Cooking my way through life

Oreo Pudding Cookies

2012-02-02T15:56:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. These cookies rock my world. I love all things cookies 'n' creme. That sweet sweet sugary bliss. They were a big hit at my office, too. Just sayin'. :D

These cookies are soft and gooey. I forgot to set the timer for one batch, but even when they're a little toasty, they're still good. They'd be insane with a scoop of cookies 'n' creme ice cream...too much cookies 'n' creme? Nah, I didn't think so either.

The recipe I followed calls for 2 Cookies 'n' creme bars (no size specified) and Jewel only sells them in 6 packs or King size. I bought one king size bar (4 oz), but kind of regret not buying two. I don't know what I was thinking. You can't go wrong with more cookies 'n' creme. Right?! So if you make these, go for 2 King size bars for extra deliciousness.

Ingredients (makes ~4 dozen)

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 (4 oz) package instant Oreo pudding mix

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 (4 oz each) hershey's cookies 'n' creme candy bars, broken into small pieces

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with a mixer. Beat in the pudding mix until blended, then eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture. Stir in the cookies 'n creme pieces and chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie dough scooper, scoop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.

Recipe from Sweet Treats and More.

Peanut Butter Banana Shake

2012-01-26T21:01:00.001-06:00

More like peanut butter yum. I've been really into smoothies lately. I make some variation of a green smoothie every morning before work. I've started using almond milk instead of regular milk. You get a few more vitamins with almond milk, but not as much protein.

My latest recipe goes something like:
1/2 frozen banana
1/2-3/4 c almond milk
1/4-1/2 c fage 0%
1 tbsp peanut butter/almond butter (if I'm feeling nutty)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
4 handfuls of baby spinach
1 c blueberries

Last night I used all of my spinach for the avocado breakfast pita, so this morning I tried this pb & banana recipe. I think it's near impossible to not love this smoothie. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients (makes 8-12 oz)

1 frozen banana, sliced*

6-8 oz almond milk

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp flax seed

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
*It's easiest if you slice the banana first, then freeze it.

Recipe slightly adapted from Prevention.

Avocado Breakfast Pita

2012-01-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

I've been having a major love affair with avocado for the past 2 weeks. Like hardcore. I started putting avocado slices on my lunch sandwiches, on pita chips, on toast (which you should try!), on cheddar cheese, ...basically on anything I could think of. Then I saw this recipe and died. Last weekend I went out and bought more avocados and have been waiting for them to ripen ever since. One of them finally gave in today and I couldn't be happier!

This breakfast pita is awesome. And super simple. I love the mix of the creamy avocado with the spicy sriracha.

Ingredients (1 serving)

1/2 whole wheat pita pocket
1 large egg
1 handful of spinach
1/4 of an avocado, sliced
sriracha hot sauce, to taste

Cook the egg in a skillet over medium heat. While the egg cooks, slice the avocado. Lightly toast the pita pocket. Place slices on one side of the pocket. Add spinach.

When the egg is done, top it with sriracha and place the egg in the pita.

Recipe from Budget Bytes.

Panko Breaded Chicken

2012-01-15T23:42:00.001-06:00

I randomly bought panko bread crumbs last week. This is what happens when I shop when I'm hungry. I end up with random stuff like panko crumbs. I've never cooked with them before but breaded chicken sounded really good and I wanted to spice up my chicken. I found a recipe that had cayenne pepper in it and I was sold. The seasoning was so good, subtle but flavorful.

My friend Bevin is serving in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa right now. In the few pictures we see of her life in West Africa, she's in all these beautiful patterned fabrics. When she came back to America for the holidays, she brought back aprons in all sorts of cool patterns. She sold them to raise money for a project she's leading to build classrooms in Benin (details below recipe). You know I had to get my hands on one!

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

1/3 c flour, divided

1/3 c plain Panko bread crumbs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cayenne pepper, to taste (I used 8-10 shakes)

onion powder, to taste

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tbsp milk

a pinch of salt & pepper

Place chicken breast in a plastic bag and flatten with a rolling pin/metal hammer until 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-3 pieces.

Mix together 1/6 cup flour, panko, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. Set aside. In a second bowl, mix together the egg and milk. In a third bowl, combine the remaining flour and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Using a fork, dunk each chicken piece in the flour, in the egg wash, and then into the panko mixture. Make sure the chicken is completely coated.

Fry chicken in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat in oil until golden brown on each side, approximately 6-7 minutes (3 minutes/side). Remove from skillet and let rest for 4-5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Or Whatever You Do.

For details on how you can help Bevin's project:
Many kids in Bevin's village are unable to continue their educations due to lack of space in schools (only 36% make it to 6th grade in the first place). The classrooms they do have are filled with insects and flood every time it rains.

The community itself is donating $6,000 to this project--an extremely large sum for a small village, which demonstrates their dedication to education and the futures of their children.

Your contribution will help build two new classrooms, which will increase enrollment rates (especially among girls) and enable students to earn their high school diplomas. Not to mention all the ripple effects of increased education.

To donate:
1. Go to www.peacecorps.gov/donate
2. Search "Kloepper"
3. Choose "An Education Starts with a Classroom"
4. Donate!

100% of donations go directly to the project and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Blueberry Smoothie

2012-01-09T10:17:00.000-06:00

I'm in total smoothie mode right now. This morning I decided to mix it up by adding blueberries and using peanut butter instead of almond butter (see Green Monster Smoothie). It was berry-tastic. I didn't add too much peanut butter because I didn't want the nutty flavor to overpower everything else. I ended up with subtle hints of peanut butter, which was just right.

Ingredients (serves 2, makes ~20 oz)

3/4 c skim milk
1/2 c fage 0%

1 tbsp flax seed
1 frozen banana, sliced*
1/2 c blueberries
1/2 tbsp peanut butter
3 handfuls of baby spinach

*Tip: Slice the banana in pieces before freezing.

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Soo good!

You get the idea, right? Some combo of:
milk
greek yogurt
flax seed
frozen fruit
nut butter (optional)
spinach

Green Monster Smoothie

2012-01-08T13:15:00.000-06:00

I read a lot of healthy/health-oriented blogs and they always post recipes that frankly don't sound like they'd taste good. Awhile ago, kale chips were making a splash on the food blog scene. I was skeptical, but after months of reading rave reviews, I finally caved and made kale chips. Turns out all those people were right! Kale chips rock.

Recipes for green monster smoothies have been making the rounds for awhile now, probably pre-kale chips. I'm sure I'm not alone when I question how good a smoothie can be with spinach in it. I mean, spinach? In my smoothie? I'm all for eating spinach salads but the thought of drinking it just doesn't seem right. But if all these bloggers were right about the kale chips, maybe they're right about these green monster smoothies.

Every Sunday morning, I go to yoga. That one hour of yoga helps me realign/recenter myself each week. It'd been two weeks since the last yoga class so I was really looking forward to this morning. Post-yoga, I was feeling great (it's hard not to!) and decided today was the day to get my monster on.

Ingredients (serves 2, makes ~20 oz)

1 c skim milk

1/2 c fage 0% (greek yogurt)

2 tbsp ground flax seed

1 tbsp almond butter (optional)

1 frozen banana, sliced*

4 handfuls of spinach

*Tip: Your life will be easier if you slice the banana first and then freeze.

In a blender, add milk, greek yogurt, flax seed, almond butter, banana and spinach.
Blend until smooth.

Gasp. It's actually good and chock-full of nutrients. The almond butter and ground flax seeds give the smoothie a nice nutty flavor. My recipe made about 20 ounces, so I split it in half and am saving the rest for later. There are a million variations of this to try. Check out my blueberry smoothie recipe - I mixed it up a little.

Recipe inspired by Iowa Girl Eats.

NYE Dinner Party

2012-01-01T21:23:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! For New Year's Eve, my two best friends and I decided to have a small dinner party.

MENU

Appetizers (from Trader Joe's)

Arugula & baby spring mix salad with parmesan flakes

Grilled flank steak with gorgonzola cream sauce

Roasted brussel sprouts with paprika

Roasted red potatoes with parmesan

Salted caramel cupcakes

Mint chocolate cupcakes

Everything we made turned out great (at least I think so!). My friend Bevin was behind the cupcakes and they were delicious. I wish I had pictures to share but you'll just have to use your imagination. I also managed to not take pictures of any human beings...oops.

Here's to an awesome 2012!

Recipes:

Grilled flank steak

Roasted potatoes:

Quarter small red potatoes. Toss them with olive oil, salt, black pepper and grated parmesan. Spread them out on a pan. Bake at 450F for 20-25 minutes.

Brussel sprouts:

Trim the bottoms from the sprouts and peel away the outer leaves. Slice the sprouts in half through the stem. Toss the sprouts with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Spread them out on a pan, cut side down. Put the pan under the broiler and roast for 5-7 minutes.

Paula Dean's Best Bread Pudding

2011-12-29T16:45:00.000-06:00

You have to try this bread pudding. It's awe-some. I had first-time-making-bread-pudding jitters but it turns out making bread pudding is super easy. I don't know what I was thinking. After I put the dish in the oven, I realized I didn't halve the brown sugar/butter crumbs but you can't go wrong with more butter. I think Paula Dean would approve (it's her recipe).

Speaking of butter, last night I signed up for a 10 mile race. It sounds awesome because after running along the lakeshore for over 9 miles, you finish the race on the 50 yard line at Soldier Field. I've never run that much distance but I do love a challenge! Might need to start cutting back on the butter... (and sugar!)

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

1 c granulated sugar

3 beaten eggs

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c stale french bread, cubed

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 stick butter, softened

Sauce:

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Mix together the granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour mixture over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix and crumble together the brown sugar and butter.

Pour bread mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until set.

For the sauce:

Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Pour over bread pudding.*
Serve warm or cold.

*I suggest going easy on the sauce when pouring it over the bread pudding. I used ~ 2/3 of the sauce and could have probably used less and been okay.

Adapted from Paula Dean.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

2011-12-27T00:46:00.000-06:00

I'd been eyeing this recipe for a good six months. I didn't make it because I only cook for myself in Chicago and what am I going to do with 20 stuffed shells?!

I usually don't cook when I'm home in St. Louis because I become super lazy and always think/hope my parents will feed me. But since I have this blog and all, they expect me to feed them. I've really done it this time.

This recipe is easy and super awesome. It was a big hit with my family. The meat is especially good with the cream cheese, omg. And who doesn't love salsa and melty cheese. This is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients (serves ~6)

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg low-sodium taco seasoning mix

4 oz. cream cheese

1 box jumbo shells (~20 shells)

16 oz. salsa

8 oz. taco sauce

2 c shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese (they sell them mixed in 1 bag)

3 green onions (optional)

sour cream (optional)

black olives (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a frying pan, brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions (drain meat, add seasoning and water). Add cream cheese, cover and simmer for a few minutes until cheese melts. Stir the melted cheese in with the meat. Set aside and let cool.

While the beef cooks, cook the pasta shells according to box directions. Drain the pasta. Set shells out individually on a sheet of wax paper so they don't stick together.

Pour salsa on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells open side up. Cover the shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, top the shells with shredded cheese. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, with foil removed.

Top with green onions and black olives (or any other topping you like). Eat up!

Recipe slightly adapted from The Way to His Heart.

Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

2011-12-26T01:18:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite drink. Every Christmas/New Years Eve I crave this stuff. I'll throw a tantrum if my mom doesn't make it when I'm home for the holidays. I grew up with this drink as the definition of eggnog and boy has it set me up for disappointment.

A few years ago I tried store bought eggnog and almost spit it up. It was awful. I cringe when I see grocery stores stock their shelves with cartons of eggnog. Once you go coquito, there's no going back.

Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican drink. It is rich and creamy and oh-so-good. It's not the healthiest drink, but I figure it's okay to indulge in it once a year! One website said, "coquitos are like eggnog on overdrive." So true.

I can't share the exact recipe because it's a family secret and my parents won't allow it. But, you can google recipes for it. We use sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, rum and cinnamon.

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Bites

2011-12-25T01:22:00.001-06:00

Home sweet home! I'm back in St. Louis for the holidays. It was a bit of an adventure getting here. Forty-five minutes before I was supposed to go to the airport, I was 20 minutes away from home at Sur La Table looking for a gift for my roommate. I got on the train back to my apartment when all of the lights turned off and the train shut down. By the time I got home, I had 15 minutes to pack everything, put a load of laundry in the dryer and wrap a gift.

I left my apartment 15 minutes before I was supposed to be at the airport. I didn't know if I should take a taxi or take the train to the airport. It didn't help that the train tracker wasn't working (!). I decided to take the train and as soon as I got on the train, the doors closed and reopened. The train in front of us had maintenance issues so we had to wait for someone to fix it. During my mad dash to the train station, someone had texted me. I was so flustered that I didn't read the text for awhile. It was from Southwest letting me know my flight was delayed by 45 minutes. Best. text. ever.

My coworker recently introduced me to Pinterest and I love it. I already follow a bagillion food blogs, but now I get exposed to even MORE food blogs and awesome looking recipes, like this one. This is pretty simple and pretty delicious.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

6 tbsp sugar

4 tsp ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

1 c buttermilk

1 c milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 loaf french bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

syrup

In a medium shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Cut the loaf into cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, milk, vanilla, and salt until blended. Place a quarter of the bread cubes in the egg mixture and gently toss with a large spoon until the cubes are evenly coated and have absorbed the egg mixture.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the coated cubes and cook, turning often, until golden brown on all sides. Transfer cubes to the bowl of cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Repeat with each remaining quarter of bread cubes and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Recipe from Multiply Delicious.

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Tex-Mexy Baked Chicken and Pasta

2011-12-12T20:51:00.001-06:00

Last week I saw It's a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! and it was so good! I hadn't gone to anything arts related in awhile and when the American Blues Theater offered my work comp tickets (yay for working in the arts), I was all over them! When I left the show, all I wanted to do was put up Christmas decorations and smile. If you're in Chicago, you should definitely check the show out.

Now to food. Bakes are great because you can throw a bunch of ingredients in a baking dish, add cheese and voila - meals for days. This Tex-Mexy bake is pretty much a dump of ingredients from my pantry -- part of mission: waste less food/clean out pantry before I leave town. I'm not sure why I even had that can of corn but I'm glad it's gone now!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 c whole wheat rotini

salt

3/4 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 1/2 c salsa

1 c shredded cheese (+ more for topping)

Cook pasta in salted water until just tender. While pasta cooks, poach chicken breasts [Place chicken breasts in a skillet and fill with water until chicken is covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for ~10 minutes. Let chicken sit in hot water for 10 more minutes.] Loosely shred chicken with a fork.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine chicken and cooked pasta.

Stir in the salsa, corn and 1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar and colby jack).

Place the mixture in a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with a layer of cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Mini Pumpkin Pies Experiment

2011-12-09T17:56:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I decided to do a little experimenting. I've had two cans of pumpkin puree in my cabinet for months. I stare at them every night when I'm trying to decide what to make for dinner. Last night I decided to make mini pumpkin pies...without a recipe (scary).

I made two batches. I used the crescent rolls for the first batch (made 8 pies) but my pumpkin mixture wasn't quite there. I added some flour in the second batch and those held up a little better. I've been eating pumpkin pies all day. :-) What a rough life.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with my remaining can of pumpkin puree. Suggestions??

I included the recipe I made up, just for kicks.

Ingredients (9 mini pies)

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree

1 (15 oz) can evaporated milk

1/2 c sugar

1/4-1/2 c flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Thaw puff pastry sheet. Preheat oven to 400F.

Using a 2-3" cookie cutter (or cup!), cut out nine circles. Gently stretch out each circle. Place the dough circles in the cups of a lightly greased muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture into each dough cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let pies cool 5-10 minutes before handling. Top with a dash of cinnamon. Store in refrigerator.

A Boston Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-29T21:49:00.001-06:00

Bits of my holiday weekend:

Pho and spring rolls in Chinatown at Pho Pasteur.

Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Whole Foods. :-)

Found a Puerto Rican restaurant, Izzy's, and chowed down. Tostones, bacalao, mondongo and a spicy empanada - delicioso!

Afterward, we headed to MIT's campus to check out Frank Gehry's building.

The next day we went on a food tour of the North End. Our first stop was Maria's Pastry Shop. The walls are lined with amazing looking pastries and cookies. We got six tastes: totos, marzapan, chocolate torrone, amaretti, anise biscotti and lobster tail.

Next stop: Polcari's Coffee. We tasted different types of pine nuts and dried chick peas (surprisingly awesome!). I wish I had some right now!

Then we hit up Monica's Mercato for chorizo and cheese - so good. Monica's is super tiny and jam-packed with fresh food.

We stopped at The Cheese Shop/Fresh Cheese Deli and sampled balsamic vinegar and grape must. I'd never heard of grape must before but it's amazing. It's like a sweet grape syrup. You need to get your hands on a bottle.

After the tour, we treated ourselves to fresh mozzarella marinated in red pepper flakes, octopus (yuck!), prosciutto (yum) and ciabatta.

The combination of grape must and prosciutto is super tasty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:45:00.001-06:00

Thank you, Whole Foods, for this lovely meal. :D

Tomato Salmon Bake

2011-11-03T12:15:00.001-05:00

On Monday I got my first trick-or-treaters! Last year I forgot that I don't live in a college town anymore and that kids go trick-or-treating. I realized it when I got home from the gym and two kids showed up at my door step. I had nothing to give them! When they left, I turned off all the lights and hid for the rest of the night. I felt sooo bad. I didn't want to be that house again this year so I got loads of candy and turned on ALL the lights. I think I more than made up for last year. Whew.

This is an easy recipe. The salad dressing definitely packs a punch, so I'd be careful not to overdo it.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/2 lb fresh salmon filet, cut in half

1-2 small fresh tomatoes, diced

1/4 c sun-dried tomato salad dressing

shredded parmesan cheese

1 c rice

Preheat oven to 375F. Place salmon in a greased 8x8 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and salad dressing. Spoon the tomatoes/dressing over salmon filets and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Serve over rice.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-30T19:57:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again...mookie time! Two years ago I posted this recipe for mookies. I've also added it at the bottom of this post because they're that good.

This year I decided to make my own cream cheese frosting because, you know, why not? It turned out great, a lot lighter than the store-bought stuff and isn't filled with stuff you can't pronounce. If you have a few extra minutes, homemade is the way to go.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature*

6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature*

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 c powdered sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth (~1 minute). Add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium-high for 1-2 minutes until whipped and creamy.

* Make sure cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Set them out before you start making your baked good.

Recipe from Cupcakes!

--------------------------------------------------

Mookies

Ingredients (30ish mookies)

1 box spice cake mix

1 (16 oz) can pumpkin puree

cinnamon

cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix together the spice cake mix and pumpkin puree. Drop by the spoonful on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 11-13 minutes. Let the mookies cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Ice with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mookie recipe courtesy of April at Grad Gastronomy!

Turkey Chili

2011-10-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

It's getting cold out and you know what that means...chili time! This chili has a subtle kick to it with all of the chili powder. Fun fact: a little over a year ago I made a different turkey chili recipe: Turkey & Bean Chili.

If you have a favorite chili recipe, please share! I'll definitely be making more chili in the coming months.

I ran another 10k race last weekend and it was killer. I killed my last race time, it was beautiful out and I ran past a bunch of Frank Lloyd Wright's amazing homes. Awesomeness all around. My next race is next weekend, the Hot Chocolate 5k - "Chicago's Sweetest Race." Super excited for some chocolate!

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
oyster crackers or toasted baguette slices (yum)
sour cream

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add turkey to the pot, cook until brown. Stir in the onion, cook until tender.

Pour water into the pot. Mix in the tomatoes, beans and garlic. Season with chili powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if chili thickens too much.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.

Chuck's Curried Chicken Salad

2011-10-17T23:31:00.002-05:00

This is my 100th post! What better way to celebrate than with a recipe from a friend. Shout out to Ina for sharing this recipe with me!

I adapted the original recipe slightly and cut the serving size in half. While I was making this, I was a little nervous that I had added too much curry powder. You can't recover from that, so I added some extra raisins and green onions for good measure.

I'm loving this recipe. It tastes like fall. I really like the addition of the almonds. It's definitely different. The sweetness of the raisins and the bite of the green onions balance out the strong curry flavor (and go nicely with buttery croissants!). You should all definitely try this recipe! Super easy, super flavorful, super worth it.

Ingredients (makes 6-8 mini sandwiches)

1/2 c olive oil mayonnaise

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 tbsp curry powder

~1 1/8 tsp salt

~1 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c raisins

1/2 c sliced almonds

1/4 c sliced green onions

1 (10-oz.) can chunks of chicken in water, drained

mini butter croissants

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, curry powder, salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerator for an hour.

Drain the can of chicken and mash the chunks into smaller pieces. To the mayo mixture, add raisins, almonds, green onions and chicken. Gently fold together the ingredients.

Cut mini croissants in half and fill with a big spoonful of chicken salad.

Original recipe here with news article about its history.

Montreal Fare

2011-10-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a long weekend in Montreal with Julie, thanks to my mom. Julie and I arrived in Montreal on Thursday night and hit up my mom's favorite Korean restaurant, Bulgogi House. You really can't go wrong with Korean food.

Friday we lunched at Schwartz's deli for their famous smoked meat sandwiches. We waited in line for a bit but it was worth it. Smoked meat with a little yellow mustard. OMG good. The meat was so flavorful and practically melted in your mouth.

For dinner, my mom and I wanted to get sushi. We thought we'd hit up a Japanese restaurant, Kazu, near her place that she'd been wanting to try. There's always a line out the door so it must be good, right? We had been teasing Julie all afternoon about having sushi for dinner because she's not a fan (yet!). Well, she lucked out because when we made it inside Kazu, we realized they didn't serve sushi! Julie ordered a chicken burger that made her top 5 meals ever. Who saw that coming?

Mom got tuna and salmon sashimi that was sliced super thinly and pretty tasty. I got the shrimp okonomiyaki, which is a savory pancake.

On Saturday, we went to the Jean Talon farmer's market. It's huge and full of goodness. It was hard not to fill up on all the fresh fruit samples before brunch. We all had strawberry banana chocolate crepes for with a side of crazy good cod and samosas. If I wasn't so full from everything, I would have devoured all of the samosas. We spent the rest of the day walking around Old Montreal. We walked along the river, stopped to check out Habitat 67 and strolled down Rue Saint Paul as the sun set.

We ended up at a restaurant along the Jacques-Cartier square. It was our last night so we went all out. I got pan-seared scallops (yum!), mom got mussels (eee) and Julie got salmon. Good food and good company. :D Did I mention we got dessert? Chocolate explosion! All night the waiters kept brining out a chocolate cake with whipped cream and chocolate flakes (or something like that) that looked amazing. I wanted to order that and even asked our waiter about it. But then he brought out the chocolate explosion and it was probably for the best. It had a layer of ferrero rocher and explosions of a raspberry sauce. Need I say more?

