New House, New Kitchen, New Creations

Matthew's Modified Pizza

2009-08-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Jay's Pizza Crust (Modified by Matthew)

from All Recipes

**This recipe (the old one, unaltered) will result in a sticky, gooey mess. I changed the quantity of oil and flour to reflect what I've found to work well. **

2-1/4 t active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/2 t brown sugar

1-1/2 c warm water (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)

1 t salt

4 T olive oil

6 c all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 4 cups of the flour.
**mix in the flour with one hand only, leaving your other hand free and clean. If you get a sticky mess where you can't clean off your hand, use your other hand to dump more dry flour on your sticky hand. This will help get your hand free**

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour (approx. 1.5 cups more) until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until doubled in size; approximately 1 hour. Punch down the dough and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax a little before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise 15-20 minutes before topping and baking it. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

**Makes 1 large pizza

Pizza Sauce

from Linda

1 can tomato sauce

2 t dried oregano

2 t dried basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

salt

pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low for about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly before spreading on crust.

Our first meal in our new dining room.

2007-11-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in Rachael Ray's magazine, though I don't remember which issue. I halved it since the recipe claims it serves 4, but Rachael's recipes tend to serve twice the number she says it will. We didn't have any leftovers, but that was because we both enjoyed it so much and decided to stuff ourselves a little. A quarter of what I made would have satisfied us, so keep that in mind when trying this recipe. I also only used 1/2 lb of ground beef, but I always use less meat than recipes call for. Matt and I save a ton of money that way and we don't feel we miss out on any meaty goodness.

Beef and Cheddar Potpie

from Rachael Ray

6 T butter, chilled

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 c beef broth

salt and pepper

1 1/2 c flour

2 t baking powder

2 c shredded cheddar

1/2 c milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x12 baking dish (I used 8x8) and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 2 T butter over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as it browns. Stir in the tomatoes and beef broth and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 20 minutes. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and 1/2 t salt. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, blend in the remaining 4 T butter and the cheese until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir quickly with a fork to form a dry, shaggy dough. Gather the dough together and knead lightly in the bowl. Transfer to a floured surface and roll or pat into a large, 1/2-in thick round. Using a 3-in cookie cutter, cut out 8 biscuits. Repeat with the scraps until all the dough has been used. Place biscuits on top of the beef mixture as close together as possible and bake until lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

Serves 4 (In RR's world)

It is finished.

2007-11-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

After two and half very long months, our dining room is finally finished. What was supposed to be a weekend project turned into one of the more frustrating experiences of our married life together. We survived, though, and actually made it through the whole remodel without any serious fights! Go us.

We had plans for the dining room from day one since it was an absolute disaster. Before I post the pictures of our lovely new dining room, I want to post some before pictures so the change can be fully appreciated.

This is the room before.

This is the awful crown moulding.

And this is what we found underneath it. Yes, that is flowered wallpaper behind the sheetrock. Instead of taking down the wallpaper, the previous owners put another layer of sheetrock over it. And then they didn't bother to cut it right, so there was a gap of as much as one inch around the entire perimeter of the dining room. Fun.

And now, the finished project.

I am so proud of the work we did. It doesn't look anything like the room we started with. We filled the gap, fixed the crooked door trim, then painted the room. The ceiling was not level, making me worry that new paint would emphasize the waviness. My parents suggested that we create a false straight line with picture rail. I painted the ceiling, trim, and approximately 35 centimeters of the wall a light peach. Then I painted the rest of the room orange. The color is perfect and orange supposedly makes people hungry, so it's the perfect color for the dining room.

After the paint, we stained and installed the picture rail. The color was supposed to be a dark mahogany, but looks more brown than anything. It works, though, since the railing is almost a perfect match with the drapes. We also installed a faux cast iron wall sconce over the buffet, hung our clock and a few pictures and ended with an amazing room. It is now our favorite room in the house.

Big thank yous need to be sent to my parents, not only for the decorating advice, but also for loaning us the miter saw, which made cutting the picture rail a breeze. They also provided home renovation support and some gloves so I didn't stain myself mahogany. Thank you also to Ryan, who drove an hour to see us and was then roped into helping us fill the gap at the ceiling. We couldn't have done it without him! Ladies, this very handy man is single...

Thai at Home

2007-11-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe while browsing my new favorite recipe website, http://www.myrecipes.com/. It was originally in the December 2004 issue of Cooking Light. It was pretty tasty, but I didn't think it tasted much like Thai food. My husband actually liked it much more than I did, which shocked me. I'm not sure I'll make it again (but when do I ever make things more than once?), but the recipe is worth a try.

I served it over angel hair pasta because I forgot to pick up rice noodles, but the recipe doesn't have you serve it over anything. Rice would work just as well and maybe even better since the sauce is pretty thin.

Thai-Style Stir-Fried Chicken

from Cooking Light

1/4 c rice vinegar

2 T brown sugar

2 T fresh lime juice

2 t red curry paste

1/8 t crushed red pepper

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2 T vegetable oil, divided

1 c chopped onion

1 c chopped carrot

1 (8 oz) pkg presliced mushrooms (I omitted these- mushrooms are gross :) )

1/2 c light coconut milk

1 T fish sauce

1/2 t salt

1 c fresh bean sprouts

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Combine rice vinegar, brown sugar, lime juice, red curry paste, and crushed red pepper in a large ziploc bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from the bag, reserving marinade. Heat 1 T oil in a large nonstick skillet or work over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add remaining 1 1/2 t oil to pan. Add onion and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add reserved marinade, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Stir in chicken and salt; cook 1 minute. Top with sprouts and cilantro.

Pizza Quiche?

2007-11-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yes. This is a pepperoni pizza quiche. I found the recipe in the Food section of my local paper and decided to try it. I had some leftover pepperoni from our pizza Tuesday night and figured this was as good a way as any to use it up. I also had a pie crust that had been sitting in our freezer for who knows how long. All signs pointed to pizza quiche.

The recipe is a little weird, and I was nervous at first, but the final product was actually quite tasty. I would recommend it for an easy weeknight meal. It certainly fit the bill here. Matt hasn't tried it yet, as he had parent-teacher conferences last night and was fed very well there, but I know I liked it.

Pepperoni Pizza Quiche

from the St. Louis Suburban South Journal

1 unbaked deep-dish frozen pie shell

2 c shredded Italian blend cheese (I didn't use this much)

2 oz thinly sliced pepperoni, about 20-30 slices, cut into quarters

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (I used skim)

3 eggs, beaten

2 T flour

1 t dried basil

1/8 t garlic powder

Other pizza toppings, if desired (I used chopped black olives)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle 1 c cheese and half the pepperoni on bottom of pie shell. In medium bowl, whisk evaporated milk, eggs, flour, basil and garlic powder until blended. Pour egg mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Decorate top with remaining pepperoni pieces and any other toppings.

If pie pan is made of aluminum foil, place quiche on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Shepherd's Pie

2007-11-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

I remember my mom making this as a kid, and as I am still remiss in my meal planning duties, this was something I could put together with stuff from my freezer and pantry. It was really good and was definitely a Matthew meal. Put a potato on anything and he'll eat it. There were no leftovers, but there should have been. Matthew found himself in a food coma after dinner, but he said it was worth it. I guess that means the dinner was a success. If Matt's bloated, tired, and happy, I have done my job as a wife and cook.

I used this recipe from Rachael Ray as a starting point, but most of the recipe is mine.

*I have recently been enlightened; because my pie was made with ground beef instead of lamb, mine is actually a cottage or cowboy pie, not a shepherd's pie. You learn something new everyday in the blogging community.

Shepherd's Pie

from Linda with a little help from Rachael Ray

6 potatoes, cleaned and chopped into cubes

1 T butter

1/4 c skim milk

splash of chicken broth

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c frozen peas

1/2 c frozen corn

1 T flour

1 T butter

1/2 -3/4 c beef broth

2 t Worcestershire sauce

paprika

Cover potatoes with water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil, salt, turn heat down, and simmer covered until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add butter, milk, and chicken broth and smash to a smooth consistency. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.

While potatoes cook, brown beef in a large pan. Just before beef is no longer pink, add onion and continue to brown until onion is translucent. Move beef and onion to the outside of the pan, leaving an open spot in the middle of the pan. Melt butter in the pan and whisk in flour, making a roux. Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, making a gravy. Once thick, which should only take a few minutes, stir into the beef mixture and add the frozen corn and peas. Let simmer on low heat until potatoes are done.

When potatoes are finished, spoon the beef mixture in to a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until top starts to brown slightly. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes to further brown the top. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Cookies = Addiction

2007-11-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

This cookies were among the best cookies I have ever had. They were so good, I sent a dozen with Matt to school to share with his department and took the rest with me to work to share with my co-workers. I received three recipe requests for these cookies. They were that good. The cookies are cakey, which makes for a super moist cookie. The frosting is to die for and I had a lot of fun browning the butter. I told Matt how fun it was and he told me I was weird. Whatever. He wasn't there to see the butter turn brown! Too cool.

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen, originally found in Betty Crocker's Fall Baking

2/3 c granulated sugar

2/3 c packed brown sugar

3/4 c butter or margarine, softened

1 t vanilla

1/2 c (from 15-oz can) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 eggs

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t salt

Browned Butter Frosting

3 c powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

3 to 4 T milk

1/3 c butter (do not use margarine or spread; it will burn)

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.

Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough of the remaining 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generously frost cooled cookies.

Pumpkin Bread

2007-11-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Of all the things I have cooked or baked, this is by far the most intimidating. My mother-in-law is practically famous for her pumpkin bread and Matt absolutely loves it. She bakes it in a coffee can and it is always super moist and really yummy. We had some pumpkin muffins at my parents house this past Sunday and he mentioned he wanted pumpkin bread. My mother gave me two cans from her pumpkin stash and that was that. Matt would get his pumpkin bread.

