Urban Drivel

Moving Forward

2012-01-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

On this blog I have created 425 posts and have 115870 page views. That's awesome. This blog has seen me move from novice cook, to dappling in the vegan world, to embracing vegetarian, to weight watchers and onto wine. It also sadly, languished as I faced and fought off the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, anxiety, depression, therapy and medicine.

I don't know why this happened to me, I am sure there are lessons yet to be learned. What I do know is that I have come through it. I didn't do it alone. I had lots of help from friends, family, therapists, and yes, medication.

My unsung hero Chris, never faltered through the entire process, never made me feel crazy, never made me feel self conscious about "needing help" even when that "help" came every night in the form of a pill. I fought what was happening to me so hard, I was not the kind of person who needed help, who needed to talk things out, and definitely not the kind of person who sought refuge with medicine. Fighting didn't help, it just prolonged the inevitable, and brought my body and mind to the breaking point in the meantime.

I sit here today, writing this blog, a different person than I was last year. I have officially finished therapy, and have weened myself off of all medicine except for one medicine that is still helping me treat the polyps in my throat that were caused by stress - I will come off of that medicine some day.

I am now a person with a greater appreciation for allowing yourself to indulge in the small things that make life amazing everyday. I have decided to leave this blog. It served me well, but it represents the past. I have created a new blog aptly named Champagne and Croissants - those who have read my posts from therapy will understand the name.

I've so missed everything about blogging. I cannot wait to start this new one. I hope you will follow me there, it wouldn't be the same without you.

Where have I been

2011-10-31T17:13:00.000-04:00

It hasn't been for lack of cooking that has made me ignore this blog totally, (bad blogger, bad), the truth is that for the past couple months I have been interviewing for a new job. My position at my old company was being terminated and my contract was not going to be extended so I needed to find a job before Thanksgiving (happy holidays asshole, here's your walking papers); so I've been neck high in interviews and all the crapola that goes along with it. The sad part is, I made some pretty fanfuckingtastic recipes along the way too, but I just didn't have time to blog about it. I drank a shit ton of wine as well and didn't blog about that either. Goo news, I found an amazing new job, but as luck would have it, I started my new job today and hop on a plane tomorow to DC for three days, so I guess there is no rest for the weary here, and the blog will have to wait a few days to be resurrected.

Thanks to everyone who emailed and called to see if I was still alive....that includes you too Nanascilla, Uno told me you were asking about me.

I'll be back!

Garden Pasta with Grilled Tuna

2011-08-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

Mmm no recipe here, it was the kind of night where you grab a glass of wine, head out into the garden and say, "whatdaya got for me?" this night the garden gave me two japanese eggplants, two squash, two zucchini and a handful of San Marzano tomatoes to I took all the vegetables and sliced them the long way into thirds, put a little olive oil on them with salt and pepper and grilled them each side four minutes. I also took some tuna steaks and gave them the same treatment at the vegetables.

While those were cooking I took a red onion from the garden along with a handful of basil and tarragon - I sauted the onion in a bit of butter and olive oil, added some garlic and when they were soft added two spilt of champagne - when that had cooked down a bit I added the herbs to make a nice champagne herb sauce - yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.

While the sauce was doing its thing I boiled a box of rigatoni to all dente. When all were cooked I cut up the vegetables and tune, and in a large bowl combined the veggies, tuna, pasta, and herb champagne sauce - mixed it all together gave it a little salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and a great dinner was on the table - so simple, so easy, so awesome to get almost all of it out of the garden. I must, repeat must move to a state with a longer growing season, one that has fig trees - that will be my barometer of the locale...

Me: "excuse me, realtor person, would it be possible to have a flourishing fig tree in the backyard here?"
Realtor: "No ma'am, this zone would not allow a fig tree to grow here year round, you'd have to cellar it in the winter."
Me: "I've seen enough - we'll continue either south or west from here, thank you for your time."

I got a manicure today - so of course I cut the nail with my big knife while chopping swiss chard, that's the way things always go, I never stub my toe unless I've just paid $30 for a manicure, and you always have the best hair dat of your live the day you are going to get it all chopped off.

Rating = Damn Good (and local too)

Cucumber Gratin | Vegetarian Times

2011-08-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

So, if you haven't yet tried cooked cucumbers, go for it, its really good. As I mentioned before, I've got a virtual porno flick of cucumbers growing in the garden so I needed to get a little creative, and I didn't want to make soup or another salad or just eat them plain, I wanted to dress them up a bit. The latest issue of Vegetarian Times had an article on using cucumbers in multiple ways, and this was one of the recipes. I am lucky enough to have an awesome herb garden growing along side the vegetables, so I pretty much used two to three times the amount of tarragon and dill than the recipe called - and it was great.

This recipe is based on a Julie Child recipe, and really, who doesn't love Julia. If you try it, let me know if you like it, also, let me know how you might dress it up a bit to make it a little more randy.

Cucumber Gratin | Vegetarian Times

2 Tbs. unsalted butter (use vegan margarine/butter)
2 English cucumbers or 3 garden cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 2-x1/2 inch strips (about 4 cups)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use vegan Parmesan cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes, or until beginning to brown.

2. Toss cucumbers in 13 x 9 inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. brown butter, salt, and sugar. Bake 25 minutes.

3. Remove dish from oven, and preheat the broiler. Add chives, tarragon, dill, and lemon zest to cucumbers, and toss to coat. Season with pepper, if desired.

4. Stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and remaining 1 Tbs. brown butter in bowl. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over cucumbers. Broil 2 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown.

Per 1/2 Cup Serving: 85 cal.; 2 grams prot.; 6 grams total fat (3 grams sat. fat); 7 grams carb.; 13 mg chol.; 355 mg sod.; <1 gram fiber; 2 grams sugar

Rating = Good

Wine Snitch Wine Blog

2011-07-18T20:41:00.002-04:00

Because I have been doing so much wine tasting, traveling and general imbibing I've created another blog dedicated purely to wine. Its called Wine Snitch and I just posted my first review today. Please check it out.

I may have planted too many cucumbers | Japanese Cucumber Salad

2011-07-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

Last year my cucumbers performed miserably. I don't know why, but it was frustrating as I think nothing is as good as a fresh cucumber with a little salt on it in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. This year, I clearly overcompensated for my cucumber failure last year because I literally walk out of the back door and get slapped in the face with cucumbers, which exploding overnight are testing the endurance of their vines, begging to be picked.

Sunday was Hot As Balls and I was not about cook, so I broke out the trustee mandolin slicer and made this quick and refreshing cucumber salad. Super Simple and Refreshing, that's really the best way to describe this salad, which I found on the Eating Well website located here.

Let me know if you make it, and also if you have any favorite cucumber recipes, I'm gonna need them, also, Japanese Eggplant, mine have become almost as big of a nuisance as the cucumbers.

Rating = Good

Broccoli Rabe

2011-07-15T12:17:00.000-04:00

Now that I have three summers of organic gardening under my belt I have discovered a few things that should be filed under "Shit That Is Not Worth Growing On Your Own!" and, Broccoli Rabe is one of them. I love it and its kind of spendy in the market, but you know what - don't plant it jut pay for it. From last years garden adventure, watermelon and broccoli are added to that list.

Over the winter I became mildly addicted to the brocolli rabe with mushrooms and red pepper flakes in the prepared food part of Russo's in Watertown so I decided instead of paying $6 per pound for it in the summer I would grow my own and I would be in Broccoli Rabe heaven all summer. Not so much, I can't seem to get to the rabe before it bolts and flowers, and at that point it's too bitter to eat - the picture above is broccoli that was harvested in my garden right before it bolted, and it was still very bitter.

I tried to recreate the dish by sauteing red onion (home grown) with a little garlic and then adding quartered button mushrooms and then adding the broccoli rabe (blanching it first) and then at the last minute adding salt and a good dose of red pepper flakes. It tasted like what I buy from the market, except for the fact that the broccoli rabe was so bitter.

So - I'll just continue to buy it, Boo Hiss! And I will rip up the rabe and replace it with Swiss Chard because I cannot get enough of it now.

Also, on a complete side note, if you happen to go out for sushi and end up eating about two pounds of seaweed salad because it's so good and you just can't stop yourself - your bathroom the next morning will indeed smell like Casey Anthony's trunk. Just saying, open a window, give it five or ten minutes.

Swiss Chard Erin's Recipe

2011-07-10T16:10:00.002-04:00

This conversation between Chris and I should give you a little insight into how many times I have cooked Swiss Chard since Chris and I have been together.

Me: I hope you like Swiss Chard because that's what were having for dinner tonight?
Chris: Swiss Chard, Is that a fish?
Me: (blank stare) - (I mean I guess there is a fish called Artic Char, so maybe its not that big of a leap to think Swiss Chard might be a fish.) - (Yes it is, that was terrible Chris)

So I made Erin's recipe that is in the comments with just a few minor tweaks due to lack of ingredients, I used sunflower seeds instead of almonds, a red onion from the garden instead of shallot, and cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, and you know what? It rocked. I ate the whole thing....I can't wait to make the other suggestions that were left in the comments or sent to me, including the rolled stuffed grilled chard and some sort of card augratin that someone told me about.

Seriously, I would have this as a side dish everyday of the week. I didn't plant chard, I've been eating my neighbors while I tend to her garden while she is away. Next year, chard will be front and center in on of my raised beds.

Next challenge....KALE, we've got lots of it, suggestions?

Rating = Damn Good

Swiss Chard

2011-07-06T11:44:00.001-04:00

Picked it yesterday. Never made it before. Going to try tonight. Send recipes if you've got em.

Grilled French Toast with Stone Fruits and Pineapple

2011-06-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

Good,

God, I know, this picture is atrocious! That's what happens when you are running around putting on Fathers Day brunch and you ask your husband to take a picture with his Iphone. Sorry. Please, take my word for it, this french toast rocked the brunch hard - it was so awesome, and grilling it made it so cool and charred and man like. (Insert fake growl sound here, and that stupid claw hand thing...you know, like, Rawwwrrr and you paw with your right hand. [No, just me, well]).

Therapy. Real quick, a lot has happened, and its going very well, but I have been diagnosed with Perfectionist OCD. A hard thing to hear for sure because there are a lot of negative stereotypes about people with OCD, and there are so many ways in which OCD presents itself, but nonetheless, that's my diagnosis. The day I was diagnosed I came home and at the dinner table told him that Dr. Diana had diagnosed me with OCD, and without skipping a beat, he just looked at me and said "Ya Think". So, he's not surprised, and everyone else I have told seems to think that perfectionist OCD is a spot on diagnosis for me. So, from here, I learn how to control it - or better yet, not let it control me - and then we'll figure out why I have it. I can hanker a guess, but I don't want to jump to conclusions here, I'll wait for the doctor to do that.

So, for the grilled french toast I used this recipe from the ever popular Sandra Lee (yes, that was sarcasm you heard in my voice) Grilled French Toast I didn't use Grand Marnier, I added cardamom and vanilla to the egg mixture, and instead of strawberries we grilled peaches, plums and pineapple. So good, I highly recommend that you try grilled french toast - it was really awesome.

PS. If you have not tried a Zumba class, get your ass to a gym, it is so much fun. I can't wait to go again tonight with my little sister, its the most fun in a workout class you'll ever have.

Rating = Damn Good

Back - so much to discuss!

2011-06-14T19:44:00.039-04:00

The trip was in a word, awesome. It's been a couple years since we went on a wine trip, and if I ever needed a glass of wine in my life, it's now.

We flew into Seattle and were greeted with just the most amazing weather. Thanks to a heft does of Xanax before the flight (I hate flying) I pretty much slept the whole way and arrived in Seattle ready to take it all on. We meandered through the streets, and spent a relaxing afternoon taking in the local sights along the water. Nighttime brought a great happy hour at a bar called Alibi, then an amazing dinner and a carafe of wine at The Pink Door, we had a roof top table, outside, so great. The next day as we walked to Pike's Place the smell of warm butter beckoned us into a little bakery where we shared the lightest flakiest raspberry croissant - note, this is almost half of operation champagne and croissant (not there yet) but close, right? Sort of? Friends we haven't seen in years joined us for breakfast, then we walked through the sculpture park (is it just me, but I don't get or like sculptures or sculpture parks, like the fact that there was just a big & symbol as a sculpture - just that - why does one need that in ones life). I digress.

