Catching Up With Chili

 I have gotten behind on my posting, so to catch up, here is a glimpse at what's been going on in my kitchen:

Lamb Stew with Cabbage, Potatoes, Rosemary and Leeks

Bacon Wrapped Roast, int the "Crock Pot"

 Parmesan on Sourdough with Red Peppers and Onions

Pineapple Coconut Waffles

Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad.  When I was a wee lass, my mom would ask what I wanted for my birthday food and my reply was almost always pasta salad!  I can't even explain why I was so obsessed with it as a child.  It may have been the olives, or the water chest nuts.  I remember having store bought pasta salad at a family reunion or something.  I realized in one bite that there was no comparison to my home-made birthday version.  wow.

I had a few things in the fridge left over from making pizza and realized they would go nicely with spiral noodles.

Sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and black olives (though unfortunately canned).  Fetta would have been a nice addition, but I had ricotta.  I used liquid from the artichoke hearts and tomatoes with the ricotta to make a sauce.  A dash of salt, black pepper, and oregano rounded out the experience.  Well, eating this yummy dish on my back porch on an amazing spring day is really what rounded out the experience!

~JiMele

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Pasta Salad
(sort of Mediterranean style)
8oz Rotini (or what ever shape you like for pasta salad)
2 artichoke hearts (reserving some of the liquid from the jar)
8-16 sun-dried tomatoes (reserving some juice from the jar)
olives
1/4 - 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
salt, black pepper, oregano (dry or fresh)
Fresh Parmesan cheese

While pasta is cooking (according to package directions) chop artichoke, tomatoes and olives.  Combine ricotta cheese, spices and some of the liquid from the artichoke and tomato jars until the mixture resembles a thick dressing.  Taste to be sure you like the seasoning ratios and adjust if you need to, it's easier to do now than at the end.  Once the pasta is done, drain off the water, add the chopped ingredients and the dressing.  Shred some fresh Parmesan over the top and stir all together.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

So delicious, and so easy.

I do not have a microwave, so to melt the chocolate I put a glass bowl over a pot of water.  It worked just fine.  I would like to learn a few things about chocolate candy making.  It would be fun, and probably kinda helpful for goodies like this.

Next time I make chocolate covered pretzels I will pay attention to the type of chocolate chips I melt.  I had to taste test (you know how that goes) and was surprised at how tart it was and realized I used bittersweet rather than milk chocolate, oops.

I decided to take advantage of the bittersweet aspect and add some spice.  I sprinkled a bit of Ancho Chili powder and cayenne into the melting chocolate.  I went easy on the spice since I wasn't sure how much it would kick.  It ended up being a pretty tasty amount.  There was just enough heat to leave a warm feeling, and just to be sure I did not confuse the spicy pretzels with the regular ones I lightly sprinkled the batch with paprika.

Rather than dipping the pretzels I put the liquified chocolate goodness in a disposable piping bad and snipped a tiny point off and drizzled it on in a circular motion.  It kept the mess fairly contained, and I could easily control how much chocolate was involved.

Yum.

Enjoy your Monday!

~JiMele

Lime Coconut Muffins

I wanted to make muffins this morning, and quick!  I did not want to make the Lemon Poppyseed mix that was in the cabinet, but I did not have any other muffin mix.  I just did not want to spend the extra 10 minutes to look for a recipe that I had the ingredients for and then mix the dry ingredients.  Silly? Maybe.  But I was racing the clock!

What I make is often dictated my a combination of what I want to make, what I actually have on hand and the items that need to be used quickly.  The result today was Lime Coconut Muffins.

So yummy. So easy.

I bet you can make these.  Or some variation. Do you have pancake mix? ok, than we are in business!

I have often wondered about making muffins with pancake mix.  This was the day for the answer.  I had a lime that was becoming sadly dehydrated, and oh, wait, about a tablespoon of coconut!  That sounds like a good combination, right?

1 cup of multi-grain pancake mix and 1 cup of biscuit mix creates a nice texture and flavor.

