Spicy Three Pepper Hummus July 14, 2009

For the past two years, my sister’s birthday gift to me has been a country concert mega-ticket.  For those of you who aren’t country music followers, this is an awesome gift.  It is a pass to every country concert at Walnut Creek all summer.  The concerts this summer include George Strait, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney.  In addition to being awesome concerts, it is great to have a guaranteed night with my sister every few weeks throughout the summer.  We have so much fun, and count down the days to each concert.  If that isn’t a great birthday gift, I don’t know what is.  I have an awesome sister

 

Of course, one of the highlights of the concerts is the tailgating.  This year, my tailgating is a bit different of course.  The first concert I just had water, but I felt kind of left out.  The second one, I brought bottled root beer, but then I just felt like people were looking at me like “what is that pregnant lady doing drinking beer”.  This past weekend we went to see Toby Keith, who was by far our favorite last year.  This year he didn’t disappoint, he actually surpassed our expectations.  To toast Toby, I had some fake mojitos made from a mix Ross bought me mixed with some club soda.  They are surprisingly delicious and refreshing!

 

Along with the drinks, tailgating obviously includes food.  Kara and I start planning our snack menu days in advance.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make this time, but I found this recipe for hummus and I thought it sounded great.  I love hummus, and thought it would be fun to experiment with.  I was proud of Sanford, because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t find tahini anywhere locally, but Lowe’s carried it!

 

This recipe is quick and easy to make and tastes great.  Like the reviews said, you definitely need more liquid.  Despite my hatred for bean juice, I did reserve some from when I drained the garbanzo beans and added that.  It wasn’t enough, so I added more olive oil and a little water.  To cut on the spice a little bit, I added a little extra lemon juice.  I added only 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper instead of 1 1/2 and it was perfect, it actually gets less spicy the longer you let the flavors work together.  I brought some garlic Parmesan pita chips to eat along with this and it was delicious!

 

Now that I have a big container of tahini, I am excited to experiment with a bunch of different flavors of hummus!

Feta Chicken July 2, 2009

This is really called Broiled Feta Chicken, but I didn’t broil it.  So… it’s just Feta Chicken now.

I pulled out a group made cookbook (some of the best cookbooks ever) from a camp that I used to volunteer at.  The camp is called Camp Good Days and Special Times and is truly one of the most special things I’ve been a part of.  It is a camp for children whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life challenges.  I volunteered there for a week two summers in a row, the first summer during a camp for children with cancer and the second summer during a camp for kids with HIV/AIDS.  It was amazing to me to see the courage that these children had, and so special to see them have a week where they were just like the other kids around them – many bald, sick, etc – but no different from their friends at camp.  I remember actually feeling so guilty that I was healthy.

So, as for the recipe, it was delicious.  Here goes:

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Combine yogurt, garlic and rosemary in a shallow dish.  Add chicken, turning to coat.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours ( I poked holes in the chicken first with a fork and marinated it during the day while I was at work).  Let come to room temperature for no longer than 30 minutes.  Remove from marinade, reserving extra.  Preheat broiler.  Line pan with foil.  Arrange chicken, smooth side down, on foil.  Broil 4-7 minutes.  Turn, spooning reserved marinade over chicken.  Crumble feta on top.  Broil just until cooked through and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes.

Ok, so I didn’t broil it. Just didn’t want to do it that way.  So, I just left it in the 8×8 dish that I marinated it in and baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes, spooning marinade over every now and then.  It was so tasty, very flavorful and extremely tender.  I also want to try this on the grill!

Along with this we had some roasted broccoli and Cheesy Polenta.  It was sooooo good.  Only things I changed were to use skim milk instead of whole, to use chicken broth instead of water as some of the reviews suggested, and omit the butter (only because I was out, but it really didn’t need any). 

I’m excited for leftovers tomorrow!

