In the kitchen with Lily

Lots to Add!

2011-08-30T08:28:00.000-04:00

Since my last post over a year ago, we have been busy!

We just dove into the renovation - the "new" part of the house has been removed and we are working on the addition.

We adopted another dog, Walter!

We adopted 2 miniature Mediterranean donkeys, 2 Nigerian dwarf goats, and some chickens (and roosters!).

Lots coming...

Zucchini Alfredo with (or without) Chicken

2010-07-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

We were skeptical but this was reallllly good! Adapted from allrecipes.com.

The recipe as provided was vegetarian and can easily be kept that way, but I had leftover chicken from the rotisserie earlier in the week that I added in. My adaptations to the original added below-

Half of a 12 ounce package uncooked egg noodles
Vegetable oil for sauteeing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

1 summer squash, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

8-10 oz chopped chicken breast (optional)
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Mix in zucchini/squash, and cook 8-10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.
Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted.

Make sure hungry dog does not steal skillet

Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper, serve over the cooked pasta.

More harvesting!

2010-07-13T22:00:00.000-04:00

This garden is going nuts - it's awesome! We are both bringing in lots of zucch/squash/cucumbers to share w/our coworkers tomorrow. Some pics from tonight:

Chris is checking the cucumbers; melons are closer in the foreground, squash/zucch's to the left and beyond the picture. Tomatoes (small and green still) are right beyond the cukes. Way too packed but all seem to be producing just fine so far.

YAY first little watermelon!!

Tuesday night harvest; 4 zucchini, 3 summer squash, 2 spaghetti squash, lots of dragons tongue beans, lettuce, basil, 3 slicing cukes and 4 pickling cukes!

Crab, Squash & Tomato Quiche

2010-07-13T21:54:00.000-04:00

I rarely make quiches but thought it would be a good way to mix up our zucchini usage and use up some crabmeat we had. This was a pretty made up recipe just using numerous quiche recipes as guides.

1- 9" pie crust
1 large zucchini/summer squash, cut into ~1" pieces, drained as much as possible
1 tomato, cut into ~1" pieces, juice removed
1 medium onion, sliced
8 oz. crabmeat
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Saute squash and onion until tender/lightly browned. Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add crabmeat and stir. Whisk eggs and milk in small bowl. Pour veggie and crab mixture into pie shell, top with egg/milk mixture - your crust should be filled to the top! I added some extra crab on top too :)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 - 65 minutes. It took mine about an hour - I think I didn't drain the crab enough. So make sure to do that-

Grilled Chili Chicken

2010-07-13T21:42:00.000-04:00

For whatever reason, I rarely make recipes from the many magazines I get. However, the "Piri-Piri Chicken" in the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit looked right up our alley :) I mostly stuck with the recipe except I used a combination of Sriracha chili sauce and sweet red chili sauce in lieu of Piri-Piri; and we rotisserie'ed instead of halving and grilling. It was delicious - we will definitely make this again.

Glaze
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons total of Sriracha & sweet chili sauce - depending on your heat preference.
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp ginger (I keep a jar of minced ginger in the fridge)
1 large shallot, peeled, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup of chili sauce - again; sweet to hot according to your preference. The Sriracha is hot!!
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken

Chicken Marinade
Finely chop cilantro, ginger, shallot, and garlic in processor. Add piri-piri sauce, 1/4 cup oil, lemon juice, coarse salt, and pepper; process marinade to blend.
Rub marinade into chicken and cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and set it up on the rotisserie at around 350-400 deg F. Cover barbecue; grill for one hour wrapped in aluminum foil.

While the chicken is grilling; prepare the glaze. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cilantro and garlic; cook until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chili sauce and lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes. (Glaze can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using.)

Remove foil and cook for another 45 minutes until skin is browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F-

I served this with an asian coleslaw and sauteed zucchini and onions with fresh thai basil - yum!!

Zucchini Brownies!

2010-07-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

Another allrecipes winner. They are so delicious and moist. The recipe includes a frosting which I skipped because the goal for me was to make a sweet dessert more healthy. They are really SO.GOOD. Original recipe here. My version below.

1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini (gently drained)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended.

Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.

Fold in the zucchini. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife comes out clean when inserted.

Zucchini Bread

2010-07-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

Made a double batch to bring some into work - it was a big hit! I went the safe route since I was doing a double batch and used the highest rated zucchini bread recipe from allrecipes :) - except I eliminated the walnuts. I used summer squash as well.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (drained)

Grease two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a separate large bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. *It took mine a good hour.

Harvesting!

2010-07-11T16:18:00.001-04:00

Finally been harvesting a lot from the garden. We have also come to realize that we need to double its size next year - the squash, melons, and cukes are all intertwined and too close (that is the jungle to the right/ rear). They seem to be doing fine though. Notice the dead eggplants in the bottom left - there were slug/bugs on them and I used Dr.Bronner's and water but at a much stronger dilution than was recommended online. Oops. Follow recommended dilutions!

I made the mistake of not realizing how FAST zucchini and squash can grow in just a few days and ended up w/some huge ones; not the best for eating grilled/sautéed due to the seeds, but perfect for baking.

Zucchini, summer squash, a head of romaine, 2 cucumbers (for pickling), and a teeny carrot!

I wanted to see how the carrots were doing/ how big they are, and I discovered they are still tiny :) This is a heritage breed "Dragon Carrot". Purple on the outside and orange when sliced. It has a slightly spicy flavor!

Broccoli - so good. Will plant more towards the fall.

Broccoli, sugar snap peas, basil, slicing cucumber

And more lettuce!

Mixed Berry - Pretzel Icebox Dessert

2010-07-11T15:59:00.000-04:00

I made this recipe from Noble Pig for the 4th of July and it was SO good. I didn't change a thing, except used all fresh berries instead of some frozen. Amazing!

Crust
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
3 Tablespoons sugar
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt (do not substitute regular yogurt, it will be too thin)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 (3 oz) packages strawberry gelatin
16 oz fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh blackberries
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400 deg F; mist a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Process pretzels in food processor until finely crushed.

Add sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine.

Press pretzel mixture into baking dish and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

Make filling using an electric mixer on medium speed, beating cream cheese with sugar until well blended. Fold in yogurt and vanilla. Spread over cooled pretzel crust, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2-3 hours.

In a large bowl, dissolve both packages of gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. Let cool in the refrigerator until mixture begins to get more jello-like; about 1 hour. Stir in strawberries and blueberries and pour over cream cheese layer. Chill until firm, at least three hours or overnight.

Cut tart into squares and serve with whipped cream.

As you can see, there was not much left by the time I remembered to take a picture!

Thai Basil Chicken

2010-07-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

One of my favorites when we go out for Thai. Came out pretty close to our favorite restaurant!
I made my own recipe based off of this one from TempleofThai and this one from Thaitable.

~1 lb chicken breast, cut into thin strips
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, sliced
peanut oil for sautéeing
4-6 tbsp soy sauce
1-3 thai chili peppers
1 cup fresh thai basil (not cut up) - be generous!

Saute garlic, shallots, and peppers in peanut oil until lightly browned.

Add chicken and cook through. Add soy sauce and thai basil, stir until basil is wilted. Serve over white rice.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

2010-06-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

We finally tried this out tonight - my roommate from college provided me this recipe in the recipe book the girls made for me for my wedding shower. So delicious and easy!

