Home with Mandy

Morning Routines and a Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Giveaway

2012-01-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

Sticking to a morning routine is essential for me. I've been out of college for ten years and one would think that I would have this morning thing down by now. When one wrench is thrown my way, I'm either late or probably forgot something and I'm for sure frazzled by the time I reach the office.

Here is my IDEAL morning routine:

5:30 AM, Alarm goes off, I snooze for 10 minutes.
5:40 AM, Jim calls from CA (it's 3:40 AM there and he's working a night shift).
5:45 AM, Jim has talked me out of bed and my feet hit the floor.
5:55 AM, I've managed to brush my teeth and put on workout clothes (yoga pants, t-shirt, sneakers, head band).
6:00 AM, I'm out the door on my way to the gym (water bottle, protein bar, ipod, towel, chapstick).
6:50 AM, Legs are tired, arms are exhausted, I'm sweaty and in need of a shower...bad!
7:00 AM, Feed the dogs, (second) breakfast for me, shower, COFFEE, get ready for work.
8:00 AM, *Out the door and headed to the office.

There are any number of things that can go wrong - starting with me turning my alarm OFF instead of snoozing and then ignoring the phone call from my husband, which never goes over very well.

Click here to continue reading this post and for the Giveaway!

2011 Year in Review

2012-01-22T18:33:00.001-06:00

It's been another great year of experimenting in the kitchen, photographing tasty meals and blogging about our adventures. I'm excited for all 2012 holds for Jim and I, but I don't want to rush into the new year without first taking a look back at our favorites from 2011.

We started 2011 with a warm and comforting (fork and knife) sandwich, the Croque Monsieur is basically a fancy ham and cheese covered in a creamy bechamel sauce. "Croque Madame" is a similar sandwich with an egg on top.

Oh yes, the Beef Wellington. I made this a couple times this past year and blew Jim's mind every time. He LOVES this dish, shhhhh, just don't tell him it has mushrooms in it.

I would say 2011 was the year for PASTA in this house. On the heels of our Italy honeymoon in 2010, I was determined to make my own pasta. I made a LOT of pasta this year!

Another winner in 2011! This was a HWM original recipe and after reading the post again I'm thinking I don't make these Chicken Florentine Crepes nearly enough. Jim called these "Awesome!"

I started eating Mussels last year after a friend of mine shared some with me at a wine bar. They are incredibly inexpensive and so tasty served with crusty bread to dip into the cooking broth. This is great for a crowd.

Another new food for me was Salmon. I always thought it was too fishy, but learned that I like King Salmon cooked for 8 minutes on the grill with some serious spices. Knowing just how good it is for me is also a huge incentive to grill Salmon at least once a week.

Last, but certainly not least are these Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage that has a prominent place at the top of our Best Of 2011 list. Fresh homemade sheets of pasta are stuffed with a filling of fresh mint, blanched peas and salty parmesan. The ravioli's are cut, boiled and topped with a intriguing tomato sauce spiced with Merguez lamb sausage.

Hope you enjoyed our list of favorites from 2011! We look forward to what 2012 brings and I can't wait to share everything with you here on HWM.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken Soup

2011-12-28T10:31:00.000-06:00

Baby, it's cold outside! Warm up your home and your family with a hot bowl full of healthy vegetables and hearty shredded chicken. Spiced with cumin, curry and paprika, the onions, celery and carrots are simmered along with shredded chicken, chickpeas and chopped zucchini. This Moroccan soup is more likely to be served as a light supper rather than as a first course. These will be leftovers the family will ask for! Reheat and serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.

This recipe is highly customizable! Use what vegetables your family likes, or what vegetables you have on hand. Here is what I used:

Olive Oil
Onion
Carrot
Celery
Garlic
Dry Sherry
Ginger
Chicken
Chickpeas
Crushed Tomatoes
Chicken Stock
Spices
Zucchini
Chicken Bouillon

I know I didn't list amounts above, that is because you should feel free to use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like. Here is the step by step pictorial of what I did:

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Black Forest Cake

2011-12-18T13:01:00.000-06:00

If you think you don't have time to make a dessert for the holidays, think again! This Black Forest Cake is so decadent, and extremely simple to pull together. Baking is a thoughtful and delicious way to show others how much they mean to you. They don't have to know this warm and gooey cake was this easy...the best part? I made this in my crock pot, which frees up my oven for other things.

Simple ingredients: Chocolate Cake Mix, Cherry Pie Filling, Butter and if you like nuts you can add that too.

Lucky Leaf provided me with an assortment of their Premium Fruit fillings to sample for myself. I was able to make whatever I wanted with their products, and this entire post is my own opinion - I received no compensation for my written review. The beautiful 43 page Recipe Book they sent along with the products is filled with inspirational photos and easy to follow recipes. Next on my list is the Cherry-Chocolate Macaroon Pie. OMG, it's a recipe that only takes 30 minutes to prep, 22 minutes to bake and serves 8. Can you tell I have a thing for cherry's and chocolate? Read on to find out how you can receive some Lucky Leaf this holiday season.

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Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

2011-11-06T12:40:00.002-06:00

A few years ago Jim and I took a trip to New York and chose to spend one special dinner at Mario Batali's highly acclaimed restaurant, Babbo. This may by my favorite memory from the whole trip.

The restaurant is quaint and service is helpful and friendly. We dined side by side in a romantic atmosphere and just enjoyed each others company and the wonderful food. Oh the food. The food and the wine. The wine and the food. It can make me cry just thinking about how beautiful everything was.

My favorite course by far were these Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage, a signature dish of Mario Batali's. The homemade sheets of pasta were so fresh and dainty. Inside the ravioli was the most unusual combination of mint, sweet peas and salty parmesan. The ravioli's were tossed in a spicy lamb sausage tomato sauce. These are explosive little flavor packages. Notice, you get three for $20.

When I ran across the recipe on Food & Wine, I knew that I just had to make these for Jim so we could recreate that very special evening in New York. The sauce came out perfectly! The first batch of ravioli, although it tasted spot on, were not very pretty. My second batch had a much better presentation - just wait until my next blog post where I show you what I can do with a little practice!

Keep reading for the step by step recipe with pictures...

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi

2011-10-26T10:45:00.000-05:00

Gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Like bruschetta, it's an Italian food word that people have some trouble with. Never fear, the Italian pronunciation police are here.

The "gno" makes a "nyo" sound with a silent "g".

The "cch" is pronounced as a hard "k".

The "i" is an "ee" sound as in "tree".

"nyo kee"

Gnocchi is the plural form of the word. The singular is "gnocco." So you might order a plate of gnocchi and savor each delicious gnocco on that plate. The smaller forms are called gnocchetti.

These thick and soft dumplings can be made from a variety of ingredients. You will most commonly find Potato Gnocchi, but they are also made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, bread crumbs, or ricotta.