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

2011-10-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

I sat down on Sunday to plan out some meals for the next few days. I was looking in my archive of recipes for some chicken recipes when I got an e-mail from Carol B. with just that, a chicken recipe! Shout out to Carol, thanks for the recipe!

This is super delicious and super easy. You really can't go wrong with this. The original recipe calls for black beans but my grocery store was completely out of black beans (odd, right?). So I went with kidney beans. And yes, there is a chicken breast somewhere under that cheese. :)

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/2 c uncooked white rice

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3/4 c salsa

3/4 c kidney beans, undrained

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook rice in a rice cooker ahead of time.

Cook chicken breasts in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Add salsa and beans. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes.

Top with cheddar cheese.
Remove skillet from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve over rice.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

2011-10-02T15:48:00.001-05:00

I'm diving right into fall baking with my love of all things pumpkin. I try to wait for an occasion where other people will be around to eat what I bake. Otherwise, I just end up eating a lot of cookies and that's just not healthy. This weekend I had some friends staying with me and a housewarming party to attend (cookie making time!). I had originally planned on baking these on Friday for my friends but my schedule got a little sidetracked with a migraine. By the time I started preparing the ingredients, it was already pretty late...and then I realized the dough needed to chill for at least an hour (oops).

I'm a fan of this recipe, though I couldn't really taste too much of the pumpkin. The snickerdoodles turned out fluffy and soft in the middle and weren't too sweet. I added a little extra cinnamon and allspice to the coating to give it a little extra oomph (because I love cinnamon). The cookies were a hit at the housewarming party, too (yay!). :P

Ingredients (3-4 dozen cookies)

3 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c light brown sugar

3/4 c pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

Coating:

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

dash of allspice

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars on med-high speed (if using an electric mixer) until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Blend in the pumpkin puree.

Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the coating, in a small bowl combine the sugar and spices.

Scoop the dough (about 2 1/2 tbsp) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough with the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mix and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Re-coat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mix as needed. (I sprinkled the flattened dough balls with a little extra sugar-spice before putting them in the oven.)

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Devour.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

2011-09-25T20:29:00.001-05:00

I nearly died when I saw this recipe. I love all things pumpkin (and oatmeal). This is great served in a bowl with warm milk, some cinnamon and a drizzling of syrup. Hellooo fall!

Ingredients

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c milk
2 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
(cinnamon & syrup)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and vanilla until smooth. Stir in milk and oats.

Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish. Pour in the pumpkin oat mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, removing the foil after 30 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

Recipe from Budget Bytes.

Cheese & Herb Tomato Tart

2011-09-24T15:46:00.000-05:00

I ran my first 10k race today! I signed up for the Susan G Komen breast cancer 10k months ago. I thought it might motivate me to get back on the bandwagon and run more. It's good to have goals, right? I semi-trained for the run during the summer, but then went on a two week vacation and didn't run for two and a half weeks. Probably not the best idea...

Well, this morning I woke up with a sinus infection. I wasn't so sure about this 10k...throbbing headache, rusty legs...how miserable was this going to be? When I passed the two mile marker, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through another 4.2 miles. Then it started pouring rain. At first I was like, seriously?! But then it was kind of awesome to be running along the lake, in the rain, rockin' out to my tunes, running a race. In the end it was great.

This is my celebratory tomato tart. I've been looking forward to this all week. It's super easy, straightforward and crazy flavorful. The garlic and red pepper really popped and balanced nicely with the sweet tomatoes.

Ingredients

3 plum tomatoes, cut into thin slices

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp chives

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 slices mozzarella (mozzarella log), quartered
shredded four cheese blend

salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice tomatoes into thin slices and place on paper towels to drain. Cover tomatoes with another towel and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the puff pastry sheet from the freezer and set out to thaw at room temperature.

Unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly greased aluminum foil baking sheet (use parchment paper if you have some). With a fork, prick the dough all over to prevent it from puffing up during baking.

In a small bowl/cup, melt butter. Mix in the garlic, red pepper flakes and chives. Evenly spread the herb butter over the pastry.

Evenly place mozzarella chunks on pastry sheet. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on top. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Top with another light layer of cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Slice and serve!

Adapted from Shutterbean.

Eating my way through Ireland (part 2)

2011-09-21T07:04:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was another crazy adventure. We went to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway on the northern coast. The gale force winds from the hurricane were hitting the northern coast, too, so it was an equally dangerous expedition.

I braved the winds and crossed the bridge, which goes over the ocean. How often are you going to get the chance to cross the carrick-a-rede rope bridge? The wind was intense as I crossed over to the island. I tried to look back at my dad on the top of the hill for a picture but it was almost impossible. The view on the island was amazing.

I walked around the little island for awhile before deciding I should probably head back because (1) there was only an older couple on the island with me (not sure why suddenly everyone disappeared!) and (2) my dad was probably worried sick that I hadn't returned. Crossing the bridge the second time was insane and 5x worse than the first time. I could feel the wood boards on the bridge picking up and trying to flip. I was holding on for dear life. When I made it back, my dad told me that they closed the bridge right after I went across it because the winds speeds were too dangerous. Uh, why didn't they tell me to wait on the other side to see if the wind went down?!

After that crazy adventure, we headed to the Giant's Causeway. I recently went to a wedding where the cake was modeled after the Causeway and I didn't really know much about the GC, so I was excited to see the real thing. We did a little eating before hiking down to the sight. I had a chicken panini but my favorite part was the side salad's dressing. It was this awesome mustard vinaigrette that blew my mind.

When we got back to Dublin, we had dinner at the Yamamori Oriental Cafe. We had passed by the menu the day before and it sounded pretty good. Plus it was right around the corner from our hotel. Location, location, location. We ordered scallops with a wasabi mayo, pork buns, chicken & kimchi filled gyoza and some sort of tofu skin wrapped beef/pork roll (I think). The scallops were divine. They were cooked perfectly and the wasabi mayo was oh-so-good. I also really liked the pork buns. I don't have pictures of the rest of our meal, probably because we were so hungry we didn't want to waste time taking pictures. I still can't get over those scallops, though. Amazing.

Wednesday was our last full day in Ireland. Of course we had to hit up the Guinness brewery. We did a self tour of the brewery storehouse. They created a huge Guinness pint glass in the atrium that was as tall as the building - I thought it was a cute idea. Our ticket of admission bought us a "complimentary" pint at the Gravity Bar, which has a 360 view of Dublin.

After grabbing a drink, we had lunch at their dining hall. I ordered their soup of the day, which was some sort of chicken and black bean soup, but I ended up with a broccoli cheddar-ish soup. I was too hungry to argue. The Guinness brown bread that they served with the soup was the real winner. It was sweet and sort of tasted like cornbread, sweet cornbread. It was the best thing ever. Thankfully Guinness has the recipe online...but what the heck is black treacle? :)

For dessert I got this lovely creation. I don't remember what it's called, something like Dublin truffle or triple...whatever it's called, it was delicious. How could it not be? It's a mix of brownie, fruit, meringues and cream. I tried looking up a recipe for it on Guinness' site but couldn't find one. :(

We walked around town for the rest of the day. I was pretty tired from our epic trip and just wanted to lay down and relax. Our final stop was the Yamamori Noodles for dinner. Dad and I both got ramen noodles. I think Dad got the seafood ramen. I got the beef miso ramen. It was supposed to be slightly spicy, but most definitely was not. I need my spicy! We eventually asked the waiter if they had any spicy pepper powder to kick it up. At first the waiter came back with ground black pepper and we were like, whaaa? Thankfully they had some spicy pepper in the back.

The whole trip was definitely a whirlwind adventure. Shout out to my mom for creating an awesome itinerary, but who wasn't able to go on the trip at the last minute, and to my dad for completing her itinerary and not going crazy with all of my sillyness. My parents are pretty awesome. Fact.

[Recap: Ireland: Part 1]

Eating my way through Ireland (part 1)

2011-09-21T05:49:00.003-05:00

Last stop: Ireland.

We stayed in the southern part of Dublin near a bunch of restaurants (awesome). We landed in Dublin around dinner time, so what better way than to start with dinner at Ukiyo, an asian fusion restaurant. I ordered kimchi jjigae, a spicy Korean stew with kimchi, tofu, pork, with a side of rice - soo good! There's something so comforting about Korean food. :) Dad and I shared a spicy tuna roll, too, because I couldn't resist. It was so delicious.

On Sunday we did a hop-on hop off bus tour, saw some sights, then did a walking tour of the city. We worked up an appetite and wandered into The Port House, a small Spanish tapas restaurant. It's sort of underground and reminded me a lot of the mesones in Madrid. I don't have any pictures of our tasty food because it was so dark inside. I can't remember what we ordered but it was good. Patatas bravas, chicken skewers...some other good stuff, and a pitcher of sangria.

Monday was an adventure. We did an all day bus tour to the west coast of Ireland. The main stop was the Cliffs of Moher. It turned out that Ireland was getting the tail end of a hurricane so the wind was fierce! You could barely stand up straight, let alone walk. It probably wasn't the best decision to go on a cliff with hurricane winds, but it'll definitely be a lasting memory!

After fighting for our lives on the Cliffs, we had lunch at a little restaurant in Doolin. We treated ourselves to a berry cobbler with mango sauce. Loooved the mango sauce.

I figured we deserved a treat after surviving gale winds. When we got back to Dublin, we picked up a quick dinner from Abrakebabra. It wasn't too shabby.

To be continued...[Ireland: Part 2]

Eating my way through the UK (part 2): Scotland

2011-09-17T22:35:00.004-05:00

Our next stop after Oxford/London was Scotland. We took a morning train to Edinburgh on Tuesday, earl grey and pasty in hand. I loved the train stations because they were great for people watching. The departure boards appeared to have magic powers that put people in a trance. They were frozen in place like statues. I loved it.

In Edinburgh we stayed at a flat in the Grassmarket. Check out the view from our flat of the castle. We stayed in the old, medieval part of Edinburgh. The whole city was super hilly. Someone conveniently forgot to mention that to me! I like to think walking up and down all those hills helped burn off all the food we ate.

We had dinner at Empires Turkish Cafe. Dad and I shared six mezes (small plates):

(1) acili - crushed toasted hazelnuts with tomato, chili, garlic & spices;

(2) dolma - vine leaves stuffed with spice, rice and everything nice;

(3) enginar - artichoke hearts marinated in vinegar & virgin olive oil;

(4) keremit kofte - beef & herb meatballs, oven baked in tomato sauce;

(5) muska borek - lightly baked spinach, feta & onion pastries;

(6) musakka - layers of eggplant, courgette, tomato & potato, covered in a creamy white sauce and sprinkled with cheese.

Need I say more? My top three were the artichoke hearts, layered eggplant, and crushed, toasted hazelnuts with tomato. The artichoke hearts definitely won me over. The vinegar-olive oil marinade was delish and not too overpowering. When I saw the crushed toasted hazelnuts on the menu, I was curious. It was pretty good, different but good...full of subtle flavors.

Post dinner, we went on a literary pub crawl and learned about famous Scottish writers. The guides/entertainers were dropping all sorts of names that I had never heard of before (eek). It was freezing that night so by the end of the tour, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed (I should mention we had to stay in a hotel our first night). As soon as we stepped in to our hotel, the fire alarm went off. Seriously?! We went across the street to wait for the firemen. The whole hotel evacuated except for this old man, in a bathrobe, and his wife. He went to his window and just stared at all of us. Of course I had to snap a picture of his ridiculousness.

On Wednesday we did the touristy thing all day. We had lunch at a cute place called Oink (you can see the pig in the window!). I got a pulled pork roll with applesauce. Dad got a pulled pork roll with sweet chili sauce, which was a nice twist. As we were eating our rolls, a guy came in and ordered his roll with both sauces. I was like, whaaa?! Why didn't I think to ask for both?! That would have taken my roll from a 5 to an 8!

