Ania w Kuchni

I'm Baaaaaack!!

2010-10-05T12:11:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been well over a year since my last recipe posting......and a whole lot has happened, so I do have excuses galore! In the past year, I've moved, started a new job, gotten engaged (which sparked the former two events), adopted a pooch with my future hubby, and have just recently settled down a bit. Sighhhhhhh.

So...my recipe posts now take us to a whole new level, as the new place has a gas stove (yippeee!!), a terribly old and temperamental oven (booo!), and I now have some incredible pots and pans (Calphalon Unison non-stick!!) that make me a much better cook altogether! Since life has taken me on some crazy twists and turns over the past year, I am just now taking some "me" time to cook up some delicious meals, spoil the pooches (and cat!), and of course the future hubs. I have an archive of photos of many things I've conjured up over the year....and will start to post these recipes so that I (and perhaps you!) will find it easier to decide what's on the menu tonight! :)

Cheesecake for the Traveling Baker

2009-06-28T13:41:00.007-04:00

Sooo....as many of you know, I've had some difficulties transporting cheesecakes solo to their designated spots. My first attempt almost left me in tears, as I had to slam on the brakes during construction season as someone cut me off...the whole thing was a big ol' mess upon arrival.....my next attempt was a bit better, although the sides of the cheesecake suffered a little smushing as I made slow, but sharp turns on the way to work..... I was a bit apprehensive about making another one of these delectable desserts this summer, but since it was our intern's last day at Weg...and he said it was his fave dessert....I figured I'd suck it up and try something different.....

I've modified the original recipe for cheesecake just a little in order to make a more transportable dessert. Follow the instructions for my regular cheesecake, however add 1/2 more block (4 ounces) of cream cheese, and increase baking time to 1 and 1/2 hours, or just until set. This will yield a bit of a thicker cheesecake, but still creamy enough and light/airy enough to be super delicious and not too heavy and/or dry.

I decided to make this cheesecake for Adi a true indulgence and whipped up a recipe for real ganache topping.... This stuff refrigerates well and makes a nice, solid topping....also very friendly for car transportation when you are driving solo! Omit the lemon zest in the original recipe for the cheesecake batter if you are going to top the cheesecake with chocolate.... the lemon zest works much better for a fruit-topped dessert.... instead, add 1-2 teaspoonsful of pure vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture.

For 1 9-inch cheesecake ganache topping, you will need the following:

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (use the good stuff....Ghirardelli chips are terrific!)

Directions:

1. Heat the whipping cream and vanilla in medium saucepan just until almost boiling. Stir constantly and do not allow to boil over. (Don't even think about multi-tasking at this point...watch the stove!)

2. Have the chocolate chips ready in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate.

3. Stir well until you get a uniform, spreadable chocolate mixture.

4. Spread over cooled cheesecake using a spatula if you have one, or just a plain non-serrated knife.

5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

I prefer the fruit-topped cheesecakes when I indulge, but this dessert was pretty over-the-top. It is a total caloric bomb, but totally worth the occasional splurge! I'm pretty excited to finally have a recipe down that will allow for easy transport! :) If you are like me, and love fruit toppings, dip several small strawberries in the ganache and adorn the outside edge with berries for a super fancy decorative addition! If this whole pharmacy thing starts to get dull, perhaps I will be good enough to open up shop some day and have a less stressful job as a baker! ;) Adi- It was great to have you with us for those short five weeks......you will go far in life...keep up the great work!!

Summer Grillin' .....Pork 'N Peaches

2009-06-28T08:57:00.011-04:00

As the weather heats up, the last thing any of us want to do is turn up the heat in our kitchens and make our living quarters feel like ovens! Hence, the perfect solution to making awesome meals while it's scorching hot out.....the GRILL! I love the grill, and wish I had more skills using this amazing outdoor "oven"! Everything tastes so good coming in from the outdoor cooking- if I have a deck in the future, I may be a year-round griller and perfect my not-so-great grill skillz!

Anyways, this recipe is from Cooking Light magazine and is super duper easy and super duper quick to prepare. For this recipe, which feeds four if you are using 4 ounce pork cutlets.. you will need the following:

4 (4 ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 tsp chopped fresh thyme (Fresh makes all the difference- avoid the dry herbs in this recipe!)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 large peaches, pitted/halved and peeled, if you like

cooking spray

6 cups trimmed arugula

1 tsp turbinado sugar or granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap and pound each to about 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. (I skipped this step.....but the pork does come out more tender if you follow this instruction.....I marinated my pork before I realized it needed pounding!)

2. Combine 2 tbsp vinegar, juice, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tbsp of this mixture and set aside. Pour the remaining mixture into a large Ziploc bag, add the pork, seal and marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally.

3. Preheat the grill to medium heat

4. Place peaches, cut sides UP, on a plate - drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp of the vinegar.

5. Place marinated pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray- grill 3 minutes on each side or until the pork is done. (If you do not pound out the chops, this may take roughly 10 minutes each side....watch the grill so you don't burn dinner! ;)

6. Place peaches, cut sides DOWN, onto the grill rack and grill 4 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Turn and cook 2 more minutes or until heated through.

7. Remove peaches from grill and slice each half into 4 slices. Slice the pork into 1 inch thick strips.

8. Drizzle the reserved juice mixture on the the arugula and toss to coat evenly. Divide arugula evenly among plates, top with grilled pork strips and peach slices. Sprinkle dish evenly with turbinado sugar.

Viola! Dinner is done! If you marinate the pork the day before, this meal will literally take 20 minutes tops! An added bonus- no hot kitchen to do dishes in, and very little clean-up! :) I will be making this one lots of times this summer- the balsamic vinegar with the peaches is an unusual but delish combo, and pork is a great alternative to the usual chicken! If you don't like arugula, baby spinach would make a great alternative for the bed of greens! Happy grilling everyone! If you have some tried and true grilling recipes for me, feel free to share!! Becoming a master griller is on my list of things to learn this summer! ;)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites

2009-06-26T23:11:00.009-04:00

All ya need is the kitchen sink. These chewy, addictive delights have it all- we've got the oats, we've got the oooey goooey salty peanut buttery goodness, we've got chocolate chips....... Seriously, people....what more could we add??? (Ok, I guess we could add a lot more...but this is quite the delish combo of flavors- why mess with perfection?!;)

I recently had a weak moment at Barnes and Noble ( I am a total dork and absolutely LOVE this store.....not only because there is a Starbucks in my local one, but because I can always find something that I can read and/or learn about.....Sighhh...I am a bookworm....if only there was more free time to read!). Anyways....I found this great book by Better Homes and Gardens called The Ultimate Cookie Book. I've already concocted a handful of recipes and loooove them all! Everything (so far) came out fantastic ...and these cookies were one of my favorites. The recipe caught my eye because the little blurb about these peanut-buttery treats stated that they were pretty much indestructable and could tolerate even the worst abuse at the post office. (Saaaaweeeeeet!!! ) The post office man knows me by name in my little village and when he asks if there are any perishables ....and I say "cookies"....he always jokes that the package may not make it to its final destination. He's a jolly man and definitely looks like he could down some desserts....I may have to drop off a batch for him and the post office crew sometime this summer...He (so far) has made sure my care packages always make it to their designated spots :)

Soo...if you are looking for a recipe that is sturdy...yet chewy, soft....but not too soft, gooey...but not melty... this recipe is for you. Bake up a batch and mail it to your loved ones....and try to keep your paws (and your furballs' paws!) out of the dough...it is tempting! Add a pair of running shoes or a Jane Fonda video in your care package to ward off the guilt ;)

For 1 batch of cookies (which makes enough to treat your coworkers, as well as your loved ones far away....about 4 dozen).... you will need the following:

1 cup butter, softened ( I love the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for Baking- works great and much healthier!)

1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (I used Jiff Natural Creamy....one of my faves)

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats ( I used old-fashioned Quaker oats- love 'em!)

1 cup milk chocolate pieces ( I used semi-sweet chips instead.....it was hot and I thought they may be a little more heat-stable!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter/margarine and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds or so, until nice and creamy.

3. Add the brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat well until combined, scraping bowl at least once. (I absolutely loooooove my new KitchenAid mixer ...my sister spoils me rotten and bought it for me for my birthday, and it is the most amazing gadget ever! Thanks Dorothy!!! I love it!!!:) If you are using a mixer, make sure to use the regular mixing attachment for this portion of the mixing, not the creaming attachment or dough hook.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.

5. Beat in the flour.

6. Stir in the oats and the chocolate pieces. Use a spoon for this, or if you do have the fancy mixer, set the speed on "low" to mix everything gently.

7. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonsful, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

8. Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

I am sure this recipe will be making its way into the mail again........it makes a ton of cookies, so even my co-workers got to try this newbie out! A nice change from the usual chocolate-chip....make this recipe next time you feel like sending a lil sweet something through the Pony Express ;)

Next to come....a great (and fast!) summery dinner recipe that involves my favorite summer kitchen "gadget"......the GRILL!!

I hope you are all enjoying the start of summer......it has been off to a busy start for me...as I am sure it is for you too!! Lots of celebrations and congrats are in order.......Congrats to Jen, who has graduated with her nursing degree and will be leaving us this summer...Congrats to Ellen, who is also leaving us soon and getting married!!.... and to Teresa/Dennis on the birth of their first child...Baby Owen!! Lots of exciting things are happening this summer ......and lots of new summer recipes for me to concoct during my "free" time! Enjoy! :)

( I'm including a recent photo of the pooch- all spiffed up after a trip to a new groomer......after rolling in muddy grass from all the recent rainfall......she came out sparkling from the puppy "spa" ! :)

In Memory of Cocoa

2009-05-26T22:44:00.005-04:00

I came back from DC to a mailbox overflowing with bills, magazines, junk mail, ......and a small pink envelope from Maddy....Cocoa's adopted mom, who we call "Mom #2". Maddy sent me cards from Cocoa for all sorts of holidays, even for Mother's Day! They always made me smile and reassured me that Cocoa was being a good boy and was also well taken care of.

Before I continue, I should let those of you who are unaware know that I've had a chocolate brown guinea pig by the name of Cocoa since my 3rd year of college (2001-2002). Cocoa was a Christmas gift that year from an old boyfriend and I must admit, the most unusual and most unexpected gift I have ever received. Cocoa kept me company through long nights of studying until dawn, through various car trips home for the holidays, and through my somewhat lonely adjustment from college life in Buffalo to grown-up life in central NY. Cocoa was a sweet, gentle furball who would squeak like crazy every time I opened the fridge, hoping I'd toss him a carrot stick or a dandelion green (one of his fave foods!). He made me laugh countless times and was a very spunky little guy. Maddy adopted Cocoa when Bella came into my life. Maddy's guinea pig (Daizy) had passed and she had more time to devote to caring for Cocoa than I did while training Bella, so Maddy and her husband lovingly welcomed Cocoa into their lives.

I had a feeling the pink envelope would bring sad news.....and it did. After 7 years or so bringing smiles to both Maddy and me, Cocoa passed on May 17th. It's funny how attached you can become to such a small ball of fur and how sad the news is even after three years of living with his "adopted mom". Maddy did a great job taking care of Cocoa and I would not have trusted anyone else with his well-being. She continued feeding him his favorite snacks (loved those yogurt drops and cherry tomatoes!), cleaning out his cage, and spending time with him playing and watching TV. We both know that Cocoa had a fantastic life and, at seven years old, age got the best of him. I admit, I am a sap and cried when I got the note.....people like me should probably not be allowed to have pets because of the inevitable..... but knowing that he had such a great life and was given so much attention and love makes me feel a little less sad.

Thank you, Maddy for being such a great Mom #2!!! Your cards and pictures will keep my memories alive and I am glad we could both enjoy Cocoa's company at different stages of our lives! RIP Cocoa- Bella sends kisses.......

Congratulations Graduates!!

2009-05-26T21:14:00.009-04:00

Now that things have finally calmed down a bit, I am back in business with the recipe postings...... With Mother's Day, my dad's B-Day, my sis's B-day, and Ryan's graduation all out of the way, I am back into the leisurely art of blogging :) I hope you are all doing well and perhaps have a few new recipes for me to try out? I am happy to say I've acquainted yet another wanna-be chef with Cooking Light's website and have gotten some great feedback- you may want to check the site out yourselves at times I leave you hanging! :)

Anyways, CONGRATULATIONS to all you graduates out there!!!! Grabby (my little pseudo pharmacist) has finished her studies for the time being at St. John Fisher, Jess and Tim are now both awaiting licensure and have hit the ground running out of University @ Buffalo and Albany College of Pharmacy, respectively. (Both will be amazing at their jobs!) ....and of course, congratulations to Ryan....who graduated from University of Maryland this past weekend and definitely made us all proud! (and is solely responsible for my passing of Calc I and II !!)I am excited for all of our graduates......bright futures are ahead of you all, even in this not-so-bright economy! (There is a Mathematics major wanted for even MY field of work!;)I know you guys will change lives and give it your best everywhere you go!!

Where does the time fly?? I still remember when I graduated and it definitely does not seem like almost 4 years have passed since then!! Time seems to be running away from me lately and I am realizing more and more just how important it is to savor the good times and make the most of of life as it comes my way.......speaking of savoring.... a recipe for some summery snickerdoodles is to come.....however laundry is calling, so that must wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend and a happy time celebrating with your graduates! (My long weekend in DC was fun- great food, great company, and even a beer or two and a baseball game at the fairly new Nationals Stadium! Thank you to all who made it wonderful....and to Ryan for trying to smile for a million photos in the sweltering heat! You did great! (Check out his snazzy velvet beret in the above photos! ;) May is winding down and summer is close at hand.........finally! :) Hard to believe that we're half-way through the week tomorrow!! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Double Trouble Double-Chocolate Cookies

2009-04-20T14:09:00.008-04:00

Just what the doctor ordered after an Easter season filled with huge chocolate bunnies, bags of jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps, and other healthy delights.......is this recipe for double chocolate cookies!!! These were actually made prior to the Easter season and accompanied the brownies to DC, making a pit stop in Binghamton to share the indulgence!! The cookies are thick, chewy, and very tasty. If you are a fan of my chocolate chip cookies, then you would looooove these!! I prefer chewy cookies over crisp (unless we're talkin' biscotti!), so these are on my list of favorites....

For once batch of cookies....yielding about 1 and 1/2 dozen... you will need the following:

1/2 cup unsalted butter ( I used unsalted margarine instead)

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 and 1/4 cup SELF RISING flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 ounces white chocolate (not white baking pieces....actual chocolate, with cocoa butter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets and set aside.

3. Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

4. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat well to mix.

5. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in lightly with a metal spoon.

6. Add the oats and chopped chocolates and stir until mixed well.

7. Place small spoonsful of the mixture in rocky mounds onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.

8. Bake for 15- 20 minutes until pale golden color develops. Cool 2-3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe, and the brownie recipe as well, are both from an old cookbook by Hilaire Walden called Cookies: Irresistible Biscuits, Brownies, and Bars. I used 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate and only 2 ounces of white chocolate in this recipe because I had a weak moment and devoured the ears off of the white chocolate bunny I had purchased to make this recipe with. Ooops. (Note to self: never bake cookies before dinner, while you are starving for real food. You may not have enough recipe ingredients to finish your baked product! Oh well.....the ears were yummy and my dinner ended up being a bowl of Campbell's soup as punishment!)

These double chocolate cookies travel well and would be a nice treat with a tall glass of milk on a chilly evening. The kiddies would go nuts for these too- nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds and serve them with cold milk for the occasional sweet snack. You never want to dig into a plate full of cookies without a protein accompaniment, as this can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and eventually may lead to diabetes if you are not careful. This is why desserts are less of a danger if you have them following an actual meal...and unhealthy snacks such as cookies are a little bit less of a danger paired with milk or yogurt. I think all foods are ok in moderation, but there are definitely ways of incorporating the less healthy options without sacrificing the health of your loved ones. Diabetes is now an epidemic in the US and even though I love to bake, I try to limit how often I serve up the truly naughty stuff! All in all, cookies are treats- not meals (unless you have a cookie monster in your house- then hide these bad boys in a safe place!!)- so a cookie or two once in a while isn't gonna kill anyone:) Ok. That is my pharmacist health and safety disclosure on the sugary stuff ;)

Today is a super duper gloomy day, thus confining me to the indoors and allowing me to update this blog with all my latest creations. The rain is falling, it is unusually dark, and the smiling face of Paula Deen is on my TV as I catch up on emails, type out these recipes, and run around cleaning. I've managed to do a massive load of laundry this weekend and am trying to finish spring cleaning my spare room. There is just so much stuff in there- magazines stacked on the floor and a pile of bills and receipts to be filed away- I hate paperwork. I've recently switched most of my stuff to paperless options and am hoping this will help with the overabundance of mail. I'm halfway there- my goal is to finish this week so I can finally start organizing.

I love organization- it makes me feel at peace and less crazed! Clutter kills me and I have once again made a decent pile of bags for donation. I really like the concept of "out with the old, in with the new"- if a new outfit enters my closet, an old outfit that has not been worn in years must leave. Sadly, the sparkly RU21 shirts really have no place in my closet anyways...I am too old to even own clothing from stores like that! The remainder of my stash has been laid to rest. So sad....but I'm coming to terms with this and dressing my age, finally. I guess I don't wanna become a 30-year old in teen's clothing....looking like I haven't really grasped the concept of maturity. I always make fun of those ladies...hehe...I admit it, they look ridiculous!! The too-short, too-cleaveged, too-tight "look" hardly looks classy! One of my favorite shows on TLC ( I realize that I am a total nerd) is What Not to Wear and I realized that some of the things you shouldn't do, I do. What's wrong with going out in my Buffalo tee shirt and 3 inch shorts to grocery shop? Apparently, at almost 30, a whole lot. I've donated my short shorts and kept ones that don't make me look like a wanna-be 18-year old. Here's to looking like a nun! (Hehe kidding....only kidding....there are lots of cute clothes for ladies in their late 20's!!) I can't part with my PINK collection from Vicky's Secret though...those comfy, cozy, super soft sweat pants and sweatshirts are appropriate at any age, TLC be damned! ;)

Anyways, on the concept of organization...I'm trying to follow the same concept with my dog's toys, too. I know it sounds trivial, but those half-chewed, half-shredded, de-squeaked toys can really start to accumulate if you let them! They overtook my living room before I stepped in and tossed the ruined ones....they were everywhere!!! I'm definitely in Spring mode.....out with the old, in with the new!!! I'm excited about starting the organization process......now if only I could get off my tush and go back to the stash of papers in my spare room....... Happy Spring Cleaning (and sweet baking!!) Everyone!! :) (Bella seems to have devoured her food a little too quickly again as I sat here typing....I hear my first mess to spring clean. Yuck!!!)

Vote for Pedro- 2009 Edition!!

2009-04-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

In an effort to help out your favorite SPCA, the Animal Rescue Site ("help feed hungry furballs" link on the right hand side of this blog) is once again doing the "Shelter Challenge". Please take the minute or two each day to vote for a shelter that means the most to you.....or if you have no "favorite" shelter that you usually help out or donate to, vote for the Dutchess County SPCA, where there are many wonderful people trying to help out furballs who where handed the unlucky deck in life and whose health and well-being depend on the generosity and kindness of strangers with big hearts :) To participate in the Challenge, click on the following link and type in the name of the shelter you'd like to vote for....every vote counts, so don't think your vote won't matter!

The Shelter Challenge Link

Help raise money for shelters in need....and help out furballs in your state! (Go NY!!) Lets see if we can perhaps make one of our local shelters or the Dutchess County shelter #1 this year!! :)

Thanks for your help- Bella and I appreciate it!!!:) The above picture is of my favorite foot-warmer in action..... she is definitely a much-loved pooch!! Lets try to help animals who aren't as lucky as our pets and deserve just as much love!

Decadent Marbled Brownies

2009-04-20T11:53:00.012-04:00

Brownie lovers beware: you may have to hide these from yourselves! On a recent trip to DC, I decided to make a batch of these babies to surprise Ryan and his friends with, since it is much too warm to be mailing stuff like this. I made an incredible mess out of my minuscule kitchen, but the end result was fabulous! I think I used every bowl, measuring spoon, and spatula I own......you would think a tornado busted through the kitchen after I was done. Sighhh...oh well. Artist at work? ;)

Oh well. Kitchens can be cleaned....and these brownies are totally worth the efforts! :) They are super moist and super duper decadent. They would make a really great weekend treat for your kiddies or for a special end to a weekend dinner! (Just make sure you have an hour to kill on the treadmill, too......your waistline will hate you otherwise!)

For 24 brownies, you will need the following:

8 (1 ounce) squares semi- sweet chocolate ( I used Baker's Squares)

6 tablespoonsful butter ( I used the new Can't Believe It's Not Butter for Baking)

4 large eggs ( I used 2 eggs and the remainder was egg substitute....only because I ran out of eggs, but this healthier substitution worked really well and I think I will stick to this combo!)

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts, chopped ( You can toast these for added flavor!)

For plain batter:

6 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line the bottom and sides of a 13 x9 pan with wax paper and spray with cooking spray or grease with butter.

3. Melt chocolate squares and butter over very low heat, stirring constantly. (You can also use a double boiler for this.)

4. Meanwhile, beat the eggs until light and fluffy.

5. Gradually add the sugar to the eggs and continue beating until well-blended.

6. Sift over the flour, salt, and baking powder and fold to combine. (Sifting allows more air to enter the dry ingredients, thus creating a more airy, moist brownie :)

7. Stir in the melted (cooled) chocolate mixture to the flour mixture.

8. Add the vanilla and walnuts.

9. Measure out and set aside 2 cups of this chocolate batter.

10. For the plain batter, cream the butter and cream cheese with mixer. Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended. Next, beat in the eggs, flour, and vanilla and mix until well combined.

11. Spread the UNMEASURED chocolate batter into the greased and lined pan.

12. Pour in the cream cheese mixture on top of the unmeasured chocolate layer. (The whole pan should appear white at this step...you shouldn't see any of the bottom chocolate layer.)

13. Drop large spoonfuls of the RESERVED chocolate batter on top of the white layer.

14. With a metal spatula or knife, swirl the layer to marble. DO NOT blend completely!

15. Bake until just set, about 35-40 minutes.

16. Unmold when cool and cut into squares for serving. ( If you put the brownies in the fridge for an hour or so after they are cooled, you will get nice, even edges!:)

These are sure to please the brownie lover in your life! I packaged a few up in some Easter baggies and shared the goodies with family and friends....this recipe makes a large batch...you don't want anyone going into a sugar coma, so spread the wealth! ;) Also, don't be like me and leave the entire kitchen in shambles before heading to bed.....it is much more difficult to clean up the dried mess the next day.... I have learned my lesson well!! I hope you give these brownies a try...you will not be disappointed at all! You can get fancy and serve a scoop of natural vanilla ice cream atop a brownie, drizzle with some chocolate sauce, and top with added nuts for the ultimate in desserts. If you want your pants to continue to fit you as summer approaches, I recommend a nice long walk with your pooch and a sweat session at the gym to burn off this totally-worth-it caloric bomb :) Indulge away....and see you on the jogging path! ;)

Fire and Spice Ham

2009-04-20T10:08:00.010-04:00

A big, beautiful ham is traditionally part of Easter and/or Christmas dinner celebrations for many of us. There are lots of different options when it comes to purchasing ham- you can buy a spiral ham (looks fancy, easy to cut, easy to decorate!), a boneless lean ham (looks like a large round log and is very trim and tasty!), or the ever-so-popular ham half. This year, since I worked Easter Sunday and was not going to have company over for dinner, I chose to experiment with the ham half....

