Going Vegetarian?

 

Black bean burger and baby spinach on a bun with sweet potato fries.

Lately I've been toying with the idea of going vegetarian.  Not forever, but maybe try it for a month or so... but in the end, I usually decide I enjoy meat too much.  So instead, I've made the decision to limit my meat intake and try out new vegetarian dishes to add some variety.  Why not, right?

Taking meat out of dishes like pastas and pizza is not hard, but I wanted to go further than that.  I decided to start out trying to make black bean burgers.  I wasn't sure how they would taste or how the texture would be because I had never had them before.  I'm happy to report that they were great!  Well, the second time I made them they were great... the first time I accidentally went overboard on the spices and the burger was so spicy I couldn't enjoy it.  The second time, I toned down the spice a lot and also tried using a food processor during the burger making process.  Both of these changes made the burgers much better.  Doug had found a great black bean burger recipe here, so we used that recipe to go off of.  We edited it a bit, so the recipe at the bottom of this post is the actual version we used. 

And what goes better with a burger than fries?  In order to keep this meal on the healthy side, we opted to make baked sweet potato fries.  Our grocery store only had sweet potatoes labeled "yams," which after some research we learned in most supermarkets in America, what is labeled yams, is in fact a sweet potato.  Usually to actually get a yam, you have to go to a market with a large international market and they will clearly be labeled as imported.  So after we finished our sweet potato/yam research, I sliced them all up into steak fries.  In a bowl we tossed them with a drizzle of EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic.  Then we covered a baking sheet with tin foil (easy clean-up) and sprayed with a non-stick spray.  We laid them out in a single layer and cooked them at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, turning them after the 15 minute mark.

Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) Black beans (or 2 cups of cooked black beans)
3/4 of a medium Onion (cut the onion in half, and then each of those in quarters, add 6 quarters)
1/2 c. Rolled oats
1 egg
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. Black pepper
Salt to taste
1/4 c. Bread crumbs (plain)


Instructions
1. Combine the beans, onion, oats, egg, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt to a food processor.  Pulse until chunky.  Do NOT puree.
2. The mixture may be very liquidity, if it is, remove to a mixing bowl, and gradually mix in bread crumbs (you may not need the whole 1/4 cup) with your hands.  Mix until you are able to form a patty.
3. Form 4 patties with the mixture (you can make more if you want them smaller).
4. In a pre-heated non-stick skillet, at medium heat, place the patties in.  Flip once the bottom of the burgers have a crust formed on them, approx. 5 minutes.  Continue to cook until both sides have formed a crust.  Remove and serve as you wish!

The ease and deliciousness of this meal makes it a go-to meal for after work or a weekend lunch.  Plus, this is a super cheap meal to make, which is always nice.  It has definitely helped inspire me to find more vegetarian dishes!

Bel Canto

In this novel by Ann Patchett, we are at first drawn into an elaborate birthday party in an unnamed South American country for a high-profile Japanese business man, Mr. Hosokawa.  The party was thrown as an attempt to woo Mr. Hosokawa into opening a factory in their country, but Mr. Hosokawa's only interest in attending was because they hired the talented opera singer Roxanne Cross to sing for him.  The party was going well, they had American Bourbon and were served great foods like "shite asparagus in hollandaise, a fish course of turbot with crispy sweet onions, tiny chops, only three or four bites apiece, in a cranberry demiglaze."  That is until terrorist snuck in a took everyone hostage.

The terrorists sought the nation's president, who was not in attendance.  So instead, they decided they must hold everyone else until they figured out what to do.  After a while and some meetings with a negotiater, the terrorists release the women, with the exception of Roxanne Cross, and a few men.  The rest that were deemed important enough to stay, were kept in the house.  While the timeline is unclear, we know they are held hostage for several months.  During these months, it is Roxanne's singing that soothes them.  Friendships and in some cases, love develop within the house.  However, they all know that eventually it will end.

I will not spoil the ending for you because I think the story is a good one and you should read it.  But if you pick this book for a book club, please make sure everyone finishes it before you meet.  I do not think the story can really be broken down and discussed until it is all revealed.  And if you do choose this book for a book club choice, I think it would be fun to serve food as if you were also confined to the house they are all in.  After a while in the house, the terrorists/hostages have to learn to cook for themselves.  The prepared food stops coming and instead they receive boxes of raw meat.  While you could form your menu around that idea (they also talk about cooking rabbit, which I have never done) or choose the path from the beginning of the story of an elaborate dinner party, I think it would easiest to stick with the prepared hostage food.

Part of the reason I like the idea of sticking with the prepared hostage food menu is because I think the first time the hostages receive the food is an important part of the story.  The interpreter for Mr. Hosokawa learns that it will soon be his role to interpreter for everyone and no longer just his employer.  And considering his story arc, I believe this is an important realization.  Also, sticking with hostage food would allow you to prepare the food in advance and would mainly be assembling prior to the meeting.

In the novel they talk about sandwiches and wrapped slices of cake.  This is a very easy task for a book club.  You can make full sandwiches and then cut them into triangles for bite sized sandwiches.  Some suggestions are:
Grilled Cheese - Shake it up by swapping out American cheese for your favorite.  You can then add a veggie, fruit, or meat to this.  Our lovely host Madeline made us Gruyere and green apple grilled cheeses and they were absolutely delicious, and it was the first time I had it.
Hummus & Veggies - I think this works best as a wrap.  Spread the hummus over the wrap and then add vegetable spears, think carrots, peppers, cucumbers, etc.  This also would be great with cream cheese instead of hummus, however, that would also be less healthy.  Simply wrap it up, slice and serve.
Tuna Salad - Not just the boring tuna and mayo combo.  Add something to it!  Depending on what I have in my fridge, I've added carrots, onion, celery, pickles and olives (all chopped up) to my tuna salad.  I would put it on wheat bread with some baby spinach.
Cold cuts - This one simply choose your favorite at your local deli counter.  My favorite is Boars Head buffalo chicken with pepperjack cheese, topped with honey mustard. 

For the wrapped cake, it may be more time consuming to bake a full cake, slice it and then wrap each piece individually.  But if you're up for, you can do that.  Simply choose your favorite cake and go to town.  My other suggestions would be:
Cupcakes - Don't fill the wrappers as much as normally would, so the frosting doesn't build up too high.  You can wrap them up if you'd like, but technically, they are in wrappers ;-)
Cookies - Bake (or buy) your favorite cookies.  Then portion out little goodie bags for all the members. 
Fruit Salad - Make a fruit salad and divide it into small servings.  You can wrap each of those servings and serve with a plastic fork.

For drinks, I would keep it simple.  For non-alcoholic beverages, canned sodas and bottled waters would fit the theme perfectly.  For the adult drinks, you can serve cans of beer and boxed wine, with paper cups.  If you don't want to go with the boxed wine, I would choose a Chilean or Argentinean wine since the novel takes place in South America, although after a few glasses, your guests may not care as much...