A Great Day with Summer Deliciousness April 17, 2009

Today was a great day.  “Spring Break” this year hasn’t felt like much of a Spring break since I’ve had some work to do everyday so far.  Today was the first day of the week that I didn’t have any work to do (well, I had to clean the bathrooms, but that’s just life).  I had a good morning at home getting things cleaned and organized.  I got 4 bags of clothes to Haven which I have been meaning to do for months.  They are so appreciative there, it makes you feel like you’ve really done something helpful!  After that small errand, I headed to Emily’s to meet up with her and her girls.  We had a great lunch at Fresh Choice.  Hailey and Leah were little ladies and entertained me with their napkin artwork and silly stories.  After lunch we headed to Dairy Queen.  Emily and I have been taunted for weeks by the ad for the Midnight Truffle Blizzard.  It was sooooooooooo good, but very, very rich!  After dessert, we all headed to get our hair cut which was so much fun and felt so good after 5 months without one!  On the way home, we stopped at Consign Design Boutique and I purchased my first 2 maternity outfits, for just $37!  I can’t wait to wear them!

After a busy but wonderful afternoon, I headed home to fix dinner.  Last week at the grocery store, I grabbed a pork loin roast just because it looked good.  I figured we’d throw it in the crock pot with something or other and call it a meal.  Well, when Ross suggested grilling it, there was no way I was turning him down!  I started my morning with searching for a good marinade recipe and starting the process.  The recipe I found was on cooks.com and is called Grilled Marinated Loin of Pork.  We loved it.  The honey and cinnamon add just the right amount of sweetness, and it came out perfectly tender.  Along with it we had a pasta salad that we first made and blogged about last summer, Spicy Vegetarian Peanut Noodle Salad.  It was even better that we remembered, and went perfectly with the pork. 

Today was a fun, beautiful day, and the sunshine, the carefree schedule and the awesome summer meal made me feel like summer is finally on its way.  I am so happy!

Catching Up January 30, 2009

I am supposed to be doing work right now, but I am really not interested so I figured it would be a good time to catch up on my blog. 

 

We’ve had some very random meals lately.  Many were not at all bad, but just not really worth mentioning.  Here are some of the highlights (some good and some not so good).

• Chicken Pot Pie.   I originally wrote about this recipe in this post.  I love this recipe.  The thyme is very tasty and the wine adds a very nice flavor.  I made this one day last week when we were stuck home in the snow.  I decided to switch it up in a few ways.  First, I made it in the crock pot.  I made up the sauce on the stovetop and poured it over 2 large chicken breasts in the crock pot.  I added carrots, celery and onions and cooked it on low for about 6 hours.  Once the chicken was cooked through, I removed it from the crock pot and shredded it up with a fork. While I was shredding, I added a cup of frozen peas to the sauce in the crock pot and let them heat through.  I mixed the chicken back in with the sauce and put it in an 8×8 baking dish.  Now – here comes the special trick that made it extra tasty -  a few Sunday’s ago, Ross made homemade biscuits for breakfast.  He makes awesome biscuits and I always beg him to make them for me.  I think this was the second time, so hey, I can count on them once every couple of years or so.  Anyway, he froze extra dough.  I thawed it out and rolled it into an 8×8 square.  I placed it on top of the chicken mixture and baked it at 350 for about 25 minutes.  It was awesome.  I don’t know his recipe for biscuits, but any recipe would work.  It is much tastier than a pie crust, I  promise you that!
• Tonight, we had another crock pot meal (I’ve been on a crock pot roll lately).  I was in a hurry this morning, so I just put some chicken in there and poured Lawry’s Caribbean Jerk marinade over it.  It was horrible.  I hardly ate any.  It was the saltiest stuff ever, so salty that I couldn’t even taste any of the flavor of the sauce.  I will definitely never buy that again, or probably any Lawry’s marinade.  It was that bad. 
• In addition to the chicken (thank goodness we had something else with it) we had a Southwestern Corn Chowder.  I didn’t make it; this one came in a box.  Yes, a box.  It was a V8 soup.  Who knew V8 made soups?  I don’t think I could force myself to drink a V8 juice, but soup I could try.  It was great!  As advertised on the box (looks like an overgrown juice box) there is a full serving of veggies inside.  That along with a great flavor and hearty, thick texture, you can’t go wrong!  Apparently there are several other flavors.  I want to try the Butternut Squash and the Garden Broccoli!