I bought a 7 pound ham (the smallest I could find- even with the help of the meat dept. staff at the Weg!!) and took it home with ideas of a glaze brewing in my head. I stumbled across this recipe for fire and spice ham from CL's website and decided to give it a try ( ok...maybe I didn't exactly stumble on the recipe...I may have been perusing websites while on hold with doctor's offices at work! I like to call it multi-tasking ;) ....the combination of spicy and sweet appealed to me and I thought the red color would be an extra added bonus :)

By the time I finished getting the ham half ready for the oven, I was down to about a 5 pound ham- there was so much blubber on there that needed to be trimmed off, I have decided I will next time go with the boneless ham or even the spiral ham if I am making this for company. After I trimmed all the jiggly stuff though, I must admit, the ham looked pretty decent :) (I would stick with the cheaper ham half making this for a weekend dinner....you can really work around the fat and save mula too!)

Soo....for this recipe, for about 18 servings...you will need the following:

1 (5 1/2- 6 pound) 33% less-sodium smoked, fully cooked ham half

cooking spray

1/2 cup red pepper jelly ( I could not find this- instead used red jalepeno jelly...used a bit less than the 1/2 cup in order to not make it super firey.....but it worked out very well!)

1/2 cup pineapple preserves

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Trim the fat AND the rind from the ham half. (This is a little time consuming- but don't do this the night before because your ham may dry out being removed from its juices!)

3. Score the outside of the ham in a diamond pattern. (This is the first time I've done this .....and I will stick with it....it looked so beauteeeeeful!! )

4. Place ham on a broiler pan coated (generously) with cooking spray.

5. Combine the jelly and remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together to mix.

6. Brush about 1/3 of the jelly mixture over the ham.

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 (while ham is still in oven- do not remove ham to decrease oven temp!)...bake an additional 45 minutes, basting ham with jelly mixture every 15 minutes.

8. Transfer ham to a serving platter, let stand 15 minutes (so the juiciness stays in the ham!), garnish as desired, and serve! :)

I am definitely making this ham next year for a big Easter dinner! I think I will probably go with the spiral ham to minimize the amount that has to be thrown out, but other than that...I will follow this recipe to a T! The broiler pan worked well here and did not cause the bottom of the ham to get soggy....and the frequent basting made the meat nice and moist! I chose not to waste ingredients garnishing for myself, but to serve this up for company, place ham on a bed of curly lettuce, make a few lemon twists to place around the ham, add a few baby tomatoes and radish rosettes....and you've got a dish that is quite the looker! ;)

If you are strapped on time, Cooking Light also had a shortcut rosemary potatoes recipe....that only takes half the time! If you are like me, and only have one oven (my dream kitchen will have a double!)....sometimes you need to improvise if the oven is in use.... here is a recipe for rosemary potatoes that can be cooked in the microwave....and come out tender, not dry! :)

Microwave rosemary potatoes:

1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp bottled minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1 tsp dried rosemary (I like the fresh rosemary, but if you only have dried on hand, that will work!)
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 and 1/2 pounds red potatoes, quartered (about 4 cups....to serve four people..... adjust as needed for the amount of people you are serving :)

Directions:
Place butter and garlic in 8-inch square baking dish and microwave on medium-high for 45 seconds or just until butter melts. Add the rosemary, salt, pepper, and potatoes ...toss well to coat. Cover and microwave on high for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Viola! Done!

The potatoes taste as if you've roasted them in the oven ...but take almost no time to make and don't leave you hanging as your oven is occupied. (The low temperature at which the ham is cooking is not high enough to roast taters....so putting both in there would not result in admirable results.)

I am going to be using the microwaved tater recipe for everyday dinners- it is so nice and simple and gives me an alternative cooking method if I am baking something in the oven! So easy, and so tasty :)

If you have any special holiday recipes to share, please do!! I would love to try your recipes for different glazes and cooking techniques! A week later...and I am proud to say that the entire ham has been eaten/shared/put into recipes....and loved by all. Give it a try next time you want something different for your Easter dinner! Happy basting :)

Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

2009-04-18T16:03:00.007-04:00

The previous recipe for corned beef made me think of sharing this healthy, but very delicious recipe for a turkey version of a Reuben sandwich care of Cooking Light magazine. I made this sandwich for a quick dinner one night (served with a side of apple/raisin coleslaw- yum! I will post that recipe for you too, since it is very easy and makes a great accompaniment to fish or pork dinners, too!)

On days you really do not have the time, the energy, or even the patience to turn on your oven for dinner (or it is much too hot......in CNY, those days are few and far between.....some people turn their ovens on to heat their homes....not a safe idea...but you get the drift that it is seemingly always cold here!) Anyways, this healthier alternative to the traditional Reuben takes minutes to make and is filling, requires minimal cleanup, and most importantly....tastes amazing!

For this recipe, to make four sandwiches...you will need the following:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

8 slices rye bread (I used the deli- style German rye bread pictured above...it is large enough to make a hearty sandwich, but thin enough to not make the whole thing too "bready")

4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (I absolutely love Jarlsberg Light Swiss!)

8 ounces smoked turkey, thinly sliced ( I may double the amount next time I make this sandwich......even if you double the meat, the sandwich will still have under 500 calories...unlike the deli version.....which is sometimes upwards of (gasp!!) 14oo calories!!! (Worth the occasional splurge, but not worth the extra poundage for a regular week-night meal!! Adding extra meat will also increase the sodium content of this meal, so if you have high blood pressure, perhaps use unsalted or low-salt turkey to make your heart and your doctor happy)

2/3 cup sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (I decided to add some sodium to the recipe and NOT rinse the sauerkraut...I love the taste of it and decided that one higher-sodium meal is not going to kill me! If you have high blood pressure, rinse the kraut...it contains mucho amounts of salt!)

1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing (I used reduced-fat dressing..... fat-free dressings have funny after-tastes from all the chemicals...I have stopped using them and just use less of the real stuff for flavor! )

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided (I used canola cooking spray and saved some calories here .....used the George Foreman grill instead of the frying pan!)

Directions:

1. Spread about 3/4 teaspoon mustard over each bread slice.

2. Place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices.

3. Divide turkey evenly over cheese.

4. Top each serving with 2 1/2 tablespoons sauerkraut and 1 tablespoon dressing.

5. Top each serving with 1 bread slice, mustard sides down.

6. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan and top with another heavy skillet or panini press if you have one. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden; remove sandwiches from pan, and keep warm in preheated oven. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and sandwiches. ( I always say to use your kitchen gadgets if you've got them.....so if you have a panini press or Foreman, why not use it here? Your sandwich will be a little less authentic without as much oil, but it crisps up beautifully! The cheese melts nicely and you also get some great grill marks!)

This sandwich is one of my favorites.......it definitely makes a quick, hearty meal paired with the slaw or a side salad! This will make a great meal for baseball nights indoors- put out some pita chips, a large bowl of coleslaw (the apple/raisin slaw from Cooking Light is great!!!), mixed roasted nuts, these sandwiches cut into halves....and a few cold beers.....and it's a game-day dinner night in under a half hour! :) If there are leftovers (there won't be any, I guarantee it!)...you'll be the envy of all your co-workers at lunchtime with this deli-like creation! Root for your team (even if they disappoint you sometimes.....sighhhh....) and enjoy the game!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

2009-04-17T20:31:00.026-04:00

Who says St. Paddy's Day is the only appropriate time for corned beef and cabbage?? Rubbish, I say....you can make this easy crock-pot meal any day off the week, if you like! Since the crock-pot does all the work for you, this meal is ready when you are! I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of beef, in general. (I'm a poultry eater....but hopefully with more experimenting in the kitchen, I will find new ways to prepare beef in ways I will enjoy it...aka....not still moving on the plate but not over-cooked into plastic!) Now that my grill is fully visible and not covered under a mound of snow...I am excited for some fresh warmer-weather grilled beef recipes!

Ok...back to the recipe.....

Corned beef is typically a cut of meat known as brisket, which has been pickled in a flavorful seasoned brine. "Corned" has nothing to do with corn at all...it simply refers to the "corns" of large salt crystals and coarse seasonings used in the brine. (Pickling spices are like this....not ground into a fine powder, but large and irregular.) Besides being the star of the show on St. Paddy's Day, corned beef also makes a great sandwich known as the Reuben (I have a turkey version of this sandwich coming up!) and is therefore not just limited to Irish fare. A few years back (2006), even Catholic bishops realized the tradition of corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy's day and granted Catholics an exception to the no-meat-on-Friday's rule when the holiday fell on a Lenten Friday. Corned beef on St. Paddy's Day is like turkey on Thanksgiving- the day just doesn't feel right without it!

I was perusing Food Network's website (one of the few sites I frequent....link is provided for you on the left hand side of this blog :) in search of a slow cooker recipe for the large 5 pound slab of corned beef I purchased for St. Paddy's Day, knowing I'd be working all day and this would make the day festive without much effort.......

I came across this recipe from Suki Hertz: (for four servings:)

2 stalks celery, halved (I cut mine into 2-inch pieces....may make them even smaller next time because they tend to get a little mushy cooked at low heat for extended periods of time)

4 carrots (I used about a dozen or so baby carrots and made this recipe even easier!)

1 medium onion, cut in 4 wedges

4 to 6 red potatoes, quartered (I used baby red potatoes and halved them instead...again...being a lazy bum in order to get this done quick.....and honestly....there will be no difference if you change the size of the tater...as long as you cut it into a piece small enough to cook through!)

1 4-pound corned beef brisket (After I trimmed the fat off my brisket, I think I was left with about 4 pounds...maybe a little bit more...)

12-ounce bottle stout or dark ale (I used a bottle of Smithwick's )

1 tablespoon corned beef spices or pickling spices (or spices that come with the brisket)

1 medium head cabbage, cut into 6 wedges ( All I could find were large heads of cabbage....so next time, I will only use half of a large cabbage......because many people can't stand the taste or texture of cooked cabbage...and a large head makes a TON!)

Directions

1. Place celery, carrots, onion and potatoes in the bottom of a large crock pot. (All veggies cut to appropriate size.)

2. Rinse the corned beef brisket and place over vegetables.

3. Add the bottle of stout, spices and enough water to just cover the meat. (Try to refrain from taking a few gulps of the beer....you want the whole bottle in there! ;)

4. Cover and cook on LOW for eight to nine hours.

5. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and cover with foil to keep warm.

6. Increase heat to high and cook cabbage until softened but still crispy, 20 to 30 minutes. (I cooked the large cabbage for about 45 minutes or so....cut it into quarters and kept it refrigerated until the corned beef finished cooking.)

7. Slice brisket across the grain, serve with vegetables, mustard, and horseradish sauce. Pass extra cooking liquid at the table.

(Here is the recipe for the accompanying sauce....which I will make next time...I didn't have any heavy cream on hand this time...but it sounds tasty!)

Creamy Horseradish Sauce:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup drained prepared horseradish
dash hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Whip cream to soft peaks and then fold in sour cream and horseradish, to taste. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.

There you have it- the most simple, yet tasty corned beef and cabbage recipe I have ever seen. I think this will be the staple for St. Paddy's days to come....perhaps with a few minor tweaks (more carrots, less/no celery, inclusion of the sauce...) I may decide to make this again as a quick week-day meal when I have company for dinner after work! A nice cold pint of beer and perhaps an Irish coffee for dessert...and you've got yourself a traditional meal that even the non-Irish folks will enjoy! Put your Irish tunes into the stereo, serve up this hot meal, and raise your glasses to good food, good friends, and good health! Cheers!:)

You Say it's Your Birthday....Happy Birthday To Ya..!!!

2009-04-13T12:27:00.008-04:00

I hope all of you had a very Happy Easter (or Passover, depending on what you celebrate!) ....I have a few new recipes that I am super eager to share with you for this particular holiday.......but first on the agenda, is a special birthday shout-out to Ryan.......who is celebrating his 28th Birthday today!!!!

If you know the above pictured man, please wish him a very Happy Birthday today, April 13th!!!! (And tell him he's an old man;)

More to come later....I have a great recipe for hot cross buns I made for my Weg team who helped me out working Easter Sunday (my first attempt at a yeast bread....fantastic recipe!!), as well as a very festive ham that came out very tasty for Easter dinner....and was so easy to make! Those recipes to come soon, but errands and family time call......so have a great day everyone, a happy DYNGUS DAY.....and of course.....a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ryan from your #1 fans......me and the pooch!!! XOXOXO :)

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

2009-04-07T10:59:00.007-04:00

That's right ladies and gents- the ultimate American comfort food, re-vamped!! This deliciously satisfying, seemingly-naughty dish is one of my new favorites!! It is another gem from Cooking Light magazine....chock full of fresh ingredients! You have all made fun of me for not ever having mac n' cheese in my 29 years on this planet....so I decided to scope out a few recipes for this classic dish and attempt to make one that seemed like it contained some real ingredients. I stumbled across this recipe and was quite impressed with the different ingredients in combination.....seemed much more interesting to me than the famous blue and yellow boxed variety of mac n' cheese...so here it is, to be shared with all of you!

For this recipe, to serve four people, you will need the following:

1 (1 ounce) slice whole wheat bread

1 tbsp butter (I used the new Can't Believe it's Not Butter for Baking and Cooking....love it!)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups skim milk (You can use whatever milk you wish)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese (Love the smell of this cheese!!)

1/3 cup (about 1 and 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

5 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)

cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place bread into food processor (you can probably use a blender if you don't have a mini food processor!)...pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure to about 1/2 cup.

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook about 1-2 minutes until tender.

4. Add flour, cook 1 minute...stir constantly to prevent from burning!

5. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper....stirring continuously with a metal whisk.

6. Bring this mixture to a boil and cook until thick...about 3 minutes or so.

7. Add the cheeses and stir well to combine only until the cheese melts.

8. Add the chopped spinach and the hot cooked noodles to the cheese mixture, stirring to blend well.

9. Spoon the mixture into a large 2 quart ( 9 x13) baking dish coated with cooking spray.

10. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

I've made this recipe twice now....it freezes remarkably well and makes a very easy leftover lunch! It is super creamy and tasty, but each serving (for those of you who are health-conscious) has under 11 grams of fat and packs in almost 4 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein if you use whole-wheat elbow macaroni! I found a new type of pasta that is healthy and tastes fantastic- Barilla Plus...give it a try if you see it in your grocery store....fantastic! If you'd like to bump up the veggie content of this dish and round out the meal, serve mac n' cheese with a pre-dinner bowl of hot tomato soup and/or a side salad with mixed veggies......I think I may include this in my spring/summer meal rotation! If you don't like smoked cheeses, using regular Gouda would work too...the cheese melts beautifully either way. Enjoy!

Pan-Seared Cod with Basil Sauce

2009-04-07T10:17:00.006-04:00

How many of you have tried out any of these fishy recipes I've been recommending?? I bet NONE!! If you haven't, then ladies and gents....you have very cowardly palates, because some fish are really NOT smelly and fishy. Cod is yet another example of a very nice, flaky, fish that does not smell and is not even remotely slimy..... I bought a few fillets for one of these Lenten Fridays and with this recipe in hand, busted out a meal in 20 minutes :) I'm excited to share yet another recipe featuring this tasty creature from the sea- Mr. Cod.

For this recipe, to serve 4, you will need the following:

1/4 cup fresh basil, minced

1/4 cup fat-free, less- sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt, divided

2 cloves minced garlic

4 (6 ounce) cod fillets

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

cooking spray (I used canola spray)

Directions:

1. Combine basil, broth, cheese, oil, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and garlic in bowl and set aside. (Ok....I deviated from the recipe a bit....I wanted to make a nice creamy sauce for the fish, so I stuck all ingredients into my mini food chopper and pureed them into a paste. I used a tablespoonful or so of cornstarch to thicken it up, too. You do not have to do this at all....I wanted to save time and have a uniform sauce :)

2. Sprinkle fish fillets with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat and add the fish.

4. Saute fish about 5-6 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with basil mixture.

Viola! Another super-fast, meatless meal in minutes! :) The sauce is a bit garlicky, so if you are not a huge fan of garlic, you may want a conservative portion of the sauce on your fish. (I love garlic and pretty much covered my fillet with it!) I have noticed that the cod fillets you purchase fresh from the fish counter are much larger than 6 ounces...mine were about 11 ounces each. I cut each fillet in half to make it more appropriate for the recipe, but you can have your local fish shop cut and weight individual pieces for you if you like- they are a wonderful help!!

Cod is one of my favorite fish and we often serve it for our Wigilia celebration around the Christmas holiday. (Usually battered and fried!) This is nice, light dish which pairs well with any type of side accompaniment. I chose to pair mine with a baked sweet potato I nuked in the microwave and some steamed fresh green beans. It makes a super filling, super flavorful dinner- a tad pricey depending on where you buy your fish, but totally worth a splurge once in a while. I can literally count on one hand the amount of times I actually go out to dinner.....I usually have friends and family over for a home-made meal instead, so an 11.99/pound fish is still much more economical if you are on a tight budget and want to serve up something a little bit fancy :) (When I was little, we use to go out to dinner just for special occasions since my mom was/is such an amazing cook (you are, Mom!! :)....I have somehow adopted that same type of lifestyle without much thought. I still really enjoy putting in a little elbow grease in the kitchen on days we all go out to dinner- just making a home-made birthday cake makes the day more memorable...or a pitcher of sangria for after-dinner conversation in the living room! ) If you just love to cook and don't want to bother with reservations...and cooking is relaxing for you too.....this is a dish sure to please the non-picky palate! :) ( A bottle of Riesling pairs well with the meal....so if you have company for dinner, there is your finishing touch! )

Next on the list of recipes to share ( I have made so many, I must catch up now that I am connected to the world again!).....a grown-up version of.....macaroni and cheese!!!!

Apple- Cinnamon Jumbo Muffins

2009-04-04T13:50:00.015-04:00

I absolutely love my co-workers. They are a wonderful bunch and really are a major reason why I love my job as much as I do. If you are forced to be somewhere 40+ hours a week, it really helps when those around you are good people who are (generally) in good moods and willing to work as a team. I'm a lucky girl, indeed. Of course, we all have our days......but from what I hear from others, I totally made out in the co-workers department....especially our techs! I love you guys! :)

Anyways, here is yet another breakfast recipe I tested out on my lovely crew at the Weg. I was pawing through my regular cookbooks (not my CL magazines, for a change!) and stumbled across this simple, yet yummy-looking experiment-to-be! Everybody loved these, including myself.....well, everyone but Sam...but Sam doesn't do fruited baked goods...ever...won't even cave in for one of my culinary concoctions;) Anyways, I've since made them again and froze them for super quick breakfasts-on-the-go....and still absolutely love them! The recipe only makes six large muffins, but they are very satisfying and one makes a super meal paired with a glass of milk!

For this recipe, to make six large muffins, you will need the following:

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk (I used skim, but use whatever type you have on hand)

1/4 cup butter, melted ( I used Promise margarine instead)

1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I subbed out 1/2 cup flour with whole-wheat pastry flour to bump up the fiber and protein content of these muffins)

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 small eating apples (peeled, cored, and finely chopped)

Topping:

3 tbsp raw sugar (I had the Turbinado sugar on hand that looks great on tops of muffins!)

1 tsp round cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line six muffin pans with paper liners....or if you have them on hand, silicone liners. Spray liners with cooking spray to allow for easy removal. (I used canola spray)

3. Mix the egg, sugar, milk, and melted butter in a large bowl.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

5. Add the chopped apple and mix all ingredients coarsely. (Make sure the apple is a fine dice- otherwise you will get large chunks of apple in portions of the muffins and these chunks will not be uniformly baked through.)

6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans. To make the topping, mix the raw sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over muffins.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

This may very well be my favorite muffin recipe thus far! (Although the pumpkin muffins are pretty fantastic too!!) The muffins are not overly sweet and make a perfectly special breakfast! When you remove the muffins from the pan, shake off extra sugary topping before placing them into an air-tight container or freezing them once they are cooled. This makes them more portable and you won't have to worry about leaving a sugary trail in your car! As far as the type of apples to use....I used two small Gala apples....but you can honestly use your favorite type. I would avoid using Granny Smith apples, as they might be a little too tart....but other varieties would work well! :)

I think I will be making these again for one of my early morning Saturdays at the Weg.... Fran hooked me up with some Dunkin Donuts (she's so good to me!), I brought the breakfast....and suddenly working on the weekend didn't seem so bad....... Although I am sure we'd both prefer to have the day off! Who wouldn't? Work is work and we only do it because we have to.....although in this economy, we're lucky to even have jobs. Warm muffins, hot coffee, and a couple of smiling co-workers makes getting up at the crack of dawn on the weekends much more tolerable. Thanks guys.....you are the best!! I hope the rest of you have a good crew to work with, too.... and if you make them these delish muffins, I am sure you can maybe convert some of them into being "morning people" ;) Happy breakfasting!!

Beef and Beer Chili- For a Cold and Snowy...April Day??

2009-04-04T13:00:00.013-04:00

After basking in several days of sun and warmth, Central NY is once again hit with frigid temperatures in the low 30's and ........yup...snow. A gloomy mixture of snow and rain is falling as I type this, making for a somewhat depressing start to my weekend off. I figured I'd use this time to start my Spring Cleaning, since I am stuck indoors for most likely the entire day. Boooo.

Anyways, I made this recipe for beef and beer chili several weeks ago and had lots of leftovers to freeze after making a double batch.... perfect for a hot lunch for a day like today....

For this recipe, to make 8 servings (a double batch), you will need the following:

3 cups chopped red onion (about 2 medium)

2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 2 small)

2 pounds extra-lean ground beef (Use the leanest beef you can find because we will not be draining any excess fat after browning it....I used 95% lean for this recipe. If you prefer a meatier type of chili, double the amount of beef you use....I will use at least three pounds next time I make this:)

4 cloves minced fresh garlic

3 tbsp chili powder (I used hot Mexican chili powder)

4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

2 (19 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained

2 (14.5 ounce) cans no-salt added diced tomatoes- undrained

2 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth

2 (12 ounce) bottles of beer ( I used beer infused with coriander that I had on hand....it worked out great!)

2 tbsp yellow cornmeal

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (I used a large stock pot because I don't have a Dutch oven (yet!;).

2. Cook the above ingredients about 10 minutes or so or until beef is uniformly browned. Stir to crumble and to prevent from burning. (This is a don't-leave-for-even-a-second kind of meal....you must stir constantly so that your chili doesn't clump to the bottom and burn!)

3. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt- cook 1-2 more minutes.