This book is a quick, good read and makes for a great book club pick.  To make even better, pair it up with a themed menu and good drinks.  Enjoy!

Whoopie!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies.  The dessert that is somehow a cake, a cookie and a pie all in one.  While their origin is debated between Pennsylvania and Maine, there is no debate in their deliciousness.  In fact, some believe whoopie pies got their name from when Amish wives would pack the treats in their husband's lunchbox he would exclaim "whoopie!"  That, however, did not stop Maine's State Legislature from trying to make the Whoopie Pie the official state dessert, since they believe Maine is the true birthplace of the treat.  Perhaps it's this food feud that has re-sparked America's interest in the whoopie pie and why some say whoopie pies are on their way to becoming the next cupcake.
For a few months now, I feel like whoopie pies are everywhere.  Baking blogs, food magazines, cooking channels, and bakeries have all embraced the dessert.  After a reading a recent Taste of Home magazine, specifically the section on whoopie pies, I figured it was time for me to embrace it.  So this year for Valentine's Day, I treated my co-workers to some red velvet whoopie pies.  And they must've liked them since by lunch time they were all gone, with only a few crumbs remaining. 

The whoopie pies were very easy to make, and since they do not have to be as moist as a cake/cupcake, mixing the ingredients was a breeze.  No alternating between wet and dry ingredients!  To make the cookies all the same size, I used a tablespoon of batter.  This created a nice size cookie, that is big enough to share, but still small enough to eat a whole one.  For the filling, I put the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag with no tip, and piped the frosting right on to the cookie.  For some of the pies, I don't think I used enough frosting, since I was nervous I would run out before I finished all 24 sandwiches.  I ended up with left overs, so do not be afraid of filling them!  Also, the original recipe calls for melted baking chips, chocolate and chopped nuts for toppings, but I did not do this and it didn't taste like I was missing something.  The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients
Cake/Cookie

3/4 c. Butter, softened

1 c. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 c. Sour cream

1 tbsp. Red food coloring

1-1/2 tsp. White vinegar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2-1/4 c. All-purpose flour

1/4 c. Baking cocoa

2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

2 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Filling

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. Butter, softened

2-1/2 c. Confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla extract (clear)

Instructions

Recipe makes approx. 24 whoopie pies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.  Continue to beat.

4. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. 

5. Melt the chocolate (I use the microwave and check & stir it every 15 seconds).  Stir the melted chocolate into the mixture.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches are apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges set (the top of the domes may not be firm, that is OK).

7. Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. While they are baking and cooling, make the filling.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.

9. Using a piping bag, pipe about 1 tbsp. of filling on the bottom of 1/2 of the cooled cookies.  Top with the remaining cookies.  (Decorate with melted baking chips/chocolate and nuts if desired.)  Enjoy!

The batter before the melted chocolate was added

Finished batter, right before baking

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza!

Caution, pizza contains sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions & cheese.

NY pizza v. Chicago pizza, the ultimate pizza rivalary.  Thin crust or deep dish, which do you prefer?

Personally, I prefer NY pizza, after all, I am a born and raised New Yorker. However, that's not to say I don't enjoy deep dish pizza, I do.  But to me, it's not pizza.  I can't just grab a slice of it when I feel like it, I have to sit down with a knife and fork and a lot of napkins.  Deep dish is great when you're out with friends, it's perfect to share as you all sit around and talk.  When Doug and I were in Chicago visiting our friends Maggie & Tim awhile back, they took us and our other friends out for some Chicago pizza (and hot dogs that were delish!).  We ordered a veggie stuffed pie and a meat stuffed pie.  Both were amazing.  And since then, both Doug and I have reminsced both about our trip and the great food we ate.  And it wasn't until our friend Matt (who was in Chicago with us) saw our cast iron pan that a stroke of genius struck.  He saw it and immediately asked if we can make deep dish pizza in it.  Of course I said yes, and then couldn't believe neither Doug nor myself thought about it before.  And with that, we were on a mission!

In my last post, I wrote about how we don't like to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day and prefer staying in and cooking (well, I cook, Doug eats).  This year, since Valentine's Day was on a Monday, as we sat in our usual lazy Sunday positions on the couch, Doug suggested that we attempt our pizza (he knows the way to my heart).  I was sold!  We looked up a few recipes and finally decided to start with one posted on cooks.com.  Oh, also, we live-streamed us making the pizza, which was weird, but fun.  It took us about 3 hours to make, but it was worth the wait.  It came out delicious.  It was SO good.  And it made so much!  We still have more than half of the pizza left and we both ate until we were stuffed.  This pizza was not low-fat or diet or healthy in anyway, so I would not suggest eating it too often, but you can definitely treat yourself to a slice.  Below is the recipe we used, based off of one we found on cooks.com. 

I suggest you take a look at the note about the tomatoes because at our pizza did actually come out a bit runny (for lack of a better word).  Not really eating it, but after we took a slice out of the pan, you could see all the juices that cooked out.  To remedy this though, we simply tilted the pan and carefully poured the juices out.  Having the juices there didn't really impact the pizza too much though, bc the cheese on the bottom was melted and gooey anyway, it just made it a little more difficult to dish out. 

Ingredients
Pizza Crust
3 1/2 c. All-purpose flour
1 Packet Active-dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. warm water (120-130 degrees)
3 tbsp. oil

Pizza Filling
1 lb. Sweet Italtian sausage
1 Package pepperoni, sliced (pre-sliced or you can slice yourself)
1 (28 oz.) Can crushed tomatoes, drained **
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Dried oregano
1 tsp. Dried parsley
1 tsp. Basil leaves
1/2 tsp. Garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper
1 (10 oz.) Package fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 lg. Green pepper, quartered, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 Medium onions, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Sliced mozzarella cheese
1 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (as desired)

Instructions
Use 14 inch deep-dish pizza pan, 2 inches deep. Oven, 450 degrees. Yield: 6 to 8 generous servings.

Pizza Dough
1. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, the dry yeast, and salt. Mix well.
2. Add the very warm water and oil to the flour mixture. Blend at low speed; scrape the bowl and beat at medium speed 3 minutes, continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally.
3. Switch to the kneading attachment for the mixer and put the setting on low, gradually stir in enough remaining flour (2 cups) to make a firm dough.  Continue to knead until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.  (You can knead by hand of course if you prefer!)
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap, then a towel and let rest 20 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface.  Knead the dough to loosen the elasticity of it.  Then roll the dough out to a circle slightly larger than your pan.  We used a 13 inch pan, so we made sure our dough was as least 15 inches (in diameter).
6. Grease your pan and then pull the dough up and lay it in the pan.  Push it down so the dough reaches halfway up the sides.  Our dough was actually a bit big, so it came up a bit higher, that's fine.
7. Cover with a towel again and let rise for another 30 minutes (it should be puffy).