•   I have one other random note, and I add this only  because Amy Burns of Amy’s Confection Company isn’t making cakes so much as her other sweet treats anymore.  After finding out that Amy couldn’t make my wedding cake, I went on a long and difficult search for someone to do the job.  We ended up going with Once in a Blue Moon Bakery in Cary.  I am pretty sure that other than “congratulations”, the comment I heard most on my wedding was “where did you get that amazing cake?”  Not only did it look beautiful, but it was the best tasting cake I have ever had (again, only saying this because I’ve never tasted one of Amy’s!).  I mention this because I just ordered another cake from there for a gathering I have this weekend.  I ordered the same flavor as my wedding cake, chocolate with hazelnut mousse and cream cheese frosting.  I can’t wait to eat it.  They are also super cool because you can place your order online if you do it 72 hours in advance.  If you ever need a great cake for a special event, I highly recommend them!  They also have a really cute little cafe where they offer breakfast treats,  lunches and other sweet treats.  Check them out!

This isn’t the best picture of our cake, but it was the most convenient one for me to put here. 

OK, now I am off to go do my work!  Yay for tomorrow being Friday!!!

Herald Column 1-21-09 – Hot Cocoa January 21, 2009

For those of you stuck at home today once again, here is the recipe from this week’s column.  It is perfect for a day like today!

 

This winter, North Carolina is experiencing some of the coldest days we’ve seen in years.  Having moved here from Upstate New York, not too far from Canada, I should be prepared for days such as these.  Unfortunately, I am not.  My blood has thinned and I spend many days searching for heat vents to sit near, layers to add on and blankets to cover myself with.  While warming myself from the outside protects me from the cold air around me, there is nothing quite like being warmed from the inside out.

One of the things I miss most about the winters in New York is the cozy feeling that comes along with warming up.  Sitting by a hot fire following an afternoon of ice skating or sledding with a steamy cup of hot cocoa is a comforting feeling like none other I know.  As soon as the weather dropped below freezing this past week, I became determined to invent a homemade hot cocoa recipe that would bring back the feeling of those cozy afternoons, and more importantly, succeed at the task of warming me from the inside out.

I began searching the Internet for hot cocoa recipes; I like to have a place to start.  I found several, but they seemed a little too ordinary for me.  I finally realized that I knew just what the secret ingredient had to be.  Whenever I order a steamed coffee beverage, I always order with soy milk.  This began in an effort to be healthy, but has continued based on the hint of sweetness and the incredible smooth, creaminess that comes along with soy milk.  By using this magic ingredient, not only are you adding vitamins and nutrients to your hot cocoa, but you are also able to cut back on the fat in whole milk and the sugar usually added to hot cocoa while still retaining the sweet, creamy goodness.  Most base recipes I found for cocoa use about ¾ cup of sugar, while this recipe really only needs 1/3 cup per 4 servings.

This week, when the weather is cold, go ahead and reach for your blanket.  Just be sure to leave one arm out so that you can reach for your mug of hot cocoa at the same time.  It’s sure to be key ingredient for a truly warming day.

 

Hot Cocoa

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/3 cup  sugar

1/3 cup boiling water

Pinch of salt

3 ½ cups vanilla soy milk (tested with Silk soy milk)

Half and half

 

Mix together cocoa and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Add boiling water, bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Be careful not to scorch the sugar.  Add the milk and heat through, coming close to a boil without actually boiling.  Serve with a splash of half and half if desired.  This will add additional flavor and help to cool the cocoa before drinking.

 

 

The Burns Family Catalina Roast January 11, 2009

This past week, Amy posted the recipe for her Catalina Roast on her blog.  It sounded so delicious to me and I knew we had to try it.  After attending a basketball game this morning where Miss Hailey Page starred as the “most spirited” cheerleader, I decided that today would be a great day to cook this one up in the crock pot.  I already had carrots and potatoes and an onion, so all I needed was the meat and the Catalina dressing.