After making gnocchi from scratch at home I began to notice the entree listed on the menu at fancy Italian restaurants and it’s SO expensive. This boggles my mind because it is SO inexpensive to make. It may take a little planning ahead since you need to let the potatoes chill after you bake or boil them...but you can make these in stages and even freeze the gnocchi to eat them whenever you want.
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Homemade Pizza Dough from a Bread Machine

2011-10-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

Would you say that fancy toppings make a great pizza? I believe a great pizza starts with the pizza crust. The dough should be the most important part and if you get that right, then it will only take a few toppings to get you to that perfect pizza pie. You are aiming for both a crunchy and chewy crust, like a French baguette. It needs to be plastic enough to expand with the increase of gas and elastic enough to hold the expanding gas.

I love homemade pizza dough, but I don’t want to mess with all the fuss of the many steps. My solution is to use my bread machine. Here is the recipe I use for Traditional Pizza Dough (for 2-lb. bread maker):

1-1/4 cups water
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3-3/4 cups bread flour

The best flour to use is bread flour made specifically for bread machines because it is high in protein which can accommodate more gluten.

1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Pizza dough gets its rise from the yeast. Active dry yeast is regular yeast that has been dehydrated and broken into granules. When adding it to your bread machine, add it last and don’t let it touch any liquid. I make a small well in the center of the flour (making sure not to punch through to the liquid below).

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Homemade Mozzarella

2011-10-08T18:47:00.000-05:00

When I read how easy it was to make homemade mozzarella, I had to find myself a kit and give it a go. As you can see by the melty cheese pizza above, my experiment was a great success!

Experiment is a perfect word for this project when you look at what comes in the kit. Citric Acid, Vegetable Rennet Tablets and Calcium Chloride. Making homemade mozzarella is surprisingly economical. The kit, which costs $5.00 comes with enough supplies to make four batches of about 3/4 lbs each. The only thing you need to buy is a gallon of low pasteurized milk.
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Five for Friday

2011-10-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

For Jim, I love you so much. Here are five for Friday:

My new bag. I love that you helped me pick it out and you were so patient as I tried all of them on.
Waiting to see Moneyball with me.
Staying with me downtown when you really wanted your own bed.
Cleaning the kitchen when I was gone for jury duty.
The biggest one this last week is the way you understand me and back me. Your love and support means the world to me.

Fettuccine Pasta from Scratch

2011-09-26T01:00:00.032-05:00

Cooking for one doesn't have to mean that I'm stuck eating pb&j sandwiches and bowls of cereal. With Jim traveling for work I thought it was a good time to give homemade pasta making a second try. You can read about my first pasta making experience here, which was actually for my parents...Jim didn't get to try that either. For this meal I tossed homemade fettuccine with slivered Brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, parmesan and cream. Dinner took me about an hour and a half to assemble but it was the most fun 90 minutes that I spent with myself in the kitchen.

I did it. I finally broke down and bought myself the KitchenAid 3-piece pasta roller and cutter set.

The adjustable roller lets you work the dough through the press until its so thin it's practically transparent. There is also a spaghetti cutter and a fettuccine cutter in the pasta kit.

There are many recipes for pasta dough - various ratios and all types of flours. For this batch of homemade fettuccine I sifted one cup of all purpose flour into my mixing bowl along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Making a well in the center of the flour, I cracked two eggs.

Using the paddle attachment, turn speed to 2 and mix for 30 seconds.

Next, exchange the paddle for the dough hook.

Mix on speed 2 for two minutes. After kneading for two minutes in the mixer the dough will form a ball around the dough hook.

Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand for 1 - 2 minutes.

The ball of dough will become smoother, wrap in plastic wrap and set under a bowl to rest for 15-30 minutes.

And THIS is the second item I purchased at Williams-Sonoma. It's a 3 QT All-Clad Pan Roaster. I cracked up when I opened the box, and the pan was wrapped in a silk bag. Ha!

Isn't she beautiful?

And what an inaugural meal to break her in with!

I didn't quite use an entire bag of Brussels sprouts, but lopped the bottoms off and removed any outer leaves that were wilted.

Here are my ingredients for my entree: the Brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, fresh garlic, butter, chicken bouillon, parmesan cheese, cream and St. Francis chardonnay. Not pictured is a chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper.

To sliver the Brussels sprouts I used the slicer disk on my cuisinart food processor.

This shreds the small cabbage quickly and uniformly.

Since the caramelized onions were already done, I have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go.

Before I start the next step I go ahead and open the wine. This St. Francis chardonnay will bring the right amount of lemon flavor and acid I need to balance out the creamy sauce for the pasta. If you want to be like me, pour yourself a glass to sip on while you prepare dinner.

Now that the dough has rested for enough time I unwrap it and work on a floured surface.

Because it's impossible to work with a big hunk of dough at one time I cut this in half. If I had made more pasta dough I might have even cut the ball into quarters.

Before I even start pressing it through the machine I flatten it by hand and stretch it into a rectangle shape.

With the pasta roller attached to my KitchenAid and the thickness knob set to the largest setting I start the speed at 2 and feed the dough through the press.

Fold the dough over onto itself and flour as needed to keep the dough from becoming too sticky.

The goal is to work the dough through each setting a couple of times until it is smooth and pliable.

Repeat folding and kneading, reducing the thickness of the pasta roller as you go.

Thinner.

Thinnest! Before I sent this through the cutter I took my chefs knife and cut this into two smaller pieces.

I tried cutting at several speeds and learned that as long as the dough is well floured, it works best at a speed of 2. See Cole there in the background watching me make pasta?

Lay the cut fettuccine on a floured surface. I used my baking sheets for this.

Separate the noodles by hand.

Repeat until all the dough has been pressed and sent through the cutter. Because I was using the pasta right away I just left them on the tray to dry out while I assembled the rest of my dinner.

In my new pan I added a touch of olive oil and a touch of butter, and sauteed a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Because this pan is NOT Teflon, I was able to get a great deal of lovely bits of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan! Yippee!!

Next I added the onions that were already caramelized and 1/4 cup of chardonnay. The wine steams and bubbles, giving me the perfect opportunity to grab a wooden spoon and scrape the bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan.

I also added 1/2 cup of chicken stock and let the mixture reduce together before removing to a plate.

I simply moved the onions to the plate where my chicken was also resting.

Without cleaning out the pan, I added a pat of butter.

Then threw in the slivered Brussels sprouts in one layer to sear.

I didn't touch the Brussels sprouts for about a minute so they would get dark and crispy on one side. Then I added back the caramelized onions and any juices from the plate.

Because I'm naughty I added about 1/4 cup of cream.

Then I threw in a small handful of parmesan cheese. I turned the heat to low and covered while I cooked the pasta.

Fresh pasta is really something else - in a category all it's own! Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the fresh pasta. It will cook in as little as two minutes. It doesn't take long at all.

As soon as pasta is ready, add it to your Brussels sprout mixture.

Toss together to coat the noodles and throw in more parmesan cheese too!

I served the sliced chicken on top of the fettuccine pasta. OMG, caramelized onions, caramelized Brussels sprouts, creamy parmesan! The flavors were explosive.

In other news, Jim comes home TONIGHT and I couldn't be more excited. We found out his request for vacation was granted on Friday so I've been jumping up and down all weekend in anticipation of his return.