Filling
1. Remove the sausage from the casing and brown, stirring to break up the lumps.  Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms, green pepper, and sliced onion to the sausage drippings and saute briefly.  The vegetables should crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes with the sugar, spices and herbs.** 
4. Now to assemble the pizza!  First place the sliced mozzarella in a single layer on top of the pizza dough.  Try to cover as much of the dough as possible (you can tear the peices to fit.)
5. Distribute the browned sausage over the cheese, then the pepperoni, followed by the sauteed vegetables mixture (draining off any moisture that has accumulated).
6. Add half of the tomato mixture, distributing it evenly over the vegetables.  Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella and then distribute the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle the top generously with grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven about 25 minutes (until the edge of the dough is browned and the cheese is melted).
8. Slice into thick wedges to serve.

Cheese layer on the bottom

With all the meats added, next add vegetables

Just before placing in the oven!

We had some left over dough, so using a ramekin, we made a mini pizza!

Mini pizza, fresh out of the oven.

Slice & serve! (here you can see the extra juices I was referring)

A perfect slice! 

I paused mid-slice to snap a picture it was so good :)

**Original recipes calls for a can of plum tomatoes.  The directions are then to drain the plum tomatoes, chop the tomatoes, and drain again. Stir in the sugar, herbs, garlic salt, and crushed red pepper.  The rest of the instructions are the same.

Bringing the Steakhouse Home

Steak au Poivre, perfect for a date night

It's already a week into February, which means Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.  Whether you're single or in a relationship, you can't escape the red & pink decorations, hearts, flowers and chocolate everywhere you look.  Personally, I'm not a huge a fan of Valentine's Day.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy any reason to eat chocolate and get presents, and I love girly things like pink hearts everywhere, but there's something about Valentine's Day that always feels forced.  Which is why I will not go out to dinner on Feb. 14th.  I have no desire to sit in an over-crowded restaurant with couples holding hands across the table, all while eating food that is ridiculously marked up in price for the day.  I much prefer to stay at home with a bottle (or 2) of a good wine and make dinner for Doug and myself. 

Usually, Doug and I make dinner for ourselves almost every night, so for Valentine's Day, I like to surprise him with something new and/or something that we would order out to eat.  While I have yet to decide what I'll be making next week, I wanted to share a recipe I would recommend for a great Valentine's Day in.  Doug had sent me this recipe a while back, but at the time I didn't own a cast iron skillet.  Well, once my parents bought me an awesome Lodge one for Christmas, I was pumped to be able to make Mr. Bourdain's Steak au Poivre.

With the steak recipe, Anthony Bourdain recommends serving with french fries or sauteed potatoes.  I choose the healthier option of sauteed potates.  I simply cubed the potatoes, since dicing them takes a little bit of time, as you cut them, hold them in a bowl of cold water to keep them from turning brown, and then seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and some parsley.  But you can add whatever seasonings you like!  Then I added them to a warmed saute pan and added a little EVOO.  I don't add to much (like I said, I was aiming to keep it healthier), just enough to coat the potatoes.  Toss them a bit and let them cook until desired doneness.  I personally like mine on the crispier side, so I had them on the stove for a while.  Also, I had halved Tony's recipe because I was only making 2 steaks, but below is the full recipe.  I hope you and who ever you're cooking for enjoy!

Servings: 4

Ingredients4 8-ounce steaks
2 ounces olive oil
2 ounces freshly cracked peppercorns (crushed but not ground to powder!)
4 ounces sweet butter
1 ounce good Cognac
4 ounces strong, dark veal stock (something to keep in your freezer)
Salt and pepper

Equipment
Heavy skillet
Kitchen tongs
Wooden spoon
Serving platter

Instructions for Steak
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Moisten the meat very slightly with oil, then dredge each of the steaks in the crushed peppercorns to thoroughly coat. Don't be shy with the pepper.

2. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add 2 ounces, which is half of the butter. Place the steaks in the pan and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.

3. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until desired doneness, about 5 to 7 minutes for rare, 10 minutes for medium rare, and so on. Remove from the oven and remove the steaks from the pan to rest. Have I told you yet to always rest your meat after cooking? I've told you now.

Instructions for Sauce
1. Return the skillet to the stovetop and carefully stir in the Cognac. As much fun as it is to create a column of flame as you add flammable material to an incredibly hot pan, it's not really desirable or necessary — especially in a home kitchen. Unless you're a pyromaniac, I recommend carefully adding the Cognac to the still-hot pan off the flame, stirring and scraping with the wooden spoon to get every scrap, every peppercorn, every rumor of flavor clinging to the bottom of the pan.

2. Now place the pan on the flame again and cook it down a bit, by about half. Stir in the veal stock and reduce over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with French fries or sautéed potatoes.

Note on searing: With any recipe that calls for searing meat and then using the pan to make a sauce, be careful to avoid blackening the pan; your sauce will taste burnt. Avoid by adjusting the heat to, say, medium high, so it will still sear the meat but not scorch the pan juices. But stoves and pans vary, so pay attention.

Recipe and reviews can also be found here.  FYI - sweet butter is just unsalted butter, I had to look that up to be sure after not finding "sweet butter" in the grocery store.

Steak & potatoes cooking away on the stove

Embarrassingly Easy

Baked Brie Bites

As much as I love to cook and bake, I am a huge fan of serving food that does not require me to be stuck in the kitchen when I have guests over.  And while frozen foods are great for things like that (TGI Friday's apps anyone?), 99% of the time, I still prefer to make my easy appetizers myself.  I think it allows for more creativity and it LOOKS like you spent all day in the kitchen prepping for your guests.  The only downside of super easy appetizers is when someone asks me for the recipe.  I begin to awkwardly blush and suddenly feel guilty for accepting all their compliments on my cooking skills.  I mean, yes, I did make them, but it was so easy is it really fair for me to accept all this praise?  Also, do I want to admit just how easy it was and let them know I wasn't cooking all day with them in mind?  I usually end up caving in and letting them in on how simple the food was and hope that they use my simple recipes in the future.  Which is why I'm posting some of my favorites here, because who doesn't love easy entertaining?  ...And I hope to try some of your appetizers next time I come over :)

Baked Brie Bites (pictured above)

Ingredients
24 Frozen Phyllo Cups (my supermarket sells them in packs of 15, so I buy two)
1 Wheel of Brie
1/4 c. Sliced Almonds (you will not use it all)
Brown Sugar for sprinkling

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the wheel of brie into small pieces, so that one piece will fit inside a phyllo cup (I find 1 wheel of brie makes about 24 bite size squares).
3. Arrange the phyllo cups on a baking sheet and place a square of cheese in each one.
4. Bake for 5 minutes.
5. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle the sliced almonds and brown sugar on top of them.
6. Return to the oven and bake for another 2 minutes.
7. Remove, serve & enjoy!

*Note: I've made these also using Craisins instead of (and along side of) the sliced almonds.  Both are equally delicious.  I also think adding some green apple in there would be tasty - try it out!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients
1 can of Chick Peas (15 oz)
1/3 c. Tahini (found in the Middle Eastern section of the grocery store)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 c. Roasted Red Peppers
Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions
1. Combine the chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, and EVOO in a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Add the garlic and roasted red peppers and continue to process. 
3. Add salt to taste.

