Me and RR in the Kitchen

This week I've been puting my inner Rachel Ray to work. I made a couple of recipes out of February's issue of Everyday with RR. Matthew, I must put your gift to work

First I made Deconstucted Lasagna

Salt and Pepper

1 lb. fusili or mafalda pasta

2 tbl of extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 small crrot grated or chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 cup beef broth

28 oz can crushed omatoes

a few torn basil leaves

1 cup ricotta

1/2 cup finlesly chopped parsley

2 tbl butter

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Boil water and cook pasta unil al dente.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook beef until lightly browned. Add carrots, onions, and garlic, along wtih salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are sftened (abt. 5 minutes). Stir in beef froth, tomatoes, and basil. Simmer

3. Stir together ricotta and parsley

4. Toss pasta with butter, followed by stiring in parmesan cheese and meat sauce. Scoop Ricotta into bowls and cover with pasta-meat mixture.

VERDICT: The deconstructed lasagne was ok. I actually liked it more the second night when I put the ricotta in the bowl, covered it with the meat/pasta mix, and then added some motzarella before re-heating. It was good, nothing absolutely must have fabulous though.

A few days later I gave another meal in the mag a try, Fried Chicken Rollups.

Vegetable oil ( i always use canola)

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups shredded store-bought roisserie chicken meat

salt and pepper to tase

1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

~12 small corn tortillas

1. In a large skillet heat 2 tbl vegie oil. Add onion and garlic, stirring until sofened (~ 6 min). Add chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir until heated through. Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese

2. Wipe out the skilet, warm tortillas abou 15 secons per side on low heat. Spoon ~ 1/4 cup of chicken mix down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas.

3. Heat about 2/3 cup veg oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken roll up seam side down and cook. turn once, cooking until golden, about 2 minutes total. Cook roll ups in batches. Drain on paper towels.

VERDICT: AMAZING. I enjoyed these with some guacamole. They were fabulous, and soooo easy. They made me think of flautas, so that is what I'm going to call them in the future. They were amazingly easy, quick, and tasty. RR suggests that you may want to stir in a tsp of cumin, paprika, or chili powder when cooking the chicken. I will definitely try that, because I will definitely make them again. The only real deviation from the recipe was that I did cook it up with 6 large cloves of garlic - because I always up the garlic!

Butter Bean Soup with Smoked Turkey

This evening I made a really easy and yummy soup. Yup, soup again. It has been cold out. I almost lit a fire. It was a good night for soup, tea, and a fire while sitting under a fleece blanket on the couch with my two exciteable footwarmers.

Ingredients

1 tbl olive oil

1 yellow onion coarsely chopped

3 cloves carlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or more as needed)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

3 cups frozen lima beans, thawed

1/2 lb smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/4 in. dice

chopped green onion

1. Heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and sautee until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 1 minute ensuring that the garlic doesn't brown.

2. Add broth and carrots and bring to a boil. Add beans and turkey and simmer uncovered until the beans and turkey are warm, about 5 minutes. Stir occaisionally.

3. Add hot water or broth if the soup is too thick. Garnish with green onions.

I made some changes and substitutions. Most importantly, there wasn't any smoked turkey at the store. I was going to get some rom the deli but decided to just use turkey smoked sausage. Obviously I used 5 garlic cloves because you must automatically increase garlic consumption. I just used 4 cups of broth off of the bat.

Overall, VERY easy and quick, and yummy! I have a couple of servings for leftovers later in the week and I actually plan to eat them. I will definitely eat this one again. I'm sure using sausage instead of actual turkey breast is part of why it is so wickedly delish! Maybe I'll try it with the regular turkey next time. Plus, the ingredients cost less than $10 for 4 servings of soup. :-) Add in some bread and you are all good!

I've got another turkey and bean soup to try out sometime soon. Mmmm.