I do not keep regular milk on hand any more unless I have a specific use for it, like making ice cream or tapioca.  So I used almond milk.  Ash told me in her experience that the almond milk from the refrigerated section rather than the un-refrigerated section of the grocery store works pretty well as a cow's milk replacement in baked goods.  More experimenting?  why not.

The poor lime barely had any zest to work with, but I used what I could get!  mixing all the wet ingredients gave me the chance to combine and think before adding to the dry mix.  I added lime zest and juice of half the lime along with an egg, almond milk and oil.  I then added almond milk until the batter was about the typical consistency of muffin batter, which I guess is like a medium-thick pancake or cake batter.  The kind that runs off a spoon slightly rather than globbing off in large chunks. 

While the muffins baked, I mixed up a sauce.  Yogurt Lime sauce to be exact.  I did not want a glaze. I did not want a frosting.  I wanted something that would be good for breakfast, not loaded with sugar, even though I am a big fan.  I almost used sour cream until I remembered that I had some vanilla yogurt, though either would work.  I mixed in some lime juice and zest and called it good.  Just use lime juice until it is the consistency you are in the mood for. 

This is a delicious breakfast.  The lime could be substituted for any citrus fruit.  I have some oranges...I may try those tomorrow.
Let me know if you find a particularly tasty combination.
Enjoy! 

~JiMele

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Lime Coconut Muffins
1 cup  multi-grain pancake mix
1 cup biscuit mix (or muffin mix)
1 Tbs sugar
1-3 Tbs coconut (the more the better!)
1 lime, juice and zest
1 egg
1 tbs oil
up to 1 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix pancake and biscuit mix with sugar and coconut in a medium bowl and set aside.  In smaller bowl lightly beat the egg.  Add oil, about 1/2 cup of milk and juice and zest of half the lime. Mix into the dry ingredients quickly adding milk to get the proper consistency.  Fill 12 muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Time will vary depending on your oven.  You can also use the smell as a gauge if you have made pancakes a few times and are familiar with the smell of your mix.

Lime Yogurt Sauce
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
lime juice and zest
white grape juice (optional)
Mix lime juice and zest into yogurt until you have reached your desired consistency.  If you run out of lime juice like I did, you can add a splash of another juice, I had white grape juice open.

Drizzle over warm muffins and enjoy!

Linked up with 33 Shades of Green Tasty Tuesdays

Mushroom and Feta Ravioli

I was looking at the things marked down in the pre-packed stuff in the produce department.  You know, the veggies that are already cut for stir-fry, mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, wanton wraps...wait, those are in produce?  Ok.  I guess it's no more strange than the fact that the tofu "meat" is just to the right of the stuffed mushrooms.  I guess this is the West side grocery we are talking about here, people out there mostly eat potatoes and pre-packed meat, so I guess the rest of the food falls under the category of "that weird stuff those hippy-types eat."  Yes, I am stereo typing.  Though I did work on that side of town for over a year, and there is some truth to all this.

So I got a wild hair and got a package of wanton wraps.  I had planned on making Joy the Baker's Green Pea Pesto Ravioli.  Days later, when I finally had a good time to make these yummy looking envelopes I realized I did not have enough peas!

um, ok, plan B.

Mushrooms.  They were begging to be eaten.  Throw in a little feta, ricotta, parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper.  I guess that will have to suffice. oh, wait, I mean "that sounds really yummy, too!"

Wrap them up and an hour later they are ready to cook!  Yes, filling and wrapping these little gems takes some time.

On the up side, we got 3 meals (6 servings total) out of the deal.

The first dinner was a fun experiment.  I turned the oven on and placed these little guys on a greased cookie sheet, then brushed them with some oil and baked 'em up until they were crisp and golden.  Since feta and ricotta do not really melt, there was not much issue with the filling running.  Also, I sauteed the mushrooms before mixing with the cheese for the watery reason, and to bring out the nice nutty mushroom flavor.

In the picture above I attempted a creamy tomato sauce.  I put some tomato paste in a skillet with some cream and whisked it up.  When realized there were little red spots in it I realized it may not have been tomato paste but enchilada sauce instead.  I tasted it and my found I was right.  Guess that's what I get for not labeling things in the fridge!  I went with it, and some how it tasted ok together.  Maybe because the ravioli was baked rather than boiled.  Who knows.

