Wasn't I just sick?

So I am sick again. And to make matters worse, John has been out of town, which means no one to take care of me, and perhaps even worse, no one to go to the grocery store for me.

This is how I survived:

Day one-
Peanut Butter and Jelly for Lunch
Leftover pasta for dinner (YUMMY, onions, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, cinnamon, cream...)

Day two-
PB&J for lunch
PB&J for dinner (I have explanied before my love of these have I not?)
2 fruit leathers

Day three-
this is where it gets sad
1 PB&J with the very smallest of butts of the bread. Which means no more bread.
Have you been to my house? Have you looked in my cupboards? I don't even have dried pasta let alone "convenience foods". It's times like these that I kick myself for not keeping such things around. And so for dinner:

Banana- Oatmeal- Berry Muffins, oh ya they are good, and pretty dang healthy. (I am attempting a healthy december) Would you like the recipe?

1 1/4 cups flour ( I would have done half wheat flour if I wasn't out of wheat flour)
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup soy milk (regular will work too, I used soy)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2-1 cup frozen/fresh berries (i had frozen mixed berries)

Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients and then combine, as always do not overmix. Spray pans. It makes a dozen regular size muffins.

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

If you are also hoping to not gain 10 pounds this month let me know and I will keep posting "semi-healthy" -"healthy" alternatives.

John returns tonight so no worries, life will return to normal tomorrow, perhaps even a pb free day. but then again perhaps not, i am slightly addicted i think.

Remember When...

I posted about starting our garden? Well the tomatoes, eggplant and broccoli are flourishing, yippee. I also started growing arugula which is doing really well. Don't you just love arizona in the fall?

I am writing to ask a request of all the garden experts out there. I am a complete garden virgin (shh don't tell). I am honestly learning everyday because I have no idea what I am doing. But I have to say I am enamoured with my garden and all things garden related. So I was wondering, does anyone have any good books, blogs, websites, etc for learning more about gardening. I realize a lot of learning is doing, but I feel like I could learn a lot before next season to make my attempts go even better. And if you have any of your own wise words, feel free to leave those too. Pretty please.

Gingerbread Cake

I've gotten a few requests for this recipe from the caramel class. It is incredibly easy and best served with caramel sauce and whipped cream!

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

1. mix together first seven ingredients.
2. in a separate bowl mix butter and brown sugar. Add water and molasses and mix. Add egg and mix.
3. add dry ingredients
4. bake at 350 in a greased 9 inch pan for 30-40 minutes.

(Picture in the previous post)

Are You Going To Be There?

Fried Catfish Sandwiches

Alright, not before we get started- I know that catfish have whiskers. I know they are horribly ugly! But trust me, there is nothing ugly when it comes to the taste of catfish. It is a reasonable priced, good flavored fillet. It doesen't taste too fishy, and at least the catfish we bought had NO fish smell. So give it a try- if I loved it you can too. Trust me, because I know about the whiskers.

Catfish Sandwiches for 2
(adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup cornmeal
zest of 1 lemon
fresh thyme
2 catfish fillets
1/2 onion

tomato
lettuce(preferably anything but iceberg)
2 everything bagels (or a baguette or something)
mayo (i personally use miracle whip but i know its a personal thing)

1. Mix the cornmeal, zest, thyme, salt and pepper
2. caramelize 1/2 onion
2. dip fillets in cream and then batter in the cornmeal mixture.
4. Fry in a thin layer of oil, about 5 minutes on each side, maybe less
5. Remove fish from pan and add any leftover batter to pan. Add lemon juice and then cream on VERY LOW heat so it doesn't seperate. Let it reduce and take off heat.
6. Toast bagels
7. Put on a layer of mayo on bottom of bagel and pile with tomatoes, lettuce, onions and than fish. Put the sauce of the top half of the bun and push down.
8. Enjoy, it's messy and will fall out in your hands, but it's okay, it's just a napkin night.

Vegetable Stock

Today was a Tomato Sauce Day. I was running low in my freezer so I decided it was time. When I was done I had a slightly tomato-ish, rather large pot that I didn't want to wash and said to myself, today I will also make vegetable stock.

Vegetable stock is used in place of that canned chicken broth you can buy. You can also make chicken stock but as I am growing more vegetarian every day I am making vegetable stock. It is the hardest thing to screw up, tastier than the canned stuff, incredibly useful and very thrifty if done right. Have I mentioned I am loving being thrifty lately? What with the economic downturn I am trying my best to make great food and keep to my budget. This is a good example of said endeavor.