After the sculpture park, we made our way to Pike's Place Market to see some fish tossing. Good thing I've got bony elbows, they were a most useful tool as I jabbed and forced my way through the crowds - it was like the whole world woke up and decided to go to the market that day. Crazy, but amazing. We hit a fruit stand to make a goodie bag for the trip to Yakima and headed out of Seattle for the start of some serious wine tasting. We spent the next 4 days tasting our way through Yakima, Prosser, Walla Walla and Woodinville. The ride from Seattle to Yakima (and int he reverse direction) is an amazing sight, as the lush green hills and snow capped mountains give way to more arid, farm lands, the scenery changes before your eyes, its hard to describe, but amazing to experience.

We met some really amazing people while we were there, including two female wine makers, Dawn and Mary of DaMa wines in Walla Walla, we had such a great time at their tasting room that they invited us over for dinner the same night. We spent the night eating great food, drinking their fabulous wine (including some 10 year old wines out of their basement), and making a fire pit out of spent wine barrels and sipping wine by fire light - this was the highlight of our trip. We had private tours and tastings and got to meet the winemaker Pepperbridge, Grammercy Cellars, Foundry Vineyards, and Chateau St.Michelle. We really could not have asked for a better more relaxing trip. This trip meant so much to both of us, as a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of opening Chris' Architectural Studio. I want this trip, over and over and over again. I can't wait for our next journey.

PS. Back to all the therapy bullshit later. Its going well, and I have a lot to discuss in regards to that, but not today...tomorrow maybe.

Across the country, glass in hand

2011-06-03T10:16:00.001-04:00

I'm spending the next 8 days wine tasting....NOTE: the woman in the picture is not me...yet.

See you on the other side of this adventure.

Be Well. CHEERS!

The Rapture Skipped Me (so I ate) Spaghetti with Anchovies and Bread Crumbs (Spaghetti con Acciughe e Mollica)

2011-05-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

The rapture never came, and boy am I relieved because we all know that had the day of reckoning really come I'd be smelling in the sulfur and brimstone. I'm not a bad person all the time, but on a daily basis I have fits of bitch that just take over. I blame most of these fits on my commute and the asshole drivers that I am faced to deal with for at least two hours every week day.

Or, like when you are at the grocery store, at check out, and you spend a few moments deciding which lane will move the fastest - and then you realize that you picked the lane where the check out person is incapable of doing more than one motor function at a time and doesn't give two shits about the fact that you want to get out of the store because they are going to be there all day anyway so why shouldn't you. And who pays by check at the grocery store...why is the person in front of you paying by check. And if you can't decide if you want paper or plastic I will most likely yell at you for not bringing your own God Damn Bag, don't you care about this spinning circle you live on called EARTH.

But, then there are the times when I should be calm like in yoga, and I spend the entire class wondering why the Indian girl in front of me sucks so bad at yoga. I know wrong wrong wrong, but when an Indian person comes into class I prepare myself to be schooled in all yoga postures and I'm floored when the person just outright sucks at yoga. I actually wanted to tell her to get to the back of the class if she couldn't balance on one leg because she was throwing me off.

But, then I don't feel too bad about this thought because I came home from class last time and our neighbor Vibs who is Indian was over and I asked if that was an inappropriate thought to have about the Indian girl in front of me and his immediate response was..

"No, she's Pakistani"

I was dying after that.

Spaghetti with Anchovies and Bread Crumbs (Spaghetti con Acciughe e Mollica)

6 salt-packed anchovies or 12 best-quality anchovy fillets in olive oil (see Notes), divided

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 or 2 small fresh or dried hot red chiles such as peperoncini or Thai, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

3/4 cup Toasted Fresh Bread Crumbs, divided

If using salt-packed anchovies, rinse them under cold water. With your fingers, pry them open along the back and lift out backbone to yield 2 fillets. Rinse fillets again to remove any fine bones; pat dry on paper towels. If using anchovy fillets in olive oil, lift out of jar or tin, leaving oil behind (no need to rinse oil-packed fillets). Finely chop 6 fillets; set aside. Cut remaining 6 fillets into 4 or 5 pieces each; set aside.

In an 8-qt. pot, bring 5 qts. well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to the bite, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put olive oil, garlic, finely chopped anchovies, and chiles in a deep 12-in. frying pan (with at least 2-in. sides) or wide pot and cook over low heat, stirring, until anchovies dissolve. Stir in parsley and remaining anchovies; turn off heat.

When pasta is almost done, set aside 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta and transfer to pan of anchovy sauce. Toss quickly until all the strands are well coated. Add some reserved cooking water if pasta seems dry. Set aside 2 tbsp. bread crumbs, then add remainder to pasta and toss again.

Divide pasta among 8 warm bowls and sprinkle each serving with some reserved bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

The number of go backs that Chris has on a certain dish usually helps me rate the recipe. Chris went back for four servings of this. He really liked it.

Rating = Damn Good

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites with Cilantro Lime Crema

2011-05-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

Therapy, she's a getting hairy....but I'm doing all the crap my therapist is telling me to do, and although I don't like it, I think that Ph.D knows what she's doing...so I do what she says. When she analyzed my stress journal she noticed that there were a few things that constantly affect my stress level, one being weighing myself in the morning, so for the past week and for the next week I am not "allowed" to weigh myself in the morning, so then we can see if this helps my anxiety level at all. I tend to think not, considering I've pretty much run for an hour to an hour and a half a day since we started this little experiment, like I've just shuffled the attention and compulsion into more running, I'm not sure that is what she meant to do. This woman must see dollar signs when she reads my anxiety journal, "cha Ching....this girl is going to be in therapy for years, book the vacation honey we can afford to go anywhere with her billings."

Anywho, such a super simple and really attractive appetizer, I made these for mothers day, but really they are perfect for any gathering and so easy to throw together. The cilantro lime crema I used was left over from the fish tacos recipe that I posted last week. So simply cut cucumber on a bias, place some smoked salmon on top put on a dollop of the crema and top with a little caviar and a chive sprig. So pretty.

PS am I the only one that finds it hard to watch Mad Men without a drink?

PPS am I the only one that also things that Air on the G String is a horrible name for a song that is often used in weddings.

two recipes for the price of one | Mango Avocado Salsa and Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

2011-05-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

Its Wednesday, I love Wednesdays because I go to the psychologist, then I go to yoga with Angela and then we drink wine. Its therapy cubed, I've got my mental therapy, my physical therapy and then of course, my liquid therapy. Angela and I call it Wine and Yoga Wednesday, our Italian yoga instructor calls it our Detox/Retox, he's a clever one that yogi master.

I'm a little late on my Cinco de Mayo recipes. Woops.

We had a great little dinner party last week to celebrate, I was in charge of the healthy recipes and Rick and Lisa were in charge of the Spanish wine.

I made

Mango, Avocado Salsa

Fiesta Lime Rice

and

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

The salsa and the rice came from Skinny Recipes and the Fish Tacos came from Cooking Light. Links provided above.

Everything was great - although I didn't get any salsa because it disappeared in about four seconds, someone may have actually liked the bowl, I can't confirm that, though it would not surprise me.

The fiesta lime rice, I thought it actually needed a little sushi vinegar in it, I think that would have perked it up a bit.

The tacos were awesome, use the rub recipe that it calls for (delicious) - I couldn't find red snapper so I used mahi mahi - it was a perfect substitution.

We paired the salsa with a nice bright white from Spain and tacos with a nice light Rioja - then we had a much richer meatier Rioja after dinner. Perfect.

AM - If you are reading this - have you ever been to the Pink Door in Seattle for dinner? We are going in a few weeks - just wanted to get your thoughts on it. Thanks

Garam Marsala Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-05-04T15:53:00.000-04:00

I have dreams of going to India. I know its dry, dusty, crowded and I'll probably end up with volcanic shits while I am there, but I want to go. I don't know exactly what my pull is, but I'm sure it has something to do with the spices. I am in love with the aroma of Indian food. My neighbor Angela went to India in December and brought me back her grandmother-in-laws special garam marsala spice blend. I've been doing nothing more with this bag of spices other than sticking my nose in it every few days and taking a big whiff; you see, I've never cooked with garam marsala before, and I've been at a loss. That was, until the other day when NPR did a lovely little article on garam marsala in their Kitchen Window segment titled Garam Marsala - a taste worth acquiring.

This article was so well timed, as it came out the day before Angela's birthday. So, Saturday I woke up early in the morning hauled out the mixer, tubs of flour, brown sugar, baking soda, all my baking ingredients that have been waiting patiently in the pantry for me to quit my pity party already and get back to baking, and that's what I did, I got back to baking. The house for the first time in way to fucking long smelled of fresh baked cookies with a hint of Indian spice. I made the batch, kept a few for Chris and wrapped up the rest for Angela - she loved them. Chris loved them too, but he would have preferred that they were oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with garam marsala, not raisin, he thought they were a little too savory for a cookie...I have to concur - next batch will have chocolate chips in it. There will be a next batch, these were very good.

Check out all the garam marsala recipes here:
CLICK

Rating = Damn Good

Therapy Thought Monitoring, and White Wine Risotto for Dummies

2011-05-01T17:32:00.001-04:00

What do you do with a $2 half bottle of Vihno Verde? Well you sure as shit don't drink it, you cook with it. But first I bring you Therapy Session #3.

It was a really good therapy session, in the sense that there were a few moments where I felt like saying "out of my comfort zone" and "not ready yet" but I think that's the point, she's getting me started, but not pushing me. This week I have to continue with the stress/anxiety journal, except this time in addition to writing down the level of stress from 1 to 10 (again 10 being "I feel super awesome) I need to write down the thoughts that accompany these numbers,l for example, like when I wake up in the morning and my stress hovers around a 4 I need to write if its because I feel like a fat cow, and I have all this work to do, and when will I have time to get to the store to get some damn groceries. Its okay if the thoughts are random, I just need to write them down, so that we can do "Thought Monitoring" which I've learned is when the therapist looks at my thoughts, analyzes them, determines if they are wrong and then tells me why they are wrong. This should be fun, you know, about as fun as stubbing your toe really.

I shared with my therapist a little story. Last summer I was sitting outside on the deck reading a wine magazine. There was an article that a woman had written chronicling a trip she had taken through France, the article was about food, wine and travel. One day on her trip she wrote that she woke up and for breakfast had warm croissants and paired them with a beautiful champagne. She went on to say that this was the best breakfast she can ever remember eating, and that "you just haven't lived until you've had croissants and champagne for breakfast." I remember this article because I remember saying to myself, "well that's something you will never experience, because there is no way that you would allow yourself to let alone, have a croissant, but to pair that croissant with champagne, in the morning no less, because why don't you just blow your entire caloric wad before you even leave the house." My therapist thought this was very sad, that I wouldn't allow myself, this (in her eyes) minor indulgence. This led to her tell me that at some point we would have "Operation Croissant and Champagne" and I would indeed be testing this theory of self loathing if I allowed myself this moment. But not now, because she knows Julie ain't ready to take on Operation Croissant and Champagne just yet.

I also shared with her that I was scared to run my half marathon this weekend, because I had trained to finish it in 1:45 and I was afraid that I would be depressed if I couldn't make that time. She asked how I would feel if I didn't make it, and I didn't have an answer.

Well,

I just got back from my race, and I finished in 1:45:11, so technically I didn't make my time, running a 1:45 means doing it in that time or under, not 11 seconds over. But you know what, after being a little peeved at first, I just don't give a shit, because I had a great time with family and friends that day. I had cheerleaders and an amazing pink sign with my name on it created by Brenna, Anna and Steve, and I had a fabulous time going out to lunch with them after the race. That was what that day was about, not 11 seconds....not 11 seconds. That 11 seconds can kiss my sweaty, salty ass.

My therapist asked if I thought I was a good runner. And I can't believe after 15 years of running I've never told myself that I was good at it. Well, today, I came in 145th out of 1,000. Today I am a good runner.

And here is the recipe - it literally is from the "For Dummies" book, and it was good, its a really good base for a generic risotto, but with all the fresh herbs and peas and asparagus popping up now, I'd play with the recipe a bit, I'd make a spring pea and mint version, or maybe a lemon thyme version or an asparagus version, don't just stick to this carrot celery version, it needs something more.

Here is a link to the recipe.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/white-wine-risotto.html?sms_ss=yahoomail

Rating = Good, will be Damn Good with a little doctoring.

Lemon Mint Vinaigrette

2011-04-25T08:49:00.000-04:00

Really nothing more to post than an amazing dressing recipe. When I was in New Orleans a couple weeks ago I had a great arugala, watermelon, strawberry salad with mint vinaigrette at Emeril's restaurant NOLA. It was amazing and I knew I had to recreate it as soon as I got back. We were having dinner at a friends house on Friday and I offered to bring the salad just so I could make this. I looked around the internet and found a recipe that seemed similar to the one that I had - I think I got it from Eating Well or Cooking Light, I can't remember, but here goes.

