Dinner for Two and the Loss of One

This morning my husband asked me “what do you want to do tonight?” Which in his language means “which of my buddies will we be meeting out tonight?”. My answer: “You are hanging out with me this evening and I am cooking us a lovely dinner.” No going to Cricket’s, no meeting Doug at Kingy’s, no beer at BW3s. I know, what a meanie, making someone stay home for a made from scratch meal!!! How could any man bear to hang out with a wife like that?

Cooking, which allows me to relax and unwind, will be done in solitude this evening. My mother called today in tears to let me know my Great Aunt Lou had passed away today. She went in this morning for bypass surgery and her heart was too weak to withstand the trauma. She was the only sibling left of my grandmother’s and I am not sure how she is going to cope. They talked to each other on the phone at least ten times a day for the past forty some years and live less than half a mile from each other. Lou was the oldest sister and you would have never known. Lively and vital—nothing seemed to hold her back.

She was my original source of knowledge that Preparation H can be put on the face to reduce wrinkles—and she’s the true testament that it works. I’m not sure if the cooking genes made it in her though—‘cause she once made an apple pie, and accidentally pulled peeled potatoes from the freezer, and wa la---a potato pie. My grandpa took one bite of it, and grandma said he made a face like you have never seen before! Just this summer, she failed her driver’s test because she refused to wear her glasses because they made her look old. She finally gave in, because not driving is almost as bad as looking old! I said, almost. God love her, and take care of her.

So this evening, I will reflect on her life and all the good times I remember having at her house as a child. I always ended up dragging home the ugliest cats from her litters. She would chuckle at my choices. Fortunately, they always ended up being the most memorable. Hopewell Church Road is going to be missing a fine lady.

So here’s my lovely meal:

BAKED SHRIMP WITH FETA AND FETTUCINE

1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups diced plum tomato (about 3/4 pound)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely crumbled feta cheese
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano and the next 4 ingredients (oregano through garlic); sauté for 3 minutes. Spoon the shrimp mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Add wine to skillet; cook over low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Stir in tomato, and pour over the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Serve mixture over pasta, and sprinkle with parsley.

I ended up serving this with a salad simply dressed and crusty roasted garlic bread. It was perfect with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Salute, Aunt Lou.

Kickin It With Quinoa

Today is my unusual ingredient day. I have picked quinoa (pronounced quin-wah) and for those of you that have never had it I highly recommend you try it out sometime. Quinoa is more interesting then rice, cooks just as easy and is way more fun to say.

Supposedly this is the ancient staple of the Incans and is the grain with the highest protein content. It is crunchy and nutty, but absolutely must be washed before used, or it will have a bitter flavor. I like to toast my quinoa in the oven before cooking it because it really brings out the flavor, but this step is always optional.

I have used quinoa only in salad type forms, but it is also in pilafs, muffins and soups. For my lunch today I decided on the following recipe which I adapted from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook:

Quinoa Cilantro Corn Salad with Grilled Chicken and Lemon-Lime Dressing
(aka The Really Long Name Recipe)

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt
2 grilled chicken breasts, cubed

2 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen

1 small red onion, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 red pepper, finely diced

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 green onions, chopped

4 cup sliced black olives

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce, or to taste

Place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly with cold, running water. Spread onto a baking sheet lined with foil. And bake for 10 minutes in oven set at 450 degrees. Halfway through baking the baking time, bring the water to boil in a small pot, adding the quinoa once it is finished baking. Add the salt and bring to a boil again. Cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid and spread the quinoa out to cool on a tray while preparing the remaining ingredients.Steam or lightly saute corn until just tender and cool to room temperature. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss. Season with additional salt, pepper or hot sauce to taste. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

This is very “healthy” tasting to put it simply. It is filling, yet not heavy and with a bit of heat from the jalapenos. I am going to pack it up for lunch this week. It’s nice to have a change from the usual turkey sandwiches, aka our attempt at the Subway Diet. So go ahead---be dangerous on your next trip to the grocery--and pick up a box of quinoa:)

Whole Wheat Hell

I should really call this the “never goes as planned” blog. When I got home from work last night I started in on my cinnamon buns. The yeast was bubbling, and I warmed the milk—everything going perfectly as planned. Then it came time to add the main ingredient, plain old all-purpose flour. Something I always have. Something anyone who bakes ALWAYS has.