4. Add the oregano and next 4 ingredients (through beer) to pan and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

6. Stir in cornmeal and cook 5-10 more minutes. Stir in juice, turn off heat, and serve hot immediately.

This chili is fantastic! It is loaded with veggies, good-for you proteins, is low in fat, and is just a tiny bit spicy. Definitely add more beef if you like a heartier chili, as this Cooking Light recipe called for the bare minimum for flavor. The most time-consuming part of making this dish is the vegetable chopping. I decided to double the recipe because I wanted to have a few easy leftover meals to pull out of the freezer during cold days such as today! While the chili was simmering, I decided to go crazy and make some jalapeno corn bread to go with the dinner- it was an old-fashioned cornbread with creamed corn and jalapenos, but a regular cornbread would go nicely with this dish too! I will post a cornbread recipe for you if you don't already have a favorite :)

The Hoegaarden Belgian wheat ale is a great choice of beer here...but using any beer will work (CL suggested Budweiser). I personally enjoyed the subtle hint of coriander and orange- just enough extra flavor as to not offset the flavor of the actual chili! :) This recipe will definitely be a repeat on my list of cold-weather favorites for next winter! If you like, top chili with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of extra-sharp cheddar cheese.....plain, or with the extra added touch, it is a recipe that will surely warm your soul on a gloomy frigid day. Enjoy!

The "Warranty- Expired- Last-Month" Sort of Time...

2009-04-03T20:37:00.005-04:00

Many of you have been asking me about the lack of updates on this blog....and I am finally able to let you know (via blog) that I've had a really rough time with all things electronic as of late. First of all, after a few fun yet short days in DC (love to travel!)....I came home to a dead computer that would not, despite all my best efforts, boot up. I called Dell, wasted fifty bucks on information through the phone line from a man who barely spoke English (wore out both my portable land line phone battery as well as my cell battery....and sucked out time I will never get back)....and was in the end told I needed a new motherboard. (I had some choice "mother" sayings for the dude who "helped" me.....but I refrained.....after all, it is Lent ;) After making several attempts to try and sell me some cheapo computer for "just for now", I hung up the phone disgruntled and shut off from the world around me through the glorious Internet. I chatted up some very helpful members of the Geek Squad a few days later at Best Buy and brought home a snazzy new laptop that is small, powerful, and did not cost me an arm and a leg. (Plus it has a very cool cover....black with dark blue streaks that make it look like outer space! :)

Sooo.....I am once again connected....and even happier, as I can update blogs as my dinner cooks in the kitchen and I don't have to worry about anything burning as I type in its close proximity :)

The warranty on my mini QuickSteamer carpet steamer had just expired as well......and for a reason I have yet to figure out, the minute I turned on the machine to get out dirt stains from plants Bella had knocked over after being scared out of her wits by the neighbor's dog on the adjacent patio.......the thing started to smoke like crazy and the smell of burning rubber prompted me to shut the whole thing off. It also made whirring noises that were unusual and I really thought the whole thing was just gonna blow. Needless to say, this machine is now scrap metal/plastic, as it is just as pricey to fix as it is to purchase a newer model. I am now researching the little Pet SteamBot as my carpets stare at me in their muddy disgustingness. Who invented carpeting anyways??? I'm a hardwood floors kind of gal- no one I know has the time for carpet upkeep! Sighhhhh.....

One thing after another has been breaking/crashing/dying on me and has left me feeling quite frustrated. Don't you hate it when your electronics bail on you just as the warranty goes???

Sooo....in the past month, we've celebrated St. Patrick's Day (I will have to post my recipe for crock-pot corned beef and cabbage- it came out great!!), Pi day (that's a shout-out to Ryan, of course....and I do have a pie recipe to post as well;), April Fool's Day, and (sighhh) my Birthday. I am going to make a trip to Best Buy on my day off tomorrow and see if I can find a docking station for this bad boy so that I can connect my camera, printer, ipod, Forerunner, and all sorts of gadgets that need an ISB port to the laptop instead of keeping this thing in the box.

I have yet to send a formal shout out and thank you to all of you who have made my birthday so wonderful.....that is to come shortly! I had a great day because of all of you and all of your well-wishes and gifts!!! I am truly a lucky girl!!:) Until then..... I hope you all have a great weekend, and it is good to be back and connected. I have now realized just how much I rely on the Internet....I could go weeks or months without TV....but take away my Internet and I feel like a cave woman! Anyways....more updates tomorrow....good to be back :)

P.S. My thoughts and prayers are with my hometown Binghamton community during this difficult, tragic time. If you have not heard (although it is now national news), 14 people have been fatally shot at the American Civic Center in Binghamton this morning by a gunman who opened fire and who in the end, shot himself. There were several survivors, however fourteen lives were taken for no apparent reason. People who attend the Civic Center try to better themselves, assimilate with the community through language classes, and take citizenship tests to become US citizens. The American Civic Association has welcomed my own family and has helped many people learn English and prepare themselves for jobs. This type of hate crime is tragic and senseless.....and the number of these incidences nationwide is astounding. It was depressing to watch the news today as I came home from work- a small community with such tragic happening makes you wonder.....where, if anywhere, are you safe??? :(

Happy 3rd Birthday, Bella!!

2009-03-09T11:50:00.041-04:00

Well, here it is- Bella's 3rd birthday celebration! I had a box of doggy brownie mix lying around (a gift from my sister for Christmas ) and figured I should probably use it up before it goes bad. (I never know how safe it is to keep boxed mix stuff if there are no expiration dates anywhere....I just play it safe and try to use it up within six months of getting it! I'm sure there are probably enough preservatives in most of these goodies to last until the Big Crunch!)

In lieu of all things pet-related, here is a funny fridge magnet seen placed very low on someone's fridge door (thanks for the email forward, Lisa! :)

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

(That just reminds me of the time Bella stuck both paws onto a plate full of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies I left alone for like 30 seconds while I stepped out to grab cellophane for wrapping them up for Ryan's parents.....not only were both paws in plate, she had licked every single cookie and devoured several as well!!! Needless to say, cookies were garbage and thankfully she was not sick!)

Anyways, for Bella's birthday...instead of doing the traditional peanut butter biscuits, I decided to bust out this mix and a pan full of pooch brownies. From the pictures above, you could definitely fool anyone into thinking these were regular chocolate brownies!! They smelled great while baking, look amazing, made a thick batter, and were moist and chewy-looking coming out of the oven!! I was impressed, indeed! To the mix, all I had to add was some water, oil (a cup of vegetable oil- so I used canola oil....but a full cup?! Holy cow!!), and 2 large omega-3 eggs. The ingredient list on the box said this: cake flour, carob, wheat flour, rye flour, bran flour, and sugar. So...this is pretty much what is in a real brownie...lots of flour, lots of sugar, lots of fat, a few eggs, and the carob is the chocolate doggy-safe alternative to the real stuff. No wonder it looked good-enough for me to eat! (I refrained this time ;) I was glad to see there was nothing I couldn't pronounce in the mix- nothing artificial is always a good thing, even if I am just feeding my dog!

I used the largest cake pan I had to make these (13 x9) and ignored the instructions to cut these into 1 inch cubes. I diced these brownies to bite-sized tiny little reward bites! With a cup of oil in the recipe, there was no way Bella was getting a big brownie out of this! Despite her disappointment in the size of the treats, she absolutely loved 'em! She did a few tricks and was rewarded with a few brownie bits for her birthday! The rest of the treats, I placed into a zip-top bag to keep fresh. I sliced half of the pan into human-sized large squares and decided to share Bella's birthday treats with her doggy pals at work. The above pictures show the large human-looking brownies, as well as the tiny bite-sized treats I made out of them. (The above plate was made by Ryan- I have it propped against the wall on display behind the Bella treat containers.....it is one of my favorite things in the kitchen!!)

Sooo...not bad for a mix, I thought. But then again, my dog would eat anything...mix or home-made, if it looks and smells like chocolate, the pooch will come running! Happy birthday to my dear furball- a pooch that never ceases to make me laugh (ok, and sometimes swear like a truck driver when she is naughty!), who is always there when I need a furry friend, and whose fur-tastic body keeps my toes warm at night. How did I ever go through life without a four-legged friend?? I hope all of you pet owners out there show your furballs just how much you love them every single day- even when they shred the roll of toilet paper and look at you with those innocent eyeballs....love them and keep them happy, because their time with you is much shorter than with any human companion on earth.

" A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings

Tuscan Tunafish Sandwiches

2009-03-09T10:35:00.009-04:00

This recipe is for a quick lunch or dinner you can put together fairly easily without even needing your oven! I found this recipe in CL's archives while looking for a meatless dinner recipe for Friday...and since I knew I'd be working until seven that day, a quick recipe was in order! These sandwiches are very flavorful and put tuna salad to shame! I made all four as per recipe instructions and refrigerated leftovers for super easy lunches on the go.

For this recipe, which makes 4 hearty sandwiches (I got 4 big sandwiches out of this ....and one little one)... you will need the following:

1/4 cup finely chopped fennel bulb (dice this super fine...it has a rich anise (licorice) flavor unlike that of any other veg....a nice substitute in crunch and flavor for the traditional celery!)

1/4 cup pre-chopped red onion ( I had half a red onion leftover in fridge, so chopped it up myself...the recipe calls for pre-chopped to save you time in a hurry)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (If you have the frozen herbs in a tube, they will work well too...I forgot to buy basil and used the frozen herbs with great results!)

2 tbsp drained capers

2 tbsp FRESH lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna in water, drained ( solid white albacore)

1 (4 ounce) jar chopped roasted red bell peppers, drained (These come in huge half-pepper sizes in the jar...just drain and dice on a cutting board to add to the rest of the ingredients.)

8 (1 ounce) slices sourdough bread, toasted ( I love the chemistry behind how this stuff is made!! I am a nerd, I know!!! Sighhhh..)

Directions:

1. Assuming you have chopped all ingredients already, combine the fennel, red onion, basil, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, tuna, and bell peppers in bowl. Stir well to mix.

2. Spoon 1/2 cup tuna mixture on each of four bread slices. Top each serving with another bread slice.

3. If you have toasted the bread, you are pretty much done making dinner- just slice sandwiches diagonally and serve with baked Taro chips:) I decided to warm up this dinner by spraying my sandwiches with cooking spray and popping them onto my little Foreman grill. This gave the sandwiches a nice golden color and nice grill marks.

The sandwiches are terrific either warm or straight out of the fridge- the sourdough bread prevents them from getting soggy if you have leftovers (esp. if you grill the bread!) and they are super filling! They also look beautiful and the mixture of flavors blends really well together! For a quick Friday night dinner, pair this with the baked chips and perhaps a glass of wine...and you are all set for enjoying the rest of the evening relaxing with minimal kitchen clean-up! After a long week working, this is definitely a recipe I will add to my monthly rotation of I-need-dinner-fast recipes! I really enjoyed the smell and texture of the fennel in these sandwiches....I have a lot of leftover fennel and will see what recipes I can find to use this fragrant stuff up!

It is another cold, rainy day here in central NY, so I am hoping to find a nice, hot dinner recipe for tonight! I finally finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie and am getting back into reading books for pleasure instead of just pharmacy lit (ok, and Cosmo!!) If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it- I am a big sap and cried ....but truly well-written and a very refreshing book about society in general and what is important in life. (Because we all tend to forget sometimes...) Loved it!! I am reading Mitch Albom's next book (The Five People You Meet In Heaven) because I've seen the movie and heard the book was even better! (One of my New Year's resolutions was to try to at least read 1 book a month for fun....I use to read like 2 books a week and since then forgot what it means to relax! So far...so good...! ) Anyways, both of these books ranked #1 on New York Times Bestseller list....so there is a likely chance you will like them too!

Ok...time to catch up on life and run a few errands...and give Bella some much-needed TLC. I worked all weekend and had to leave her alone for like 14 hours yesterday!! I feel super guilty about this and should have accepted the offer of having someone come in to play with her! My furball just turned 3 on the 2nd....I will try to post her b-day treat pictures later in the day. I can't believe three years have gone by already! I've had her since 8 weeks old!! (I can't imagine what it is like to have little human monsters grow up this fast!! Scary!!) Well, I hope you all had a terrific weekend and are not struggling too much getting to work this Monday morning. (Spring ahead my *&%! How about spring back into bed!! ;) Buon appetito! Buona giornata! (I'm still learning...but that means have a great lunch/dinner and a nice day in Italian!!)

Orange Scones

2009-02-27T15:22:00.005-05:00

Home-made scones are definitely a breakfast treat! Although the dough for scones is very unforgiving, it is not impossible to make your own scones at home if you follow some key pointers: First and foremost, do not use a mixer at any point in the baking process. You must handle the dough as little as possible so that it does not become tough and chewy. The goal for scones is to create a light, flaky texture that easily breaks apart. Secondly, do not use whole wheat flour unless you are using pastry flour. Whole wheat flour creates a thick, heavy scone and the dough does not rise enough to give that flaky texture. Thirdly, watch the oven when baking these delectable bites! They require very little time in the oven and it is very easy to burn them if left unattended! Home-made scones, however, are totally worth the efforts....they can be a delicious part of breakfast and make your kitchen smell amazing.....especially this recipe using orange zest!

For this recipe, which makes 8 large scones, you will need the following:

1/2 cup low-fat milk (1 or 2%......skim milk is ok too, but the scones will be a little less "fluffy")

1 egg

1 tbsp grated orange zest (fresh is much more flavorful than the dried orange peel!)

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup ground pecans

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chilled trans-fat-free canola margarine, cut into small pieces (I used Promise)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Lightly spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

3. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, zest, and vanilla.

4. In large bowl, combine flours, pecans, sugar, baking powder, and salt...whisk to blend.

5. Using a pastry blender (or two knives if you are not a kitchen gadget snob!)...cut in margarine until size of course meal.

6. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until dough just holds together....do not mix too much, it is ok if dough is a bit floury!!

7. Using floured hands (otherwise the whole dough piece will stick right to you and you will be scone-less!) knead dough gently against sides of bowl about 10 times or until smooth ball forms.

8. On floured surface, pat dough into 7-inch circle. Cut dough into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and arrange on prepared baking sheet. (I did not want to touch the dough any longer, fearing that it may cause my scones to end up chewy rather than flaky....so I cut mine into wedges after they were finished baking. I will try the correct procedure next time, when I have a little more confidence in the art of scone-making!!)

9. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

10. In small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice just until smooth. Drizzle over scones.

I have a few more scone recipes to test out in the upcoming months.....this one was given to me by a friend and I thought I would try it out. It makes a nice, flavorful scone that is healthy, yet light and flaky. Paired with a glass of milk, this makes a great breakfast on the go! Scones in general freeze well, however I can't tell you how well this recipe freezes because I made these during a weekend of skiing with Ryan...so they were all gone by the end of the day! More scone recipes to come as the days get longer (finally!!) and the temperatures rise!! I must admit, I've had my share of hot oatmeal breakfasts.....I'm ready for spring and sunshine! Enjoy! :)

Catfish Sandwiches with Creole Mayonnaise

2009-02-26T20:07:00.009-05:00

In lieu of Mardi Gras (or "Fat Tuesday"), I give you a fish recipe infused with the flavors of New Orleans! I know I will not get the majority of you to ever try this....because for whatever reason, people are just squeamish when it comes to fish. I was like you once, too. I thought all fish would taste gross and smell awful.....but I was wrong. I tried cod that my mom made for Wigilia...and liked it....then ventured to haddock....and loved that too...... soon came mahi mahi, tilapia, red snapper, and of course, catfish. These fish all belong to the white fish category and are known for their very mild flavor. They are absolutely chock full of amazing nutrients and are very quick to prepare. ( I know you are still doubtful that any fish can taste delish....but trust me, it can!)

During Lent, I try to experiment with fish recipes for my Friday night dinners. I sometimes forget ( ...ummm.....guess who scarfed down chicken on Ash Wednesday?!! Hopefully God won't strike me with a lightening rod....I will try to be "good" on Fridays, promise!;) Anyways, fish fry Friday gets pretty old pretty fast....and are not exactly the healthiest of meals, hence my Friday evening experiments to come! Lots of health experts recommend eating fish at least once or twice weekly, but few of us follow these guidelines (fish?? gross! gimme a big, red, juicy steak!). I think the closest I come to these recommendations is a tuna sandwich for lunch once a week......which is totally effortless. I know that those of you who are preggo have to limit/omit fish from your diets due to mercury content, but besides that restriction....the rest of you have no excuse to get a lil' healthier and a lil' adventurous with your meals! :)

I was so excited to prepare this recipe for my Friday night dinner this week, I decided to halve the 4-servings into two and make the dish today, with leftovers for tomorrow. When I tried to print out copies of this amazing creation from Cooking Light at work, most of you ran away and rolled your eyeballs as if though I was trying to feed you raw squirming squid. Fine. Be that way. You, however, are totally missing out on this wonderfully fast, nutritious, and super delish fish dish! :)

For this meal, to serve 2, you will need the following: (whatever.. sighhhhh...I know none of you will make this...but I am going to try to broaden your taste buds anyways!!)

cooking spray

2 (6 ounce) catfish fillets ( You can get these perfectly trimmed, skinned, and proportioned at the fish counter of your grocery store.....I am spoiled at Weg because we have a great selection of fresh fish every single day...and they go fast! I had to grab my fillets during my lunch break because by 7pm, these babies are g-o-n-e gone!)

3/4 tsp Cajun seasoning ( I used New Orleans Cajun spice)

2 hamburger buns (I like the ones with the seeds....try to keep them under 2 ounces so that you are not just tasting bread!)

1 and 1/2 tbsp mayo (I used light mayo)

3/4 tsp minced fresh shallots ( I chopped one shallot into big chunks and stuck it in my mini food processor for a fine dice....if you have gadgets like this, use them to save time! :)

3/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 big curly leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried

2 thick (1/4 inch) slices beefstock tomato

4 tsp sweet pickle relish

Directions:

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray (I used canola spray).

2. Sprinkle fillets evenly with seasoning. (I also used a thin dusting of pan-searing flour on my fillets because I had it on hand....you don't need this ingredient, but I think it adds more flavor.)

3. Add the fillets to the pan and cook 4 minutes. Turn over and cook 3 more minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork or until desired degree of doneness. (I seared mine about 9 minutes total....fish came out flaky and not chewy or tough.)

4. Place buns, cut sides down, in pan that you used for the fish. Cook 1 minute or until toasted. Remove from pan and set aside.

5. Combine mayo, shallots, mustard, and lemon juice in small bowl...stir well to form a homogeneous mixture.

6. Line bottom half of each toasted bun with 1 lettuce leaf, followed by 1 fillet, 1 tomato slice, and 2 tsp relish. Spread 1/2 of the mayo mixture onto the cut side of each top half of buns and place top onto each sandwich.

7. Serve immediately, alongside some coleslaw and veggie chips for a perfectly easy Friday night dinner! :) I had some salt and vinegar kettle chips on hand, so paired that with some coleslaw mix and dinner was complete!

This dinner went from kitchen to table in about 20 minutes....20 minutes!!!! That is amazingly fast and very good if you are a busy working girl/guy! Cleanup is minimal...leaving your Friday night free for date night, movie night, baking night, doggy-bonding night (me), or whatever the start of your weekend entails!! This meal is super flavorful and the fish comes out very delicate and flaky......with no fishy smell at all. It's tough to find good protein-rich sources on days you'd like to go meatless....and fish is just the answer when your options are limited! For those of you who are partially vegetarian (pescatarian)....fish is a necessary source of protein, omega-3's, iron, and lots of other essentials. I can't wait to try out another recipe next week! Until then......broaden your taste buds and get adventurous in the kitchen!! You only live once and there are many flavors left to be explored!! (And maybe stop giving me the disgusted look when I tell you about my Friday fish dinner plans? Sam, this applies to you....I bet hubby wouldn't blah you on this recipe....unlike your...umm....last one....err....two!! ;)

Well, tonight kicks off my three-day weekend and I am super excited to have a few days off. Despite a change of plans and no visiting Ryan in DC (it's his final countdown to getting the thesis completed and I don't wanna add to the stress!)...I have plans to hang out with my mom for the bigos-making day, do a little shopping, a little organizing, a little getting my hair did, catching up on some workouts (PS Love the kettle ball....it hurts and it burns, but it works you like crazy! Love it!) and pretty much enjoying three full days away from the Weg and the antibiotic program and the chaos of the pharmacy. I have a few cookie recipes brewing that may somehow find their way to DC if I am not a post-office slacker:) I'm also excited about the pharmacist as immunizer law getting passed and will dig out my old certification study guides to renew my registration in the upcoming months......I love that the profession is finally broadening! (I think I may need a hefty dose of java to power me through all these plans!! IV Dunkin' Donuts, STAT!!) Well, I hope your last weekday goes smoothly and that your weekend is going to be an easy one too! I know I'll be concocting lots of new recipes for my freezer to make the upcoming workweek easier...will share those with you as well! Happy eatings and have a great weekend!

Blueberry-Lemon Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

2009-02-22T10:42:00.018-05:00

I've had this recipe tagged in the "favorites" tab on my computer for almost a year now...and since I'm in the process of spring cleaning my computer ( organizing files, pictures, etc etc)...I thought I would finally print it out and bake it. (I also had a few bananas lying around that were more brown than yellow......so it was a perfect baking opportunity;) As I did laundry and caught up on life (bills, cleaning, workout...), this bread filled my entire floor with an amazing smell of blueberries and citrus. I didn't have a picture to go by this time ( another find in CL's archives!), rather was drawn to this recipe's interesting flavor combination. The outcome was fantastic! If you love fresh blueberries and the scent of lemon together in one dish....you will love this bread! It is very moist and refreshing....tastes like something you would find in a European bakery! I try to make something new and exciting for the weekends when I don't have to be at work early.....a lazy brunch featuring this sweet yet tart banana bread is a great way to kick off your few days off!

For this recipe (16 slices), you will need the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour ( I substituted 1/2 cup with whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar ( I used a little over 3/4 cup)

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium sized)

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup FRESH blueberries (Do not use frozen....they will discolor the batter a purplish hue and will still taste delicious...but look very unappetizing!)

1 tbsp grated lemon rind ( I found a pure lemon extract when I was out shopping the other day....it smelled so heavenly that I added a tiny 1/4 tsp of that too!)

cooking spray

For the glaze:

1/4 cup (2 ounces) block-style 1/3 less fat cream cheese (marketed as neufatchel cheese)

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (careful of the seeds!)

2 tsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. (Be sure to spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with knife....breads are not very forgiving if you pack in too much!)

3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well mixed. (You should have a creamy yellow consistency....it will take about a minute or two.)

4. Add the mashed banana, egg substitute, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until blended.

5. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat at low speed just until mixed. (I used a whisk for this step.)

6. Gently fold in blueberries and lemon rind (and a lil' pure lemon extract if you want!) Mix just until blended.

7. Pour batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooded toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (My loaf took exactly that time...even with the flour substitution.)