After a rainy walking tour about town, we stopped in Chocolate Soup to warm up and to obviously load up on chocolate. I got a chocolate espresso conpanna and wow-wee! It packed all sorts of punches. It was a bit rich for my tastes.

We rested a little before stuffing our faces again with dinner. The woman we rented the flat from was super organized and left a list of recommended local restaurants. We decided to ignore our itinerary (gasp) and try one of the recommended places. We went to Under the Stairs, which proved to be an apt name for the restaurant, as it was indeed under the stairs on the basement floor.

Under the Stairs is pretty small, very cozy. It seemed like a hidden gem. I loved it. I ordered a burger with applewood cheese, pesto and garlic mayo with a side of sweet potato wedges. Deeelicious. The applewood cheese, loooved. The sweet potato wedges, amazing - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and super flavorful. How can you not love sweet potato fries?

On Thursday we went on an all day tour to Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands. The scenery was beautiful. We stopped for lunch by Loch Ness. I didn't see the Loch Ness monster but maybe next time, right?

We went to this little fish and chips shop. Sometimes the little shacks turn out to be the best places. We shared the fish because it was freaking huge. When the owner plated the fish and chips, he asked if I wanted salt and vinegar. I had just seen him drown the fish order before mine. I didn't want to risk it so I said no vinegar. Totally got called out! Haha. The fish and chips were pretty good, hot and fresh.

For our last full day in Scotland, we went to Glasgow. The hop-on hop-off buses were a huge hit with me. I loved the audio tours. You learn a lot of cool, random fun facts. What's not to love? I was rattling off stuff I didn't even know I knew. We walked around the University of Glasgow area and hit up The Blind Pig for lunch.

I had the Blind Pig Club: bacon, egg and chicken triple decker. It satisfied my taste buds. Dad ordered mushroom soup, which apparently blew his socks off; he loved it and talked about it days later. :P I'm not big on mushrooms, but I'm sure it was delectable.

Man, who else is exhausted? I'm exhausted just blogging about our adventures, and I'm not even including all the sightseeing we did.

Off to Ireland for the next post...[Ireland: Part 1]
[Recap: London: Part 1]

Eating my way through the UK (part 1): England

2011-09-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a two week vacation to the UK and Ireland. As with any family vacation, we packed it full! Lots of eating, walking, sightseeing and not much sleep. Our itinerary was four pages long (preview below)!

We arrived Saturday morning and wasted no time - straight to the Borough Market! The market was packed. We lunched at Roast and had pork belly with applesauce sandwiches. Porkbelly with applesauce seemed to be the thing to eat in the UK. It was quite good. The sweetness of the applesauce balanced the savory pork. They served it with the skin, which kind of freaked me out because it was pretty crunchy and totally an unexpected texture in a sandwich. I had to take it off, that and it probably could have chipped a tooth!

In London we stayed at someone's flat, which happened to be above a bakery (!). We could even see into the bakery from the living room. I loved the flat; it felt more like home than a hotel room. We hit up the bakery for breakfast on Sunday. Pain au raisins + a big latte! Dad ordered a mocha, which in London seems to mean chocolate syrup.

We ventured out to Greenwich to go to the origin of time, the Prime Meridian! We stopped at the local street market for lunch first. The market was loaded with all sorts of ethnic cuisines. We hit up the Ethiopian booth and it was ah-mazing. I'm not sure what all was in the meal but it was all incredibly delicious. To top it off, a fresh churro filled with dulce de leche/caramel.

After a long day of museums and learning about time, we went to the Chinatown area of London and ate at Corean Chilli. Who doesn't love haemul pajeon and dukbokki? (Korean seafood pancake and spicy sliced rice cake) I'm crazy for dukbokki. When I was younger, the ramen noodles my mom used to buy came with slices of dukbokki but then they stopped including it. I was devastated for years...still a little bitter. :P Haha.

On Monday we went up to Oxford to see the university. The last time I was in England, mom and I toured Cambridge and fell in love with pasties. I'd been thinking about pasties for days prior to the trip. I was determined to get my hands on some. I was getting worried because we hadn't come across any pasty shops yet and then there it was: West Cornwall Pasty Co. You bet I made a bee-line for it!

Heaven, I'm in heaven! The dough and hearty filling are so comforting. I love everything about these! Traditional all the way.

To be continued...[Edinburgh: Part 2]

Summer Squash Rotini

2011-08-31T20:39:00.000-05:00

Woohoo, last post of the month. I wanted to get this in before I go out of town. This recipe is pretty simple.

A while back my roommate made one of her pasta dishes with yellow squash and zucchini. It was amazing. I've never really been into yellow squash, not because I didn't like it, but because it'd never really been on my radar. Turns out I love it. I missed cooking so much when I didn't have a refrigerator and now that I have one again, I can't stop thinking about what to cook for dinner. It's so exciting to go to the grocery store and be able to buy produce. I went on Monday because I was craving broccoli. I left with squash, zucchini and a head of broccoli...and some other less healthy purchases.

I didn't really have a plan for this recipe. I added red pepper flakes for an extra little kick. This recipe really lets the vegetable flavors shine, with a hint of butter and garlic. I'm kind of crazy for broccoli, but if you don't love it so much, maybe cut back to 1/2 a head of broccoli.

Ingredients (serves 3)
3 c whole wheat rotini
salt
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
red pepper flakes, to taste
4 tbsp butter

Boil water, add salt and cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain and stir in 1 tbsp butter.

Dice garlic cloves and slice squash and zucchini. Heat a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tbsp butter, add garlic, squash and zucchini. Saute until zucchini becomes less opaque. Add broccoli and 1/2 tbsp butter. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until broccoli reaches desired tenderness.

Add drained pasta to skillet and mix. Serve it up!

Spinach Salad with Bacon & Poached Egg

2011-08-27T23:27:00.001-05:00

I've been avoiding buying a coffee maker for almost a year now. I don't know why. I know I'd use it. I love coffee. In an attempt to save money, I've been making coffee at work instead of going to Starbucks. But what about the weekends? I just want to wake up and have a cup of coffee without having to step outside of my apartment. Who wants to get out of their jammies on a lazy Sunday? Definitely not me. Most weekends I leave my apartment in sweats with my sunglasses glued to my face as I head out to Starbucks. I figure I won't see anyone twice so it's okay if I look awful, right?

This afternoon I braved the crowds of tourists on Michigan Ave and made my way to Crate and Barrel (I love C&B). I've been debating whether or not to get a coffee maker for a year but two days after being introduced to the idea of a French press, I bought one. I'm going to make my first cup of joe tomorrow and I'm super excited!

While I was at Crate and Barrel, I saw these egg poachpods and couldn't resist! I knew I had this recipe on my list of recipes to try but kind of got turned off at the idea of poaching an egg. But with my new cute poachpods, game on!

This recipe was pretty good. It's like breakfast on a salad! I was afraid the vinaigrette would be too overpowering because it smells pretty potent but that wasn't the case. There are all sorts of flavors and textures going on here, what's not to like?

Ingredients (serves 1)

3 strips of bacon, crumbled
1 large egg
baby spinach
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
salt and black pepper
goat cheese, crumbled

Boil water, crack and egg in the poachpod, place in water and cover. Cook until the whites set.

Cook bacon over med-high heat in a skillet. Remove bacon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Carefully add apple cider vinegar and boil over high heat for 2-3 minutes until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate a handful of baby spinach. Crumble the bacon and goat cheese and add to spinach. Lightly drizzle salad with hot vinaigrette. Top with the poached egg.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast.

Baked Egg in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Mozzarella

2011-08-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

I'm back!

It's been a rough month or so without a refrigerator. Getting a replacement took much longer than expected but it's finally here! The thing I missed most was being able to have a refreshingly cold glass of water. You can't get that kind of cold without a refrigerator and a freezer that can make ice. Sweet sweet ice.

My month long refrigerator-less adventure led me to become a regular at my neighborhood cafe. "Regular" status has gotten me all sorts of perks and sweet treats. One afternoon I stopped in and ended up having an hour long conversation with the owner. We looked at facebook pictures of her and her grown-up children. We talked about her weight loss struggles, exercise, smoking and growing old. I loved every second of it.

Now, to the good stuff. I found this recipe on A Cozy Kitchen and knew I had to try it. I love runny eggs, anything spicy and any reason to use little ramekins. I adapted the recipe a bit. Instead of making tomato sauce, I used pre-made spicy pasta sauce. I also swapped out the goat cheese for mozzarella because I totally forgot to buy goat cheese. The end result was ah-mazing!

Ingredients (serves 1)
c spicy pasta sauce
red pepper flakes, to taste
chunks of mozzarella
1 large egg
salt and pepper, to taste
2 slices wheat bread, toasted

Fill ramekin 2/3 of the way with pasta sauce. Add mozzarella cheese. Crack an egg into the ramekin, season with salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes. Place in the oven at 425 F and bake for 15-20 minutes, until whites have set. Serve with toast.

Original recipe here.

Roasted Tomatoes

2011-07-23T14:50:00.005-05:00

I originally set out to make bull's eye eggs with roasted tomato. Unfortunately the bull's eye didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I'm going to blame it on the fact that I used a bagel thin instead of a big slice of bread. My roasted tomatoes, on the other hand, did turn out. This was my first time making them and definitely won't be my last. They were incredibly flavorful and easy.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 tomato, sliced

olive oil

salt and cracked black pepper

1 slice of bread

1 large egg

Roasted tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray. Thinly slice the tomato. Place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

Bull's Eye Eggs:

Cut a hole in each bread slice. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bread slices; cook until toasted on each side. Crack an egg into each bread hole. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the eggs until they begin to set (2-3 minutes). Gently flip the egg and bread with a spatula. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Season new side with salt and pepper.

Out of Order

2011-07-18T19:02:00.014-05:00

I've been on a temporary kitchen hiatus. My refrigerator has been acting up/slowly dying for the last month. Hopefully I'll have a functioning refrigerator soon.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

2011-07-04T16:40:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July!

I'd been wanting to try this recipe for a while. The ingredients have been on my grocery list for weeks. This morning I hit up the store and saw blueberries were on sale. Good enough reason for me to finally try this recipe!

This bake is so simple. You only need 6 ingredients and there aren't any complicated steps. The blueberries add enough sweetness, so you don't really need to add sugar. I'd say this is more of a breakfast dish, but you could spruce it up as dessert by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. [Note: if you're not so hot on oatmeal, cut down the amount you add]

Ingredients (4-6 servings)

1 1/3 c steel-cut oats

1 pint blueberries

2 tbsp sliced almonds, plus some to sprinkle on top

1 tsp cinnamon, plus some to sprinkle on top

1 c water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a small baking dish. Mix well.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool before serving. Top with a handful of almonds and a dash of cinnamon.

Original recipe.

BLTA

2011-06-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

I copied this recipe from a local cheese, bread and wine shop called Pastoral. I love everything about it but it can get a little pricey. They've got a shop right across the street from where I work and lately I've been giving in to their amazing sandwiches. Who can resist?

Ingredients (1 sandwich)

french bread

1-2 slices prosciutto bacon

1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

2-3 tomato slices

field greens

mayonnaise

Lightly toast bread. Cook prosciutto bacon until crispy. Blot with a towel to degrease. Slice up the avocado and tomato. Pile everything on the bread.

Chicken Gyros

2011-06-25T21:04:00.003-05:00

This past month has been crizazy. My internship ended up turning into a full-time position (yay!). My first day was the date of my last post and I haven't really been in the kitchen much since then. It's just so easy to get take-out on the way home when I'm tired and hungry.