1 lb large shrimp (avoid farmed, imported shrimp)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried crushed red pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 medium diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
3 cloves chopped garlic
Handful of fresh basil and parsley

Toss shrimp with salt and red pepper.
Heat olive oil in skillet and add shrimp; cook for about 2 minutes, remove from pan.

Add onions to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Add tomatoes w/juices, wine, garlic and herbs (I put the garlic and herbs in the food processor and then added them). Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp back in and serve with your favorite pasta - we used whole wheat spaghetti.

Grilled Ribs with Dry Rub

2010-06-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

Another allrecipes.com find - I followed this one exactly and it was really good, despite the meat being slightly charred! Oops.

3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Rub on ribs

Wrap the ribs up securely in foil -

Grill at medium/low heat for approximately an hour and a half. We had our heat too high, hence the charring...but will definitely make this rub again and keep the heat lower :)

Jerk Chicken Dry Rub

2010-06-28T21:26:00.001-04:00

We loved this! I was doubtful with the Cinnamon in it but it came out so delicious. Adapted from this allrecipes.com recipe.

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Chicken (whole or breasts)

Rub on chicken

Grill and enjoy!

House History!

2010-06-28T21:17:00.000-04:00

The man who grew up in our home stopped by 2 weeks ago, told us some interesting history, enjoyed checking out all the work we have done, and told us that he had a few pictures from his mother of the house. In the mail a few days later, we received them!

The house in 1938:

Another from 1938 - with 3 front doors:

1938: The well that she is pumping from is still out there and still works!

The family in 1954. The man who came to our house is the baby! The longer chicken coop in the background is still out there (the other buildings have been removed) and the 2 apple trees in the picture are now HUGE.

1954: There was a screened-in porch on the front, and a storm took down the tree that took down the porch. The ladder in the background is still in the barn, and the front door pictured is the same one we still have!

1954 family photo. The fenceline location is now home to huge evergreens.

We were so appreciative of the former owner for sharing these with us - I'm still working on thinking of a nice way to display these in our house!

Garden Update

2010-06-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

The garden is doing well - still only herbs harvested so far. Soon!

So for now we are still relying on the farmer's market -

This week we got: redleaf and buttercrunch lettuces, pickling cukes and an asian cucumber, dill for pickling, red scallions, sweet onions, sugar snap peas and snow peas, zucchini & squash, buffalo burgers, a buffalo flank steak, and lamb chops!

Lots of Chicken!

2010-06-28T21:01:00.001-04:00

We found a great local farm last week in perfect timing - they were processing their chickens on Tuesday. So Chris headed to Tomenchock Farms after work and picked up 10! The Tomenchocks pasture raise heritage breed birds with no hormones or antibiotics and only feed non-GMO corn! We bought 4 wholes and the rest as halves for easier cutting.

So now we are happy to be very stocked up on great local natural chicken!

We grilled one of the halves - with just some salt and pepper and garlic and it was delicious!!

Garden - beginning of June

2010-06-13T21:21:00.000-04:00

The garden is growing well - I also planted a few new plants this weekend to fill in some open spots we had where a few plants failed.

Bathroom Reno. Ctd.

2010-06-13T21:18:00.001-04:00

This weekend we ripped out the shower - we are committed!

We met with the mason and we have more mortar removal to do and are going to test a few methods to clean the plaster dust off of the stones. But we are getting there! Just have to get the tub out now...

We are really starting to be able to envision the final product now - the stones are looking great and it is going to be a really nice sized bathroom.

Our shower for the meantime:

Lily

2010-06-13T21:14:00.002-04:00

...loves the summer

Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and gorgonzola

2010-06-13T21:13:00.000-04:00

The gorgonzola was a bit strong for Chris so I would probably use different cheese next time, but a good recipe regardless. The gorgonzola gets a much stronger taste when it's baked and hot so you don't have to be too generous.

Ingredients:

1 pkg chicken breasts

spinach

gorgonzola

flour

salt and pepper

Slice chx breasts in half lengthwise so they are thin sliced.

Layer spinach and gorgonzola, roll up the chicken, and secure with toothpicks.

Flour the chicken breasts and preheat skillet to medium/high with vegetable oil.

Sauté chicken until well cooked on each side, turning to brown. Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 deg. F.

Once all sides are browned, place chicken in oven to finish cooking until cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.

More Larabar-type bars*

2010-06-13T21:04:00.001-04:00

These are such a great, quick grab-and-go snack. I made them for the first time in May.

This time I made the PB&J bars again and also a batch of cranberry/almond/coconut bars that were so good!

1/4 cup+ dates, pitted
1/4 cup+ dried cherries
1/8 cup almonds
1/8 cup toasted coconut

Mix in food processor, form into bars, and refrigerate until serving.

Garden

2010-05-31T19:03:00.000-04:00

The garden is doing well. The seedling bell peppers & eggplant were failures so I purchased some plants at the local store. Peas, beans, cukes, melon & squash are going nuts! The lattice is ready for the climbers! Some pics:

Mexican Pasta Salad

2010-05-31T18:52:00.000-04:00

I love mexican food - so when I found this recipe for a mexican pasta salad at Cara's Cravings, I made it right away! A great change from the normal pasta salad that I usually make so many times during the summer. I made just a few modifications, as presented below.

1 lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn

1 medium bell pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, and diced
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
The juice of one lime
~2 -3 tbsp Taco Seasoning

freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Prepare pasta as per package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool

Add beans, corn, and tomatoes to pasta in large bowl.

I mixed the cilantro and olive oil in the food processor. Then drizzle the cilantro oil over the rest of ingredients and add seasoning.

Mix and add salsa as needed to coat (I did not measure and use 1.5 c.). Season with salt and pepper, and dice and add avocado immediately before serving.

Asparagus & Artichoke Pasta

2010-05-31T18:42:00.000-04:00

We mixed up a great dinner with just a few random ingredients - the result of poor planning turned out to be a great and easy dinner!

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 can artichokes, rinsed & quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
light olive oil
1/2 bag whole wheat pasta
salt and pepper
garlic powder or fresh
fresh grated parm to taste

Cook pasta as per package instructions.
Snap the ends of the asparagus off and break each spear into 3-4 pieces. Add asparagus and onion to a med-hi saute pan containing ~2 tbsp olive oil. Add salt and stir frequently.
Add quartered artichokes to pan once the asparagus is bright green and onions are almost cooked through. Cook for a few minutes.
Toss pasta in with veggies, add more oil to have a light coating.
Serve with fresh grated parm cheese

Yardwork Part III

2010-05-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

Our backyard along the house has been a mess since we moved in almost 3 years ago. There are beautiful ferns growing there, which had been unfortunately joined and choked out by lots of weeds. The ground was a mud/ mix of random stones and rocks. I don't have any good up-close pictures of this sad area because, well, why would we photograph it; it was a mess!

Here is the closest picture I can find:

We decided to fight back against the ugly. We re-purposed stones from the chimney that was taken down to make a barrier wall, weeded everything but the ferns out, used newspapers as weed growth - preventer, and put in landscape stones to finish the area. It was HARD WORK... the border stones had been relocated to the far end of the property and had to be wheelbarrowed back up. But we are so happy we finally did it! A busy but rewarding day.

Near the side door:

(Propane tank hopefully is next to go-relocated around the corner of the house)

Lily- approved!

Homemade (larabar inspired) Energy Bars

2010-05-03T21:22:00.001-04:00

I recently discovered the deliciousness that is a Larabar. They are so healthy because of their limited ingredient list, which, coincidentally, makes them really easy to make! I found instructions here at Enlightened Cooking.