As I tossed things about the pantry, I found two boxes of cake flour, a sack each of self-rising flour, bread flour, white corn flour, and wheat flour. Then, whooaa---a sigh of relief, a bag of all-purpose in the back. As I dug it out, it is not a full bag, nor a half bag. Just a measly quarter of the bag totaling two cups—Aghhhh. So my recipe had to be amended to include 4 cups of white whole wheat flour. Oh my, I guess I can consider these the healthier version (whole grains are the rage, right?). So go ahead and eat two:)

I did not make the original frosting I posted yesterday. It just seems too boring, like a runny glaze. Not exactly what I had in mind. So instead I made a white frosting consisting of 3 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla and enough milk to make a good frosting consistency. For the second batch I made a maple frosting consisting of 12 ounces powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of maple extract, ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup brewed coffee and enough milk to make the right consistency.

So honestly, nothing went exactly as planned. I must admit that I do not like the whole wheat flour. Needless to say, I ended up eating two rolls this morning (of course, I had to try both flavors). They are good, just not as good as they could be with old-fashioned white flour. The wheat flour seemed to make them denser and I do not recommend this substitution! Oh well, next time I will try to be a more prepared baker. Promise.

On A Hot Roll

Easy Cinnamon Buns

Dough:
1/2 cup water, warmed
2 teaspoons sugar
2 packets active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoon butter, softened
5 1/2-6 cups flour

Combine first three ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook(yeah, I get to use my dough hook!). Let stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Add milk, eggs, salt, sugar, butter and 3 cups of flour. Mix until well incorporated and smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add any remaining flour in smaller increments until dough comes together and away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be slightly sticky, but very smooth.Form dough into a ball and place in greased, covered bowl to rise until doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Filling
3-4 tablespoons milk
Cinnamon
Brown sugar
1 cup raisins (optional, I say no thanks!)
Preheat oven to 400F. Coat two 9×13 glass baking dishes with cooking spray or butter. Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in two and roll each piece out into (roughly) a 10×14 inch rectangle. Brush each rectangle with milk, dust thoroughly with cinnamon and top with brown sugar. Sprinkle with raisins, if desired. Roll in a jelly-roll fashion beginning at a short end. Pinch seam shut. Repeat for second rectangle. Slice logs at 1 inch intervals and place rounds in the baking dish so they are just touching. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400F, until tops are golden brown.Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut apart and drizzle with glaze. Makes about 20 buns.
Quick and Easy Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Enough milk to form a pourable consistency
Stir ingredients until smooth with a fork. Drizzle over cinnamon buns.

Okay, so these are about two hours. My plan is to make the dough this evening after work and let rise. I will get them all sliced up and ready to bake in the morning. Nothing like some fresh baked buns on a Wednesday morning! I think I will do one pan with the glaze and the other with a frosting…something a’la Cindy’s Cinnamon Rolls. Those are soooooo good. Actually when I was a child my grandfather and I would always get the leftover scraps they sold with a cup’o frosting. How on earth I didn’t have a mouthful of cavities as a child, I haven’t a clue!
Grandpa’s sweet tooth is as bad as mine. I am assuming that is where mine stemmed from originally. I have never seen a man eat a piece of chocolate cake, some ice cream, cherry pie, and a fistful of Bloomer’s chocolates after a full meal-other than papaw and not weight 400 pounds. And I am not talking about slivers of cake either, buddy----quarter of the cake size! Hey, as long as I have his metabolism I’m not going to complain…

Case of the Mondays

Oh, a line from one of my favorite movies--and boy does it sure ring true around here. It is a MADHOUSE. I need a break to take my mind off work because if I sit here thinking about it any longer I will devour the entire easter basket filled with Hersey kisses sitting next to me! AGH! Why, oh why did Walgreen's have to have them on sale for $1.50 a bag?

So, instead I will ponder on the wonder of blogs. I have been checking out other folk's blogs out there and they are amazing. Wonderful pictures, thoughtful insights, great recipes, and all on a daily basis. How in the world do they do it? Do they not have jobs? Are they strategically doing food placement with different backgrounds and plates? I feel like a bum since I use the same dinnerware every time and on the same countertop!