I looked at a few different recipes, trying to find one that looked good, but was also a little different from my mother-in-law's. I settled on this one, which I found on Deborah's blog. It used applesauce instead of oil, which also appealed, since all this recent baking has made my pants shrink a little. It was a good bread, but Matt still prefers his moms. He called it a pumpkin cake instead of a pumpkin bread and claimed the pumpkin flavor didn't shine. Every one's a critic. I guess I'll keep looking for a recipe that compares.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

from Deborah's Culinary Confections

2 c granulated sugar

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1 c applesauce

1/4 c water

2 1/2 c flour

2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 1/4 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9"x5"x3" loaf pans. (I halved the recipe since I only have one loaf pan.) In a large mixing bowl beat sugar, pumpkin, eggs, applesauce and water until well combined. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture until just combined - do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour evenly into prepared loaf pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean.

Another Pantry Winner

2007-11-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this past week I have failed in the meal planning and grocery shopping arena. Monday nights I'm on my own for dinner, so I decided to play with some flavors that aren't Matt's favorites. There was some white wine in the fridge that needed to be used or thrown away, so I used that as a base and came up with a super tasty pasta with a white wine gorgonzola sauce. I didn't measure ingredients, so this is my best guess as to what the recipe is. Everything is certainly to my tastes, so someone else who makes it should make it to theirs. Enjoy!

Bow Ties in a White Wine Gorgonzola Sauce

from Linda

8 oz bow tie pasta

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c chopped onion

1/2 c white wine

1/2 t cornstarch

1/4 c gorgonzola

salt, pepper and dried basil to taste (I think it was basil. It may have been oregano. I really don't remember.)

1 small tomato, chopped

2 handfuls baby spinach

chopped black olives

Cook the pasta according to package directions. In a large saute pan, saute the garlic and onion in a little olive oil until onion is soft. Add white wine and cornstarch. Let simmer until reduced by 1/4-1/2, about 5 minutes. Stir in gorgonzola and seasonings. Add cooked pasta, along with a little of the cooking water (maybe 3 T). Toss to coat. Stir in tomato and black olives. Wilt in spinach by handfuls. Serve hot.

20 minutes from start to tummy.

2007-11-02T10:30:00.001-07:00

Now this is what I call fast food. This took almost no prep work, was on the table in under 10 minutes, and was super tasty. It will definitely be filed under the "too tired to cook but don't want to order out" tab in my head. It was all stuff I had on head, too. I'm not sure there is anything better than that. Again, I must thank Annie for having a fabulous blog and introducing me to this recipe. Now if I could just get her to cook for me.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

from Annie's Eats

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c vegetable broth

1 c salsa

1 t cumin

sour cream, green onion, and shredded cheese for garnish (I had some guacamole left over from the tostados, so I used that as well)

Combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin in a food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Heat soup in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Put soup in bowls and garnish as desired.

You're killing me, Smalls.

2007-11-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this fall I have not been to a hayride and have not had the pleasure of sitting around a bonfire and making S'mores. That was not going to stop me from having S'mores, though! I saw this recipe on the Williams and Sonoma website, but before I had a chance to make them, I saw them on Annie's blog. That sealed the deal. I had to make these treats. I didn't have to use the oven, so it was nice to keep the kitchen a little cooler while we had our mini-heat wave in the middle of October. They were good, but I think in the future I will limit them to something fun to make with my cousins. Not a star dessert, but a fun concept and certainly tasty. It's hard to go wrong with grahams, chocolate, and a (flaming) mallow.

S'More Bars

from Williams and Sonoma

3 T unsalted butter, cut into chunks

6 whole graham crackers

3/4 c sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 1/3 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt

1 c miniature marshmallows

2 whole graham crackers or 1 c mini-graham cracker shapes

Line an 8-inch square baking pan or dish with aluminum foil so that the foil hangs over the sides. Grease the foil with butter.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 3 tablespoons butter. Using a pot holder, move the pan to a heatproof surface. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Put the 6 whole graham crackers into a zippered plastic bag. Press out all the air and seal the bag. Using a rolling pin, gently but firmly crush the cookies to make tiny crumbs. You should have 1 cup of crumbs. Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Scrape the crumbs into the baking pan.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the crumbs. Place your hand on the plastic wrap and spread the crumbs to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the crumbs are in place, press down firmly to make a solid, even layer. Throw away the plastic wrap when you are finished flattening the crumbs.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips. Heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Using a pot holder, move the pan to a heatproof surface. Add the vanilla and salt and stir until blended. Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and spread evenly with the spoon.

Scatter the marshmallows evenly over the chocolate filling and press them in gently. If using the 2 whole graham crackers, break them into little pieces. Stick the broken crackers or mini-cracker shapes into the filling among the marshmallows.

Cover and refrigerate the bars until they are firm, about 4 hours. To serve, lift the foil from the pan and set the smore square on a cutting board. Peel the foil away from the sides, and cut the square into rectangles with a sharp knife. Keep refrigerated until just before serving.

Makes 12 bar cookies.

Tostadas

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

This dinner was so tasty. I put it together without a recipe, but anyone who has ever made tacos at home could have put this together. I didn't have any taco seasoning, so I seasoned the meet on my own and that ended up being a great decision. I don't think I'll ever buy taco seasoning again. I can do it just as well for cheaper! Yay! I also got to make some guacamole for this dinner, which automatically makes it a great dinner. I lightly fried the tortillas, but they could just as easily be baked for a healthier version. I decided to go more authentic tonight, but I've been using so many Cooking Light recipes lately, I figured I could splurge.

I made these with ground beef, but they could just as easily be done with shredded beef, chicken or pork. I just happened to have ground beef on hand.

Tostadas

from Linda

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 T chili powder

1/2 T cumin

1 t salt

1 t pepper (all the seasonings are approximate)

1/4 c water

4 corn tortillas

1/2 c canola oil

refried beans (I used canned, but you could definitely make your own)

guacamole (I made my own)

shredded lettuce

tomato

cilantro

diced onion

shredded cheese

sour cream

Brown ground beef. Add seasonings and water and simmer to reduce slightly. In a small frying pan, heat oil. Lightly fry both sides of each tortilla and drain on paper towels.

To assemble, spread each tortilla with beans, then top with meat and the toppings of your choice. I meant to serve these with olives and salsa, but I forgot to get them to the table.

I served these with salsa rice (rice cooked in chicken broth with cumin and chili powder then mixed with salsa).

Another Cooking Light Dinner

2007-10-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

This one was really really good. I loved this dinner. Matt and I both did. I could have put the Gorgonzola salsa on anything and loved it. So tasty. I served the chicken with Gorgonzola mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. It was a perfect meal and took almost no time at all to put together. After having one of my brownies for dessert, it ended up being a lovely Cooking Light dinner.

Because this recipe was in one of their menu sections, I halved the recipe for the salsa and only used 2 chicken breasts, but this was definitely a dish worthy of company, so I'm posting the recipe as the magazine published it.

Chicken Breasts with Gorgonzola-Tomato Salsa

from Cooking Light, September 2007

2 c chopped tomato

1/3 c minced red onion

1/3 c finely chopped fresh basil

2 t olive oil

1 t kosher salt, divided

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 t pepper

Cooking Spray

3 T crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Combine tomato, onion, basil, oil, and 1/2 t salt in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each piece to 1-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with remaining 1/2 t salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 3 chicken breast halves to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is browned and done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 chicken breast halves.

Stir cheese into tomato mixture. Place 1 chicken breast half on each of 6 plates; top each serving with about 1/3 c salsa.

For my Gorgonzola mashed potatoes, I cooked potatoes until tender in salted water, then mashed them with about 1 T butter, 1/4 c buttermilk and pepper. Right before serving, I stirred in about 1/4 c Gorgonzola.

A Cooking Light Brownie is a Small Brownie

2007-10-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

But still a tasty brownie! The recipe says it makes 2o brownies, but that makes for a brownie that is approximately 1.5 square inches. I made the brownies in an 8x8 pan since I didn't have a 9x9, but that won't make the brownies all that much bigger. I really enjoyed them, but they were slightly over baked. I forgot to reset the timer on the microwave, so I lost track of the time. It is definitely time to get a kitchen timer. Who knew my oven wouldn't have a timer, light or window?

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

from Cooking Light, September 2007

Cooking Spray

2 T instant coffee granules

1/4 c hot water

1/4 c butter

1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/3 c sugar

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

2 large eggs

1/4 c toffee chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Combine coffee granules and 1/4 c hot water, stirring until coffee granules dissolve. Combine butter and semisweet chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla extract, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture, stir just until combined (don't stir this one with a whisk- I made that mistake!). Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Serves 20 (yeah, right!)

Feels Like Fall!

2007-10-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

I think my menu may have been inspired. The first night the temperatures fell enough to finally feel like fall, I had chili cooking in the crockpot. It was perfect. The chili recipe was the same as I always make, but this time I decided to make something other than traditional cornbread as a side. I saw this recipe in September's Cooking Light and just had to try it. They were so good! I will definitely make them again. They were perfect with the chili and took almost no time at all to put together. I highly recommend them!

Cornmeal, Jalapeno, and Fresh Corn Scones

from Cooking Light, September 2007

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c cornmeal

1 T baking powder

4 1/2 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 c fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear)

2 T finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

1 c nonfat buttermilk

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in corn and pepper. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist (dough will be slightly sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 2 or 3 times with lightly floured hands. Pat the dough into a 9-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 12 wedges, cutting to, but not through, dough. Bake at 400° F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

More South of the Border Inspiration

2007-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

Mexican food may be my most favorite food in the world. These chimichangas were wonderful, and because they were baked and not fried, it made them much better for us and I definitely had less guilt issues while eating them!

At first, I wasn't sure I liked the relatively strong tomato taste in the filling, but it grew on me. It was a little different, but in the end I decided I liked it and will add it to the make again file in my head.