I purchased organic dates, dried cherries, almonds, peanuts, and banana chips in the bulk section of the grocery store and got to work. I started with the PB&J-inspired bar since I thought it would go over well with the husband :) By the end of the food processing...we had both eaten a couple raw dates (new to us) - they are really delicious! Not sure whether I will have to go thru the trouble of food processing since they are great on their own - but I digress...

PB&J flavor Energy Bars
1/4 cup+ dates, pitted
1/4 cup+ dried cherries (or raisins)
< 1/3 cup peanuts.

Blend dates and cherries in food processor and remove when they have melded into a paste. Set aside in separate bowl. I say "1/4 cup +" above because the initial mix was too peanutty. Plus, more fruit is a good thing :)
Chop peanuts in processor (no need to wash processor). Lay out plastic wrap to wrap the bars, because your hands will soon be stickyyyyy-
When the nuts are pulverized, mix with fruit paste in bowl to combine all (3) ingredients.

Form into bars. Since I ended up adding more fruit, I made 4 bars. The EC recipe indicates that it makes 2.

Refrigerate to maintain freshness. Enjoy pre- or post- workout for a super healthy snack!

Potato Salad

2010-05-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

I couldn't find the recipe card of my mom's classic recipe, so I went to allrecipes of course for a basic overview, and this came out really great. Changes made are incorporated below.

Ingredients:
6 potatoes
3 hard boiled eggs
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 (generous) tablespoon Grey Poupon

ground black pepper to taste (generous)
1/4 cup light mayonnaise

Hard-boil and cool your eggs.

Peel and slice potatoes into large chunks (generally 1/8ths or 1/4s).

Boil potatoes for approximately 10 minutes (totally dependent upon the size of your pieces). Stick with a fork or knife - they are done when you can poke through them relatively easily without them falling apart.
Meanwhile, cut up celery and onion.

Cool potatoes when done cooking and chop up eggs.

Stir all ingredients together. I add the mayo by the tablespoon or 2 at a time to ensure it doesn't get too mushy. We don't like overly-mayo-ey potato salad.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving so flavors can meld. Stir prior to serving and add a bit more mayo if needed/ desired.

Goes great with rotisserie chicken and roasted asparagus ;)

Rotisserie Chicken

2010-05-03T21:02:00.000-04:00

A classic summer meal! An easy way to get moist, delicious chicken.

Ingredients:
1- 3-4 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed
3-4 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp black pepper
recycled aluminum foil

Season chicken and put on rotisserie holder

Wrap chicken in foil and place on rotisserie in preheated grill

Enjoy a margarita while the chicken cooks at approximately 375 deg F for 1 hour

After 1 hour, remove foil and cook for another 1/2 hour. Take temperature at this time so you see how close to/ far from 180 deg F you are.

When temperature is reached, carve and enjoy!

Vegetable Udon Stir-fry

2010-04-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

A great quick & easy meal prepared with any veggies you have!

Ingredients:
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
1 small can bamboo shoots
(I also included leftover broccoli slaw)

1 package refrigerated Udon noodles (in vegetable section in my grocery)
1 tbsp House of Tsang, Hunan Smokehut Spicy Grill Sauce (This stuff is great and pretty spicy!!)

Heat sesame oil and veg oil over high heat.

Add the veggs that take longer to cook first (gr pepper, carrots, celery, onion, broccoli) and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add peas, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots.

Warm noodles according to package and then mix in to the pan. Add seasoning packet and water (I use less than they say, not to make it too watery). Mix in and finally, add the Spicy Grill Sauce. Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

Mustard Herb- Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2010-04-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

I have so many cookbooks but always default to online recipes mostly due to the ease of searchability. But I finally decided to get into my "Cooking Light Annual Recipes of 2008" cookbook last weekend. No, 2008 is not a typo :p
Chris actually ended up preparing this for us since I was running late and it was delish! Posted below with our modifications.

Ingredients:
1/2 oz. unseasoned bread crumbs (or 1 slice slightly stale white bread)
2 tbsp dried parsley
3 tbsp grated cheese (parm, romano, etc.)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 - 1 lb. pork tenderloin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove (minced)

Preheat oven to 375 deg F.
Combine crumbs, parsley, cheese, and thyme.
Sprinkle pork w/s and p.
Combine mustard & minced garlic and rub on pork.
Rub pork in breadcrumb mixture.
Bake at 375 for approximately 45 minutes, until thermometer reads 170 deg.

More yard work

2010-04-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

Some updates!

The garden fence is painted, still waiting to be put up. Table is cleaned off and we are very much looking forward to moving our meals outdoors.

Our big bleeding heart plant, unfortunately with a poison ivy vine twisting through :( I'm not touching it!!

Large side garden weeded and mulched-

Iris coming up and peonies getting tall!

Some more mulching in the neglected front area :/

Easy Sautéed Asparagus

2010-04-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

Quick & easy!

Bend asparagus until the bottoms break off, discard in your compost.
Add ~1-2 tsp vegetable oil to sauté pan, heat to M-H.
Add asparagus and salt to taste. Sauté for approximately 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently until asparagus is bright green and cooked through but still crunchy. Enjoy!!

Slow Baked Spare Ribs

2010-04-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

This was a baby back rib recipe that I modified. Chris likes spare ribs and I don't particularly, but they are all that were in stock w/our local farmer so spare ribs it is! They are fattier than I would prefer but I couldn't deny these were SO good. So take a smaller portion and enjoy :)

Ingredients
~1-2 lbs spare ribs
1 large onion, cut
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Mix all ingredients in measuring cup. Place 1/2 of the onion pieces in the bottom of a large baking dish, cover with ribs, and add the rest of the onions. Pour sauce to cover, place glass lid on the dish, and bake at 350 for 2-3 hours. Ribs will be falling apart!!

Bathroom Demo Continued

2010-04-18T20:36:00.000-04:00

We had a busy Saturday this week - continuing to rip down plaster in the upstairs bathroom to expose the stone. We also removed everything from the adjacent shower stall. Both spaces will be combined to create a larger bathroom.

Before:

After! It is a 2 step process; removing the bulk of the plaster to expose the stone, and then cleaning out the old mortar from in between the stones so it can be repointed. You can see the cleaner side on the right.

And the still-filled-with-mortar side here.

And the shower stall is gutted:

Baked Eggplant Parm

2010-04-18T19:55:00.000-04:00

A much healthier and still delicious version of the classic.

Ingredients:
1 medium - large or 2 small eggplants
Seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, whisked
drizzle of EV Olive Oil
1/2 package pasta
pasta sauce

Rinse & cut up eggplant into large slices.
Dip each slice in the whisked egg and then coat with bread crumbs. Place eggplant slices on greased cookie sheet. Drizzle lightly with EV Olive Oil - this will help them brown.
Prepare pasta as per package instructions. Heat sauce in separate pot.
Bake eggplant at 350 for approximately 45 minutes, turn up to 400 for a final 15 minutes.

Slow Cooked Lemon Chicken

2010-04-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

We have made this both baked and slow cooked and it's great both ways.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs.), giblets removed
2 tbsp each of basil, parsley, garlic powder, kosher salt, and onion powder
2 whole lemons, quartered
1 pint water

Place chicken in slow cooker and season. Place quartered lemons around chicken, and 2 inside the cavity.
Add water and cook on low for 9 hours.

You can make gravy with the juices if you wish, we were too hungry this time!