I like to serve the hummus with a tray of veggies, some pretzels and pita chips.  A fun serving idea is to use a pepper as a bowl, just cut off the top and scoop out the insides. 

Mango Salsa Scoops (from Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients
1 c. Mango, diced
1 c. Black beans
1/4 c. Red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. Pickled jalapenos, chopped
2 Tbsp. Pickled jalapeno liquid (from the jar)
Chopped cilantro
Lime juice
Kosher salt
Bag of Tortilla Scoops

Instrucitons
1. Combine the mango, black beans, red onion, chopped pickled jalapeno and the liquid.  Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.
2. Spoon the salsa into the tortilla scoops and serve!

Marinated Garlic-Lime Shrimp

Ingredients
Frozen raw shrimp - peeled & de-veined to make your life easier
Garlic-Lime Marinade (I used Lawry's and it came out delicious, you could also make your own if you'd like or choose another brand)

Instructions
1. Place the raw shrimp in a ziploc bag and pour marinade in, enough to coat.
2. Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat a saute pan on medium-low heat (I don't use any oil, just a non-stick pan) and add the shrimp, but not the excess marinade.
4. Cook until done, when the shrimp are all pink and shaped like a "C" - not a very long time
5. Plate and serve!

Shrimp in a martini glass, keeping it classy ;-)

Cold Outside, Chili Inside

On a day where snow is falling and piling up outside, there is little I find as comforting as good bowl of chili.  I had never really ate chili before, but tried it when I first went skiing about 4 years ago.  After a very long day of a lot of falling down, all I wanted to do was sit in the lodge and have a beer.  It seemed as if everyone was eating chili out of a bread bowl and it looked so good, so I ordered it.  It was delicious, and as I swore I would never ski again, I also decided I need to start eating more chili.  The following year my friends were planning another ski trip, so I went and opted to try snowboarding.  I fared better on a board than on skis, but it was still a long day of falling down and again, I found comfort in the ski lodge's chili (and beer).  Since then, I've actually gotten pretty good at snowboarding, now very little falling down, but I still look forward to that warm, comforting bowl of chili when I'm done. 

This year, since it seemed to get so cold so early into winter, I tried and succeeded in making my own turkey chili.  It was perfect for when we were snowed in after Christmas and lasted a few days.  I had looked up a bunch of recipes and decided to start with one that was posted on the Food Network website and then add in a few things that I saw in other recipes.  At the time when I made my first batch, I did not own a crock-pot, so I had to make it in a regular pot on the stove.  Since then, I now have a crock-pot and have made the same recipe in it, and it comes out just as good.  The crock-pot is a bit easier because I didn't stir it or constantly walk over there to make sure it didn't get too hot or boil.  And also in the crock-pot, once it was done, I was able to keep it on the warm setting for quite some time, which was nice.  I'd like to also add that while this recipe calls for ground turkey, I one time substituted it with ground chicken and it came out just as good, so if your grocery store, like mine, is lacking in meat department, feel free to switch it up. 

Everytime I have made this chili it comes out delicious and is also very cheap to make.  Once you have the all spices/seasonings, your biggest expense is buying the meat.  What I like to do is see when ground turkey or chicken is on sale and buy a few packages of it.  I then keep them in my freezer so I have them on hand and feel great knowing I saved money on them.  If you have the meat, spices/seasonings, you can make a whole batch of chili for about $5 (depending on your grocery store).  Again, especially with canned goods like tomatoes and kidney beans, if you buy them on sale and have them in your pantry, it's a great way to save money and make quick, cheap meals.  Here's the recipe I ended up using (adopted from the Food Network recipe):

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 c. Yellow Onion - chopped
1 Tbsp. Garlic - minced
1/4 c. Green bell pepper - chopped
1 lb. Ground turkey
1 (28 oz.) Can of crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz.) Can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 c. Low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Dried basil*
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Hot sauce (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet (or I use the large pot I plan to cook the chili in), saute the onions, minced garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil on medium heat, until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned.
3. If using a crock-pot, transfer the contents of the skillet to the crock-pot and add all remaining ingredients.  Set the crock-pot on low and stir well to combine.  If you are not using a crock-pot, reduce heat to low add all remaining ingredients to the skillet/pot and stir well to combine.
4. Let simmer on low for 1 hour.
5. This is optional but you can top each bowl with some shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream if you like.  Enjoy!

Here's a picture of mine in the pot (once with flash, once without flash):

*Instead of using dried basil, I keep some frozen "fresh" basil leaves that my mom grows in her garden.  She, very kindly, picks them for me and puts them in a ziploc bag that I keep in my freezer.  It's great to have on hand!

Eat Your Greens!

My new favorite lunch salad

Two of my 2011 new year's resolutions were: (1) be able to run the Warrior race wearing shorts & a sports bra (so really: eating healthy and working out) and (2) save more money/become better at managing my money.  One way I hope to accomplish both of those goals is by bringing a healthy lunch to work everyday.  I'm actually one of the few people I know my age that brings my lunch to work.  Working in Times Square, buying lunch can cost anywhere from $5 (Subway footlong) to $15, and it's crazy to think of what you can spend if you buy it everyday.  So usually, I brown bag it - either leftovers from dinner, a salad, a sandwich, and sometimes, when I overspend on the weekends, a good ol' pb&j.  And usually, I'm satisfied with that.  But sometimes I get bored with that and just feel like having something different, which is how I felt last Monday - the very first day I was putting my resolution into effect.  Also, I hadn't gone food shopping, I was too busy celebrating 2011!  So I had to go buy my lunch.

I went to Pret A Manger near my office and got my favorite wrap, the spicy shrimp and cilantro wrap.  It's delicious and is only 290 calories!  I kept thinking that the wrap is so good and does not have a lot of calories, so it's worth buying.  But it's about $8, which is more than what I would like to spend daily on my lunch.  So I decided, I will take this wrap and make a salad inspired from it.  Then I can have it for lunch or even with my dinner if I desire.  So that's what I did.  And I've eaten about 3 times for lunch so far (not bad for 6 days!). 

Making the shrimp for this salad is what took me the longest time to do.  I, in a rush, bought the frozen shrimp that was on sale, with out really realizing that it was still shelled and raw.  Usually, I prefer the one where they're all ready to go and just have to be defrosted (which is what I would recommend).  So I removed the shells from my shrimp, and then seasoned them with some salt and pepper and tossed them into a frying pan.  I simply used a non-stick frying pan, so I didn't add any oil/butter/spray to it.  I let them cook on the stove on a med-low to heat until they looked done (all pink, shaped like a "C"), not too long.  I then let them cool.  In the mean time, I gathered my other items: baby spinach, cilantro, a red pepper and a cucumber.  The baby spinach I simply opened and took out the amount I needed (I trust that it was washed, but give it a rinse if it looks suspect).  I then rinsed and chopped my cilantro.  I didn't chop it too well, because I wanted some bigger pieces in my salad, but you can use your discretion.  Then I cut the cucumber and red pepper into bite size pieces.  What I like to do, to save time during the week, is cut up everything and put them in separate tupperware.  Then when you're making your salad, you simply have to just reach into different containers and throw them in your bowl - super easy!  For dressing, I was able to find sweet chili sauce in the Asian section of my supermarket.  I found that even though it's not a dressing, you can use a tablespoon or less (depending on the size of your salad) and it will lightly coat everything.  I pack my dressing separately from my salad, so I just brought a lot the first time and I brought my salad to work and leave it in the refrigerator here.  It makes it much easier and then I can put some on right before I eat. 