It also seems like every time I even have time to bake something I can't find the camera or am too rushed to even try and take half-way decent pictures. So the ones I end up with usually turn out pathetic. Keep in mind I usually take 10 pictures of each item and it is usually a struggle to find one decent one to post. Sad, I know. I'm sure it's the camera.

Oh, well I am not going to get too busted up about it. I'll just keep on cooking and hopefully the camera skills will improve. Or maybe my honey will buy me a new digital camera that I can keep solely in my kitchen drawer. Wouldn't that be lovely?

My next endeavor will be cinnamon rolls of some sort. For some reason that is on my "I must have this now" list. I am going to look for a short cut kind of recipe. I have seen several that take all day to make--and guess what mama don't have time for that! 2 hours or less, please.
For any of my friends or family reading this---when I do get around to making them, you can probably expect that I will bring you some (since my weirdo husband doesn't like cinnamon rolls, yikes how are we even compatible?!!!). Oh well, more for me!

Frito Crack

I love snack mixes. Savory ones, sweet ones, salty ones---the combinations are endless. It is so fun to see what you can throw together and come up with. This little ditty I made is an adaptation from the Cookie Madness website. Glenn loves Fritos. I, on the other hand---could really care less about them. But put them in the ring with some salty pretzels and peanut butter cups---well then, count me in.

I actually took this last night to our friend's surprise 40th birthday party, and surprise---they were gone in a flash. The original recipe posted on the website calls for spreading a bag of chocolate chips on top, but I found myself trying to pick out the pieces that didn't have any chocolate on them last night---so I adapted this to my tastes. If you desire, instead of sprinkling the white chocolate on the end, as I do here, you may instead spread an entire bag of chocolate chips on top then spread evenly over after they melt. Don't get me wrong, the semi-sweet chocolate version is really good, and I recommend that you try it both ways! Next time though, I will make it as I did below but add in Reeses Pieces.......oh my god. I will become a cow!

FRITO CRACK

1 Cup Waffle Pretzels
1 Cup Rye and Pumpernickel Pretzels
1 1/2 Cup Fritos
1/2 to 1 Cup Peanuts
8-9 mini reese's peanut butter cups, chopped up
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break up the pretzels and fritos to they are broken into smaller pieces. Line a 13x9 pan with foil, so that it overhangs on the ends. Spread the pretzels, fritos, peanut butter cups and peanuts on the the foil. In a microwave-safe bowl melt the butter for a little over a minute. Once fully melted, stir in brown sugar. Microwave one minutes. Stir and put back in microwave for another 30-40 seconds until nice a bubbly:) Now go ahead and pour it all over the pretzel mix. Mix it all up so it is nice and coated. Bake for 9 minutes.

Pull it out of the oven and sprinkle the white chocolate all over it. Stick it back in the oven and bake another minute or two. Then mix the chocolate into the mix to coat a bit. Let cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Yummy, Yummy!

Souperlicious

Not sure where this recipe came from I have made it a few times in the past. I must have done something different in the past because this time it just came out okay. So after my first taste test I did some tweaking and added some tomato sauce, a teeny bit of sugar, oregano and some cumin. Then it tasted mucho bettero.......I think I might add some spinach next time-hey, always tweaking.

Gosh, even the picture makes it look ugly.....but I swear it's good. Lentils are so fun!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP

1 pound italian sausage

1 cup onion

1 cup celery

1 cup carrots

1 mushrooms

1 cup zucchini

6 cup chicken broth

2 can diced tomato

3 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup lentils

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon parsley

And for the daring---1 small can tomato sauce, 1-2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cumin

Brown sausage, then add onion through zucchini. Brown for 5 minutes. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and let simmer one hour. Enjoy!

Ghetto-Rigged Black Bean & Chicken Chili

February is now the coldest month in Ohio! There always used to be a snow storm on my birthday in early January--but not any more baby! I'm pretty sure the kids have had a few snow days this week and to warm you up nothing is better than soup:) I usually make a big batch thinking that it will last us an entire week, but some how it always disappears in two days. I guess I'm doing something right, or we wouldn't gobble it up!

My first batch this weekend was supposed to be a White Chicken Chili from Bon Appetit or Gourmet--or some fancy magazine like that--and I SWEAR I had all the appropriate ingredients in my pantry. As I started my assembly though, I didn't have half the stuff I needed! SO--this is my ghetto-rigged version of the original--and it definitely wasn't white!