Garden Step 1

2010-04-18T19:31:00.001-04:00

We got our garden in last weekend!
We ended up using Trex Decking planks for the edging since standard wood would fall apart eventually and treated wood is a no-no for a veggie garden. We got a few bags of cow manure as well to add some nutrients to the soil although we think it is in pretty good shape - there were a LOT of worms in there! We also did a quickie soil test kit...luckily the pH is great and does not have to be adjusted. Here are some photos:

Our awesome custom painted wheelbarrow ready to go - our 1st anniversary gift from my sister!

Lily found the Bovung very interesting-

Our $75 Craigslist special rototiller ready to go.

Chris finished while I painted the fence we got from his parents'. Love to reuse!

Needs another tilling to chop up the chunks from putting the boards in but we were done for the day.

And a peek of the front where the peonies are coming up!

Garden Plans!

2010-04-04T16:27:00.001-04:00

We are close to installing our garden... I planted the seeds that are to be started indoors this weekend. I purchased all our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange a few months ago and have been eagerly awaiting this time!

I have the seeds of:

2 kinds of beans
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
2 kids of carrots
2 kinds of cucumbers (one for salads, one that's for pickling)
Eggplant
Lettuce mix
Beets
Red onion
Yellow onion
Melon
Peas
Sunflower mix
Squash
Zucchini

I am planning on buying plants of basil, parsley and cilantro as well.

I discovered GrowVeg.com which is a great website to lay out your garden! It helps with companion planting but I liked this Site as a better reference. There is a free 30 day trial on growveg, which I am doing now. This is the initial plan I drafted for our 10x30' raised bed, using marigolds & sunflowers as companion flowers. The top row is along the outside fenceline so the peas & beans can climb.

Here is a picture of Lily playing from today which also shows where the garden will be; along that side fenceline.

Hopefully next weekend we will get the lumber and construct the raised bed...can't wait!

Bird Nest Cupcakes

2010-04-04T16:07:00.000-04:00

I planned to make two kinds of cupcakes, both from scratch, for Easter. Well, neither ended up being from scratch :p
I really wanted to make Annie's Baby Bluebird Cupcakes, but ended up going with nests as time was running out! Still very cute and delicious :)

Make cake...I used the always fun Funfetti cake from Pillsbury:

Toast coconut over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Before:

After:

Make chocolate icing - I used this recipe.

Ice cupcakes and cover with toasted coconut-

Add M&Ms or any other candy that resembles an egg, and Voila!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

2010-04-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Yum! A classic favorite. I fully intended on making these From Annie's Eats, but with company coming and time running out, I cheated and used this boxed mix:

It's a good one...there are shredded carrots & raisins in the box so it really seems homemade, and it really did come out very moist!

I did, however, make my own icing, following this recipe exactly.

The fun part is the decorating :)

Baked Pineapple

2010-04-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

Like scalloped potatoes, I don't think I will make a ham without this anymore! Slightly fattening but so good!
Recipe from allrecipes.com with minor omissions/ changes. 1 cup of sugar made it pretty sweet, so I would reduce it for next time, as indicated below. I also mistakenly used DOUBLE the amount of butter I should have...doing too many things at once apparently! I noticed while preparing that it was very moist and added more bread. But it wasn't really tooooooooo bad with a ton of butter (taste-wise, not cholesterol-wise!). So I would increase the butter from the recipe...just not quite so much as I did yesterday ;)

3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), softened
3/4 cup sugar (or 1 cup if you like things very sweet)
5-6 slices slightly stale white bread (I left them out overnight)
1- 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
4 eggs

Blend butter and sugar until well mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time until blended.

Add pineapple chunks (with juice) and torn up pieces of bread.

Bake at 350 for approximately one hour

The complete meal with spiral sliced ham, scalloped potatoes, and roasted broccoli:

Scalloped Potatoes

2010-04-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

Scalloped potatoes are a necessary accompaniment to ham for me. We love them!
I combined a few recipes I found on allrecipes.com to create one that worked best for us. We don't like a lot of cheese or too heavy of a sauce, so this blend of broth with a bit of milk works great. Here is my favorite scalloped potato preparation.

6 large potatoes
1 large onion
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup milk

Peel potatoes and then slice them with mandolin slicer into 9x13 baking dish. Do the same with the onion, mix together, and add salt and pepper (as you can see, s&p has not been added as of this picture!).

Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour. Slowly add broth and milk, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until slightly melted. Pour over potatoes and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Lily...

2010-04-04T15:04:00.003-04:00

says hello!

Easy Breakfast Strata

2010-04-04T15:03:00.001-04:00

This could be dressed up with whatever you have in the fridge. Leftover broccoli would be a great addition!

5 eggs
~3/4 cup breakfast sausage, grilled and chopped (this was about 1/2 of one of our packages from the local farm)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tube crescent rolls

Mix all ingredients except sausage with a wire whisk until well blended.
Lay the crescent roll dough in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Put sausage in dish and cover with egg mixture
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Enjoy!

Grilled Zucchini, Peppers & Onion

2010-04-04T14:57:00.000-04:00

Summer is almost here and the grilling season has begun! I can't wait until the ingredients to this dish are coming from our own backyard...

3-4 large zucchini or summer squash
2 peppers
1 red onion
drizzle of vegetable oil
salt, pepper, basil

Lay out your recycled aluminum foil, drizzle the bottom with oil, and add vegetables and spices, then drizzle on more oil. You want the veggies to get a thin coating so they don't stick to the foil and/or burn.

Fold the foil over the top and tightly roll the edges up on the 3 open sides to seal tightly. Do this carefully and thoroughly because oil spilled out will cause a flare- up!

Grill pouch for approximately 10 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Be very careful when flipping as not to puncture the bag! Reynold's Heavy Duty Recycled Aluminum Foil is much better than the regular for this.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Bacon, Peas, and Goat Cheese

2010-03-30T09:15:00.002-04:00

As I was perusing my GoogleReader for something different to make last night, I came upon Elly’s newest recipe. I picked up the ingredients on my way home since we didn’t make it to the store on Sunday, and this turned out to be a delicious and quick weeknight meal. The flavors of the creamy goat cheese w/the salty bacon were delish- Thanks Elly! The only major change made was that I omitted the pine nuts and made ½ bag (8 oz) pasta.

8 oz. (1/2 bag) pasta (with some of the cooking water reserved)
4 strips bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag frozen peas
2 - 3 oz. goat cheese
freshly ground pepper and salt

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.

Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking liquid and drain.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and then add the bacon. Once cooked, remove the bacon, drain on a towel, and chop up. Leave about 2 tsp. of bacon grease in the pan and discard the rest.

Add the garlic to the bacon fat and stir, just until fragrant.

Add the peas and some of the cooking water (start with just a little bit of the water; you can always add more), and then the pasta and bacon.

Once the peas have warmed through, add the goat cheese and stir until it coats the pasta, adding more pasta water if necessary.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

2010-03-30T09:04:00.005-04:00

We have a friend whose birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day, and we celebrated with him on Saturday. I thought these would be a great addition to our party. They came out really great and were a big hit!
I followed SmittenKitchen’s recipe…thank you! For me this recipe made 28 cupcakes, and I added more Jameson and Bailey’s than was called for (adapted below). Otherwise, followed ingredients to a t -

Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness Stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 teaspoons Jameson Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting:
4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 tablespoons Baileys

Special equipment:
- 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work). I did not have either, and improvised with a mini turkey-shaped cookie cutter. Since the frosting covers the hole, it doesn’t really need to be neat.
- Piping bag, modified ziploc, or syringe cake decorating set.