Ingredients:

Water
Vegetables (Everything that has started to wilt and so you will no longer use, the peels of vegetables, the tops of celery....and the list goes on, just dont use things like pomegranates, beets, potatoes or avocados, they have qualities that make the stock cloudy, too flavorful, or oddly colored) I keep my scrap vegetables in the freezer in a baggy all together until stock day comes. How thrifty is that? It's practically garbage~
Garlic Any herbs from your garden(I don't think they are worth buying for this)
Whole Peppercorns

I didn't give any measurements because it depends on how much you are making. And it is also something that doesent have to be perfect. For about a quart of vegetables I would use 1-2 gallons of water, 4 cloves of garlic and like 10 peppercorns.

1. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer.
2. Let simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Strain out all the vegetables so you are left with a broth.
   

Uses include: Making sauces, soups, casseroles, poaching, marinades.....

Today after making my tomato sauce and stock can you guess what I made?

Tomato Soup! Love it. I filld the blender halfway up with stock, the other half sauce, added a scoop of sour cream (we only have vanilla soy in the fridge and no cream, hence the sour cream-its wonderful though), and a few sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor. Blend and serve.

With it we had Irish Cheddar Paninis. Talk about sharp cheddar. We take cheese very seriously in our house.

Baked French Toast

I'm all about bread pudding these days huh? Hopefully you are liking what I'm bringing! If not, remember ask for something else. I promise to try and make everything that people ask for.

Here is my thoughts on Baked French Toast. I feel in love with it at corner bakery. They make some killer french toast. To make it at home I want to add cream cheese, I want to make it slightly bread puddingish but I want it to still come across as french toast.

Ingredients:
1 loaf Brioche Bread, sliced thin(and eggy rich bread)(another idea would be the cinnamon raisin bread in the red package, not sure what it is, but I LOVED it growing up)
6 eggs
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups half and half
1 T cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt

1. Mix eggs, half and half, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.
2. Toast bread, either in toaster or broiled. This makes it soak up more liquid. split it into four piles so you have enough for 4 layers.
3. Spray 9x13 pan and lay out 1 layer of bread. spread half cream cheese over this layer. They layer with more bread. Pour half the mixture over this bread. Push down on the bread so it soaks in the liquid. Do another layer of bread and the rest of the cream cheese. Do the rest of the bread and pour on the rest of the egg mixture. Press down again to make sure everything is equally soaked.
4. Top with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.
5. Bake at 350 until the top is golden and the liquid has solidified.
   

YUM! I think I might be making this this weekend...

Wish List

1. A Great Digital SLR Camera to take better pictures than the ones you have to endure from my iphone
2. hmm, I think that's it actually.

Sorry for all the stinky photos and lack of photos, I really would include better ones if I had a better camera, just look at the pics and then think "wow I bet this looks 10 times better in person", that would make me feel better!

More On Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding has to be one of the simplest desserts to make, as well as one of the easiest to change and make your own.
The basic ingredients are :

Bread
Eggs
Cream
Additions

Bread can be almost anything. Traditionally you would use a day old loaf of a white bread, sans crust. I use croissants, donuts(Paula Dean, I shook my head until I tried it), chocolate cake, or day old bread. They all work, and as you can imagine add a different element to the pudding.

The eggs are pretty much standard. Some people use all yolks, some use a mixture. I like to use whole eggs because I feel like the dessert is already heavy enough, and than I don't have whites sitting around waiting for another use.

Cream- you can use cream, half and half or whole milk. I recommend half and half, it seems to be the right choice. The other two will work though, or a mixture of the above. I am all about what I already have on hand.

Additions: apples, pears, chocolate chunks(melts and makes little pockets of chocolate, you would not beleive!), raspberries, nuts, etc. I also love to use a cinnamon sugar mix on top to give it a crispy crust. Cinnamon seems to make bread pudding bread pudding. Whether it is chocolate or plain, I think it works.

Basic Recipe:

5 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups half and half
8 cups bread

Bake at 350 until the liquid is all gone.

Breadsticks- Another Request

When I make breadsticks I make grissini. I know, what-ini? Grissini are those really skinny crunchy breadsticks. We love them.

Here is the recipe I use:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salt-and-Pepper-Grissini-106069

My only changes are that I use all white flour, but go ahead and experiment. Also- i add cheese to the top, because who doesen't love cheese.

If you aren't so much the skinny crunchy breadstick person, no worries, I've got you covered. Honestly, i say go with pillsbury dough and add cheese, some rosemary and thyme and twist them. Nothing fancy. Otherwise you can make a white bread dough and do the same (dip in butter before you add the cheese and such, calories i know-but delish). It's simple, and don't worry- you don't need to stick up your nose at me for mentioning pillsbury, I'm already doing it for you.