This dinner was so heavenly that I will surely make it again for Jim. I know he's missed my home cooking so I will definitely wow him with homemade pasta, there really is nothing like it. I hope you give it a try!

Reflections

2011-09-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

I couldn’t let this date pass without at least pausing to acknowledge that my life changed drastically one year ago today. If you think I’m talking about the day I married my best friend, you are wrong. On September 26, 2010 I received a phone call in the early morning that my parents were in a very bad accident. Over the next 10 days I practically lived in the ICU at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. I went into “crisis mode” making sure that our friends and family were updated, organizing meal delivery, comforting my mom, delegating tasks, fielding questions. By December 2010 I thought the worst was behind us and I helped my parents through a celebratory Christmas Party. I honestly thought I would go on with life, and get back to where I was on September 25th before all this nonsense happened.

Life kept throwing curve ball after curve ball. My mother’s injuries from the accident, although minor, were not treated properly and by January she was in constant debilitating pain that kept her from walking, talking, and living. She was shut down and my dad had a hard time coping, as he was still healing himself. I again popped myself back into crisis mode and gave everything I had to assisting my dad through this very difficult time. In March 2011 my mom was taken by ambulance for emergency surgery after doctors discovered a large infection pressing on her spinal cord. One wrong move and she would be paralyzed. A very risky surgery took place, and she woke up in ICU with a halo brace screwed into her head.

At this one year mark, I can exhale and report that my parents have done a tremendous amount of healing, and have overcome steep odds. None of us are the people we were one year ago. This long and painful year has revealed a great deal to me – most of which I appreciate but there are some heartbreaking realities that I wish I never learned. In the midst of a catastrophe, true character is exposed. I saw the good and bad in my family and friends. Friends who I considered close suddenly stopped calling. It didn’t take long before I was unable to keep up the facade that everything was okay. I gave up on small talk and reserved make up for special occasions with Jim. In order for me to keep from completely crumbling I had to refocus my energy at work and within my marriage. Jim has been an unwavering rock for me, amidst dealing with a frustrating job search. His positive attitude and encouraging words have helped me put one foot in front of the other. I realized that without putting my faith in God, I would be a pile of nothing. I feel very loved and blessed. Jeremiah 29:11 says that the Lord has a plan for me and that plan is not to harm me but to give me hope. Psalm 23 is a beautiful verse about how the Lord leads us. Here is the New Life Version of the scripture:

1 The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need. 2 He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters. 3 He makes me strong again. He leads me in the way of living right with Himself which brings honor to His name. 4 Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me. 5 You are making a table of food ready for me in front of those who hate me. You have poured oil on my head. I have everything I need. 6 For sure, You will give me goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life. Then I will live with You in Your house forever.

I definitely felt God’s presence through the “valley” and I want to experience Him just as prominently tomorrow as I did yesterday. I pray for continued healing for my family – both physically and emotionally. I pray for those who stepped up to the plate to extend a kind hand – that their good deeds would be repaid to them. Likewise, I pray for my enemies. I pray also that I would become a better example of what it means to walk with Christ. I pray that I will be slow to anger, quick to forgive, and love unconditionally again.

Five for Friday

2011-09-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

For Jim, I love you so much:

You surprised me at the office by sending a bouquet of flowers to cheer me up.
You call me sweet cheeks.
You put in a vacation request for next week.
You understand how important my reunion is to me.
You sent me pictures of your California road trip and of my favorite nephew in the world.

Beef and Pepper Stir Fry

2011-09-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

This was the last meal that I made Jim before he left for his California business trip. It was quick to pull together, giving me more time to snuggle with him on the couch. Even though it's Beef with PEPPERS, it was not at all spicy. Besides it being easy and quick to make, the second best part was that the leftovers tasted even better than it did fresh out of the wok.

Not pictured are the peppers, onion, flank steak and rice noodles. This photo are the ingredients I used in the marinade:
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Corn Starch
Ginger
Fish Sauce
Dry Sherry
Garlic
Chili Garlic Sauce
Brown Sugar

I'm not saying you have to have ALL these ingredients, but this is what I used on this particular day...and it was so so so yummy! Here is how it all went down:

In a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Be sure to pack the brown sugar into your measuring spoon.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of corn starch - this will help to thicken the sauce and cling to the meat.

Using a whisk, blend that together until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Now for mucho flavor! Chop 2 cloves of garlic, mince 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger and add that in the marinade along with 3 tablespoons of dry sherry and as much chili garlic sauce as you can handle. I used a teaspoon of the chili garlic sauce but wish I had used more. We like things spicy down here in Austin and this turned out pretty mild.

Fish sauce. I wouldn't recommend smelling this...or tasting it for that matter. Trust me! When just a splash of fish sauce is added to savory cooking, it creates that mysterious fifth taste that makes people say, "Mmm, this is good, and I can't quiet put my finger on what it is." At that point you just grin and keep quiet about the secret ingredient. Believe it or not, you can find fish sauce in most grocery stores now. I had to go to the Asian market for this bottle - and it will last forever, you only need a squirt. I added about a teaspoon to the marinade.

Now that the marinade is made, lets chop all the meat and veggies. Once you start the stir fry, it goes quickly. I've mentioned that we love the heat in this house so I left the seeds in this jalapeno and sliced it up.

Slice an onion.

Flank Steak is perfect for a stir fry and my secret for slicing it paper thin is to stick it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.

When it is partially frozen you can take your very sharp chef knife and slice against the grain into thin strips. Once the flank steak is sliced, add it to the bowl of marinade.

Slice two bell peppers - whatever color you have is fine! Lop the tops off and throw away the seeds, then slice into strips or rings.

It's time to Wok and Roll! I know I'm cheesy. I like to use a combination of oil in my stir frys. You need an oil that has a high smoking point like Canola. I like to also add peanut oil for the flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of each or two tablespoons of canola oil in your wok.

When the wok is very hot, toss in your onions and sliced jalapeno. Spread these out and let them char quickly and then toss and let them char a little bit more. We want to give them quick color without them wilting too terribly much.

Remove the onions to a plate and then do the same thing with the peppers and remove those to a plate.

If you need more oil in the wok, add a splash and let it heat up again. Add about a third of the meat slices to the wok and spread them out in one layer. After about 30 seconds, flip the meat. This goes fast because the very thinly sliced meat will cook fast. Remove each batch of the cooked meat to the plate with the onions and peppers.

When all the meat has been seared, add all the ingredients back into the wok and pour the remainder of the marinade over everything.

Toss this around and let it cook for a few minutes.

Have a pot of water already boiling on the back burner. I like these vermicelli rice sticks because they are so thin and seem to absorb flavors really well.

I only cooked about 1/3 of the package and used my sharp kitchen shears to cut just what I needed off this large nest of hard noodles.

When the pot of water is boiling, add the rice noodles and they will cook in less than 3 minutes. I lifted them right out of the pot and transferred them over to my wok.

Stir this all together and watch the flavorful sauce coat the noodles. It's ready!

If you have chopsticks, use em!

