Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well, lovely blog readers, the time has come. Please excuse the lack of comments and possibly posting for a bit, as I am packing up the last of my stuff at home and moving out to my new apartment in Beantown this week! I'm not sure when I'll have internet access again, so until then i bid you adieu :)

Have a great week!

Mediterranean Rice Casserole

FYI: the fall colors in central NY are pretty spectacular right now! (hmm, it looked better in person... o well) I went to visit a couple of my aunts, and what did I come home with? Bounty from a friends' farm (thanks guys ;-))!! "How about some swiss chard?" left me with this:


Yeah, just a little. :) The red chard is just GORGEOUS! I had tried swiss chard last year, but couldn't for the life of me remember what I had done with them... enter: a rice and greens casserole I had seen over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I haven't had too many dolmades, so I have no basis for comparison, but I really enjoyed the combination of flavors in this dish! Another winner, Ricki, thanks for sharing!!

Mediterranean Rice Casserole

Stuff It... Stuff It Real Good

:) while the rest of that tune is going in my head, I wanted to post about this amazing stuffed salmon. So delicious and easy, perfect for entertaining!! My aunt first made this for me a couple of years ago, it this is surely a keeper. This was actually my first time making it (although I've eaten it many times), so I didn't do quite the best job slicing into the gorgeous piece of salmon, but it all worked out in the end! A montage, to illustrate what I might not be able to describe well...


Stuffed Salmon
Recipe from Aunt Lorraine


1 salmon fillet, rinsed and patted dry
~10oz spinach (fresh or frozen works)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
EVOO
3-4oz goat cheese
hot sauce (I used Franks' buffalo sauce)

Preheat the oven to 350deg. In large nonstick skillet, heat ~1T EVOO over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute 1-2min, then add washed spinach and cook until wilted. (If you're using frozen, be sure to squeeze all the water out of the defrosted spinach, and just cook it with the garlic until the chill is off) Remove from heat and let mixture cool.

In a baking dish (I think I used a 9x13 pan here), add some hot sauce and then the salmon. Do your best and try to cut through the middle of the thickest part of the fillet (there's usually a hump that's thicker than the rest, this is where you want to make a pocket). No worries, I did an aweful job at this and no one noticed :)

Add your cooked spinach to the larger part of the salmon, as evenly (or unevenly) as you'd like, then crumble up the goat cheese. Fold over the flap of salmon you cut to encase the stuffing. Pour some more hot sauce on top of the salmon. If any guests don't want the added flava, you can also squeeze some lemon juice on top (the lemon slices were more to distinguish which portion lacked hot sauce, I don't think she actually ate them). Bake for 20-30min, depending on the size of your fillet. Voila!


So so good. The goat cheese melts and the flavor combination is fantastic. Never would've put the hot sauce there, but it really works. I'm sure this would also be good with spinach, feta, and pine nuts as the stuffing... i'm just partial to goat cheese :) Who wouldn't be impressed being served this for dinner? ok, well, you might want to transfer it to a nice serving plate...

English Muffin Pizzas

So finally after all the times I have mentioned pizza in my blog I am finally posting about it! Friday night is pizza night (99% of the time) and it's usually ordered out. Our order is exactly the same each week, we get a black olive pie delivered from Saporito's Pizzeria in Denville. We love their pizza it's the best we found since we've moved here and believe me, we've tried a lot of places, but sometimes it's nice to make pizza yourself. So I didn't make the dough and maybe this is considered cheating but I did make my own sauce and it was definitely a very nice change.

If you don't toast the english muffins first or if your sauce is too hot, they will turn out soggy.

English Muffin Pizzas

Pizzas:

1 package of english muffins
1 package of shredded mozzarella
handful of grated cheese, we like locatelli romano

Sauce:

1 can 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Saute garlic, italian seasoning and crushed red pepper in oil. Add tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Let cook for 30-40 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Let sauce cool.

Open english muffins and place on a cookie sheet. Bake dry at 400 for about 10 minutes and tops are lightly browned and crisp.

Add sauce, sprinkle of cheese and mozzarella to each muffin. Bake until cheese melts and gets light brown.

Enjoy!






Steve Approves!