I've found some pretty tasty restaurants in my neighborhood. My new favorite place, Pita Heaven, just opened a few weeks ago. It's a Mediterranean place and I'm totally in love. Everything I've tried there has been amazing. The last time I was there I got the chicken gyro. In an attempt to get back in the kitchen, I decided to try to recreate Pita Heaven's deliciousness. I'm pretty pleased!

Ingredients

1-2 chicken tenderloins
balsamic vinegar & apple cider vinegar
oregano & cracked black pepper

1 pita/flat bread

handful of lettuce

1/4 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges

honey mustard

Marinate chicken in vinegars, oregano flakes, and black pepper for 30 min. Cook over medium heat until done (I seasoned the chicken with more oregano and pepper once on the skillet). Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting into small pieces.

Warm the pita by placing it in the skillet you used to cook the chicken (soak up some of that flavor!). Heat each side for a few seconds. Place chicken in the middle of the pita. Add lettuce, tomato wedges, and honey mustard. Fold and eat!

Avocado Eggs Benedict

2011-05-16T20:49:00.001-05:00

This is a fun twist on eggs benedict! All of the flavors and textures in this mix perfectly. Plus, bacon makes everything 10x better, am I right?!

I found this recipe from one of the many food blogs I follow and I'm sooo glad we crossed paths. I was a little nervous about poaching an egg because I'd never done it before, but it's not so bad!

Ingredients
2 eggs

2 slices bacon

1/2 avocado

salt & pepper, to taste
1 english muffin

Cut avocado in half, scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mash with a fork. Cook bacon to a crisp, place on a paper towel to soak up some grease and set aside.

Fill a sauce pan with 2 inches of water, bring to a simmer. Crack 1 egg at a time into a separate bowl. Stir the simmering water and gently pour in the eggs, one at a time. Cook the eggs for 2 1/2 minutes or until the whites are cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Toast the english muffin. Top with avocado spread, bacon, and egg. Season with black pepper.

Sue's Spoon Brownies

2011-05-02T23:00:00.008-05:00

I used to think it was crazy to make brownies from scratch. Why would anyone want to do that?! For some reason I imagined it would be this big complicated process that would take an eternity. I don't know what I was thinking because there's not a whole lot in brownies...

I'd been craving brownies for a couple of weeks when my aunt forwarded me this recipe. Her friend won a local brownie contest with it, so it must be good, right? Now, I'm not really a brownie person but I like a challenge (even when it's just with myself) so I was determined to make these brownies.

Well, last week my roommate told me she's pretty sure the oven needs to be calibrated (great!). I haven't had any real problems with the oven in the past 7 months so I didn't think too much of it. Until now. I split the batter between an 8x8 dish and cupcakes. What should have taken less than a half hour to bake was slowly inching towards an hour. I started adding 2, then 5, and eventually 10 minute chunks to the bake time. When the brownies still weren't done, I gave up...oven: 1 Noemi: 0, so now I have a dish full of half-baked brownies.

I'm sure these brownies are great when they're baked through. The brownies I ended up with aren't too shabby but they kind of taste like defeat. :-P They're pretty chocolate-y and vanilla-y (I might go a little easy on the vanilla next time, if there's a next time).
Anyway, I figured I'd still post the original recipe!

Ingredients

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1 c butter

pinch of salt

1 3/4 c sugar

1 c sifted flour

4 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

In a double boiler, melt chocolate, 1 c butter and salt. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and flour. Add eggs (lightly beat with a fork first) and vanilla. Add the melted chocolate to flour mixture.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full. Bake at 325 F for 23-25 minutes. Cupcakes will fall a bit in the middle after being removed from the oven.

Recipe from Sue Cohen.

Chicken Salad Croissants

2011-04-12T19:47:00.001-05:00

It's finally starting to feel like Spring here (yay 50 degrees!) so I thought I'd celebrate with some chicken salad croissants. For some reason they remind me of warm weather.

This recipe should be followed very loosely. It's more of a guide that you can tinker around with to find the right mix of flavors for you. I personally love the sweetness of the grapes and the texture that the celery and apple add.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

1 14-oz. can chunk chicken in water, reserve juice

1/3 - 2/3 c mayo

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp onion powder

a few dashes of celery seed

1/3 c celery, coarsely chopped

1/3 c red seedless grapes, cut in fourths

2-3 wedges granny smith apple, diced

2-3 lettuce leaves

6-8 mini butter croissants

Drain the chicken, reserving 1-2 tbsp of juice. In a small bowl, mix mayo, chicken juice, garlic powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Add chicken and stir, breaking up the chunks. Stir in celery, grapes, and apple. Cover and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.

Cut the croissants in half. Top with lettuce and a generous amount of chicken salad. Devour.

Blackened Chicken Quesadilla

2011-04-07T19:42:00.005-05:00

I've been waiting all week to make this quesadilla and it didn't disappoint. Late Sunday night I started feeling pretty bad. I was miserable for most of Monday before finally going to an urgent care center. Thirty minutes later, I tested positive for influenza. :( The meds have helped a lot (I was in pretty bad shape) but I haven't been able to eat a real meal all week. Double sad face. I've been living off of crackers and lots of greek yogurt (if you're not already in love with Chobani, you should be)...so I was pretty excited for this quesadilla.

Ingredients (2 quesadillas)

2 boneless chicken tenderloins

1 tbsp vegetable oil

mrs dash extra spicy seasoning blend
1 clove garlic, minced
< 1/4 green pepper, diced
< 1/4 red pepper, diced

2 (8-inch) flour tortillas

shredded cheese

Coat both sides of the chicken tenderloins with spicy seasoning blend. Saute in oil over medium heat until blackened, 4-5 minutes each side. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice. While the chicken rests, dice peppers and mince garlic. Lightly saute over medium heat.

Coat a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium. Place tortilla in pan and sprinkle one side with cheese, chicken, peppers, and top with cheese. Fold empty side over and cook until golden on both sides.

Vanilla Bean Scones

2011-04-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

Well hello hello. I'm still here! I got into a bit of a funk last month and didn't cook/bake anything after my last post. I just couldn't seem to get myself back in the kitchen. But this is a new month, Spring is approaching, and I'm ready for a fresh start! So this month I'm going to try my best to get back into the swing of things. And what better way to start than with a scone recipe (I love scones).

If you frequent your local Starbucks, you should try their petite vanilla bean scones. They're amaaazing. I'm seriously obsessed. I wanted to see if I could recreate them and found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog (I adapted it slightly).

My scones turned out well, though they can't quite compare to Starbucks'. They aren't as vanilla-y as I was expecting but they're still good. I was hoping for "petite" scones but ended up with scones somewhere between petite and regular (I may have rolled my dough too thin). Baking these turned out to be quite the learning experience! If I make these again, I'm going to add a little vanilla extract to the wet ingredients.

Ingredients (~2 dozen scones)

3 c all-purpose flour

2/3 c sugar

5 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

1 large egg

3/4 c heavy cream

2 whole vanilla beans

Glaze:

4 c powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 c whole milk

1 whole vanilla bean

dash of salt
dash of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Split 2 vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir the caviar into the heavy cream; set aside for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter/knives to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Stir in the vanilla cream, then combine with the flour mixture. Stir gently with a fork until just combined.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. Roll the dough into a rectangle 3/4-inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares. Cut each square in half diagonally, to form triangles.

Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, removing from the oven just before they turn golden. Cool for 15 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Glaze:

Split 1 vanilla bean down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into whole milk; allow to sit for awhile. In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla milk. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get the desired consistency/thickness. Whisk until completely smooth.

Individually dunk each scone in the glaze. Transfer them to the cooling rack and allow the glaze to set completely (~ an hour).

Scones will keep for a few days.

Boston Cream Pie

2011-02-20T18:18:00.002-06:00

I love surprises so this year I decided to surprise Adam with a cake for his birthday (again). Last year I rocked the chocolate bavarian torte, this year I went with a Boston cream pie.

I don't bake cakes often so I was a little nervous about this one. Thankfully the people at marthastewart.com include videos with their recipes (genius)! The cake turned out great and the birthday boy liked it so I'm pleased. :D

Ingredients (serves 8)

6 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3 large eggs

1 c sugar

1/2 (or more!) recipe cooled vanilla pudding

1/4 c heavy cream

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter over very low heat.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high with an electric mixer until thick, lightened in color, and mixture holds a trail for several seconds when beater is lifted (4-5 minutes). Gradually whisk in dry flour ingredients until just incorporated.

Bring milk and butter to a boil, turn heat off and add the hot milk mixture to the batter. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla and transfer batter to the prepared cake pan.

Bake until golden brown and pulling away from sides of pan, 35-40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a rack to cool.

After the cake has cooled completely, with a serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally. Spread the bottom half with the vanilla pudding to within 1/2 inch of the edge; gently place the top half of the cake on the pudding layer.

Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.

When glaze has thickened, pour over filled cake. Using a spatula, spread glaze to edges of cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let the glaze set 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate.

Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Vanilla Pudding

2011-02-17T22:55:00.003-06:00

Holy moly! Homemade vanilla pudding is amazing! I can't believe I've never made it before. It's fairly straightforward and totally worth the effort.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2/3 c sugar

1/4 c cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 c skim milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tsp vanilla extract

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, making sure to dissolve the cornstarch. Then whisk in egg yolks.

Over medium-high heat, whisk constantly until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to medium-low, keep whisking for 1 minute. The pudding is done when it starts to thicken and bubble on the outside and in the center. Remove from heat and immediately pour through the sieve into the bowl (the sieve will stop any cornstarch that didn't dissolve and any egg). Stir in butter and vanilla.

Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (this prevents a skin from forming). Chill the pudding for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Kale Chips

2011-02-02T17:33:00.003-06:00

Happy Groundhog Day! Good ol' Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow today so hopefully he's right and spring is around the corner.

Yesterday was quite the emotional roller coaster. I spent half my day trying to get tickets to a concert, which I'm happy to say I finally got! Then a blizzard hit the city and the wind was insane! My door/window doesn't close all the way so with every gust of wind a little snow came in. I aluminum foiled the crack and hoped for the best. I sure didn't think I'd need to blizzard-proof my room! It was a long night. When I woke up this morning there was almost 2 feet of snow on the ground which meant I wasn't leaving my apartment. :D Since work got cancelled and I didn't really have anything to do today, I thought I'd test out a new recipe to cheer myself up.

I've seen so many recipes/posts about kale chips. Kale has been having quite the year. I avoided it for awhile because I was so sick of reading about it but I finally bit the bullet. I had never had kale before so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.

Kale chips are surprisingly delicious/flavorful and oh-so-crispy! They're like healthy potato chips. Plus they're super easy to make and nutritious! FYI: I used curly kale, stripped 2-3 stalks and ended up with a bowl full of kale chips.

Ingredients

kale

olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash and dry kale leaves. Tear the leaves off the kale stalk so you're left with tiny pieces of kale. Place the kale in a bowl, lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Stir to coat all pieces.

On a lightly greased baking pan, spread the kale out (don't crowd the pan). Bake for 10-15 minutes. When you take the pan out of the oven, to see if the chips are done shake the pan and you should hear the kale scratching the pan.

*Note: Try seasoning the kale with other spices like spicy pepper flakes to give the chips a little flare!

Pumpkin Scones w. Cinnamon Sugar Glaze

2011-01-25T19:14:00.010-06:00

Let me start off by saying (1) I LOVE all things pumpkin, (2) I love scones, and (3) what's not to love about glazes (love cinnamon).