Tastes of Autumn

I love fall. It has really been feeling fallish- although I won't describe Mississippi Fall, it just doesn't quite seem fall compared to fall up north. However, the beautiful weather and falling leaves do put me in a great mood. This weekend I got the Halloween decorations out in preparaton for the trick or treaters. I need to get some candy, and by some I mean a ton. Our neighborhood is a Halloween Hotbed, as I remember from last year.

In honor of the fall weather I made two fall dishes, a fall casserole and pumpkin bread. I found the fall casserole on this neat blog, http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/. This woman vowed to use her crockpot once a day for 2008, and has blogged through her adventures. She has some intersting sounding recipes. I imagine I will try some of them again in the future, especially as we are getting into crockpot season.

Autumn Sausage Casserole

• 1 pound sausage (I used chicken with -apple)
• 1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• -3 cups already cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 Tbl dried parsley flakes
• 1 Tbl brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth or water

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 5-7 hours on low or 3-4 on low. If the sausage isn't precooked heat it up before mixing.

I actually doubled up on the apple and was a little short on the sausage. I thought it was OK. I'm not a huge rice fan, which probably didn't help. The rice was really mushy after cooking and sitting in the crockpot all day. Also, the apples lost their firmness. I would consider putting them at some point during cooking rather than all day. It smelled awesome when I got back to the house though!!

Pumpkin Bread

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/3 cups fat free milk
• 2 eggs slightly beaten or equivilant egg substitute
• 2 tbl margarine
• 1 tbl vegetable oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chpped pecans, dry-roasted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Combine pumpkin milk, egg, margarine, and oil. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginerger, nutmeg and salt in a seperate bowl. Stir in ramaining ingredients and combine wet and dry. Mix until just moistened. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. Turn onto a cooling rack.

I actually tend to increase the spices as I like lots of flavor. I like to make this bread in the fall, and then eat it for breakfast with a smear of cream cheese. I highly reccomend it for all of you.

Turkey-Cranberry Strudel

So I tried a new, YUMMY recipe tonight. It wasn't exactly healthy... but very yummy! Turkey -Cranberry Streudel. It was based on a recipe in this month's Rachel Ray Magazine! (Thanks Matt - it is a gift that keeps on giving)

7 tbl butter (5 melted)
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbl thyme leaves
1/2 cup sliced almonds plus more for sprinkly
1/2 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 tbl breadcrumbs
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Note: I used canola oil instead of butter, and i didn't have any thyme leaves so I used rosemary. Still worked though! I also used the 1.2 lbs of turkey from my package. I don't think I used a whole 7 tbl of oil either - but it turned out well. In fact, I didn't measure a lot of stuff - so just use this as a guide and go with it.

1. In a large skillet heat up the onion with a tbl of oil. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, thyme leaves, and almonds. Cook for 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl.

2. In said skillet, heat turkey with a tbl of oil. Season with salt and pepper. After fully cooked add to the same bowl as onion mixutre, Add breadcrumbs and mix.

3. Meanwhile heat oven to 350 degrees. On a work surface lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter/oil. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter/oil. Repeat until completed.

4. Mound the turkey mixture on the dough. Wrap up the exterior ends and roll in the sides to make strudel. Transfer and plac seem side down on a parchment paper lined baking dish. Bush top with butter, sprinkle with almonds, and bake for about 30 minutes, until top is browned.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for another update from the kitchen - I'm already planning it!

Turkey Kabobs!

Tried some new yummy stuff today out of this months Everyday with Rachel Ray. Big Kudos go out to Matthew for getting me a subscription for Christmas. It has paid for itself in entertainment alone. PLus, I've gotten to try some cool new stuff. The recipe was so easy, and absoultely delish! It was fun to do soemthing a little different on the grill. I hightly reccomend.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 bunch green onions - half chopped finely half cut into 1 in. pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup lemon lime soda
• 1 tbl. sesame oil
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Asian Pear cored and cut into 8 wedges

1. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, chopped scallions, and 1 tbl of soy sauce. Mix and form about 16 meatballs. Place on a plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on meatballs.
2. Whisk remaining soy sauce (3 tbl), lemon lime soda, oil, ginger, and garlic. Seperate half of sauce mix for use as a dipping sauce.
3. Thread turkey, scallions, and pears on skewers. Grill basting with sauce and turning occaisionally.
4. Enjoy!