Make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake cups with liners.
Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend.
Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend.
Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes.
Cool cupcakes on a rack.

Make the filling:
Melt chocolate; I used the microwave as per package instructions.
Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.
Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped/spooned (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, using your cookie cutter, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way.
I used a fork to help get the center out. Those are your “tasters”.
The recipe indicated to put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top, but I just used a spoon to fill them and it was slightly messy but did the job!

Make the frosting:
Whip the butter in the bowl with an electric mixer for several minutes until it is very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Now the fun part - Ice and decorate the cupcakes:

I realized that my mother in law gave me a syringe decorating set similar to this one that I had never used, so I used this opportunity to test it out ... Hence the crazy cupcakes!

Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage

2010-03-30T08:55:00.001-04:00

The classic St. Patrick’s Day dinner. I am not the biggest fan of it but Chris loves it, so we had it. It actually turned out better than I expected, and we *might* make it more than once a year now - I really liked it!

I used this recipe from allrecipes.com as a guide.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, sliced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

6-8 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon pepper

1 -3 lb. corned beef brisket with spice packet

1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges

Combine water, sugar, vinegar, pepper, bay leaf, and spice packet, stir until well dissolved.

Place onions, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add beef and cover with liquid ingredients. Top with cabbage.

(Certainly not the most glamorous!)

Cook on low for 8-10 hours (we were close to 10 hours this time).

Make sure to remove the bay leaf before serving!

It was delicious :)

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Thighs

2010-03-29T22:04:00.001-04:00

This is a recipe we make fairly often. We love the Asian flavors as well as easy slow cooker meals. My version has been adapted from this version on allrecipes.

Ingredients:
1 large package chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, skinless)
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon powdered ginger

crushed red pepper to taste
1 -20 ounce can pineapple slices, juice for the sauce and slices reserved.

Combine the soy sauce, honey, ketchup, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper. Whisk well until the ingredients (especially honey!) are completely blended:

Add chicken to crock pot and cover with mixture. Add some chicken broth if you need more liquid to cover the chicken (at least 3/4 covered). Save pineapple slices in the refrigerator.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

When you get home from work (or 8 hours have otherwise elapsed), mix the chicken up and add pineapple slices to the top. Cook white rice and serve!

Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes & Feta

2010-03-29T21:54:00.000-04:00

I had sundried tomatoes and didn't know what to do with them...so I looked around on allrecipes.com for a quick and easy side-dish for which I had the ingredients! This is the simple recipe I put together, and it came out pretty good...we would make it again!

Ingredients:
Approximately 10-15 sundried tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 package angel hair or similar pasta
crumbled feta cheese
1-2 tsp Parsley
1-2 tsp Basil
2 cloves diced garlic
Cornstarch to thicken

Soak the chopped tomatoes in the broth while you prep the water and cook the pasta.
Shortly after starting the pasta, turn the heat on the sundried tomato/chicken broth, and add spices and garlic and simmer.

Use a few tbsp water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and mix well, then slowly add to the sauce to acquire desired consistency, just a bit thicker than it is.

Once the pasta is cooked according to package instructions, toss it in with the tomato mixture.

Add feta and mix in well - we served with oven roasted bone-in chicken breasts:

Cavatelli with Broccoli & Crushed Red Pepper

2010-03-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

This is a great quick dinner with few ingredients that you can whip together in no time!

Ingredients:
1 package frozen cavatelli pasta
1 large head broccoli or 1 pkg. frozen broccoli
~2 cloves garlic, crushed
EV olive oil
Parmesan cheese
crushed red pepper to taste

Cook cavatelli according to package instructions.
While pasta is boiling, heat oil and garlic in large saucepan and saute broccoli until cooked but still firm, stirring frequently.
When pasta & broccoli are done, mix together and add some more oil to coat. Add Parmesan and crushed red pepper to taste (be generous w.the pepper!) and serve w/large salad.

Oreo Truffle Footballs!

2010-02-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU Bakerella for this awesome idea. I saw these on her website and just had to make them! Mine didn't come out nearly as neatly as hers, but all the guests at our superbowl party loved them! Chris' coworkers did too; I made him take the leftovers to work on Monday so we didn't eat them all :)

Oreo Truffles

1 package oreo cookies
1 8oz. package lowfat cream cheese (softened)
chocolate bark

Finely crush all cookies in the food processor and stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together. And/or your hands!
Roll the mixture into mini football shapes and place on wax paper or foil covered cookie sheet.
Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. I had a hard time making them look smooth...

Put them in the fridge or freezer to dry, then add the laces to the footballs w/icing!

You could make these into any shape - just make them. They are sooooo good!

Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

2010-02-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

For once, I did not modify the original recipe except for using lowfat creamcheese and thousand island.

1 - 16oz pkg sauerkraut, drained
1 - 8oz package lowfat cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked corned beef
1/4 cup light thousand island dressing

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut and cream cheese.

Mix in Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing.

Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted.

Stir occasionally while cooking.

Serve with cocktail rye and crackers.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2010-02-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have made this a few times for parites and it's always a big hit!
If you follow this recipe, it shouldn't be too hot. We like it hot, and I would add a third jalepeno next time. Although it does depend a lot on the individual peppers- some are evil and some are mild!
Original recipe from allrecipes.com-

Ingerdients-
2 - 8oz. packages lowfat cream cheese, softened
<1 cup lite mayonnaise
1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
2 fresh jalapeno peppers; diced (in food processor is best)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth.

Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers, and parmesan.

Spread dip into an oven-safe serving dish.

Bake on 350 deg F for approximately 20-30 minutes, until it is bubbling.

(picture is pre-cooked)

Amazing Beef Sherry Bake

2010-02-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

This is a great winter recipe...very hearty and delicious!

Ingredients:
~1 lb of cubed beef (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 medium red onion
1 pkg portabello caps, chopped
sherry cooking wine
beef broth
a bit of flour for thickening
unseasoned croutons (don't use seasoned!)
your favorite cheese for topping.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.
Cut up the onion. Place in bottom of a 8x8 glass baking dish.
Put beef on top of onion, and chopped mushroom on top of beef.
Add beef broth and sherry to almost cover the ingredients. (2:1 broth:sherry)
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for ~40 minutes.
Remove from oven after 40 mins. It should look like this:

Mix a few tablespoons flour with a little cold water in separate glass with a fork to mix completely and get rid of any clumps. Add to the mixture while stirring to thicken to your preferred thickness. 3 tbsp should do the trick depending how much water you use.
Cover with a layer of croutons and sprinkle with as much cheese as you like-

Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, until croutons are browned and cheese is melted.

Serve with egg noodles and veg of your choice; this night I sauteed some green beans in butter-

Enjoy! This is great reheated as leftovers as well :)

Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breasts

2010-02-06T16:18:00.000-05:00

Bone-in chicken breasts are underrated - they cook great and come out so juicy with crispy skin! They are also cheaper than boneless breasts. They are quickly and easily roasted in the toaster oven to conserve energy; you don't need to use the big oven for these guys.

Directions:

Rinse and season chicken breasts with Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic.

Preheat the toaster oven to 375 deg F.

Bake breasts (bone side down) for approximately 45 minutes (use a thermometer to make sure you reach the proper temperature of 180 def F without overcooking)-

When you have ~5 minutes left on the chicken, wilt some fresh baby spinach-

And prepare a box of mashed potatoes (these are not bad in a pinch!):

and enjoy!!