These pumpkin scones are insanely amazing. I'm so in love with them. I want to eat all eight of them right now but I'm going to have some self-control, at least until it's time for dessert! I wish I could give you a scone right now so you'd know what I'm talking about.

Ingredients (8 scones)

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 c all purpose flour

1 c cake flour *

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/3 c pumpkin puree

1/3 c heavy whipping cream

6 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 c powdered sugar

2 tbsp milk

cinnamon, to taste (aka lots)

*If you don't have 1 cup cake flour: combine 3/4 c + 2 tbsp all purpose flour with 2 tbsp corn starch

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil/parchment paper.

Cut butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and refrigerate. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. Place bowl in freezer.

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well to combine and place in freezer.

Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender (fork/knife if you don't have one), cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cold pumpkin mixture and stir until the dough is just moistened (dough will be crumbly). Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push dough together with your hands. Knead the dough a couple times until it starts to come together. Make sure you don't knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

Shape the dough into a circle 3/4 - 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on the baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until barely light brown on the bottom.

For the glaze: mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon. Add additional sugar or milk to get the desired consistency. Brush or drizzle onto warm scones.

Recipe from Love & Olive Oil.

Taco Pizza Squares

2011-01-10T21:37:00.002-06:00

Ahh, this pizza really hit the spot. I didn't have taco seasoning so I made my own! I covered the beef in tons of chili and cayenne pepper (because I like it spicy!) and just kind of experimented with the other spices. You really can't go wrong. This recipe is pretty basic so you can really have fun mixing it up.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/4 lb ground beef

cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper

1 (4oz.) can pillsbury crescent rolls

shredded italian blend cheese

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

sour cream

salsa

Preheat oven to 375F. In a skillet, brown the meat and drain. Stir in spices to your liking and set aside.

Unroll the crescent rolls. Place them on a foil-lined pan. Pinch together the perforated seams, flatten the dough a little, connect the two rectangles and pinch the ends up to form a crust. Fork the dough in the center so it doesn't bubble and rise when it bakes. Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the crust cool completely.

Top the crust with shredded cheese and beef. Put it back in the oven to melt the cheese. Top with sour cream, salsa, and more shredded cheese. Cut the pizza in fourths and serve immediately.

Adapted from What's Cookin, Chicago?

Beef Tortellini Soup

2011-01-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

Props to my dad for introducing me to this soup! Over Christmas break he made it for dinner and it was amazing. It tasted just like manduguk (a Korean dumpling soup). I introduced my parents to tortellini years ago and they really took to it. My dad is always experimenting with different ways to cook it. He used to stir fry it and it would come out all crispy and perfect. I loved it. I'm loving this soup, too. It'll keep you warm on these cold winter days!

This dish is super easy to put together. There's not really any prep time, just waiting for the water to boil and then voila! 5-8 minutes later you have a meal!

Ingredients (serves 1.5)

1 c frozen beef tortellini

~ 1 c beef broth

~1 c water

mrs dash extra spicy seasoning blend

Pour equal parts chicken broth and water in a small pot; add a few hits of the spicy seasoning blend. Bring to a boil, then add tortellini. Cook the tortellini according to package directions.

White Chocolate (Macadamia) Cranberry Cookies

2011-01-03T16:55:00.001-06:00

I just realized I forgot to take pictures of the final product! Oops. Anyway, these cookies were pretty good. The cranberries add a fruity twist to these semi-dense cookies (my mixer was having a heck of a time with the dough). These cookies are good with/without the macadamia nuts.

Ingredients (makes 3 dozen cookies)

3 c all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 c granulated sugar

1 c packed dark brown sugar

2 sticks (1 c) butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 c white chocolate chips

1 c dried cranberries

1 c chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mix. Stir in the white chocolate chips, cranberries, and macadamia nuts.

Drop dough by the spoonful onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until set. Cool on the sheet for a couple minutes before moving to wire rack.

*NOTE: I split the dough in half before adding macadamia nuts so I would have some cookies without nuts for those non-nut loving people. I only used a 1/2 c of macadamia nuts.

From allrecipes.com

Trifecta Cookies

2010-12-25T19:13:00.000-06:00

Peanut butter oatmeal chocolaty goodness. This cookie gets its name because it's a combination of three cookies: peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chip. What's not to love? As soon as you pop the first batch in the oven, your house will be flooded with the smell of peanut butter. The chocolate melts in your mouth and the oats give these cookies a little crunch. Deeeeeelish.

Ingredients (makes 30-35 cookies)

1 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/3 c dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 c old fashioned oats

1 c semisweet chocolate chunks

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add in the egg and beat to combine. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour; mix until just combined. Stir in the oats and chocolate chunks.

Refrigerate the dough overnight or up to 24 hours. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough by the spoonful onto the baking sheet (2 inches apart). Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Cincinnati Skyline Chili

2010-12-10T20:15:00.010-06:00

This past year I was introduced to Cincinnati-style chili. I've since become a fan of Skyline Chili. When I saw this recipe posted on another blog, I got pretty excited. I love chili and I wanted to see if I could recreate the famous Skyline chili. This isn't exactly like the real thing but it's pretty darn close!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

3/4 - 1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 c tomato sauce

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1 c water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dark brown sugar

7.5 oz can red kidney beans (rinsed & drained)

1/2 lb spaghetti

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 large sweet onion, minced

*Note: Prepare the garlic, onion, spices, and liquids before you start cooking to streamline the process.

In a large dutch oven, add oil and saute the onions over medium heat until they soften. Add the ground beef and break it up into small pieces. Once the beef has browned, add the garlic and the spices: chili powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, cocoa powder, ground allspice, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant (~30 seconds).

Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, water, vinegar, sugar, and drained beans. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for roughly an hour, until the chili begins to thicken.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Plate the spaghetti, top with chili and garnish with cheddar and onions.

From What's Cookin, Chicago? by Joelen

Shredded Chicken Nachos

2010-11-30T15:44:00.000-06:00

November has been a surprisingly busy month. I avoided the grocery store for a few weeks because I didn't want to buy stuff and then have it go untouched in the fridge. I'm taking it easy these next few weeks so hopefully I can cook up some good stuff.

In the meantime, I made nachos! This is a quick and easy lunch to make. It takes less than 20 minutes to put together. You'll save time if you prepare your toppings while you wait for the chicken to cook, too.

Ingredients (serves 1)

tortilla chips

shredded cheese

1 chicken breast

1/2 avocado, sliced

chunky salsa

Start by poaching the chicken breast for 10-15 min., depending on thickness, over medium-high heat. With a fork, shred the chicken. Put a couple handfuls of tortilla chips on a plate and cover with shredded chicken. Grab a couple handfuls of shredded cheese and sprinkle on top of the chicken. Microwave for 40-50 seconds. Top with a couple spoonfuls of salsa and a few slices of avocado on the side.

I thought about baking this dish but ended up microwaving it to save time because I was so hungry. Be prepared to get messy eating this!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

2010-11-01T07:30:00.001-05:00

When I saw this cookie recipe, I knew I had to try it. It's got two of my favorite things: pumpkin puree and butterscotch chips. What's not to like? I don't know what it is about butterscotch but I just can't control myself around it.

These cookies are a perfect fall dessert. With a big glass of milk. Amaaaazing. They're light, and fluffy with bursts of butterscotch.

Ingredients (makes ~3 dozen)

2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 c pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 325F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Beat until smooth and light in color, about 1 minute. Blend in the oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips with a spatula. Chill the batter for 5-10 minutes*.

Drop mounds of dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 14-16 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the tops feel set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool. I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

*For my first batch I didn't chill the batter and the cookies spread like wildfire. I chilled the dough for the next batch and the cookies held their shape.

**I also chilled the dough in the refrigerator while I wait for a batch to bake.

Chicken & Brie Bundles

2010-10-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

Yikes. It's been awhile since I made a post. I'm working on it! I'm trying to eat all the food in the fridge before I buy more food so nothing goes to waste. It is not easy.

Yesterday I made chicken fajitas and had some leftover chicken. So today I bring you my chicken and brie bundles. :D I bought brie awhile ago but realized I didn't know what to do with it! Then I saw a blog post about calzones and thought, hmm, I've got some crescent rolls and leftover chicken and veggies and brie...I could make this work!

The brie worked so well with the chicken and veggies, not overpowering at all. Imagine all the possibilities of food you can fill the dough with...endless. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pkg pillsbury crescent rolls (4 rolls)

1/2 chicken breast, cut into small pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 green pepper, diced

1/4 onion, diced

4 small slices of brie (thin, inch-long)

chili powder

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut up the chicken, garlic, veggies, and brie. Saute the garlic and veggies for a minute, then add the chicken chunks. Season the chicken with chili powder, then saute until the chicken is no longer pink (a couple minutes).

Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Unroll the dough triangles. Carefully stretch out each triangle. Place a spoonful of the chicken saute in the middle of the triangle. Place a slice of brie on top. Fold over the ends of the triangle and pinch the ends together.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pizza Pockets

2010-10-14T23:56:00.004-05:00

I got this recipe from Adam's mom. It was so good when she made it for us. I'd been meaning to try this recipe for awhile but I guess life got in the way. These little pockets are so easy to make and only require 4 ingredients. This recipe's simplicity is what makes it so awesome.

Ingredients (4 pockets)

8-oz can pillsbury crescent rolls

small pkg pepperoni slices

4 tbsp pasta sauce

4 mozzarella cheese slices

Preheat oven to 375F. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Press the perforated edges together. Place 6 pepperoni slices in the middle of each rectangle.

Place a spoonful of pasta sauce on top of the pepperoni. Fold a slice of mozzarella in half, then place on top of sauce.

Fold the sides of the dough in toward the center until they almost meet, leaving the middle open. Pinch the sides of the dough together. Tuck 3-4 pepperoni slices into the middle opening. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 min. or until golden brown.

Faux Apple Pie

2010-10-03T11:52:00.005-05:00

Last week I kept taking the same apple to work for lunch. It was the only thing that made it back home all week. It started to get bruised and I didn't want to just let it rot but I didn't really want to eat it plain. I saw this snack idea and thought I'd actually try it. It's so simple and delicious.

Ingredients

1 apple

cinnamon

[other spices to your liking]

Cut up the apple into small pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon on top, mixing to coat the apple chunks. Microwave for 40-60 seconds until the apple chunks are warm and soft.

Turkey and Bean Chili

2010-09-22T20:31:00.007-05:00

Chili! Who doesn't love it? It's so warm and hearty. This recipe doesn't have much of a twist or any flare, but it's still tasty!

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 lb ground turkey

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp chili powder

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

sour cream

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir occasionally, until tender, for 4-6 min.

Add the turkey, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, and chili pepper; stir for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes (with their juices), the beans, 1/2 cup of water, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 20-30 min. Serve with oyster crackers and a dollop of sour cream.

From Real Simple.

Corned Beef with Rice

2010-09-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

It's been a crazy month, full of travel and not much cooking. After a week-long vacation in August, I thought I'd finally get to settle down for more than a week at a time. Then I got offered an internship opportunity in Chicago. So shortly after going home to Tallahassee, I was off on another trip! The last couple of weeks have been filled with apartment hunting, cramming in adventures in Tallahassee, and moving across the country. I'll be in Chicago next week and hopefully I'll settle in and start cooking and posting more regularly.

In the meantime, I'm in St. Louis for a few days in between moves. Today for lunch my mom and I cooked up this delicious meal.

Ingredients (serves ~4)

1/2 onion, diced

~1 tbsp minced garlic (I used freeze-dried)

handful of green olives

1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes

1 can corned beef

white rice

cilantro, chopped, to taste

Saute the onions, garlic, and olives over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the canned stewed tomatoes (you may want to cut the tomatoes up into smaller chunks w/ spoon). Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the corned beef and break it into smaller chunks. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the meat is heated through. Turn off the heat and mix in the cilantro. Serve over a bed of rice.