These bowls? Why they are two of my favorite noodle bowls EVER and we received them as wedding gifts from thoughtful friends. The holes on each side are perfect for threading your chopsticks through when you are not using them. They are from Crate & Barrel. Love.

Every bite is incredibly flavorful, the meat practically melts in your mouth. You could throw literally ANY vegetable into your wok and make this stir fry your own. My version was loosly based on a PW recipe which I of course changed as I went. Try carrots, broccoli, snap peas, mini corn, mushrooms (if you like that sort of thing). Instead of noodles, try serving the meat and veggies over brown or white rice. However you make yours, be sure to save some for the next day - I swear this gets better overnight in the fridge.

Five for Friday

2011-09-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

For Jim:

The love note you left for me to find under my pillow.
The love note you left for me to find under my pillow.
The love note you left for me to find under my pillow.
The love note you left for me to find under my pillow.
The love note you left for me to find under my pillow.

P.S. - I read it before going to bed, and also first thing in the morning. I love you.

Splenda Winner Announced

2011-09-15T09:21:00.001-05:00

Contest is closed. The prize pack includes:

• One SPLENDA ESSENTIALS No Calorie Sweetener with B Vitamins
• One SPLENDA ESSENTIALS No Calorie Sweetener, 1 gram of Fiber packets
• One SPLENDA ESSENTIALS No Calorie Sweetener, 1 gram of Fiber granulated
• One SPLENDA ESSENTIALS No Calorie Sweetener to-go mug
• One Splenda-yellow blender
• Two Splenda-yellow bowls
• One Splenda-yellow fruit juicer

I used an online Random Number Generator and the very first comment was selected!

Congratulations to Meari! Send me your mailing address Meari so I can have these items sent to you. Thanks to Splenda for sponsoring this giveaway and big thanks to everyone for posting their healthy living tips!

Cocinaware Winner

2011-09-14T00:01:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Susan Benegas for being the winner of the H-E-B Cocinaware prize package that includes the Ceramic Chips and Dip Plate, Tortilla Warmer, Potholder and matching Kitchen Towel, Margarita Glass, Ceramic Coffee Mug, 4-Piece Measuring Spoons, Ceramic Salsa Crock with Spoon, Large Malamine Serving Bowl, 2 Acrylic Serving Bowls and a Cocinaware Apron.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. The new line of Cocinaware should now be available in your H-E-B, check out the great promotions they are running:

9/11 – 9/27
Buy Cocinaware 10" Enamel Cast Iron Fry Pan, get 1 lb ground beef, H-E-B Ranchera Salsa, H-E-B Flour Tortillas and H-E-B Mexican blend cheese free with in-store coupons!

9/18 – 10/11
Buy Cocinaware 5.2 qt Enamel Cast Iron Casserole, get Boneless Shoulder Chuck Roast, H-E-B Chipotle and Garlic Salsa Picante, and H-E-B White Corn Tortillas free with in-store coupons!

10/2 – 10/18
Buy Cocinaware Grande Family Pan, get H-E-B Seasoned Beef, Chicken, or Pork Fajitas, Vermicelli, and Chunky Salsa Picante free with in-store coupons!

These yellow coupons are available at a select 150 H-E-B locations. Check to see if they’re available at your H-E-B store by viewing your weekly ad.

Chocolate Brownies and a Giveaway

2011-09-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

Chocolate for miles! These fudgy brownies with walnuts were tall, dense and delicious. They were only made better by a clever swap that reduced the calories from sugar and added a boost of fiber!

I think you would agree that living a healthier lifestyle starts with making small, good-for-you choices every day. My biggest healthy living tip is to try and eat breakfast at home instead of buying something on your way to work. I like to keep hard boiled eggs, fresh cut up fruit and greek yogurt in my fridge. Prepping these items at the beginning of the week makes it super easy for me to grab something healthy during a busy morning.

A University of Massachusetts study discovered that people who eat out instead of at home are more than twice as likely to be obese. The reason? Restaurant portions tend to be larger than those you cook at home, and you're more likely to make an unhealthy decision at a drive-thru or convenience store.

On those days when you must have something to satisfy your sweet tooth, here is a decadent brownie recipe to try. Everything in moderation, right?

Here is what you need:
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
1 cup Sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Click to read more!

My New Cocinaware and a Giveaway

2011-09-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Do you own a dutch oven? Other than my chef knife, my most favorite piece of cookware is the dutch oven I recieved as a wedding gift. This versitle piece of cookware is cast iron with a sturdy enamel glaze and not only heats fast, but uniformely as well. This is what makes the dutch oven perfect for sautéing, baking, roasting, braising, or frying. Now days you can buy dutch ovens in a rainbow of colors to coordinate with your kitchen and take it straight from the oven to the table. If you take care of it, a dutch oven will last you a lifetime.

You can imagine how excited I was when H-E-B sent me their new 5.2 QT Round Dutch Oven to try and review. If you don't have a dutch oven, I urge you to go to your local store and check out their new line of Cocinaware that was just rolled out. I made Lemon Chicken in this beautiful cobalt blue dutch oven and I was so impressed with this product. At less than $30 it performed just as well as my more expensive wedding gift. I really appreciated the weight of the pot and lid, you can tell that it's a quality piece of cookware.

The best feature was under the lid. The Cocinaware dutch oven has dimples underneath that continually baste the food while it cooks. This means you don't have to flip a roast halfway through cooking or stop every half hour to spoon liquid over the top of your dish while it's in the oven. It's brilliant!

Click to read more and find out about my giveaway...

Lemon Chicken Fettuccini

2011-09-10T11:33:00.001-05:00

Jim requested lemon chicken twice in the past week so I lovingly obliged, but changed it up a bit. Of course! That's what I do. Remember my mom's Lemon Chicken? She coats the chicken with seasonings and flour and bakes it with butter. She serves the chicken breasts covered in sauce and served over rice. I took the same steps, tweaked the method a bit and came up with this summer pasta dish that is bright with lemon and totally satisfying.

I started by rinsing three chicken breasts and trimming the ugly parts off the sides and bottom. You know those odd little pieces that hang off - I like to cut them off with kitchen shears. Pat the chicken dry and then place in a dutch oven and season with whatever house seasoning you like. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

This Dutch Oven is from the new Cocinaware line at H-E-B, and is less than $30! Find out how to win some cool Cocinaware.

To give the chicken some flavors to cook in, I cut a lemon into wedges and squeezed them over the chicken and then threw the lemon in the pot.

Ah, a dish without garlic is a dish without love. Too dramatic? Well, I peeled these four garlic cloves and threw them in whole. Next time, I will probably smash them with the back of my knife and throw them in smashed. As I left them whole, there was an "essence" of garlic, but I would have liked a more intense garlic flavor.

At this point, I wasn't sure how I would use the chicken breasts. I may leave them whole and place them on top of the pasta and ladle the sauce on top. Instead of pats of butter, I drizzled just a little bit of olive oil over the top and then covered the pot and cooked for 30 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.