Mint Vinaigrette

1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

This makes enough for a very large salad and then you will still have some left over. I am going to make this for Mother's Day brunch in a few weeks - its such a great refreshing salad and dressing. Dress up the salad with slivered almonds and goat cheese if you want to beef it up a little on the protein side.

Please let me know if you make this and if you like it, especially you NanaScilla.

Rating = Damn Good

Therapy, Crying in Public, Angry Shavasna | Skinny Creamy Spinach Dip

2011-04-22T08:58:00.003-04:00

I don't cry much, at all in fact, most of my friends can probably count the number of times they have seen me cry on one finger, or less. I think Chris and I were together for four years before he saw me shed a tear. I don't know why I am so averse to crying, but it probably has something to do with growing up with a Nana who who belittled crying, stating every time that I cried "that only babies cried, and I was no longer a baby, therefore crying was not acceptable." There was a lot of "I'll give you something to cry about" statements when the threat of tears showed on my face. I guess it made an impression...

One of my main fears of therapy is that in one of the sessions I will cry. I am petrified of this. Crying when you are alone in your car is one thing, but crying in front of someone else, someone who themselves is not crying scares the shit out of me. Handicapping vulernablility is the only way that I can describe it. In today's New York times there was a great opinion blog post about crying in public, titled Look at Me, I'm Crying. I absolutely love this blog post, it makes me think that at some point, I'll be able to cry without personal stigma. Read it, its a great post, especially when she comparing crying in public to tripping and falling in public. Great.

I went back to therapy this week, it was an okay session, most of it was setting up my background information with questions like "have I ever been hospitalized for a mental illness, suicide attempt, etc, has anyone in my family had mental issues, what do I think my strengths and weaknesses are, etc." Apparently when insurance pays for your therapy they do a thorough background check on you first.

I was given two assignments this week. Each day I need to perform a Progressive Muscle Relaxation series, (there are literally tons of videos on this on YouTube if you are interested) at least once, preferably two times a day. And I also need to keep an anxiety/stress journal. Each morning, afternoon and night I need to write down what my anxiety/stress level is on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the best score (like the Olympics). I asked if I needed to write down what was altering my stress levels and was told that that would come later, we aren't at that point yet (well, phew, because I am not ready to face the things that alter my stress levels just yet, thank you very much).

I go back to the doctor next Friday, I'll be interested to see what my anxiety/stress journal shows, and also to see if I can get a handle on how to do this progressive muscle relaxation thing the right way.

Okay, now onto the recipe.

I love spinach dip. Creamy spinach dip, but let's be honest its strappy dress season and no one needs to be knocked in the face with my arm waddle, so here is a low fat version that I got from Gina's Skinny Recipes. The recipe as it is is 2 weight watchers points (the old points) for 1/4 of a cup. Here is a link to her blog, and also her recipe below.

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 79.4 • Fat: 6.2 g • Carb: 3.3 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 3.2 g

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup light sour cream
5 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup scallion, chopped
fresh pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.

Now, I have to be honest, I left out the raw garlic because it does a number on my stomach, and with the IBS I don't need to go pissing of my insides anymore than I already have. When I tried the recipe as is, I thought that it had way too much mayonnaise in it, so I added another 1/4 cup of sour cream, this helped, but I still thought it was a little bland so I added some seasoning that I had. That helped, but I still have to be honest, I still think that 5 tbsp of may is too much, I think you can get away with increasing the sour cream and reducing the mayo to 3 tbsp. I'm not sure what that will do to the points value, but it can't alter it too much. I'm bringing the dip to a friends house tonight with a fresh veggie platter, I'll see what the crowd thinks tonight, maybe they won't have any issues with it.

Rating = Good

Shit, I almost forgot the angry shavasna part. On Wednesday I went to my community yoga class that I just love love love, and I haven't been able to go in almost a month due to traveling. It was an awesome, ass kickingly hard class and at the end I was just spent, and was so glad that I could just lie back and enjoy my shavasna with my lavendar eye pillow and the soft music. Just as I was settling into it, the bitch in front of me...her f'ing cell phone starts ringing. Are you serious, you brought your cell phone into class with you. You are an asshole. I just spent an hour and a half trying to find inner peace and now all I can think of doing is donkey punching you because you are a terrible, horrible, person. Thanks.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

2011-04-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

If any of this crap going on in my body is attributed to SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, I'm about to go all ape shit on it. I'm leaving on a jet plane, first for Florida, and then for the Big Easy. Nothing but warmth and sunshine in front of me. I'll try to blog from the road, I just don't know how feasible that will be. But I'll try.

Not So Happy Pills AND | Fruit and Nut Tabbouleh

2011-04-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

I had my yearly physical on Monday. I was glad that the appointment was this week as I wanted to let my PCP know that I had started therapy and also that I had been dealing with a rather bad stomach ache for the past few weeks. Its not a constant ache, but one that seems to come and go, but gets worse after I eat (sometimes while I'm eating) along with this ache are some serious noises in my belly, the kind of growling swirling noises that make people look at you in meetings, like their wondering if you you're going to have to excuse yourself to go shit your pants. So I explained the stomach issues, the stress issues, the I'm in therapy issues and the doctor along with a battery of questions asked if I was "happy". I had to be honest with her and reply "I've been happier."

After my physical she asked if I would talk with her in her office. Dum, dum, dum. So, I took of my johnnie, put on my street clothes and walked into her office and shut the door behind me. First, she wanted to let me know that my stomach issues were most likely caused by stress induced Irritable Bowel Syndrome, great, so not only is my throat filled with polyps, my head is going in a hundred different directions, now my colon has decided to join the party and get pissed off too. I picture my colon as an angry old man with salt and pepper hair sprouting from his ears, clenched fists and a horrible screwed up face like he just walked into someone elses fart.

It was after the IBS conversation that she asked me if I wanted a prescription for an antidepressant/anti anxiety medicine.

I was crushed.

I do not want to be looked at as the type of person who needs the help of pharmaceuticals to be happy, I want to be happy on my own, on the inside, without help. I explained to her that I have a stigma when it comes to drugs, my father was not part of my life because he was addicted to drugs, heroin to be exact, and he's dead because he couldn't stop, because the drugs and the alcohol killed him. Its too close to me. I've always prided myself on being the strong one, the one who didn't need the things that other people needed to get by, I'm the girl who wouldn't take the Vicodin that my doctor prescribed when I broke my pelvis, I didn't need it.

I refused the prescription, and walked out of the doctors appointment with what felt like the scarlet letter of depression tattooed on my face, like everyone could clearly see now that I needed help.

It just so happened that I had a nice calming bikini wax scheduled right after this appointment, lovely. There's nothing like the first bikini wax after a long cold winter, and yes, I'm being facetious. As I disrobed from the waste down and hoped up on the waxing table, placed the soles of my feet together, I realized that the position that one gets in for a bikini wax is quiet similar to the yoga pose Baddha Konasana - see below.

So, basically you do this, but then lay down on your back. So, I laid back, in my modified yoga pose and said to myself, "I can relax, I can deal with stress, watch me, I'll be the best yogic bikini waxer ever", so I closed my eyes and felt no pain. Which is no easy feat as the woman who was doing my bikini wax clearly had nothing to do for the rest of the day, and took her sweet time, going over spots that I swear she had gone over 2 or 3 times before. At the end she commented to me that I never flinched or said a word, or seemed to feel any discomfort at all. No, no I didn't, because I don't need no stinking pills.

We're had dinner at a friends house Saturday, a married couple who are also in therapy, although they go for couples therapy. I think it's funny that Chris will be the only one at dinner not in therapy, its like he's the one thats weird.

I'm made a Mediterranean grilled vegetable appetizer platter to bring over and I thought that this would go perfectly with the roasted vegetables and hummus. This recipe comes from the Vegetable Planet Cookbook that I bought last summer, which has just been waiting patiently for me to give it some lovin'.

Dried Fruit and Nut Tabbouleh

1 cup bulgar wheat

2 1/2 cups hot water

2 seedless oranges peeled, segmented and chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsely

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 cucumber peeled seeded and diced

1/2 cup onion finely diced

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 clove minced

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1/4 cup currants

1/4 golden raisins

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the bulgar and the boiling water and cover for 20 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer after and put in a large bowl. Add the orange segments.

2. Combine the rest of the ingredients into the bulgar and oranges, mix to combine. Enjoy warm or cold....its great either way.

Rating = Good

First things First....and Amazing Roasted Asparagus (really amazing)

2011-03-30T20:43:00.005-04:00

I will start this post, the first of my recovery and rejuvenation journey with a confession; on one of my really, really bad days "inside", I actually Googled "How to be Happy". Really Julie, like it's that easy, why hadn't I thought of this sooner, I'll just find the answers to my problems on the internet.

Place that jewel of higher intelligent thinking up with self diagnosis for physical medical conditions including vaginal pain and swelling of the tongue, answering spam emails about winning a lottery in Bangladesh, and drunk texting your boss after attending the Wine Riot (that one actually happened, thank God my boss loves me and loves wine too or that could have been a disaster.)

So here I am...learning how to be Happy. Chapter 1.

I don't have much to write today as this meeting, was our first face to face meeting, and was similar to 8 minute dating, in the I like you, you like me, I think we can work together kind of way. I spewed what my major issue are and she told me how she works with people and did that sound good, etc. Aparentley I'm really good with the psychology language because I was using the right words to describe what was happening with me, including the "what if" mentality and "catastrophic thinking". I learned that people with cognitive behavioral disorders, read: me, have issues with Behaviors, Thoughts and Feeling - negative feelings leading to negative behaviors leading to negative thoughts: BINGO, DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER!

I also learned that what I have was caused by the upside down U stress curve, basically if you take the letter U and make a Bell's curve out of it (turn it upside down) and look at it as a line for stress, its a good thing when your stress level is on the right hand side of the U, meaning that it is a positive force in your life, pushing you to do better, be more alert, etc. What happens with people like me is a force of some sort has pushed our stress level over the top of the upside down U - we're on a virtusal slip and slide down the other side of the U, causing cognitive issues, changing your life, behavior, etc - this is what has happened to me. I need to get on the other side of the U. I think that's going to be a long slow haul, but I've got my hiking boots on and I'm going to kick the shit out of that upside down U - at some point.

One nugget of info she gave me was a beautiful way of putting what can happen to the outlook of people who are on the other side of the U. She said we tend to look at the world through "shit colored glasses." People, is this my kind of therapist or what, she swore in our very first meeting. I love her.

Sooooooo, how bout that asparagus?
Really I'm not shitting you when I say that this is by far the best way to make asparagus. I even made a little drizzling sauce from scratch, like without a recipe, what what.

Ok, so asparagus put it on a lined baking sheet and either drizzle with olive oil or spray with olive oil spray (that's what I did) sprinkle with salt and pepper and then grate some Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. You can eat just like this out of the oven or you can hanker a try at this little sauce type thing I made in which I took molasses, balsamic vinegar a little bit of water and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and cooked it down in a sauce pot over low heat until it thickened a little. This sauce was awesome, and I dare say it was even better the next day when I drizzled it over fresh sliced strawberries.

Rating
Therapy = Good
Food = Damn Good

And away we go….tofu and Spinach Stuffed Shells

2011-03-26T19:55:00.000-04:00

I got into the kitchen the other day with the same vigor and enthusiasm that I used to have, back when I wasn't batshit crazy. It felt good; the washing, the chopping, the weight of the knife in my hand as I gave the vegetables the business side of things. I haven't wanted to cook in so long, and the smell of something home made filled the house with that warm cozy lived in essence. This activity was spurned on by the tremendous outpouring of love, encouragement and "at a way girl" that came from everyone who commented or emailed or just listened to me one on one. I cannot thank you enough, I repeat, and I mean it, I cannot thank you enough for all being part of my life and for caring. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve such amazing people in my life, I honestly still haven't figured that out, but I'll take it, that's for damn sure.

Since I posted last week about my troubles and my decision to seek help and start therapy I've noticed a real sort of pick me up in my mood, sort of like the day that you are going to go to the hairdresser and get all your hair cut off, you will inevitably have the best God damn hair day of your life, just to fuck with you. But, I'm no fool, I know that this increased state of happiness has an expiration date if I don't get help, so the countdown is on, just a few more days. I will have to make something extra special fancy for that post…

So, Borders, poor sad Borders is closing some of its stores and yes, my store is one of the ones that will be vacated, so everything is on sale. Now, I usually turn my nose up at the recipe books with 1,001 anywhere in the title, purely because anything with 1,001 things in it clearly has not been vetted enough, but it was on sale so I thought what the heck and went ahead and bought a book titled 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes: Delicious, easy to make, healthy meals for anyone.