Veggie Heaven

I was on one of my health/wellness websites earlier today. Their wellness item for the day was "What are your 5 favorite vegetbales?" They then encouraged readers to list their faves and look for one or more new recipes or ways to incoproate these veggies into their diet. In this spirit, my five are:
1. yellow squash
2. zuchini
3. peas
4. sweet onions
5. cucumbers
Some other thoughts: do mushrooms count as veggies? Or are they a fungus? Do we actually admit to eating fungi? Too bad tomatoes are a fruit or I would have them on the list.

What are your favorite veggies? Or at least your favorite veggie recipes.

This isn't a new recipe, but one of my favorite things to do is to buy a refrigerated pizza dough. Then i roll it out on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil. i bake it for about 7-12 minutes. Meanwhile I chop up some roma tomatoes, slice some mushrooms, and coarsely chop some baby spinach. Then i toss them with a little balsamic vinegar. I put the veggies on the cooked dough and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and sprinkle with italian seasonings. I cook the pizza long enough for the cheese to melt and gooey. It is nutrish and delish!!! I could eat it all day long

Turkey Pasta Salad

Tonight I threw some stuff together for dinner, and it turned out pretty good. I cooked up some turkey breast fillets with garlic and rosemary earlier in the week. I took the two leftover fillets and chopped them up. Then I sauteed up a couple of zuchini and yellow squash until it was warm and a little browned, but still firm. I chopped some grape tomatoes in half. I tossed the aforementioned items with whole wheat tortellini. FInally I added a little extra olive oil, a little white wine vinegar, basil, oregano, pepper, and garlic powder. It was pretty yummy for dinner warm, and I imagine the leftovers will be good as a cold salad tomorrow. I sort of stole the idea from a recipe I had, but then I totally modified it tastes.

Crawfish Boil Take 2

This afternoon I worked on the yard - the back yard to be specific. I started removing one of the flower beds. I have been letting them grow in to see what comes in. The idea is that I can figure otu what comes in and what does not. Then I can decide what I like and replant as I deem necessary. This is a great idea, however one of my beds started comming in full of nasty things. It seemed like these bulb-y things were comming in - but there was no sign of flowers and no rhyme or reason was behind the plantings. I spent part of this afternoon weeding the bed and working on digging out the plants/removing roots. I have a little more work to do tomorrow. The part that has already been done looks pretty darn good.

Tonight was the annuall Tate crawfish bowl - my second crawfish boil of the year. The Tate's throw a HUGE party every May, with some sort of crawfish theme. I think they start buying beer about January, and by May they have quite a party - crawfish with potatoes, corn, mushrooms, and sausage as well as a bunch of grilled glory, potluck sides, desserts, and beer. This year the Culkin fire department manned the crawfish while Mr. Tate manned the grill. It as fun times, as always. A huge crowd showed - literally the entire volunteer fire department was there - as well as people from all over town. It is amazing how many of them I knew, and how many I didn't. I already look forward to next year's crawfish boil. For my entry in the potluck i brought potato salad - a new recipe.
DILLED NEW POTATO SALAD

• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp dried dillweed or 1 tbl fresh dill
• 1 tsp sugar or splenda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 3/4 lb green beans
• 10-12 new potatoes cut into fourths
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small yellow bell pepper

1. Combine vinegar, oil, dill, sugar, salt, mustard, pepper, and garlic for dressing
2. Boil/Steam potatoes and green beans until the potatoes are just tender enough to be pierced with fork
3. Toss potatoes, beans, and dressing large bowl. Add onion and pepper and tos. Coer and refridgerate until chilled