Skinny Chimichangas

from Weight Watchers via Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

½ lb ground skinless turkey breast (I used lean ground beef)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 t chili powder

1 t dried oregano

½ t ground cumin

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 T chopped mild green chiles

⅓ c shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.

Spray a medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and the chiles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar.

Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Spoon about ½ cup of the filling into the center of each tortilla.

Fold in the sides, then roll to enclose the filling. Place the chimichangas, seam-side down, on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the tortillas with nonstick spray. Bake until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes. Do not turn. You can top these chimichangas with your favorite salsa and 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream.

I served this with rice cooked in chicken broth, cumin and chili powder and mixed with some shredded cheese and salsa.

Mexican Chicken Soup

2007-10-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

I pulled a Robin Miller and when I made the breaded chicken breast for the dinner the night before, I pan fried two chicken breasts for tonights dinner. It made it super easy to put this soup together. I got the recipe from Bean's Bistro and thought it was pretty good. I did, however, use a little more than a dash of cinnamon (oops- darn shaker) and it was a very distracting flavor. Not a bad flavor, but it was a much bigger player in the soup than I would have wanted. I also didn't use as much olive oil, but I've included the recipe as it should have been.

Mexican Chicken Soup

from Bean's Bistro

1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 T olive oil
1 c water
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 med tomato, chopped
1 cooked corn off the cob (I used 1/2 c frozen corn)
2 cans chicken broth
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 T chipotle powder
1 t dried cilantro
Dash cinnamon
1 c cooked chicken
1 T sour cream

1 avocado

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft.

Add in all the other ingredients except the sour cream and simmer over medium heat for about 30-45 minutes.

About 5 minutes before soup is complete, stir in the sour cream.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Top with chopped avocado, shredded cheese and more sour cream, if desired.

Finally went to the grocery store!

2007-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

The first of the month is my favorite day in the world. It means I can make a menu with whatever I want because I get to go the grocery store! This meal was very easy and tasty, two of my favorite things. The orzo salad was inspired by the lovely Joelen (who I finally got to meet!), but I didn't really use a recipe. The chicken breasts I used must have been from a relative of Dolly Parton, so they took forever to cook. Next time I will definitely remember to pound them thin!

Orzo Salad

from me (with some help from Joelen)

8 oz cooked orzo

1 c grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 c chopped green pepper

1 small red onion, sliced

1/2 c reduced fat feta

1/3 c sliced black olives

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 T olive oil

red pepper flakes

dried oregano

Combine all ingredients. Serve. (I told you it was easy!)

For the chicken, all I did was bread the chicken with seasoned breadcrumbs and pan fry.

Still cleaning out the pantry

2007-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Cooking at the end of the month requires a little more creativity than usual. I'm trying to avoid grocery shopping before October 1st, but my usual pantry staples are starting to dwindle. I had a package of Trader Joe's chicken sausage in my freezer so I decided a simple pasta dish would work well. However, I had no tomatoes or tomato sauce, so I had to get a little more creative. With a little help from my What's Cooking ladies, I came up with this very tasty white wine sauce. Pretty tasty pantry/freezer dinner.

Spinach and Fontina Chicken Sausage with White Wine Sauce

from Linda

1 package chicken sausage

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T olive oil

1/2 c white wine

1/2 c chicken broth

1 t cornstarch

1 T butter

8 oz cooked pasta

fresh chopped parsley

Remove casings from sausage. Slice into bite size pieces and brown in a large saute pan with 1/2 T olive oil. When browned, remove from pan and keep warm.

Add remaining olive oil and saute garlic until just softened. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Mix cornstarch with chicken broth and add to pan. Bring to boil, then simmer to reduce by approximately 1/2, about 10 minutes. Melt in butter and add cooked sausage; warm through. Serve over cooked pasta and garnish with parsley.

A little piece of cupcake heaven

2007-10-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

My mom is a Rachael Ray fan (she just can't help it) and was one of the first subscribers to her magazine. While Rachael's giggling and super annoying hand gestures make her show a little difficult to watch, I do like her magazine. After she gets her new issue, my mom loans me her old one and I write down the recipes I'm interested in trying. These cupcakes were one of them. I made them for a BBQ we had a few weeks ago and they were a hit. I will definitely add them to my "make again" list.

Chocolate Red-Wine Cupcakes with Mascarpone Icing

from Every Day with Rachael Ray September 2007

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 c boiling water
2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 c medium- to full-bodied red wine, such as cannonau
Two 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 c confectioners' sugar
Red grapes, halved, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 2 muffin pans with baking liners.

In a medium, heatproof bowl, combine the cocoa powder and chocolate pieces. Whisk in the boiling water until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Alternating, add the chocolate mixture and wine in batches, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth. Divide among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan.

Lightly beat the mascarpone, then add the confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy. Remove the cooled cupcakes from the pan, spread each with icing and top with a grape half.

I recommend storing them in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. The cupcake is a super light cake and the frosting runs a little, so letting it harden a little in the refrigerator makes the cake and icing hold up a little better. Definitely store leftovers in the refrigerator!

Yummy Pizza!

2007-09-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

My first homemade pizza was a success! I really enjoyed this crust; it was recommended by the ladies on the What's Cooking board and it did not disappoint! I was a little nervous since yeast is not usually my friend and then I forgot to add 2 ingredients (the salt and the olive oil) until after I started kneading the dough. It turned out perfectly, though. I even made my own pizza sauce for the pizza. I was so domestic, my new name is now Martha.

Jay's Pizza Crust

from All Recipes

2-1/4 t active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/2 t brown sugar

1-1/2 c warm water (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)

1 t salt

2 T olive oil

3-1/3 c all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2-1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until doubled in size; approximately 1 hour. Punch down the dough and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax a little before rolling out.

**Makes 2 large pizzas

Pizza Sauce

from me

1 can tomato sauce

2 t dried oregano

2 t dried basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

salt

pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low for about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly before spreading on crust.

I topped the pizza with green pepper, red onion, black olives, pepperoni, provel cheese and parmesan.

Fall weather has left, but I still want soup!

2007-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

While last week held the promise of fall, this week temperatures soared into the low 90s. Though it certainly was not fall weather, I had soup on the menu and gosh darn it, I was going to make it. I'm glad I did because it was delicious, but it sure did heat up the kitchen! I didn't make any changes, but I did use skim milk instead of 2% because that was I had. If I make it again, I would add a little more cheese plus just a little bit of salt. I thought it was a little bland; surprising, since there is half a pound of cheese. Very tasty, though!

Baked Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup

from Southern Living (found on Julie's blog)

1/4 c flour

2 (14 1/4-oz) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided

3 c peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 lbs)

2 c broccoli florets, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/4 c 2% reduced-fat milk (I used skim)

1 (8-oz) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

7 t shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

7 t fully cooked bacon pieces (I used turkey bacon)

7 t chopped green onions

Whisk together flour and 1/3 c chicken broth until smooth. Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

It's Not Chicken, Beef, or Pasta

2007-09-18T18:24:00.001-07:00

No, this is still my blog, but I have branched out to the "other white meat". There were some boneless pork chops on sale last week at the grocery store, so I decided it was time to try a new meat. I got the idea to stuff them with cheese and apples from Joelen (who I get to meet at the end of the month!), but I changed a few of the seasonings and the type of cheese. The rest of the meal is my own, but were created by pulling from ideas I've seen all over the place. The mac and cheese is essentially made the way my mother makes it, with a few minor changes.

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops
from Joelen, modified by me

4 center cut boneless pork chops
1 apple (I used yellow delicious)
2 oz Gruyere cheese
thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop apple and cheese and mix with seasonings. Cut a slit in center of each pork chop and stuff with filling. Place on baking sheet and seasoning top of pork with the same seasonings. Sprinkle each chop with a little olive oil and bake in 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese
from me

8 oz short pasta (elbows or shells work best)

5 T butter

4-5 T flour (I eyeball it, so this is just a guess)

1 1/2 c milk (I use skim, but you can use any kind)

pepper

salt

nutmeg

2 1/2 c shredded cheese, divided (tonight I used sharp cheddar and leftover Gruyere)

1/4 c plain breadcrumbs

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add milk, continuing to whisk until mixture is thick. Turn off heat and add salt, pepper and nutmeg. (You are essentially making a basic bechamel sauce) Stir in 2 c cheese, whisking until cheese is melted. Add cooked pasta and combine. Pour into baking dish. Toss remaining cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is browned. Let cool slightly before serving.

Sauteed Spinach

from Linda

4 c fresh spinach

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/2 T olive oil

1 T white wine vinegar

Saute garlic in olive oil until lightly brown. Add spinach 2 cups at a time, wilting the spinach. When spinach has wilted, add vinegar and saute for 1 minute. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately.

It's Fall!

2007-09-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

When the weather here dipped into the low 70s, I knew it was time to have some traditional fall food. What's better than chili in the fall? Chili with Frito's and cheese. Yummy. I made this batch in the crock pot, but it can also be made on the stove top. It just needs to simmer for 30+ minutes.

I would also like to add that this particular meal tasted even better because when I ate it I was a lawyer! Yes, that's right. I have officially passed the bar. While chili at home was not the way I initially planned on celebrating the best day of my life (second only to my wedding day), it was actually a pretty darn tasty way to celebrate. Plus, Matt took me out for dessert at a fabulous little restaurant in Webster Groves, Cyrano's. I had an AMAZING brioche bread pudding. To die for.

Linda's Chili

from Linda

1 large can Brooks Chili Hot Beans

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 lb ground beef, browned and drained

1 can tomatoes for chili (2 if you want a thinner chili)

cumin

chili powder

Frito's

shredded cheddar

chopped onion (white or red is best)

Combine beans, beef, tomatoes and seasonings in crock pot. Heat on low for about 5 hours, but as long as 8 (depending on your crock pot). Serve over Frito's and top with cheddar and onions.