This salad is my new favorite lunch to eat.  It's delicious, refreshing and healthy - perfect for keeping up with resolutions! 

Santa Delivers

I'm lucky/spoiled enough to still receive great Christmas presents from my parents. I'm not quite sure how my mom and dad do it, but they always manage to not only get me things I love, but they do the same for my 4 siblings, and even our boyfriends and girlfriend! Anyway, this year they did it again and I'd like to share (brag about) some of my food related gifts because they're awesome.

One gift I knew was coming (I just happen to send my mother the Amazon link) was a Lodge 13" cast iron skillet. She even got me the brush to clean it and a pot holder for it - she thinks of everything. I can't wait to make some Steak au Poirve in it - and you can bet I'll post pictures after. My parents also knew enough to get me this great Crock-pot, which was perfect, especially since I was snowed in a day later! I was able to make a double batch of turkey chili (recipe to come soon) for Doug, myself and our friends who were also snowed in at our place. Also, the red color looks great in our kitchen, even though my new pot set has orange it. Oh, did I not mention my new pot set? Well, that was my gift from Doug and I love it! We had talked about getting this set almost 2 years ago and then decided we didn't need it, so it's something we can hold off on buying. I had no clue what to expect when it arrived in the mail, but I was pleasantly surprised! I've been cooking up a storm with it and the non-stick, hard anodized surface is fabulous. I would definitely recommend these pots, they clean so easy too!

As if all that stuff wasn't enough, my parents also got me some great new cookbooks and my brother got me a set of ramekins that I had been going crazy trying to find! And some new fun pans, like this one, also from my brother and this one, compliments of my cousin Danielle. My cousins Nicole & Rocky even got my Bakerella's book, Cake Pops and The Pasta Bible (I'm still reading it, there's a TON of info in there). My Aunt Connie got me this great cookie press, which I am anxiously awaiting an opporunity to use! I am so thankful for all of my wonderful gifts and for the people who gave them to me. Like I said, I'm lucky/spoiled :)

Here's one final gift that wasn't quite food related, but I love it and think it's so cute, the Pandora bracelet with a pocketbook & cupcake charm! I've been wearing it everyday since Christmas and I still think the bag & cupcake are the cutest!

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

"The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School" is a great memoir written by Kathleen Finn. I read this book and then immediately chose it for my book club selection, so all my girlfriends would read it too. I chose this book even though I knew not all of the book club ladies are as passionate about food as I am - to 'get' this book, you don't have to be. On top of the excellent writing, this book is inspiritional, funny and has a great love story to boot.

Kathleen Finn was a journalist, who then fell into a job in as a software executive working in London. Despite being very good at what she did, her position was eliminated and she was let go by the company. Faced with the task of finding another job, she decided instead, she would pursue her passion. She cashed in her savings and moved to Paris to attend Le Cordon Bleu. Without speaking French (outside of basic terms) or having any culinary training, Ms. Finn made her dream come true. Deciding to enroll in the degree program, she embarked on her food journey, that would take her about three years to complete. During these years, you learn a bit about her childhood, for example, why living in Paris had been her dream, a lot about food & French cooking, and about her love life. Also examined in the book is the role of friends in your life, especially when sometimes you are "competing" against them. There is one scene in the book where they are cooking duck (if I recall correctly), one class member burns their duck badly and needs another one. However, there are none left, except one of their friends has an extra. Instead of giving her friend in need the extra duck, she quietly ignores her, since she wants to be the top student in the class. When I read this book, I, sadly, could relate to having friends that are competitive, even when there is no need to be. It's stories like those that make this book so relatable, although I am still stuck at my job that I happen to be good at and not living my dream.

Aside from the great story, part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much is (obviously) the food. I read this book shortly after taking Techiniques in Fine Cooking 1, at the Institute of Culinary Education. The course I took taught me all the basics of French Cooking, so reading this re-inforced all of those lessons, and since I had known them, it made me feel pretty good about my cooking techniques. On top of the great techinique tips thrown in there, Ms. Finn goes above and beyond and includes recipes as well. In fact, she's so great, she included a whole section for book clubs, which can also be found here. Her inclusion of this section made this blog very easy to write and hosting book club a joy. The hardest part was deciding which of her recipes to make! After much debating, I ended up making the Golden Onion and Roasted Tomato Quiche and the Provencal Spread*. My good friend Madeline brought us some apples, a baguette, and cheese so we mastered Ms. Finn's cheese tray. And all of my other friends were kind enough to bring along some delicious French wines, to play with the theme in the book. All in all, it was a great book and made for a deliciously great book club.

All my onions in my saute pan:

My finished quiche:

A slice of the quiche (not as pretty as I would have liked, but oh well):

*Both of her recipes linked are from her old website since I could not find them on her new website, which is here.

No Soup For You!

Just kidding! Fall is my favorite season, I love the cool weather, the colors and all the warm, comforting food. One of my favorites is soup... on a Sunday... watching football in my sweats... curled up on the couch... with a good book for half-time. Luckily for me, that's pretty much how I spent this past Sunday. Now, don't get me wrong, I love football Sundays filled with beer, wings, fried anything, and more beer. But sometimes, I just want to relax. And after a busy 2 months of completely booked weekends, that's exactly what I did. However, later on in the day, after Doug and I broke in our deep fryer with fish & chips (we'll save that for another day), I decided I want to make my own butternut squash soup.

So I searched around for recipes, found one I liked, and headed out to the store. My ingredients were all pretty cheap (luckily I had the spices on hand) and this soup made enough to last me all week! I was able to fill 5 tupperware containers, each with about 2 cups of soup in them - which for me, is great for lunch. The soup itself was also very easy to make, although my "mise en place" of all my veggies took some time - and left me with a blister on my finger (thank you butternut squash!). The soup came out delicious AND, it weighs in at only 159 calories per 1-1/4 cup serving. Not bad at all!

After I made this, I saw a post (I wish I remembered to save it), where someone served soup out of pumpkin bowls. I immediately loved the idea and thought this soup would be perfect for that! Just pick up the amount of small baking pumpkins (or acorn squash), cut the tops open for the bowl. Scoop out the seeds and all the fibers and sprinkle with a bit of sugar and salt. On a baking sheet, roast them for about 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees (longer for larger pumpkins). Viola! Not only will you have a great soup in a cool bowl, but no dishes to be washed when you're done! Also, for a larger group, you can use a larger pumpkin, pour in all the soup, put a ladle in and let your guests serve themselves. A great idea for Thanksgiving :)

Ok, now time for the recipe. I got this recipe from a Taste of Home Cookbook my mom bought me last year (it's my go-to cookbook and I would recommend it for all, buy it here). I actually changed a few small things, so below is the version I actually used.