I must say, I thought it would actually be pretty yummy warm too. I really liked it, and I didn't bring much home with me. I'm definitely going to keep this recipe - now I have three great potato salads - dilled new potato salad, garlic roasted potato salad, and Grandma Goerss's German potato salad

Vegatation Obliteration

Yesterday I killed a tree. It was quite fun actually! Tons of work, but quite fun! There was this tree on the side of the house. It started off nice enough. Then things got crazy. In fact it went from being a little tree on the side of the house to a huge pain in the ace. It started growing, and suddenly there were branches closing in on the wiring going into the house. So, I made a call for action and got rid of it. Check it out! There is no better way to feel like you have accomplished something than to get rid of a huge blight on your property.

The dogs had a great weekend! They were exhausted after a long weekend of playing with Astro. They were sitting on the couch, passed out. They wouldn't budge, even for a picture.

I tried a new recipe this week - Balsamic Chicken from the South Beach Diet. It was pretty good - and will make for a good lunch with some greenery this week. It makes for a pretty good "basic" chicken to use in other recipes. I imagine it would work well in a pasta salad too. While I had my apron on, quite literaly, i fired up the grill for a "puppy mamma" mosters day dinner. I grilled up some high quality NY Strip Steaks and summer squash. It was totally yummy, especially the squash.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves or 1/2 tsp dried

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 tbl white wine or water

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine rosemary garlic, pepper, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. lace chicken in a large bowl. drizzle with the oil, rub with the spice mixture, cover and refridgerate over night.
2. Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a heavy roasting pan or iron skilet with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan and bake 10minutes. Turn the chicken over. Bake 10 minues or until fully cooked. If the pan is dry stir in white wine/water into pan to loosen the drippings. Drizzle the vinegar over the chicken.
3. Transfer the chicken to the pan. Stir the liquid and drizzle over the chicken.

Hot times in the city!

Ladies and Gentlemen it has been a fun filled week at Chez Jersey. Monday was obedience school. Madison seems to be doing well. We haven't practiced very much this week, which is totally my fault. I have a feeling we won't get good grades tomorrow. After obedience we went out for Cinquo De Mayo dinner with our friend Stephen. the folks at Sol Azteca were so kind as to give us the drink special and to let us close the place down. I thoughroughly enjoyed my chicken chimichunga.

Wednesday night was the Paws Rescue meeting. We got together to discuss the puppies and kittens we are currently housing as well as fundraising, advertising, and other issues. There are several new pets taken in recently - check them out online. I have several favorites - I just hope someone takes them into a loving home. After our meeting the Leigh's, Alissa, and I met JR and went out to dinner. Always a fun time! I think JR enjoys looking like a pimp at a table wtih 4 women ;-) I don't blame him!!! I definitely owe JR and Alissa for watching the girls when I went to Philly - I think I'll be returning the favor and watching their cats when they go to NY next week.



Thursday I hit the town! We went to the Warehouse Lobby for a drink to celebrate the safe return of Julie and Tommy from their recent deployment to Iraq. Unfortunately one of the guests of honor couldn't make it, so we plan to repeat the fun next week! After the martini bar we wandered over to the sports bar to grab a bite to eat. Apparently the lounge serves food, but it is more along the lines of meat and cheese plates rather than FOOD. The sports bar continues to increase their menu. I'm happy to see these things happening in our tiny town!


Friday night my friend Vern came to town, so I joined some of our friends and we grilled out. Vern used to work with me until he decided to return to his native land of Slidell, LA. He is really happy to have made the change, but I still miss him. This is how small town we are: Vern's best friend from college is Will. Will is married to Carolyn. Carolyn was the college roomate of my coworker Haley. Will's brother Chase is also good friends with Vern, and works with me now. 3 Degrees, if that! Gotta Love it.