Tomato Sauce

I've had a request for my tomato sauce recipe. I am all for homemade tomato sauce for three reasons:

it is so cheap
you will never run out because you make huge batches
you can make it to your own tastes

TOMATO SAUCE (big batch)

1 #10 can of chopped tomatoes( i use whatever dice size is the cheapest, and a #10 can is the big one you find at costco)
1 bundle of celery
2-3 yellow onions
1 pound carrots (the real ones, no babies!)
4 cloves garlic
5 slices of bacon (optional)

1. chop your bacon in tiny peices and cook in the pan you will use to make the sauce. Once they are browned remove from pan
2. chop veggies into a small dice and cook (add garlic once the other vegetables have softened)
3. and bacon back in as well as canned tomatoes
4. add salt and pepper
5. bring to a simmer and reduce heat t0 low, cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours. The longer the better.
6. Blend in the end to as thin as you would like.

One of the best things about this basic sauce is that it can be transformed so easily. Add a can of chicken stock and you have a simple tomato soup. Add basil and you have a fresh sauce. Cook up some ground meat and you have a nice bolognese. Easy right?

Once I've made the sauce I chill it and pour it in small ziplocks and freeze. That way I have tomato sauce whenever I need and I can change the sauce each time I pull it out of the freezer.

Trust me- It's worth the 15 minutes of work it takes.

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Bread Pudding

I cannot even describe how amazing this dessert is. I don't care if you don't like bread pudding- trust me- you'll like this. It is super simple but it does require you to be around for a couple hours.

Dulce de Leche (SO EASY)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. poke 2 holes in the top of the can and take off the paper wrap.
2. Put in a pot that has enough water in it to reach 3/4 the way up the can.
3. Turn on to a low simmer. Let simmer for about 4 hours.
4. Check every hour to make sure the water level stays up high.
5. Let cool, pour out of can and stir.

BREAD PUDDING

6 croissants
2 T butter
5 eggs
3 cups half and half
1 cup dulce de leche
1/2 t salt
1 cup chocolate chips

1. break croissants in to 1-inch peices. Toss with melted butter and bake until they are slightly toasted.
2. Mix together all the other ingredients. Add in the croissants. Let the bread soak up the milk mixture for 20 minutes.
3. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until it is solidified.

Be aware, you house is going to smell AMAZING for the rest of the day.

What Today?

Pink sauce is like the best of both worlds (no not the hannah montana song, got it stuck in your head now though don'cha). Pink sauce is delicious, cream sauce + tomato sauce = YUM. Sometimes I feel like cream sauce alone is too heavy, this is a good answer.

Ingredients:

1 cup good tomato sauce (I use homemade, if you want that recipe let me know)
2 cups half and half
2 T butter
2 T flour
salt, pepper and garlic

Melt butter in a pan and add flour. Whisk on low heat for 2 minutes. Add milk a little bit at a time allowing for the sauce to thicken with each addition(keep wisking!) Add tomato sauce and seasonings and bring back up to temperature. This was really good on the ravioli but also on chicken and eggplant. An easy recipe for these is to dredge them in flour, salt and pepper. (DREDGE means to put it in a pan of flour and shake it off for a light coating). Then fry each in a thin layer of oil at a medium high heat. Delicious with a nice crust.



Enjoy!

Caesar Salad

I love Caesar salad, and have a hard time believing someone does not.
Mine might change your mind.

Croutons:

1/2 baguette sliced thin
olive oil
salt
pepper
parm

Lay out slices of baguette on cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and add salt pepper and parm liberally. Bake at 400 until light brown. Yumm! Don't eat them ALL before they get in the salad.


Dressing:

Sometimes I make my own, sometimes I use store bought. On Sunday I thought I was going to use a bottle I had in the fridge only to find out there wasnt enough, here is my solution. And honestly, even if you do have enough, think about mixing what you have with my additions, it adds a fresh feel.

1 cup dressing
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/4 cup parm
1 tsp garlic
1 T dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix everything but the oil together. Then slowly add the oil while whisking so that the dressing doesn't break. Delicious!

That's it. Add these two to a head of romaine, and maybe some more cheese. Sometimes I add tomatoes, bacon or fried cheese, but honestly the salad doesen't even need it.

Nectarine Cream Cheese Tart

Here is the first recipe from this Sunday's dinner. I came up with the idea Saturday and just kind of went with it.
Cream Cheese Nectarine Tart Crust: 1 1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold)
1 egg
1 T cream or half and half

This crust is VERY easy. It is a very rich crust that is a cross between shortbread and pie dough. In a mixer beat together the flour, sugar and butter. Add egg and cream, mix a little more (don't mix too much though, the less the better) Roll it into a ball and refrigerate for an hour at least. Once it is chilled roll it out like any other pie crust and put in preferably a tart pan. Chill until filling is prepared.
Filling: 1 8-oz box cream cheese 1 lemon, juice and zest 1 egg 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (taste it to make sure it is as sweet as you would like) Beat the ingredients together, either by hand or in mixer. This is pretty much like a cheesecake filling. 2 Nectarines 2 T sugar 1 t cinnamon Cut nectarines and toss with sugar and cinnamon.
Crumble Topping: 2 T butter 2 T flour 1 T brown sugar 1 t cinnamon Mix with hands until crumbly
Assemble: Fill tart with cream cheese. Spread nectarines around and add crumble on top. Bake at 350 until crust is brown, 30-40 minutes.