Raspberry Clafouti

Yup, more raspberries! I told you we bought them at Sam's... :) (If you're not familiar, it's a wholesale club, like BJ's and Costco). Finished them off in a delightful, light dessert choc-full of these delicious red rubies--Raspberry Clafouti. I've tried various clafouti recipes, and have liked them all... you'd think I'd just pick one base and vary the fruit, but I'm *slightly* addicted to food blogs and bookmarking tasty recipes!


Raspberry Clafouti
adapted from Sunset


~8oz raspberries
2t cornstarch
1 egg
1/3c egg whites
1c skim milk
2/3c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4c sugar
1 1/2t vanilla extract
1/4t salt

Preheat oven to 350deg. Spray a 2qt baking dish with nonstick spray. Toss berries with cornstarch to coat and place in dish. In a blender (this is a large amount, dangerous to use in your hand blender... not that I know or anything ;) ), mix egg and egg whites, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt for 15 seconds. Pour over berries in baking dish. Bake until puffed and golden brown in the center, ~50min. Cool, then dust with powdered sugar to serve.

a little slice of berry heaven :)

Taco Dip

The first time I dipped my chip into this dip I was hooked! Now I or someone else makes it for every get together. It doesn't get any easier than this so grab your chip, scoop or whatever you prefer and dig in!

A special thanks to Steve's Mom, Lyn who shared this recipe with me!


Taco Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese or sour cream (I use 8 oz sour cream)
1 can chili with or without beans
1 jar salsa
1 pkg. taco blend cheese
2 lg. tomatoes, chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1 can sliced back olives

Layer ingredients in the order above in a nonstick rectangular pan.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350˚

I Like to Ate Ate Ate...

Who's singing with me? hehe Fall =APPLES!!! Well, changing leaves, too, but I don't think I'd want to cook with those... I have been enjoying 2 apples a day since I first picked them up from the farm around the corner :) So I wanted to mix it up a little. Plus, this week's ingredient is Apples, so I'm submitting these to Erin and Andrea over at Care to Eat. Check out the details there... there's even a chance to get some of the prized bread Erin's been raving about!!

First, some Pumpkin Apple Butter, from Enlightened Cooking. Mine didn't look as smooth as Camilla's, but still tasted pretty darn good :) I followed the recipe, only reducing the honey just a bit, so I'll point you to back to the original post for the recipe. I'm looking forward to using this on toast, waffles, english muffins... ooh, I bet it would be tasty on pancakes too!


I decided to make 1/2 batch of two quickbreads and make them into mini-loaves so I could share! Friends of my parents are taking me kayaking, so I thought this would be a nice way to say thanks :)

Banana Apple Bread

First was a Banana Apple Bread, which I had seen over in Sunita's World. As I had only written the ingredients, I prepared it more like a quick bread (and didn't sprinkle the nuts on top), so it looks a bit different, but it still tasted delicious!!! Next time I'd use the apple in chunks instead of shredded so the apple taste doesn't get lost (the predominate flavor was banana), and maybe add more oatmeal.

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Before I had decided to do the pumpkin apple butter, I had wanted to combine apple and pumpkin somewhow, so I adapted a recipe seen over at eat me, delicious.

Mini Pumpkin Apple Loaves
adapted from eat me, delicious, who adapted it from The Garden of Vegan
Yield 3-4 mini loaves


1/2c white whole wheat flour
1/2c whole wheat pastry flour
1t baking powder
1/4t baking soda
1T cane sugar
3/8c unsweetened apple juice (plus some if batter's dry)
1/6c unsweetened applesauce
1/2c pumpkin
1/2 large apple, diced
~1/4c chopped walnuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350deg. Spray mini loaf pan (or other desired shape) with nonstick spray.

Combine flours, baking powder and baking sugar in medium bowl.

In small bowl, combine apple juice, applesauce, and pumpkin. Mix wet into dry until just combined, adding a little more apple juice if needed. Fold in apples and nuts (if using), then add to prepared pans.

Bake for 25-30min, until it's done (I did the touch "test", and waited until my finger didn't sink in... very scientific!)


Alrighty, well if you haven't already, GO GET SOME APPLES!!! :) I can't believe my month is just about over, and I move to Boston next wednesday!! Crazy...