My Favorite Comfort Food

2007-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Tuna Casserole. My mom used to make it a lot when I was a kid and it would make my night. She used wild rice more than she did noodles, but I don't have wild rice on hand like she did. I'm more likely to have some kind of short pasta, so that's what I use most often.

I was feeling the need to go back to my childhood, so Tuna Noodle Casserole was the solution. I never make it the same way twice, but it does always have tuna, noodles and cream of celery soup. I know not everyone is a fan of the cream ofs, but I like the way it makes this casserole taste. So there.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
from me

8 oz short pasta
1 can cream of celery (I always use low-sodium)
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar, divided
2 cans tuna packed in water, drained
mix of frozen vegetables (I always use peas, but tonight I added corn and broccoli to the mix)
1 can diced tomatoes (I don't always use this)
salt
pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add frozen vegetables the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 c cheese. Add pasta and combine. Pour into baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

A Family Favorite

2007-09-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Or at least our small family's favorite. This is probably the dish my husband requests the most. Of all the recipes I've tried since we've been married, this is the one I've made the most. Matt even requested the dish for his birthday. I learned that night if you put candles in a hot casserole, they melt from the bottom and fall before you have time to sing. That casserole had small puddles of blue, pink and yellow wax, but I don't recommend that addition.

This recipe was given to me as part of a shower gift, again from a woman I went to church with. Jen promised we would love it and the recipe did not disappoint! I have only made this dish with ground beef, but I'm sure it would be just as good with chicken. When I made it this time, I forgot that the meat is added separately and browned it with the onion and other sauce ingredients. The taste was the same, but it didn't look as pretty. All well. Still a great dinner!

Easy Enchilada Casserole
from Jen

1 medium onion, chopped
2 T vegetable oil
1 19 oz can enchilada sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 can Mexi-Corn, drained
1 t chili powder (I use more)
1 t cumin (I use more)
1 10 oz package corn tortillas
3 c cooked chicken (or 1/2 lb to 1 lb ground beef)
Mexican 4-cheese blend

Saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, corn and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. Spoon 1/3 of sauce mixture into bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of tortillas, 1/2 of meat, and 1 c of cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas, sauce mixture, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

I served this with salsa rice.

Williams and Sonoma Meal #2

2007-09-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Before I get into this meal, I would like to add that I made Bourbon Chicken from All Recipes the night before (found in Amber's blog) and it was quite tasty. I took the food to my husband at work and forgot to take a picture, but we both really enjoyed it and I would recommend it. The only changes I made were to replace the soy sauce with chicken broth because I forgot I was out of soy sauce until I was half-way through making the dish. Still tasty, though!

Tonight I made a second dish from Williams and Sonoma. This meal was definitely made for me because I adore olives, but my brother and husband were not totally enamoured. My brother said it was too bitter and my husband said he didn't like kalamata olives, so I felt a little bad, but we did some doctoring that made it a pretty enjoyable meal for all of us. I figured it need something sweet to cut the bitterness a little, but my brother thought it needed more spice, so he added some Parmesan cheese to the top and some hot sauce. My husband took my suggestion on the sweetness and added some chopped tomato. It was really really good with the tomato.

If we make this again, I will use fewer olives, more parsley, and add chopped tomatoes. I would also be sure to serve lots of grated cheese on the side. Oh, and because I didn't have marjoram, I used fresh oregano instead. The tastes are similar, but oregano is a tad stronger, so I used a little less.

Spaghettini with Olive Pesto

from Williams and Sonoma

1/2 c olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 lb. black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh marjoram or 1/2 tsp. dried

2 T salt, plus more, to taste

1 lb. spaghettini or spaghetti

1/4 c minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. In a food processor, combine the 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, olives and marjoram and pulse to combine. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then pulse once or twice more to form a coarse sauce. Transfer the olive pesto to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add the 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pesto along with the parsley and toss to combine. Add as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Serves 4.

Fusilli with Raw Zucchini, Mascarpone, and Ricotta

2007-09-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was browsing the Williams and Sonoma website and adding to my kitchen wishlist when I stumbled upon the recipe section of their site. I cannot believe I hadn't looked here before! The recipes looked amazing and I knew I had to try a few. Annie from Annie's Eats has a lot of recipes from their site in her blog, but I never thought to browse it myself. I was doing my menu planning for the week the same day I browsed the site, so two of their recipes made it to the week's menu. This was the first.

The recipe was pretty good, though I felt it was a little bland. More Parmesan helped a lot, and if I make it again, I will definitely salt the pasta water. I don't usually do that because I generally don't like a lot of salt in my food, but this recipe needed a little help. Otherwise it was a nice, easy recipe that was super quick and made very little mess. It also didn't heat up my kitchen, which is always a plus when the temperatures are still in the 90s. Now that cooler weather is approaching, I'll probably shelve this recipe until it heats up again, but it is one to remember when I need a simple summer dish.

Fusilli with Raw Zucchini, Mascarpone, and Ricotta

from Williams and Sonoma

2 small very fresh zucchini, trimmed and cut into large chunks

1/4 c mascarpone cheese

1/4 c ricotta cheese

1 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 t grated lemon zest

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1 lb. fusilli

2 T coarse salt

In a blender or food processor, combine the zucchini, cheeses, lemon zest and basil. Process until a light green paste forms. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and the coarse salt, stir well and cook until the pasta is al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 9 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Place all of the sauce in a warmed serving bowl and stir in the cooking water. Add the pasta and toss well to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.

A little help from Trader Joe's

2007-09-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely addicted to Trader Joe's. One of my favorite convenience items is their ravioli. It comes in so many tasty varieties and I think I've almost tried them all. Tonight I wanted something easy and I had some heavy cream that was on the brink of expiration, so I decided to pull the ravioli out of the freezer and have that for dinner. I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli in my freezer, so I figured a simple white wine cream sauce would compliment the ravioli nicely. The sauce is my own creation, pulling from various recipes. I'm really proud of it; I think it came out restaurant quality!

White Wine Cream Sauce

from Linda

1 shallot, diced

1 T butter

1/2 c heavy cream

1/4-1/2 c white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

1 t cornstarch

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

grated Parmesan

fresh basil

Melt butter in large skillet. Saute shallots in the butter until translucent. Add heavy cream and wine. Whisk in salt, pepper, pepper flakes and cornstarch. Heat over low heat until thickened, whisking constantly. Add cooked ravioli to pan. Toss lightly in the sauce. Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Blowing the dust off the old crockpot

2007-09-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have not had a lot of success with the crockpot. Maybe it is the recipes I've used, but I haven't been impressed with it so far. Everyone raves about the wonderfulness of the crockpot, though, so I decided to give it another chance. I'm glad I did! I got this recipe from a woman from church at my kitchen shower. It was really tasty and my husband, who claims he isn't a "soup man" loved the soup! I would definitely recommend it.

Taco Soup

from Kara

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used black beans)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 lb ground beef, browned (I only used 1/2 lb)

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream of potato soup

1 can beef broth

Brown the ground beef with the onions. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for a few hours. (Mine cooked for about 6). Serve over corn chips with taco toppings (I used sour cream, cheese, black olives and cilantro).

I've been tagged!

2007-08-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

Alright, the tagging has made its way to me from Mari, so here are 8 facts about me.

1.) As I mentioned in my cookie post, I opened up a bookstore in college with my now husband and a friend, Jared. Jared started selling used books on Amazon right when it was becoming popular and made a ton of money. He turned it into a business. We worked out of a warehouse with thousands of books and sold quite a few on the internet. After we ended up with hundreds of books that were unlistable, either because of no ISBN or there were just too many listed online, Jared decided to open a storefront. He asked me to spearhead it, so I was able to fulfill a dream. Not only did I work in a bookstore, I started one from the ground up. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I learned a lot about business and I had the absolute pleasure of forming relationships with a few regulars. I knew where every book was in that store and was able to recommend a lot of great books to customers. One of the saddest days of my life was the day we closed the store. Jared let me go through the inventory before we had our closing sale and told me I could take whatever I wanted. I left with 4 full boxes and a ton of memories.

2.) I've known I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 14 years old. I did a research project on the Scopes Monkey Trial and fell in love with Clarence Darrow, the "attorney for the damned". It sort of became a calling and I decided after that project that I wanted to be a public defender. Who is more damned than the PD's clients?

3.) I am a desperately shy individual. If I am not 100% comfortable, I hold back and just watch. I come off as a snob, but it really is just being shy. As a result, I'm terrible at making friends and only have 1 or 2 close friends.

4.) I held the hula hoop record in my neighborhood for 3 summers straight. No one was better with that hoop than I. Now, I can't keep it around my waist for the life of me, but I will always have that title.

5.) I recently started running for fun. I was introduced to the Couch to 5K running program and decided to give a shot. In the past, I have always said that I hate running and would only do so if forced. Now I actually like it. I made it to week 8 in the program, but then suffered my first sport related injury. Apparently, the hip flexor is something that needs to be treated when injured, otherwise the hip will roll forward to protect it, causing one leg to be over half an inch longer than the other. This, apparently, then causes the band that connects your hip to your knee to rub on a bursa, causing bursitis and a sharp, persistent pain in the hip. Or so I've heard. I will now not only work at physical therapy clinic; I will be a patient.

6.) I currently don't have any pets. I want a pet, but my husband is allergic to cats and doesn't "believe" in indoor dogs. I have told him that it's either a dog or a baby, but he's not giving in on either.

7.) I am one of the biggest Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans you will ever meet. I own all 7 seasons on DVD and watch them on a very regular basis. When I had FX, I would wake up at 7:00 AM to watch Buffy reruns, even though I have them all on DVD. My best friend and I along with 2 other friends from college would have Girls Night every week where we'd watch Buffy, eat pizza and gossip about our boys, who were all friends/roommates. Good times. I gained a lot of weight that year. Too much free pizza (our friends worked at the dining hall pizza place and would bring the pizza to us).