Side Note

Remember, if you have any questions please let me know and I will do my best to answer, find recipes, explain techniques, etc.

Sarah's Birthday Dinner

Every week we have my brother Brad, his wife Sarah and their daughter over for Sunday dinner. This week was extra special for Sarah's 29th Birthday.
The menu included:homemade ravioli with pink sauce (birthday girl's request)
Caesar salad with homemade croutons
Sauteed Dredged Chicken Breasts
Fried Eggplant
and of course a baguette

Dessert was in two parts, mainly because I couldn't pick one. Sarah loves fruit and she loves pie and so instead of the normal birthday cake, we had:
Cream Cheese Nectarine Tart with a Pate Sucree Crust Apple Pie Purses

Yum! Talk about a good dinner.

Check back through this week as I post the recipes.

My Apologies

I have been dreadfully sick for over two weeks now. After too many days of pushing through it, pretending its not there and over exerting myself- I am finished. I finally went to the doctor, I am finally trying to do as little as possible, and I am finally getting better instead of continuing to get worse.
I promise to return by the end of the week. I miss making good food- hopefully you all are still living the dream. As for me I'm living on PB&J and Newman's Grape Juice.

Miss you,

Joy

Traditions- Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

I love traditions. Me and my husband are constantly looking for things from our families to incorporate into our new family's set of tradtions. Very often they aren't very big things, but that makes it all the easier to keep up on them. And what makes it even easier and more irresistible is if they revolve around food.

One such tradition is Monkey Bread Saturdays. Twice a year we break out the recipe, hang out in our pajamas and watch General Conference (the twice yearly broadcasted worldwide LDS conference).

Pull-Apart Bread (for anyone whose family didn't make this growing up, so sad!)

Rhodes Rolls (10-15)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 pkg. butterscotch pudding mix
1 t cinnamon

Melt butter and mix with brown sugar, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Put frozen rolls in a tall, greased pan(a bundt pan works best). Pour the mixture over the top. Cover and sit out overnight (It is best made right before you go to bed so the rolls don't rise too much). In the morning set the over to 350 and bake until the tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Turn over on a plate and serve. Ooey, Gooey Good. And yes, it is just that easy.

Dessert Plates and Macaroons

There are very few things that can improve upon a great dessert:

1. a dollop of whip cream
2. a tablespoon of ganache
3. a great dessert plate


I collect gorgeous dessert plates. I love having a collection that I can use and display. It is a mixture of plates from generations past and new ones I can't help but pass up. It's something that makes me happy and makes dishing up dessert for friends even more fun.

Brown Sugar Coconut Macaroons
one of my very favorite cookies, and look great on a colorful dessert plate



2 2/3 cups coconut
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 t salt
3 egg whites
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients(so easy!) Bake on parchment paper or a silpat for 15-20 minutes. You can dip in chocolate after they are cooled, but I usually can't wait to eat them!

Food As Love

I have always believed that FOOD=LOVE. In culinary school on the day we made ravioli my teacher said that making ravioli meant you loved someone. Making ravioli is tedious and unnecessary, and that you must love someone to make it for them. I took that to HEART. It has become my signature dish. If you come to my house for dinner, four times out of five I will make ravioli because even if you don't know it, I know that RAVIOLI=LOVE. Today I spent a lot of my day making ravioli for a few friends as well as freezing plenty for the person I love most, whose had more ravioli than a person could ever ask for. What does food mean to you? And what do you make to let the people around you know that they are loved?

I use homemade pasta, but you could also use wonton wrappers. If you have a pasta roller my pasta recipe is 1 cup flour, 1 egg, and a little olive oil and water. Knead until it is smooth and refrigerate for an hour before using. The filling is a container of ricotta, an egg, seasoning, parmesan cheese, spinach... and whatever else you want, its a good place to be creative. GO AHEAD, SHOW SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM.

My 6 Favorite Kitchen Items

Here is a list of the six things (because I couldn't pick just 5) I would be very sad to not have tomorrow. In fact last time I moved they were the absolute last things to be packed.

My Blue Kitchen-Aid w/ all the attachments I can get my hands on
Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking Its a must have baking book without a single bad recipe
My Nigella Lawson Salt Pig Keeps the salt close at hand and is absolutely adorable
My wooden utensils- I love the feel of the wood and it seems far more organic (silly I know)
My scalloped circle cookie cutter set- perfect for biscuits, ravioli or cookies
My HIPPO COOKIE JAR- because it is incredibly kitsch, and doesen't that just make you happy?