Acorn Squash w/Spinach and Dried Cranberries

I'm just trying to give you dear readers a complex, here's a dish that would be perfect for thanksgiving :-P Long long ago I had seen this recipe for Butternut Squash and Spinach. Well, I must've been channeling this when I made dinner tonight. As I had roasted the squash already and it was sitting in the fridge calling my name, this took literally 15min--tops to throw together. Without further ado, I give you...

a rather unappetizing photo :)

and just some guidelines... as I didn't measure anything, and you should feel free to adjust it to your tastes (more spinach or more squash or more craisins...)

Saute 1/2 chopped onion until tender, then toss in roasted squash (any kind of squash would do, as would sweet potato; I roasted 425deg for ~25min) and loads of spinach. Cover and let cook a bit. Stir, and add more spinach if desired (it does wilt down a ton, so I added more once the first batch was done). Add handful of dried cranberries and season with s/p and some freshly grated nutmeg (optional). Cover and cook until all spinach is wilted and squash warmed through. Serve!

And one last picture, of a smiling Spinach-Asiago Chicken Sausage (another awesome Sam's purchase). See, even he liked the squash and spinach :)

Lentil Soup

Sorry that it's been so long since I've posted anything new. I've been having some trouble uploading my pictures through imageshack. I think the website was having some trouble but now it seems to be working.

So the fall is here! Yay! I've been looking forward to this season for weeks! Along with all the fun fall activities I look forward to making hearty soups and stews to warm our bellies. Lentil soup is one of my absolute favorites. I like it soupy and I also like it when it thickens up.

Take note of my pretty vietri dish!!! I fell in love with these dishes when I first saw them on Giada's food network show, Everyday Italian. They aren't cheap so I have started my collection with the pretty deep dishes that I used for this photo. I love it!

Michele’s Lentil Soup


Ingredients:

2 cans chicken broth
4 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 onion diced
3 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 small potato diced
2 cloves garlic, cracked (optional)
1/2 – 8oz can Delmonte tomato sauce (can substitute with fresh tomatoes or diced)
½ bag lentils
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 bay leaves
* can use 6 cans chicken broth in place of water and bouillon cubes.

Saute onion, garlic, carrots and potato in oil for 2-3 minutes. Stir to prevent potato from sticking. (If using fresh or diced tomatoes, add now and let cook a few minutes so they soften.)

Add broth and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add bay leaves and bouillon cubes if using. Let it cook a minute so the bouillon cubes dissolve. Add lentils and Delmonte and cover. Let cook for about 25-30 minutes or until tender. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.

In a separate pot cook 1 pound of small pasta such as ditilini or broken up spaghetti.

Serve with pasta. (Do not mix pasta and soup in the pot b/c the pasta will absorb all the juice and it will be too thick, unless of course you like it that way!)

Bon Apetito!

Note - To make this vegetarian swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

A Raspberry Morning

An ode to summer before I head full on to fall! We saw some awesome looking raspberries at Sam's Club, and I just had to pick them up (yeah, no way they were local... oh well!). While I've become more adventurous cooking, I'm still leary in the baking department, a few substitutions here or there, but I really like to have a recipe in front of me. We loved the incorporation of fresh fruit in this Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake. I made a few substitutions with what we had, so I'll post what I did below. I'm sure it could be lightened a bit more, but it wasn't too sweet as is. A lovely way to start the day, or brighten the morning, or afternoon... or way to put yourself to sleep... :)


Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
Modified ever so slightly from herlittleblackdress

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I can't remember if I used Splenda Blend for Baking here... I was doing too many things and was slightly schizophrenic last night!!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  
• scant 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine sour cream, butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. **mine was very dry, so I added ~1T milk at this point. The batter was very thick, but it all worked out in the end!** Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread raspberry mixture evenly over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over raspberry mixture. Top with almonds.
4. Bake for 40 minutes **mine was done at 30min**, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
5. Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well. Drizzle glaze over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cross-section with lovely whole berries!

Bavaria's best

My plane landed in Paris early on a recent Friday morning. Matt, who I last saw over three months ago in California, met me outside of baggage claim. He looked different, yet utterly the same. We rode the train into the city, dropped off my bags, and paused for breakfast at a nearby patisserie. The espresso was thick and nutty; the croissant was buttery and flaked with almonds. Women in heels and men in thin-legged pants walked down the sidewalk on their way to work. The street smelled of cigarette smoke, of coffee and baguettes, of the rotisserie chickens spinning outside of a butcher shop nearby.