The ravioli we did not eat that night was placed in the freezer, not touching, in a zipper bag.  It made it really easy to pop a dozen into a pot of boiling water.  Just wait a few minutes for them to float (occasionally giving the water a gentle stir so the ravioli don't stick) and then remove from the water.

I used a can of diced tomatoes and added sauteed onion and dried basil and salt to make a sauce.  The tomatoes were bigger chunks than I wanted, so I used a potato masher until they were more reasonable.  This also thickened the sauce a bit...though as you can tell, it was still pretty liquid-y.  Top with freshly grated parm and, well, yum.

Freshly grated Parmesan makes anything seem more fancy.  It just kicks things up a notch!  Plus, buying a block of cheese is much cheaper by the ounce than buying the shredded stuff.

There were a few extra shells once the filling was used up.  I added a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a sprinkle of cinnamon to a few tablespoons of cream cheese.  A splash of vanilla and cream.

Folded it up in the remaining shells and baked, and drizzled a quick powdered sugar glaze over the top just before eating.

They tasted good, but most of the filling oozed out of the shells leaving pillows of air.  The one in the middle of the picture was folded up more like a crab Rangoon with the opening on top keeping the filling inside.  Lessons.  In school or not, we learn some every day!

~JiMele
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Mushroom and Feta Ravioli
(amounts are guest-imates, I just kinda mixed things in until I liked the consistency)
1 package wonton wraps
1 package mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ricotta
2"x2" cube feta, crumbled
dash of salt (just to taste, the feta adds salt, too)

Chop and saute the mushrooms until the juice has stopped running.  Toss in a bowl with cheese and garlic.  I added a tablespoon or so of fresh cilantro just because I had it in the fridge.  Place about a teaspoon in each wrapper and seal edges with a tiny bit of water.

The ravioli can now be fried, brushed with oil and baked in a 400F oven until golden, or boiled.  You pick!
Enjoy


Linking up with 33 Shades of Green Tasty Tuesday, check out her banana blueberry pancakes

Tomato Trick

Do you like tomatoes?  mmm, beautiful ruby, sweet tomatoes.  There is something so amazing about biting into a fresh tomato right off the vine.  Why is it called a vine anyway?  Tomato plants grow more like bushes or trees.  Anyway, tomatoes taste wonderful.

If you are tired of just eating tomatoes like apples right off the vine, try a little fresh mozzarella, olive oil and basil.  

Also known as Caprese salad if you want to sound fancy about it!

Here, in the February version of Central Indiana, there are not to many back yard tomato plants, or basil for that matter!  Grocery store tomatoes have to do for now.  The Heirloom variety are more expensive, but add a splash of variety.  (the photos are regular though)  I used some garden basil that had been dried and crumbled.  It's not the same as fresh, but it beats paying $3 for about an ounce of fresh stuff!

Ok, here is where the tomato trick comes in.  Tomatoes can be tricky little buggers to cut.  You know the apple corer you have in the drawer?

Slice off the top of the tomato, just so there is a flat surface for the blades to cut into (you can see my sliced off top by the plate in the picture above) and position the apple slicer over the tomato and slice.  Done.

Simple?  Yep.

Now, there are 8 slices, and they are kind of fat.  For the caprese salad I sliced the tomato wedges in half length-wise so that they would be thinner wedges.  This makes a nice thickness for sandwiches, too.

Enjoy your super easy caprese salad!

~JiMele

Purple Cow

When JiMele came to my place to make cupcakes she brought supplies to make drinks! But these were not just any drinks, these were supplies to make a concoction called a Purple Cow!

This is JiMele, hi!  I should say that I have never had a purple cow, and only found out what it actually was around Thanksgiving.  I thought it sounded as intriguing as it did gross.  I bet you really want one now!  Don't judge until you have finished reading...better yet, until you have made one of these for yourself!  
It's fun!