9. Cool bread in pan on wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

10. To glaze, combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. It will help immensely if the cream cheese is brought to room temperature before you attempt this....I left my glaze out for a while because it came out clumpy...then whisked it for several minutes to get a nice, smooth texture. Using a small spatula, pour and spread the glaze over the loaf until all glaze is used up.

11. Slice into 16 slices ( I got 14 nice-size slices out of this recipe) and serve with a fork to enjoy the sweet tartness of this bread :)

This really would make an excellent brunch recipe for a lazy Sunday. (Speaking of lazy, check out Bella in all her glory snoozin' on the couch as I bake in the morning! Ahhh....relaxing weekend days off....!) I found these great prep bowls at Marshalls this past week and have to tell you...they are awesome! I made the glaze in one of these and stored it away while the bread baked....and will be using them again later today as I chop veggies for a stir-fry for tomorrow. I love them! Getting dinner on the table after work is even easier when you pre-chop and pre-measure everything in advance!! (Can't wait for my glass ones to come in from Pampered Chef....life just got a tiny bit easier!! :)

This banana bread variation is not as transportable as most due to the glaze, but plating it and serving it with a fork is a treat for the taste buds indeed! Serve with tall glasses of cold milk and some chopped fresh fruit for a special weekend morning at home! I will definitely be making this recipe again! Next weekend, I am headed down to visit my parents and my mom is going to teach me how to make an amazing dish called bigos....the traditional dish of Poland. It is super labor intensive and takes hours to prepare (about 6-7 hours!!)....so she only makes it for Christmas and Easter. I don't like any of the recipes I found for it, so I'm going right to the source with my bags of groceries....a blueberry-lemon banana bread in tote for our early morning breakfast and hours of cooking!! I will take pictures and fill you in on that later...can't wait!!! In the meantime, I hope your weekend was restful and enjoyable ........Monday morning will be a bit brighter with a slice of this wonderfully scented bread and a tall mug of coffee. I won't be bringing this one in to work, in fear of having it get ruined on the trip....but if you'd like an individual piece wrapped up, let me know and I'll see what I can do ;) Have a great week everyone!

Chicken Cordon Bleu- A New Twist on an Old Classic

2009-02-21T16:00:00.014-05:00

In French, Cordon Bleu means "blue ribbon"......a fitting title for this award-winning recipe in my book! The Cordon Bleu was given to chefs or foods that were of highest quality in France ...and American chefs replicated the ever-popular stuffed meat dishes of Europe with recipes such as this one.

Chicken cordon bleu makes a frequent appearance on many restaurant menus in the US. I found this recipe in the archives of Cooking Light recipes online (From the December 2005 issue) and again was drawn to the photograph of the finished dish. It looked fancy, yet didn't seem to require any strange ingredients and was no where near as nutritionally naughty as the butter-loaded restaurant version! I was excited to try it.....and decided to put it on the menu for Valentine's Day dinner. I loved that there was a suggestion for sides included with the recipe...and I used the recommendations for green beans and mashed potatoes. I wanted to get creative for this special occasion meal and dug up a recipe for garlic mashed potatoes instead of plain potatoes...I had lots of time to kill while the chicken was baking, so I figured I'd spend some quality time making flavorful accompaniments to the star of the show:)

This recipe seems similar to the fontina/prosciutto chicken recipe, however the taste is entirely different! If you've tried making the previous recipe, I think you will enjoy this one even more! The process of pounding out chicken breasts, stuffing them, dredging them, and covering them with crumbs is a bit time consuming....so if you were to make this dish for a weeknight meal, I would highly recommend getting the chicken ready the night before so that you can just pop it into the oven when you get home from work. I made the whole dinner after work, but it did take over an hour to prepare. It was so relaxing to get creative in the kitchen...sipping some wine and catching up with Ryan (who was doggy -sitting Bella for me all day while I was at work. Check out her new stylin' do and festive tee in the above photos....she is one happy dog :) . I made a tray full of bruschetta on whole-grain French bread for us to nibble on as I cooked and recommend it as an appetizer if you have guests waiting and are putting the finishing touches on your meal!

This is by far the lightest, yet most decadent-tasting chicken recipe I have come across thus far. The salty prosciutto and the creamy mozzarella flavor the interior of the otherwise boring chicken breast, while the crispy exterior delights eyes and nostrils alike! The garlic mashed potatoes were well worth the extra effort...although you may need to brush your toofers following this meal if you want some smooches....the garlic is potent!! Ok...enough details about how this recipe came to be..... here is what you will need...

For 4 servings, (I doubled this recipe so that I could share the leftovers with my hard-working grad schooler:) ...you will need the following:

1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

5 teaspoonsful butter, melted ( I used margarine instead)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (unseasoned)

1 tablespoonful grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 teaspoonful paprika

4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoonful salt

1/4 teaspoonful oregano

1/4 teaspoonful freshly ground black pepper

4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces total)

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (a little goes a long way!)

cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place broth in small microwave-safe bowl and nuke for about 20 seconds or until warm.

3. Stir in melted butter and garlic.

4. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl and stir together until well mixed.

5. Pound out each chicken breast half to about 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. ( I love the Glad Press and Seal stuff....just put a couple chicken breasts in there, seal the edges, and pound away without worry! Just make sure you don't get too carried away...or you will tear your chicken! :)

6. Sprinkle both sides of flattened chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper.

7. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoonful of mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion, starting with the thin pointed side.

8. Dip each rolled chicken piece into broth mixture. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

9. Place dredged chicken into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray...seam side down. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or so or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

While the chicken bakes, here is the recipe for the very-flavorful garlic mashed potatoes....the recipe is for 5 (1/2 cup ) servings:

Ingredients:
1 whole garlic head (the whole thing, not just a clove!)
1 tablespoonful olive oil
1 pound Yukon Gold or red potatoes (I like the reds...worked well!)....peeled and quartered
3 cups water
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk ( I had some 2% left over from a recipe....used half 2% and half skim )
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Remove white papery skin from garlic head head (do not peel or separate cloves!).
2. Rub oil over garlic head, wrap in foil, and bake for 1 hour ( put the garlic in while you prep the chicken). Cool for 10 minutes after removing from oven.
3. Place potatoes into saucepan filled with water and bring to a boil. Cook about 20 minutes or until very tender. (The taters should easily break apart when you stab them with a fork:)
4. Drain the potatoes.
5. Heat the milk in a small saucepan, just until warmed through. (Do not boil!)
6. Pour the milk into the drained potatoes, add the salt and pepper and beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended and smooth.
7. Add the roasted garlic pulp and beat on low speed just until mixed in.
8. Viola! Garlic mashed potatoes from scratch! :)

The potatoes are a sinless side dish that complement the meal nicely. At only 100 calories per half-cup, there is even room for a glass of wine with this meal! The roasted garlic smells incredible as it bakes and will make your kitchen smell like a foreign bistro! I've made this side dish twice now and get about 4 servings from the above recipe. A colorful side of fresh steamed green beans rounds out the meal:)

If you have about an hour to spare before dinner, this is definitely a recipe to try. I know it will be a repeat on my weekend menu! I am truly impressed that this re-created healthier version of chicken cordon bleu tastes so flavorful. To be a fly on the wall when the experts at Cooking Light are making these recipes up.......oh the secrets I could learn!!

May your February wind down with lots more love, lots more smooches ( even from the pooches!)....and lots more naughty-tasting yet light and heart-healthy recipes! Enjoy!

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

2009-02-19T11:09:00.018-05:00

Weekends are meant for a little rest and relaxation.....not work and responsibility.....in the perfect world. In this world, however, some of us are forced to work weekends. We hit the floor running at the crack of dawn and are artificially bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, (ok, ok, so maybe we're a little haggard-looking by now) high on caffeine by 8am. Although I really dread working weekends, I am fortunate enough to not work every single weekend and usually not the full weekend....and the convenience of having a day off in the middle of the week is sometimes well worth the early wake-up on Saturdays or Sundays. (I have scheduled a grooming appointment for Bella, a haircut for myself, an oil change and maintenance check for my car, as well as several other must-do tasks on two consecutive days off/partial days off. I love having daylight hours to get stuff accomplished....it rarely happens during the winter season! Summer oh summer, where are you????)

Anyways, to make a week-end shift just a tad better, I try to make breakfast for my awesome AM crew. (Ok, so most of you are awesome...some of you need IV caffeine and a kick in the butt... as I do on occasion....but I still love ya;) Sometimes I get to bake something first thing in the morning, and sometimes I spend a Friday night in and bake a little sunthin' sunthin' so I can sleep a little more on Saturday or Sunday. I found a tasty-looking recipe in Cooking Light for these antioxidant-rich muffins and was inspired to make them for another exciting (ahem. chaotic.) morning at the pharmacy.

On the topic of chaotic....please take note : If you are reading this and are notorious for haggling your doctor for antibiotic prescriptions for the sniffles for either yourself, your significant other, or your child....please stop. You do not always need antibiotics....a virus will laugh at you if you try to kill it with antibiotics.....it has a metal shield against the stuff and will snicker at your $50.00 prescription copay.....so save your money in this terribly rough economy. By all means, go to the doctor if you feel crummy.....just don't harass him or her for an antibiotic. If he/she tells you to wait for cultures or that you really do no need one....you don't need one. Get some OTC relief therapies (I can help here) and stock up on soups, lemons, and teas. I will make you some soup if you want........just don't ask me to call your doctor for you for a prescription you don't need:) Ok...I'm done now....that was my little bit in the world to help stop the widespread overuse of medications that are known to build resistance. When I'm 80 or you're 80, we wanna have some drugs that can kill off real bugs left.......using antibiotics for the sniffles is a sure way you and I will croak from pneumonia or a simple ear infection in the future because there will be nothing left that works. Thank you for your support in this matter...With Love, Your Friendly Neighborhood Pharmacist :)

Check out this website if you are confused:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/antiresist_facts.html

Ok...back to the cooking.....
Although the recipe states that it will make 16 muffins....I only got 12 decent-sized treats. All in all, they are still much healthier than the store-bought muffins and are chock-full of good stuff. At roughly 225 calories and 7 grams of fat each (making 12!), they aren't gonna kill my AM helpers with an early MI or massive sugar crash later in the day. To make 12 large muffins, you will need the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour ( I substituted 1/2 a cup with whole wheat pastry flour to pack in more nutrients and fiber)

1 cup sugar, divided

1 and 1/2 teaspoonsful baking powder

1 teaspoonful salt

1/2 teaspoonful baking soda

2 teaspoonsful grated orange rind (use the fresh stuff...much better scent!)

3/4 cup orange juice (about 1 large orange if you have a juicer at home)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries (about 8 ounces)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

cooking spray ( I used the Baker's Joy spray with the flour mixed right in)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with knife. (It is so important not to scoop and pack flour...especially in muffins and breads, when the soft bouncy texture is dependent on exact flour amount!)

3. Set aside 1 tablespoonful of sugar from the 1 cup measured out.

4. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make well in center of mixture.

5. In medium bowl, whisk together rind, juice, oil, and egg until well blended. Add this to the flour mixture.

6. Stir the mixture just until blended and no more....the more you stir, the chewier and thicker your batter becomes....leading to dense, not-so-moist muffins. Do not man-handle too much!

7. Fold in the chopped cranberries and toasted walnuts. (Note: If you have a mini food processor or regular food processor, just pulse the 2 cups of cranberries in there...it will save you loads of time! Also, if you have whole walnuts, just give them a quick chop in the processor before microwaving them for about 3 minutes, covered with a paper towel....this is the short-cut way of toasting them up and getting that rich aroma!)

8. Spoon batter into 12 (or 16) muffin cups, coated with cooking spray. (I have those silica muffin liners and sprayed those instead.)

9. Sprinkle muffins with the reserved tablespoonful of sugar. ( I ended up using a little less than half a tablespoonful of white granulated sugar and about 1/2 tablespoonful of old-fashioned turbinado sugar.....I love the carmel color!)

10. Bake for about 15 minutes or so or until the muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Allow to cool, place onto wire rack to cool completely and serve :)

These muffins are full of good for-you omega-3's from the walnuts, lots of antioxidants from the fresh cranberries, a little bit of fiber to meet your 25 grams/day goal, and enough carbohydrates to power you through your morning! Paired with a tall glass of milk, this is a quick yet fairly nutritious breakfast that you can feel good about feeding your loved ones. Store muffins in an air-tight container to keep them moist for the next day. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 2 months in a freezer bag and re-heat under the broiler as needed. I hope you give these a try....the orange/cranberry combination is quite refreshing and makes for a very fragrant and light muffin! My container of muffins packed away and my alarm clock set super early (to clear off the 9-10 inches of snowfall we are getting tonight!), I am ready for another Saturday at the Weg. Fran is hooking me up with my morning drug of choice from Dunkin Donuts.......making my morning even better! :) Sighhhhh. I still can't help but be jealous of everyone else in my building......nobody else has to work weekends....in the blizzard. Woe is meeeeee ......;)

Grilled Goat Cheese and Fig Sandwiches- A Breakast Fit for Your King or Queen!

2009-02-18T21:50:00.010-05:00

Unbelievable. That is the only word I could come up with when I tried out this breakfast/brunch recipe from Cooking Light magazine for Valentine's Day. I know what you are thinking....how could a light recipe really be that fabulous!? I really have no idea either, but the creative geniuses that conjure up these flavorful concoctions really do know what they are talking about!

I was at work perusing some cooking websites (I swear I was working while perusing.....I was on hold for eternity with some doctor's office trying to fix a screwed-up prescription....I really was not being a total bum...promise!! ;) Anyways, the photo of this recipe caught my eye and I printed it out...despite being a little apprehensive with the combo of goat cheese, figs, lemons....and basil???? Yup. I said it. Basil. There is basil on this breakfast sandwich.

So weird.....but oh so delicious!!! I can not begin to tell you what this combination of flavors tastes like...you will have to make it yourselves to find out. I made these the night before, placed them into an air-tight container in the fridge, and grilled them up on my Foreman grill before rushing off to work. It literally took me less than ten minutes to get these on the kitchen table! Gotta love a recipe that looks amazing but doesn't leave you sweating in the kitchen before work!!

For this recipe, that serves 4 ( Ok...I should re-phrase.....it makes four sandwiches...I had one...and my hungry Valentine ate the rest.....so I guess number of servings is directly proportional to the level of hunger of each breakfast attendee. I would draw a graph, but Ryan would put me to shame;)

2 teaspoons honey ( I used clover honey...this makes the goat cheese much easier to spread and will not cause you to rip the bread slices)

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese

8 (1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread ( I made two sandwiches with whole grain raisin bread and two with plain white-flour raisin bread...you can use whichever bread you prefer...I would have made them all whole-grain if I could find more of the bread at the grocery store......next time, I will use home-baked whole-grain raisin bread if I can't find it at the store...it is a little more firm and has a little more nutritional value.)

2 tablespoons fig preserves (You can find these in the jam section.....or the international foods section of the store...I found my fancy jar at one of my fave stores...Marshall's!!)

2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (do not use dried basil)

cooking spray (I used canola spray)

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in small bowl, stirring until well blended.

2. Spread 1 tablespoon goat cheese mixture (just divide the contents of the bowl into 4 equal sections) on each of 4 bread slices; top each slice with 1 1/2 teaspoons preserves ( 1/2 tablespoonful) and 1/2 teaspoon basil. ( Don't be freaked out by the savory basil with all these sweet ingredients....it blends the flavors perfectly! All the reviews about this recipe say that the basil is really one of the key ingredients ...so do not skimp or freak out!;)

3. Top with remaining bread slices. Lightly coat outside of bread with cooking spray.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is lightly toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook). If you have a panini press....this is a great recipe to utilize that gadget! I put my George Foreman mini griddle to use for this recipe...just elevate the front to make the grill flush with the counter so your cheese mixture does not ooze out!

5. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Sprinkle with sugar. ( I sifted the sugar onto the sandwiches using a mini sifter after I cut the sandwiches diagonally and arranged them onto a platter.)

6. Serve immediately, warm.

Feel free to garnish the serving platter with some fresh basil leaves for a bright hint of color! A glass of cold milk for added protein, and a platter full of orange slices for added fiber....and you've got a sweet, yet balanced breakfast for you and your sweetie! You don't have to wait for a special occasion to make these though....I whipped up another batch of these to use up the raisin bread and leftover basil! The sandwiches keep well in the fridge for a few days....just pop them under the broiler for a brief 2-3 minutes until heated through and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you wish. Good enough for company, and definitely a treat for yourself as well.....this breakfast recipe is sure to please!

It really is true that the majority of what we eat must first look appealing, then smell appealing, and lastly taste appealing. This recipe is here to enlighten all those senses....fit for a King on his special day (perhaps a birthday??)....and easy enough for you gents to make for your Queens on their special day too!! If you get the prep work out of the way the night before, you can really savor this meal in the early hours of the morning....sun shining through your patio doors and birds chirping on the trees outside your house. (Ok, so maybe that's a bit overboard.....we've got 23 degrees of frigidity, snow, ice, melting ugly brownness, and a barking doggy that wants a walk/bath in all of it.....Life ain't perfect.....but at least you've got a delightful gourmet breakfast to make it all better ;) Enjoy!

Heart-Shaped Baked Valentines

2009-02-15T18:59:00.009-05:00

Happy Valentine's weekend everyone! (Or SAD....Singles Awareness Day for those of you who get grumpy this time of year due to lacking a sig fig ;) Whether you celebrate the love in your life or just celebrate your love of life....this weekend is all about goodies that tempt the palate as well as the senses. We're talkin' chocolates....wines....lots of flavorful good stuff to make our mouths water.

For the past few years, I've been baking these chocolate-dipped valentines for the loves in my life. I mailed a box of these goodies to DC last year, but even though the February climate is pretty cold.....the cookies didn't arrive in the perfect condition I had hoped. They aren't the best sugary concoction to send off in travel. Since I finally got to spend Valentine's Day with my sweetie locally, I made a big batch of these to share with my co-workers. These festive hearts also made a great accompaniment to a glass of Lindeman's Framboise ( I was so excited to find this stuff at Wegmans!! They discontinued it at my fave downtown restaurant and I was excited to find this very colorful and fitting drink!!) after Valentine's dinner.....rich Ghirardelli chocolate and sweet raspberry beer.....what more could a girl want?? Some gorgeous roses and a hilarious card or two, and I'm totally smitten ;)

For this recipe ( from The Cookie Bible), which makes anywhere from 2 dozen- 4 dozen cookies, depending on thickness of rolled dough and size of cookie cutter....you will need the following ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened ( I used 2 sticks of unsalted margarine)

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 and 1/2 teaspoonsful vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoonsful shortening ( I know this is pretty much lard, but it gives the chocolate a very nice, smooth consistency and allows for even coating of your cookies. Do NOT substitute with margarine or butter, as both of these fats contain water....making the chocolate clumpy and hard! Use the shortening...it's not a lot for the whole recipe and it will yield beautiful results!)

Directions:

1. Combine butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, constantly scraping bowl.

2. Add the flour and beat until well mixed.

3. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. (I left mine in the fridge overnight to make the dough easier to handle.)

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness (mine were closer to 1/4 inch thickness...big cookies!). Work on a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking. Cut dough with lightly floured 2-inch (or bigger, or smaller....whatever you wish! :) cookie cutter and place cut-out hearts onto ungreased cookie sheets.

6. Bake 7-10 minutes (if your cookies are 1/8 inch thick) or about 14-15 minutes if they are thicker....just until edges are very slightly browned.

7. Remove from sheets and cool on wire racks completely.

8. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in small saucepan over very low heat 4-5 minutes or until melted. (You can also use a double boiler if you have one....so your chocolate is less likely to burn!). Dip half of each heart into the melted chocolate and place onto cooled cookie sheets lined with waxed paper. Place each filled sheet into the fridge to set and cool.

9. Store refrigerated and covered. These cookies also freeze nicely when separated by layers of waxed paper.

I hope all of you had a great Valentine's weekend.....I'm not big on extravagant gifts or huge signs of affection on Valentine's Day, but little things done from the heart always mean a lot to me. A fancy home-cooked dinner for two and some freshly baked Valentine hearts....and perhaps a card or two and a thoughtful but simple gift is my idea of romance. Going out to dinner is a great way to celebrate too, but since I had to work for the better part of the day, this was my way of saying "Love Ya!" without going nuts trying to find late night reservations ;) Oooo......the fact that I totally got out of a speeding ticket as I was rushing home from work made the day even better. Talk about sweet!!! :) Not only did I win a hundred bucks in football squares, but now I got only a warning ticket after being pulled over.......perhaps I should play the lottery if my year is off to such a lucky start??!!! (I probably just jinxed myself!) Happy Valentine's Day to all of you and your sweethearts......hugs and smooches from me to you! :)

Thai Chicken Saute- A Meal in Minutes!

2009-02-08T19:52:00.014-05:00

I love to experiment with international ingredients......there are so many flavors and textures associated with each individual country.....enough to keep me occupied in the kitchen for years! Polish dishes are loaded with cabbage and kielbasa and lots of fresh crisp salads.....Mexican dishes are known for their various melted cheeses, salsa variations, tortillas, and so on. Italian foods of course are known for fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, rich salty cheeses, and lots of pastas. Thai food is known for its heat and spice.....ingredients such as coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies, ginger, and rice are all very popular ingredients in Thai cooking. Thai cooking also gives your palate a run for its money, as it is known for its inclusion of the five fundamental flavors in combination: spicy, sweet, salty, sour, and sometimes bitter. A dish that can include all that on one plate is truly a sensory overload!

I found this recipe to be absolutely amazing! All the different flavors somehow formed a dish that had a uniform taste and incredible presentation. I loved the fact that it is a very quick recipe, yet the end result is restaurant-quality. (This ain't your grandmother's stir-fry!;)

For this meal, which serves 4 people, you will need the following:

1 (3 and 1/2 ounce) bag boil-in-bag rice (I steamed a combination of brown and wild rice in my little rice cooker instead....if you have jasmine rice on hand, go with that to truly make this a Thai dish!)

1 and 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders ( I cut them in half to reduce cooking time)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp fish sauce (sounds gross, but SOOO flavorful....you will never know you are actually eating (gasp!) anchovy juice! If you are squeamish, you could sub with soy sauce...but I highly recommend giving the fish sauce a try...I am sure you've had it when you ate out and never even knew it!)

4 Tsp canola oil, divided

1 cup sliced onion ( one softball-sized onion....I used a sweet variety and sliced it with my mandolin slicer)

2 Tsp bottled minced garlic

1 Tsp bottled ground fresh ginger ( I used fresh ginger and grated it right into the skillet)

1/2 cup light coconut milk

2 Tbsp Sriracha (hot chili sauce- BEWARE: This is a very spicy Thai sauce...if you do not like spicy food, cut this back to 1 tbsp or even less!)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro to garnish

4 lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions...either the boil-in-bag variety or whatever rice you prefer. (I am a fan of brown/wild rice because it has lots of nutritional value, but you can use whatever rice you like. Sweet jasmine rice would work very nicely in this dish and I will try that next time!) Note: the little Rival rice cooker is an amazing kitchen gadget!! It costs less than 20 bucks and gives you perfectly cooked rice every single time- no stickiness, glopiness, and clumpiness...just fluffy A-plus quality rice! I highly recommend it if you have a small family....it can cook up to 6 cups of rice at once! Love it!! :)

2. Toss chicken tenders with cornstarch and fish sauce.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Saute 5 minutes.