GHETTO-RIGGED BLACK BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 large Onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

4 Teaspoons garlic

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Oregano

2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds

1 Teaspoon Crushed red pepper

1 Pound Boneless Chicken Breast

1 Can Great Northern Beans, with 1/2 Cup liquid reserved

1 Can Black Beans, drained

1 Can Chicken Broth

7 ounces canned Green Chilis

1/2 Cup whipping cream

1 Can Progresso Light Southwestern Style Soup (no meat)

1-2 Tablespoons Cilantro

Sour Cream and Shredded Cheddar for serving

Heat oil in Dutch Oven over medium Heat. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, fennel and red pepper. Saute 5 minutes. Remove vegetable mixture and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Saute chicken 5 minutes. Drain beans, but reserve 1/2 cup liquid from Great Northern can. Add the beans, broth, chilies,cilantro, cream, bean liquid and can of soup to the chicken. Stir the veggies back in. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

A beautiful white color? No--more grayish brown--but it did turn out darn good. I only decided to add the can of Progresso at the end because I really wanted corn in this soup, but of course couldn't find an ear, can, or frozen bag of it here. Next time, I might not add the Progresso but instead add a can of corn and extra chicken broth. I think the results would be similar. Enjoy!

The Ski Bug

So here's what I've been up to lately....skiing, skiing, and more skiing. Today we just got back from Seven Springs, PA and my body is telling me to take a break from the slopes! Last weekend we were in Snowshoe, WV and earlier this month Heavenly, NV. I have progressed so much in my skiing ability that I don't want to stop!

Snowshoe was a great time, but SO cold. We ended up driving down at 9pm last Friday and getting a room at the mountain lodge. It was the only room left on the mountain, so we didn't mind that it looked like 1982 in our condo. It really didn't matter to us, because by the time we skiied all day we were too tired to care. We actually ended up knowing a bunch of people down there, so we ended up being invited to their mexican potluck. Hey, what could be better---good skiing and good food:)

The only downside was that the cable in the electric window in the car ended up breaking, so Eric and I had to duct tape it up for the ride home! Ahh, duct tape the master fixer upper!

Here's the lovely balcony from our Snowshoe Condo---it snowed the whole time we were there!

Ah, snow everywhere! Here's what 10 feet of snow will do in Heavenly!

The snow in Heavenly, was Heavenly compared to what we have here in the midwest---but I won't knock it too much because we had a great time. Seven Springs is quite large with 14 lifts and fifty plus trails. We ended up getting a ski in-ski out condo at the top for $200 a night. What a deal! Our balcony was 50 feet from the avalance lift and all you had to do was strap on your skis and head to the goosebumps trail. It was perfect.

Our condo had a small kitchenette, and I decided to load up food for the trip so we didn't have to spend a fortune eating out. The easiest thing I could think of that was filling, comforting, and easy to tote along was lasagna and some garlic bread. The recipe I used is a variation from several I have tried over the years and it is actually easy, but really good. We scarfed down all but a few pieces and I don't think they will survive long around here......

Homemade Lasagna


1 ½ lb lean ground beef
1 lb hot Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
12 ouces tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 T dried parsley
2 T dried oregano
2 T dried basil
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 T sugar
10 ounces lasagna noodles
3 cups lowfat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 egs
1/2 cup Kraft parmesan powder cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 pound sliced provolone or mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In skillet brown ground beef, sausage and garlic. Drain off any excess fat and add tomatoes through sugar to meat mixture. Let simmer for 45-60 minutes.

While this is simmering, boil the noodles with a little salt. Cook for 8 minutes until al dente.

In a small bowl beat with an electric mixer, the ricotta through salt.

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay four cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan allowing them to overlap. Spread half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Then lay 1/2 pound of the provolone cheese slices on top of the ricotta mixture.

Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the provolone slices. Top with four more noodles and the remaining half of the ricotta mixture. Then top with remaing 1/2 of provolone.
Spread all but 1/2 cup meat mixture on top, then add four more noodles. Spread rest of 1/2 cup meat mixture on very top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then shake canned Parmesan generously all over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until heated.

Yummy, yummy.......enjoy!