Filet Mignon with Balasmic & Red Wine

2010-02-06T16:09:00.002-05:00

This is one of our favorite ways to prepare filets in the winter when grilling isn't quite so appealing.

Ingredients:

Filet mignon (how many depends if you want leftovers or not)
1 red onion, sliced
mushrooms (I usually use 1/2 package), sliced
Salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
red wine

Put a large skillet on the stove and preheat to med-high. Add red onion first to start to soften it-

Add steaks and surround with mushrooms -

Cook for about 5 minutes and then add balsamic and red wine to cover the steaks. I use more balsamic than wine.

Cook to desired doneness, flipping once. We like ours medium-rare, especially with these fresh, grassfed steaks!

Serve with brussels and rice pilaf.

Brussels Sprouts with red onion

2010-02-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

We love brussels- this is a quick & easy preparation!

You need:
Brussels sprouts (I usually use 2 pkgs)
1/2 red onion
salt & pepper
a bit of butter to saute

Wash & cut brussels in half if they are large. Smaller ones can stay whole.
Boil them for about 5 minutes, until they start to get tender.

Then add sprouts and red onion to a medium saute pan with a bit of butter.

Saute on medium until the sprouts are gently browned-

Serve with filet mignon above!

Pork Loin Roast with Apricot Glaze

2010-01-24T22:25:00.002-05:00

Last time Chris went to pick up pork from our awesome local farm, The Blue Jingler Farm, he asked if they ever had tenderloins or roasts, as we usually just got the standard pork chops, sausage, and ground pork. He bought a bone-in loin roast of approximately 3lbs. Jack asked for Chris' email address and said he would send us a recipe that they often use and really enjoy. It was a crockpot recipe and we set this up for a great Sunday night dinner.

We loved this - we couldn't stop saying how good it was! The sweetness of the apricot combined with the mustard was wonderful. The pork was delicious and just falling off the bone.
Thanks Jack & Cheryl for this great recipe!!

Ingredients:
3-5 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast or pork loin (We used the pork loin)
16 oz of Apricot Jam 15.75 oz.
¼ - 1 cup of chicken broth, depending on the size of the roast. (We used a cup.)

2-3 tablespoons of Dijon-style mustard (We used 3 tbsp - Chris loves mustard!)
1 large onion, chopped

Trim the fat from the roast. (Chris prepared this and did not trim the fat!! We just separated it once cooked.)
If necessary, cut roast to fit into a 3 ½ to 6-quart slow cooker. Place meat in cooker.
Combine preserves, broth, mustard, and onion; pour over meat.
As you can see, we used the big crockpot; I would use the smaller one next time so the meat is more engulfed in the sauce; but this came out great regardless!

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-6. This time we cooked it for 6 hours on high.

Transfer the meat to a serving platter and cut. Skim fat from the sauce, if need be.

Spoon some of the sauce over the meat.

We served with brown rice as recommended and broccoli. We will most definitely be making this again; so so good!

Sweet Corn Bake

2010-01-24T22:13:00.001-05:00

My friend and I prepared this recipe to serve with the Taco Stuffed Shells. We followed this recipe from allrecipes.com exactly, it was great.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup masa harina (a mexican corn flower, found in the ethnic section of the grocery store)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed. Set aside.
Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.
In a separate large bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine.

Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan.

Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil.

Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy as a sweet compliment to a spicy meal!

Taco Stuffed Shells

2010-01-24T22:06:00.002-05:00

When I found this recipe I was so excited to make this twist on the traditional shells! When my husband saw it, he insisted that I make it this weekend :) I made a double batch because we had friends over for dinner, but I will write it up as a single batch. I adapted from this recipe on BlogChef.net. I eliminated the cream cheese and added more veggies. They came out great!

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
Taco seasoning (I make my own, as described HERE)
1 can diced tomatoes

1 chopped bell pepper

1/2 chopped onion

1 box large pasta shells

1 jar salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup reduced fat mexican cheese (shredded)

Cook the ground beef and drain off fat.

Add the chopped pepper & onion to one side of the pan to cook. I offset the pan on the burner so the peppers & onions are getting most of the heat.

Mix the vegetables & beef together and add seasoning. Add the diced tomatoes.

Allow the mixture to cool so it can be handled.

Cook shells according to package instructions.

Stuff the shells. Top with taco sauce and cheese and bake at 350 deg F for approximately 30 minutes.

Serve with the mexican corn cake recipe provided above! The sweet of the corncake works great with these spicy shells!

***Variation***
As I said in the beginning of the post, I made a double batch. After preparing one batch, there was a little less than 1/2 of the beef mixture left. I decided to make bean and beef shells for the second half, so I mixed in a can of refried beans to the remaining mixture. They came out great also!

Grilled Sirloin Steak

2010-01-24T21:43:00.001-05:00

Not too much in the way of directions for an amazing recipe here...just wanted to show how awesome the grassfed beef we get is! We took advantage of a warm spell we had and uncovered the grill for this quick, delicious dinner.

The meat comes frozen and thaws best if you put it into the fridge the day before you plan to use it, rather than trying to speed up the thawing process by leaving it out.
Allow the steak to sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour before grilling.

Make sure that hungry dog does not eat steak.

Season steak. We really like Simply Organic's Chophouse Seasoning

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

Grill each side approximately 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak.

Slice & serve! Leftovers make great steak sandwiches for lunch, or beef for use in beef barley soup!

Asian Chicken Stir Fry

2010-01-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

We love asian foods & flavors. This is going to be hard for me to blog because we just add sauces to taste, but I will do my best!

Ingredients:

1 package of asian stir-fry noodles
1 package of chicken breast, approximately 1 lb.
1/2 head chopped broccoli
2 peeled, chopped carrots
1/2 yellow onion
1 bag of frozen asian veggie mix (or more fresh if you have it!)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
~2 tbsp of asian Five-Spice Seasoning
Sesame oil for stir-frying
Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce (this is so good)
Hoisin Sauce
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
House of Tsang "Hunan Smokehut Spicy Grill Sauce (this is also great stuff)

Cut up chicken breast into small (bite size or 2-bite size) pieces.

Heat up some sesame oil and vegatable oil (1/2 and 1/2) in a large skillet or wok.
Add garlic & chicken, stirring frequently to cook. Sprinkle with the 5-Spice Seasoning.
When chicken is about 1/2 way cooked, add the onion.
Once onion has cooked for a couple minutes, add the fresh chopped vegatables. Add a bit of soy sauce (about 5 shakes).
Cook noodles according to package instructions. I prefer boiling to soaking since it's quicker.
Once the chicken is cooked through and the fresh veggies are softened a bit, add the frozen vegatables to the mix.
::This is the part that is at your discretion. The Smokehut sauce and Thai Chili Sauce are the spicier ones, so if you want it to be more mild, add more of the regular Hoisin than these::
I add about 2 large tablespoons of each of the Smokehut sauce and Thai Chili Sauce, and about 1 tbsp of the Hoisin. Add the noodles into the mix, and serve! The noodles will soak up the sauces so serve quickly after mixing or you will just have to keep adding sauce as it will dry out!

Enjoy! I like to serve this with a big salad; use a rice wine vinegar & oil to make it a bit asian as well :)

Semi-Homemade Pizza

2010-01-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

Another quick & easy dinner, for which you can use whatever meat/ veggies you have!