4. Remove chicken from pan. Keep warm. ( I popped mine into a glass baking dish and into a 300 degree oven for a few minutes as I prepared the rest of the recipe.) Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in skillet and saute onion, garlic, and ginger for about 1-2 minutes.

5. Return chicken to pan and cook until done...1-2 minutes.

6. Stir in coconut milk, Sriracha, sugar, and lime juice and cook until heated through.

7. Divide chicken mixture among four plates filled with rice. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.

There you have it...another quick and healthy (less than 10 grams of fat!) recipe care of Cooking Light magazine. My spice arsenal is pretty complete, so I had most of these ingredients on hand (minus the fresh limes and onions)......you may not have some of the weird ingredients like fish sauce and the chili sauce...but they are readily available in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores. (If you are shopping at the Weg, go to the International Foods section for these.) Amazing what a handful of ingredients can do to otherwise tasteless skinless boneless chicken.....a packed spice cabinet is honestly the secret to healthful eating (Bob said so on Biggest Loser....love that show!)

This meal literally took me 30 minutes to make. While the rice cooker steamed my rice, I got the chicken mixture ready and steamed some fresh sugar snap peas in the steamer basket on top of the cooker......and by the time the rice was done...the table was set, the chicken mixture cooked through, and voila.....dinner after a full day's work is totally possible! :) Most of the chopping and prep work can be done the night before....saving you even more time! And.....since this meal serves 4, if it is just you and your honey at dinner,....lunch for the following day is ready! (I don't know if you will have any of this stuff left though....I bet the gents could easily polish off a few servings at once!) I hope you give this recipe a try on one of your busy weeknights! Happy stir-frying:)

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

2009-02-08T12:30:00.006-05:00

I bought too many bananas last week, can you tell? In my earnest attempt to include more fresh fruits and veggies in my diet this year, I've stocked my fruit bowl with apples, plums, oranges, and of course...bananas. I think my eyeballs are a bit bigger than my stomach, however, because there is no way I could consume all that fruit in one week. Since bananas ripen very quickly, I found yet another recipe to showcase these speckled beauts. A goal of mine this year is to not waste so much food....so far, I've been pretty good about purchasing cuts of meat and fresh veggies that I already have a recipe in mind for. I feel pretty guilty knowing how much stuff I allowed to rot last year and ended up throwing away. Since I have a tiny freezer that can only hold leftovers and home-made baked goods, meats in the fridge that I didn't have time to cook would end up in the trash. The I-have-a-recipe-planned thing is working out for me so far...I highly recommend having a plan of action for your groceries if you struggle with the same problem!

Anyways, this recipe is for a variation of the classic banana bread recipe. Surprisingly, I had all the ingredients on hand and therefore thought this would make another nice addition to recipes I share with you- simple ingredients and not a whole lot of hassle! Since I still have the other banana bread in the fridge in an air-tight container, this one went into the freezer and tastes amazing toasted with a spoonful of peanut butter. A few minutes of defrost time on the counter before popping it into the toaster and you've got yourself another quick breakfast!

For this recipe, to make 1 loaf (16 slices), you will need the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour ( I subbed out 1/2 cup with whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar ( a lil' less is ok because the chocolate contributes some sweetness)

1/4 cup butter, softened (I used trans-free Parkay margarine)

1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I only had non-fat on hand, but this worked out fine!)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I am a Ghirardelli snob....if you're gonna be eating chocolate, might as well make it the good stuff!)

cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Lightly spoon flour(s) into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. (Scooping flour is never a good idea- you can pack in tons more flour then you need and will end up with a very dense product with no nooks or crannies!)

3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and stir with whisk to combine.

4. Place sugar and butter/margarine in large bowl and beat with mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add the banana, egg substitute, and yogurt and beat well until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed just until mixed. (I used a whisk for this step because my mixer's low speed is pretty much the same as the high speed! You want to mix as little as possible so that the bread will come out fluffy and not too dense.)

5. Place chocolate chips (good quality chocolate works best!) in a microwave-safe bowl and nuke for 1 minute or just until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Keep an eyeball on your melting chocolate...if it burns, it will be very bitter and unusable.

6. After the chocolate has cooled slightly, add 1 cup of the batter to the chocolate and mix well with whisk. You get a nice mixture if the chocolate is a tad warm.

7. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plan batter into greased loaf pan. Swirl batters together using a knife.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Banana breads are pretty easy to tell when done...they should have a crack down the middle of the loaf...this means the baking soda did its job and has risen to its full potential ;)

9. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack, remove from pan, cool completely, and slice into 16 pieces to serve.

Due to the substitutions with the eggs, this banana bread has an almost identical nutritional profile to that of the classic banana bread, although the serving slices are a bit smaller. At roughly 200 calories a slice and about 5 grams of fat, pair this bread with a tablespoonful of peanut butter and cup of skim milk, and you've got yourself a fairly balanced breakfast that's sure to keep you feeling full until lunch :) Chocolate and peanut butter are a big hit with kiddies (and adults, too!!) and this recipe would make a great weekend treat for your little monsters :) Enjoy!

Breakfast In Bed Banana Bread

2009-02-07T11:03:00.005-05:00

Ahhhh. Banana Bread...... the smell of it baking in the oven is totally worth any extra efforts in the early morning of your day! I am a bit of a banana bread snob and really can not stand the store-bought varieties. Usually, you can only taste the sugar and the banana scent seems very fake. What do they use?? Banana food flavoring?? I realize we are in the midst of an economic crisis, but bananas are cheap......there is no need for "flavoring" of any sort. Anyways, I digress.

This recipe will be one of your favorites, I am sure. It's yet another gem from my fave magazine and I've given it out to several people who now make it their "staple" recipe. This makes me happy, as the ingredients are fresh, the sugar content is not horrendous in comparison to the stuff you purchase already made, and the loaf is amazingly moist! ( I am sure the really nice bakeries will have a decent banana bread if you have a local shop in your area.....I'd steer clear of the typical grocery aisle stuff.....unless you are shopping at Wegmans, where the bakery is out of this world! I'm not even sure if we sell things as simple as a banana bread....but the marathon bread, the foccacia, the ciabatta.....they really can not be beat! People like Mary (love her!) dedicate the better part of their mornings putting out fresh loaves at the crack of dawn.....I am very spoiled working there and should I ever move out of this area, I am going to have to scour the nearby cities for a real bakery. Oooops. I think I may be endorsing at this point. My bad. This recipe has been brought to you by your friendly local pharmacist at the best grocery chain in NY...Wegmans!! ;)

For this recipe, which makes one loaf (about 14 servings)... you will need the following:

2 cups all-purpose four (I used 1 and 1/2 cups white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour to boost the fiber and protein content a little. The bread comes out a little darker and a bit more dense than the typical loaf if you use this substitution....I have made it using all white flour and the flavor and consistency is very similar. If you are going to be serving this for breakfast, a little extra fiber will make the bread more filling. As a post-dinner treat, you can use this recipe as a dessert and just use white flour if you wish. Oh how I love the science of baking! (I know, I'm a nerd!!)

3/4 teaspoonful baking soda

1/2 teaspoonful salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened (I used Promise margarine to lower saturated fat since I was serving this as a breakfast)

1 and 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas that are very spotted and ripe)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt (this is where the moistness comes from!)

1 tsp real vanilla extract

cooking spray ( I used my Baker's Joy spray that has the flour already mixed in with the oil....the loaf literally popped right out without sticking)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, measure out flour by spooning it into dry measuring cups and leveling off with a knife. Add the baking soda and salt to the flour and whisk together.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter or margarine and beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.

5. Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat well until blended.

6. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat at low speed just until moistened. (My mixer is a little dinky hand mixer that is about 14 years old and cost less than 10 bucks....I got it when I moved away to college! I used a large whisk during this step instead so that the mixture was not too "man-handled"....I am in the process of researching those awesome Kitchen Aid Artisan stand mixers and will invest in one when I have more room! Then, I'll make home-made pastas and pierogi dough and all sorts of amazing stuff!! I'll have to find a near-by gym, too!!)

7. Spoon the batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Cool ten minutes on wire rack, remove from pan, and slice into 14 pieces using a serrated knife. Serve warm.

I absolutely love the smell of baking banana bread- it's definitely not the healthiest breakfast option ( a cup of sugar is still a fairly decent amount!)...but balance it out with some protein-rich milk or yogurt and a piece of fiber-rich fruit, and you've got most of your food groups covered! It's a nice portable option so that if you have a long commute to work, whether via car or train....you won't be wearing your breakfast when you arrive! Make a loaf for your co-workers (especially if you are running five minutes late again....like me, every single day!!) to start their day off with a burst of energy! You'd be surprised at the number of people who skip the most important meal of the day......oddly enough, research shows that these breakfast-skippers are usually the ones dealing with weight issues! (Probably because they are ready to gnaw their arms off at lunch and over-do it due to plummeting blood sugar levels!)

Anyways, this is yet another recipe idea for all you ladies out there to make for you honey for Valentine's Day- breakfast of warm banana bread, paired with some cold milk, orange slices, and a pot of freshly brewed coffee! Gents take note- this recipe is very easy and you could make this for the lovely ladies in your lives too! (Some flowers for the table probably wouldn't hurt either....Hey, I'm just tryin' to help here....;) Happy breakfasting!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2009-02-07T09:44:00.012-05:00

Creamy, cheesy goodness is just minutes away from the pot to your soup bowl with this recipe for chicken and wild rice soup care of Cooking Light magazine. This is my first attempt at a creamy soup, as broth-based soups tend to be 1. easier to make and 2. generally healthier for you. This recipe caught my eye because it listed very simple ingredients and has a terrific nutritional profile! If you are craving a thicker soup that is really intended to be a meal in itself, then this recipe is for you!

For this recipe, which serves 8 people, you will need the following:

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking wild rice ( I could not find any that were quick, so I bought some whole grain wild rice and just cooked it according to package instructions )

cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion ( I cheated and bought a bag of pre-chopped onions.....made this meal come together super fast!)

2 cloves garlic, minced ( I used 4 cloves for preference-mmmmmm garlic!!!)

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth or stock ( Swanson's works great and you'll need about 32 ounces)

1 and 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato ( I bought two Russet potatoes and used both in the soup....it ended up being a little over 2 cups....if you can find two small potatoes, you'll get a perfect cup and half )

3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk ( I wouldn't change this to skim milk unless you want a very thin soup.....most recipes call for cream, so this is a much much healthier option anyways!)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

10 ounces light processed cheese, cubed ( Ok, this ingredient freaked me out for a second because what exactly is a cheese product anyways??? I would much rather use real cheese. Velveeta Light, however, worked very well in this recipe due to its superior melting property. It is not a real food, making it a bit sketchy, but if Velveeta is the extent of your chemical intake for the week, well....I think we will both live! You can use real cheese if you prefer...but just be aware that 10 ounces is a lot of extra calories, fat, and salt!!)

2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts) (I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded/chopped the white portions up to use for the soup. The rest of the chicken is great for home-made stock!)

1/2 teaspoonful freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoonful salt

1/4 teaspoonful chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the broth and uncooked cubed potatoes to the onion/garlic mixture and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until potato is fork-tender.

4. Combine milk and flour in a bowl and whisk together to form homogeneous mixture. Add this mixture to the potato mixture, stir well, and cook about 5-10 minutes until slightly thick. Stir constantly as to not burn the soup and also to prevent the milk from boiling.

5. Remove soup from heat, add the cubed cheese and stir until melted.

6. Add the cooked rice, chicken, pepper, and salt and stir well.

7. Pour into individual bowls, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve hot immediately.

This soup is really very tasty and actually a comfort food that has been re-vamped for the health-conscious. It makes a great weekday meal because it comes together quickly, especially if you pre-chop everything in advance! I served this for lunch with some whole-grain Goldfish crackers.....but you can definitely fancy it up and purchase some fancy cheese crackers and serve with some white wine for a cozy Friday night dinner in :) Again, this soup freezes very well....just defrost and re-heat as needed throughout the month. Pair soup with crackers and a piece of fruit and you've got lunch packed in 2 minutes! I believe all the ingredients in the soup are also gluten-free...so those of you with a wheat allergy can test this recipe out as a lunch or dinner option! :) Enjoy!

Prosciutto and Fontina Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2009-02-05T10:41:00.011-05:00

Sometimes, when you actually have a full 2 hours or so....you want to create a nice dinner. I mean...a really really nice dinner that looks like you spent half the day in the kitchen. For most of us, this means we hardly ever sit down to such a dinner due to the obvious "I work full-time and then-some" excuse.....lack of a nice block of free time. I've been working on my time-management skills for a while now and have, however, figured out a way to make these dinners more frequent. Getting the prep work out of the way can save you loads of time and frustration....that half hour or so pre-bedtime in-your-jammies time while-watching-the-news time is all you need, really. You can even enlist hubby or your significant other for this task if he or she gets home from work before you do....just leave a few step by step instructions on the fridge and measure out all foods in individual containers. By the time you come home, everything can be washed, sliced, diced, and pre-heated for you! :) ( Leave the number to the fire department just in case your honey gets into "I can cook this whole thing myself" mode ;)

This recipe for prosciutto and fontina stuffed chicken is one of my new favorites. I made this dinner for Ryan and I to kick off the New Year this year and it ended up being quite a hit! I was hoping we'd have some leftovers for a few days........but lets just say I'd double the recipe next time if I want eats for the following day or two!! I found the recipe in one of my winter issues of Cooking Light magazine and was actually drawn to the photograph of the finished product- it looked beautiful! I couldn't wait to try it, despite being a little labor-intensive. I have since made the recipe again on a day off from work and have plenty of leftovers in the freezer for a quick meal on the go or a supper in minutes.....even re-heated, it tastes fantastic and the marriage of fontina with fresh rosemary creates quite a fragrant combination of flavors!

For this recipe, to serve 4 people (you may want to double this for future recipes!!) you will need the following:

cooking spray ( I like to use canola cooking spray)

1 ounce chopped prosciutto ( Purchase this pre-chopped....it will save you lots of time!!)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced ( I used 3 because I really love the scent of garlic!)

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded fontina cheese (very little goes a long way, just like the prosciutto)

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

42 saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve) (I used low-salt Saltines )

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.

2. Add prosciutto to pan and saute 2 minutes or until browned.

3. Add rosemary and garlic to pan and saute for another minute or two. Spoon prosciutto mixture into a bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir in fontina cheese once the mixture has cooled and set aside.

4. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. (After doing this, I placed my chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap and pounded them out to even thickness....I think this allows more room for the stuffing, as well as ensures even cooking.)

5. Stuff about 2 tablespoons prosciutto mixture into each pocket of chicken breasts... press lightly to flatten and enclose. Sprinkle chicken evenly with fresh ground pepper on both sides.

6. Place crackers in a food processor and process 2 minutes or until finely ground. ( If you do not have a food processor, just place crackers into a zip-top bag and crush with a meat mallet until fine crumbs form.)

7. Place cracker crumbs in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish. Combine egg whites and mustard in a third shallow dish and whisk mixture to combine. Place the three dishes in an assembly-line fashion next to each other....first the flour, then the egg white mix, followed by the crushed Saltines.

8. Working with one chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip chicken into egg white mixture, allowing excess to drip off and finally coat chicken completely with cracker crumbs. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken breasts, dredging each in the flour, then egg white mixture, and lastly cracker crumbs.

9. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken to pan, two breasts at a time, and reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes on each side or until browned and done. To make sure the chicken was cooked through, I browned each breast until lightly brown...not blackened...then placed the chicken into the oven for approximately 10 minutes on a baking sheet.

This dish pairs very nicely with some rosemary roasted potatoes ( This is so easy......chopped or whole red potatoes, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly chopped rosemary......baked in oven on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until fork-tender. Fabulous!!) I also steamed some fresh green beans to balance out the meal and get some more veggies in. I know my honey loved this recipe.....and now that Valentine's Day is coming up soon....why not surprise your honey with a home-made meal fit for a king??! :) A bottle of Riesling and some dark chocolate-dipped strawberries to follow...and you've got yourself a romantic dinner at home that will keep your hearts healthy and happy. Enjoy!

Soup for the Cold New Yorker's Soul- Escarole and Bean Soup with Sausage

2009-02-05T10:40:00.006-05:00

I'm back in the land of the living after having the $%*(@# flu....and back to scouring my cookbooks, magazines, and online sources for recipes that will warm the body and heat up the soul! I think we could all use a little warming up these days....especially those of us living here in New York, where temperatures are rarely in the double digits lately and a combination of snow and ice greets us each morning. Of course by now I am sure you have all heard that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow......helloooooo six more weeks of winter. Yay. I'm so excited.

Ok,ok....enough of my negativity. After all, it means a definite six more weeks of skiing fun....something I have not done very much of this season. I tried out snowshoeing for the first time with one of my co-workers and that was also loads of fun.... so I guess it isn't all bad. I just wish the temperatures would be a tad higher....no amount of wool is keeping me warm lately and mornings taking Bella out for a quick bathroom break are enough to chill me to the bone. My poor pooch is seriously walk-deprived because of the weather. I'm trying to keep her treat intake down to the bare minimum so she doesn't become a rolly polly arthritic furball by spring!

Well, here is a recipe that may help to defrost you from the frigid outdoors......an Italian soup care of Wegmans' Menu magazine. Our lovely intern introduced this recipe to me over her winter break (thanks!!) and I must admit, it is quite tasty. Several people I know have tested this recipe out and enjoyed it very much...so I thought I would share it with all of you. I did modify some things in the recipe to make it a little bit healthier (It's a soup........I try to keep the fat content reasonable!)

For this recipe, which makes about 8 cups, you will need the following:

1 1/2 lbs mild Italian pork sausage patties (I used mild turkey sausages and removed the casings to reduce the majority of the saturated fat in this recipe)

3 tbsp basting oil, divided (this smells so good!!!)

8oz cleaned & cut chopped onions ( I just bought a medium-sized onion and chopped it up...you can get the pre-chopped onion to save you lots of time!)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 pkgs (7 oz each) Italian escarole blend

salt and pepper to taste

1 carton (32 oz) + 1 1/2 cups chicken culinary stock ( I used 2 entire cartons of Swanson's Culinary chicken stock....the soup was a little thick with just the amount stated in the original recipe. I am a big fan of this pre-made stock, as it has 33% less sodium than regular chicken stock and is low in fat.)

1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained ( I used two cans for added protein and fiber)

1 cup ditalini soup pasta (I had whole- wheat orzo pasta on hand, so used that instead)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cut each sausage patty into 8 pieces; shape into balls. If you decide to use turkey sausage, just remove the casings and cut each sausage link into five pieces...shape into balls.

2. Heat 1 tbsp basting oil in large braising pan on medium heat. Add sausage balls and cook, turning to brown all sides, 3-4 min. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Discard pan drippings.

3. Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 tbsp basting oil and the chopped onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.

4. Add garlic to pan and cook until softened, about 1 min.

5. Add escarole and cook until wilted. (I think next time, I will shred the escarole blend into smaller pieces and remove chunks that have thick leaves....some of the pieces were too big in the soup and made for awkward eating!!)

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Stir in stock, beans, and browned sausage to the escarole mixture and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 10 min.

7. Add pasta and simmer 10 min or until pasta is cooked el dente.

8. Add parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

There you have it....an original take on the classic Italian Wedding Soup (which I will be making soon and is my absolute favorite next to chicken noodle!!!!) You can find this recipe in the archives of wegmans.com if you would like to view the original with the nutrition information. I think the soup tasted best on the third or fourth day....the flavors really mixed well by then and it was a nice take-me-for-lunch kind of meal. The soup freezes very well and looks beautiful garnished with some chopped fresh parsley and a grating of Parmesan cheese. Buon appetito mi amici!

Let's Hear it for the Boys!!

2009-01-19T09:52:00.027-05:00

I will spare you all the painful earache of me singing the Denise Williams 80's wonder......and instead dedicate this recipe (care of Rachael Ray) to all you men out there. Yup. This one's for you. It is easy, quick, and most importantly......it's pretty much the epitome of "man grub". What is the recipe, you may ask? Why, it's cheeseburger chili mac and cheese, of course......an all- American meal in lieu of Inauguration month ( Woot Woot Obama!!!) and in lieu of the biggest man holiday of the year.....St. Superbowl Sunday ;)

I saw Rachael Ray make this recipe in literally 20 minutes on TV....however it took me just a tad longer. All her stuff was pre-measured, pre-chopped, pre-washed....pre everything! Guys (ok, and ladies too....cuz you can definitely make this for your hungry monster if you are short on time on Monday NFL night ;)........here is the recipe just for you:

For this recipe, you will need the following to serve 4 ( I got 6 servings out of it, but I guess it could serve 4 extremely hungry cavemen!)

2 tablespoons EVOO (Rachael Ray slang for extra virgin olive oil)

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin ( I used 95% lean, but you can use whatever you would like to make this meal as healthy or unhealthy as you'd like.....I would recommend using anything 90% and leaner so you don't give any of your caveman friends an early MI! )

1 large onion, finely chopped ( Ok, so the onion can be purchased pre-chopped, thus saving you lots of time and lots of tears. The onion should be roughly the size of a softball if you decide not to be a lazy bum and chop it yourself;)

2 tablespoons chili powder (I used hot Mexican chili powder....but you can use whatever heat you prefer.......if you do not have measuring spoons, 2 tablespoons is roughly two palms-full.)

salt and ground black pepper (to season as you would like....a teaspoon or so of each should suffice)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1 to 2 cups beef stock ( I used 33% less-sodium beef broth to make this recipe healthier...and used the whole can, which contains 2 cups. If you decide to use less, what will you do with the remaining half can of stock?????)

1 pound elbow macaroni ( I used whole-wheat here to get some fiber and whole grains in.......I don't think you will notice much difference if you go this route......all the other flavors will really complement any pasta!)

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar (the sharper the better!) I used a little less than this....and half 2% shredded cheddar combined with half real extra sharp cheddar to decrease the amount of saturated fat in the recipe....but cheese is cheese and I know you guys will pile it on like there's no tomorrow.......at least use the whole-grain pasta! ;)

Directions:

1. Preheat your broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Chop the onion into fine pieces if you have not done so yet.

2. Pour the EVOO into a medium-sized deep skillet and allow to heat up for a minute or so. Add the ground sirloin to the pan and cook until browned...about six minutes.

3. Add the onion and chili powder to the browned meat. Season to your liking with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is translucent and tender....about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the ketchup, mustard, and beef stock to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened. (If you used the 2 cups of stock, it may take at least 10 minutes or so.....be patient, it will thicken ;)

5. As the meat mixture is fermenting (hehe), drop the pasta into the boiling water and add a few teaspoonsful salt to prevent sticking. Cook for 8-10 minutes only, until pasta is el dente. (You don't want to overcook the pasta....your man meal will come out soggy if you do!!)