Recipe from my mom. :)

Double Chocolate English Scones

2010-08-30T11:17:00.006-05:00

This morning I didn't know what to have for breakfast and then got a craving for scones. And once I get a craving for something, I won't be satisfied until I have it. I altered the original recipe a little by adding a lot of chocolate chips :D, more butter, more orange juice, and a little vanilla. The scones have a little hint of citrus and vanilla that add a nice twist.

Ingredients

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c whit sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled & cubed/grated

1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 c white chocolate chips

8 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9x13 baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a grater (big holes), grate the chilled butter into the flour mixture; mix with a fork to create coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix in the orange juice to form a dough.

Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll it into a log (about 3-4"x16") and cut out ~12 small triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 min. or until golden brown. Move to a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: You might want to refrigerate the dough for ~10 min. before baking if you've handled it a lot and it starts to feel soft.

Altered from allrecipes.

Chicaaago

2010-08-28T21:04:00.004-05:00

I've been all over the place lately and haven't really cooked anything in weeks. I just got back from a short trip to Chicago. I flew in for a couple of days for an interview. Right after I landed I had a phone interview for an internship in DC. The next day I had another interview for an organization in Chicago. I was so relieved when it was all over.

My parents decided to join me in Chicago at the last minute. Our first night there we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art for the Calder exhibit and live jazz music on the terrace. I didn't take any pictures of the Calder exhibit because you're not supposed to, so instead I took a picture from the exhibit across the hall. I think they're supposed to be cupcakes but they remind me of pigs and made me smile.

After my interview on Wednesday, we checked out the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. We had a delicious lunch at the restaurant on the top floor, some highlights: plum tomato salad, mussels, and eggplant fries(!). I would have never thought to make fries out of eggplant.

We went to the Field Natural History Museum on our last day. On our way there we passed by a sweet sculpture field.

There was a cool Egyptian exhibit inside where you walk through a tomb. They had super old stone walls with hieroglyphics and a "fake door" where people left food and gifts for the dead royalty. It's pretty cool that the stuff has lasted so long and is in such good condition.

We got a little carried away exploring the museum and found ourselves rushing to the airport. We still had to go back to our hotel, grab our bags, and get on the train. My flight was at 1:35pm and we were still on the train at 12:55pm with a few more stops to go. I was sure I wasn't going to make my flight. When we got to the airport I booked it! I was struggling to run down the corridors with my suitcase, heavy carry-on and flip flops. Had I known I'd be running through the airport, I would have chosen better shoes! I ended up making it to the gate while they were still boarding. You can bet I was sweating bullets by the time I sat down. My parents sure do make life an adventure. :D :P

Quick & Spicy Cracker Snack

2010-08-21T17:07:00.003-05:00

These cracker snacks are so good and great for a quick snack. I love all things spicy, that extra little kick to a meal. The spicy relish I used is wickedly delicious. It's Wickles hoagie & sub relish. It's pretty spicy so a small amount goes a long way.

Ingredients

crackers

cream cheese

spicy relish

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the crackers. Then place a small amount of spicy relish on top. Devour.

White Chocolate Trail Mix

2010-08-05T22:54:00.010-05:00

This trail mix is to die for. My roommate freshman year of college came back from winter break with bags full of this insanely delicious mix. I was in heaven! She even brought me back some sophomore year. :D I hadn't thought about this mix until last week when it randomly popped in my head. I'm going on a long road trip in a few days and I thought this would be a sweet treat for the road. I've been waiting all week to make this and I couldn't wait any longer! Shout out to Miriam who shared this tasty treat with me!

I'm usually not a big fan of white chocolate but I make an exception for this trail mix. It's easy to make and will leave you feeling so good. You may have to hit the gym extra hard after making this recipe but it's well worth it.

Ingredients

2 c rice chex

2 c corn chex

2 c pretzels

2 c cherrios

2 c dry roasted peanuts

2 c m&m's

8-10 oz. white chocolate

Combine the chex, pretzels, cherrios, peanuts, and m&m's. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Pour the chocolate over the mix and stir gently. Store in an airtight container.

[For reference: 1 cup of each ingredient (6 oz. m&m's) and about 6 oz. of melted white chocolate will fill a 9 x 13 in. glass dish.]

Almond Chocolate Biscotti

2010-08-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

The other day I got a craving for biscotti. I love dipping them in my hot coffee and feeling them disintegrate in my mouth. Fun fact: "biscotti" originates from the Latin word "biscoctus" which means twice baked.

These turned out pretty good. I added chocolate chips to the recipe and decided to dip the biscotti in chocolate (just like the ones you buy at coffee shops :D). This recipe is pretty simple. The only probably I had was when I divided the dough into two rectangles and baked it. The 2 rectangles ended up turning into one big rectangle. So next time I'm going to add more flour to help the dough keep its shape.

Ingredients

1/2 c butter, softened

1 1/4 c sugar, divided

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

dash of salt

1/4 c chopped almonds

1/4 c mini chocolate chips

2 tsp milk

semi-sweet chocolate chips, for melting

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla extract. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir in the chopped almonds and chocolate chips.

Line a baking sheet with foil and grease the foil. Divide the dough in half. Spread into 2 rectangles on the foil. Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 300 F.

Move the rectangles with foil onto a wire rack; cool for 15 minutes. Remove the rectangles from the foil and place on a cutting board. Slice diagonally into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Place slices, cut side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over and bake for 10 more minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the cookies in the oven with the door open to cool.

After the cookies have cooled, melt some chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. Once the chocolate has melted, dunk the cookies in the chocolate and coat the cookies. Let them cool on a wire rack. Store the biscotti in an airtight container.

(Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Taco Pasta

2010-07-31T11:05:00.000-05:00

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

~1lb ground meat

chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, & salt (season to taste)

1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

8 oz. canned diced tomatoes

6 oz. canned black beans, rinsed

6 oz. chicken broth

four blend shredded cheese

1 serving bow tie pasta

sour cream

On a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the meat until almost done. Season the meat with the spices.

Add the diced peppers and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the black beans and tomatoes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a simmer for 10-12 minutes. Cook the pasta according to package directions while the meat mixture simmers. Add the pasta to the meat mixture. Toss and serve with shredded cheese on top and a dollop of sour cream.

This isn't exactly the most photogenic meal but it's pretty tasty. Plus, you can make tacos with the leftovers! :)

Potato & Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-07-29T12:15:00.003-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1 c unsalted butter

3/4 c granulated sugar

3/4 c packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 c crushed potato chips

1 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mix to the creamed butter and mix well. Stir in the potato chips and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for a couple minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

A friend of a friend's mom sent him a big bag of potato chip cookies in college and they were to die for. So when I saw this recipe I got pretty excited. This recipe is simple but figuring out the right baking time is tricky. My first couple batches came out of the oven a little burnt around the edges.

At first I thought these cookies were just kind of blah. I was traveling the day after I baked these and packed them in a ziplock. I ate a couple at the airport and was kind of disappointed. They were a little dense and chewy and not too flavorful. But, the next day I tried another and it tasted 10x better. Crispy, crunchy, and flavorful. If I make this recipe again I'm going to add more chocolate chips and maybe some vanilla extract to give the cookies a little boost.

(Via BunsInMyOven)

Pesto Chicken Florentine

2010-07-19T10:30:00.001-05:00

This dish is full of flavor. The alfredo sauce and pesto combine to create a nice mix of flavors that aren't overpowering. To top it off, romano cheese has a grainy, salty flavor that gives this pasta a nice twist.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 chicken breast, halved & cut into strips

3 handfuls baby spinach leaves

1 c alfredo sauce

1 tbsp basil pesto

2 servings penne pasta

grated romano cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes. When chicken is almost done, add the spinach and saute together for a few minutes. While the chicken cooks, start cooking the penne according to its package. In a small bowl, mix the alfredo sauce and pesto; set aside.

After the pasta is cooked, rinse under cold water and drain. Add the pasta to the skillet with the chicken and spinach. Stir in the alfredo-pesto sauce; mix well. Serve with grated Romano cheese on top.

Tres Leches Cake!

2010-07-16T20:40:00.001-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c unsalted butter

1 c white sugar

5 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

2 c whole milk

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

1 c white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 c sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then let it cool. Poke the cake generously with a fork.

In a small bowl, combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Pour this over the cake. (The cake will slowly absorb it all.)

Prepare the topping: whip together the heavy whipping cream, 1 c sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until thick. Spread on the cake. Refrigerate for a little bit, then slice it up and eat. Be sure to keep the cake covered and refrigerated.

This cake is so good. The whipped cream is amaaaaazing! This was the first time making tres leches cake so when I poured all the milk on the cake I was shocked. I thought, oh no maybe we put too much. Silly me. It didn't take long for the cake to soak it all up. The cake is super dense and moist. A small slice is more than enough to fill you up.

Original recipe.

Pesto Cheesy Chicken Bundles

2010-07-15T22:12:00.009-05:00

These were supposed to be rolls but ended up more like chicken bundles. After a small error in cutting the chicken breast, I did some major surgery on the chicken breast halves with spaghetti (in place of toothpicks). After some hard work and determination, I popped the chicken bundles in the oven and hoped for the best.

This recipe was so-so. The chicken halves were different sizes so I think they all finished cooking at various times which left some a little dry. :( Bummer. The pieces that weren't dry were pretty good. I used two different pestos: traditional basil and sun-dried tomato. They were both good. We ate the chicken bundles with a small side salad of romaine, spinach, croutons, and light caesar dressing. Mmm.

INGREDIENTS

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved & pounded to 1/4" thickness

1 c pesto

4 thick slices mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pound the chicken breast halves. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of pesto onto each flattened chicken breast. Place a slice of mozzarella over the cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks (or spaghetti if you don't have toothpicks). Place in a lightly greased baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes.

[I didn't take any photos of the process (pounding, spreading, rolling) because it looked like a disaster and it would have required me to wash my hands constantly (raw chicken).]

Maple Salmon

2010-07-14T19:02:00.002-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1/4 c maple syrup

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 frozen salmon filet, thawed

1/3 c frozen broccoli florets

2/3 c frozen corn

In a small bowl, mix the syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and black pepper. Place the salmon filet in the bowl, coat with the syrup mixture, and cover the bowl. Marinate the salmon in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, turning once.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Move the salmon in a glass baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork. While the salmon bakes, thaw the frozen vegetables. In a small pot of water (seasoned with salt), bring veggies to a boil, cover, simmer for 5 minutes, then drain. Rinse the pot, then pour in the remaining marinade in the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Plate the salmon and vegetables, then coat the salmon with sauce.

The marinade/sauce had a nice balance of sweet and salty. My filet turned out super moist and was cooked perfectly. The sauce also complemented the veggies. Overall, a meal well done.

Chana Masala

2010-07-12T11:28:00.001-05:00

When I was in St. Louis I stocked up on all the goodies my parents were eating. Lots of korean food, pasties, empanadas, Indian food...the works. My parents found these boxes of Indian deliciousness. I, of course, had to stock up on them because they're amazing. All you have to do is make a pot of rice, heat up some naan, boil the Ready to Eat packet for 5 minutes and voila, you're ready to eat.

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg chana masala

1 c white rice

naan bread

Korean Lettuce Wraps

2010-07-08T20:10:00.002-05:00

I went home for a week or so and became a total bum when it came to cooking. The only thing I made was the peach cobbler in the previous post. But I'm back in Florida now and cooking. I've got a couple recipes lined up so you can expect more regular posts for the next week or so.