You will need:
Pillsbury pizza crust (the thin crust is really good!)
Tomato sauce
Mozzarella cheese (we were out of shredded mozz, so we shredded up a few string cheeses!)
Whatever toppings you like: I love green pepper & onion, Chris prefers onion & pepperoni

Bake according to package instructions.
Serve with a big salad. Yumm!!

Italian Herb Bread

2010-01-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

I served this bread with the stuffed shells (and a salad). I didn't take a picture, but you know what bread looks like. It came out great. My breadmaker takes 3.5 hours from start to finish, so I timed it to be coming out at perfect timing, we ate a lot - it was delish!

This recipe is from the Oster recipe book that came with the machine. This is for a 2lb loaf, made in a breadmaker.

1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour (I only had 2 cups bread flour and supplemented with regular, it was fine)
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp dried parsley (I was generous w/all the herbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp active dry yeast

Put wet ingredients then dry. Form well for yeast, avoiding contact with wet ingredients. Use the "french" setting, and medium crust. Press start. Enjoy in 3.5 hrs!

Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells

2010-01-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

Stuffed shells were my favorite dinner as a kid, and it was what I always requested for my birthday dinner from my mom. Come to find, it was Chris' childhood bday special request as well! Therefore I can't believe that in the 2+ years we have lived here, I had not made them yet. The time has come :)

I wanted to make them a little different; the plain ricotta & mozz shells are too boring for me these days! I also like to get the nutrition of extra veggies in there. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and made some changes but did not stray too far. We eliminated the ground turkey because one of our dinner guests is a vegetarian. These shells were a big hit! They were really delicious, this recipe is definitely a keeper!

You will need:

1 box of jumbo shells

1 large jar pasta sauce. I like :

(We used the larger, "Family Size" jar)
8 oz organic mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (**This is important, get fresh!!)
1 and 1/2 - 15 oz containers of Ricotta cheese
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. *Try to time it that they are not sitting waiting to be stuffed long, they can get stuck together and therefore get hard to work with. Keeping cold water slowly running on them in the strainer helps.
In a large heavy skillet saute mushrooms, garlic and onions.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat, and stir in spinach, parsley, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Stuff the cooked shells with the mixture, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cover with tomato sauce, and sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Bruschetta Toasts

2010-01-16T16:05:00.001-05:00

This is a quick & easy appetizer that we recently made for dinner guests (the stuffed shells above were the entree). It is definitely better with homemade bruschetta, but we will have to wait for summer for that!

You need:

1/2 lb fresh, storemade bruschetta

1 package of Panetini toasts (NY Style brand, garlic Parmesan flavor were good!)

Parmesan cheese for topping them off

Simple. Put the toasts on a baking sheet, top with bruschetta and then cheese. Bake at 350 for ~10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Pesto Chicken

2010-01-16T15:58:00.001-05:00

This is a quick & easy weeknight recipe.

1 pkg chicken breasts
flour for coating chicken
salt & pepper
vegetable oil for sautee-ing
1 jar prepared pesto (we used Bellino and it was very good. We have tried Classico and it is not so good)

Rinse and then slice the chicken breasts in half if they are not already thin sliced.
Sprinkle chx with salt and pepper
Dredge the chicken in flour
(Boil water for pasta if you are serving with pasta)

Preheat the oven around 300 degrees.
Heat a bit of oil in a skillet. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, cook until browned and flip.
Cook until browned on the second side, and place in an oven-safe dish.
Spread some of the prepared pesto sauce on the chicken.
Place that chx in the oven, and add more oil to skillet if necessary, and cook the other half.
Once all the chx is done, spread w/pesto and put in the oven for ~5-10 minutes.
Serve with pasta, also coated in pesto sauce.

This was good, but I can't wait to have fresh homemade pesto from my garden!

Our Salad

2010-01-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

Since we have "our salad" with dinner every night, I thought I might as well show you how we do it.
Start w/fresh organic veggies. I like to mix spring greens with some iceberg and/or some romaine. There are no measurements for the dressing because a) we don't measure and b) it totally depends on the size of the salad! Our alternative to this recipe is with Lawry's Seasoned Salt in place of the kosher and red wine vinegar in place of the balsamic.

Lettuces
Scallions
Shredded carrot
Tomatoes

Dried Basil
Salt & Pepper
Sugar
Balsamic Vinegar (regular or white)
EV Olive Oil

Add basil, salt, pepper, and sugar first. Drizzle with balsamic then EVOO. Be careful not to put too much balsamic or it will be *very* tangy!

The whole time I was preparing the salad, I had a strange feeling that I was being watched...

Southwestern Quinoa Stew with Squash, Black Beans, and Corn

2010-01-10T21:17:00.002-05:00

A coworker brought in this soup one day and I had to get the recipe, it was so delicious!
This is from the cookbook "Whole Grains for Busy People" by Lorna Sass. This version includes some small changes I made.

I only had 1/2 cup of quinoa, so I pretty much halved the recipe and it was almost too spicy for me because I used the whole can of chipotle in adobo without reading that she calls for 1 tablespoon!! .Haha. It is still really good, I just have to mix in a little sour cream to cool it down. It's fine for Chris, though!

Ingredients:
olive or vegetable oil
1/2 minced onion
2 small or 1 large clove garlic, minced
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa (found in the health food aisle)
1 tbsp chipotle in adobo (Goya)
1 bag (10 oz) frozen diced butternut squash (recipe called for mashed winter squash but we preferred diced)
1 can drained & rinsed baked beans
1 can corn or 1 bag frozen corn
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
dried cilantro to taste (fresh would be better, but I didn't have any)

In large pot, heat a bit of oil. Stir in onion and garlic and cook for a few seconds.

Add broth and ~2 cups of water. Bring to a boil uncovered and add the quinoa. Simmer for ~10 minutes.

Stir in the chipotle in adobo (this is where I added the whole can instead of 1 tbsp!!) The recipe said to mash the chipotles, but I left them whole for cooking and removed them when we were ready to eat the soup (too scared to eat them!). Add the squash. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the beans and reduce heat to medium.

Continue cooking until there is no solid white dot of starch at the center of the quinoa.

Stir in the corn, pepper, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer a few more minutes, and serve.

Chili

2010-01-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

We love chili. I made it this morning and put it in the crockpot for consumption while watching football later in the day :) This recipe is for a double batch.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground grassfed beef
2 cans kidney beans
2 large cans/boxes diced tomatoes
2 diced bell peppers
1 chopped onion
Seasoning:
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried, minced garlic
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown the beef.

Combine the seasonings

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and add some water as needed. Set crockpot for 6-8 hours on low (or 3-4 on high). Enjoy!

I recommend serving with these tostadas- so delish! You can find them in the mexican food aisle:

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

2010-01-10T16:34:00.020-05:00

We get our pork chops & eggs from a farmer right down the road from us. Bone-in pork chops are one of Chris' favorite foods, so I'm always searching for a new way to make them to break away from the ol' shake n bake! We also love asian foods, and I found this recipe on Cooking Light that looked like an interesting one to try!

You will need:

Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 bone-in pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
Peanut oil
Salt (I always use Kosher salt)
Ground fresh or dried ginger -The recipe called for fresh but I used dried and it was fine.
1 cup chicken broth - The recipe called for 1/3 cup but we always like extra sauce!
~1/3 c tablespoons dry sherry (I don't measure, just pour!)
~2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons wasabi paste - I would use more next time; it wasn't that spicy.
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Place panko in a shallow dish. Whip egg white in a small bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper on pork, then dip pork in egg white and cover in panko. Start your rice if you are serving rice w/this.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with over medium heat; add pork. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan. Start your vegetable.

