged. The Mavs lost in OT, but at least we can say we were there the night Dirk got 2 teeth in his elbow, and the only time Dampier has ever been ejected from a game. These are the things for the history books, folks!

the AA Center from the outside

the building on its feet at the end of regulation

Oh, and we ate at the game, of course. I got all excited because I discovered they had Fletcher's corny dogs (just like at the State Fair of Texas) at one of the concessions. We decided that sounded really good and immediately ordered up a couple to split. Well, I guess someday I will make it back to the State Fair, because these did not even come close. I think they had been made some time before we ordered and had been sitting under a heat lamp for some time. We also had nachos and popcorn. One thing on the frugal side that I appreciated was the value deals they had for families and couples. It can be quite expensive to get to a game and then eat. While the food was no means cheap, it did help that they had deals (including bottomless popcorn and sodas).

Overall, we enjoyed our time at the game, sad to have lost, but apparently, that's how it goes.
After the game, I told Drew I really wanted a taco (this is a RARE occurance), so he drove through Taco Bueno to grab a taco. When we drove away from the window, we had a platter with two tacos, cheese dip, rice and beans, and a bean burrito. So this is what late night snack means.

Day 5: OK City to Flower Mound, TX

2009-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

With the night we had on Wednesday, we slept in and got started late. I got a free cup of coffee at the hotel before we set out to go to the Oklahoma City Memorial. The Memorial is such a respectful, peaceful place. It is really a shame there is not something for the 9/11 victims in NYC. There is a museum we will have to go to the next time we are in town. Here are some pictures:

Since the temperature was in the thrirties, we did not stay long at the memorial and headed out to TEXAS! We stopped along the way to eat lunch at On the Border. Yes, it is a chain, but it is really good and consistent. Drew had cheese and onion enchiladas and a beef taco. I had the chicken tortilla soup.

We also stopped along the way and got Sonic drinks.

We arrived at Mom's house around 3:30 and spent some time visiting. Then we headed down to Main Street in Grapevine for dinner. If I have a hometown, I would consider Grapevine my hometown (I lived there from 1st grade to 6th grade...to this day, the longest I have lived anywhere). It was great to see Main Street. They have it all decorated for Christmas and have Christmas music playing over a sound system installed all the way up and down the street. We reminisced over days of Christmas parades and such as we walked to a "new" restaraunt. Tolbert's was started by one of the founders of the Teriligua Chili Cookoff. It is a spot where they have live music most nights of the week while they serve lunch and dinner. Mom got the catfish dinner, I got Arturo's Grilled Cheese and Drew got a cup of Red (real chili...no beans) and Buffalo wings. The food was great and the atmosphere lively. Drew wants to come again to have the Five Alarm Chili next time. Here are the pics:

Day 4: OK City

2009-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

We woke up in Oklahoma City ready for a day we have been looking forward to for some time. Drew's cousin, Dustin, has great connections in the City and got us tickets for the Dallas Mavericks game vs. the OK City Thunder. These were not just tickets, but floor seats. Needlesss to say, we were beyond excited!

We got ready and went to a late breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall spot called the Classen Grill. It was a small breakfast spot where the art on the walls is for sale and rotates as it sells. The menu had all sorts of interesting options. I went for the Biscuit Debris - southern style biscuits with ham and sausage on top, smothered in gravy, with hashbrowns on the side. Not at all healthy and portioned to serve at least 3, but wonderful!! Loved the gravy, just the right flavor. I ordered coffee and we also got a carafe of their freshly squeezed orange juice. They have an old fashioned juicer. Drew was not feeling very adventurous - he got bacon and eggs. I recommend this restaurant heartily. No pictures (forgot the small camera).

After breakfast we went to the Oklahoma City Art Museum. They have an exibit of Chihuly glass that is breathtaking! Here are a few samples.

my favorite!

Next stop: lunch. We were going to stop at a Taco stand but it was so busy that people were eating outside in the 30 degree weather. Next time. So we went to a Chinese-Vietnamese-French restaurant. Despite, my reservations on the range of foods, it turned out to be pretty good. Drew got the Kung Pao chicken and I got some sort of beef - very good. As was the pattern on this trip, we ordered way too much food. I think I have gained some weight - ahhh!

We spent the rest of the afternoon tracking down the guy with the tickets from the game. I will spare the details, but we ended up in a bar somewhere in OK City called Cock of the Walk. We loved the atmosphere of this dive bar. We would have liked it more if it wasn't so smoky. It is one of those places where the bartender knows your "drink" and the patrons have their "seat". On the end of the bar a couple of guys were playing video trivia and I started playing. I won the first round, but tanked the second one. Lots of fun. We wish there was something like this in the desert. We found ourselves saying this most of the day!

Tickets in hand, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the game. Words cannot express how happy we were to get to our seats and realize how close we were. I realized at half time that my cheeks hurt from so much smiling! It was great. They have a room behind the seats for the people with floor seats where they have an open buffet with FREE food. I have always enjoyed FREE! The food was great and we were ready for the game. Here are some of our pictures:

Dinner

Dirk

Date

feet on the Floor - the Floor!!

Great day in OK! Oh, and the Mavs won!!!

Tuesday, December 15: OK City

2009-12-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

I forgot to bring in my journal from the car, so this entry is all from my memory - this is not a good thing normally.
We got started this morning, ate a quick bite at the hotel (they had my favorite oatmeal!), and rushed to the car because it was a frigid 23 degrees in Amarillo. The wind was blowing like crazy and I was reminded of the Flatlanders song - "The Wind's Gonna Blow You Away." I now understand what they were talking about.
After much cajoling from me, we set out for Palo Duro Canyon State park. Drew was not so excited, but I had heard good things and was somewhat adamant that we visit. We were driving along and looking at the flat land on the horizon and wondering where and when we were going to start seeing something interesting. What unfolded before us as we approached the front gate of the park and started down the drive is something words cannot express. Thus, I have pictures (which, I am sure, do not do the beauty of this place justice): the pictures are attached to another post. Needless to say, Drew was happy we made the trip. We are even thinking about renting a cabin in the canyon park sometime in the future.
Post nature experience, we headed back into Amarillo and had Rudy's BBQ for lunch. This is not to be missed along the way. It is a chain restaurant, but each place we have visited, the food is exceptional. We especially love thier beef brisket. There was something new on the menu and so I asked about it. It was Green Chili Stew. The girl behind the counter said, "Oh, it is just the normal stew. It has brisket in it, but it also has green chilis." I know she must think brisket is a normal ingredient in stew, but it is certainly not in Southern California. Then she uttered the words I long to hear, "You can try some if you would like." OH, yes, I am not one to turn down a sample. I was not disappointed. Also new to the taste buds this time were the turkey and pork loin. We ate WAY too much food, here are the pics:

We got on the road and made only one stop along the way: Braums: Peppermint and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream - the thing I crave in California. I suggested a "freeze out" but Drew was not game. I know I will convince him someday.
We made it to Oklahoma City and checked into the hotel around 6 PM and we made plans to meet Drew's cousin Dustin. He picked us up around 6:30 and he was a wonderful host. I could not believe Drew agreed to go to a sushi restaurant! I know! The sushi was out of this world good! We ordered way too much again, but got to try lots of great new flavors! We then drove around OK City a little bit and then stopped by a Tequilla bar so Drew could try some new tequillas. I know nothing about this, but he is happy we stopped by.