I give the floor back to Ash:
We started with a splash of a sweet, grapey red wine from an Indiana winery (concord grape Juice would make a perfect non-alcoholic substitute). Next, a dollop of vanilla ice cream went in the glass and it all got topped off with bubbly. It came out much like an alcoholic ice cream soda with the flavor of a dreamsicle, if dreamcicles were flavored with grape rather than orange.

An old-fashioned-soda-shop Purple Cow is made by putting a few tablespoons concord grape syrup in a tall glass, filling with vanilla ice cream and topping with soda water.  The thing I had to get past was the soda water and ice cream combo...


but the concord grape syrup gave me an idea!  There is a winery near by (you may have heard of Oliver Winery) that has a wine called Sweet Red.  This is a very sweet concord grape wine.  Basically grape juice with a kick!  


I thought we better skip the club soda and use dry bubbles.  An inexpensive bottle of brut bubbly, like cava will do the trick nicely.  I do not suggest a sweeter alternative like prosecco or moscato because it's sweet enough with ice cream and the sweet red wine.

It looks kinda like a science experiment, but it tastes SOOO much better!

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Pink Cow 
(for those lucky enough to have at least 21 years of life experience)
Fill about 1/3 of your glass with Concord grape wine, like Oliver Soft Red
Put as much ice cream as you can fit (or stand) in the glass
Carefully top with brut bubbles, cava


Enjoy with a spoon or straw, and don't give this one to the kids-o's!

(ok, go make one, then you can judge.  Let us know what you think!)


Linked up with 33 Shades of Green

Spaghetti Gets Better With Age!

 I am really excited to share this with you! There is something really rewarding about turning cold, sad left overs into something even better than they were the night before!

It started with cold, left over spaghetti, already sauced.

I baked it in an uncovered dish, at 450 degrees, turning it a few times and letting the spaghetti heat and dry out a bit. The drying out part is important if you are working with already sauced pasta and want to avoid making a soggy meal that screams  "hey this is last nights left overs, worse for the wear!"

Meanwhile, I sauteed zucchini in a just enough olive oil to coat the pan.

Adding a thinly sliced love of garlic, right at the end.

When the pasta was hot and getting a bit crisp in places I sprinkled it with grated Parmesan then spread the zucchini and garlic over it and topped it off with more cheese before sticking it back in the oven to brown on top.

 

Che Buono! 
~ Ash

What is your favorite Pancake Batter?

When I make pancakes, be they they topped with banana slices, bourbon vanilla (a home made gift from JiMele) and toasted walnuts, filled with chopped up chocolate bits, slathered in maple syrup or simply served with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar, I start by whisking up my favorite pancake batter.

The recipe comes from

Betty Crocker's Cook Book. As opposed to the extra 1-2 tablespoons Betty Suggests, I add an extra quarter up of milk, which thins the batter just the right amount. Otherwise, I have found it best not to deviate from Betty's instructions.

I would, perhaps, some day like to add other, more adventurous pancake recipes to my repertoire. I would love to know a great recipe for Wholewheat pancakes one for Pumpkin Pancakes and one for Crapes. Any suggestions?

 What is your favorite pancake recipe?

But, so far, Betty's is the recipe I have found I can count on for classic, fluffy pancakes that cook just right and dress up any which way I like.

Cupcakes!

Baked goods are a good excuse to get together with friends.

Making baked goods with friends is, better.  

Cupcakes taste better when the details are under your control...

Since Ash does not bake as often as I do (I think) I left the menu up to her.  And the drum-role please!

It is true, I do not bake all that often, but I was excited to sketch out this plan for Silver White Cake with Lemon Filling from Betty Crocker (I just call her Betty, but that is a story for another time), and almond flavored Creamy White Pink Frosting from my Better Homes and Gardens cook book.

 We had a great time mixing and filling and frosting and and tasting!

 I thought since Ash was kind enough to provide the location, ingredients and the lovely diagrammed plan, that I would provide libation.  The teaser: a Purple Cow that you don't want to give to a kid.  Check out the details here.