I spent ten days in Europe. Matt and I walked all over Paris—exploring the Marais, fighting crowds in the Louvre, tasting coconut macaroons near the Pompidou. We drove to Germany, in a spunky little car that struggled to keep up with the BMWs and Porsches flying down the Autobahn, and stayed for most of the week on the cobble-stoned streets of Bamberg, a medieval town where Matt once lived.

The timing of the trip was perfect. Fall was just beginning and the air was often crisp, the light sharp. There were picnics in parks and walks along rivers. There was the scent of bakeries and chimneys, of smoke and water.

It was also perfect because I needed a break from reality. The financial struggle gripping much of the U.S. has long been biting at the heels of print journalism and, therefore, I recently encountered my first lay-off. In the face of unemployment and an uncertain future, baguettes brought straight from the oven have never tasted so fresh.

In Germany, Matt and I ate in local breweries every night, where thick glass mugs of beer were plunked down before us on the communal wooden tables. There was bratwurst, sauerkraut, and brown bread. There were even sightings of lederhosen and felt caps.

One evening we went to Brauerei Hoh, a small pub tucked in a hamlet near Bamberg. We sat at a table near the back of the main room, warm and filled with people, drinking a fizz-less brew available nowhere but there. We ate pfefferhahnchen, an impossibly delicious half-chicken with skin that was crisp and tender and covered in a bronzed mix of pepper and spice.

“How is this so good?” I asked.

“It’s the best,” Matt said.

That soon became the mantra of our time in Bavaria. It’s the best, said Matt, at least once every day.

Sometimes it was the perfect sweet-sour twang of sauerkraut; sometimes it was the smoke, cascading from a chimney at sunset. Mainly, though, it was the beer. I haven’t always been a fan of beer. I’ve often found it tasteless, needlessly filling. But this beer was different. It changed with each brewery—from flat and tangy to smoked and hammy. But no matter what, each had a depth of flavor I hadn’t realized was possible.

And every night we would sit, order (zwei bier, bitte!), and take a sip. “This is the best,” Matt would say. I would nod. It was.

Until the next night, of course, when that was the best.

Delicata Risotto

Happy First Day of Fall! I've been watching the progression of this tree down the street and finally remembered to take a picture. Figured it was pretty appropriate to post today, too. I'm really torn... fall is my favorite season, but I feel like I've got a death grip on summer and don't want that to end, either! Picking up as many plums as I can, and setting them amidst squashes and apples, hopefully I won't develop a split personality. Can't we all just get along?

Delicata Squash

Anywho, I really have to share this dish I made the other night for dinner, it was so good. Definately topped my last variation with eggplant and tomatoes. I used this recipe from The Domestic Goddess as inspiration, but I've become more comfortable with this dish as I've made it a handfull of times now, so I'll include my version below. I'd never tried delicata squash before, but when the woman at the farmers market described it as a cross between acorn squash and sweet potato I knew I had to try it! I'll be honest though, it tastes more like squash than a sweet potato... not complaining though I love both!!

Delicata Risotto

Delicata Risotto
Serves 4


~3/4T EVOO
1/2 medium onion, diced
1c Arborio rice
~1/4c white wine
2-3c stock (I think I ended up using ~2 1/2c chicken stock, but that's just what we had in the fridge)
1T chopped chives
1T chopped parsley (some fresh chopped sage or thyme would also be good I think if that's what you have!)
1-2T finely grated Parmesan
1/2 delicata squash, cut into 1/2" cubes (any other squash or sweet potato would work)
~2oz ricotta salata or goat cheese

Ahead of time: I roasted the squash at 425 for ~25min, until tender and slightly browned on the edges the other day. Just popped it into the fridge for easy access/quick dinners.

Place stock in saucepan over med-low heat. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened and just beginning to brown. Add rice and stir to coat rice. Usually recipes say to cook until rice is translucent, this time I let it go a little longer (stepped out of the kitchen to do something else...) and I think it only added to the flavor of the final dish.