Ingredients
1 c. Onion - chopped
2 Celery ribs (stalks) - chopped
2 tbsp. Butter
2 cans (14.5 oz each) + 2 tbsp. Reduced sodium Chicken Broth
1 tsp. Sugar
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 Butternut squash (approx. 3 lbs) - peeled, seeded & cubed (this is how I got my blister)
3 Potatoes (medium sized) - peeled & cubed
1 1/2 c. 1% Milk

Instructions
1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and cook the onion, celery and butter until the onions and the celery are tender.
2. Stir in the 2 cans of broth, sugar, bay leaf, salt, nutmeg, turmeric and cinnamon.
3. After about 1-2 minutes, add the squash and potatoes and bring to a boil.
4. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for approx. 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Discard the bay leaf.
6. In a blender, puree the mixture in batches. (I held my pureed mixture in a bowl while I pureed in batches.) Return all of pureed vegetables to the saucepan.
7. Stir in the 2 tbsp. of broth and the milk. Heat through, but do NOT bring it to a boil.

This recipe yields approx. 10 cups of soup, and thanks to Taste of Home, there is nutritional information for each 1 1/4 cup serving:
Nutritional Analysis: 1-1/4 cups equals 159 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 487 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 5 g protein.


Enjoy! Here's a picture of my finished soup (not plated though since it went straight into tupperware):

Fruit Bar

Remember in college when you would soak oranges and watermelons in vodka so you could enjoy some nice fruit while pre-gaming? Well, this is the more mature version of that. Macerated fruit served over pound cake, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Macerating, or soaking the fruit in liquid infuses the flavor of the liquid into the fruit. With fresh fruit, the most common way to macerate is to sprinkle some sugar on top, pour the liquid in and let it sit for an hour or so - that's it! This is a great dessert, especially in the summer, and is so simple to make. It's also perfect for group gatherings. You can simply make the pound cake, slice it or use a biscuit cutter to make individual sized cakes, set up bowls with different fruits, whipped cream and chocolate shavings to allow everyone to make their own a dessert. And because it's so easy, you can make a few different options in no time. For the pound cake, you can either make your own or buy one already made. I included a recipe below, but you can always substitute it with your favorite. Also, you'll see below that the technique for all of these fruits is pretty much the same, so go ahead and make up your own! Enjoy!

Pound Cake

Ingredients

1 pound/2 cups (4 sticks) butter, plus 1 tbsp.

1 pound/2 cups cake flour*, plus 2 tbsp.

1 pound/2 cups sugar

9 eggs (at room temp.)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Using the extra tablespoon of butter, butter two 9x5 loaf pans. Use the extra 2 tablespoons of flour to dust them.

3. Cream the butter and the sugar together (about 6 minutes on a medium speed). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully mixed in before adding the next.

5. While continuing to mix, add the vanilla and salt.

6. Slowly add the flour into the bowl, while still mixing.

7. When fully mixed, mix for about 30 seconds more. Then divide the batter evenly amongst the 2 pans.

8. Bake for approx. 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown but the crack in the middle will appear moist. The cake should spring back if you press it.

9. Allow to cool, then slice. If you want to make individual round cakes, you can slice it, then use the biscuit cutter in the middle of each slice.

Sliced Oranges with Grand Marnier

4 naval oranges

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

1. Cut oranges in half and peel using a sharp knife. Be sure to remove all the orange rind and the white pith.

2. Cut the orange into segmants. Do this by slicing along its divided membranes. Place in a bowl.

3. Sprinkle the sugar over the oranges and pour the Grand Marnier over the pieces.

4. Allow the oranges to sit for at least 1 hour before serving.

Raspberries in Red Wine

2 cups raspberries (rinsed)

Sugar

1/2 cup red wine (pick your favorite!)

1. Put the raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar (to taste).

2. Pour the wine in and let macerate for at least 1 hour.

Strawberries Romanoff

2 cups strawberries (washed, hulled and halved)

1/2 c. fresh orange juice

1/4 c. Curaçao or other orange liqueur

1. Place strawberries in a bowl and add the orange juice and Curaçao.

2. Let sit for 2-3 hours.

Peaches with Marsala

4 ripe peaches (chilled)

Sugar

1/2 c. marsala wine

1. Peel and slice the peaches.

2. Sprinkle sugar over peaches (to taste) and pour the wine over the peaches.

3. Serve immediately*

*Yes I realize this isn't macerated, but it still tastes good!

A recipe for homemade whipped cream can be found here.

For chocolate shavings, just grab a chunk of chocolate and take it to a cheese grater. It's very simple but adds a nice touch.

Your guests can make something that looks like this:

Crunch!

While bikini season is almost over, I still have a few more weekends that require me in a bathing suit. Only problem is, my desire to look good in a bikini directly conflicts with my love of chips, popcorn, crackers, pretzels and crunchy snack foods in general. For some reason, when I crave junk foods, I don't crave a specific flavor, instead, I know I want something that will crunch. So when I heard about kale chips, I was intrigued. Do they really get that crunchy in the oven? And even if they do, will they even taste good? Kale is extremely nutritious and filling, so if this will work as a yummy, crunchy snack, I can munch on them guilt-free! So, on my way home from work before the weekend, I stopped by the store and picked up some fresh kale, and was ready to go. Making the chips was pretty quick and very easy. They did crisp up and prove to be very tasty! Doug said they "weren't his thing," but what does he know anyway? I enjoyed them. After making them, I read some other recipes/reviews online, and found that if you leave them in the oven for too long, they will become so crispy that they crumble and fall apart. While my chips didn't fully crumble, after biting into them, some of them made a bit of a mess with all the crumbs. So now, I'm thinking perhaps I should've removed them from the oven a minute or two earlier. However, they were still very enjoyable. I also read that some people like to add more flavoring, such as cheese or garlic, which sounds like it would be delicious. While I don't think you need the extra flavors, I do agree that it would probably taste very good.

All in all, I was happy with the result. One head of kale made a lot of chips, so come Sunday, I was still snacking away on them (fyi - I didn't keep them in the fridge, just in a bowl with seran wrap, a ziploc bag would work fine too). See below for recipe & photos. Crunch away!

Kale Chips

Ingredients

1 Head of kale

1 Tbsp. olive oil (I didn't measure this, I just used enough to be able to toss all the leaves in it)

Sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Cut the Kale off of the stems and tougher rib areas. Cut into manageable, chips size pieces. Wash with cold water and run through a salad spinner. Make sure leaves are dry.

3. In a large bowl, toss the kale in with the olive oil.

4. Spread the coated kale on to a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle sea salt over the pieces (as much or as little as you like).