Savory Potato Pancakes

The other day I thought making some cheddar biscuits (you know, the fluffy ones at Red Lobster) would be pretty fun with some leftover chili.  Upon looking at the list of ingredients I quickly realized that was not going to happen...seeing as I was missing half of them.

Time for a new plan.  It had to also be yummy and kinda fun.

Oh yeah! I had some potatoes I needed to use!  Savory potato pancakes fit the bill.

I haven't made these babies in years.  I have a very simple recipe for Potato Latkes from a cookbook I had to use as part of 4th or 5th grade.

Simple is a great way to start.  The only thing I did differently was add 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

Fry 'em up for a few minutes on each side to make a nice crispy exterior, top with a little bit of spinach and some seasoned yogurt.  Voila, you have a fun side!

For a little info about potato pancakes go to Wikipidia.  They were a pretty common food around parts of Europe in days past.  I also found a PBS feature from a lady blogger who wrote a guest post about the history of Latkes for them.  Apparently Latkes come from Italy and were made with Ricotta, not potatoes.

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Potato Latkas
3 medium potatoes (4 if they are little)
3 eggs
2 Tbs flour
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt

Grate potatoes (squeeze out excess liquid) and onions, and crush garlic.  Beat eggs and mix all ingredients together.  Pour a thin layer of oil into the skillet, just a small puddle.  Plop small dollops of mixture into the skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp.  Carefully add oil as needed.  When potato cakes are done toss a few hand fulls of fresh spinach into the skillet stirring almost constantly until almost all the leaves are wilted.  Top with seasoned yogurt  or sour cream.

Seasoned Yogurt
Some plain yogurt
a sprinkle of paprika and oregano
bigger spinkles of garlic powder and dill
salt and pepper to taste
Stir.
Simple.
Yum.

Potato Leek Soup

Have you ever had grand plans for the menu (maybe they are not too grand) and then you realize you just did not leave yourself enough time to accomplish the task?  If you don't want to admit it, that'st fine, I understand.  I am admitting it right now, to you.

Just the other day I planned to make Velvety Mushroom Soup from the Winter 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated.  As I read through the directions, I realized that that the 1 hour window I had before I had to leave for work just was not enough time! (stay tuned for the mushroom soup)

As I quickly plotted an easy leek soup I stumbled on the Rustic Potato-Leek Soup on page 26!  Originally I wanted to use the leeks in the mushroom soup instead of shallots.  Oh well, work with what ya got.  At that moment I was working with a hungry belly and lack of time...2 soups sounds better than one!

I quickly got to work de-sanding the leeks.  The only drawback to these yummy alliums.

I did not have the 4-5lb of leeks called for, but since I got a handy-dandy kitchen scale for Christmas I was able to adjust accordingly.

Mmmm buttttter.  Do you like butter? I love the stuff.  I hear that when I was really little, there would often be little fingerprints/scoops out of the butter in the fridge.  Just this morning I stumbled on this cookbook called Fat.  Check it out, there is LOTS of info in there that puts a new perspective on the way we eat.  Now I won't feel slightly guilty every time I savor the lovely nutty flavor of butter.  It's even better homemade.  Try it sometime.

I mention butter not just because I love it so, but because this soup has plenty.  It lends wonderful flavor.  Don't skimp on the butter with this soup.  It makes very good friends with the leeks and potatoes.

There is an addition suggestion following the directions.  Kielbasa.  I made an impulse purchase that you can tease me about, because even I think it's a little funny.  Tofu Kielbasa was on sale.  I bought a package.  It's kinda nice to have something that is not meat.  You just can't think if tofu as meat and you will be fine.  It would have been much better if I had seared the Tofu Kielbasa before plopping it in the soup, but it still added some fun extra flavor.

My hubby helped me pull it together, and I even got to work on time...with dinner!

I seem to remember a tasty creamy potato-leek soup as a child, but this version does not call for any cream or milk.  I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be good.  It does come from a pretty reliable source.  It did turn out very tasty! but I thought just as an experiment I would add a splash of cream to the left overs.  It was pretty good.  It did not make it a cream soup, that is a whole other pot of soup!  But it did add another dimension of flavor and helped keep leftovers interesting.