Add white wine (I didn't measure, just poured a bit around the pan), stir the rice, this cooks off pretty quickly. Add stock, ~1/2c or so at a time (a little more/less won't hurt it), stirring after each addition and then letting it absorb the liquid. i think it was around 2 1/2c that I noticed it was taking longer to absorb, and it looked quite thick, so at this point I added the chives, parsley, Parm, and roasted squash and stirred to combine. I let this cook a minute or two to make sure the squash warmed up (I let it sit out while making the entire dish to take the chill off the refrigerated chunks). Transfer to serving dish, top with ricotta salat, and serve!


Served up with some grilled chicken kebabs-- a winner of a dinner ;-) Grilled onions are da bomb, I could eat a whole onion or two that way... would that be bad? Hmm... Oh, the chicken I pulled out of the freezer was already cut into kebab-sized chunks and marinated in Speedie's (I have no idea what this is... :-P), so mom just cut up a vidalia, pepper, and white eggplant to join the chicken and button mushrooms on skewers. I'd never tried a white eggplant before, they sure are gorgeous!! And sweeter than the gigundo eggplants I've eaten. Need to try one of the skinny kind... japanese I believe, I wonder how they compare. Did you know eggplants are "aubergines" in french? A much sexier word, maybe we should ban the name eggplant, who's with me??

Until my next trick, thank you all for reading and commenting, I smile every time I see a new comment and this has been a fun experience! Happy Monday :)

A Simple Side

Phew, what a day! An early morning Bodypump class to start the day off, then a hike with dad and rounded out with some lawn mowing. Despite feeling pretty exhausted right about now, I pulled together a pretty good take on rice and beans for dinner tonight, if I do say so myself :)

Brown Rice w/Black Beans and Squash
Serves 4

2c cooked brown rice
1/2 delicata squash, cut into 1/2" cubes and roasted (425deg for ~30min)
2-3 scallions, sliced on the bias
~2/3 can of black beans
ground cumin, corainder, s/p to taste (I eyeballed these)

Combine in a large bowl and mix well.

I had roasted the squash the other day, and used the brown rice that cooks in a bag in 90seconds, so it really couldn't have been easier. Just what I was looking for tonight! I thought about adding some sort of liquid, but couldn't figure out what, so I just let it be. A little harder to load all the little bits on your fork, but that's ok. The brown rice (which I had intended to be kasha... but the kasha gods were against me last night) went really well with the squash and beans-yum!

I'm all out of words, and wish it was bedtime (it's only 6:47)... Hoping I'll stay awake for American Gangster at 8, we'll see! I'll leave you with one picture from this afternoon's outing, looking out from a tiny waterfall that must've been a whole lot bigger at some point to form that sort of striations in the rock! (I don't know what the appropriate terms are here, and feeling a bit lazy, so i'll leave it at that!) Have a great weekend :)

Plotter Kill Nature Preserve

A Fungus Among Us

Yup, had to be done! For this week's secret ingredient, Rose chose (ha, that rhymes!) mushrooms. You can check out the details of the challenge here. Fun fact: While I knew these gems were high in B vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they are also high in protein. (although when I looked up the nutrition facts, I think you'd have to eat alot of mushrooms to get a substantial amount of protein) Regardless... I also learned that Shiitakes are actually chinese (not japanese) in origin, and they grow on trees! kinda neat. oh, and did you know that mushrooms double in size every 24 hours?!? wowsa! Oh, you wanted a recipe? Here's what I came up with...


Lemon Pasta w/Asparagus & Mushrooms
Serves 3-4

1 1/2-2c lemon pasta (or your favorite pasta)
5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
5 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 bunch of asparagus, cut into ~1" pieces
~2oz goat cheese
s/p, thyme to taste
(If not using lemon pasta, I'd go with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or some lemon zest)

Ahead of time: Saute mushrooms in about 1/2T butter and 1T EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil, another RR reference, which I love b/c I get to type less, until I try to explain it... oh well; i'm sure you could get away with just EVOO, or use more if you wanted but I'm usually stingy) until brown and umm, cooked. (They looked nice and toasty, I wouldn't say 'soft' since they already are kind of soft...) I also steamed the asparagus pieces until tender, but still had a little crunch (but do them however you like!)