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crisp and the edges start to brown. Enjoy!

Right out of the oven...

And into the bowl!

The Help

The novel written by Kathryn Stockett, The Help is set in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi and explores the very common practice of black women being maids in white households. The story is narrated by three different characters, as described below:

Aibleen - a middle-aged black maid who recently lost her only son. She has raised 17 white children in her life, and becomes very devoted to her most recent white child. She raises these children as if they are her own, even though they eventually reach a certain age where they realize she is "the help" and break her heart.

Minny - Aibleen's best friend, she is a short, fat and sassy black woman. She is known to be the best cook in Jackson, but has yet to learn the ability to bite her tongue. After losing her job and her reputation is ruined, she eventually finds a new one when a new woman in town has not heard of her.

Skeeter - a young white woman who recently graduated from Ole Miss, but instead of a ring on her finger, she has an English degree. She doesn't quite fit in with anyone who should be in her friend group and has dreams of becoming a writer. Urged on by a female editor in NY, she begins to document the stories of maids that are working in Jackson.

These three intertwining stories come together and the reader sees how much "the help" play an important role in the 1960's Jackson. Through Skeeter's research and interviewing the maids, we learn that some are appreciated and loved, while others are made to use a separate bathroom in the garage. We also get a good sense of the racial tension, when we read about the fear the maids have of being found out, and even the risks Skeeter goes to maintain the confidentiality of the interviews and the maids. And all while exploring a dark section of our nation's racial history, Kathryn Stockett manages to keep the book laugh out loud funny.

Now for the fun part... what to serve for a themed book club meeting! This book was chosen by Moira and she hosted the meeting for it. It was her great idea to make all the food served at the meeting themed with the book. She served us some fried chicken tenders, mac & cheese, and even enlisted my help to make a chocolate pie (once you read the book, you will understand the importance)! Here are the recipes, as well as some other menu ideas you may want to look into:

Fried Chicken Tenders - these were quite possibly the best homemade chicken tenders I have had. Instead of using a whole chicken and butchering it, Moira opted to use boneless, skinless chicken breast that she cut in strips. This recipe calls for self-rising flour, which if you can't find or don't have can be substituted with all-purpose flour by adding baking powder and salt to it (1 c. self-rising flour = 1 c. all-purpose flour + 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt). The recipe can be found here.

Mac & Cheese - this dish is made in a slow cooker and sits for 3 hours to become absolutely creamy and cheesy. Great for bigger groups, as the recipe yields 12 servings! Also, because it's in the slow cooker, it's a nice set & forget it dish, allowing you to concentrate on other menu or drink items. Recipe can be found here.

Fried Pork Chops - Minny gives lessons to her newest "white lady," in hopes of teaching her how to cook. One of the things she teaches her is fried pork chops, and it's crazy to me that someone wouldn't be able to learn this! Another Paula Deen recipe, here's a simple way to do fried pork chops.

Biscuits - what southern meal would be complete without a nice, warm biscuit? You can take the easy route and just buy the ones you pop out of a can and toss in the oven. If you don't have time to make them, it is a great shortcut, that tastes delicious. If you prefer to make your own, here's a classic biscuit recipe.

Caramel Cake - in the book, Minny is known for her caramel cake and has gotten jobs off of her skill. Here's a recipe to try to see if you can compete with the cake that was the best in The Help's Jackson, Mississippi.

Chocolate Pie - the chocolate pie Minny bakes, comes to play an important role in the story. This is the recipe I used and it came out delicious. I think Minny would be proud!

Some other ideas are: fried okra, deviled eggs, butter beans, and a peach cobbler. Have fun with it!

Now, as far as drinks go, most of the drinks mentioned in the book are non-alcoholic. They are Tang, Tab and iced tea. If you're meeting is alcohol-free, go with those. Personally, our meetings are never alcohol free. So here's some fun ways to play up the theme.

Wine - When I think about the bridge club woman in the book, I think they would be drinking white wine spritzers. I also seem them enjoying a fruity, sweet Riesling. Either way, I would choose white wine, as I can't see red wine (normally served at room temperature) being a drink of choice in the hot weather of Jackson.

Sweet tea vodka - Firefly is a popular one, but there are others out there. This is vodka that has been infused with sweet tea. You can drink it on the rocks if you like, but I usually mix it with some lemonade and then water to dilute it a bit.

Tab - Tab is a diet cola drink made by Coca-Cola. If you can find some, and want to make it alcoholic, mix it as you would Diet Coke.

Scotch - The woman in Jackson were not drinking scotch, but the men were. In fact, on one of Skeeter's dates she is turned off by the amount of Scotch her date drinks. If you can handle it, pick up some of your favorite brand and dive in. Personally, my favorite is Macallan 15, but I wouldn't drink that for book club.

These are just a few suggestions and I would love to hear any other ideas you have. Hope you enjoy the book, food & drink!

New Idea!

I along with baking and cooking, I also love to read. You may have noticed, I have had a link for "what I'm reading" up for a while, which usually had a 1-2 sentence summary and a link to purchase the book. For the past year I have been a member of a book club, that consists of about 8 of my good girl friends. Our meetings are held once a month, and at them we talk about the book, eat, & drink wine.

It wasn't until I was planning last month's meeting at my apartment, that the idea to combine my food, drink and reading love hit me. Perhaps it was because I chose a book about a woman attending culinary school and she is awesome and happened to insert a "menu guide for book club" at the end, but I felt like there should be something, somewhere that brings books to life through food & drink. And that is what I hope to do. I will start off by first reviewing some of our previous books, giving a quick summary/review of the book and then offer menu ideas. Our book club has done book-themed meetings before, so I will start off with those. I will label/tag all of these posts "book club" so they are easy to access. Also, now on the side instead of the "what I'm reading" link, you will find clicking on the book will take you to my post about it. Enjoy!

Healthy, Summer Turkey Burgers

Summer in NYC this year has been HOT, I mean, way hotter than any other summer I can remember. Living in an apartment, it makes turning on the oven painful. Even having the stove on seems to make our living room feel 20 degrees hotter. While dreams of a backyard growing fresh herbs and vegetables, a giant grill and outdoor kitchen set up dance in my head, I have still been cooking and baking in the apartment, just not as often as I would like too. To make it better, I have been choosing meals (and the occasional treats) that are faster to make. One of those things, is turkey burgers.

Normally, when Doug and I make burgers, he handles it. He is a man, he cooks red meat while his Gears of War video game is paused, that's what men do. Or so he tells me. I usually have no objection to this, as I lay on the couch, read and then just eat what is presented to me. He does make an awesome burger. But this time, I wanted to do it. I had caught part of a Rachael Ray episode over the weekend where she made turkey burgers with fresh herbs and I was inspired.

So on the way home from the gym (I find that the best time to go food shopping, I only want healthy things!), I stopped at the grocery store to pick up my ingredients. I picked up great whole wheat buns, as well as 93% lean ground turkey, which I would have liked to go leaner, but the selection at the store was not the best. For my fresh herbs, I decided to go with parsley, cilantro and dill. I felt the citrus-y flavor of cilantro will also bring out the subtle citrus & sweet flavor in the dill, and the savory parsley will be a nice addition to it. For your herbs, feel free to choose what you like best!