A Quick Fix

Today I am sick. So sad. The sick where you are completely exhausted and can barely make it off the couch. But I am hungry. I already had pb&j for lunch, and my husband is at work late so I went to my quick fix. It's fast, easy and delicious.

Sick Day Pasta for One

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t mustard
2 T Romano/Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1/4 pound of pasta

Cook pasta. Mix other ingredients in bowl. Add pasta. And some pasta water to pasta if sauce is too thick to stick to the noodles. Yup it really is THAT easy.

Enjoy and feel better!

Perfection from Imperfection

Yesterday I made EMPANANDAS. I've made empanadas before but I used a new dough recipe and they just didnt turn out as good as usual. The dough was a little tough and just didn't look very INSPIRING. I decided to see the good in it though. I had extra cheesy-corn-tomato filling though and thought, why not bake the empanadas again with the extra sauce all over them. My husband dubbed them ENCHINADAS and they were perfectly lovely.

The only thing that can truly ruin food is too much salt, anything else is fixable. Be creative, give it a chance, and find a solution.

Exactly How Big is a Spoonful of Sugar?

Here is a beginning lesson or reminder of measurement conversions, once you can remember these it makes it a lot easier to half/double recipes.

Volume Measurements:

3 teaspoons= 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons= 1 ounce
8 oz= 1 cup
2 cups= 1 pint
2 pints= 1 quart
4 quarts= 1 gallon

Measuring with weight is always more precise than volume. This is handy in baking because the more accurate you are the better the product will be. The reason weight is more precise is because 1 cup of flour one day can weigh more than it does another day depending upon how compacted it is. So if a recipe calls for weight try to measure accordingly and not convert it to cups as it will not be nearly as accurate.. Water, milk, juice and egg whites are the only things that have the same weight as they do volume.

And remember when cooking that measurements are not nearly as important. I rarely measure anything with cooking. Once you get the feel for spices and how much they impact your food it will be second nature to add spices without worrying that you are over/under spicing. The most important thing with cooking I can say is to TASTE things. It's a lot easier to fix something that is still in the pan than something that is on the table.

Why My Feet Are SO DIRTY

Today one of my dreams came true. I know am the proud tender of my very own vegetable garden. We made the framework for the box garden a few months ago, but because of the hot arizona summer we decided to wait to plant until Fall. Today was the day. Two tons of dirt, 3 trips to home depot, too much raking dirt, and one plant shopping trip later we have a garden.

This fall I planted:

Roma Tomatoes
Broccoli
Eggplant
Anaheim Peppers
Artichokes
Butter Lettuce
Zucchini

Some of these are supposedly great for winter here, others we are just hoping, praying will work (tomatoes) because we miss garden fresh ones so dearly. I also bought new basil, more thyme, rosemary and mint(mint mostly because it smells so pretty). I put those in pots beside the garden, for one because I got overly ambitious on what could fit in the garden and for two I thought it gave the garden some nice variance. We also put in a drip line for easy watering and put up some temporary (homemade) sunshades to keep the still 105 degree sun off the plants.

And now, I am in heaven.

The Skinny on Fats

I have a lot of opinions on fats. I believe in butter. I’ve never bought margarine and never plan on it. I use Crisco to practice my cake decorating but that is just because it’s cheap. I don't actually eat the frosting I make out of it. And I don’t use lard. I put a piece of bacon into a meal and will use that as the fat in the meal. And I love olive oil.

MY REASONS:

Butter- Butter melts at mouth temperature. If you have ever noticed a filmy taste on the roof of your mouth after a dessert, 9 times out of 10 its because they used some other fat. It can be harder to work with at times, but I think it is worth it. And I just don’t believe margarine is healthier than butter. Yes limit your intake, but it you are going to do something, I say do it right. Go with unsalted for ALL BAKING and COOKING. Only use salted for toast or sandwiches (I have to admit a love for salted butter, I though it was just amazing restaurant butter until I found out that all we had in my house growing up was unsalted, but I still never buy salted. It helps me eat less because I never smear it on bread)

Bacon- one piece of bacon thrown into a sauce or pasta or pizza can add so much flavor. And one piece of bacon isn’t going to hurt you. We never cook bacon for breakfast, it is always an ingredient, not a menu item. Using it this way gives great fat flavor that goes farther.

Olive Oil- It is the good kind of fat and delicious. If you don’t like the strong flavor or high price go for one that isn’t extra virgin. Save that for when you want that flavor (salads, dips, etc.)

Canola/Vegetable Oil- It is cheap, has little flavor and it good for making brownies or quickly sautéing something. Really that is the only reason I use it. Use it when you don’t want the fats flavor to be noticeable.

Easy, Wonderful Rice

I grew up hating rice. That white sticky stuff that had no flavor, and just seems to stick in my throat on the way down-- no thank you.