While the chickens baked, I added a large pinch of salt to a pot of water and put this on the stove to boil. When I have about 10 minutes till dinner I will drop the pasta and cook it for 8-10 minutes, drain and serve. I used fettuccini, but spaghetti or other type of pasta would work just as well.

The sauce is very important to the dish and ridiculously simply. You can customize this sauce as much as you like. If you want to keep it simple, use 8 ounces of sour cream, a can of cream of chicken soup and 1/3 cup of lemon juice (lemon juice from a bottle would be fine too).

I used 8 ounces of sour cream, white wine, fresh lemons, minced garlic, chopped onion and a can of cream of chicken soup. Here is how I did it.

I ended up only using one half of the onion and dicing on the fine side.

Over medium heat I cooked the onions in a tablespoon of butter.

I minced two garlic cloves and added those to the onions also.

When the onions are almost translucent and before they start getting too brown, I added a splash of white wine.

This is Bell Springs Chardonnay, a local wine located in Dripping Springs, Texas. It's bright and creamy with hints of lemon which goes so well in this lemon chicken dish.

Ahhh... wish I could send you a whiff of this onion, garlic and wine mixture. I let this simmer for a little bit until the liquid was nearly evaporated.

LEMONS! I sliced three, but ended up only needing two lemons to get to 1/3 cup of fresh juice.

Be sure to strain the lemon seeds out.

This is one of those cans you should always have in your pantry - it can be used in so many dishes. In this recipe it gives body and creaminess to my lemon sauce.

After the cream of chicken is stirred in, add the 8 ounces of sour cream.

Stir everything together and taste for seasoning. I added 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 cup of the pasta water to thin the sauce a bit. Then turned the stove to low so the sauce stays warm while I finish with the chicken and pasta.

After 30 minutes the chickens are cooked through - pierce with a fork and make sure the juice runs clear. Likewise you can cut with a knife and make sure the meat is no longer pink.

Now it's time to decide how I want to serve the chicken, sauce and pasta.

My game day decision was to shred the chicken with two forks and stir it into the sauce.

When the pasta was finished cooking I plated the fettuccini on the plate first and topped with the lemon chicken sauce and garnished each plate with chopped green onions and a few slivers of lemon.

If you can, be sure to serve the same wine you used in your dish with your meal. The wine will compliment the meal and vice versa.

Five for Friday

2011-09-09T12:01:00.001-05:00

For Jim:

You picked the kid so he wouldn’t be chosen last
Your ability to comfortably fit into any group or situation
Even though you didn’t feel good you went to the networking hh
Your corny jokes make me laugh
The way you ask if you can help with dinner – even though you know the answer is most likely no

Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

2011-09-08T12:30:00.002-05:00

Over Labor Day weekend there was an Eggs Benedict-off. That's where my brother Brad and I went head to head in the kitchen and each prepared our "famous" Eggs Benedict. Although our family and friends were too polite to name a clear winner, I can truthfully say that this homemade hollandaise sauce won me the championship trophy. So, there wasn't a trophy...but I imagine if there was it would be a bronze whisk covered in this homemade hollandaise sauce.

There are many many variations on hollandaise, this one I find to be the easiest most fool proof version out there. The proportions below will be enough for 4-6 eggs benedict servings.

To read my poached egg tutorial, go here.

Start by melting 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. It's okay if it bubbles, but you do not want the butter to brown, just melt it and keep it warm.

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Five for Friday

2011-09-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

For Jim:

You beat me in saying “I love you” first.
You offered to make me a coffee this morning which is really a latte that I like to call a cappuccino – whatever it is called, you know how to make it.
You sent me a text when they played our song.
You said dinner last night was perfect.
You didn’t try to fix my problem when I dumped on you about what a terrible day I had. You listened and then supported me. Thank you love!

How to Poach an Egg

2011-08-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but when we eat out for breakfast I almost always order Eggs Benedict if I see it on the menu. To me, it's a gourmet item and I love to taste the many variations on this classic dish. I've had it topped with seafood specialties like crab and lobster, or the traditional canadian bacon swapped with other proteins like deli ham or bacon. My favorite spin is the Eggs Benedict with a Mexican flair - think spicy hatch chile strips or poblano Hollandaise.

When I made Eggs Benedict for the first time it took me a couple tries to get the eggs poached correctly - so my advice to you would be to start with a dozen. Maybe you have one of those fancy egg poaching machines or have a do-hickey that makes the task foolproof. I didn't use anything fancy, here is what I did...

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Five for Friday

2011-08-26T09:17:00.003-05:00

For Jim:

I love you for keeping your commitments.
Holding my hand at the Farmers Market.
Opening my door for me like a gentleman.
Holding your own while being ambushed at Brix.
Trusting me to go into your e-mail.

Matthew West, "Strong Enough"

You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and You are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Five for Friday

2011-08-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

For Jim:

I know you so well, when you called to say, "Check your e-mail" I could already tell you what the e-mail said.
You restocked the fridge full of water for me. I hate doing that.
Your persistence in introducing me to all your favorite mob movies.
The text message last Wednesday night.
You said it was a tire on the side of the road.

P.S. I love you. See you this evening!!

Krispy Kale

2011-08-17T21:50:00.001-05:00

I don't know what convinced me to give oven roasted kale a try. I honestly did NOT believe kale could be this addicting, but another food blogger compared them to salty chips...and who doesn't like salty chips? You too will be surprised at how easy and tasty these Krispy Kale chips are. With just three simple ingredients the kale will bake to a delish crackly snack.

First, wash and dry the kale leaves. Then tear or cut the thick stems off and chop long leaves into smaller pieces.

Make sure the kale is very dry, any water on the leaves may make them steam in the oven, leaving you with soggy, not crunchy kale. Drizzle on just a small amount of olive oil (1/2 teaspoon for this one tray) and massage the oil all over.

Then spread the kale out on a cookie sheet. You don't really even have to worry about the leaves overlapping because the kale will shrink in the oven. I simply sprinkled on some course sea salt, but you can certainly get creative and add whatever flavors you like. Minced garlic would be good as well as a cajun seasoning perhaps.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Check after five minutes and adjust your time if you need to in order to keep them from burning. These are great for people like me who like crunchy salty things. Krispy Kale is so much better for you than a bag of processed chips!

Now that they are baked until crisp, you can do so many things! Instead of standing over the cookie sheet and eating them all myself, next time I want to crumble these up and stir in with some popcorn to up the nutritional value. I love gourmet popcorn!

Here is what I found out about buying and storing Kale:
BUYING - Kale should have a fresh green colour with moist, crisp, unwilted leaves. Young, small-leaved specimens are more tender; bigger leaves are well suited for use in soups.
STORING - Keep in a plastic bag in the fridge. Kale becomes increasingly bitter and strongly flavoured the longer it is kept and so is best eaten soon after buying.

One of my readers sent me this awesome tip:
"I really enjoy reading your blog posts. Just wanted to share something I tried recently. I found that seasoned kale chips go really well with grilled fish. If you haven’t tried kale chips before, they are so simple to make. I like to season mine with either smoked sea salt or kosher, black pepper and a tiny bit of malt vinegar. When you bake them, the texture is almost like dried leaves. It is a great balance for a delicate fish and a healthy boost! I also like to fry cilantro leaves in browned butter. Not quite as healthy but soooooooo good."