8.) I am not picky about movies. I will watch just about anything so long as it is not horrifically violent. I have only turned off one movie (The Nutty Professor- too many fat jokes), walked out on one (Saw II- so gross), and almost walked out on one other (Unbreakable; Worst.Movie.Ever.). I also wish I could get the two hours back I wasted watching the Transporter, but those are the only movies I can say I disliked. Some say I have no taste, but I'd like to say I have low expectations. I don't expect all movies to be Oscar contenders. While it doesn't take much to entertain me, I will say that Audrey Hepburn will always be my favorite actress and I love all her movies, even the silly ones. My friend, Jana, made quite a bit of fun of me for liking Funny Face, but how pretty was she in that movie?! Open mind, people. That's all it takes.

Alright, now it's time for me to tag some people. I'm kind of at the tail end of this, so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to tag 8 people. I'm tagging Meredith, Jana, Ang, Laura, and Mary Ellen. I don't think these girls have been tagged recently!

Another Dessert.

2007-08-30T19:40:00.001-07:00

Someone needs to stop me. I'm so bored waiting for the results of the bar so I can actually be a lawyer, I have been filling my hours trying to perfect my baking skills. The muffins were super great and the cookies were darn good as well, so my confidence this afternoon was pretty high. I'm not the best baker- I much prefer cooking- but today I decided to revisit my arch nemesis, cheesecake.

I saw Giada make these on her show Everyday Italian the other day and decided to try them. The initial plan was to include these with the muffins, but that's not going to happen. The recipe was ok I guess, but I cannot successfully make a cheesecake. There is something or someone in the universe that has decided I will not make a cheesecake that is not cracked, sunken in the middle, or otherwise ugly looking, underdone, or overdone.

This recipe appealed to me because they were bite sized and I could use my newish mini muffin pan. Yesssss. I also figured they would be less likely to fall in the middle if they were smaller. Turned out I was wrong, but you can't blame me for hoping. The water bath was a little bit of a disaster (some of the cheesecakes went for a pre and post baking swim), but the process seemed to go alright. After I pulled them out, a few of them fell, gosh darn it, but the rest looked alright.

Then I tried to pop the darn things out of the pan. They did not want to come out without a fight. The recipe only has you butter the sides, not the bottom, of the cups and as one might expect, the bottoms didn't want to come out. They were not the prettiest dessert, but the taste was good. I may just try the recipe as a whole cheesecake. That is, if I ever decide to make a cheesecake again.

Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes

from Giada De Laurentis

1/3 c finely crushed chocolate wafers

2 T butter, melted

1/4 c ricotta cheese

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 c sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1 orange, zested

1 egg

Butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg. Blend until smooth. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.

Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

And the best wife in the world award goes to...

2007-08-30T19:21:00.001-07:00

Me! This morning I woke up at 4:30 to make my world famous chocolate chip cookies for one of my husband's Physical Science classes. They actually all behaved during a fire drill so he wanted to try a little positive reinforcement. He was first going to do donuts, but then asked me to make some cookies.

Now, I don't mean to brag here (maybe I do), but it is generally accepted that I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world (at least according to me, my husband, and a group of StuCo students from Farmington, MO who stayed with us a few days last semester). I cannot reveal the recipe, but let me say it is from my grandmother, Nestlé Tollhousé (anyone? anyone?).

While some say that it is the recipe that makes the cookie, I would have to completely disagree. The recipes don't usually vary all that much. One recipe is pretty much as good as the rest. And as we all learned from Monica Gellar and Phoebe Bouffet, the one on the back of the chocolate chips is pretty darn good.

What makes a good cookie is the technique, so rather than sharing a recipe, I will share my technique. I really do think these things make all the difference, but feel free to disagree! But remember, my cookies are the best. I now have another class of 15 year olds who agree (and asked for more!).

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
According to Linda

1. Always start with softened butter. Not solid. Not melted. Softened. Leave on the counter for about 30 minutes or so. It usually does the trick. The finger should just depress, just like testing doneness on a steak.

2. Beat the heck out of the butter and sugar before adding the vanilla. And I mean beat them. We're talking beating the crap out of them. There is a point at which the butter and sugar look fluffy- this is when they are creamed. If you're not sure, keep beating them. There's no such thing as over beating it, at least not in my book.

3. Mix in the vanilla after the butter and sugar are fluffy. Mix really well after the vanilla and after each egg.

4. SLOWLY mix in the flour mixture. I mix it in about a spoonful at a time. It really doesn't take that long and it makes less of a mess. I'm not sure if it does anything for the cookies, but this is the only way I don't end up with a cloud of flour flying all over my kitchen.

5. At this point, follow the recipe. I check my cookies really often to make sure they don't cross that fine line between perfect and crispy. I also try to get a few pans that aren't all the way done so we have some super soft ones.

This is what I have learned about chocolate chip cookie making. As long as I am totally tooting my own horn, I would also like to add that a very popular DJ in Columbia, MO raved about my cookies on air when he had them at an event held by the bookstore I helped open with a friend (and closed, unfortunately) in Columbia. People came to the bookstore just to try the cookies! Too bad they didn't buy more books.

Welcome, Neighbor!

2007-08-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

We have a new neighbor now so I wanted to bring some baked goods over to welcome her and her children to the neighborhood. I would have loved it had someone done the same for me, so hopefully I won't come off as too June Cleaver. I didn't want to do just cookies (though I make a mean chocolate chip cookie) and I had some buttermilk to use up from those gosh darn biscuits, so these muffins made the cut. I found them on Annie's blog and have wanted to make them ever since.

These muffins may be the most wonderful baked good I have ever put in my mouth. No joke. They were moist. They were sweet, but not too sweet. The cinnamon sugar top made the muffin absolutely perfect. I could have eaten dozens of them! Luckily, the recipe only made 9 and I was giving most of them away. As of now, however, I still have them all because the neighbor hasn't been home when I have. Hopefully I can catch her this weekend; otherwise these muffins will be gone!

If you make these muffins, don't change a thing. They are perfect and there is no reason to mess with perfection. Trust me!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

from Williams and Sonoma

7 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 c buttermilk

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

2/3 c sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon (you won't need this much- I only used about half this much. Ditto for the butter). Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes 9 muffins.

It can't all be gourmet.

2007-08-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner was not gourmet, but it was easy and tasty. We've had a box of Chicken Quesadilla Pasta Roni sitting in our pantry for a long time. It made the move with us and was around for awhile before that. Tonight I decided it was time to get rid of it. It's hard to call this a recipe, but I did do some serious doctoring to the box dinner, with a little inspiration from the serving suggestions. I was actually quite surprised at how good it came out. I probably won't be buying the box stuff again any time soon, but it's good to know that something really tasty can come from surprising sources.

Chicken Quesadilla Skillet Dinner

source me and Pasta Roni

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 box Chicken Quesadilla Pasta Roni

1 1/2 c water

1/2 c milk

2 T butter

1 c frozen corn

1 c salsa

1/2 c cheese

chopped tomato

chopped black olives

sour cream

crushed tortilla chips (I baked some corn tortillas in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes)

Brown ground beef in large skillet. When almost brown, add jalapeno, red pepper, and onion. Soften until beef is browned. Stir in water, milk and butter and bring to a boil. Add pasta, seasoning mix and corn to the pan and return to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until pasta is al dente. Stir in salsa and cheese. Serve with chopped tomato, olives, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, Asparagus and Peas

2007-08-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

This dish ended up being a perfect summer afternoon lunch. We spent most of the day working on our dining room, but making and eating this dish was a great break. I got the recipe from Cooking Light, the August issue I think. I didn't change anything and I don't think I would if I made it again. The sauce didn't thicken up very well until well after I made it, but the pasta really held on to what sauce was there. Very lemony. I garnished mine with some lemon zest and snipped chives to make it just a tad lemonier and pretty.

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, Asparagus and Peas

from Cooking Light

8 oz uncooked long fusilli (twisted spaghetti)

1 3/4 c (1 1/2-inch) slices asparagus (about 1/2 pound)

1 c frozen green peas, thawed

1 T butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)

1 t cornstarch

1/3 c heavy cream

3 T fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/2 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Dash of ground red pepper

Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Lemon slices (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus during last minute of cooking time. Place peas in a colander. Drain pasta mixture over peas; set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cream, juice, salt, 1/4 t black pepper, and red pepper. Add pasta mixture to broth mixture; toss gently to coat. Garnish with coarsely ground black pepper and lemon slices, if desired. Serve immediately.

Crying?! There's no crying in baking!

2007-08-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Biscuits. I was terrified to make them and I think they knew. I pulled out my Alton Brown cookbook to find the perfect scientifically based biscuit recipe. I found it. He promised me I would have award winning biscuits. He has yet to fail me, so I jumped in. I froze the butter. I grated it into the dry ingredients. I rubbed in the butter instead of cut. I bought an enormous tub of plain yogurt because he said it makes them fluffier. I mixed. I turned it out onto floured waxed paper. And this is what I got:

Which turned into this:

And finally this:

I was incredibly frustrated in the kitchen and my husband had to yell from our dining room in progress that they were only biscuits. He just has no idea. I hate kitchen failures! Once I decided to just throw the mess away, I looked in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for another biscuit recipe. Turns out I didn't have enough flour to try again because I had wasted two cups on this disaster. Sigh. I ended up walking to Aldi's to buy buttermilk biscuits in a tube and a bag of flour. I'm not seeing another biscuit attempt in my near future, but at least now I have the flour.

While the biscuits may have been my greatest cooking disaster to date, my sausage gravy and eggs turned out quite yummy. I used a recipe I got off the Nest a long time ago, I think from nestie TexasSmith (It was Krashed24, from this blog. Sorry Amber!). It turned out much better then the darn biscuits. The eggs were nothing special, but I did snip in some chives and I always whisk in water, not milk, to make the eggs super fluffy. While my "breakfast" wasn't actually finished until 1:15 in the afternoon, I at least got to eat some pretty tasty gravy. It was even made with fresh from the hog sausage. My mother-in-law sent us home with a few pounds of a friend's pig, so I figured gravy was the way to go. Very tasty.