Then I went to culinary school. Apparently there is rice out there that has flavor. Now rice pilaf and risotto are two of my favorite meals. My rice pilaf is a mexican rice, but can be easily altered to work for any kind of meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain white rice (the normal stuff)
2 cups water
1/2 onion, diced
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T red chile powder
1 t cumin
salt & pepper

In a pot saute onion in a little oil on medium heat. Once it is soft add the chipotle and garlic. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add spices and mix again. Add the water and wait for it to come to a boil. Once it boils put on the lid and turn the heat down to something low. On my stove that is three, but it could be different on yours, you'll just have to test some batches until it comes out just right. Leave it for 20 MINUTES. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. After that time turn off the heat and let it sit for 15 more minutes. This is a test of your patience, you must still not life the lid. After that time is up you can unveal your rice. It will look very compact. Take a fork and fluff it, and you should have PERFECT rice.

You can change out almost anything in the recipe. The big point is to have 2:1 liquid to rice. We sometimes do half broth/ half water, or add some mexican marinade to the liquid. I personally do not recommend doing all broth if it is store bought as it tends to have a strong flavor that gets a little unpleasant in big quantites. Sometimes we add corn, tomatoes or cooked spinach to the rice after it is cooked to give it more color. With rice, the more flavor the better, make it a vehicle for all the flavors you love. It is such a big part of every major nations cuisine because it is such a good background(and it's cheap, which isn't a bad thing either).

Simply Elegant Dessert

Panna Cotta? What's that?

Panna Cotta is an absolutely delicious Italian dessert. It is a bit like mousse, but I think is even better. It is so simple to make. I usually make a vanilla bean panna cotta, but you can easily change the flavorings to suit what you like. I like it as vanilla though because it is an excellent backdrop to adorn with any fresh fruit.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 tsp gelatin
3 TBL cold water
1 vanilla bean, split

1. put water in a small bowl. Sprinkle with the gelatin slowly so it absorbs. Do not stir, and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
2. scald milk and cream with vanilla in it to infuse the milk with the vanilla flavor.
3. microwave gelatin for 5 seconds! do not overheat, it will destroy the gelatin. If it isn't liquid microwave it for 5 seconds again.
4. strain milk to remove the outside of the bean, it should be smooth but have the vanilla speckles. add the gelatin. keep stirring over a bowl of ice so that the temperature starts to come down. The mixture must be partially set before you put it in the mold in order for the vanilla beans to not all sink to the bottom.
5. pour into molds. You can either make one big panna cotta, or personal sized ones. Refrigerate until it is set, you can even freeze them to work faster. Once they are set in the molds you can warm up the outside of the molds with you hands to extract the panna cottas.

I hope you enjoy!

Something new for Me

I love APRONS. It's a byproduct of my love for clothes and love for food. ANTHROPOLOGIE has some of the most adorable aprons you'll ever see, for a pretty reasonable price. But after months of thinking about it...


Today I made an Apron. It was surprisingly easy, I've just been so scared to make one for a while because believe me, I am no SEAMSTRESS. I love it!

My favorite parts, the pockets, the hemp ricrac, the wide waistband and the pleats.

WHAT are you SCARED to do? WHAT do you think is OVER YOUR HEAD? Because there is a good chance you are UNDERESTIMATING yourself.

Thirty in Thirty

I recently heard of a man who ran 50 marathons in fifty days. My sister's idea seems less daunting. 30 blogs in 30 days. She has started this with her blog (plaidsandprints.blogspot.com), so for anyone who needs a creative outlet, or a few quick ideas or hints, now is a good time to check her out.

So here is day one of my thirty.

INTERNATIONAL COOKING sometimes seems overwhelming. You decide to make something and then REALIZE you can't even PRONOUNCE some of the spices, let alone have them in your pantry. But international food is AMAZING. There is so much you might not even REALIZE you are missing. Last night we had GREEK night.

Menu:

Grilled Chicken with a LEMON vinaigrette
SPANAKOPITA
Cucumber TZATZIKI Salad
and for dessert:

Apple Toffee BAKLAVA

YUMMY! And honestly it was all so easy. My tip of the day:

COOKING AROUND THE WORLD FOR DUMMIES

That's right. We even used this book as a textbook in my international cooking class. It is excellent, has great recipes and really breaks things down well. I'm a bit of a SNOB though, so mine is wrapped in brown paper, because it is a bit embarrassing to have a dummies book.

So now there's no excuse.

I am feeling INDIA later this week, but likely a QUICK TRIP to ITALY first.

So the QUESTION is WHERE are you going this week?

Chicken and Waffles

Okay so little change in format. 6 menus a week is proving to be too much work, especcially if I want to give the recipes the proper attention. So I will start posting recipes in smaller quanities, but I think they will be better recipes.