When thinking about dinner: Boil some water and cook pasta al dente. BEFORE draining, steal some pasta water--I just took a measuring cup and took some out. Drain your pasta and put it back into the pot. Add cooked asparagus and mushrooms, add goat cheese and season with salt, pepper, thyme (s/p=salt and pepper). Add enough cooking liquid to make a sauce that will coat the pasta ever so nicely.

Note: The pasta water has some starch from the pasta, so it adds some thickness that regular water or veggie stock wouldn't have, but if you forget as I often do, either of these would work!

Served up with some Tilapia

I guess by now you have probably figured out that I *heart* goat cheese, and will put it in almost everything. And that I like doing things ahead of time so the right before dinner cooking time is minimal. [I know I'm not supposed to start a sentence with and, but it seemed like a run-on if i kept it together...] If I come home late and am starving, I will eat half my kitchen while cooking and be full by the time dinner's done, so this works for me :)

Oh, the tilapia? I just sprinkled some of this awesome spice blend from Penzey's (If you've never heard of them, I highly recommend checking them out). It's called Sunny Paris, it's got shallots, chives, green peppercorn, french basil, tarragon, chrvil, bay leaf and dill weed. Smells amazing. So I cooked up in a nonstick skillet with a little EVOO. Just when they were about done, I added ~1/4c white wine (I almost spelled that with an h;-)), squeeze of lemon juice, and some capers. That cooked off quickly, leaving the fish nicely flavored. Very quick!!

I'll stop rambling now and hope you all have a great friday!

Meme

Kinda seems like I'm saying Me, Me :-P What follows is probably much more than you'll ever need to know... but that's ok :) I've been tagged by Esi, so I figured I'd share the wealth

Meme from Esi of Dishing Up Delights

The rules of this one are: answer the questions, tag some other people, link to me and them, tell them about it.

I'm tagging:

1. Heather (HangryPants)

2. Sabrina (RhodeyGirl Tests)

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?
The latest Batman

What Book Are You Reading?
East of eden (never read it in skool)

Favorite Board Game?
I loved monopoly as a kid, and scattegories is always fun

Favorite Magazine?
I’ve taken a hiatus, but: The Week, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bon Appetit were frequent reads

Favorite Smells?
Vanilla… or Aqua di Gio ☺

Favorite Sounds?
nature

Worst Feeling In The World?
Letting someone down

First Thing You Think of When You Wake?
What time is it? (no, I don’t usually need an alarm clock…)

Favorite Fast Food Place?
I try and avoid them… does Panera count?

Future Child’s Name?
Hmmm, we’ll see

Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,”
Nothing would change! (except I’d be able to give a little more)

Do You Drive Fast?
They say a lead foot runs in the family…

Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
Not unless you count the two dogs… but they’re just stand in’s until I can get real ones ☺

Storms—cool or scary?
Cool

What Was Your First Car?
A very old mercury cougar

Favorite Drink?
Stumped me, I think it depends on the situation—is it cold or hot out? What have I been doing?

Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…”
Travel, maybe train to be more competitive in sprint tri’s (that could be fun!), and how about volunteering my time to help others?

Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?
Not the whole stem… but I don’t really know why

If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?
Purple? Kidding. I like my hair color!

Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived
In NY: Scotia, Clifton Park, Rochester, the Bronx
In PA: Philadelphia

Favorite Sport to Watch?
Are you ready for some football? Yes!!! Go G-men☺

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You
Only one? Well, I just love the simplicity and ingredients in everything Esi makes!

What’s Under Your Bed?
My bed is currently disassembled… But my mom keeps wrapping paper under the one at home!

Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?
Who else could I be?

Morning Person or Night Owl?
Morning, no doubt about it!

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
Scrambled, it’s easier!

Favorite Place to Relax?
In the woods

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Umm, maybe moose/pb tracks? No, watermelon sherbet. Or… my my, there is no favorite!

A Better Slaw

As a kid, I did not like cabbage. I actually liked stuffed cabbage... but I ate the filling and left the "roll" behind. Coleslaw? haha, don't think so! I feel so grown up, with my changing tastes :-P I actually eat cabbage now, especially love it in this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Stoup. Yup, it's a Rachel Ray recipe, so beware--I made half of it and got 3-4 HUGE servings out of it. But boy, I can't wait to make it again! Very easy, as I remember, just "chop and drop". Note to self: stop watching 30MM.