Because ground turkey is lean, it is easy to let it dry out when cooking. That is why you want to add a lot of fresh herbs, they will help keep it moist. For the 1.3 lbs of ground turkey, I added a little less than a 1/4 cup of each chopped herb. Also, to maintain moisture, I added a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and mix it up - mix enough so everything is incorporated, but then do not keep mixing. Form the patties (I was able to form 6 decent sized patties) and throw them on your grill - or in my case, grill pan*! I served them with a slice of vegan cheese (mozzarella flavor), on the whole wheat buns I bought, with a nice slice of tomato. The whole burger had a fresh, crisp feeling to it, perfect for a hot summer day! Also, since it was only Doug and I eating, I saved the extra patties by wrapping them in plastic wrap and putting them in the fridge. If you want to reserve them longer than 3 days (that's my limit), put them in the freezer instead.

*Before putting on the grill pan, make sure it's hot! Also, I pour some vegetable or canola oil on a paper towel and use to spread over my grill pan so it is very lightly greased.

Some patties before they hit the grill:

After a bite or two:

DIY: Granola Bars

I found this recipe a while ago, when looking up treats that featured peanut butter for a LOST party. Before that, I had never realized how easy it was to make your own granola bars. These are great for snacks or a on-the-run breakfast. They will also stay for at least a week if in sealed package. This recipe was a Giada recipe that I slightly altered after reading some reviews:

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients

-Vegetable cooking spray

-1 Egg white

-1/2 cup Chunky peanut butter

-1/3 cup Brown sugar

-1/4 cup Honey

-5 Tbsp. unsalted butter*, melted

-2 cups Old fashioned oats

-1/4 cup Slivered almonds

-1/3 cup Miniature chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position oven rack in the middle.

2. Spray a 7 x 11 baking pan with the vegetable cooking spray. Lay parchment paper in the pan, allowing excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the paper lightly with the vegetable cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and almonds. Stir to combine, and then add the chocolate chips.

4. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan with a rubber spatula. Press lightly to form an even layer. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, when the edges begin to brown.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. When thoroughly cool, cut and serve.

*If not stated, use unsalted butter in baking recipes. This way, you are controlling the salt in the recipe, not the company that processed your butter.

East Meets West Coleslaw

In my previous post, I posted the recipe that my friend Moira and I created for braised pork to celebrate LOST. Well here is another recipe that I served at the Lost party. This coleslaw was the easiest dish to make and was absolutely delicious. I would definitely recommend it for a summer barbecue.

Ingredients

-1/2 Head of purple cabbage, shredded

-1 c. Slice almonds

-2 pkgs. Ramen noodles, broken up

-1 bunch Scallions, chopped (add to your discretion)

-1/2 c. Vegetable oil

-2 tsp. Toasted sesame oil

-1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

-1/3 c. Sugar

-1/4 c. Rice vinegar

-2 Season packets from Ramen noodles (chicken flavor)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, almonds, Ramen noodles and scallions.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and Ramen seasoning packets.

3. Pour the dressing over the dry ingredients and toss. Let sit for a few hours.

I didn't take picture of it that night in the bowl, so here's a picture of the leftovers:

Braised Pork for LOST

As huge fans of the show LOST, Doug and I have hosted a few viewing parties for episodes. Well, this past Sunday was the season finale, so we invited our fellow Lost fanatics over and sent the show off in style. My friend Moira and I planned out a whole menu which included items such as: Jin's Steamed Mussels, Mr. Cluck's Popcorn Chicken, Locke's Braised Pork, East Meets West Coleslaw, and Generic Character Rice Pilaf. All week long I food shopped and prepped ingredients, because we would only have about 3 hours to prepare everything. Unfortunately, Moira got called into work and was unable to attend, but luckily enough, we had discussed our menu so thoroughly that I knew exactly what needed to be done. I was stressed out making all of this food on my own, especially in a 3 hour window, but in the end, I pulled it off. It goes to show you that planning and preparation really do pay off. Here's one of the recipes that Moira and I collaborated on to create, based on a braised lamb shank recipe we had. In honor of Lost, we changed it to pork (close to a boar, right?) and used pineapple juice instead of wine as our acid. We also threw in some cinnamon and a splash of rum. Some of the portions of ingredients are estimates and with the all the rushing around, I forgot to take pictures. Try it out and feel free to play with the spices you put in!

Locke's Braised Pork

Ingredients

-Package of sliced bacon

-Pork Shoulder/Butt (I used approx. 5 lb pork butt roast)\

-Salt and Pepper for seasoning the pork

-1/2 cup Carrots (chopped, about 1/4 inch)

-1/2 cup Celery (chopped, about 1/4 inch)

-1/2 cup Onions (chopped, about 1/4 inch)

-1-2 Garlic cloves, chopped

-6 oz. Pineapple juice

-2 Cinnamon sticks

-2 Star Anise

-3-4 Sprigs of Thyme

-4 cups Chicken stock

-1 oz. Rum (I used Bacardi Silver)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large, oven proof pan (not too big, but large enough to fit the meat and be covered), add the bacon and turn on high heat. When the bacon has produced enough grease to coat the bottom of the pan, remove the strips. Feel free to fully cook the bacon if you are going to use it in something else later one, personally, I discarded mine.

3. While the bacon is cooking, season the pork with salt and pepper. After removing the bacon from pan, put the pork in. Brown all sides of the pork. It is important to get the color that you want during this step because once the acid is introduced, the meat will no longer brown. The browning is also carmalization of natural sugars, so it will add to the flavor of your meat.

4. When the meat is sufficiently browned on all sides, remove from pan and reserve on a dish.

5. Reduce the heat to medium. (If the fat/grease has burned, discard and add 3 tbsp of vegetable oil.) Add in the carrots, celery, onions (which is also known as "mirepoix") and garlic. Sauté for 5 - 7 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not allow to burn (add more oil if necessary).

6. Add the pineapple juice and deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil.

7. Remove from heat and add the cinnamon sticks, star anise and thyme. Place the pork back in the pan. Add the shot of rum and pour in chicken stock until the pork is 1/2 way covered.

8. Cover and place in the oven for 1.5 hours. If your cover does not seal completely with your pan, place a sheet of aluminum foil under the cover to create a better seal. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the pork and place it back in oven for another 1.5 hours.

9. After the 3 hour cook time, the pork should be done. Use a meat thermometer to be sure, the thickest part should reach 160 degrees. Place on a heated plate and cover with with foil.

10. Pour the juices through a fine mesh strainer and press down with a wooden spoon to extract all juices from the vegetables. Return the juices to pan and place on high heat. Reduce the juices by half, skimming the surface with a ladle or straining spoon to remove any excess fat.

11. Cut up the pork and pour the sauce over it. Enjoy!