My first foray into this 1,001 recipe odyssey was this recipe, chosen purely because I had a block of tofu in the refrigerator threatening to walk away on its own if I didn't do something with it soon. And my suspicions were correct, these recipes will offer you the base for a great recipe, but tweaking will be needed to make them really good. I made this recipe according to the instructions and Chris and I both decided that the recipe would have been much better had the stuffing mixture been blended in a food processor instead of being left chunky, so - if you make this recipe, do as you want, but we both thought that it needed to be processed to make the recipe really good.

Shells Stuffed with Spinach and Tofu

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 package (10 ounces) baby spinach

3/4 cups finely chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 package (14 oz size) firm tofu finely chopped

1 1/2 cups (6oz) fat free mozzarella cheese (I used low fat or part skim)

2 tbsp grated fat free Parmesan cheese (I used regular)

20 jumbo pasta shells (6oz) cooked, warm

2 cups tomato sauce (I made sauce from scratch with diced tomato, tomato paste, garlic and onion)

1. Sautee onions and garlic in a lightly greased skillet until transparant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add spinach, parsley and basil and cook, covered, over medium heat until spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly; stir in tofu and cheeses.

2. Stuff each shell with about 3 tbsp cheese mixture. Arrange shells in baking pan and spoon tomato sauce over. Bake 350 degrees, loosely covered, until hot 20 to 25 minutes.

Rating = Meh, I really think this could be much better if everything was processed and perhaps fresh basil was used, throw in some sun dried tomatoes…you get the picture, I'd make it again, I's just tweak it.

Spring Cleaning...this blog going forward, at least for a bit

2011-03-19T18:05:00.001-04:00

This blog going forward, for now, will be twofold. You may have noticed over the past months that I haven't been blogging that much, there are a myriad of reasons why this is, including an increased travel schedule and helping Chris with his new business, but mostly its because I just haven't been that into cooking and or writing. If you have been reading this blog for a bit of time, you might remember an entry mentioning the fact that I had been diagnosed with vocal chord polyps, a side effect of an increased stress level. At the point that I was diagnosed I knew that my stress level had gotten to a stealth like point within my body, it was attacking me and I didn't know how to stop it. I tried a number of things to try and alleviate the stress, I downloaded meditation podcasts, started doing yoga again everyweek and began listening to meditation and chanting music in the morning while I got ready for work. None of this helped, in fact, I've just been getting worse the stress has grown and evolved into a part of me, a second voice, talking in my head all day, and its no longer just about the stress of work, or Chris' business, the only way I can describe it is, it's like the stress opened up a wound inside of me, a wound that has always been there, maybe I always knew it was there, maybe I ignored it, maybe I was unaware, but whatever the case, I've become incapable of being "okay". I wake up every morning wrestling with the thoughts of what I did wrong the day before, all the things that could I could have done better. I drag myself out of bed, look in the mirror and belittle myself for the not taking better care of myself, for having had that second glass of wine, "why couldn't I have had just one?" and don't even get me started with the self loathing that happens every morning when I get on the scale, and yes, I get on the scale every morning no matter what - and that inevitably causes a heated inner dialogue about how much easier and better life would be if I wasn't such a fat fuck. There are days when I actually think I can feel my body expanding into the fat suite that I wear subconsciously all the time. And sometimes, when I am alone, my chest, my heart, it just aches and I cry, because I just want to be happy. I just want to be able to enjoy this life I have worked so fucking hard to create. I want to wake up and not have to tell Chris that I am "having a hard day, inside."

This, what you have just read, is so very hard for me to write, please know this, but, what was even harder was admitting that I needed help, that I cannot conquer this alone. So, I have indeed reached out to a therapist who specializes in stress and anxiety disorders, I start therapy on 3/30. I'm anxious, nervous, excited and scared, but most of all I'm relieved.

It is my hope that I will see her regularly, and then blog about my experience and my journey; being as honest and forward as I can be. All the while, staying true to form within this blog, meaning, this blog will still be about food; well, me and food. Getting back into the kitchen, getting back to cooking, something that I love to do is - is far overdue. I love this blog, I've strayed from her, from me, from everything for long enough.

So, here I am, at the beginning of this journey, follow it if you want, I promise the recipes at least will be good.

Thanks
Jules

35. still working on getting my shit together (yeah, and Shrimp Marsala - Housewife Style)

2011-02-27T12:55:00.002-05:00

With 35 beating my door down I feel that more than any other birthday milestone, this one has caused the most obnoxious case of naval gazing I've ever undergone. This post, may, just may not make any sense as I'm pretty much just gonna shoot from the hip with what is going on in my almost 35 year old brain. Here goes:

I feel that, by this age, I really should have gotten my shit together, and when I say that, I literally mean "my shit" - like the way I feel about myself and what I've done with my time and life so far. Older readers of this blog may think, 35, that's still young, you've got time, etc, etc, but frankly, its the oldest I've ever been, and by now, I would have hoped that I could see my reflection in the mirror and say "that works".

I wear my past like a second skin, my reflection clouded by images of all the parts of me that I haven't liked, like dust, sure you can brush them off, but its a futile exercise, dust always finds its way back to the same exact spot.

Growing up we're always told that we should love ourselves. I don't think I love myself. If I do I've got a pretty disfunctional and f'ed up way of showing myself that I do, what, with the constant go, go, go, more, more, more, push push, harder, harder tempo of my life, like maybe if I move fast enough, the dust won't have a chance to settle and I won't have to face it.

This year, for this birthday I just want an honest image in the mirror, and I want to honestly say to my twin looking back at me. "That'll Do". And mean it. This will take some work and I'm scared to pull on that thread in case the whole thing unravels around me, but I owe it to the person that I should be, and I owe it to the man that has so graciously asked to share this life with me. So, here goes….

Seems awkward to transition into a recipe now, right, but I've never been one for gracious segues, so moving right along, here is a really awesome dish from Mario Batali…dig in.

PS. I served this over pan seared organic polenta with garlic roasted asparagus on the side. For wine we served it with an awesome california cabernet.

Due to copyright and all that crap I'm just including the link the recipe:

Link to RECIPE

Please let me know if you make it and what you think of the recipe.

Rating = Damn Good

Also, comments on the above rant are welcome as well.

35. still working on getting my shit together (oh yeah, and Shrimp Marsala - Housewife Style

2011-02-27T12:54:00.000-05:00

Seems awkward to transition into a recipe now, right, but I've never been one for gracious segues, so moving right along, here is a really awesome dish from Mario Batali…dig in.

PS. I served this over pan seared organic polenta with garlic roasted asparagus on the side. For wine we served it with an awesome california cabernet.

Due to copyright and all that crap I'm just including the link the recipe:

Link to RECIPE

Please let me know if you make it and what you think of the recipe.

Rating = Damn Good

Also, comments on the above rant are welcome as well.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies | WW 1 Points Plus

2011-02-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs a little guilt free snacking every once and a while, and these little cookies are just the ticket. Packed with a chocolate punch, they really satisfy, and at 1 points plus per - why not have a couple, seriously, you deserve it.

I can't decide whether I like the new weight watchers as much as I like the old one, the weight definitely comes off slower, but you are given way more snacking options as fruits and vegetables are free, even bananas - oh, how I missed bananas on the old plan.

So, new plan - you eat more, you lose weight slower, hey, I'm not getting in a bikini anytime soon, so I can take my time. Although one thing that sucks the big one on the new plan is that wine is twice as many points as on the old plan - like a stake through the heart that one was.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies | WW 1 Points Plus Value

1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp table salt
1/4 cup(s) butter, softened
1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup(s) sugar, granulated
1/3 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
2 large egg white(s)
1/3 cup(s) semi-sweet chocolate chips, miniature
1 spray(s) cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine
flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and
fluffy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating well. Add cocoa and egg
whites, beating well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Stir
in chocolate minichips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 11⁄2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated
with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes
or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Yield: 40 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie).

Shrimp and Squash Vindaloo - WW 5 points plus

2011-01-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

This is what you get as an image for this meal for two reasons.
1. The dish looked like yellow hell in pictures
2. Chris ate it so damn fast I really didn't have time to take pictures. Damn man take time to chew the damn stuff.

Needless to say. Awesome. That is if you like shrimp and squash and curry of you don't like that stuff than this would just suck for you, pretty much. Anyway, I love WW recipes that Chris really enjoys, it makes this whole trying to lose my fat ass thing a bit easier.

One thing I will say is that you don't need acorn squash for this - go ahead and use butternut if you want. I am actually also thinking about making a vegetarian version of this with cauliflower instead of shrimp, I think that would be very good as well. I served this over quinoa (is that spelled right), but I think cous cous would have been better, (adding this will add to the points value of this dish) I really didn't' think it needed anything, but Chris wanted to lay it on a nice bed of carbohydrates.

And another thing. I am officially sick and tired and then sick again of all this snow. We are getting another 6-10" tonight. Lovely. And it always comes during my morning or evening commute.
When its not snowing, its ass biting cold, like -2 degrees cold. I love that too. We have officially escalated the 15 year retirement plan to 12, I can't stand this weather. I want grape vines and farms that produce all year round, not this cold arctic tundra that is the I-95 corridor.

Shrimp and Squash Vindaloo | 5 WW points plus

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

1 medium acorn squash

1 spray(s) cooking spray

3 medium shallot(s), peeled and minced

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced

2 cup(s) vegetable broth, fat-free, sodium-free

1 pound(s) shrimp, medium-size, peeled and deveined

In a small bowl, stir the vinegar, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, salt, and cayenne, if using, until the mixture forms a paste. Set aside.

Cut the squash in half along its "equator"; scoop out the seeds with a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon. Set the squash cut side down on a cutting board; use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin, shaving along the natural arc of the flesh. Cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes, repeat with the second squash half, and set aside.

Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic; cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the prepared curry paste; cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds.

Add the squash; cook, stirring all the while, until coated in the spices, about 20 seconds.

Pour in the broth; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the shrimp. Cover again and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Rating = So Damn Good

Barrel Fever | Pino Evil

2011-01-20T17:26:00.000-05:00

Its been a long time since I've written a Barrel Fever post, and believe you me it has not been for lack of drinking wine, its just the fact that once I get a few glasses in me, I simply don't remember to take a picture of the wine label, and then poof, the wine is gone. We've literally drank dozens of bottles since my last post, whenever that was. You know what sucks, I don't even have a good wine for my return to wine blogging. This one sucked so bad that I had to post it so that you would not be tempted to pick up a bottle of this shit if you saw these three little monkeys calling out to you from the label. Walk away, and pick up any other bottle.

If you know anything about Pinot Noir, you know it's distinctive, the nose, is always lovely and the palate has the most distinct lingering flavor. This, this had absolutely no Pinot characteristics and was just flabby and unremarkable from nose to palate to finish.

Yuck Yuck Yuck.

I think I paid $8 - totally not worth it.

Rating = Ugh

Creamy Corn Chipotle Dip | WW 1 Point +

2011-01-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the Pats game this weekend, an awesome, figure friendly dip. I made this the other night because I had a can of chipotle chilis in adobo opened from a recipe I had made the day before. This little number is so smoky and creamy, you'd never guess it was only 1 point. Serve with vegetable dippers and this is a seriously good thing to nosh on while the Patriots take on the Jets. Maybe I'll go all barefoot the day of the game in order to try and distract Rex Ryan. We all know about his foot fetish. I have to admit, I think Sanchez is hot though.

Creamy Corn Chipotle Dip

3 Tbsp = 1 points plus

4 oz fat-free cream cheese

2 item(s) canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded

3 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, or fresh corn kernels*

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin Seed

1/2 tsp table salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade;

pulse a few times, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process until

smooth. To store, spoon into a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for up

to 3 days; return to room temperature before serving. Yields about 3

tablespoons per serving.

I actually think this recipe is better the next day, so make ahead if you can.

I also stirred in a bit of chopped fresh cilantro to mine, I think it made it a bit better than the original recipe.

Rating - Damn Good

Back in the Saddle Again | Low Fat Mexican Vegetable Soup

2011-01-05T18:16:00.000-05:00

Back in the saddle. As in back into my fat pants. It all started with the trip to Mexico, when it seemed perfectly reasonable to order mudslides for breakfast, because calories don't count in a foreign country, especially not Mexico. Then it was Halloween candy, Thanksgiving, Holiday Parties (read cookie swaps and egg nog martini's), then Christmas itself, and then to top it off New Years. I've put on the obligatory you know, 8 pounds of pure adipose tissue. So, I joined weight watchers again, it worked the last time I needed to lose weight, let's hope it doesn't fail me now.