Saturday was a fun day! I pulled out the old lawnmower (I really need to give her a name- any suggestions?) and hit the lawn. I also did some hedge/bush trimming and sprayed some poisonous bushes. I brought Stephen's dog, Astro, over to play with the girls while he was out of town. They played, and played, and then played some more. I think that it will take about a week of sleep for them to catch up! Later in the evening I headed over to Al and Christina's for the annual "it's not hot yet" cookout. True to form, it was warm, but not hot yet. The others brought their dogs, but I decided to keep the girls at home since they were tired from a day of play. It was a good thing I left the dogs at home - 8 dogs in the back yard would have been a bit much! For my contribution to the potluck i brought Golden-lemon crusted tomatoes. They turned out pretty darn yummy if I may so. It was the first time I made them, and I enjoyed! I've decided that since I'm an eating right kick - I'm only allowed to bring things to potlucks that I will be OK with bringing home and eating if there are lots of leftovers. Gone are the days of pans of brownies.

Golden Lemon-Crumb Tomatoes
½ cup plain fresh soft breadcrumbs
2 tbl snipped fresh parsley
½ tsp dried basil, crumbled
½ tsp gated lemon zest
2 ounces fat free feta cheese crumbled
Vegetable oil spray
2 large tomatoes. Halved crosswise
1 ½ tb fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and lemon zest. Toss gently. Add the feta and toss gently
3. Spray bottom of a pan with vegetable oil spray. Place tomato halves in the pie pan. Spoon lemon juice over the halves. Top the tomatoes with the breadcrumb mixture. Liberally spray with vegetable oil spray.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and beginning to brown lightly.
5. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ivy, Oats, and Obedience

We had a fun weekend chez Sarah and Puppies. Friday night was the Relay for Life at Warren Central High School. I had never gone to the Relay, although I was always interested in it. It was amazing to see what the people of Vicksburg put togehter. Every time I lose faith in the 'burg they do something like this that shows me it isn't totally horrible. The relay was VERY moving, and I fully plan to go every year from here on out. THere were tons of people out there walking the track for Cancer, and the teams all did such a good job of raising funds, raising awareness, and having a good time! The survivors lap was amazing, and it was so cute to see little Joshua toddling around. He was absolutely precious.

Unfortunately, i apparently picked up some poison ivy this weekend. I have some spots that are quite itchy, red, and aren't from my friendly neighborhood mosquito. Note to self: 1) benadryl will knock you out, don't take it at work, and 2) find said poison and get rid of it. I think it is either in the yard and the dogs rolled in it and gave it to me, or it is somewhere in the neighborhood and the dogs rolled in it and gave it to me. Aren't you jealous? On a good note, Obedience school continues onward. We are enjoying it. Madison is Really good at sitting, down, and sit/down stays. We need some work on walking in a good heel though. She wants to go pay attention to anything and everything except me. We are working on comming now and continuing to practice everything we have learned thus far. Other good news on the dog front is that the thug dogs have been MIA for almost two weeks now. After Obedience school tonight Madison and I went to pick up the mail. Normally we could never walk from our garage to the mailbox without getting lots of unwanted attention.

I tried a new recipe at the end of last week. I made oatmeal from scratch in the crock pot using steel cut oats. They turned out OK, but not fabulous. There was too much spice/sweet in it, and the raisins didn't have enough texture for me. I would definitely reccomend adding them after cooking in the future. I plan to give another one a try this week. I keep reading how steel cut oats are so much bette for you than instant oatmeal. I think next time I'll try making plain oatmeal and then adding the goodies at the end when I serve myself.

Maple Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Sweet Spices

1 cup steel-cut oats

1/2 cup raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, or sweetened dried cranberries

1 tsp applie pie spice or ground cinnamon wit a pinch of ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice

4 cups water

2 tbl maple syrup

1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Coer and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or overnight.

2. Stir the oatmeal well and scoop into bowls. Serve with mil and maple syrup or sugar.

What a week!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks since I last posted. First off, I have to admit, I made those croque monsieurs from the Ina Garten Barefoot in Paris cookbook. They were fantabulous! I adored them. My aunt Kate gave me that book a few years back, and I hate to admit that this was the first recipe I had actually made. I've considered tons, but this was the first one. It was delish!


Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
3. To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
4. Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes.
5. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

I made a half recipe. Other modifications I made included using stone ground mustard rather than plain yellow. I also, put a little extra ham on because I"m a fan of the pork products!

Mondya I was in a wreck. It wasn't bad, but a woman backed into me at the Target. The Sarah-mobile has a nice dent in the back quarter panel. We'll be going to get it looked at later this week. Of course, when it rains, it pours. Tuesday afternoon I had a flat as a pancake tire. That I did get fixed immediately seeing as how I wanted to get home to my puppies.

Tuesday night was also my first book club meeting. This would be the book club through Lorelei Books. It was pretty cook to get to meet some new people and discus a book. So far our membership consists of a few young 'uns like me and a few older women. It is pretty cool to discuss with people of different backgrounds. We all have different things to say. THis month we read Mermaids in the Basement, by Michael Lee West. The book was pretty enjoyable. It wasn't something I would spend tons of money on, so let me know if you want to borrow it. however, it did crack me up. The characters were absolutely insane. I think that there really are people like them in the south!

Bella Tuscany.. and Delectable France

I picked up Bella Tuscany over Easter when my mom was in town. It is the sequel to Under the Tuscan Sun. I had a hard time getting into Under the Tuscan sun and never actually finished it. however, this book just looked better to me. So, I decided to give it a chance. I enjoyed it. Frances Mayes has a way with words. Her descriptions of foods and places in Tuscany have a way of captivating me. It makes me want to be there enjoying spring, or summer, or whatever season comes my way. I could have done without the later chapters. A few of the recipes were really interesting and i play to try them some time. It made me excited for my first trip to Italy

While in Jersey last week I caught some Barefoot Contessa. The croque monsieurs she made looked pretty yummy. Today was more of a soup day due to the overwhelming grey rain, so I decided to try my hand at French Onion Soup. I decided not to try Ina's recip because it called for things I defintiely couldn't get here... i.e. veal stock nd sherry. Instead I went with one out of my AHA cookbook. So, it is even healthy if you don't use too much cheese... but then again, who doesn't want cheese? It turned out really yummy, and I totally reccomend it. I put extra cheese on top and put it in the oven to bake the cheese up, but it was good enough that i don't know if I'll do that with the leftovers. I really need to get some oven proof crocks for things like this! The recipe was pretty easy, so I reccomend it to any and all, as follows:
Ingredients

• 12 slices French Bread
• 1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (I actually used an italian mozerella/parm blend)
• 1 tsp light tub margearine
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme crumbled
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put the bread slice ona baking sheet. bake for 10 minutes, or until toaste
2. Sprinkle the parmesan over the bread. bake for 1 to 2 minus or until cheese melts. Set aside
3. heat a large pan over medium-high heat. melt the margarine an heat the oil in the pan. swirl to coat the bottom. cook the onions for 2 minutes. reduce the heat to low. cook covered until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the sugar and salt. increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the onions are golden brown, stirring occaisionall. after the first 10 minuts stir more often to prevent the onins from sticking and burning
5. stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
6. to serve, ladle the soup into bowls. put two toasted bread slices in each bowl.

Serves 6...

Lovin my lunch

I have been a really bad girl lately.


I've not been sticking to my diet. It is all my own fault, and I know it. I've been really tired out (read: exhausted) for a while, and unable to get back to 100%. As a result, I just don't have it in my to do my normal cooking activities in the evening. However, I've been trying to get back on the bandwagon. I instituted a personal policy - I am not allowed to go out to lunch unless I am asked by someone else. I allow myself exceptions such as inviting and treating Amanda after she won an award for best website for her husband's Gospel Quartet. This cuts out my quick "runs" to fast food places for a meal on the run. This also usually cuts my lunch to a 1/2 hour, meaning I can go home earlier (unless i decide to do soemthing like write this post at lunch).