Sausage Gravy

from Amber

1 lb pork sausage

2 T chopped onion

6 T flour (I used more since I used skim milk)

4 c milk

1/2 t sage (I used poultry seasoning because some caterpillar decided to eat my fresh herbs)

1/4 t salt

black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink. Drain, reserving 2 T drippings (my sausage didn't get any drippings, so I melted in some butter). Stir flour into sausage and drippings until blended. Cook and stir until light golden brown. Add seasonings, then gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until desired consistency.

Guacamole and Homemade Chips

2007-08-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

We needed a late snack one night (see post below!) so we went to the grocery store and got what we needed for guacamole. This I can actually claim as my own recipe, though there doesn't seem to be a lot of variation among guacamole recipes. This one, however, is mine. I also made the chips myself because we had some corn tortillas we needed to get out of the fridge. Matt loved them so much he told me we will never need to buy tortilla chips again. I always like to get raves from him, though I think I will still buy tortilla chips!

Guacamole

from me!

2 ripe avocados

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 lime

1/2 c chopped cilantro

1 tomato, chopped

salt

pepper

Smash the avocado in a small bowl. I like it chunky, but mash it to your desired consistency. Stir in jalapeno, juice from the lime, cilantro, and tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chips.

Tortilla Chips

from me

corn tortillas

salt

Cut tortillas into wedges and place on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp. Serve warm.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2007-08-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

That's right. All those delicious words come together in one cookie. I've been wanting to bake, despite the heat, so I browsed some starred posts I had in my Google Reader. I ultimately decided on these cookies that I found in Annie's blog (you should check it out- she has so many baked goods!).

They were absolutely delicious! I loved them. Matt tried one that was cooling from the first batch and came into the kitchen and said, "These cookies are the worst ever. You better not eat any. I'll go ahead and them all for you so you don't have to suffer." That's when I knew they were good! We gave some away, but I think Matt put down 2 dozen of these cookies over the course of the weekend. Such a cookie monster!

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

source Annie's Eats

3 eggs, well beaten

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 ½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, dried cranberries and vanilla and let stand for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.Cream together butter and sugars. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and soda to sugar mixture. Mix well. Blend in egg-cranberry mixture and oatmeal. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the white chocolate chips. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet or roll in small balls and flatten slightly on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Spinach

2007-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Since it has been so gosh darn hot around here lately, I'm trying to come up with meals that won't heat up the kitchen. This one seemed to fit the bill. The original recipe called for arugula, but I wanted to use up the baby spinach in the refrigerator so I used that instead.

The recipe says it serves 4, but my husband actually laughed when I told him that. Maybe as a side dish, but not as a main dish. We were still hungry after we ate the whole pot so I had to make an evening snack. If I make this again, I would definitely serve it as a side dish to grilled chicken or something. It was not very filling at all! But it was really tasty.

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Spinach

(I don't remember the source- maybe CookingLight.com?)

2 T chopped walnuts

1/2 t salt

6 oz uncooked farfalle

2 c baby arugula (I used spinach)

2 T fresh chives, minced

1 c grape tomatoes, halved

1 T white wine vinegar

1 T olive oil

1/4 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

3 T blue cheese

Place walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast nuts over medium high heat until lightly browned, shaking skillet frequently, about 1-2 minutes; remove from skillet and set aside. Bring 3 quarts water and 1/2 t salt to a boil in a large pot. Stir in pasta and cook until tender; remove 1 T of pasta cooking water and reserve for later. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl; immediately add arugula and toss well. Cover bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap; set aside until arugula is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and tomatoes. Stir together vinegar, oil, reserved pasta water, remaining 1/4 t salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue cheese and walnuts.

Taco Salad

2007-08-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

To be honest, the recipe inspiration came from a kraft recipe, but I made so many modifications I'm going to go ahead and call it my own. However, in an effort to credit sources (however slight the similarities), the original recipe was Taco Salad Made Over. Matt gave it two thumbs up and the best part was that it took less than 20 minutes to get the dinner to the table.

I should also add the tomatoes were grown fresh by my hubby. They were so good and way better than the last few I bought at the grocery store. Yay for fresh produce!

Taco Salad

4 flour tortillas

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 T cumin

1/2 T chili powder

1/2 c salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

shredded romaine

shredded cheddar

sour cream (I used reduced fat)

chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crumple 4 sheets of foil into a ball and place on baking sheet. Place tortillas over the balls, spray with cooking spray and bake for 6 min or until light browned. Meanwhile, brown ground beef with spices. When browned, stir in salsa and black beans.

In each tortilla bowl, pile up salad greens and top with the beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes and top with a dollop of sour cream.

I served with rice. This time I used beef broth instead of chicken broth and I liked the interesting flavor. It worked well with the mexican vibe of the dinner.

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta

2007-08-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

So it's been raved about and questioned on the What's Cooking? board, so I figured I would go ahead and try it this week. I didn't want to buy any chicken, which is what the original recipe called for, so I added a can of tuna instead. I also made a few other minor modifications to suit my tastes and pantry, but the recipe is definitely courtesy of Amber.

My husband and I both liked it, but I think I'd add more lime the next time I make it. I love lime, though, so not everyone might like it the same way. The tuna substitution worked fine, but to be honest, the one can didn't add a whole lot of tuna and I couldn't really taste it. It just added some protein.

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta (with Tuna)
Recipe from Amber, my changes in italics

8 oz rotini
2 c broccoli florets
1 c chicken broth
Juice of 2 limes (original recipe called for 1 1/2 T)
Zest of 1 lime
1 T corn starch
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 5 since they were kind of small)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t dried thyme
2 t red pepper flakes
1 T butter
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 can tuna, drained
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Add broccoli the last 2 min. Combine first 13 ingredients (through butter) in small saucepan and cook until thick. Stir in tuna. When pasta is done, add to sauce and toss. Add parsley and combine. Serve with cheese.

I'm back!

2007-08-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am finally done with one of the craziest month of my life (second only to the month I got married) and can come back to the blogging world! Because I've been gone so long, I'm throwing in a few non-cooking tidbits, but don't worry, all my vacations involve food in some way, shape or form!

Right after the bar, we went to Clearwater, Florida for a week where it rained all but the first day and the day Matt and I left. My parents and my aunt and uncle rented a house, so we tagged along. As a thank you, I made them all dinner one night. No pictures because I didn't want them to think I was too weird, but I will recommend the dishes. The two main dishes came from Giada's new cookbook. They were so good! I made Rotini with Salmon and Roasted Garlic (which is not available on the foodnetwork website, so I won't post it here) and Prosciutto Ravioli. Both received rave reviews.

One day my uncle rented a pontoon boat and we spent the day on the water. Despite being nearly killed by a lightening storm, we had a pretty good time. We saw so many dolphins and one came right up to our boat and even waved at us! He totally mimicked what we were doing to him. It was awesome. Here are a few pictures, but it's hard to tell. The white spot in the pictures are most likely his nose or fin.

The water splash is air coming from our buddy's blow hole.

This is when he waved at us. It was so cute!

After Florida, my husband and I headed to the Smoky Mountains for a 5 day backpacking trip. It was so hard but so fun! It was my longest camping trip and longest period of time without a shower. I gotta tell you, we were ripe. Here are some pictures from the trip, some of them even cooking related!

First day on the trail.

This was our second campsite. It was so pretty! It was right on the creek and was by far our favorite site.

Dinner our second night was spaghetti with canned sauce. Not a huge fan of the canned sauce, and it was a little bit of a disaster since our cheapo Wal-Mart can opener crapped out on us.

This was the biggest hole I could get in the can. It took some coaxing to get the sauce out.

Matt trying to boil our drinking water. Everything was so wet ("smoky" means "humid", apparently), we were only able to get a small flame with lots of smoke. We had a camp stove Matt made from pop cans, but weren't sure we had enough fuel, so we tried a small fire. The water tasted smoky, so that batch was dubbed "the smoky water".

Day 3 hike was 3.3 miles STRAIGHT UP. It was a super challenging hike and I was not sure I was going to make it. But we did! Here's the proof, standing at the divide.

Beginning of our Day 4 hike. This time, we got to go downhill (after 1 mile climbing back up the divide). Much better, though I did fall in the stream 3 times that day.

Our last breakfast on the trail. This is Matt's attempt at pancakes in a pot on top of a pop can stove. Not easy.

After the first disaster of a pancake, Matt decided to make what he called a pancake biscuit. We just ate it out of the pot with a spoon.

Our last hike was about 6 miles and ended at the Indian River Falls. Super pretty, but I was ready to sit in a dry car with air conditioning!

We made it! Smelly, but in one piece. Woohoo! Now we're ready for our next backpacking adventure.

The Perfect Quick Summer Dinner

2007-07-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Again I return to my trusty Bon Appetit. Have I mentioned I love this magazine? Between Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Cooking Light, I will never have to repeat a dish if I don't want to. Pile my cookbook collection on top of that plus the over 100 recipes I have saved on my computer, I won't even be able to try all of them once before I die. At least I don't like shrimp; that saves me from a good handful of recipes.

Tonight I wanted something quick so I could get back to my studying. I have only 3 days remaining before the bar exam and I am definitely feeling crunch time. This was perfect. Very light, lots of grilled vegetables and on the table in less than 30 minutes. The only thing I did differently was use macaroni because I have apparently gone to the pasta well too many times and didn't have any ziti or penne left. Schuncks needs to have another sale. The dish would have been prettier with the penne, but the taste was still there! I also had to use feta because I didn't get to the Italian market before it closed. Darn family businesses closing before 9:00 PM. Don't they know I need ricotta salata?