Not to mention that I turn the big 35 in a couple months - one of my good friends Julie also turns 35 a few weeks after me. We've begun what we are calling the 35 IS THE NEW 25 challenge - the challenge is to look as good at 35 as we did when we were 25 - its cardio, eating well, weights, etc. No all clean living though, Lord knows there's no way on this green earth that I'd give up wine for anything, but I am making sure that I "plan" my diet for the days that I want to have wine, which is pretty much Wednesday through Saturday, (I hit the treadmill a little harder those days) and I also start training for my May 1st half marathon next month, so that should help. I hope.

Ok. So this soup has one points plus value, I get 29 points a day, so the days that I make this one of my meals makes it easy to get a couple glasses of wine into my diet and daily points allowance usage.

There are three versions of this soup, Italian, Mexican and Asian, I have made the Italian and Mexican, both great, but very different from each other. This is the Mexican version - very good, very hot - if you like it hot and spicy, make this, but serve it with beer, the only wine that would work with this in the least bit would be a sweeter Riesling to help cut through the heat - but seriously, just drink a Dos Equis.

Mexican Vegetable Soup | 1 Points Plus Value

2 cup(s) green snap beans, fresh, cut into bit-size pieces

3 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)

2 small zucchini, cubed

14 oz canned diced tomatoes, Mexican-style preferred

1 medium spanish onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper(s), chopped

1 cup(s) chopped tomatillos

1 medium jalapeno

1/2 medium poblano chile, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 tsp Durkee Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand

6 cup(s) vegetable broth

1/2 cup(s) roasted red peppers, water-packed (about 2 peppers)

1 Tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3/4 tsp table salt

Instructions

Place green beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, green pepper,

tomatillos, jalapeno, poblano, oregano, cumin and broth into a large soup

pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or

food processor; stir into soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat;

reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro, lime juice and salt. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

2010-12-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the holidays, you can tell your family exactly where to stuff your balls, in their mouth. After the first bite you won't have to tell them though, they won't be able to get your balls out of their mouth, they will just keep shoving them in there.

Nuff Said.

Hey, and these are perfect for Valentine's Day, another chance to tell someone you love what they can do with your balls. The red center will really play nice with your romantic dinner setting too. As most readers of this blog know, I hate Valentine's Day, so I will not be making these for that occasion, but you should.

This particular holiday season I did a terrible job of not indulging at all of the parties that I went to. I think I may have to get myself a 3 month online subscription to weight watchers come the first of the year. Really, I've been that naughty. But, BUT, I did buy myself a treadmill for Christmas - so, I can certainly try to run some of this holiday cheer off. Not yet though - still have too many parties to attend in the next week. After the new year - after after.

Here's a link to the Bakeralla website with directions for the Balls.
CLICK HERE.http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

Rating = So, so damn good.

Chocolate Dipped Meringues - don't eat while wearing black.

2010-12-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

God I love meringues - why, I'm not sure, it's not like they are filled with ooey gooey goodness, or taste of hot melted butter. But, man. I love them. This is a Tyler Florence recipe - although his were not dipped in the Christmas sprinkles - I added that bit of genius myself. I prepared these for my first ever cookie swap and hot damn do you go home with a for sure shit ton of cookies when you go to a cookie swap. I'm set for cookies until at least Easter, and that's with bringing a whole tray to work with me this morning to share with the office. People just loved me today, and the whole office was speeding down the sugar highway by 10:00...caffeine and a shit ton of cookies, a sure recipe for efficiency?

I've got the holiday spirit all up in my face right now - so, tell me what is your favorite Holiday song, mine is most definitely "We Three Kings" by Sarah McLaughlin and the Barenaked Ladies. I absolutely love that song. Although, as Hallie might attest it really doesn't scream Yuletide Cheer like the Slutcraker does. I'm just saying.

Here's the recipe, let me know if you make it.
Tyler Florence's Chocolate Dipped Meringues - with SPRINKLES!
Click Here

Rating = So Damn Good (come on, it's meringues)

ad hoc in da house - my thomas keller experiment

2010-12-18T19:11:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more daunting than having the boss and his wife over for dinner? Yes, preparing dinner for them when they are used to meals prepared by the likes of celebrity chefs, like Thomas Keller. I've only had one Thomas Keller experience, I bought a $3 chocolate chip cookie at Bouchon Bakery when Chris and I went to Napa last year for our fifth anniversary. Besides that I have merely walked by The French Laundry, Bouchon Restaurant and Ad Hoc, three of his restaurants. Oh, sure I could have gone in to one of these restaurants for dinner, (had I made reservations months in advance), but a meal at one of his restaurants is my more than I budgeted for dinners for the whole week we were on vacation.

So, when i invited the boss and Mrs boss over for dinner, I decided to give them a little Thomas Keller in your face right from my own kitchen.

I looked at a few of his recipes on line, and then borrowed the ad hoc at home book from the library. I decided on Iceberg Lettuces Slices with Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes, Creamed Corn, and Seared Scallops. When I tell you that the creamed corn is most likely the best corn I have ever had in my life, I'm not being even remotely overreacting. I did make slight changes to the recipes, he calls for heavy cream, in all instances I used whole milk, and I reduced the butter amounts in the dishes as well.

Here are links to all of the recipes that I used.

Iceberg Lettuce Slices with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

click here

Creamed Corn - look there is a reason its called this - its a virtual orgasm in your mouth, get it, creamed, whatever.

click here

Whipped yukon gold potatoes - the recipe called for putting the potatoes through a food mill or a potato ricer, I own neither of these, so I whipped them in a food processor - worked fine.

click here

Seared Scallops - use the big ones U7 or U8

click here

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but they raved about the food, and even when we saw them a few days later at the office, they still were saying how awesome everything was. Need to impress some guests - this is the meal to do it.

PS - we pared each course with a california wine - that was pretty cool too.

Rating - so so so damn good.

David Lebovitz's Roasted Figs

2010-12-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Call it a tendency to watch too many talk shows when I was little, but growing up, I had a fear of being abducted and probed by aliens. Blame, Phill Doahue, or who ever, but I just imagined one sunny afternoon, while sitting outside, reading a book, and sipping iced tea, a small being, with a large egg shaped head, large eyes and no visible mouth to speak of, would come up to me and beam me into his/her ship to take random tissue samples, perhaps an egg or two out of my uterus. This was the hyped imagination of a growing child, understandable. What is not understandable is the fact that I listened to a podcast the other day in which the fact was stated, and then discussed that a quarter of American's believe they have been abducted by aliens. What? I digress.

I didn't get into figs years after my fear of being abducted by aliens subsided, actually, not until recently did I really begin to love figs outside of the blanket of cake cookie that is the Fig Newton. Now I love them and cannot get enough. I used this particular recipe for roasted figs as a topping for a green salad with blue cheese - delicious. Now, go out and grab yourself some figs and get yourself a roasting.

David Lebovitz's Roasted Figs

Use a baking dish or pan that will allow you to bake the figs in a single layer. One that is 2 quarts (2l) should do it. Depending on where you live, fresh fig season is near the end of summer and mid-autumn and the best place to find fresh figs is at a farmers market.

1 pound (450g) fresh figs
4-6 branches fresh thyme
2 tablespoons red wine or liquor, such as Chartreuse, Pernod, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
three 1-inch (3cm) strips of fresh lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

2. Slice the touch stem end off the figs and slice each in half lengthwise.

3. Toss the figs in a large baking dish with the thyme, red wine or liquor, brown sugar, honey, and lemon zest. Turn the figs so that they are all cut side down in the baking dish, in a single layer.

4. For figs that are softer and juicier, cover the baking dish snugly with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the figs are softened and cooked through.

For figs that are firmer, with less liquid, roast them in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

5. When done, remove the baking dish from oven, lift off the foil, and let the figs cool completely.

Variation: For more savory figs, replace the liquor with one or two tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar.

Storage: Roasted figs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Rating = Put Em In Your Face

Polenta and Tofu Skilet & What to Make for a Cookie Swap & Alcohol Cakes

2010-12-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

Today as I drove to work, sitting in traffic waiting for a green light, I spied on the side of the road what honestly looked like the lower leg, shin portion of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. I'm sure it was just a piece of laundry exhaust pipe or something with a similar use, but looking quickly, it was the dismembered leg of the Tin Man. I immediately created a scenario in which the Tin Man, dazed and confused from walking aimlessly in the dark after losing sight of the yellow brick road in his search of the fabled land of Oz, stumbles into the road, and WHACK! is immediately creamed by an oncoming FedEx truck speeding to make an early morning delivery. All that's remains of the horrid scene is his leg, left without its body on the side of the road. Poor Tin Man.

I've been wanting to make this recipe for some time now, and the plastic log of premade polenta had sat on the shelf in the basement long enough, it deserved its day in the sun. This is another great recipe from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. If you haven't checked out her blog, please follow the link HERE to the recipe and spend some time looking around, I've enjoyed everything I've made from her site. And, Chris thought this was fantastic, there was not one bite left - no left overs - nothing. I will say however that if I were going to make this again I would double or even triple the amount of bok choy, just a personal preference for me.

Cookie Swap - I'm taking part in a cookie swap in a couple of weeks, I'm thinking of making peppermint bark and chocolate dipped merangue cookies, got any other spectacular recipes that I can try my hand at?

AND - its that time of year again, the alcohol laden cake time. Do you have any recipes that are a must for the holiday season, all filled with boozy goodness? Send them along please.

Rating = Damn Good

Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Herbed Candied Walnuts

2010-11-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

Look, there's cranberry sauce, and then there's "holy shit, this is the best f'ing cranberry sauce I've ever had, don't look at me like that, what, everyone uses a shovel to eat cranberry sauce."

I'll be honest, the only reason I wanted to try this cranberry sauce is because 1) I was in charge or cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and 2) my herb garden is still cranking out rosemary, sage and thyme like no ones business and I really wanted to say that I had used ingredients from my own garden all the way into Thanksgiving.

I saw the recipe in the November issue of Bon Apetit magazine and thought I'd give it a whirl. What I can say now, with certainty is this recipe will be a staple at every Thanksgiving that I have my hand in going forward. Sorry I didn't post it before the actual Thanksgivign holiday so you could have tried it too, but that's the breaks, save it for next year.

Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Herbed Candied Walnuts

Bon Apetit Magazine

Recipe by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan

November 2010

Cranberries

1 pound fresh cranberries or frozen, thawed
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup dry red wine mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Herbed Candied Walnuts

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons dry red wine
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

THE TECHNIQUE: ROASTED
If you can roast other fruit, why not cranberries? High-heat cooking intensifies flavors, no matter what you put in the oven. And in the end, you get soft and caramelized berries.

Preparation

Cranberries

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix first 7 ingredients on heavy rimmed baking sheet. Roast until edges begin to bubble, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven; maintain oven temperature. Bring wine mixture to boil in small saucepan. Stir into cranberry mixture. Roast until juices bubble and cranberries shrivel, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to medium bowl; cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Herbed Candied Walnuts

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Stir sugar and wine in small saucepan over medium heat until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Stir in walnuts and herbs. Transfer mixture to sheet, spreading out and separating nuts. Roast until nuts are brown, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Break up any clumps of nuts. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Add nuts to cranberry mixture.

Rating = So Damn Good

Cranberry Apple Butter

2010-11-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

Similar to last year, I have canned my face off this summer and fall, and I'm not done yet, I've still got a few recipes that I want to crank out before my craft fair in December. I made this recipe twice this fall, once with Hallie at her house, on an electric stove, and once at my house on my gas stove. I cannot stress enough that this recipe is a bitch to make on an electric stove top. I can't explain the physics behind it all, but if you make it on an electric range you will be cleaning hot apple butter off your ceiling, and most likely be covered in splatter burns all over your arms, ask Hallie if you don't believe me. I had no issues making this recipe on my gas stove last weekend. I can't explain it.

This butter is smooth and fresh and tart and rich all at the same time. Very good, especially on a piece of hot toast.

This recipe comes from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which my copy I am glad to say is finally showing its battle scars, with dog eared pages, drips, spears and notes written all over it. I love this book.