I find that it is amazing how easy it is to get behind in the morning and decide to run off to work without a lunch on me. I tell myself I'll eat something healthy, or I'll join the group and go socialize with coworkers over lunch. Instead, I get to working and realize that I'm starving, so I run to Wendys, Subway, or some other quick place. I used to try to eat leftovers at lunch, but I often found that they just weren't cutting it in the middle of the day. They were too heavy and induce a high desire for afternoon snoozing. Thus, I have taken matters into my own hands. I have been buying a bunch of frozen meals on the weekends and bringing a bag of them into work on Monday mornings to leave in our freezer in the breakroom. THis seems to work really well for me. I bring in a bag of prewashed salad makings and leave a thing of dressing in the fridge. Then, I have the option of a lightwegiht yet helathy and somewhat filling lunch. I've found that the Kashi brand meals are my favorites - lots of vegetables and whole grains. OTherwise I tend towards the Lean Cuisines, particularly the spa cuisine. They seem to have more vegetables, smarter carbs, and less heavy sauces covering an inadequate meal. I just tried a new one today, grilled chicken and pasta primavera. It was the inspiration for this blog.

I wish you all good and helathy eating too! Hopefully you found some yummy lunches that made your tummy smile like mine.


Note: Since I am now trying to get back on the bandwagon, i'm adding that to my list of favorite blog topics: Puppies, Home Improvement, Cooking Reviews, Book Reviews, Keeping on the Wagon, and anything else that i feel like disucssing!

Kitchen Escapades

tried a new recipe this weekend. it gets given the checkmark of acceptance - it will be repeated. this one was a Sausage and Beans recipe out of the Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I'm loving this book! This recipe was reminiscent of Red beans and rice, but didn't have the cajun seasoning.

In unrelated news, the weather is fabulous. I can't believe it was snowing two days ago. today the high was about 65 degrees? I tried to take the dogs on a walk. It was a complete disaster. We walked out the door and nearly got attacked/tried to attack another dog. The entire walk they were pulling themselve. You would think that they had never been on a walk before. We had to stop and sit several times because they were panting so badly. In fact, Madison was at the point where she was panting and white tongue turned into slightly blue tongue. Apparently we can't handle walking any more.

For those parties interested in these types of things, the recipe follows--
Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh sausage such as turkey italian sausage or 1 lb smoked or full cooked sausage such as bratwurst, chicken apple sausage, or kielbaa
• 1/4 water if using fresh sausage
• 2 tbl olive oil
• 2 small bell pepers, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 medium ellow onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1- 15 ounce can white beans (great northern, butter beans, or cannellini) rinsed and drained
• 1- 15 ounce can red beans, such as small red or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with thier juice
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• salt and frehly ground black pepper to taste

1. Lighly brown sausage in ungreased skillet over medium heat. If fresh add water, voer, and cook until cooked through. uncover and cook for a few minutes more.
2. Let cool and slice
3. Warm oil over medium heat. Add peppers, onion, and garlic. cook, stirring, until just tender.
4. Transfer to slow cooker adding sausage, beans, tomatoes, and wine. cover and cook on high 3-4 hours, or on low 6-8 hours. ear the end check consitence and cook with the lid off to thicken if desired. Season and serve.

i heart cooking!

i really do!
i don't actually want to eat but i love cooking. well, i enjoy eating (obviously), but i get tired of eating leftoevers. tonight i made chicken spaghetti. yum. that wll feed me dinner until i get tired of it. right now i'm roasting vegetables(red bell peppers, onions, garlic, and zucchini). i am going to process them with some reduced fat cream cheese. then, that cn get spread on some bread with a few tomato slices and that will be lunch for the rest of the week. i got that idea from alton brown. he is so cool. i also cooked on monday niht. i made mini quiche cups. they have spinach, canadian bacon, green bell peppers, onion, and cheese in them. they are just quiche muffins! i froze them and then i can just pop 2 muffins in the microwave and i've got dinner on the go.
i really heart cooking. if anyone wants to eat, please tell me - i much prefer cooking for others than for me.
http://altonbrown.com/