Chicken and Waffles

You may or may not've heard of the southern favorite but John and I were very intrigued when we saw it on Bobby Flay's Throwdown on food network. I decided to take a different approach to it as I am far from a deep south girl. So here is a south-west version of a new classic.
Ingredients:
chicken tenders
chipotle in adobo
buttermilk
check waffle recipe for ingredients
1 red pepper
maynaisse
basil
tomato paste

Fried Chicken:
We used tenders. It made it easier to eat with the whole meal.
Marinate the tenders in buttermilk and adobo sauce, enough to cover. Do this overnight if possible. Mix salt and pepper into flour and take tenders from buttermilk into flour and get a thick coating. Two ways: I like to put it back in the buttermilk at this point and double dredge. It makes a thicker crust but tends to come off easier. John thinks it is more classic and better with just one dredging, so you decide. Deep fry in a cast iron skillet if possible, it takes very little time.

Cornbread Waffles:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CRISPY-CORNMEAL-BACON-WAFFLES-109154

These are absolutely delicious, we loved them!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
Roast red pepper. If you have never done this, don't be scared, it's easy. The easiest way is to broil them. You put it under the broiler whole. When the skin on top starts to get blistery and black turn the pepper until the whole thing looks like that. Take out of over and put in bowl and cover tightly to steam the pepper. Five minutes later remove the pepper and the skin should just peel off. Cut in half and remove seeds. Put in blender and add, 1 small chipotle, 1 TB tomato paste, 1/2 cup basil, 1/4 cup mayonaisse. Blend and add buttermilk. Continue to add buttermilk until the flavor is mellow enough for you. Add salt, pepper and chili powder.

Put waffle on a plate. Add honey butter. Put chicken on top and smother in sauce. Serve.
It may seem weird, but try it anyway!

It's been a while!

Alright Annie here is a quick rundown on leeks.

I absolutely love leeks. They are great if you think onions are too potent. Onions make my mom sick so sh usually uses shallots instead but I like leeks as alternative better because size wise its a little easier, more cost effective and has a really great flavor.

To use a leek:

Cut off the bottom 1/2-1 inch and the top, like you would with a green onion. Then cut length wise along the whole thing so the you just have 2 long half moons. take off the outside layer. Only take off what is too gross that cannot be cleaned, it shouldnt be much. Then dunk in water to get all the dirt out from between the layers. Then use as you would an onion.

One way I love leeks:

When you want a crunch on top of steak, or salad but don't want to deep fry onions. Deep fry leeks without any batter until crispy then salt right away. Delicious!

Week Two Menus

I hope everything went well with week one. Here's another week of great recipes!

Everything is scaled for 4 people:

1. Vegetarian Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles(the long ones)
1 box frozen spinach
frozen artichoke hearts
sun dried tomatoes
1 container pesto
small ricotta cheese
tomato sauce
Parmesan cheese

Cook and chill noodles. Rub each with ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with a thin layer of each vegetable, pesto, and Parmesan cheese. Roll each individually and place on cookie sheet. Pour tomato sauce over top and more cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is golden brown.

2. Taco Salad

1 head romaine or green leaf lettuce
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
4 tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
salsa
sour cream
cilantro
crushed tortilla chips

Cook the ground beef with salt, pepper and chile powder. Chop vegetables and grate cheese. Mix sour cream and salsa to make a dressing. Toss all ingredients and serve.

3. Leek and Asparagus Frittata

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241324

4. Texas Chile

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28277,00.html
I omitted the ancho and jalepeno pepper and the recipe was still very spicy. Remember to only use one chipotle not the whole can! but this is a great recipe, just modify to your spice preference.

5. Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank's or Goya
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 Chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
1 onion, grilled
2 pieces bacon
1/4 cup blue cheese
pizza dough

Cook butter, sauce and vinegar together until well blended. Grill pizza dough and spread with that buffalo sauce and thn chicken, onions, bacon and blue cheese. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

6. Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheese Toast

1 loaf french bread
cheddar cheese
2 large cans cubed tomatoes
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion
3 pieces of bacon, chopped
chicken stock

Cook bacon and set aside. Leave grease in pan. Cook onion, celery and carrot in that fat. Add bacon back in and add flour to dry up fat. Stir for a minute and add small can of stock and cans of tomatoes. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Blend. Cut french bread in half and add cheese on top, broil and serve with soup.

Questions

If anyone has any questions on specific food items, ingredients, health conditions, etc. that you would like me to write about please feel free to comment and ask, I am always looking for new ideas to research!

Week One Menus

My idea is to give six meal ideas every week and leave one day open, because even I can't follow a schedule every day of the week. I'll give the idea, grocery list and recipe or hints on making these meals. If you need any more information feel free to ask.