Penne with Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta Salata, and Mint

From Bon Appetit

2 lbs small zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise

Olive oil for brushing

Kosher salt (I pretty much always use the sea salt in my grinder from Trader Joe's for everything, so I don't think the kosher salt is required)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 c fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

2 pinches of dried crushed red pepper

1 lb penne or ziti pasta

3 T olive oil

3/4 c crumbled ricotta salata

Prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Arrange zucchini on rimmed baking sheet; brush all over with oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Place in large serving bowl. Add vinegar, mint, and crushed red pepper; set aside.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Add pasta to zucchini mixture, then add 3 T olive oil and ricotta salata and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served this will grilled asparagus tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa

2007-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

When I renewed my Bon Appetit subscription, they offered me a free gift subscription for anyone I wanted to send one to. I immediately thought of my mother, as she is one of the predominant reasons I love to cook. I come from a family of extremely talented women and one of their many talents is the ability to turn food into an adventure. I will always be grateful that my family dinners were never boring and always different. I still look forward to what new dishes will grace the holiday table. Anyway, I digress.

Every Sunday my husband and I are in town, we go to my parents house for dinner. Since giving my mother the subscription, many of the meals have been pulled from the pages of the latest magazine. Last Sunday was no exception. Usually, my mother chooses a recipe I missed or hadn't dog-eared in my own copy of the magazine, but this time she made a few dishes from "The Green Party" in August's Bon Appetit, a menu I had marked for my next dinner party. It gave me a chance to try a few of the recipes before I subjected others to them.

The tomatillo salsa from one of the dishes (Grilled Park Chops with Tomatillo Salsa) was absolutely fabulous and my mother sent me home with some leftovers. After I polished the salsa off on Monday, I began craving some more. So the salsa made it's way onto my weekly menu. The potato salad also found it's way to my dinner table. It's a very green meal, so it feels healthy, and besides the olive oil and the carbs from the potatoes, it's a very health conscious meal. Not "light", but very healthful.

Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa

Adapted from Bon Appetit

12 tomatillos (1 lb), husked and rinsed

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 jalapeno chiles

2/3 c finely chopped white onion

2/3 c (lightly packed) chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced

Olive oil

Preheat broiler. Place tomatillos, 4 whole garlic cloves, and jalapenos on rimmed baking sheet. Broil until tender and vegetables are slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 7 minutes for garlic and 8 minutes for tomatillos and jalapenos. Transfer to plate and let stand until cool enough to handle. Stem and seed jalapenos. Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, onion and cilantro in processor. Puree until almost smooth. Season tomatillo salsa with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook chicken until no longer pink. Serve chicken with brown rice and top with salsa.

Potato Salad with Basil Oil

From Bon Appetit

1 c packed whole fresh basil leaves, plus 3 T thinly sliced basil

1/2 c plus 2 T olive oil

2 1/2 T unseasoned rice vinegar

2 T Dijon mustard

1/4 c chopped red onion

2 lbs medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

Blanch whole basil leaves in boiling water for 1 minute; drain. Run under cold water; drain and squeeze out any excess water. Place basil in kitchen towel and squeeze out water. Transfer basil to processor. Add 1/2 c oil; process until basil is very finely chopped. Transfer to small bowl and season with salt. Whisk vinegar and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in remaining 2 T olive oil. Stir in red onion and 3 T thinly sliced basil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tender, about 17 minutes. Drain. Let potatoes stand until just cool enough to handle. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes and place in large bowl. Drizzle dressing over warm potatoes and toss gently to coat. Serve potato salad warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

2007-07-19T00:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't end up cooking dinner tonight because I didn't get to the grocery store before 8:30 and they didn't have 3 of the key ingredients I needed for my planned dinner. So grilled cheese and soup it was. I did, however, do a little baking. I'm generally much more a cooker, but these days the desire to bake has been pulling my attention from the stove to the oven.

Tonight, I made these Chocolate Caramel Bars from May's Bon Appetit. I intended to make them a long time ago as a treat for my last law school class, but time got in the way. For the past few months, I have had the can of sweetened condensed milk looking at me and tonight was the night I popped that bad boy open.

I REALLY enjoyed these. Too much. I practically camped in front of the refrigerator waiting for the chocolate to set. As soon as they were ready, I cut them and ate one. Then I ate another. Very tasty. The caramel was perfect, which is good because I was a little nervous. I never quite got the caramel up to the suggested temperature, but I was worried about burning it, so I went with looks. Once it was super thick, I went ahead and pulled it off the heat. The caramel making made me appreciate my gas stove even more; the ability to change the heat so quickly and by such small increments made the candy making process a little more doable.

My husband also really liked these. He did, however, say they made him thirsty. They are a tad rich; I'm guessing that's what he meant. He also told me that I should name these Fancy Twix Bars. If the recipe were my own, dear, I'm still not sure that's what I'd name them, but they do taste quite a bit like Twix bars. It's the cookie, chocolate, caramel combo.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Makes 20-24

Crust:

1 c all purpose flour

1/4 c packed golden brown sugar

2 t cornstarch

1/4 t salt

1/2 c chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 T ice water

1 large egg yolk

Toppings:

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c packed golden brown sugar

6 T unsalted butter, diced

2 T golden syrup or dark corn syrup (I used dark)

1 t vanilla extract

6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet- 61%- and that was definitely a good choice. The caramel is super sweet, so the bitter chocolate helped balance that)

3 T whipping cream

Flaked sea salt

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 11x7x2 inch metal baking pan (I used glass since I didn't have a metal one and I could find one at Target, Crate and Barrel, or Bed, Bath and Beyond). Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter. Using on/off turns, blend until a coarse meal forms. Add 1 T ice water and egg yolk. Blend until moist clumps form. Press dough onto bottom of pan (my dough was super sticky- this step was a bit of a challenge and I had trouble getting the dough evenly spread); pierce all over with fork. Bake until golden, piercing if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.

For toppings: Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts, and mixture comes to boil. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Boil gently until caramel is thick and temperature registers 225 degrees F, whisking constantly, about 6 minutes. Pour caramel evenly over crust; cool 15 minutes to set.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate with cream in microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring occasionally. Spread chocolate over warm caramel; sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 5 or 6 slices. Transfer to platter (or tummy) and serve.

Store in refrigerator.

Diet Coke Cupcakes

2007-07-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this recipe isn't really a recipe and it certainly isn't gourmet, but the whole concept absolutely blows my mind, so here it is. All you do is add a can of diet soda to a box cake mix. Then you bake. That's it. They turn out so moist and taste just like the full fat/calories version. My cupcakes were only 85 calories each! So I had two. You can frost them however you'd like, but I used whipped cream. It may have upped it to 100 calories, but that is a mighty tasty dessert for not a lot of calories.

I googled Diet Coke cupcakes to make sure all I had to do was add the soda, and I came across a ton of different combinations. Someone added Diet Cherry Coke to a vanilla cake, orange soda to a white cake, 7-up to a white cake, and a ton more. I used a yellow cake mix from Aldi's with a can of Diet Coke. Apparently you can use regular pop, but that would increase the calorie content, though someone on the Internet pointed out that it only adds a few calories more. If you have an aversion to diet sodas, regular should work fine. I will definitely add this to my "so weird, but so good" category in my brain. You should try it!

Pasta al la Linda

2007-07-17T19:31:00.001-07:00

Finally! A recipe that is my own. This is sort of my go to meal. I was not feeling the cooking vibe today and am lacking motivation to create my menu for the week. It may have something to do with the pressure of the bar exam looming less than a week away. Cooking tends to be a stress reliever, though, so once I got started in the kitchen, my inspiration returned and I played a little with my original "recipe".

This dish is really simple usually, but I had some extra ingredients to play with and made it slightly more decadent. I was super pleased with my changes and I think this dish is now perfected! I've tried to approximate all the measurements so I can write a recipe, but it's all a guess. I didn't measure anything, so if you make it, go by your own tastes and how it looks.

Linguine and Olives

2 T olive oil

1 T butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

1 c white wine

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 c chopped black olives

1/2 T chopped pimento

1/2 T (or more) red pepper flakes

1/2 c goat cheese

1 T mascarpone cheese

2 T chopped fresh oregano

1/4 c chopped parsley

chopped cherry tomatoes

8 oz uncooked linguine or other long pasta

Boil large pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add white wine, balsamic vingegar, chopped black olives, pimento and red pepper flakes. Reduce slightly. Stir in cheeses until melted. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Stir in fresh herbs and the tomatoes. Add hot pasta along with a little of the cooking liquid to the skillet. Toss to combine. Serve with freshly grated cheese of choice (I use either Parmesan or Romano).

Better than Buffalo Wild Wings

2007-07-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the various food blogs I watch through Google Reader and stumbled across a wonderful looking dinner in Mary Ellen's blog. I've been craving spicy, but didn't really want Mexican, so her buffalo chicken bites seemed like a good choice. I was right!

Her recipe was more a technique, so I've turned it into approximated measurements, but I got the idea from her blog. Along with her bites, she served a Blue Cheese Orzo that she found on allrecipes.com. It was really good! The absolute perfect combination. What goes better with buffalo wings than blue cheese? The dinner was quite tasty.

I changed the orzo a little to my liking, but pretty much stuck to the recipe. I'll comment in the recipe where I deviated.

As a little side note, this recipe ended up adding another cooking related injury to my depressingly expanding list. I've cut myself plenty with my knives when not paying attention and have burned myself on everything from a hot onion to the edge of the oven, but this injury was a new one. As I was sliding my fingers under the lid on the blue cheese crumbles, I managed to slice open not one, not two, but three of my fingers. I told my husband what I did and had him bandage my bleeding fingers, after which he looked at me and said very simply (but accurately!), "Linda, you stupid."