Anywho, since I like this leafy green now, I thought I should try it in some coleslaw. I hate to waste ingredients, so when I saw part of a head left in mom's fridge, I thought it was the perfect opportunity!! And seeing as I am a recipe fiend, had to try two different kinds. Both incorporated these lovely beauties from the farmers market...

The first was North Carolina Slaw, which I had written as being from Bon Appetit, but on searching for it tonight it doesn't appear that is the case as it wasn't online. Verdict? Wow, yum! I completely eye-balled the dressing (and probably could've used less oil), but I saved some to top a burger later in the week :) If you look real hard, you can see the yellow carrot I used, contrasting with the pale green cabbage! (why didn't I use the reddish/purple ones???)

North Carolina Slaw
inspired from somewhere...

~1-2c sliced cabbage
1 med carrot, grated

for the dressing, whisk together
sm chunk of onion, grated (~1-2T)
~1T canola oil
~1/2T ketchup
maybe less than 1t apple cider vinegar
pinch sugar
dash celery seeds

(sorry I really made no measurements!!) toss it all together, and enjoy!

I loved Waldorf Salad as a kid, so the other logical recipe for me to try was for Waldorf Coleslaw. YUM. Apples *swoon*. Perfect fall lunch!! Made this ahead of time, keeping some chopped walnuts on the side so they didn't get soggy.

All the players

Waldorf Coleslaw
inspired by Baking Bites


2c sliced cabbage
1 apple, diced
1 med carrot, diced
~1T dried cherries, slightly chopped
2T nonfat plain yogurt
1T olive oil mayo
1/2T honey
1t white balsamic vinegar (i love this stuff!)
dash s/p
~1T chopped walnuts

Whisk together yogurt, mayo, honey, and vinegar. Season to taste with s/p. Combine rest of ingredients (except walnuts) in bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Top with walnuts. right before serving.

Let's get this party started!!

Crash Hot Potatoes

So as you already know I spend a lot of time on bakespace. These past two weeks there has been lots of talk about this potato recipe. I believe it all started at The Pioneer Woman's blog and then over at Cooking Stuff and then Life, Dreams and Cupcakes. I couldn't take it any longer, I had to make my version of these delicious looking potatoes! The minute I saw them I pictured them with melted cheese and crispy bacon, almost like those potato skins you get at most chain family restaurants...but better! The cheese and bacon worked very well on the potatoes, they had the taste of the loaded potato skins but without the grease. I would definitely make these potatoes again and I encourage you to try your version or one of the many I have linked to!

R&R... and some Chippies

So I mentioned a weekend trip to the see the grandparents up in the Adirondacks and I thought I'd share just one or two fun photos...

view from camp

Taming of the chipmunks...

Little piggy!!

And from the drive home...

Some ducks and fall foliage at Byron Park

Lake Abanakee

Bok Choy: 3 ways

Bok choy has been on my to-try list for awhile now, and upon seeing these beautiful bunches as the farmers market I couldn't resist!! I wasn't quite sure how best to prepare it, so I turned to fellow bloggers and tried a couple ways...

From Cooking with Amy: a simple Tasty Bok Choy


And Quinoa-Stuffed Bok Choy I saw at Apples and Butter

I took some liberties in the preparation, as I was making it ahead. Steamed the bok choy on its own, and cooked up the quinoa mix ahead of time. When it came to eating, topped the bok choy with the quinoa-walut mix... and the soy reduction... shoot! forgot to make this ahead, so it did't get done. I really think this is a key component to this dish, so I'd recommed it!

From Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs: Caramelized Baby Bok Choy


Verdict?? So I tried the simplest preparation first, and thought it was ok. I was on my way to saying that bok choy might just not be the veggie for me. Then I tried Ricki's Carmelized Baby Bok Choy and LOVED it. I mean, it was cooked nice and slow to bring out the sweetness, had cashews... what's not to love? :) Next up was the Quinoa-Stuffed Bok Choy, which I liked too. As I mentioned, I would definately do the soysauce reduction next time. Ooh, did you catch that, next time? Guess I'll be buying it again sometime :) After some spinach, I've been missing my cheap spinach from the produce place in philly...

How do you like your bok choy??