This makes lovely little hostess gifts, or teacher gifts, or just gifts to have around the house for when someone comes over and gives you a gift that you weren't expecting and you're like, shit, I didn't get a gift for this person, TaDa, instant gift and awkward moment averted

Cranberry Apple Butter

Makes nine 8-oz jars (I actually got ten jars from my second batch)

6 pounds apples, cored, peeled and chopped

8 cups cranberry juice cocktail

4 cups granulated sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1. In a large stainless steel saucepan , combine apples and cranberry juice cocktail. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 15 minutes.

2. Working in batches, transfer apple mixture to a food mill or food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquify.

3. In a clean large stainless steel saucepan, combine apple puree, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon. (This took at least two hours at Hallie's on the electric range, and one hour at my house on a gas range. Again, I can't explain).

4. Meanwhile, prepare canner jars and lids.

5. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary by adding hot butter. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.

6. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Rating = Damn Good

Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts

2010-11-14T20:29:00.001-05:00

So, I'm back in the saddle again, so to speak. Home without an extended business trip until next year. YIPEE. I can't even tell you how happy that makes me. In the six weeks between October and today I took eight flights, spent 16 nights in 6 different hotel rooms, racked up countless miles in my car, ate out approximately 56 meals out. Blah. Blah. Blah. Cry me a river, I know.

So, the first thing I wanted to do was grocery shop, the house just didn't have the staple foods that I always have on hand. So, armed with my coupon book and store flyers I planned out my shopping trip to maximize my dollar, with Chris starting his own architectural practice, we've been uber cautious about spending money. I've always felt that we were super savvy spenders, but now I'm going way back to my childhood days to pull out the "welfare Julie tips and tricks for stretching a buck". Now, before you get all high and mighty on me because you know someone on welfare and I've just offended them tangentially through you, shut it, because growing up we actually were on welfare for a time so don't give me any crap; and just like my Nana who grew up in the depression, some things just stick with you and put an indelible impression on you and the way you live, being poor will do that to you. The poor kid in school always knows that he or she is the poor kid, believe me.

The Healthy Harvest past was $1.59, I had a dollar off coupon for the Healthy Harvest whole wheat pasta, and I had a double your dollar coupon, so Shaw's actually had to pay me .41 cents to buy the pasta. I love it when that happens (which isn't very often, believe me) and I had made the pesto over the summer with basil from my garden, so that was virtually free because I made it and froze it so long ago, the goat cheese was left over from a party, and we always just have nuts on hand. Super Simple, Super Economical.

Just boil pasta according to directions, and when the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the pasta water, drain and add ready made pesto to the hot pasta, add the pasta water, and crumble as much goat cheese as you would like into it and top with toasted pine nuts. Wicked Fast Dinner.

Rating = Good

Pumpkin Hummus

2010-11-03T13:33:00.000-04:00

Silly me to think that things would slow down in November. Silly silly me. I'm not sure where I got that cock-a-mame idea, but boy was I dead wrong. Bright side people, its winter squash and root vegetable time. I love this time of year, mostly due to the fact that not only is orange my favorite color, I'll eat just about anything that is orange, including bags of candy corn at a single sitting. I'll eat them until my teeth ache - that's usually the sign to stop. I've got a few more business trips this month, but nothing like last month thank Jebus, where I spent 14 of 31 nights in a hotel room - meaning 16 days on the road eating road food. I came away with only putting on 3 pounds which I am going to take as a minor victory, it could have been worse, much worse.

So, need an idea for healthy snacking, try this recipe from Cooking Light, its great with carrots, celery and pita crisps as dippers, and it's orange. Whip some up for your Thanksgiving appetizer hour, or as I like to call it, "someone better open up that friggin wine before I lose my shit" hour. Ah, the holidays, aren't they swell.

Pumpkin Hummus | WW 2pt

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (optional)

Place tahini and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add parsley; pulse until blended. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3 tablespoons hummus and about 3 pita wedges)

CALORIES 117(20% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 1g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 3.7g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 43mg; SODIUM 330mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20.4g
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005

October = Travel and Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

2010-10-17T16:37:00.002-04:00

If you've followed this blog for any period of time you know that I basically fall off the face of the earth in October due to business travel. In the past two weeks I've spent most of my time in Pittsburgh and DC. I'm off again on Tuesday and then again a couple days after that.

I miss the blog while I'm traveling and home cooked meals. But, the great thing is that I get back just in time to start making all of the great fall recipes, you know, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, butternut squash, cranberry sauce...I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Before I took off for Pittsburgh I made a few batches of soup to freeze so that I would have easy suppers on the nights that I was actually home. One of the soups that I made was a Butternut Squash and Pear Soup. Very Very Good. Sorry I don't have a picture of it, but trust me, it was tasty, and I don't have any left in the freezer, it has all been consumed.

Low Fat Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
Makes 6 servings

2 tsp olive oil
1 C finely chopped onion
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pound butternut squash peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ripe Bartlett pears peeled cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 1/2 C fat free vegetable stock

In a Dutch oven heat oil over medium heat, gently sautee onions until tender about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and stir, saute for about 1 minute. Add butternut squash and pears, saute 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes until squash and pears are tender. Use an immersion blender to puree soup together.

Per Serving: Calories 119, Fat 1.9 g, Fiber 3.2g

Rating = Damn Good

White Bean - Garlic Dip | WW 1 pt

2010-09-29T19:50:00.000-04:00

Remember when you were little and you used to get bored? Where have those days gone? What I wouldn't give to have a lazy Sunday afternoon where I was just bored, where my mind and hands were not busy doing half a dozen tasks at once, where I just thought to myself, "shit, I'm bored, I wish I had something to do. Remember when you were little and Christmas seemed like it was a lifetime away? Christmas is 87 days away and all I can think is "shit, it will be here before we know it". Why, why is time moving so damn fast right now? Is it because every year that we get older, a year is indeed a smaller piece of your life span on this earth, therefore it actually is a smaller unit of time as it relates to the time you've been alive? Want to hear something that will make you feel like time is on an unfair trajectory? I was running the other morning and happened on the Oldies 103.3 radio station, and, they led of the next block of "oldies" with Prince's iconic hit Party Like It's 1999. I nearly crapped my pants. When did Prince become an Oldie? Oh, and then the next artist...wait for it...Madonna. Madonna.

I'm speechless, we've become our parents generation and it happened without us even noticing.

Well, if age is inevitable at least this dip will help me get there without orthopedic shoes and elastic waistbands on all my pants.

White Bean Garlic Dip

6 servings | 1 pt

1/2 garlic bulb

1 cup canned cannellini beans rinsed and drained

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 scallions, minced

1/4 orange or red bell pepper seeded and finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro or parsley

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne

1. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Cut off a thin slice from the pointed end of the garlic bulb. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Unwrap the foil and let the garlic cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup of the beans, the lime juice and oil; puree.

2. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of beans, the scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and cayenne. Refrigerate covered until the flavors have blended, at least one hour.

Rating = Good (better the next day)

Cream of Broccoli Soup | WW 2pts

2010-09-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while a recipe surprises you. This was one of those recipes, it was a cold night, I wanted soup, we always have carrots, celery and onion in the house (what's the fancy name for that? Mira-poi? said with a French accent and a twirl of the right hand as you play with your imaginary mustache) whatever, I had all the ingredients, I made it, and we at the whole freaking pot that night. Do yourself a favor, double the recipe. Make extra, freeze it. Whatever, we thought it was that good.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 1/2 tbs canola oil

1 inion, chopped

1 small carrot chopped

1/2 celery stack chopped

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1 pound broccoli florets

3 cups fat free chicken stock (of course I used veggie stock)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup fat free milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add onion, carrot, celery and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer covered until broccoli is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat add lemon juice and let cool for a few minutes.

At this point you can use an immersion blender to blend together or blend in batches in a blender and return to pot. Add milk, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes to reheat.

And as you can see from the picture I topped it with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

Rating = So Damn Good (especially for Weight Watchers)

A Weekend to Make My Eye Stop Twitching

2010-09-12T18:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, the left eye, the "tired" eye as the eye doctor puts it, has started its Mexican jumping bean dance again. This happens in time of holy shit stress. Many things, too many to count really are stressing the ever living shit out of me right now. But this past weekend...labor day weekend was dedicated to doing whatever the hell I felt like doing at the time. We got in the car, no agenda, no itinerary, no plans and just enjoyed the weekend and our time together. We stopped and smelled the proverbial flowers, and as you can see from above, the not so proverbial, the actual.

We picked blackberries...

We visited the glass blower...

We found some waterfalls...

We made pizza with our home grown tomatoes and basil, and drank too much wine...

We remembered that most of our labors, are labors of love.

More from the Garden Goodness | Potato Leek Soup

2010-09-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

My mind has been in a million directions lately, I've been canning, cooking, gardening, working, stressing, running, meditating, grinding my teeth, getting a zit, flipping through cookbooks. I just don't have a singular stream of consciousness right now, its all jumbled hence the randomness of these thoughts and observances:

1. I feel like the worst place to get a zit on your body is right where the leg meets the ass, because this is where your underwear elastic hits and it will bug the ever living shit out of you until it goes away.

2. I saw a sign on the side of the highway, it was bright purple and it screamed in large letters FREEDOM FERTILITY. This is fine, its the fact that on the sign there was an image of what I think was supposed to be a lively sperm swimming up stream, but it ended up looking like an angry octopus, you know, right before it shoots you in the face with poisonous ink. I don't think that was the message the fertility place was looking to send. Just really bad marketing on their part.

3. I was driving the other day and happened to look in my rear view mirror and saw the woman driving the car behind me (with her windows up) take an enormous can of aerosol hairspray out of her bag and spray her hair for a good 45 seconds - while she was driving, with the windows up, I mean the only think that would have made that worse is if she was smoking a virginia slim or something like that.

4. Chris has informed me that I fart a lot in my sleep. He could be making this up, but I tend to believe him. Thank goodness I'm asleep and don't have to deal with that.

5. I haven't had a pedicure in forever. My feet suck right now.

6. George Clooney is still wicked do-able

7. The garden is still producing. The other day when the sky was all angry and the temperatures dipped 30 degrees, I went out and picked four beautiful leeks and created this wonderful creamy rich soup to warm the bones. It was even better the next day.

Low Fat Potato Leek Soup

2 tsp canola oil

2 medium shallots, minced

3 medium leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 2/3 cups fat free milk

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh snipped chivevs

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add shallots, leeks and potatoes, and cook on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken or vegetable broth and milk, and simmer half covered on a medium heat for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. [Transfer vegetables and some of the liquid to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add more of the remaining liquid until desired consistency.] I have a handy dandy motor boat blender so I just blended it in the bowl.

Ladle into 4 soup bowls; season with black pepper and add chopped chives or fresh parsley.

Per Serving: Calories 170, Calories from Fat 24, Total Fat 2.7g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 211mg, Carbohydrate 29.9g, Fiber 3.7g, Protein 6.7g

4 servings = 3pts each

This is where the magic happens people

2010-08-28T09:42:00.002-04:00

Chris spent so much time renovating this kitchen so that I could have an awesome place to cook and entertain. We're on the CB2 website up for best design. Please click the link and vote for Chris' uber functional and totally awesome renovation of our glorified galley kitchen.

Please CLICK HERE

Homegrown Eggplant | ATK Light Eggplant Parm

2010-08-22T20:13:00.000-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is nothing better than grocery shopping in your own back yard. Grabbing three eggplants, some fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and making this.

It is a rather involved recipe start to finish, but so amazingly good. I would however suggest that you double the sauce in order to make the dish a little less dry overall. I will also say that I would not limit this recipe to just eggplant, if garden is producing eggplant, zucchini, squash, etc. I would use slices of each of those and make a big vegetarian parmesan dish that would be a knockout for any dinner occasion.

Here's how to do it.

ATK Best Light Recipes | Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium globe eggplants (1 pound each) ends trimmed cut crosswise into 1/3 inch thick rounds

Kosher salt

1 1/2 C panko

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1/2 unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

ground black pepper

3 large egg whites (I used egg beaters)

1 tbsp water

vegetable oil spray

5 C Quick Tomato Sauce for Eggplant Parm (recipe follows) warmed

8 ounces reduced fat cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 C)

2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves

1. Toss half of the eggplant with 1 tsp salt then place in a large colander set over a bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and 1 more tsp salt, and transfer to the colander with the first batch. let sit until the eggplant releases about 2 tbsp liquid, 30 to 40 minutes. Spread the eggplant slices on a triple thickness of paper towels. Press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, and wipe odd the excess salt.

2. Adjust the oven racks to the lower middle and upper middle positions and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the breadcrumbs into a shallow baking dish and let cool slightly; when cool, stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan. Combine the flour, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper together into a second shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

3. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil and coat with vegetable spray. Season the eggplant with pepper. Lightly dredge one side of each eggplant slice in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the floured side of the eggplant into the eggwhites and then coat the same side with breadcrumbs. Press on the crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the eggplant, breaded side up on the baking sheets in a single layer.