 
As I commented on Amy’s post, we’ve used Catalina dressing before as a marinade when we’ve grilled chicken or pork.  Sometimes we use it on its own and sometimes we mix it with Worcestershire sauce.  It’s really tasty!  I would have never thought to pour it over a roast, though.  As Amy directed, I sliced the onions, peeled and quartered the potatoes and cut the carrots into large chunks.  I covered the bottom of the crock pot with the veggies, put the meat on top, and poured a large bottle of Catalina on top. 

 

That’s it!!!!

 

It couldn’t have been any easier.  And… it was AWESOME!  We really, really loved this.  Ross is a good guy and always thanks me at the end of a meal – but for this one, he thanked me after the second bite!  I think he would have done it after the first bite, but he was in a hurry to get that second taste in his mouth!  I thought about seasoning it with some spices, but I wasn’t really sure how it was going to taste so I didn’t know what to season it with.  Other than a little salt and pepper on the meat, I didn’t use a thing, and I am glad.  It is perfect just the way it is!

 

While I was washing the dishes, I got to thinking about how I love the way that recipes connect people.  Because I can imagine myself in a kitchen 40 years from now telling my grandchildren about Amy Burns from Sanford, NC and about how I got the recipe for this roast from her blog 40 years earlier.

 

I will then probably have to explain to my grandchildren the ancient concept of a blog as a spacecraft flies by and a robot prepares our dessert.

Lots of Good Food! January 7, 2009

I’ve been lazy about blogging this week!  I have a few great meals to catch up on.

 

On Sunday, I went to see Marley and Me.  It was a great movie, but I sobbed.  A lot.  It was worth it, though.  Being the wonderful guy Ross is, he made me a great dinner.  Homemade manicotti!  ALL homemade!  He found a recipe in the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine for them using crepes as the pasta.  Here’s the recipe.  He claims it was easy.

 

Three Cheese Manicotti

2 c ricotta cheese

1 3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 c grated romano cheese

1/3 c flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons  milk

3 large eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3 c meat sauce (store bought or your own)

 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup romano, the parsley and milk.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 cup water.  Whisk in the flour.

 

Heat a greased 8″ nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Ladle 3 tablespoons batter into the skillet, swirling to cover the surface of the pan.  Cook for 1 minute, flip and cook for 1 minute more.  Repeat with remaining batter, greasing the skillet after each crepe.  Stack the crepes on a plate.

 

Spread half of the meat sauce in a 9×13 pan.  Spoon the cheese mixture down the middle of each crepe.  Roll closed; arrange in the baking dish.  Top with the remaining meat sauce and cheeses.  Bake for 25 min.

 

Ross used regular marinara sauce and added browned ground beef/sausage mixture in with the cheese.  He also sauteed onions with the meat mixture.  It was awesome!

 

Last night we wanted something quick and easy since we were both pretty tired.  I made chicken tenders, seasoned with some Mediterranean spices and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  I put those on top of Rachael Ray’s Orzo with Chick Peas and it was delicious!  I love orzo and was excited to have a new recipe to use.

 

Today Ross found out that he got a promotion!  I told him he could pick if he wanted to go out to celebrate or stay home, and he decided to stay home and have… paninis!  He wanted something with ham. I searched for recipes, but couldn’t find anything too interesting, so I made one up.  I used French bread and Ross used honey wheat.  We put swiss cheese on the bread, honey ham, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and some red onion slices.  I made up a sauce that I put on mine by mixing together some mayo, a little Dijon mustard and some honey.  We grilled them up and they were delicious!

 

As a side note, one of my best friends had a baby yesterday.  Richale gave birth to KJ very early and he weighs only 1.4 pounds.  They were out of town for his birth, so although they live in Washington state, they are in Nevada indefinitely.  She’s told me he’s a fighter and is doing well considering how tiny he is.  Please keep Richale, Kyle and KJ in your thoughts and/or prayers.  I know they would appreciate it and I would, too!