6. Drain the pasta well and dump it back into the same pot you cooked it in.

7. Add the meat mixture to the pasta and stir well.

8. Find a casserole dish somewhere in your cave (a brownie pan is an alternative if you have to go that route;) and pour the meat/pasta mixture in.

9. Sprinkle the shredded cheese all over the top of the mixture and place under broiler only until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

10. Remove from oven, find yourself a fork (and perhaps a plate), and dig in!! :) Garnish with some freshly grated extra sharp cheddar if you are serving this to your guests or just to give the plate that little extra touch;)

There you have it......a truly simple meal that is simply delicious. If you are trying to maintain your svelte figure, you may want to go with my substitutions ......even Rachael Ray used some healthier stuff in her "how-to" video. Ladies, if you are making this for the caveman in your life, pair it with a fresh garden or cucumber salad to balance it all out. This meal is super filling, especially if you decide to use the whole grain pasta, so you don't really need to worry about a dessert to follow. A shared beer at the dinner table would most likely yield a smile ;) (And the smell of ground sirloin cooking will make your pooch jealous, so make sure you give your furball some TLC afterwards with a game of gogitit......mine was quite content, despite not getting any of the food!)

I had lots of leftovers when I made this dish...but no worries, as it freezes quite well. When you re-heat the defrosted dinner, sprinkle some freshly grated sharp cheddar to bring the dish back to life :) Even though you can "healthy-up" this recipe, it still feels like you are eating naughty and is really quite a change from my usual dinner recipes. I think it's a great weeknight meal to have once in a while, especially if you are in a hurry to get dinner on the table......or are a bachelor and your options are wings, pizza, nachos....or homemade cheeseburger chili mac! The latter is definitely a better option than your other "man grub" ;)

Hopefully some of you gents will give this recipe a whirl......just be sure to clean up the kitchen for your lovely wives or girlfriends or significant others.....a clean cave is a happy cave! ;)

Hello 2009!!

2009-01-17T16:34:00.010-05:00

Well, here we are. Another year has passed us by and we are all hopefully a little bit stronger, a little bit healthier, and of course....a little bit wiser. If we were truly lucky, we didn't just let 2008 pass us by.....we lived it actively day in and day out and welcome 2009 with ambitious goals of another amazing 365 days. I don't know about all of you, but my year was pretty good (I can't complain.....there were bad days and there were good days, but the good made a much more frequent appearance! )and I am very much looking forward to the next twelve months!

The new year is traditionally associated with new beginnings, new goals, new aspirations, and of course new resolutions. What do you resolve to do in 2009?? Some people do not make resolutions due to past failures or a lack of confidence in themselves. I, on the other hand, think resolutions are just another way to help you really live out the year to come! Many people resolve to drop some weight, or find their dream job, or give up one thing or another.......while others resolve to change themselves for the better on the inside. Whatever your thoughts on resolutions are, resolve to make 2009 the best year yet and you will not be disappointed! :)

One of my 2008 resolutions was to run a full marathon.....and although I did not make the NYC lottery for the November marathon, I did run the Disney marathon a mere 11 days after the new year in Orlando....and consider that a goal well-done! :) A few of my other resolutions were much easier to cross off the list- to get all my college stuff organized/thrown out/donated, to travel more and explore new cities ( Vegas, NYC, Puerto Rico, Orlando...!!! ), to finally schedule a check-up to make sure I'm healthy.....etc etc etc. Other resolutions are still in the works......and even though I didn't fully "get" to them in 2008, I feel as if we really can't beat ourselves up for trying our best! So maybe I didn't organize my 10,000 photos from college, and maybe I didn't give up my coffee habit entirely (I've cut down quite a bit though!), and ok....so maybe I'm still working on the whole "have more patience" thing..... but I'm trying....and that is most important.

Eventually, everything will get done and everything will fall into place. This year, I have goals to try out lots of new recipes ( cooking has become one of my favorite relaxing activities!) , to try and get a bigger variety of veggies in (My sis got me the Juicing Bible.....will experiment some more with that!!) , to stay healthy enough to run the NYC Marathon (maybe my number will make it this year??), to work on the whole "patience" thing, organize those damn photos (hehe), and last but not least (this is a biggie)......look for a house. So, 2009......I am ready for you........ready for whatever you've got to throw at me and whatever small amount of free time you decide to give me...... it's gonna be another great one....just like it will be for all of you!!! :)

Since I completely ditched my blog during the Christmas/New Year holiday and left you without my rum ball recipes, without my cider recipes, without any new recipes at all.....I am gonna make it up to you now. Now that I am not running for three hours at a time on the weekends, shopping like a lunatic after 10 hour work days, or frantically baking at crazy hours of the night.....I will plump up this blog with lots of soups, chillis, and yummy hot dinners that will get us through this arctic winter........ Happy New Year everyone!!! :)

It's the Most Magical Time......of the Year!!! :)

2008-12-16T14:11:00.008-05:00

Ok...I am back to the grindstone from an awesome trip to Walt Disney World Orlando!!! Oh what fun it is this time of year, with decorations galore and lights all around!! It was truly an amazing experience.....my first ever trip to Florida and quite memorable, indeed! The temperatures were a lil' cold in December, but my trusty dusty sweatshirt tagged along with me and kept me warm! ( Not the most fashionable accessory, but Mickey didn't care ;) The rides, the characters, the shows, the food..........Disney doesn't mess around when it comes to keeping kiddies young and young at heart amazed and in awe! I think my absolute favorite part of the trip was the Hoop-Di-Doo Review.......a country comedy/song/dance act during a hilarious bucket- o- ribs and chicken dinner.....I was crying from laughter! Oh so much fun..... :) And even though I don't have the pronunciation down, I really appreciate the awesome cake the Weg team got for me before I left....DisNEY was more than I had thought it would be and you guys were right....I loved it! I will try to post some more pictures when I get a chance :) From the smiles on everyone's faces (some goofy, some genuine, some absolutely ridiculous..)it seems we all had a great time.....Thanks Mr. and Mrs. H for a wonderful few days of escape! :)

Well, I hope you are all getting ready for Christmas and have had a great week as well! I am off to pick up the pooch and then back to the running, the decorating, the working, the cleaning, the laundering......and all the tasks of day to day life....but first....another cup of coffee is in order.....:) I have some great holiday cookie and appetizer recipes for you.......only a week or so remains until Christmas and I will be starting the baking tonight!

Crock-Pot Beef Stroganoff

2008-12-05T09:37:00.014-05:00

As you run around like a lunatic this month trying to accomplish everything and anything on your days off from work.....allow this easy yet delicious recipe to help you out a bit with the preparation of dinner :) I use my crock-pot quite a bit and have found that pretty much any meat combination you put in there will come out tasty and tender after cooking for several long hours. This recipe is from one of my slow-cooker Cooking Light cookbooks.....but by no means does it taste light with the awesome sauce you create in the end! Another plus about this recipe is that it freezes very well.....you can stick leftovers into individual plastic containers, minus the noodles and reheat as needed. I would definitely re-heat on the stove top rather than microwave, however.....the sauce will become very thin and watery if you nuke it too much. (I learned the hard way!) Slow, even cooking on the stove top will prevent that from happening :)

For this recipe, to serve 4 people, you will need the following:

1 pound top round steak, about 1 inch thick and trimmed

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 (8 ounce) package persliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup less- sodium beef broth ( I tired out the new Swanson culinary beef stock, and it is wonderful!)

1 (8 ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream

2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles ( about 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked pasta)

chopped fresh dill

Directions:

1. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into 3/4 inch thick slices.

2. Place steak and next 8 ingredients into your crock pot.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with knife. Place flour into small bowl and gradually add broth/stock, stirring with a whisk to mix uniformly.

4. Add flour mixture to crock pot and stir contents well.

5. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Then, reduce heat to low and cook 7-8 hours or until steak is tender.

6. Turn crock pot off and remove lid. Let stand 10 minutes.

7. Stir in sour cream. ( If you add the sour cream in without waiting, it may begin to curdle due to the high temperature you are submitting it to! This would be awful, as this is the key component to the rich-tasting sauce in this recipe!)

8. Serve stroganoff over the egg noodles and garnish with chopped fresh dill.

I really enjoy this recipe- it is much healthier than the restaurant stuff and makes a great every-day type of meal! It is also a nice enough dish to be served with some vino for a relaxing Friday evening indoors when the snow is falling and you don't want to freeze your buns off in crazy holiday traffic and chaos getting dinner! I have another crock-pot recipe very similar to this one for beef burgundy (sounds fancy, looks fancy, but takes very little time!) ....will try to make that one sometime before the holiday too!

I finally got a start on my Christmas shopping this weekend and am feeling much less stressed out about the whole thing. As much as I love being around people and shopping, etc etc...... I very much dislike chaos and huge crowds...it isn't so bad out there yet, so I am glad I finally ventured out into the wilderness. I have been eyeballing a Christmas present for myself too.....a very luxurious pet vacuum that I really can not justify buying unless it goes on sale.....I will see what the ads are like and perhaps suck it up and splurge. My vacuum has hit the bucket last year......4 years for a fifty dollar vacuum is not bad though! They stopped making bags for it last year and the thing is pretty much shot. The doggy hair and allergens are startin' to make their way into my life again........ Sighhh. The economy is terrible and I feel guilty shopping for myself......are any of you feeling the same way?? I am suppose to be saving up for a shoebox in the city, but I think Mr. Dyson has me sold. We'll see..... :) I hope you are all finding the time, the patience, the funds, as well as the humor of holiday shopping.....until next time!

Help Bella- Vote for Pedro!

2008-12-03T23:06:00.014-05:00

Since the Christmas season is upon us, I Bella, would like to ask all of you humans out there to help me out in a really big task. I am trying to help out an animal shelter in NY......specifically the Dutchess County SPCA....where lots of my fellow canines and kitties and other furballs are in need of some help. I know of a great group of humans out in that area that do all that they can to help out the SPCA, so I am trying to recruit your help too.

Annette tells me you've all been pretty good about clicking the link on this blog and donating food to animals in need...... and here is my request: Please click on the link at the end of this posting (which I am doing late at night while Annette snores away after her crazy working and running schedule. She actually gave me a nice walk tonight despite freezing her toes off....so I guess I'll keep her..she's allright for a human:) Anyways, click below to vote for this shelter so that they can possibly get some funding and help out furballs who aren't as lucky as me or you. The grand prize is 25,000 smackaroos! Soo.....if you have a second to vote (cuz all it takes is a second!) please help me out and do so. Since I am an unemployed cocker spaniel, this is my way of trying to do what I can this Christmas season for my fellow four-legged (and sometimes 3 legged or no-legged, sadly) friends.

Here is the link: Help the Furballs of Dutchess County SPCA!!

If you wanna help out a different organization or one that is more local, you can do that too on the same link.....the choice is yours :) Please help me out.....I am only one furball and can only do so much ......Ohhhhhhh and if any of you are on the lookout for a pooch.........there is one on the Dutchess County SPCA website by the name of Steve-O that is quite a looker!!!! I wish Annette would bring him home to ME!!!!! :):) Anyways, time for me to go....my paws are hurtin' from all this typing and it is time for me to snuggle up to my human in the warm cozy bed! (I am a lucky pooch!!)

Thanks for your help......lots of slobbery smooches await all of you!!!

XOXO

Bella

Pumpkin Pecan Rum Cake- This One's for the Grown-Ups!

2008-12-03T21:40:00.014-05:00

Ok......this will be my final pumpkin post for the season. (Promise!) This recipe is actually a good year-round recipe since the pumpkin flavor is not too over-powering and the combination of pecans and rum really give it a nice array of textures. I love that it comes out so nicely in a bundt pan too....great presentation, great portability, and pretty straight-forward recipe make it a good "I'll bring the dessert" kind of creation :)

As far as the "for adults only" part.....the rum in this cake, as you will see later.....is not baked into the batter. It is poured onto and into the cake post-baking and therefore saturates both the inside and outside in a simple glaze. Because alcohol evaporates out when baked in the oven and this glaze is not baked with the cake.....you have a couple shots of rum in this dessert that you may not want your kiddies to get into. (Although you can probably sedate them this way if need be ....hehe ...kidding......I'm only kidding!! ;)

Anyways, for this recipe, you will need the following:

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans ( I wouldn't process them in the food processor because they tend to get kind of mealy quickly.....just break them apart with your hands or crush with a meat mallet :)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (I used Parkay margarine)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs (Eggland's Best! )

1 can (15 ounces) 100% pumpkin (the real stuff...ingredient list of 1 item only!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rum Butter Glaze:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick)butter or margarine

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp. water

2-4 tbsp. dark rum or 1 tsp. rum extract ( I used 3 tbsp or about 2 and 1/2 ounces of dark rum that Ryan and I brought back from Puerto Rico....rich, flavorful, dark amber-colored rum perfect for holiday recipes!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Grease (or use nonstick cooking spray, as I did) a 12-cup Bundt pan. You can use whatever shape pan you have, but the more creative, the better! I would try to use one that is relatively curvy on the top and not spiky so that the pecan mixture will stay centered on your cake. ( I actually found a bundt in the shape of a baseball stadium and will add it to my collection of gadgets once I upgrade to a kitchen with more space! I have no self-control over the purchasing of kitchen equipment....is there a self-help group for people like me???? I guess we are all entitled to at least one benign addiction.....sighhhhh.)

3. Sprinkle crushed pecans over bottom of pan. Set aside.

4. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

5. Beat softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract and beat well.

6. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

7. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Level top with spatula.

8. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. In the meantime, make your glaze: Melt butter or margarine in small saucepan; stir in granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in dark rum or rum extract.

9. Make holes in cake with long pick or wooden skewer and pour half of glaze over cake. Let stand 5 minutes and invert cake onto serving plate.

10. Make holes in top of cake and pour remaining glaze over cake. Cool. Garnish as desired......with Christmas coming up, a few holly leaves and berries would look great in the center!

I absolutely love this recipe and wish I could take full credit for coming up with it....but sadly, I can not. I stumbled across the recipe on a fellow blogger's website. Because this cake is so moist and actually best served warm....it would go well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Yum! I plan on making it again for the Christmas season for my family.....holidays are rough sometimes and the more booze you can sneak into the food, the more tolerable large loud crowds can be ;) Haha, ok so maybe I am only half joking about that one, but nonetheless it is a great recipe to try out :) I think I will switch gears for a bit in my next posting or two and give you a few dinner recipes I've been creating....and then Christmas mode it is!

My brain is in slow-mo this year and I feel as if though the holidays escape me way too quickly. I'm still thinking turkeys and it's time for hams and sugar cookies and the such. Sighhhhh. Where does the time go??? How is it only three weeks before Christmas and I have barely put a dent in my shopping and cleaning and decorating and baking and wrapping and and and and......... I know, I know.....RELAX, Netters....I can hear Fran thinking and shaking her head at me already. I will try to relax.....after the holidays ;) Until next time...happy baking and cleaning and decorating and shopping.............. ;)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2008-12-01T22:39:00.022-05:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!!! I hope you all had a fabulous time with family and friends, ate lots of turkey and goodies, and of course....had a few days of r & r!! I had a day off work ( I'll take whatever I can get.....one is better than none!), which allowed me to travel downstate to see the fam and gorge myself with lots of delicious food! We had lots of American foods and lots of Polish foods peppered in as well. My aunt made some amazing home-made pierogi with kraut filling (I love sauerkraut! I think it may be an acquired taste though...although I've introduced it to lots of you already and the response is not as horrible as I had expected! :) She also made delicious kolaczky (ours have the filling inside and the pastry is rolled...not like the pic shows), (Just ask Ryan how they taste....he is the ultimate kolaczky critic as of late ;) My mom made some amazing sides and a crustless pumpkin pie too....so there was definitely lots to eat and lots of time to digest it all! The pooch accompanied me on this visit and despite my best efforts to get her to pose during a photo op care of my little brother, most of the pictures came out as above...... I appeared to be choking her. Nonetheless, I think they are pretty funny and I have several years' worth of "choking" photos now. I may have to find a creative way to display them all in yearly consecutive fashion ;) We did manage to get some good ones, but they are not quite as humorous :) I share with you one example above. Bella (surprisingly) was a very good doggy and did not howl one bit as we ate, despite the amazing smells emitting from the kitchen. (See....she really is a good lil' doggy!! ;)

This year, I made a couple pumpkin cheesecakes for friends and family for the dessert portion of our meals. I also made a wild-rice stuffing which I am more than happy to share with all of you if you need a change from the classic crouton recipes. One more holiday to go before the New Year (well, two for me.....I have Wigilia that I will fill you in on at a later time!) If you have any traditional holiday recipes that you are proud of, please feel free to share with me! I am always on the prowl for great new things to concoct! :)

For this recipe, for one 9-inch round cheesecake, you will need the following:

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs ( I used gingersnap crumbs to make this recipe more seasonal!)

3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pumpkin Filling:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened (Use the real stuff, it's dessert!)

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin, (NOT pumpkin-pie mix! The only ingredient on the can should be pumpkin.....nothin' else...zip, zilch, nadda!)

3/4 cups sour cream (I used regular, but you can use light if that is all you have on hand)

2 tablespoons bourbon, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I had no idea what bourbon was....I thought it was Jack Daniels.....and I was kinda right.......it is a type of whisky that you can ask for at the liquor store which they store behind the cash register.....I ended up with a bottle of Jim Bean bourbon for my recipes)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

Sour-Cream Topping (Optional....I did not cover my cheesecakes, but if they cracked....this is a good way to hide the cracks! )

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

crystallized ginger strips, for garnish

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.In 9" by 3" springform pan stir graham-cracker crumbs ( or gingersnap crumbs), melted margarine or butter, and sugar with fork until moistened. ( I used a mini food processor to make gingersnap crumbs from a box of gingersnap cookies....I know that most stores sell cookie crumbs in the baking aisle of the store if you do not have a processor.)

3.With hand, press mixture onto bottom of pan sprayed with cooking spray. Tightly wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in water bath later. ( Do not skip this step!! A water bath is really the only guarantee that your cheesecake will not crack or over-bake.) Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

4. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly beat in sugar until blended, about 1 minute, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula.

5. With mixer at low speed, beat in pumpkin, sour cream, bourbon or vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. ( I added a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice too!)

6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

7. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center barely jiggles.

8. Meanwhile, prepare topping if you decide to cover your cheesecake: In small bowl, with wire whisk, beat sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Remove cheesecake from water bath, leaving water bath in oven, and spread sour-cream mixture evenly over top. Return cake to water bath and bake 5 minutes longer.

9. Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack and carefully remove foil...it is hot, so use mitts!!! With small knife, loosen cheesecake from side of pan to help prevent cracking during cooling.

10. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight, until well chilled. ( I would leave it in the fridge at least for 24 hours....any less than that and the cheesecake is not very portable.....a day in the fridge helps to solidify your creation! :) Remove side of pan to serve. Garnish with crystallized ginger if you wish.

There you have it....yet another cheesecake recipe and pumpkin creation. Rest assured, there are only one or two more pumpkin recipes I have for you and I will switch my baking brain into Christmas mode....promise! I hope you have all recovered from your holiday feasts and are back to the daily grind without any major mishaps or stomachaches! :) Happy eatings......next on the agenda is a lil' somthin' somthin' using my bottle of Puerto Rican rum!

Pumpkin Spice Bread

2008-11-15T17:15:00.024-05:00

Since Turkey Day is right around the corner, I thought I would add yet another seasonal post. This recipe is for a Fall bread that is moist, hearty, and perfect for a quick on the go breakfast or weekend brunch. It smells delightful as it bakes and can be frozen for up to three months if you prefer to make things ahead or would like to have a spur-of-the-moment treat for holiday visitors :) I really do love the holidays- especially the drop-in visits from friends, coffee get-togethers, cookie-exchanges, yummy-smelling kitchens, snuggles with warm cider on cold nights, and all sorts of cold-weather stuff! (I have a crock-pot spiced cider recipe I will share with you all at a later time....it is actually a spiked cider for adults only! ;)

For this recipe, you will need the following:

Topping:
1/4 cup chopped pecans ( I used walnuts instead because that is all I had on hand!)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ( I used about 2 teaspoonsful)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt ( Makes this bread super moist!)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
cooking spray

Directions:

1. To prepare topping, combine first 4 ingredients until crumbly and set the mixture aside.

2. To prepare bread, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

3. Combine the pumpkin and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through eggs) in a bowl and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. ( Do not over- stir! Your bread will come out thick and chewy if you manhandle the batter too much! )

4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray and sprinkle with topping.

5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack, slice into 12-16 pieces and serve! :)

I really love this recipe ( again, from my fave magazine....so healthy yet delicious!) and have made it a few times this season. I am expecting some company next weekend and have made one for the freezer in advance! Holidays are all about strategy....strategy for seasonal meal plans, running errands, and pretty much keeping up with the business of life.... As we come closer to Turkey Day, and soon after, Christmas......always remember that a lil extra prep work ahead of time can spare you lots of stress in the upcoming weeks. ( I say this now, even though I'm a total procrastinator and can't even keep up on life.....but I've been trying to do holiday stuff early and so far, so good! :)

I hope you have all gotten a chance to enjoy the beauty of Fall and the amazing colors surrounding us- I know I have! It is definitely getting cold and there are fewer and fewer critters playing outside on the trees. I did, however, stumble across a skunk a few nights ago as I was walking Bella. It was a huge black ball of fur that looked like a cat from far away. We were about ten feet from the "cat" until I noticed the long white stripe and backed away cautiously until the masked night crawler slipped away underneath someones back deck. All I need now is a skunked pooch.......ahhhh!!!

Ginormous Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping

2008-11-02T14:24:00.017-05:00

As we all get busier and busier during the holidays, it is always nice to have something on hand to grab as a quick breakfast. These muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months and re-heated in the oven as you get ready for your day......the recipe (from Cooking Light magazine) is for 18 small muffins, but I made 12 large ones instead because I only have one muffin pan and decided to make these big and hearty for my morning crew at work. Grab a muffin, a yogurt cup, and your travel mug filled with java and you are all set for the most important meal of the day!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour ( I haven't tried to experiment with other flours yet....will try using a portion whole-wheat next time to make these a little healthier)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream ( I used non-fat plain yogurt instead)

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg white

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

3. Combine pumpkin and next 6 ingredients (pumpkin through egg white) in a separate bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. ( I used 12 muffin cups and lined my pan with silicone inserts to ensure even baking and easy removal!)

4. Combine 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and brown sugar; sprinkle over muffins. ( I had a lot of the topping left over, since my muffin yield was a little smaller.)

5. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

6. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Yet another seasonal recipe involving the ingredient of the month(s)....pumpkin! I will try to be a bit more creative with other seasonal ingredients in the next few recipes to come. I will be making these muffins again and stashing them in my freezer for a quick meal on the run! Happy breakfasting - enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Bars

2008-11-02T14:24:00.015-05:00

Now, after that totally disgusting photo of my muddy running shoes.....I give you something a bit more.....shall we say.....appetizing. When it comes to foods of Fall, the first thing that comes to my mind is pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin carving, pumpkin spices......that is what my brain thinks of under the category of autumnal foods.