Buffalo Chicken Bites

from Mary Ellen

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1-2 c hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is what Mary Ellen used, but I used the grocery store brand)

1 c plain breadcrumbs

1 T cayenne pepper (less if you don't like it hot)

1/2 T garlic powder

2 T red pepper flakes (all seasonings can be adjusted for taste)

Place chicken and approximately 1 c of hot sauce in Ziploc baggie. Make sure the chicken is covered with the hot sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours (I marinated mine for about 20 minutes because I didn't think far enough ahead).

Combine breadcrumbs and seasonings in a bowl or shallow plate. Pour additional hot sauce into another bowl. Dip each chicken chunk into the hot sauce and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, turning once halfway and turning the broiler on for the last 2-3 minutes.

Serve with additional hot sauce, if desired.

Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese Orzo

from Allrecipes.com

1 pound uncooked orzo pasta
2 tablespoons butter (I only used 1 T, but they didn't caramelize very well, so next time I'll use it all)
3 tablespoons olive oil (I only used 2 T, but see above)
4 onions, sliced (I used one HUGE red onion, and that seemed like enough)
6 1/2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
3 1/2 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 cups shredded spinach (I only used 1 c since hubby is not a fan of spinach)
salt and pepper to taste

(I also added pine nuts to the orzo and I really liked the texture it added to the recipe)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

While pasta is cooking, heat butter and oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook onion in this mixture until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from pan with a spoon and drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine blue cheese, mascarpone and onion and mix well (this is where I mixed in the pine nuts). Toss cheese mixture with spinach and pasta, season with salt and pepper and serve.

A Lovely Saturday Morning Suprise

2007-07-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

While most of the kitchen duties are mine, my husband has decided that he needs his own "specialty" that I am not allowed to make. One of these "specialties" is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, though I have informed him that something a toddler can make is not a specialty. I am, however, quite fond of his other speciality- weekend pancakes.

Early in our marriage, he became fascinated by pancakes and started tinkering in the kitchen on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He had a few minor disasters, but has since come up with a wonderful "secret" recipe for very tasty pancakes. Using either a box mix or Alton Brown's recipe for pancake mix, he adds orange juice in place of some of the milk. The exact measurements are top secret, either because he doesn't want to share or he doesn't know because it is never the same twice.

This particularly morning I woke up to this fabulous spread on our kitchen table (please excuse the mess; we are still working on the sun room).

As a fun bonus to this morning's pancakes, he added some fresh berries for a lovely presentation. Mine had blueberries:

His had strawberries:

My handsome hubby/chef!

Not a summer dish, but so tasty!

2007-07-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight I decided to make Swedish Meatballs. I found the recipe when I was sorting through a bunch that had no home. I have about 9 pounds of ground beef in my freezer (it was on sale), so I figured this was as good a way as any to use up some meat.

I also had my first baking experience in my new kitchen. I had saved a recipe for Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones from the What's Cooking board on thenest.com and decided to try them tonight. I think it was originally a Rachel Ray recipe, but I'm not positive. All my bacon was frozen and I didn't think far enough ahead to get it out, so I just left it out of the scones. I have to say, they were pretty darn good. My baking skills tend to be hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit. I'll probably make these again.

Swedish Meatballs

1 2/3 c evaporated milk (I used skim)

2/3 c chopped onion

1/4 c fine breadcrumbs

1/2 t salt

1/2 t allspice

dash of pepper

1 lb ground beef

2 t butter

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 c boiling water

1/2 c cold water

2 T flour

1 T lemon juice

chopped parsley

Combine 2/3 c evaporated milk, onion, crumbs, salt, allspice and pepper. Add meat; mix well and chill. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. In large skillet, brown meatballs in butter. Dissolve bouillon cubes in the boiling water; pour over meatballs and bring to boil over medium heat. Cover; simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, blend together cold water and flour. Remove meatballs from skillet; skim fat from pan juices and reserve juices. Stir 1 c evaporated milk and flour mixture into pan juices in skillet; cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring until sauce thickens. Return meatballs to skillet. Stir in lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Serve with cooked noodles and sprinkle with more parsley.

Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

3 c. flour

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 T black pepper

1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 c grated cheddar

4 green onions, sliced

10 slices bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces

3/4 - 1 1/2 c buttermilk

1 large egg

2 t water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper on low speed. With mixer running gradually add cubes of butter until the dough is crumbly and studded with pea sized bits of flour and butter. Add grated cheese and mix until just blended. Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 c buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 T at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible. Remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8-10 equal wedges depending on size scone you prefer. Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Place on lined baking sheet and bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

**My notes: As I said before, I omitted the bacon because I didn't have any available. I also used 1 c of buttermilk. I would also recommend cutting it into 10 wedges because the 8 wedges were huge. I had to bake mine for 22 minutes, but I'm still getting used to the heat settings on this stove, so that may have had something to do with it.**

My kitchen is finally done!

2007-07-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

After being in the house for nearly a month now, I have finally finished setting up my kitchen. Because I am proud of it, seeing as it is my first, and the whole reason I started this blog was because I have a new kitchen, I am posting a few pictures to show it off. Yay!

This is the view from the doorway from the living room. It's a galley kitchen, so this is as wide as it gets! The door at the end leads into a sun room, but that room is not finished, nor is there electricity, so no pictures tonight!

This is the view from the other end, by the sun room. I love the cubbies up top. I put my KitchenAid mixer and food processor up there so I have more room on my counter tops.

And now for my favorite part. A gas stove! With a hood! I was so afraid I'd have to settle for an electric stove, but this house had a gas stove. I feel in love with the house when I saw the gas range.

And that's my kitchen. Where all the magic happens.

No pasta tonight.

2007-07-12T14:21:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law sent us home with a few green peppers and I decided to try my hand at stuffed peppers. I got a great recipe for stuffed peppers from Elly (who's blog is fabulous!) and worked from there. I made a few changes to work with what I had, but the recipe is pretty much hers.

I would definitely make this again. I had quite a bit of filling left over since my peppers were pretty small (they were out of mother-in-law's garden), but it turned out ok. I ended up eating it while the peppers baked. All of it. With a spoon. Out of the pan. It was really good.

Baking them was a little bit of a challenge since I didn't have peppers that could stand on their own. I had the ingenious idea to pop the stems out of the lid and use them as a sort of stand by putting the peppers into the hole and having them stand up. Good idea in theory, but I failed to take into account the fact the peppers soften as they bake, so all of them fell. No worries. I just scooped any spilled filling back in after backing and ate a little more off the pan (don't judge- the filling was great!).

I tried to take a few pictures but my camera had other ideas, so there is only one that isn't all black with purple lines running horizontally across. It will have to be good enough.

Stuffed Peppers

4-6 bell peppers
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c cooked rice
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c to 3/4 c chunky salsa
2-3 t cumin
2-3 t chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c shredded Mexican cheese

Cut the tops of the peppers and remove the core and seeds. Spray the peppers and a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray. In a large skillet, brown the beef, onions and garlic until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Stir in rice, chicken broth, salsa and seasonings. Cook until warmed through and most of the liquid absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Spoon into peppers and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. While waiting for peppers to cook, eat any remaining filling with a spoon. Out of the pan. It tastes better that way.

For a side, I steamed some broccoli and added some goat cheese, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar.

Another Day, Another Pasta

2007-07-05T18:59:00.001-07:00

Call me the carb girl. Pasta is easy, so pasta it has been the last few weeks. This one, however, was a little different. I got the recipe from July's Bon Appetit, but had to make a few adjustments. While Tuesday night it was a fresh tomato type pasta, tonight we went Asian. Pretty good, but it felt like it was missing something. Perhaps the ingredients I didn't have. I did really like the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar paired with the hot chili oil. Very good.

I didn't have green onions or sesame oil, so I left the onion out and substituted 1 1/2 T rice wine vinegar and 1 1/2 T olive oil for the sesame oil. Not really the same, but the rice vinegar helped the Asian flavors and the olive oil provided the oil. I also just used regular basil instead of Thai basil. I didn't feel like hunting for it when I have a regular basil plant in my garden.

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chopped Peanuts and Thai Basil

1 T peanut oil (I used olive oil- probably should've used my canola oil)
2 T minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T Asian sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T (or more- I'd used more next time) hot chili oil
1 1/2 t salt
1 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles or fresh angel hair pasta
12 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 c thinly sliced fresh Thai basil leaves

Heat peanut oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; saute 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl. Add next 6 ingredients; whisk to blend. Place noodles in sieve over sink. Separate noodles with fingers and shake to remove excess starch. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain thoroughly and transfer to bowl with sauce. Add sliced green onions and toss to coat noodles. Let stand at room temp until noodles have absorbed dressing, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour. Stir in peanuts and Thai basil; toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temp.

Serves 4-6

Our first "real" meal

2007-07-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

I finally have my kitchen set up enough to cook something other than spaghetti with meat sauce and what was the first meal? Spaghetti. It was, however, a little fancier than spaghetti with jarred sauce (a move-in staple). I even got to use my food processor. I got the recipe from the July Cooking Light and really enjoyed it! It was super light and didn't heat up my tiny kitchen more than it needed to be on a 90 degree day in St. Louis.

Cherry Tomato Spaghetti with Toasted Pine Nuts

2 (1 oz) slices sandwich bread

1 1/2 T olive oil, divided

1 t garlic powder, divided

3 c cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

3 T pine nuts, toasted

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 c. Add 1 1/2 t oil and 1/2 t garlic powder. Pulse to combine.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumb mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 1 t oil in pan. Add tomatoes to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to wrinkle. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 t garlic powder and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Cover; reduce heat to low.

Cook past according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add pasta, remaining 2 t oil, basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper to tomato mixture, stirring to combine. Toss pasta with breadcrumbs. Serve and enjoy!

Yields 4 (2-cup) servings.

Welcome to my kitchen!

2007-07-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I've jumped on the blog bandwagon and created my own blog. If anything, I think this will mostly just serve as a convenient way to track my recipes and share them with family, but maybe someone else will find this useful. Let the adventure begin...