 

Thanks!

Birthday Party January 3, 2009

My sister’s birthday was last Monday, but we didn’t get to celebrate with her until last night.  She offered to make dinner as long as I brought her a chocolate birthday cake.  Kara loves chocolate, and she loves brownies.  So I started by just googling chocolate brownie cake.  Well, what I found Kara and I have decided to call Chocolate Butter Brownie instead.  Any recipe that calls for butter in terms of pounds rather than tablespoons is a bit scary… and automatically delicious.  It really just calls for 1/2 lb, which is 2 sticks, but when you say it in terms of pounds it just sounds like more.  Plus, there is an additional stick in the frosting.  And a pound of confectioners sugar.  And a brick of cream cheese.  Wow.  The recipe for Chocolate Brownie Cake is from Emeril and is definitely worth a try.  It isn’t too hard to make and tastes great.  The frosting recipe is a good one to keep on hand, it is a great chocolate buttercream frosting that could be used for anything, not just this cake recipe.

 

For our main course, Kara made fried black bean cakes which were awesome.  Just as great was the cilantro cream sauce she made to go along with them.  We also had Mexican pie (not sure what it’s really called, but that is what I call it) which is just layered tortillas, refried beans, salsa and cheese put in a pie plate and  baked in the oven. SO good.  We were stuffed!

 

Before dinner, Kara’s boyfriend Mark tested out a theory.  He wanted to prove that wine tasted differently after breathing.  He set up a pretty high tech tasting where we each got 4 mini glasses of wine, 2 had breathed and 2 hadn’t.  We had to match up the 2 that were the same, determine which ones had breathed and determine which ones we liked better.  I was surprised at what a difference there was.  I wasn’t surprised that I totally messed mine up.  I had to taste about 2 million times and eat 48 crackers in between to try to figure it all out.  I ended up having them not even matched up, I got so confused, but it was fun and I learned that for even an unsophisticated palate such as mine, there is a definite difference and it does taste much better after breathing.  It was fun!

 

After dinner, we played a new game that Ross’ sister Lara gave us for Christmas.  Smartass is the name of the game, and as advertised on the box, you can win even if you are a dumbass!  We actually played it twice, and had a ton of fun.  Nights with Kara and Mark are always some of our favorites. 

 

As a side note, I must add that one of my many wonderful Christmas gifts this year was a Slanket.  A Slanket is a blanket with sleeves.  Best. Invention. Ever.  I am sitting here typing on my laptop and my entirebody is warm, not just my lower half.  I am covered in blanket from neck to toe and all the way down to my wrists.  I can play the Wii and stay warm, and I can lay on the couch and read a book, reach for my coffee, the remote or the phone and not have to suffer through that terrible cold breeze that comes when you have to pull your arm out from under the blanket to do any of those things.  It’s great!  I still have my piles of regular blankets everywhere else in the house that are perfect for sleeping and laying around, but this one is a nice addition to use when you want to be warm, but need to be doing something at the same time!

 

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner December 7, 2008

I think today is the laziest day I have ever had in my life.  I am not one that finds it easy to sit around.  I can’t sit still for more than about 5 minutes, even to watch TV.  That is actually the main reason I started this blog, so that at night when I was attempting to sit down and relax but couldn’t, I would have something to occupy me. 

 

Well, it is after 5:00 pm and I am still in my pj’s.  I’ve only left the house to walk the dogs around the block, and I did that in my pj’s too.  I have been working on a Blackboard proficiency all day so that I can teach online classes next semester, but I have barely left the couch.  As much as I don’t do well with not having any plans, every now and then it is kind of nice.

 

During one of my breaks from my online work, I decided to put dinner together in the crock pot.  I bought ingredients last week to make Chicken Casserole with Swiss Cheese, a recipe out of  The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook (on sale at amazon.com for $10.36 if you are looking for a holiday gift!).  It is a great cookbook that I have used tons of times over the past few years.  I’ve been trying to do at least one crock pot recipe a week, just to make life easier and to make evenings a little less rushed here and there.  Well, here is what I put together this morning.  We haven’t eaten yet, but it smells super delicious and I think the ingredients are going to be very uniquely tasty together.