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If you subscribe to Cooks Illustrated, click here for the recipe, or just sign up for the 14 day free trial if you haven't yet.

The following recipe is paraphrased from the Winter 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated.

Potato-Leek Soup
If you have large desirable white and light green sections, use 4lbs of leeks; if they're short on these parts, go with 5lb.

4-5 pounds leeks
6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
5 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used bullion)
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 pounds Red Bliss potatoes peeled and diced (I used Yukon Gold)
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces tofu Kielbasa (my addition, I suggest searing before adding)

*Cut off roots and tough dark green portion of leeks, leaving white and about 3 inches of the light green.  Clean Leeks well to remove sand.  Slice in half down the length, then chop.
*Heat butter in a large heavy skillet or pot until foaming; stir in leeks, increase heat to medium and cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, don't brown them, until leeks are tender but not mushy, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir about 2 minutes.
*Turn heat up to high; whisking constantly, slowly add chicken broth.  Add bay leaf and potatoes, cover and bring to a boil.  Turn Heat down to medium-low and simmer 5-7 minutes.  Potatoes will be about tender.
*Add Kielbasa and turn off heat.  Let stand about 10 minutes to allow potatoes to finish cooking.  Toss the bay leaf before serving.

Linked up with 33 Shades of Green: Tasty Tuesday

Juice

Remember when your parent's wouldn't let you leave the table until you ate all your veggies?  Not to one-up you or anything, but I had to drink my veggies once in a while.  The thing you don't know is that I actually LOVED carrot juice!  I thought it was the most amazing, sweet, unfortunately staining drink I could want.

My mom got a Champion juicer when I was young.  Boy, was it versatile! It could turn fruits and veggies into juice, garbanzo (years later I found out these are also chickpeas) beans into hummus, and peanuts into peanut butter.

One of my cousins and brother remember an evening of juice sampling, though our moms don't seem to share the memory in quite the same way.  My brother and I thought we were going to play with our cousin.  As it turned out, we were also destined to be juice guinea pigs.  I do not remember specific combinations, but I am pretty sure about a third of the produce department was involved.  There were some that we could barely force down, but there were some that we kinda liked, just a little bit!


Time travel a few years into the future:


When I was in college, I decided to get a better grip on conscious eating.  I was pretty good, but who can't do better?  I decided that I needed a Champion juicer, just like my mom.  Part of this decision came after frying the motor on a blender trying to make hummus one day.  Ooops.  Guess garbanzo beans don't have quite enough liquid for a blender.

beets and cranberries

There are all kinds of theories about how the benefits of fruits and veggies are absorbed.  There are the raw foodist's that think that too many nutrients are lost in cooking, so they will not eat anything that has been cooked.  I am not making this up.  Then on the other end of the spectrum, there are people who pretty much only eat canned produce.  They just don't like the taste or texture of fresh produce.  This is harder for me to believe, but I have met a few in my life.

Top: carrot, lemon, ginger juice
Bottom: carrot, lemon, ginger pulp

When it comes to juicing, I was always a bit suspicious about the fiber end of things.  When juicing, you are basically separating the liquid from the solids.  Aren't the solids holding the fiber? what a waste right?  The more I thought about it, it's not.  There are tons of nutrients in the juice still, and I am not substituting juice for all my fruit and vegetable consumption.  I now think of it more like a tasty supplement.  It's like real Vitamin Water!  Besides, the solids don't have to be trashed.  The carrot pulp you see in the picture above will be added to some bread, now doesn't carrot bread sound yummy?

A few months ago, I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  Got your attention?  This show really got mine.  I am not going to go into a movie review here, but this is the skinny: Joe Cross documents his life-changing experiment to get healthy.  I will say this is something I think people need to watch, and don't just think that it is a snooze fest because it is labeled a documentary :~)  Joe keeps things entertaining.
This show encouraged me to get the juicer out more often, and get braver about the things I juice.