4. Lightly spray the top of the eggplant slices with the vegetable oil spray. Bake until the top of the eggplant are crisp and golden, about 30 minutes, rotating and switching the backing sheets halfway through.

5. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer in half of the eggplant slices, breaded side up, overlapping the slices to fit. Distribute 1/2 cup of the sauce over the eggplant , sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Layer in the remaining eggplant, breaded side up, and dot with 1 cup of the sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the cheese is browned, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Eggplant Parm

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

4 medium garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 C minced fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

Process the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, 15 to 20 pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Off the heat stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

Eggplant Parm Nutrition Information: Cal 330; Fat 9g; Sat Fat 4g; Chol 15mg; Carb 40; Protein 22g; Fiber 6g; Sodium 1529mg

Tomato Sauce Nutrition Information: (1/4 cup serving) - Cal 25; Fat 0g; Sat Fat 0g; Chol 0g; Carb 4g; Protein 1g; Fiber 0g; Sodium 220mg

Rating = So Damn Good

PS - If you have left over baked eggplant they make for an awesome eggplant panini melt the next day.

Tonno e Fagioli (Tuna and Bean Salad)

2010-08-10T13:09:00.002-04:00

So, if you have already checked out the new Cooking Channel, then you probably have seen one of there shows, David Rocco's Dolce Vita. I'm in love with this show strictly for the scenery and the easy Italian recipes that he showcases. Chris hates this show because the way they shoot the show, camera wise would give anyone with the most remote inner ear issues vertigo. I tape the show and watch when I have time. Recently I watched an episode where David made Tonno e Fagioli, Tuna and Bean salad. I ran to the pantry, tuna: check, beans: check, fresh herbs in the garden: check. I made it slightly different than he did, in that I didn't use an obscene amount of olive oil in mine and used whatever herbs needed a little cleaning up in the garden, and I used to kinds of beans, not just one. Here's what I did.

Tonno e Fagioli

1(15oz) can Cannellini Beans (drained, rinsed)

1 (15oz) can Garbanzo Beans (drained, rinsed)

2 cans tuna (use whatever you like, dark or light, in oil or in water)

Fresh herbs - I think I used sage, parsley, thyme and rosemary (see how I wouldn't list them in the order the song puts them in)

olive oil (drizzle however much you want to put on to coat the beans and tuna)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for a couple hours. Mmm. This is a great dish to bring to a cookout because there isn't any mayonnaise to worry about, plus its chock full of great protein to make you strong like bull.

Rating = Damn Good

Mango Salsa

2010-08-02T12:54:00.001-04:00

I think the thing I miss most about being young now that I'm married, and an adult is that you don't get your own bedroom anymore. Remember when the bedroom was all yours, and you could decorate it however you felt, shake your ass to the radio while singing in front of the mirror, and just spend time in a space completely dedicated to you. There are not too many things I miss about growing up, but that for sure is one of them. Maybe I really don't miss the actual having my own bedroom part, maybe I miss the luxury of spending time in the bedroom, without the strappings of responsibility found throughout the rest of the house. I really only use the bedroom to sleep - remember when it was so much more, it's where your friends hung out, where you did homework, wrote in your journal. I now spend most of my time in the kitchen, and if my younger self could look at me now, I think she'd be amazed that I know where the kitchen is, let alone make creations in it. So, now, I guess the kitchen is my bedroom, it's where I spend most of my time, sing to the radio, spend time with friends. How we change.

Mango Salsa
I got the inspiration for this recipe from Simply Recipes and yes, I used my very own home grown jalapenos and cucumbers in the recipe.

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (as always, I always include the zest of the fruit)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

Rating = Damn Good

Maine Voyage | Lobster Corn Chowder with Mussels and Clams

2010-07-27T19:53:00.004-04:00

Its that time of year again. The trip to Bar Island to visit my aunt Julie and all the characters north of Ellsworth. I look forward to this trip so much every year, it's transports me to a place where my Blackberry refuses to get service and happy hour never starts later than four On The Dot. An amazing landscape that reminds you that this earth was carved out of the awesome power of mother nature, and her bounty is plentiful and giving if you treat it with respect and only take what you need.

The meal above was the culmination of more than one fishing expedition, but it started like this.

We started by sitting on the rocks, still radiating heat from the days full sun, sipping beverages and snacking on appetizers, dinner was crabmeat salad and lots and lots of wine.

The next day proved to be just as beautiful, with bright blazing sun, we took the boat out to catch a glimpse of the Puffins, famous in this area this time of year. They didn't disappoint. But, the highlight was waiting for low tide so I could strap on the muck boots and rake for mussels for dinner.

This is what happens when you don't watch your footing... you do the horrible dead leg stuck in the mud dance for a good ten minutes while your loving husband laughs and points at you.

But then, you free yourself (and hopefully your boot) and start to working.

And when your done raking and debearding and washing you steam them and then good Lordy you put them in the smoker and make smoked mussels which if you haven't had you're really missing out on something.

The next morning proved to be rainy and overcast, but the weather broke just long enough for us to head out and catch up with Bill, the lobsterman and watch him and his sternman pull traps for a few hours.

This is the view from the back of the boat.

This is a beautiful example of an egg bearing female. In Maine if you find a female loaded with eggs like this, you have to notch her and throw her back and she can never be caught and kept, she must always be put back into the water to help with reproduction. This is one of the prime reasons that the Maine lobstering community is doing so well; the population of lobster isn't depleted there like it is in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, this lobster can be pulled from the water, loaded with eggs and brought to the pound and sold. Take note Massachusetts, start instituting some best practices and maybe you won't be faced with a 5 year lobstering ban due to reduced lobster populations.

You can see in the picture above that her tail doesn't have any notches in it. Below you can see that we have notched her tail so she is never in danger of being removed from the ocean.

Another best practice in Maine is the policy that you have to throw back lobsters of a certain size, too large or too small lobsters must all be put back into the ocean, the small ones because they are not ready yet, and the oversized large ones because of their ability to fertilize the eggs of females. Below is a picture of them measuring the lobster to make sure it meets the standards.

This one is the perfect size, but the guy below is going for a ride right back into the drink.

The weekend was filled with many other memorable moments, but onto the recipe...which I found online, I adapted the William Sonoma Recipe, choosing this one because it utilized the shells and body to make a homemade lobster broth.

Lobster Corn Chowder with Mussels and Clams (adapted from William Sonoma)

1 tbsp Canola Oil

4 cups of water
1 cup of clam stock (I used the stock from steaming the clams, or just buy bottled)
3 ears of corn, kernels removed (and corn cobs reserved)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cups of milk (or cream)
1 cups of dry vermouth (or wine, sherry)
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
1/2 jalapeno seeded, deveined and diced small
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
(I also added some left over clams and mussels from the previous day)

Fill a large pot wiht 2" water, set over high heat and bring to a boil; add lobsters, cover and cook until lobsters are red, about 7 minutes. Transfer lobsters to a large ice bath to cool. Remove meat from claws, knuckles and tails and refrigerate meat until ready to use. Reserve shells and bodies.

In a large pot over high heat, warm oil. Add reserved lobster shells and bodies and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add water and clam juice (you can also use the broth from the lobster), vermouth (or wine/sherry), and corn cobs. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 25 - 30 minutes.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat the onion, carrots, celery and corn kernels and jalapeno, and saute stirring until tender, 4 - 5 minutes.

Strain lobster - corn cob broth into Dutch oven, add milk and vermouth and bring to a simmer. Stir in potatoes, return to a simmer and reduce heat to a medium-low. Cook until potatoes are tender - about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir in lobster meat, (mussles and clams), salt, pepper, thyme and chives. Cook stirring occasionally until lobster is heated through, 2 - 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Rating = So Damn Good

Meet the Famous "Avocado Lime Dip"

2010-07-19T20:45:00.001-04:00

This is the dip that made all the ladies swoon and say..."ooh, you have to post this recipe". For those of you who haven't tried it, do yo'self a favor and make a batch, and for the ladies who did try it at my house, leave a post to say how much it rocked.

This is another recipe ripped from the pages of Vegetable Planet.

Avocado Lime Dip

1 Haas avocado peeled and pitted
3 tbsp lime juice (I used the zest of the lime as well)
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground coriander
1 garlic clove minced
3 tsp canola oil (the recipe called for 1/4 cup which I thought was obnoxious.
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
(I also added a little fresh mined jalapeno)

In a food processor combine lime juice, zest, sour cream, cilantro, coriander and garlic. Blend well. With processor still running add the oil (I actually think because I lowered the amount so much you can just add in the first step). Mix in salt and pepper to taste.

This can be stored (covered) in the fridge for 5 days.

Rating = So God Damn Good

Oh,
PS
Wanna feel old, it's the 20th anniversary of Mariah Carey's first album. Gulp.

Garden Update July 10

2010-07-10T14:07:00.000-04:00

The Garden Overall

Heirlooms just starting to show their stuff

Burpless Cucumbers finally growing

Crooked Neck Squash

Eggplant (get in my belly!)

Pickling Cucumbers (canning next week!)

Can anyone say Jalapeno Jelly?

Banana Peppers

And some flowers!

I'm officially already sick of zucchini, I ate it every night this week. Bring on the Zucchini Relish!

Italian Bread and Tomato Salad | Vegetable Planet

2010-07-05T20:14:00.001-04:00

I know, terrible horrible picture, sorry. I promise it tastes amazing. I've been wanting to make bread salad for years ever since I saw "Tits" (read, Giada) make it on the food network. I don't know why it took me so long to make it, maybe it's been the lack of a large amount of stale bread in the house, I don't know, but I will make sure there is bread for this recipe again soon. Here goes:

Italian Bread and Tomato Salad | Vegetable Planet
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 garlic cloves minced
6 cups cubed stale or lightly toasted bread (I used a seeded French loaf that was so hard you could probably hammer nails with it)
6 plum tomatoes cut into wedges (I used grape tomatoes, halved)
1 small red onion diced
1 cup chopped basil, dill and cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, olive oil, water and garlic. Add the bread, and let it soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, taste, and add more salt and pepper if you need to. Serve immediately. (I actually had this salad the next day and because my bread was so stale it tasted better the next day, I'm sure this won't be the case if your bread isn't as stale as mine was.)

Rating = So Damn Good

Cod Cooked Over Sauteed Vegetables

2010-07-01T12:31:00.001-04:00

The garden is going great guns right now. Just this very morning I picked two zucchinis (which really should have been picked yesterday) and one banana pepper. I think I am going to make banana zucchini muffins as I have two bananas that are as black as the day is long sitting in my fruit bowl.

I also have a problem, a rabbit problem. I've seen him sneaking into the backyard to feast on the tasty leaves of my basil and the flowers of my peppers. I've become a crazy person, running out of the back door while screaming..."get the fuck out of my garden" fists raised in the air chasing after a bunny rabbit. Yeah, their cute and all until they attack your garden. And, I'm not proud to admit it, but I was driving down the street the other day when the rabbit bolted out in front of me and I TRIED TO HIT IT WITH MY CAR. Isn't that rich, the vegetarian decisively aiming her vehicle at a rabbit trying to kill it. We're buying a rabbit fence today, that better work or I'm getting all Elmer Fudd on that rabbits bitch ass.

So, need an easy dinner with what you've got on hand? I took a saute pan over medium heat, added a little olive oil, sliced onion, zucchini, summer squash, carrot and whatever random veggie was still lurking in the fridge sauteed them all together with a little white wine and a few fresh thyme sprigs, and when they were softened I laid some nice fresh cod fillets on top and let them cook right over the vegetables. Delicious.

Dad's Day Picnic featuring "Chipotle Black Bean Dip"

2010-06-24T10:07:00.002-04:00

So, my dad is a bit of a foodie. Not just in that he loves food, loves to read about food, has a garden, etc etc. He really likes being adventurous with food, really adventurous. I remember a story he told me a few years back about how he was driving down the street once and the car in front of him hit a pheasant. The car didn't stop, but my father did, he pulled over, he assessed the pheasant, he thought it didn't look to bad, so he picked it up, he put it in his car, he took it home. And HE ATE IT!

Can you f'in believe that. I recall him saying something like "it wasn't too bad, a bitch to pluck". I think I stopped listening at the part of the story when he said he picked it up. At that point, I think Ihad started to see spots. I give him credit though, I'm a pretty intense foodie, but he's got me beat, by a long shot. So when it came to Father's Day we decided to have a picnic, my little sister and I creating various culinary treats. See our spread below.