 

Chicken Casserole with Swiss Cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 lb chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (I used about a pound and a half)

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (as much as I love them, we were out and I wasn’t into going to the store, so no mushrooms tonight)

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

4 large garlic cloves, crushed

12 fresh basil leaves, minced (I used 1 teaspoon dried basil)

1 tablespoon minced onion (I’m out, so I used 1/2 of a medium sized onion, diced)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon celery seeds (didn’t have any of those either, so I used 2 stalks of celery, chopped)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon milk Louisiana style pepper sauce

3 oz Swiss cheese, cubed (it calls for reduced fat, but I think cheese is the only thing I cannot stomach reduced fat versions of… and I am definitely using at least 5 or 6 oz.  I love cheese.)

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs, toasted

8 oz rotelle pasta

 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cicken and mushrooms; saute, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned, 5-8 minutes.  **Since I used fresh onions and celery, I added those here, too.

Combine the chicken mixture, tomatoes, garlic, basil, onions, sugar, celery seeds, nutmeg and pepper sauce in the crock pot.  Cover, cook on LOW until the chicken is cooked through, 6-8 hours (mine is done and on warm and it’s only been 5 hours).  Stir in the cheese and cook until melted, about 20 minutes. 

 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain well and divide among 6 plates.  Top with the chicken-tomato mixture and bread crumbs.  **To toast breadcrumbs, place them in a non-stick skillet and cook over medium heat, shaking the skillet frequently until lightly browned, 5-10 minutes.

I can’t wait to eat this!!!!

Making food in the crock pot around noon made me hungry, so I had to fix something to eat. I finally decided on scrambled eggs, and figured I’d make it into a panini since I love them lately.  I just put cheddar cheese on one slice of bread, topped it with a slice of bacon broken up and scrambled eggs, then topped those with another slice of bacon, some monterey jack cheese and the top piece of bread.  I grilled it up and dipped it in ketchup (if you thikn that is gross, you just haven’t tried it yet.  So very good).  It was a perfect breakfast/lunch treat all in one!

My new favorite chicken November 14, 2008

I loooooooooooooooooved our dinner tonight. 

 

In college, I studied abroad for a semester in England at the University of Essex.  In my flat, there were 16 people, and if I remember correctly, we represented 9 different countries.  There were 8 rooms on one side and 8 rooms on the other with a kitchen in the middle.  Meal time was so much fun, because there were so many of us cooking the foods that we were used to, but that were foreign to most everyone else.  I lived with several people from India who cooked with curry a lot.  I have always liked the flavor, but it is so strong and distinct, I can only take it in small doses.  I’ve tried over the years to replicate some of the dishes that they made, but I haven’t quite been able to do it.

 

Well, this dish has curry in it, and just enough where you can taste the flavor, but not so much that it overwhelms it.  I’ve never paired it with sweet stuff, and I think it is perfect.  I am excited to experiment more with combinations like this.  I am not sure my Indian flatmates would have approved, but this American girl loved it. 

 

Honey Mustard Chicken from the allrecipes.com Easy Everyday Favorites cookbook is very delicious.  This recipe was incredibly easy, and bursting with flavor.  It does call for a whole chicken cut into 8 parts, which is nice because it is cheap to buy, but it sure was a pain to cut it all up this morning.  Next time I might just use chicken breasts and thighs.

 

Honey Mustard Chicken

1 (4 lb) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 t paprika

1/4 t ground pepper

1/2 t curry powder

3 T prepared Dijon-style mustard

1/4 c honey

2 T apricot jam

 

Sprinkle chicken with paprika, pepper, and curry powder.  Place in roasting pan (I used a 9×13 pan).  Combine mustard, honey, and jam in a small bowl.  Pour over chicken and marinate for 1 hour or overnight (I put it together this morning and let it marinate while I was at work all day).  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 1 hour, basting often.