Day One: Pasta Bolognese (Pasta with meat sauce)

Groceries:

• Any dry or fresh pasta, unless you feel courageous and want to make your own. I like rigatoni best because the meat gets inside the holes. Yum (1 lb serves 4)
  

• Ground sirloin, pork, veal or some combination (1 lb serves 4)
• veggies- carrots, celery, eggplant, onions, squash, etc. (do veggies you like) (3 cups total at least)
• Garlic (2-4 cloves depending on preference)
• Tomato sauce (store bought, ill give a tomato sauce recipe some other day) (i think classico is much better than any other variety i've tried)
• 1 can chunk tomatoes

To make the sauce: Grate all the vegetables and cook on medium heat in saute pan with a little oil until soft. Remove from pan and cook meat. Add garlic at the last minute. Add canned tomatoes and sauce and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, the longer the better. Season with salt and pepper throughout and red pepper flakes add a nice spice. Simple dish, but healthier than your normal meat sauce.

Day Two: Grilled Chicken Tacos

Ingredients: Chicken (2 breasts per 3 people)
uncooked tortillas if possible (Costco has them)
3 limes
cumin & chili powder(try to find a chili powder with some texture to it)
tomatoes (i like vine ripened but sometimes they are super pricey)
cilantro (one of the cheapest herbs, its a hate or love kind of food)
green onions (just a few)
avocado (1 should be fine for 3 people)
lettuce ( i like green leaf or red leaf, its cheap and has flavor)

Marinate chicken in juice of 2 limes with 1/2 T cumin and chile powder for 1/2 hour. Grill and shred. Cut up tomatoes, cilantro, green onion and avocado and mix with lime juice. Cook tortillas and pile with chicken, lettuce and tomato/avocado mix.

Day Three: Chicken Pot Pie

1 chicken breast per person
1 onion, carrot, celery, 1 potato- chopped
rosemary, thyme
butter, flour, chicken broth
biscuit dough
corn (optional)

Saute chicken in butter and set aside to cool. Saute veggies in same pan, starting with potatoes so they cook through. Add flour to vegetables when cooked through, enough so it looks dry, let cook on medium for 1 minute while stirring. Add 1/2 cup broth per person and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add in chicken and corn. Pour in ramekins for personal pot pies or one bigger dish. Cover with Biscuit dough and bake at 350 until biscuit is browned.

Serve with a green salad to lighten up the meal.

Day Four: Lamburgers (unconventional spelling noted)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground lamb for 3 people (if you can't get ground lamb and don't have a grinder try beef)
• orange juice
  
• cumin
• plain yogurt
• 1 garlic head (yup the whole thing)
• pitas
• arugula

mix ground meat with 1/4 cup o.j., salt, pepper and cummin and form into patties. Cut top off garlic head and wrap in tin foil, put in oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 cup o.j., salt and pepper. Grill Patties and pitas. Smear yogurt inside pita, add arugula leaves and some of the roasted garlic that should squish out of the cooked garlic head. Add in patty. I promise it's delicious.

Day Five: Grilled Vegetable Calzone

Ingredients:
favorite pizza dough recipe, or store bought dough,
tomatoes, onions, eggplant, squash, peppers, etc
motzerella cheese
bread crumbs
tomato sauce
balsamic vinegar
1 egg

Marinate vegetables in balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper and grill. Cut up mozzarella and combine, add a cup of tomato sauce for 2 people. Fill calzones with mixture and seal. Crack an egg and brush the egg onto outside of calzone, then brush with bread crumbs. Bake at 375 until golden brown. Use extra sauce for dipping.

Day Six: Cucumber Salad and Fried Ham and Cheese

A really unhealthy sandwich (we'll just make it smaller) mixed with a yummy healthy salad.

Ingredients:
1 english cucumber per 2 people
2 tomatoes
1 shallot
rice wine vinegar
olive oil
lemon (zest and juice)

Mix lemon, 1/4 cup vinegar, chopped shallot, salt and pepper. Add olive oil and vegetables.

Sandwich Substitute ham for turkey.

Welcome!

I have been thinking about this project for quite some time. I keep getting questions from friends and family about meal ideas and every once and a while someone says "I wish I just had a menu I could follow every week". So here it is. I plan to include new menu plans every week, hints for different illnesses or health problems and also little indulgences meant for the weekend. After all I am a baker at heart and believe that at the heart of any lasting meal plan is a little chocolate! Keep checking back and I hope you will all enjoy. I am in the process of making the blog look a little nicer to so keep your eyes open for that. And if you like what comes please add me to your blog!

Hint #1: Salt. The only thing i every really learned from the infamous Doc of Maglebys is that salt is the only thing that can make food inedible. Other things may make it less desirable but salt can ruin it. So before you add salt to anything, taste it! See if it needs it. That includes once it has gotten to the table. It kills me when people add salt to food at the table before they taste it, how can the possibly know how much it needs. If you monitor this better you'll find your food tasting better and you consumption of salt will drop. Something that would be good for anyone.