One of the things that I made to go with that there crudites was Chipotle Black Bean Dip from the book Vegetable Planet, this is the same book that I got the Rockin' Guacamole and Jamaican Black Bean Burger recipes from. All have been fantastic.I've made this dip twice, and the second time I added a bit of water to loosen it up as it is very very thick, if you like it thick keep the recipe as it appears below, if you like it a little more lose add some water until you get the consistency you like. I will say that I also doubled the number of chili peppers that it called for - cuz I dad likes his shit spicy.

Chipotle Black Bean Dip | Vegetable Planet

1 (15oz) can black beans
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 C chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
1 pinch cayenne
2 tbsp lime juice (I used the lime zest as well)
salt and pepper to tasate
1/4 hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted (optional)

1. Pour black beans into a strainer and run cool water over them.

2. In a food processor,combine the cilantro with the onion and garlic and chipotles and run the machine in short spurts to mince the vegetables. Add the black beans, cayenne, lime juice and salt and pepper and puree until smooth. (This is the point where I added a little water to make the dip less thick)

3. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds if you like.

Rating = Damn Good

Rockin Guacamole | Veggie Planet

2010-06-14T20:42:00.000-04:00

I just can't seem to get enough eggplant right now. I actually have four plants growing big and strong in the garden right now. I can only hope that they produce enough fruit to make this recipe over and over and over again. Actually, hopefully I'LL be able to use jalapeno, bell pepper, red pepper and onion from the garden in this recipe too. The only thing in this recipe that came from the garden was the cilantro, but come August I'll pretty much be able to make this from the back yard - will just need to get the avocado from the market.

This recipe comes from the cookbook Veggie Planet, the author owns a restaurant of the same name in Harvard Square in Cambridge. The original recipe calls for cooking the eggplant for 30 minutes, I found that I needed to cook the eggplant for almost an hour to get it fully cooked, I'm sure it depends on the size of the eggplant, but just know that you may need to cook it longer.
The original recipe also didn't call for jalapeno, I had one on hand, so I added about a half a jalapeno to the recipe.

Rockin Guacamole | Veggie Planet
1 lb eggplant
1 ripe avocado peeled and pitted
1 red bell pepper seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper seeded and minced
1/2 jalapeno seeded and minced
1 pinch cayenne
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 cup red onion minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425, cut eggplant in half and lay on baking sheet cut side up. Bake for 30 minutes (or longer) then allow to cool.

In a bowl combine the avocado, bell peppers, cayenne, garlic, red onion, cilantro, olive oil and juice.

Spoon the eggplant from its skin and add to the mixture. Mash with a fork or a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste, chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Mmm Mmm Mmm

Rating = So Damn Good

Jamaican Black Bean Burgers | Cook-Outs, Moose Sightings, Nudist..it was a good weekend

2010-06-10T21:09:00.000-04:00

Ok. So I'm a little tardy on posting the events of our Memorial Day Weekend in VT. I'm also sucking bad at posting anything in general even though I've been cooking up a veritable storm lately.

Let's just say that you know it's going to be an exciting weekend when it starts off this way:

For 10 years we have been travelling to VT. The streets along the way to out house are littered with signs screaming "Moose Next 10 Miles" and every time we drive by the signs I exclaim, "bullshit"; as we have never seen a moose on the road, ever. We'll I can no longer call bullshit on the moose sign because this baby moose caused a whole lot of ruckus on the road until it figured out it should be back in the woods. Our friends were with us for this trip and we felt we had to tell them that they were very special because this shit doesn't happen everyday.

The weekend going forward was awesome, but essentially non eventful unless you count the rousing game of boys versus girls trivial pursuit where dwarf tossing was an actual answer to a question that caused us all to roll on the floor laughing, that was until the Monday morning when we decided to take out friends on a short hike to the watering hole and waterfall not far from our house. The four of us were enjoying the watering hole just talking amongst ourselves about what a great weekend it had been, and how great the scenery was in Vermont. Interesting because your "scenery" will inevitably change when an older couple joins you at the watering hole, and this older couple are nudist and proceed to take off all their clothes and sit spread eagle on the rocks in front of the waterfall. I must say, I stared, I laughed and I apologized to our friends with a simple shrug of the shoulders saying, "that's Vermont for you."

So, two firsts of the weekend, the moose and the nudists, "that's Vermont for you."

Ok, ok ok. The recipe, so so so good, but only if you like ginger, and allspice because you really do taste it in every bite. I served these topped with spicy mango salsa and they were really really good. The recipe made enough for us to have two each and freeze three for future use, although I probably made them thinner than most people would so you may only get 4 patties out of the recipe if you make them big.

Jamaican Burgers | Vegetable Planet
4 slices stale or toasted sandwich bread (I used bread crumbs)
2 tbs canola or corn oil
1 1/2 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 (15oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
1 1/2 C cooked rice (I used brown rice)
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Break the bread into pieces and grind them in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute them, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until they soften. Add the garlic, ginger, allspice and nutmeg, and saute for exactly 2 minutes more. Put the mixture into a food processor. Add the black beans, rice, and chopped chili peppers. Running the machine into quick spurts, chop the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

3. Add the salt, pepper and bread crumbs to the bowl, and stir well with a large spoon. If the mixture is too wet to form patties add more bread crumbs.

4. Form into 4 patties, in a large non stick skillet cook over medium heat for four minutes each side.

Rating = So Damn Good

The first fruits of my labor | Pasta with Tuna and Garden Fresh Arugula

2010-05-25T21:14:00.001-04:00

It starts...the garden has started to produce the first of its many offerings; fresh arugula. God, I love this time of year when I can grocery shop in my own back yard, with the freshest vegetables right at my fingertips. The arugula came fast and furious, it has been used on grilled pizza with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, tossed with sundried tomatoes and also in this lovely dish that I found on Simply Recipes, Pasta with Tuna, Arugula, and Hot Pepper. I followed the recipe to a T except for I substituted chunk white tuna in water, and added a bit of crumbled blue cheese in at the end. Delicious. I actually thought it could use more arugula as it wilts down to nearly nothing when it gets hot.

I have to thank our lovely neighbors Vibhu and Angela for the arugula seeds. I can't wait to watch our side by side gardens grow this summer. They better be prepared for a few episodes of drive by zucchini-ing should the plants take off like they did last year.

Gosh, I just can't wait.

What are you planning on planting this year, anything fun or unusual? Watch for garden picks as we go forward. You'll all be calling me Mary Mary Quite Contrary.

Yes, thats me.

PS. What the hell is a cockle shell?

Rating = Damn Good (So Damn Good if you get the arugula from your back yard)

Jack Daniels Chocolate Fudge Cake

2010-05-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

It had been far too long since I had made an alcohol laced cake...this one, was a winner. I must admit.

Do not make this cake unless you like dark rich chocolatey goodness. This is not your wimpy milky chocolate, its punch you in the mouth rich chocolate. The Jack punches you in the mouth a little too. I made this cake at 8:00 in the morning, and found it a little unsettling that I had an open bottle of Jack on the counter so early in the day, but I quickly got over it as I tested, and retested the batter to make sure that everything was coming together nicely.

We shared this cake with about 10 people and everyone seemed to really love it. I don't think they would have said "hey this tastes like shit" even if they didn't like it, but I genuinely think everyone thought it was pretty good.

This is an official Jack Daniel's Cookbook recipe, I'm sure you could substitute something else in here, but this rendition was pretty damn good.

Jack Daniels Fudge Cake

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 C. sifted flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. dry instant coffee
Boiling water
Cold water
1/2 C. JACK DANIELS
2 sticks sweet butter
1 t. vanilla extract
2 C. granulated sugar
3 eggs (large or extra large)

Adjust rack to 1/3 up from bottom of oven and preheat to 325*
Butter and dust with flour a 9 inch tube pan or mini bundt pan.
Melt chocolate , set aside to cool
Sift flour, soda, and salt together
Dissolve coffee in a bit of boiling water, add cold water to equal 1 1/2 c.add the Jack Daniels and set aside.
Cream butter with electric mixer
Add vanilla and sugar and beat well
Add eggs one at a time
Add chocolate
On low speed, add alternately the flour and the liquid mixture. It will be a thin mixture.
Pour into pan and rotate in 2 directions. Bake 1 hour and 10-15 min.
Cool in pan for 15 min then remove from pan.
Can be drizzled with extra chocolate or make a mixture of powdered sugar, water and 1 T. Jack Daniels.

Rating = So Damn Good.

PS. Does anyone have any Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce recipes that they have made before?

Eggplant Caviar | Real Simple

2010-05-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

I tried to plant eggplant last year. They died. Actually they didn't die, they never grew, zip, zero, nada, nothing. I will try again this year if only to make this recipe over and over and over again. Simple, delicious, oh my God put more in my face please.

I had heard of eggplant caviar before, I think my father had mentioned it to me once, and asked if I had ever tried it. I thought it sounded intriguing, but you know eggplant, it can either be delicious or it can really suck. I was nervous about making this because it had so few ingredients. Fear not my fellow foodies....it's damn good. Make it.Like Now.

Eggplant Caviar

1 large eggplant (about 1 1⁄2 pounds)

1/2 small onion, finely chopped (1⁄4 cup)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)

kosher salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 400° F. Using a fork, prick the eggplant all over. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until very tender, 50 to 60 minutes.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the flesh, discarding the skin. Finely chop the flesh and transfer it to a large bowl.

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix to combine. Sprinkle with additional parsley and serve with the bread and vegetables, if desired.

Per Serving: Calories 140; Fat 5g; Fiber 7g

Looks like shit...tastes awesome | Tunisian Vegetable Ragout

2010-05-04T20:43:00.001-04:00

Looks God Awful Right! It was so good, a snap to pull together and it made a shit-ton of food. Another winner from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. She served hers over quinoa, but I didn't have any, so I just ate it with whole wheat couscous on the side. With the quinoa it's 5 points without it's 3. We paired this with a creamy chardonnay, which went well with the cumin, turmeric and allspice in the dish. Like I said, it made a lot and we ate it for what seemed like days, but I never got tired of it.

She's all rights reserved on this recipe, so here's a link that will bring you to the goodness.
LINK

My husband CB is a beer drinker in addition to loving wine. He likes to buy the Sam Adams variety pack, unfortunately for him, said variety pack also includes two bottles of Cranberry Lambic which he says..."tastes like ass." So, we end up with bottles of Cranberry Lambic sitting in the basement. The other day I grabbed one of the bottles and challenged it to a duel, I would make use of it and Chris would love what I could turn the ass beer into. I scoured the internet and found multiple beer bread recipes, narrowed down a few and decided on Cranberry Lambic Banana Bread, and I even made it vegan. I don't have a picture of it, cuz we ate it, fast, but I do have a picture of my new handy dandy chalkboard backsplash that I now use to write recipes on when I'm cooking and baking, thanks to my uber talented architect husband.

So, I haven't been to the "exotic" area of my local market. Anyone want to take a stab at a few exotic fruits and vegetables that I might want to try and cook or bake with?

Rating = Damn Good

Reader Challenge #5 (Strawberries and Cucumbers) | Salmon with Strawberry Cucumber Salsa

2010-04-28T19:56:00.000-04:00

This is it folks, the last reader challenge. I had so much fun with all of your suggestions. I think my next personal kitchen challenge will be "obscure fruit or vegetable challenge" there is a really awesome market by my work and I always find things there that I have never seen before, and never have the gonads to buy and try to do something with. So, that will be my next challenge for myself. If you have suggestions throw them out, I can't guarantee that I'll find it, but if I can I'll buy it and try to do something with it.

Before getting to the recipe can I just tell you that I cannot, cannot stand when you are driving behind someone who is driving alone and they take their right arm and wrap it around the passenger seat. Why do people do this? I have never had the urge to pull the movie theater, yawn arm wrap around stretch to the passenger seat, what is the thinking behind this.

And another horrible thing. My father-in-law looks like Michael Douglas, the other day I tried to watch Basic Instinct and I couldn't because I kept seeing him in all the crazy sex scenes. *Shudder*.

So, I got this recipe from a website called Taste Book. Here goes:

Salsa:
1/2 English cucumber, finely chopped
1 green onion (green part only), thinly sliced
1 Tbl. Fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 c. fresh strawberries, ¼ inch diced

Grill a nice fresh piece of salmon and top with salsa.

Rating = Damn Good

I had left over salsa and just threw it in a tossed salad the next day and it was great in the salad.

Thanks again guys, I really enjoyed this challenge.