My mom gave me this recipe right before I left. She had planned to make it while I was home but there just weren't enough days in the week for it. So she did the next best thing and sent me back with the head of lettuce.

These wraps are delectable. I put a lot of seasoning on the meat which made it pretty powerful (oops). I'd recommend using a little less than what I used. The bean paste was so good, too. It wasn't overpowering and had just the right amount of kick to it. All the flavors, the lettuce, rice, beef, and bean paste, worked so well together. We each had 3-4 wraps and were stuffed by the end.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb beef stew meat

1.5 tbsp mccormick montreal steak seasoning

1 tbsp sesame oil

soy sauce, drizzle over

1 c white rice

6 lettuce leaves

Sauce:

2 spoonfuls bean paste

1-2 drops of hot pepper paste

Start cooking the rice in a rice cooker. Cut up the stew meat into small chunks. Place the meat in a small bowl and marinate with steak seasoning, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Let it sit for a few minutes before cooking over medium heat.

Sauce: Place a spoonful of bean paste in a tiny bowl. Add a spoonful of water and a few drops of the hot pepper paste. Mix it together until it's no longer watery.

Rinse the lettuce and tear off individual leaves. Plate the lettuce, and put the rice in a bowl. Take one lettuce leaf, put a scoop of rice in the middle, add some chunks of meat, and top with the bean paste. Fold in the lettuce and chow down.

"Healthified" Peach Cobbler

2010-07-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

This recipe is super simple and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

INGREDIENTS

1 c bisquick mix

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 c skim milk

3 tbsp canola oil

3/4 c sugar

1 can (29oz) peach slices, drained

1 tsp lemon juice

vanilla ice cream

In a sm-med bowl, mix together the sugar, peaches, and lemon juice. The lemon juice will bring out the peach flavor.

Preheat oven to 375F. In an ungreased 8x8-inch glass baking dish, stir in bisquick mix and cinnamon. Stir in the milk and oil with a whisk until blended.

Spoon the peach-sugar mixture over the bisquick batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool for 20 minutes before serving warm with ice cream.

See original recipe.

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

2010-06-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

Yum yum. This recipe is easy and pretty straightforward. I really liked the broccoli chunks and was happy the alfredo sauce wasn't overwhelming. The garlic dinner rolls were pretty good, too. The small hints of garlic were a tasty twist on your basic dinner roll. Try it out!

INGREDIENTS

Pasta:

2 c penne

3 c frozen chopped broccoli

1 chicken breast, cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c alfredo sauce

1/4 c grate parmesan cheese

shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Cook penne according to package directions. Add the broccoli in the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the chicken until lightly browned. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes longer. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Stir in the parmesan and alfredo sauce. Cook and stir until heated through. Plate and top with shredded parmigiano-reggiano.

Rolls:

4 pillsbury dinner rolls

butter

garlic powder

Preheat the oven. Melt about a tablespoon of butter; add a pinch of minced garlic. Spread the butter on the dough. Roll up the dough, butter the top, and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake on a greased baking sheet.

Banana Pizza

2010-06-22T14:53:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I was trying to decide what to eat for lunch (never an easy decision). I'm usually too tired and too hungry to want to make anything but for some reason I was set on making a pizza. I got the dough out and was looking for some cheese when I discovered we finished the last of the cheese last night! This struck me as an impossibility because for weeks we've had at least a half a dozen bags of various shredded cheese. I was so bummed. I really wanted that cheese pizza. I had already stretched out my dough so I wasn't about to just give up on it. Bummed and trying to figure out a plan b recipe, I spotted the bananas I had just bought. Fruit pizza!

INGREDIENTS

pizza dough

1 banana

sugar, couple spoonfuls

cinnamon

butter

Preheat oven to 450 F. Flour and stretch a fist-sized amount of pizza dough (~6"). Prick the dough with a fork to prevent bubbling in the middle. Place the dough on a greased baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven. Melt a small amount of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. In a small bowl, create a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Spread the melted butter on the baked dough, cover with cinnamon sugar, add banana slices, and, if you like, sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top. Bake for another 5-8 min. Cut in half and eat up.

Broccoli + Arugula Pizza

2010-06-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb pizza dough

1/4 c water

1/4 c frozen broccoli florets, chopped

3 c arugula

salt & pepper, to taste

pesto

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Place the rolled out dough on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 min, until puffed and lightly crisped, on the bottom shelf in the oven.

Meanwhile, cook the broccoli in water on a skillet over medium heat, covered, for about 3 min. Stir in the arugula and cook until wilted, 1-2 min. Stir and season with salt and pepper.

Spread pesto over the baked crust, top with the broccoli-arugula mix and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 8-10 min, or until golden and the cheese is melted.

Arugula has never made it on my grocery list until now. I'd never eaten it by itself so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. Turns out it works well with broccoli. I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of pesto we used but the combination of flavors was still delish.

Sushi night!

2010-06-19T21:44:00.001-05:00

INGREDIENTS (4 rolls = 32 pcs)

fake crab meat

precooked shrimp

1/4 cucumber

1/2 avocado

sliced carrots

4 seaweed sheets

2 c sushi rice

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp sugar

Cook 2 cups of rice in a rice cooker. Let it cool for 10-15 min. Then put rice in a cool bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan combine rice vinegar and sugar. Heat on low for a few minutes until sugar melts. Pour the vinegar over the rice and stir until it cools a bit. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and put in the refrigerator to cool down more (a few minutes). While the rice cooks and cools, slice the ingredients into thin strips.

Adam got a sushi kit awhile ago that we've been meaning to try out. Today we bought our fixings and got to work right away. Both the sushi kit and the seaweed sheet packet had instructions so we tried them both.

The sushi kit had all sorts of steps to follow. For one step you press the rice down with a piece of wood and when you take it the roll out of the mold it's in a funny rectangular shape. You have to roll it a bit so it looks normal. :) The second method was much simpler and preferable. You just cover a sheet of seaweed with a thin layer of rice, add your fixings in the middle, and slowly roll up. Voila! I had a much easier time with the second method than with the first.

We each made 2 rolls (way too much) and by the second roll I kind of knew what I was doing. These obviously didn't taste like restaurant sushi but I was pretty pleased with how they turned out. I mean, they could have been complete disasters. Adam tried to make a spicy sauce that consisted of mayo, hot sauce, and some spices but it didn't quite turn out the way we had hoped. I still liked it though. Overall this dinner didn't take that much more time/prep than other recipes we've made. Maybe next time we'll get more fancy with our rolls. :)

Breakfast Cinnamon (crescent) Rolls

2010-06-19T12:28:00.000-05:00

We're out of just about every breakfast food. No cereal, no yogurt, no eggs, no milk, no bread, no nothing. Luckily we had a small package of crescent rolls. I was trying to think of ways to spice up the rolls for breakfast because I didn't want just plain rolls. Adam suggested we put cinnamon sugar on them. Brilliant! Cinnamon sugar anything is so good. The double coatings of butter + cinnamon sugar make these rolls super tasty.

INGREDIENTS

4 crescent dinner rolls

granulated sugar

cinnamon

butter, melted

Preheat the oven. On a lightly greased baking sheet, unroll the rolls. In a small bowl or cup, melt a tiny amount of butter. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Butter the rolls, then cover with cinnamon sugar. Roll them up, then coat with more butter and cinnamon sugar. Bake according to package directions.

Rotini with Bacon & Asparagus

2010-06-14T19:58:00.002-05:00

I'm not really sure what to say about this dish. It's just so good! We cut the recipe in half, which now makes 4 servings, and I'm pretty excited to eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. There are so many great things about this recipe. The creamy sauce, the crisp asparagus, crunchy bacon, flavorful parmigiano-reggiano...need I say more? I had never cooked with asparagus before but I think I might try using it more often. Also, thumbs up to the parmigiano-reggiano. I'd never heard of it before but I'm lovin' it.

INGREDIENTS

2 servings rotini pasta

1/2 lb fresh asparagus, coarsely chopped

4 bacon strips

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 c half & half cream

1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Cook the rotini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the chopped asparagus, cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In the same pan (Dutch oven), cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Crumble the bacon. Dispose of the bacon grease before continuing.

Then saute the garlic in butter and olive oil until tender (1-2 min). Stir in the half & half cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 min. or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the mozzarella cheese until melted. Drain the rotini and add to the pan. Stir in the salt, asparagus and bacon. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-06-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Home sweet home. I've been busy traveling all over the place, small trips here and there, so it's been awhile since I've cooked anything. I'm home now, fridge stocked, and ready to cook. I picked to make chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight because I figured it'd give us some leftovers and one less meal to cook.

I also went to World Market today and couldn't help but buy 2 small ramekins. They're super cute, have handles, and lids. You better believe I made strawberry crisp for dessert tonight just so I could use them. :D

INGREDIENTS

4 soft flour tortillas

Filling:

1.5 c chicken broth

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp oregano leaves, dried and crushed

1/2 small onion, halved

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt

Sauce:

1 c tomato sauce

1 tsp hot cayenne pepper sauce

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp chili powder

shredded cheese

Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Add chicken breasts, oregano, and onion. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken for 10-15 min. Remove the chicken from broth and shred with two forks. Put the shredded chicken in a small bowl. Add 1/2 c of the cooking liquid (seasoned broth), tomato paste, spices, and salt. Mix well.

In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Heat through over low heat and keep warm until needed.

Fill the tortillas with chicken, then roll them up. Place the enchiladas seam side down in an 8 x 8 in glass pan. Pour the hot tomato sauce over the enchiladas and top with cheese. Broil the enchiladas on high (6" from broiler) for 5 minutes to melt the cheese and set the enchiladas. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

These were pretty good. When I opened the oven to check on them, it kind of smelled like burning. Uh oh. I let them cook for a couple more minutes before I finally took them out. The cheese got a little burnt and some exposed tortillas got a little charred, but nothing too bad. I ended up liking the crispy ends. The sauce for this had a pretty distinct flavor. While it heated it smelled a lot like applesauce and tasted kind of...sweet. Unfortunately the enchiladas didn't photograph well, :( , but at least they tasted good.

Chicken Fajitas

2010-06-10T10:19:00.001-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 chicken breast, cut in strips

1/4 med onion, sliced

1/3 green pepper, slivered

1/3 red pepper, slivered

4 (8-in) tortillas

salsa

fat-free sour cream

shredded cheese

Slice the chicken breast into thin strips. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Add the chicken and stir well until chicken is coated. Let the chicken marinate for 15 min in the refrigerator. In the meantime, cut up the veggies.

Cook the chicken on the stovetop for a few minutes. Stir in the onion and peppers. Remove the chicken when it's done; you don't want to overcook it. Saute the veggies until tender.

Warm up the tortillas in the microwave. Divide the chicken and veggies between the tortillas. Top with salsa, sour cream, and some shredded cheese.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

2010-06-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

I found this recipe about a month ago and have been wanting to make it since. Life and lots of traveling got in the way, until now. Last week we headed up to Indiana to visit Adam's family for a fun weekend getaway. It gave me the perfect reason to make these because I didn't want to show up empty-handed. Everyone loved them, which was a relief because I was afraid they wouldn't turn out. Just for kicks I baked one cookie on top of a whole oreo. I wish I had made more like that but in rushing to bake these cookies and worrying about packing for our trip I totally forgot. Oh well.

INGREDIENTS (yields ~34 cookies)

1 stick unsalted butter

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 oreo cookies, broken

1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until mixed well.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.

Slowly stir in the chocolate chips and oreos pieces until just combined. Using a small scooper, scoop the dough on a greased cooking sheet. Bake for 8-10 min. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for ~3 min. before moving them to a cooling rack.