Whisk the broth, sherry, soy sauce, and wasabi in a small bowl, stirring well. (I used 2 tbsp of wasabi this time, it was not very spicy at all. I would use 3 next time...so be generous w/the wasabi if you like!) Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add ginger to the mixture; simmer a few minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.

I suggest serving with sugar snap peas and white rice-

Greek Soup

2010-01-10T14:22:00.000-05:00

**GUEST CHEF**

Last week my husband made his mom's famous Greek Soup (Avgolmono soup). It is a very simple but hearty soup consisting of chicken, rice, lemon, and egg. It's delicious! And of course I love when he cooks :)

Greek Soup

One whole free range chicken (~ 4 lbs)
3/4 cup white rice
the juice of one lemon
3 eggs
s & p

Rinse chicken and put in large pot with enough water to completely cover it. He leaves the giblets in and I pretend I don't see them, but they do add a lot to the flavor. Boil chicken until the meat is falling off the bone; approximately 2 hours.

Remove chicken from pot, add rice and cook. Let chicken cool enough to handle, then cut it up into smaller chunks.

Break eggs and put whites in medium bowl, set yolks aside. Whip egg whites until they are frothy. Then mix yolks in and add the juice of one lemon.

Once rice is cooked, turn the stove off and let the broth cool. Pour some of the broth slowly into the egg mixture while mixing (you don't want the eggs to scramble!). Once the bowl is full, add the egg/broth mixture to the pot w/the rest of the broth. Add chopped chicken to soup, reheat and eat!

(NJ) Cheesesteak Sandwiches

2010-01-03T18:57:00.001-05:00

We purchased a box (45lbs) of local, grassfed beef from a local farmer via a friend about a month ago. As we were making our way through our stash of ground beef, strip steaks, and roasts, we came upon packages of chipped beef on New Years Day and decided to make cheesesteaks.

The ingredients of this recipe are simple: good quality meat, sliced super thin. Onions, peppers, mushrooms...whatever you have and whatever you want. We only had onions for this preparation but it would be great with peppers & mushies.

The directions are even simpler: brown the meat on medium/low heat with a little s&p. As it cooks, push it onto the thinly sliced onions, leaving 1/2 of your pan for red meat in need of cooking to go. Once it is all cooked, spread around to make sure the onions are well browned & add cheese. I use cheese sparingly because the meat tastes so good, and to avoid unnecessary calories!

Serve on large fresh roll, add ketchup! Champagne optional ;) Happy New Year!

Homemade bread! Traditional White Bread

2010-01-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

My mom got me a wonderful present for Christmas - a breadmaker! It's the Oster 2lb Expressbake Breadmaker. Once I was able to get my butt to the store to pick up some yeast and bread flour, I got to work!

It is amazing how easy it really is. You put in the wet ingredients, put in the dry ingredients, make a little hole in the flour for the yeast to sit in, and press start! I chose to begin at the beginning with the traditional white loaf, recipe provided in the Oster Users Guide provided with the machine.

You will need:
1 3/8 cups water
2 tbsp soft butter
4 cups bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry milk
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one packet)

Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan.

Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to the bread pan.

Use your finger to form a well (hole) in the flour where you will pour the yeast. Yeast must NEVER come into contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients. Measure the yeast and carefully pour it into the well.

Snap the baking pan into the breadmaker and close the lid.

Press "Select" button to choose the Basic setting.

Press the "Crust Color" button to choose light, medium or dark crust. For this one I chose Medium.

Press the "Start/Stop" button.

Finished product:

M&M Biscotti

2010-01-03T18:18:00.000-05:00

I love biscotti with my coffee in the morning (or afternoon...or after dinner...), so when I saw this Christmas-esque biscotti recipe on Lovestoeat's blog, I had to make it! These could be made year-round with regular colored M&Ms.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup finely crushed M&Ms (tip: don't try the food processor. It doesn't work! Just put them in a ziploc and smash them)
14 ounces fine quality white chocolate, melted

**save some extra crushed M&Ms to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined – stir in crushed candy.

Evenly divide dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into a round log shape.

Place logs 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.

Cut each log diagonally into biscotti-size slices with sharp serrated knife. (The original recipe indicated to discard the ends if you want. We saved the ends for ourselves and gave away the good ones on a Christmas Cookie platter).

Arrange pieces standing up on the baking sheet.

Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12 to 15 minutes. Place onto cool rack and cool completely.

Once cooled, dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate – shake off excess. Remember to melt chocolate slowly so it does not burn (Speaking from experience. Had to make a last minute run out for more chocolate chips). Immediately roll in additional crushed M&Ms and set on a plate until the chocolate has set.

Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Pesto

2009-12-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

At the farmers' market this summer, I was introduced to the world of garlic scapes by my favorite organic farmer (tall, skinny man in overalls with a long grey beard and straw hat...classic).
Scapes are the green chutes of the garlic that grow out of the ground, and are quite delicious. He taught me to make a pesto with them. I put the bunch of scapes, olive oil, S&P, and parmigiano in the food processor (adding olive oil / cheese to balance out the consistency to a nice pesto) and chop minimally, so it remains somewhat chunky. The scapes have a nice mild flavor and it was great as a cold pesto salad. Here it is-

Tarragon Panko Chicken with Sherry Shallot Sauce

2009-12-27T22:45:00.001-05:00

This is one of our favorite recipes. My mom invented it, and it's a common chicken dish in our household that we just love!

Chicken is one thing that is hard for us to find from small local farms. We do have one local farm where we buy our eggs that has whole chickens from time to time but not consistently. So, unfortunately chicken is the one meat product that we do have to purchase at the grocery store. We purchase Readington Farms chicken products because they are fed a vegetarian diet and Free Farmed certified by the AHA:

· Readington Farms offers a line of the highest quality all natural, fresh white meat chicken products. Readington Farms is the first poultry company in the world to meet the Free Farmed standards set forth by the American Humane Association. Readington Farms chickens are free of antibiotics, chemical medicines, growth stimulants and hormones.

So, to the recipe.

1pkg chx breasts
panko bread crumbs
the zest of one lemon
dried tarragon
shallot
cooking sherry
white of one egg
vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth. (I use Pacific):

I slice the chicken breasts in half so they are thin.

Whisk the egg white with s&p and dried tarragon in a bowl.

Put panko breadcrumbs on a plate and add the zest of one lemon and some dried tarragon.

Put the chicken first in the egg mixture, then press with panko mixture, and place aside on a plate. Repeat for all chicken pieces.

Heat some vegetable oil in a large pan. Add chicken pieces and cook until golden brown.

At the same time, add butter and sliced shallot in a separate small saucepan (Or onion if you don't have shallot). Brown shallot.

Add chx broth and about 1cup of sherry to the shallot pan. Let this simmer.

If the chicken is all done, keep warm in the oven. Thicken the sauce with a bit of flour & water

Voila! Serve with fresh veggies and rice!

Welcome!

2009-12-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

So here's my first post!

I decided to start a blog to document my journey of cooking, gardening, and eventually farming at our home in rural NJ. My primary concerns are eating healthy, organic, and as sustainably as possible. My husband and I are striving to be better gastroactivists in our daily life.

Gas·tro·ac·tiv·ist (gas’troh-ak-tuh-vist)

n. One who makes informed and empowered food choices with the awareness that what they eat has a direct impact on the health of themselves and the planet

Thanks to http://sustainablepantry.com/about/ for the word!