Today, I have a very simple recipe for pumpkin bars. They are moist, require very common ingredients, and are in fact (gasp!) relatively healthy. (If you feed these to your kiddies, you may want to keep that part a secret.)

For this recipe, you will need the following:

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (you can mix whole wheat in there if you would like)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup natural (no-sugar) applesauce
1/2 cup solid-pack pumpkin (I used a little more than 1/2 cup ....bars came out very moist!)
1 whole egg
1 egg white
2 tbsp vegetable oil ( I used canola oil)
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray
3. In a small bowl, combine flour(s), baking powder, orange peel, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Whisk together to blend.
4. In large bowl, combine sugar, applesauce, pumpkin, egg, egg white, and oil. Whisk to blend.
5. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture and whisk together just until uniformly blended. Stir in raisins.
6. Spread batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes and cut into 16 bars.

These bars will stay moist for several days if placed into an airtight container and are a nice dessert to follow a Fall-themed meal. For this recipe, and many other cookie/bar recipes....pick up a copy of The Cookie Bible ....it is chock-full of seasonal recipes and everyday cookie ideas! :)

Slippin' and Slidin' through a Hairy Half.....

2008-11-02T14:23:00.010-05:00

Autumn is a perfect time for running. There is no snow yet (umm....usually), there is no humidity, and it is typically breezy enough for a pair of shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I love autumn! Sometimes, however.....life throws us yet another curve ball and we get rain. Lots and lots and lots of wet, slippery, muddy, rain. This year, the day before the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon (a trail run!).....we were lucky enough to get blessed with over two inches of rainfall. The only word to summarize my weekend in Albany would be this: MUDDY.

For those of you who have never run the Hairy Gorilla 1/2 Marathon.....I would highly recommend it! It is oodles and oodles of fun....and I am sure actually quite enjoyable under normal weather conditions. This year, the conditions were the worst in the history of the race and it was my first experience trekking through the mud piles and puddles. ( I would like to use the word "running through", however there was very little running. There was lots of slipping, sliding, jumping, crawling, climbing.......) Not only were some of the puddles mid-thigh, but the mud itself rose above the ankle. I signed up for this race a long time ago, so there was no turning back......and I managed to drag my Honey's dad into the mess with me :) (We are still on speaking terms.......although I should probably find Mr. H some new running socks! :)

This race is super organized, super fun, and super-duper exhausting. There are tons of steep hills (which would not be so bad if you could run up them without slipping and falling on your face!), lots of creeks, shrubbery, roots, and all sorts of chaos. I now know what a "technical" course means. There are lots of people dressed up in costume, lots of volunteers in gorilla gear, and there are even sound effects all throughout the race area of creepy Halloween noises. I think my favorite costumed "creature" was the chainsaw man who jumped out of the shrubbery as I was concentrating on getting through a huge puddle without tripping. He literally scared the crapola out of me. I screamed like a baby. Kudos to him for a job well done!

After completing the very sedate, very beautiful Cortland Leaf Peeper 1/2 Marathon the week prior, this was quite the change of pace and scenery altogether. As they say....variety is the spice of life...and this was definitely the most interesting race I've participated in thus far. For all you runners out there......Albany is waiting for you next year! I am hoping for less (no??!) rain for those of you who tackle the course next year......but even in knee-deep cold, muddy crud......you get to walk away with a furry gorilla medal and a big smile on your face, laughing that you actually paid to partake in such a sloppy, disgusting, totally fun event! I wish I had taken some "before" and "after" pictures.....you would all laugh. Instead, I share with you pics of my sneaks and just a glimpse of what the race entailed. Look past the people crossing the stream and you will see two runners looking for alternate ways to get across....those would be yours truly and Mr. H. We are so clever....we avoided the clean stream water only to be knee-deep in mud a quarter mile later with everyone else. The fuzzy medal was totally worth it ;)

Spicy Mexican Black-Bean Chili

2008-10-20T13:00:00.010-04:00

Autumn......my favorite time of year. The temperatures are mild (not too hot, not too cold- great for running!), the colors are beautiful (I have a thing for foliage!), and all sorts of holidays are just around the corner. Oh how I love autumn.....With the temperatures dipping well into the 40's during the night, this is a great time for making a hot and hearty cauldron of chili. Some like it beefy, some like it beany, and I of course...like it Mexican-style spicy!!

This recipe makes a great lunch or dinner and serves up to 6 people....plenty of leftovers if you have a smaller family:) I've never really liked chili in the past until I stumbled across this gem of a recipe. Most of the recipes I've tried were too bland and there were just too many beans for my liking. This one is totally up my alley!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green bell pepper (I added 1/4 cup of diced chillies and 1 SMALL habanero...extra kick for those who like it spicy!)

1 pound ground chuck ( I used the 95% lean ground beef -you don't really need the full-flavor full-fat beef here because of all the spices, but use what you have on hand)

1 1/2 cups no-salt-added beef broth

1 tablespoon chili powder (I doubled this)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained

6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet and add the peppers, onions, and beef to brown. Stir the mixture to crumble as it cooks.

2. Once there is no sign of redness in the meat mixture, add the remaining ingredients up through and including the black beans. Stir well to combine.

3. Bring mixture to a boil. After a minute or two of boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes until thick. (I simmered mine for about 25 minutes or so and the consistency was perfect- no wateriness from the tomatoes at all! :)

4. Turn off heat and ladle into pre-heated serving bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream (I used reduced-fat because I don't like the fat-free stuff) and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro.What a great warm-me-up type of meal! Cornbread is the side dish of choice for this recipe, and my jalapeno cornbread recipe is to follow soon:) A mug of mulled hot cider makes the perfect cap to this meal:) Stay warm and enjoy!

Tis' The Holiday Season....All Noses are A'Sneezin'...

2008-10-14T12:42:00.005-04:00

Besides being ridiculously busy these past few weeks with weddings and all sorts of chaos....and slacking on my recipe blog, I was also cursed this year by the dreaded common cold.....grrrr! After bragging about my Polish immune system of steel "like an ox, guys....it's like an ox!".....I got the sniffles the coughs the watery eyes the hurty the stuffy the oh-so-wonderful common cold. This is what happens when you speak too soon and start bragging this early in the season...

Anyways, besides the old tea with lemon and honey regimen, I probably tried a slew of over the counter products out of sheer desperation to get better. (Who has time to be sick???) Let me just say ....save your mula and stick with the tried and true. Four ounces of Tussin DM and a handful of ibuprofen...and about a week of time....cured me. (I guess I should also tell you about the box of zinc lozenges I consumed in one day, the box of Fishermen's friend menthol cough drops (gross, but helpful in not coughing your brains out), the gallons of tea and the cauldrons of soup I also consumed last week....) When it comes down to it..............time is all you need.

My poor pooch was also struck by the wand of the sickness fairy. I came home from work one day to find her scooting sideways on the floor on her ears.....first the left one, then the right one... Usually you can tell if a cocker spaniel's ears are infected just by the nasty smell they emit....but since I couldn't smell anything at all......I had no idea what was going on until I saw the ear dance. We took the Bella monster to the vet.....where lo and behold she was diagnosed with a double ear/yeast infection in the ears.....treated with a quick steroid shot for discomfort and the equivalent of Cortisporin Otic for furballs.

Sooo.........bundle up (now that this Indian Summer is over!) ladies and gents, take your vitamins, get your flu shot if you are a candidate for it, and enjoy the rest of this beautiful season in perfect health! (If you end up not so lucky, like myself or my pooch........I have lots of soup recipes I can give you when you are stuck indoors by yourself in your misery.....no worries....give it a week!;)

Monster Pops

2008-10-14T12:40:00.011-04:00

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought some of you may find this recipe useful to make for your young 'uns.......or the young at heart who also love a big hunk of cookie! :) This recipe is fairly easy to put together, but will require lots of ingredients that you may not have on hand and would need to make a special trip for. It is a fun recipe to make since you get to decorate the cookies with scary faces and use lots of colorful frosting! I am sure kiddies would love to help out in this process....so grab a few rolls of paper towels and let them join in! ;) I had fun making these....perhaps will be a little more creative with the number of faces I come up with next time!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened ( I used Parkay margarine)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs (Egglands Best!)

2 cups (1 12 ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate morsels ( I used Ghirardelli)

2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (Quaker oats worked well)

1 cup raisins (some kids do not like raisins- omit according to your lil' monsters' palates;)

about 24 wooden craft sticks

1 container (16 ounces) prepared vanilla frosting, colored as needed with food colorings of your choice (place different colors into plastic sandwich bags and snip off the corners)

small candies for decorations (I used the mini M & M's from the bulk foods section of the Weg)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat the butter or margarine, sugars, and vanilla in a larger bowl until creamy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, to the sugar mixture.
5. Gradually beat in the flour mixture from step two.
6. Stir in the morsels, the oats, and the raisins if you are using them.
7. Using a 1/4 inch measuring cup, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 4 inches apart to allow for spread.
8. Shape the mounds into rounds and insert the wooden craft sticks into side of each mound.
9. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Cool on baking sheet or wire rack for about 5 minutes or until cool.
11. Go nuts decorating faces on pops as you like!

It is very important to leave lots of space between the mounds of cookie dough as you scoop and shape....these cookies spread out quite a bit and become flat....if you do not leave enough space, all the mounds will smudge together and you will get one enormous cookie. (Enough to make any kid go into a sugar coma!) Also.....make sure your cookies are completely baked through before removing them from the oven...if the centers are still a little mushy, your craft sticks will poke a hole through the middle and fall apart! Ahhh!

Sooo....hope you are all having a great Fall season so far....have fun making these monster pops and decorating your homes with all things Autumn! Next on the baking menu........pumpkin bars!!

A Frittata for Two Please!

2008-09-29T17:02:00.009-04:00

Sometimes, life throws us a curve ball and we actually get some extra time in the morning to enjoy the smells, sounds, and beauty of daybreak. Those days are few and far between, but when they do arrive...why not celebrate that extra half hour or so with a special breakfast for two? Grind some fresh beans for your A.M. coffee, chop us some seasonal fruits......and perhaps get creative with the odds and ends in your fridge and create a frittata.

A frittata is pretty much a fancy omelet....it is much easier to make than an omelet, in my opinion....because there is no fancy fold-over required! This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine and is a great choice for the most important meal of the day- lots of veggies, quality protein, and even some cheese to keep you and your honey or breakfast guests feelin' full and energized for the day! :)

To make this ham and asparagus frittata for two, you will need the following:

2/3 cup low-sodium diced ham (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded low-fat Jarlsberg cheese (I only had slices on hand, so I chopped them up to a fine consistency)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
cooking spray
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper ( I used red bell pepper and a small poblano pepper)
1/2 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat your broiler.

2. Combine the ham, cheese, eggs, egg whites, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well.

3. In a cast-iron or other oven-proof skillet, saute the onion, pepper, and asparagus in a small amount of cooking spray. (I used canola spray)

4. When the veggies are tender, pour the ham/egg mixture over the vegetable mixture and cook for about 5 minutes until the edges begin to set.

5. Remove the skillet from the stove top, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and pop it under the broiler for another 5 minutes or so or until the top is completely set. Make sure you wrap the handle of your skillet with some aluminum foil....otherwise you will scald your hands and your relaxing morning will be a trip to the ER!

6. Remove frittata from oven, slice in half or quarters and slide gently onto two plates. Garnish with a few halved cherry tomatoes and serve with toasted English muffins or home-made savory scones.

You can easily double or triple this recipe to serve at a holiday brunch or for a special breakfast get-together....just make sure you either use a larger skillet or make separate batches so that the frittata does not spill over as it sets. Sit back, grab the paper, pour yourselves some coffee, and enjoy daybreak over this simple breakfast. Ahhhh.....if only all mornings could be like this....

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

2008-09-23T23:52:00.011-04:00

'Tis the season for all things orange.....peaches, pumpkins, and of course....sweet potatoes! This recipe makes a great side dish to slow roasted or grilled cuts of meat. The ingredient list is very short and simple, making it a great weekday recipe!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

6 medium sweet potatoes, or about 2 1/4 pounds ( I halved this recipe to make 4 servings...as is, it makes 8)

cooking spray (I used canola spray)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper ( I used red pepper flakes and chipotle pepper flakes for extra heat....feel free to substitute with your favorite pepper too!)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Peel potatoes; cut each lengthwise into quarters and place in a large bowl; coat with cooking spray. (I actually cut my potatoes into smaller, thinner wedges after reading the reviews about this recipe.....the smaller you cut the wedges, the crispier your potatoes will be....the larger wedges will be much softer if that is your preference.) By the time your oven preheats, your potato wedges will be ready to go in....

3. Combine sugar, salt, and peppers, and sprinkle over potatoes, tossing well to coat.

4. Arrange potatoes, cut sides down, in a single layer on a baking sheet. ( I lined mine with foil to minimize cleanup!)

5. Bake at 500° for 10 minutes; turn wedges over. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown. The insides of the wedges are nice and soft...but the outside is spicy and crispy....perfectly done!

This recipe is from my Cooking Light magazine.....the above quantities will easily serve 8 people, but if you are only cooking for yourself or for you and your honey, halve all the ingredients and it will still come out just as delicious! I froze my leftovers in individual plastic containers and will stick them under the broiler for a few minutes to re-crisp when I need a quick side dish to serve with dinner. I love autumn.....so many great flavors, aromas, and colors!

....the picture of Bella above is after she got completely shaved down just prior to my vacation. She is getting back to the soft furball she was, and continues to crack me up. I found her a stuffed sheep that goes "baaaa" and she observed it with utmost curiosity before pouncing! :)

Peach Leaf Pie

2008-09-19T14:23:00.025-04:00

The inspiration behind this taste bud splurge is no other than my coworker Fran. Frantastic celebrated her birthday yesterday and in lieu of the special occasion, I pawed through my cookbooks (I have more than most modern grandmothers! )and came upon a picture of this beautiful pie!

So... as I was elbow-deep in crust dough and freshly peeled peaches, I realized why I've never made this recipe before. I don't have a leaf cookie cutter. I could have sworn I had one somewhere- I have a huge plastic barrel full of cookie cutters- hearts, letters, numbers, flags, cowboy boots even...!! No leaf???? OK, so I did have a maple leaf cutter, but that did not fit the bill for this pie. Oh well, I thought.....we're gonna do this pie old-school style (hehe...no pun intended, Fran;).

Well, as you can see by the above picture, the end result is quite pretty. I got my peaches fresh from the local farmer's market and they were very ripe and very sweet-perfect for a pie! I didn't even know there was such a huge farmer's market around these parts until another of my coworkers informed me about it (thanks Catherine!:) Besides the peaches, I picked up a whole lot of loot there....the peppers and cukes and zucchini above are all from my trip to the market. There was even natural almond and peanut butter, as well as buckwheat honey to be purchased! I didn't even know what buckwheat honey was until the bee guy dipped a popsicle stick into a jar for a taste- it apparently has 30% more antioxidants than regular honey and the taste is unlike both the clover and the blossom honey I usually use. I scooped up a bear-shaped container of it for recipes and breakfast treats. It was an exciting morning- except for the half hour of parking lot stalking I did in order to obtain a spot within a quarter mile of the place.

Anyways, for this recipe for peach leaf pie, you will need the following:

Pie filling:

2 and 1/2 pounds very ripe peaches (they should easily bruise when poked- those will be nice and sweet - pie perfect!)

juice of 1 lemon ( about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoonsful cornstarch

1/4 teaspoonful grated nutmeg (great aroma!)

1/2 teaspoonful ground cinnamon ( I probably used double that amount)

2 tablespoonsful butter, diced (I actually used real butter here....it is way too easy too screw up a pie by using artificial ingredients)

For the crust:
Well, the original recipe called for a crust that needed 1 stick of butter....I instead used a vegetable shortening recipe to lower the saturated fat in this recipe. Shortening and butter will produce very similar crust results, in my opinion. Both will give you a nice, flaky crust. Margarine does not work well in crust recipes and here is one of the few instances where I would advise against its use.

1/2 cup water at 80 degrees F

1 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 teaspoonful salt

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

*egg glaze- 1 egg plus 1 tablespoonful water, beaten well

I used my bread machine to make the dough- program 6 on most bread machines will knead the dough for you so that you don't "man-handle" it too much! :) If you have the gadgets, use them! Just be sure to flour your hands well when removing the dough from the machine....it is very sticky!

Directions:

1. The above crust recipe will provide enough dough for 2 pie crusts. I added all the ingredients into the bread machine, pressed the "dough" setting, and let the appliance do all the work for me. If you do not have a bread machine, do not worry. You can either a) use a pre-made pie crust that you just have to roll out ( these tend to be a little sketchy in ingredient content, however) or b) use the above crust recipe and just add the water to the dry ingredients in a large bowl until the dough starts to stick, using a fork to mix.

2. Once you have made your crust, divide the dough into two balls- one slightly larger than the other. Wrap in wax paper and stick in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

3. In the meantime, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. I would recommend using a sheet with sides, as pies tend to bubble over sometimes and you will have less cleanup if the baking sheet catches the mess! You want to heat the baking sheet as the oven is preheating because we will not be pre-baking the bottom crust in this recipe. Placing the unbaked pie on the hot sheet will allow the bottom crust to bake through evenly and crisp up. The moisture from the filling keeps the bottom crust more humid than the top....therefore making it more suceptible to be mushy instead of crisp and flaky.

4. To start your filling, first bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a dozen ice cubes into a large bowl and fill with cold water. Drop a few peaches at a time into the boiling water for about half a minute and then immediately transfer to the ice water. This method will allow you to remove the peach skins with ease! (I have tried peeling peaches the lazy- bum way and trust me......you waste a lot of peach mass....don't be a slacker ;)

5. When the peaches have cooled, slice them into thin slices and transfer to a clean bowl. Add the lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and spices to the peaches and toss gently to coat.

6. By now you can probably remove your crusts from the fridge. Beginning with the larger ball, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. (My dream kitchen will most definitely have a center island....the functionality is priceless! For now, I am stuck with the 2x2 counterspace.....sighhh.....)

7. Anyways, I digress.....back to the dough.... Transfer the rolled-out dough onto your 9-inch pie plate and trim the edges. You will not need to do any crazy fluting or edge decorating, so just trim it flat :) Now, prick the bottom of the dough with a fork several times and place pie plate back into the fridge.

8. Now came the tedious part....the top crust....If you have a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, you will be thanking your lucky stars. If you do not....hehe....here is where you start cutting leaf shapes by hand. So...take a portion of the smaller ball....or you can work with the entire ball if you adequate counter space....and roll flat to about 1/8 thickness, just like the bottom crust.

9. Using a small paring knife, cut leaf shapes into the dough and draw veins with the tip of the knife. Make three small (marble size) balls using a scrap piece of dough.

10. Remove your pie plate from the fridge and brush the bottom of the pie shell with egg glaze. Add the peaches, piling them higher in the center. Dot with the diced butter.

11. Finally, assemble the top leaf crust. Start from the outside edge and cover peaches with a ring of leaves. Place a second ring of leaves above the first, staggering the positions. Continue doing this until the entire pie is covered. Place the three small balls in the center, like berries.

12. Brush the entire top with glaze and stick into the preheated oven onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for an additional 40 minutes or so or until the top crust turns a golden brown.

There you have it.....an autumnal pie that is just peachy! Serve warm alongside a scoop of natural vanilla ice cream, or by itself in all its glory:) Enjoy!

Italian Bistro-Style Chicken Sandwiches

2008-09-17T22:28:00.008-04:00

So.....I have promised to share some recipes with Spanish flare, yet decide to post this one for Italian cuisine instead. No worries, my next creation will be a Mexican-style dish....but tonight's dinner recipe for these deliciously satisfying sandwiches had to be shared with all of you! I decided to make these because I am strapped for time this week due to various commitments....especially at the Weg. This dinner recipe is from Cooking Light magazine (love it!!) but you would never know it by the taste of your outcome....

For this recipe (4 large sandwiches), you will need the following:

1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) sun-dried tomato pesto (I did not have enough basil to make my own, so instead bought the Flora brand pesto....it worked great in this recipe!)

2 tablespoonsful reduced-fat mayo

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts ( I used tenderloins)

1/4 teaspoonful pepper (freshly ground for added flavor)

1/8 teaspoonful salt

1 teaspoonful olive oil

1 (8 ounce) loaf ciabatta bread

3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red peppers

1 large fresh tomato, thinly sliced ( Thanks to one of my nice Italian patients at Weg, I was lucky enough to use a monster-sized garden-fresh tomato that was sweet and succulent! Thanks to Mrs. A, the above pictured tomatoes are going into lots of great recipes this weekend!! The loot, plus my fresh basil were a gift from her garden- Grazie!!)

12 large fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Combine pesto and mayo in a small bowl and stir to make a homogeneous mixture.

2. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt on both sides. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken about 3 minutes on each side or until done. (I browned the chicken tenderloins and then popped them into the oven on a baking sheet for 15 minutes because my pieces were a bit thick. The most important thing is to make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through, so cut into the thickest part of one of the pieces and make sure it is no longer pink before taking it off the stove.)

3. After chicken has cooked, use a knife and fork to slice breasts or tenderloins into thin slices.

4. Preheat your broiler. Cut ciabatta in half horizontally and place under broiler, cut sides up, for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful not to leave the bread in there too long- the broiler is very very quick and you could be left with charcoal if you do not watch the time!

5. Remove bread from broiler and spread both cut sides with the pesto/mayo mixture.

6. Arrange the chicken pieces over the ciabatta bottom half and top with basil leaves. Sprinkle cheese on top of the basil and return to broiler for another 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts.

7. Remove from broiler and arrange the pepper and tomato over cheese.

8. Cover with top half of ciabatta and cut into 4 equal pieces using a bread knife. (Or any knife with serrated edges)

9. Serve with a mixed green salad and baked pita chips for a very flavorful, very rustic Italian meal in minutes! :)

This is a great dinner recipe for a very hectic day when you know you will have very little time to cook. Open up a bottle of chilled wine (nothin' fancy...Cavit is great and won't cost you a limb!), put a little Andrea Bocelli into your sound system (or in my case, the CD player!), grab your honey, and let your imaginations transport you to Italy for the evening! Buon Appetito!

Vacation Recap

2008-09-14T10:58:00.010-04:00

Since I've been off work for a week and a half, I can not (for the life of me!) get back to early morning wake-ups and the routine of the daily grind. I've been trying, but to much avail, have been largely unsuccessful. That is what happens when you sleep your mornings away and stay up until crazy hours of the night on vacay. I have finally unpacked my suitcase and have big goals for doing laundry and catching up on life in general during the next few days. I must admit, I've been a total slacker and have been playing with the pooch and forcing myself to get a little running in instead of catching up on life. Well, since the start of a brand new week is upon me, the laziness is over and the return of long hours at Weg, training runs, and ...of course....new recipes to experiment with in my "free" time are to come:)

Puerto Rico was incredible and the Bioluminescent Bay was the most amazing experience of my life so far. If any of you ever get a chance to travel there, I highly recommend at least night kayaking into the bay.....you will be in awe, I am sure! I wish I had a waterproof camera to take in there with me, as those would be the best pictures of the entire trip! (You can view my pictures of Old San Juan, the rainforest, and lots of vegetation here.) The above picture is that of an exotic plant growing from the trunk of a palm tree. It looks like it has peas growing on it and was one of many beautiful sights to see! Well, I am glad to be back and catching up with all of you...thanks for the warm welcome back!