Ahh! I love that pairing idea, and we've been on such a fish eating frenzy around here that this is a perfect new twist on "Fish and Chips." Get it? Thanks Jessica, keep the ideas coming!

Five for Friday

2011-08-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Every Monday morning when I pull out of the garage I have to re-adjust the rear view mirror. I smile and think of you and miss you all over again.
I recorded Jeter 3K for you…I surprisingly got sucked in and watched the second half of it. 2+2=3,000
I loved hearing about your dinner with my parents. I wish I was there, but I’m so happy to hear how much fun the three of you have together.
Your dedication to your job astounds me.
Your dedication to exercise inspires me.

P.S. I love you.

Steak and Egg Salad

2011-08-11T07:58:00.001-05:00

Steak and Eggs don't have to be reserved just for breakfast anymore. This spin on the standard AM food came together quickly for a deliciously fancy lunch salad.

I bought 3.5 ounces of the best filet mignon at Whole Foods and pulled it out of the fridge to bring the meat to room temperature for about 30 minutes. I seasoned it with only a sprinkle of salt, and then seared in a medium-hot skillet for two minutes on each side. This was a small piece of meat, so it didn't take long to hit that perfect medium-rare temperature. When the meat was cooked (only 4 minutes) I put it on a plate to sit while I prepared the rest of the salad.

There were just a few elements to this salad, but each addition was chosen carefully - like the pieces of Humboldt Fog. It has got to be my favorite cheese - creamy and slightly tangy. Believe it or not, I was actually asked today if Jim and I have a cheese. I had to ask for the question to be repeated.... and my co-worker restated that some people have a song and wanted to know if we have a cheese. Well, the answer is no. Jim and I don't have a cheese, and I personally think that would be weird if we did.

The mixed greens are Organic Girl baby green romaine lettuce, baby red romaine lettuce, lolla rosa, parsley, cilantro, baby greenleaf lettuce. I love this herb mix because it is delicious on it's own with just a toss in olive oil.

That brings me to my new favorite olive oil that I am so excited to discover at my Farmers Market: Texas Hill Country Olive Oil Company. I tried the Texas Hill Country Miller's Blend on a whim. It's made from Mission and Arbequina olives and has a grassy and buttery flavor with a nutty finish. This is 100% organically grown and 100% natural, cold pressed & unfiltered, 100% hand harvested. And you can taste the quality. I don't have to have anything else on my salad greens but this olive oil.

The piece de resistance, in my opinion, is the perfectly poached egg on top. When cut open, it's adds a richness to the already decadent filet mignon and a creaminess to the light olive oil on the salad greens.

My current obsession with poached eggs started two weeks ago when Jim came home from a business trip and I wanted to make a special breakfast for him Saturday morning. Learning how to poach an egg for the first time was a frustrating task. I went through nearly a dozen eggs before I got two that I was proud of. Now that I feel like I have the hang of it, I'm just LOOKING for reason to poach eggs. I now how a step by step post on how to poach an egg. For now, I will leave you with a finished shot of my first Eggs Benedict made with strips of baked bacon and a homemade hollandaise.

Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna Salad

2011-08-07T23:00:00.001-05:00

I love making dishes at home and saying, "I would order that in a restaurant!" Then I make Jim tell me how much he would pay for this same dish if we were eating out. Does anyone else do that? The name of this meal sounds so complicated, but this could not have been easier! We will definitely be working this into a bi-weekly or at least monthly meal plan.

As with any great dish, I believe it's most important to start with good ingredients. When it comes to fish I think it is incredibly important to buy fresh. I absolutely trust my fish monger at Whole Foods, he has never steered me wrong. Ahi tuna is a sushi grade tuna steak, although the guys at Whole Foods will tell you to sear it a little and not to eat it completely raw. Do you see the price on this? $12.39 is a really good price considering we bought over half a pound which ended up being two GENEROUS portions.
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Five for Friday

2011-08-05T04:52:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite lines in a Matchbox 20 songs says, "It's 3:00 AM I must be lonely." This morning my version would go something like, "It's 3:00 AM it must be 85 degrees in here." Yes, our AC has gone out. I'm laying in a pool of sweat, roll over to see the time and think, oh gaawd, there is something really wrong. Only in Texas can it be nearly 90 degrees in your house in the middle of the night. So, let's just hope an AC Technician can get to me ASAP. I may have to take the dogs to doggie day care today, not sure my little ones can handle triple digit temperatures inside and outside. Maybe I have my own Bikram Yoga session here in the living room this morning?

This week's very HOT (and more in the stifling sweaty way, not the sexy way) FFF include:

You said you love me "even with pimples."
You take my cooking tips over the phone and then text me to let me know how dinner turned out.
Although we are 162 miles apart we still laugh at the "Jake from State Farm" commercial together.
It's Gangster Week on AMC and you recorded all 3 of The Godfathers - and you can't wait to watch them with me. I will try to muster the same kind of enthusiasm this weekend.
You are rocking Mud School and I love you for working so hard!

P.S. See you in 13 hours!

Lone Star Scallop

2011-08-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year I attended a cooking demonstration at Travaasa Resort and Spa near Lake Travis in Austin. What I loved most about this dish is that it only had a few ingredients, but could easily be transformed from an appetizer to an entree.

Chef Benjamin Baker has two decades of experience cooking in kitchens from Maui, HI, to San Jose, CA, and in Austin, TX where he is now the executive chef at Travaasa. His passion for baking breads and dedication to seasonal, organic and local ingredients was evident the moment he started the cooking demonstration.

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Five for Friday

2011-07-29T11:00:00.003-05:00

This post is for Jim. Here are five reason why I love you:

I loved finding the sweet card you left for me.
You knew I was going to cry when we said goodbye so you told me to only be sad for 30 minutes tops.
I love it when you texted me to say the pasta I sent with you was “SO GOOD!” It really made my day.
We are going to do the 7 day cleanse together even though we are apart.
You wanted to wait after this weekend visit to start the cleanse so you could eat my “really good home cooking.”

P.S. See you after work today! I have a special HWM dinner in mind for us.

Girl With A Grill

2011-07-28T18:57:00.002-05:00

I have been eating so much fish lately that I am on a first name basis with my fish monger at Whole Foods. I asked him last week if I should be concerned with mercury poisoning. He assured me that although I eat a lot of fish I am not in any danger. Wheeew! What a relief, because I don't want to give up on such a good thing.

With Jim traveling for business I'm at home alone with the grill and this girl has learned how to GRILL! This post covers some of my favorite grilling tools and also my two favorite fishes: Cod and Salmon. Know that I'm not a fishy-fish kind of girl, and so I am going to pass on my secret for eating a very very healthy fish, Salmon (which can sometimes taste fishy - in a good way).

First, I have to share one of my favorite grill tools. This fish grilling basket is perfect for the very light and flaky types of fish like Cod. When cooked, Cod is going to fall apart and this wire basket holds it all together and makes flipping the fish mid-way so much easier. You will thank me later for that tip!