So, Cheers to my mom and aunt for making me, my brother and cousin juice guinea pigs for an evening and making me drink my veggies from time to time.  Does't that carrot juice look beautiful!?
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Some of my favorite combos:


Carrot, beet
Carrot, Granny Smith apple, celery, ginger
Celery, Granny Smith apple, ginger
Carrot, ginger


Super vitamin-C cocktail
In a blender:
1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2-1 cup orange juice
ginger powder to taste (a sprinkle)
Blend for about 1-2 minutes, serves 1


Cheers!

Sweet Bet

Husband's: be careful about what your wife bets you on.  She might win.  If you are sneaky like my husband, however, you might win either way!

My husband lost a bet and found this in front of him as proof...hmm, not sure I actually won this one!

A bit after dinner he said "gee, desert would be nice."
My reply was "well, we do have brownie mix in the cabinet..."
My husband: "yeah, but it won't be ready in 20 minutes."
My mistak...er, um, reply: "ya wanna bet?!"

I Even raised the stakes mid way by suggesting frosting! what was I thinking!?!

I made brownie deal-ies in the Babycake cupcake maker (seen above) and realized brownie cookies would be faster and easier.

I added a bit of extra flour per the directions on the box, but it did not actually make any improvement...unless you are a cake-y brownie fan.

I actually had a container of chocolate frosting in the cabinet also, so to make it "gourmet" or just a little more exciting, I added a few drops of orange extract (thank you Emily).

The result:

Pretty yummy with or with out frosting!

Wives: this is a perfectly acceptable bet to make with your husband.  You also win either way, are you really going to argue with chocolate ;~)

Cabbage and the New Year

It is a new year.  Don't worry, I won't get all philosophical and sentimental, well, maybe a tiny bit sentimental.  I like traditions and honoring the past.  It frustrates me how commercial the holidays have become.  It seems like much of the history and tradition have been lost in time.  New Year's Eve has an interesting history.  You can read a brief explanation here.  I actually went on an internet search to find out about traditional New Year's day food and found that corned beef and cabbage is more of a St. Patrick's day meal.

In one of my families, corned beef and cabbage (with carrots and potatoes) was the New Year's day meal.  In my other (vegetarian) family, black eyed peas and cabbage (and sometimes cornbread) was our New Year's day meal.  Black eyed peas are a Southern tradition to symbolize a hand full of coins, or financial prosperity.

I did not plan ahead this time, oops.  So I asked my husband to bring home a small cabbage to go with last night's dinner.  Growing up, I was told that we ate the cabbage to promote good fortune and financial prosperity in the new year, I guess because it is green.  Who couldn't use some of that right now?

I sliced half of it and sauteed it up in butter with salt and pepper, and 4 coriander seeds.

I got the seeds specifically so I could enjoy the mortar and pastel.  It is a great kitchen tool.  Unimproved for centuries!

Mashed potatoes are just tasty.  I don't need gravy, and neither does my husband, so mashed potatoes are a pretty easy addition to dinner.  I wonder why I don't make them more often?  Maybe I should start.  

I changed things up a bit this time.  I boiled the potatoes in beef bullion.  

I like Yukon Golds because they have a smoother texture and an almost buttery flavor.  My normal mashed potatoes include crushed garlic, salt and pepper, milk, and sometimes chives or green onion if I have any (but that is rare).  This time, I just boiled in bullion, drained most of the liquid off, added butter, salt, pepper and only a splash of milk.  In the end, these mashed potatoes were loaded with flavor and had a nice gold color...not from butter.  

I threw some baby spinach on the plate and topped it with raspberry dressing and walnuts for a rounded meal.  

Ok, fine, there was no meat to be seen.  You can tease me about not making a main dish, but honestly Americans actually eat way more meat than our bodies are really capable of processing efficiently.  Besides, the walnuts on the salad have plenty of protein.  What you see on this plate is approximately 1/3 of a man's daily protein recamendation and nearly 1/2 for women.  Hard to believe isn't it?  Nuts are good for ya.  (find out more here or at www.choosemyplate.gov)

I hope you had a restful New Year's day and ate something really yummy.  If not, that's ok, just make sure you do on your next day off!

Happy New Year!