Back from Vacay!

2008-09-11T12:07:00.005-04:00

Well, I am back from my adventure in Puerto Rico and am starting to catch up on life again....I will have lots of new recipes coming this month...with lots of inspirational Spanish touches! I hope you are all doing well and have had a great week....back to the grind!

Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Sauce

2008-08-22T19:57:00.010-04:00

I know what you are thinking......meatloaf= mystery meat. Well, I am here to give meatloaf a little boost in self esteem, as not all meatloaves are formulated from unknown animal parts or unrecognizable lists of ingredients. Meatloaf in general has a pretty bad rap, and unnecessarily so. This recipe is for a quick meatloaf dinner you can put together the night before and bake after a busy day of working and/or chasing after your kiddies. There are no secret ingredients and no funky animal remains...just pure delicious ground turkey. Yup. That's it. That is our only meat source in this recipe. Although I would be highly suspicious of the meatloaves you can purchase in the frozen food aisle or the prepared food section of most grocery stores, I am not going to let meatloaf's reputation suffer and encourage you to try this recipe yourselves. Meatloaf, get ready to be a star on the menu!

For this recipe, serving 3-4 people, you will need the following:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme, ground
about 20 ounces turkey breast, ground
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons dry red cooking wine
4 teaspoons lite soy sauce
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and onion powders, pepper, thyme, and the fresh ground turkey.
3. Using your fingers (this part is fun!) mix the above ingredients well until all ingredients are uniformly dispersed throughout the ground turkey.
4. Separate the mixture above into two balls and shape each ball into a small rectangle resembling a miniature bread loaf.
5. Place the two loaves onto a cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 30 minutes.
6. While the meatloaf is baking in the oven, combine the wines, soy sauce, and mushrooms in a small saucepan and bring to boil.
7. When the mushroom mixture begins to boil, add the chicken broth.
8. Dissolve the corn starch in water and add to the boiling mixture.
9. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until mixture has thickened. The corn starch does a great job at thickening any sauces you are making. This is the purpose of the ingredient in this recipe also! :)
10. When meatloaves are cooked through, place them onto a decorative serving platter and pour mushroom sauce evenly over both loaves.
11. Serve hot, sliced onto individual dinner plates.

This recipe is great with a side of rosemary roasted potatoes and broccoli, as pictured above. The Parmesan cheese gives the meatloaves lots of aroma...combined with the spices, there is no need for any additional salt. The recipe can be frozen quite easily and leftovers can be sliced thinly onto rye bread for a special lunch. I like to make enough dinner and sides for at least 3 servings so that I can cook less throughout the week and just grab leftovers from the freezer. We are all busy and any shortcuts to make life a little bit simpler are always welcomed! I think I may need a 2nd freezer pretty soon, as my desire for leftovers is definitely outweighed by my desire to try more new recipes! At least I know I am not stranded with greasy takeout on crazy workdays when cooking is just not an option :) Perhaps it is a good thing that I have a tiny little freezer.....who knows what I could find buried under my stash of frozen home cooking if I had all the room in the world!? With every negative....there is always a positive lurking around the corner. Buon appetito, as they say in Italia....or smacznego, as we say in Poland! ;)

Blueberry How-To: Freezing and Storage

2008-08-21T10:20:00.008-04:00

Soo....now that I've picked a bucketful of berries.....what will I do with them before they rot on my counter top? I could start marathon baking and use them all up....or I could go through the tedious, yet worthwhile effort of freezing them. I chose the latter, as time management has been kicking my butt lately....

Soo....to freeze large quantities of berries....follow these steps and you will have amazing results in your recipes to come! :) Try not to be like me and do this task before you've had any breakfast....my digestive system got a workout after consuming a massive quantity of berries as a morning meal! Oops.........oh well, who needs Miralax when you've got stuff from nature's bounty? Haha...ok....enough on that topic...

To freeze berries:

1. Go pick yourself some berries....preferably 30-40 pounds, so that these steps will take you pretty much all weekend.....;) Or, if you are a Prima Donna, have someone else do the dirty work for you so that you are not in bug-infested territories....;)

2. In a mesh colander, rinse several cups of berries at a time and drain well.

3. Spread some paper towels onto your counter top (I got a little annoyed at this stage, since I have pretty much no counter tops.....all my berries kept rolling underneath the appliances! Grrr..!)

4. Pour the rinsed/drained berries onto the paper towels and spread into even layer.

5. Pick out any stems/under-ripe berries (once you pick 'em.....they ain't gettin any riper...and boy are they sour!!!) or any rotten lil' scoundrels that may have jumped into your bucket, along with any bugs, of course....ewwww.

6. Using another paper towel, dry off the berries lightly...careful not to squish the goods...

7. Spread berries onto a cookie sheet that is small enough to fit into your freezer. Make sure berries are only 1-layer deep.

8. Place cookie sheet full of berries into freezer for 10 -15 minutes, or until berries are hard.

9. Using a measuring scoop, measure out partially-frozen berries into individual Ziploc freezer bags. I like to measure out 1-3 cups in my bags and label them accordingly so that you know just how much to take out for your recipes.

10. Repeat these steps with the rest of your loot.....until all berries are cleaned/drained/toweled off/ and frozen for future use :)

I know what you are thinking (Fran)....this is why I am always short on time! But.....at least now that the task is done, I can catch up on life again. That bucket full of berries was starting to worry me because I did not want the loot to rot. My legs are still recovering from the mosquitoes and I didn't want my efforts to go to waste....I went for a morning run today to get my eyeballs open and finished the rest of them before work. I had a little helper that cleaned out the over-ripe/squished berries for me. She sprawled herself out on the kitchen floor like a rug and waited for any casualties which happened to roll off the counter (there were many!). When it comes to making food in the kitchen, my dog knows.....anything within reach is fair game for a lil' Scooby snack! She is doing well, by the way....for all those who have been asking me about the chocolate incident. (Thanks for your concern...I am glad I could vent to you!) She's back to her regular Nutro doggy food diet and back to a treat- toss before I head out to work. I love that ball of fur more than I love most people I encounter....hehe....I am sure many of you are the same way, no? ;)

I hope you are all having a great week so far.....it is almost over and a little rest and relaxation is in the future soon! Well, maybe not so much rest, but at least a few extra hours of relaxing slumber! I will post a few dinner recipes later in the week....a very easy (and tasty!) barbecue chicken recipe with roasted red potatoes will eventually make it on here....another "under an hour" gem, which is pretty great, as I am sure you are all equally busy with getting your kiddies ready for school, working mucho hours, training for various sporting events, having beer-drinking marathons (Rae;) and the likes.... Oh.....speaking of kiddies....I would like to send a shout out to Miss Katelyn, who just turned 1 year old last Thursday!!! Happy Birthday, Cutie Pie!! Come visit us at the Weg soon!!!

Oh What a Thrill on Blueberry Hill!!!

2008-08-17T21:36:00.010-04:00

Oh what a thrill!!! I called up Stan's Berry Patch, my usual source of a year's stock of blueberries....and there were still berries left to be picked this late in the season!! I was excited. I snuck into work wearing a tee-shirt and sneakers (with dress pants, looking like a total fashion emergency) on Sunday and hid under my lab coat as I strolled in to open up shop. I tossed a pair of gym shorts into my work bag and decided that I would make the long drive to West Monroe for some blueberry picking fun after my solo shift. Poor Bella would have to cross her paws and be deserted in the kitchen for a solid 12 hours......I have to make it up to her on my day off with a long stroll in the park!

The weekend was unusually...well.... unusual, with lots of strange occurrences/ people/ situations/etc etc. One patient pulled me out of the pharmacy and asked me if his salt water nasal rinse would interfere with his blood pressure medications. I blame it on the recent full moon.....

Anyways, I did a (very quick) change after work and drove to the berry patch for a little stress-relieving manual labor. I brought my usual two buckets from the previous years, already tared for berries. Stan (the berry patch owner) gave me a lift in the tractor to a patch of blueberry bushes far from the road where I could get my ambitious game on. The berries were sparse on the bushes, he warned me....so picking would be a bit tedious....

Boy was he right! I went through 4 rows of bushes in two hours and only picked about half the berries I picked last year! I was really moving fast (and got some vitamin D from the gorgeous sunshine out!) and had to really struggle to even fill up a partial bucket. I told some of you that I would share my loot if I went picking, but I think I am going to be a selfish berry picker and hoard it all for myself this year! I'm sorry! I would totally share if I had more berries and had I not sacrificed my legs to the numerous winged vultures in the fields known as mosquitoes. Those monsters were ravenous and my legs were literally chewed by the time I was done. Getting those berries took a lot more work than usual this late in the season and I am going to smarten up and go earlier in the future. I was hoping berry picking would be as relaxing as always, but the mosquitoes made it unbelievably uncomfortable. At least these bitings didn't require a trip to the ER this time, as I drugged myself up with some Zyrtec earlier that day. The Zyrtec, however, did not prevent the huge welts and ginormous swollen spots on my skin from the vampires.

Even though I probably lost a pint of blood and may have caught the West Nile virus or some type of central NY malaria (hehe), my berry excursion was totally worth the efforts. I will have fresh (frozen) berries for my blueberry buckwheat pancakes in the winter, as well as muffins, smoothies and all sorts of baked goodies for at least a portion of the cold months to come. I wanted to make jam again, but definitely did not have enough blueberry loot for that kind of recipe.....Sighhh....perhaps I will not be scorned by a summer full of rain next year......

Chocolate Ganache Covered Cheesecake

2008-08-17T21:35:00.018-04:00

In lieu of yet another Wegmans birthday, I baked the cheesecake from the May 2008 archive of this blog. (Haha...archive....as if there are so many to paw through at this stage of my blogging game...!) This time, however, there was no fruited topping. This time, there was .....chocolate!

For this first time ever, I decided to experiment with making my own chocolate ganache for the birthday celebrant. If you are a bit of a baker, you may scold me for calling the topping of this cheesecake a "ganache", as it does not contain any heavy cream. In order to make my topping as smooth as buttah....I used just that....buttah! (Ok, ok, so I don't own any butter and it was actually some heart-healthy leftover Promise margarine....not that this little bit of healthy substitution would make this dessert remotely angelic!) Anyways, my experiment turned out pretty well....although a little messier than I care to admit. ( Ok, so I ended up trashing my 2x2 kitchen....I will be honest!) The end result, however, was quite pretty.....unlike my kitchen.

If you know of a cheesecake fan with a less than hearty appeal for fruited toppings, try this recipe for (makeshift) chocolate ganache instead:

6 ounces semi-sweet or unsweetened chocolate ( I used 1/2 semisweet and 1/2 unsweetened Baker's chocolate...which I keep hidden in a top-cupboard shelf away from the sleuth nose of my furball)

1/4 cup packed powdered sugar (You may need a little more if you used all unsweetened chocolate....may have to do a taste-test to determine sweetness...yum!)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine (no more Promise margarine in my fridge....into this makeshift ganache it went!)

1 tsp vanilla extract

room-temperature water, as needed

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate and butter/margarine in a double-boiler over medium heat.

2. When all is melted, stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and about 1/3 cup water and mix well until uniformly creamy.

3. Continue to add water to reach desired consistency. I ended up using about 1/2 cup water in order for my ganache to be pourable. You may use less or more, depending on what you will be using this topping for.

4. When your cheesecake has cooled for at least a half hour (assuming no one has snuck in and devoured a chunk of it....), pour the ganache onto the center of the cake. Spread with a spatula so that the ganache topping flows and covers the sides and top of the cheesecake completely. If you are not a baking-gadget collector, a long non-serrated knife should do the trick too ;) I found it helpful to remove the sides of the Spring form pan and place your just-baked cheesecake onto a clean cookie sheet. Proceed to pour the ganache onto the cake, allowing the cookie sheet to catch some of the (inevitable) flowing chocolate. I still ended up making a huge mess when I tried to pour the leftover chocolate into a Rubbermaid container, but at least my countertops were not smeared in melted chocolaty goo!

5. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight so that both cake and ganache have time to settle.

6. When the entire cake has chilled, make chocolate swirls or chop some milk chocolate in food processor and sprinkle on top of ganache. Try to used good-quality chocolate for your fine toppings, as a little goes a long way in terms of texture and taste.

7. Decorate with additional chocolate/fruit/mint etc as desired. You can really go crazy here depending on how much time you have to kill. I decorated mine before work, so did not have the opportunity to really get creative...but there is always next time..... use your imagination and let your creativity soar! :)

There you have it.....a little twist on the classic cheesecake for the chocolate lover in all of us! I made this cake a bit larger than the blueberry-topped cheesecake in the May posting due to some issues with cheesecake transportation. This cake is flatter and larger, while the blueberry version was thicker and smaller. I have (sadly) learned my lesson when it comes to transporting custard-like treats during construction season in central NY. I decided to err on the side of caution this time and make the cake a bit more....shall we say....aerodynamic.....

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, for those of you who worked with me this past weekend. I am glad I was able to share it with you in one piece without any major mishaps or catastrophes;)

Granola for the Modern Hippie, Part II

2008-08-12T09:03:00.027-04:00

Ok....so as I was browsing for recipes on the Internet a few days ago, while Bella was silently being a naughty little furball and wolfing down chocolate off the coffee table, I came about a recipe titled "Best Granola". Now, I don't know about you....but placing such a high claim on a recipe must mean that it is pretty darned good! I am, however, a bit of a skeptic when it comes to such claims, so decided to give this recipe a go. Let's see if this really is the best recipe, I thought.....

Oh boy. I think I may have to hide this stuff from myself. The fruited granola from Cooking Light is definitely yummy, but this recipe....wow! Perhaps it's the quantity of sugar and margarine (waaaay more than in the Cooking Light recipe!)....both of which make everything taste so good....whatever it is, this granola is totally worth the efforts. I guess something good can always come from something bad..... staying up late browsing for recipes caused me to stumble across this gem....doggy chocolate emergency and all, I guess it was still a worthwhile evening :)

For this recipe, stolen from a fellow blogger's site ( here ) you will need the following:

½ lb quick oats (I used my leftover container of Quaker quick-cooking oats...one less thing clogging up my limited cupboard space!)

¼ lb white whole wheat flour

2 oz unsweetened shredded coconut (I only had sweetened on hand from when I made macaroons...so I used a little less sugar and called it a day!)

2 oz flax seeds ( I had whole roasted flax seeds in the fridge leftover from the banana bread recipe...used those)

7 oz of coarsely chopped nuts (I used 1/3 each walnuts, pecans, and almonds....into the mini food processor they went for a quick coarse chop!)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar (I only had light brown sugar and used that instead...I really don't think it matters either way )

1 stick butter (I never have any butter around unless I'm baking pies, so I used 1 stick of Promise no-trans fat margarine....still kind of a hefty amount for granola!)

1/3 cup water

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cardamom (I absolutely love this spice!!!! It smells amazing!! )

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, flax seeds, coconut, and nuts. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, mix together the brown sugar, margarine, and water until heated through and well-combined. (The mixture will be bubbling and all the margarine should melt.)

4. Stir this mixture well and then add the salt, spices, and vanilla. Mix well until uniform in color.

5. Pour the hot sugar/margarine mixture over the oat mixture and combine well using either your hands (fun!) or a flexible spatula.

6. Allow to stand in bowl for a few minutes so that the mixture can clump together. You may have to leave the kitchen....I found it very hard to resist scooping up some of the unbaked granola with a spoon and scarfing it down. (In the articulate words of the famous philosopher 50 Cent, you'll love this granola like a fat kid love cake! ;) I occupied myself with posting the recipe while the granola "fermented" for a few minutes.

7. After about 10 minutes or so, spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until color begins to turn a light brown.

8. Remove from oven, stir the clumps (break apart any big pieces), and return back into the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Try to contain yourself and not eat the hot granola....you may want to share this masterpiece with your loved ones! Once again, stir and break up any large clumps (again, try to refrain from devouring the goods) ...return back into the oven for another 10 minutes or so until mixture is a golden brown color and oats have dried.

9. Remove from the oven (for good this time, promise!)....break apart any large clumps...allow to dry, and place into air-tight bags or canisters.

This granola...honest to goodness....is truly the best I've ever made. Thank you to whoever posted this little gem, as I've stolen the recipe from her to share with all of you! My kitchen smells amazing and I am excited to have a new topping for yogurt (or even ice cream!). I have no idea what a serving size of this stuff is, but I am pretty certain that a little will go a loooong way. All those nuts, the flax, the whole wheat...a quarter cup to top your morning yogurt or after-dinner ice cream treat should probably suffice! Even though this recipe calls for much more sugar and fat than I would typically want in a breakfast type of food, the batch produced is quite large and still much healthier than the regular granola you can purchase at the store. Now if a certain someone would hurry back from Vancouver....breakfast treats are awaiting'! :)

Time for me to stop slacking off on my only day off this week and get some much-needed cleaning done. First on the agenda....a stroll for Her Furballness...followed by several grueling hours of steaming the carpets. Yuck. Where is a maid when you need one?? Maid?? Oh Maid??? Where are you??? Oh wait. That would be me. Oh well. At least I get to don that great apron my mom made for me......cute, isn't it? Mom, I am not a hot tomato...this is 2008 and women are no longer accessories in the kitchen. Too bad though...because I could really get use to concocting experiments in there all day and not get dressed up for work (hehe) :) I kind of like work and I think I would miss it though. Sick, I know.....but where would we be without the daily chaos of our working lives? Seriously. If every day was vacation day, would we ever really appreciate vacation? Probably not.

Speaking of vacation.....three more weeks until I get a little break from the daily grind. (Not that I'm counting and crossing the days off my calendar.....) Sometimes, it's good to escape for a little while....come back nice and refreshed. It's all for the sake of not driving your co-workers crazy. Especially where I work....a place that prides itself on the fact that every day, you get our very best! (Haha. Ok, so we have our days......;) At least now you'll have some granola to put a little spring in your step in the wee small hours of the morning as 80 year-old patients come crawling under the pharmacy gate 30 minutes before opening time. Damn them for being "morning people". Hmmpf! ;)

Granola for the Modern Hippie

2008-08-10T16:01:00.013-04:00

In today's fast-paced world, there is often little time for a sit-down breakfast. Breakfast, however, is truly the most important part of the day and provides us with the necessary energy to make it through a hectic morning of commuting, working, and being on our toes in general! Although portable cereal bars have made it much easier to include breakfast as part of a daily routine, sometimes these pre-made packaged bars offer very little, if any, nutritional value. There are some great bars out there ( no not those bars...although I know of some fun Irish ones too!), Kashi, Odwalla, etc..., but most are really no better than a donut. (Doh!) They provide very little fiber (I feel like a grandmother talking about fiber...but hey, it is important!), few (if any) whole grains, and most contain partially hydrogenated fats....ewwww...yuck. Some of them have a shelf life longer than a small animal's lifespan..... which makes the quantity of preservatives a bit questionable....perhaps????

Granola is a great way to include some necessary whole grains, proteins, fruits, and good-for-you fats into your morning meal. It is great straight out of the bag, but even tastier as a topping for plain yogurt! Since my training runs for the marathon are getting progressively longer, I am becoming more and more aware of just how much a person's body needs proper nutrition in order to perform at peak level. When you eat right, you have more energy......plain and simple. A balanced, complete breakfast is probably the best thing you can do for your body :) Don't think of granola as a health food meant for hippies........think of it as a delicious addition to what could be a fairly boring breakfast!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

2 and 3/4 cups regular oats ( I used old-fashioned organic oats )

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 coarsely chopped dried apricots ( I substituted with dried blueberries instead! I am a blueberry fanatic!)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/3 cup golden raisins ( I used dark raisins instead, since that is all I had on hand)

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup melted butter ( I used my leftover heart-healthy Promise margarine here...a good option, since this recipe does not contain flour or eggs and you do not have to worry about texture or consistency!)

Directions:

1. Combine oats, almonds, cherries, apricots (or blueberries), walnuts, and raisins in a medium bowl.

2. Melt butter or margarine and pour into small bowl. Measure honey and pour into same bowl. (I sprayed my measuring cup with canola spray....saved me lots of time and all the honey left my measuring reservoir!) Mix well.

3. Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture and toss well to coat.

4. Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. If you have a flexible spatula...it is of great help to you here, as the oat mixture is quite sticky and difficult to remove from the sides of the bowl. The flexible spatula will get every last bit out of the bowl, including the honey/margarine coating.

5. Stir mixture after 15 minutes and allow to bake an additional ten minutes or until lightly browned.

6. Cool completely on pan, break into pieces, and place into a zip-top bag for storage up to 3 months.

There you have it- a simple way to make your own granola, courtesy of Cooking Light magazine! Even your anti-health food honey will love this one! ;) Although this recipe is a great alternative to the store made granola, be aware that ANY granola is very calorie dense. According to Cooking Light, a serving size of this recipe is 1/3 cup....packing in roughly 160 calories and 6 grams of mostly good-for-your-heart healthy fats. It is probably a good idea to measure out your serving size of this breakfast delight......or you could easily pack in a chunk of your caloric needs in one meal and not even realize it! I love to top plain yogurt with a few tablespoons of granola and berries during the summer- a nice, cool breakfast great for any time of the year :) Having your house smell heavenly as the oats and fruits and nuts are baking is just an added bonus!

Organization 101

2008-08-10T15:05:00.015-04:00

Over the past several months, I have been trying to make an attempt to "get organized". I've gone through my closets, my dressers, my kitchen gadgets and tossed or donated anything that I have not used since I moved from Buffalo. I ended up doing a pretty good job and filled my entire SUV (back seats and trunk!) with stuff from college that I know I will never need/wear/use again. The massive dust collection of stuffed animals is no more! (I saved the recent additions that mean a lot to me, of course...as well as a few bears from college that I could not part with. These guys are hanging out behind glass cabinet doors, away from dust and away from the ever so curious Bella! )

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen concocting experiments in my spare time, so of course being organized in this one room is essential. The 2x2 area that it is, keeping it looking decent is sometimes a struggle. There is THE CABINET. Yup. That one. The one with so much stuff shoved into it that your legs get attacked by falling objects every time you dare to open the cabinet door. Well....I discovered a solution for my organizational dilemma.....Rubbermaid containers that have the lids attached to the bottoms!!! I am so excited over these that I had to share. I recycled all the junk that was in my cabinet and replaced it with one box of assorted-sized "Rubberware" that have the lids attached to the reservoirs. My problems are solved and my 2x2 kitchen is just a little more tolerable now. Perhaps you have the same dilemma? I found my lil' treasures at Target....and for about 24 bucks.....it's a small price to pay for sanity ;) Rubbermaid-made organization :)