For this piece of Cod, I seasoned it with olive oil, salt and pepper before putting it in my basket. When the grill was at a medium-high heat I added the fish and brushed with a kalamata olive tapanade. You don't have to add anything to the fish, I just like to make a scavenger hunt out of dinner and use any remnants in the back of the fridge to impart new and interesting flavors. You can brush and season your fish with WHATEVER you like. Try lemon and dill, tequila and lime, soy sauce with asian chile paste, cajun seasoning, salad dressing like an Italian or any other marinades in your fridge.

I've also been experimenting with a lot of vegetable grilling too. To these ears of corn I brushed on a mixture of butter, salt, pepper and chopped fresh cilantro.

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Five for Friday

2011-07-22T00:01:00.003-05:00

I bumped the TV tray this past week and it made me laugh.
You text me good morning and good night every day you are gone.
When I called because I couldn’t make the TV work you didn’t laugh but talked me through it.
When I called a couple days later because I messed the TV up a second time you were patient with me again.
Only seven more days till I get to see you!

Sticky Spicy BBQ Ribs

2011-07-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

I pulled out all the stops for Jim when he was in Austin the week before his business trip. BBQ Baby Backs were one of the meals that he requested and although I've tried many recipes, but they have two things in common: they produce sticky and spicy ribs. This most recent rib recipe I found on epicurious for Sticky Spicy Ribs was a success. There are two basic cuts of ribs from different parts of the pig: Baby Back (aka Loin Back ribs) and Spare ribs. Back backs are popular because they are leaner, tender and have a milder flavor comparable to Beef Filet Mignon. Spare Ribs have a more robust flavor comparable to a Beef Ribeye.

I purchased Baby Backs from my grocery store and made this homemade rub the night before.

Rub for ribs:
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika (not hot)
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The above measurements will make enough rub for four pounds of baby back ribs (2 2-lb racks). In my opinion the single most important thing you can do for successful ribs is to season overnight with a robust dry rub. This means you need to plan ahead! This dry rub is absorbed into the meat overnight and give so much flavor to the finished product. Whatever combination of spices you decide to use, I would recommend the use of brown sugar to aid in caramelizing.

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Five for Friday

2011-07-15T00:01:00.002-05:00

You are probably wondering why I lead with this ridiculous 90's picture of myself. Yes, that's me in the "Blossom" hat. I love this picture for several reasons. I was in 7th grade and it wasn't just the first year of junior high for me, it was my first year in a public school. My family moved this summer and everything in my life changed - my surroundings, my friends, my church, my school. It was a tough year for me. I had a lot of adjustments to make and there was a big learning curve.

I'm sure I planned this outfit the night before (probably days before). I also asked to borrow my mother's heart necklace for the picture because I always loved it so much on her. Don't even ask me what I was thinking with that plaid shirt...I'm sure it was in style at the time. And then there was the that hat. I worked so hard that morning to get it to sit on top of my head "just so" and I curled my bangs strategically before shellacking them with hair net. Bottom line, I was meticulous.

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Going Bananas

2011-07-12T18:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm going b-a-n-a-n-a-s today! and everyday for that matter...

When you have an abundance of bananas or a few that are about to go bad, don't let them go to waste. I have a couple suggestions for what you can do with them. Jim peels them and puts them in a airtight container and into the freezer. Then he makes smoothies with the frozen fruit. They are so yummy, no need for ice that can water your smoothie down.

Moving in the opposite direction is this warm and comforting Aunt Holly's Banana Bread recipe from epicurious.

I love how very short the list of ingredients are:

3 to 4 ripe bananas
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate chips (as many as you want! Jim did not want me to add these...)

Mash the bananas in a bowl first, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix well.

I buttered this silicone bread pan (probably not necessary with the silicone pan, but butter any other metal pan you would plan to use), pour in the batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean - about 50 minutes to an hour.

You can't beat the smells that will fill your home, it is completely warm and comforting.

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Five for Friday

2011-07-08T10:00:00.020-05:00

Jim came home last Friday, and I can hardly believe it's almost time for him to leave again. I was fortunate enough to be able to take most of the week off work and enjoy a "stay-cation" with my hubby. We did things like go to the movies in the middle of the day, take a 3.5 mile hike and sleep in. Sleeping in was the best!

I also started cooking again. I made sticky spicy ribs, lemon and garlic grilled red snapper, red curry stir fry full of fresh veggies and shrimp, fajita steak tacos and a chamomile and coconut creme brule. Yes, we ate well this week. My Five for Friday today:

Your encouraging words.
The patience you give to me when explaining math or sports.
Your laugh.
I love how you tolerate my terrible jokes.
"He's somebody."

Five for Friday

2011-07-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

I’m going to start something new on this blog, called Five for Friday. When I went to Atlanta in May to meet other food bloggers I heard about this adorable weekly post that my new friend Jess writes each week for her husband. Sometimes her list doesn’t make sense to me, but they contain precious secretes that she and her husband shares. I know he reads them and it must means something special to him. She’s not the only one, you can see Five for Friday here and here.

I had a funny internal discussion with myself about starting this weekly post. It went something like this: I’m the kind of person who starts projects with great intentions but seldom finishes them. I recognize this is a problem. I’ve called myself a “food blogger” and I wonder if I must devote this blog to only food related posts. Hey, this is MY blog…isn’t it? It’s called Home with Mandy because I can make it whatever I want. Who will want to read five reasons why I love my husband? Wait, it’s not for anyone else but Jim. Especially since we are embarking on this new adventure where he may be gone two weeks out of every month we will have many Friday’s apart, this would be a good way to communicate with him in a new way to let him know how loved and missed he is.

So I’m doing it. I’m going to do this every Friday until I don’t. How is that for CYA? Today is actually a great day to start this project. Jim has been gone for three weeks training for a new job in California. I miss him terribly. Here are five things that I love about my husband.

You prayed on the phone with me when you heard I was scared.
We have our “plating up” ritual every night.
You love our pups as much as I do.
When you crack up so hard watching TV with me and we have to pause and rewind to watch something again.
I love how just one look from you calms my world and makes it better.

p.s. See you at 1:35 PM today!

Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak

2011-06-26T22:44:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that this is the first recipe post since I attended BlogHer Food in Atlanta. The conference was fabulous!! The education top notch!! I left energized and (I have to admit) a tad intimidated by what my next move would be. After meeting so many fab bloggers I questioned where my little slice of the blogesphere would fit in.

Around the same time I was trying to figure out what to do with Home with Mandy... Jim accepted a job in California, with the plan to commute two weeks on and two weeks off. He left this month for a three week observation/training period and when he left...so did my muse. The whole reason I cook is for my love. I enjoy preparing meals for the two of us. I cherish the look on his face after his first bite and he looks over at me (almost in surprise) to say to me every night, "Wow, this is GOOD!"

I've been cooking (a little), but I have not been inspired to take photos this month. I haven't been inspired to take notes or to post about my meals at all.

Until now...

I returned from a business trip today and spent a few hours with my sweet mother in law. She prepared lunch for the two of us and for once, I was the recipient of a lovely homemade meal. It was thoughtful and beautiful and most of all tasted delicious. She is such a sweetheart that she even sent me home with leftovers so I can take some to the office for lunch this week.

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BlogHer Food

2011-06-21T21:53:00.001-05:00

I plan conferences for a living in Texas, but on a few occasions I also am able to play the role of attendee at conferences. This BlogHer Food conference was an event I looked forward to attending for months. For three days I was surrounded by folks just like me who love to cook, write, photograph and talk about food. I didn't meet one stranger all weekend, seriously...everyone was incredibly friendly and so much fun to hang out with.

Why did it take me four weeks to post about my amazing experience? It's been one heck of a month for us... Jim accepted an exciting job in California (he's commuting, we are not moving), my mom finally had her halo brace removed, I've had several big events at work causing me to be on the road most of the month. It's been crazy to say the least! Believe me when I say that I was so jazzed when I returned from BlogHer, fully motivated by the people I met and the sessions I attended. I haven't lost the spark, just need a little more time to figure out my work/life/blog balance. Another reason for the delay in posting is the sheer length and information of this post...I started as soon as I returned and have been working on it sporadically since. I'm so happy (and releived) to finish and get this posted!

For those of you who might not know, BlogHer Food was held in Atlanta at the Westin Peachtree hotel on May 20-21, 2011. Even though the property was going through a renovation during our conference, the hotel was a nice host for the event...especially after my tweet regarding the long and slow line at the hotel registration desk.

The official conference kicked off Friday morning in the grand ballroom with a lovely breakfast spread consisting of farm fresh scrambled egg, sliced fruit, sausage, grits and pastries.

When we left the opening session and headed down to our first breakout sessions, each attendee received a "swag bag" with sponsor gifts and coupons.

It seemed that all the sessions I attended were filled to the max, including a few classes that had bloggers sitting on the floor and in the ails. My fellow attendees were mostly female, and we used a range of various note taking techniques. I wasn't alone in bringing my laptop, some brought iPads, some took notes the old fashioned way. Regardless of the method, attendees were fed rich information from an experienced panel.

There was ample time built into the schedule for us to peruse the sponsor area and I even snapped a photo with Charlie, the king of canned tuna!

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BlogHer Food, Arrival and RockHer Party

2011-05-27T05:12:00.002-05:00

I still can't believe I attended the BlogHer Food Conference in Atlanta. Did I really board a flight in Austin and fly all the way to Georgia by myself to rub elbows with fellow food bloggers? To geek out about seeing Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and the David Lebovitz from Paris? It all feels like a wonderful dream!

I started tweeting with other attendees long before the conference started by searching for the hashtag #blogherfood. When I had a longer than planned wait in Houston for the second leg of my flight to Atlanta, I used that time to check in with other food bloggers via twitter to find out how everyone was doing. There were a lot of tweets about driving in, flying in, and also about taxi sharing from the Atlanta airport. Sweet! What a brilliant idea!

I also saw some tweets thanking Moe's for the party bus. Party bus? Who? What? Where? I sent a tweet to Moes Southwest Grill @Moes_HQ to see if they were providing a shuttle from the airport to the host hotel. I was surprised when I landed in Atlanta and received a tweet back from Moe's asking when my flight landed. I tweeted that I had just touched the ground and was walking towards baggage claim now.

The picture above is how I was greeted at baggage claim. What a warm welcome! Although we don't have Moe's Southwest Grill in Texas, they were more than happy to let me crash their little party bus.

Look, there is the Executive Chef of Moe's, along with other food blogger from around the country who were selected to be on the bus. Moe's served wine, chips and salsa on our trip to the hotel and I had the chance to chat with the President of Moe's and one of their PR/Marketing Representatives. Moe's targeted 20 bloggers, and 1 blogger targeted them. (Me) Thanks again Moe's for the ride, and the wine. You guys rock! Let me know when you open a store in Texas.

Although checking into the Westin Peachtree was not a smooth experience (don't worry I tweeted them too) the room had a really nice view.

From the 55th floor, the floor to ceiling windows revealed a beautiful downtown Atlanta.

Here is a picture of my hotel room. I didn't photograph the bathroom, it was so tiny I don't think any pictures would have turned out...but just imagine a sink, toilet and shower - bam, a bathroom.

Continue reading about my first night in Atlanta here....

Easy Breakfast Muffins

2011-05-19T22:28:00.003-05:00

Last month I had a contest on Home with Mandy where I gave away a few dozen cake balls. In order to ship them and ensure they made it in one piece, I packaged the cake balls in egg cartons...then I was left with a bunch of eggs in my fridge. That's when I started looking for recipes calling for large amounts of eggs, hence the recent Creme Brulee post.

I found these super easy breakfast muffins are perfect to make on the weekend and then eat them one by one during the week. You can pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds before sprinting out the door because you are late for work… again. Oh, that’s just me?

I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box in the AM. It takes me a long time to get moving and time just gets away from me. Eating a good breakfast is the absolute last thing on my mind. Jim has tried really hard to get me to eat breakfast and stocks the fridge each week with something quick and easy, like greek yogurt, cut up fruit or a protein shake. He makes the best protein shakes with a frozen banana, protein powder and a squirt of honey for sweetness.

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Pork Loin with Pineapple Relish

2011-05-16T16:23:00.001-05:00

Ever feel like you are running in a chicken rut? Yes, chicken is a versatile protein and I’ve made it no less than 100 different ways…but there are times when I just can’t do it one more night in a row. I asked Jim to pick something for dinner other than chicken and he asked for pork. I really haven’t cooked with pork a whole lot. My favorite cut is boston butt or pork shoulder because I just love to slowly roast it and serve pulled pork to a crowd. I used my epicurious iPhone app to search for a pork entrée and just loved the tropical relish proposed in this recipe for pork loin chops.

It’s hot in Texas, so just thinking about the Caribbean climate and the palm-tree breezes had me singing Jimmy Buffett all the way to the grocery store. The ingredient list is short, but each component adds a very special “zing” to this recipe. I encourage everyone to experiment in the kitchen, but know that this recipe was written just perfectly in my opinion.

Yield: Makes 2 servings

Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min

Yes, I'm telling you that in under 30 minutes (from start to finish) you can have dinner on the table!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple.
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds.
1 teaspoon chopped thyme. I used dried thyme because I had it on hand, I would guess the fresh thyme would be better.
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar. Yes, it’s just a splash but the tang of the vinegar helps with the sweetness of the pineapple and the heat from the chile.
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 (1-inch-thick) boneless pork loin chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dark rum. Yes please. I love every opportunity to cook with alcohol. Sometimes I add it to the food.

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Hunger is Unacceptable

2011-05-07T18:43:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to be a member of the newly formed Austin Food Blogger Alliance (#AFBA or @ATXfoodblogs on twitter). Our mission is to work together to set a standard of transparency and fairness in food blogging. We also support each other and our community through classes, social events, and philanthropy.

The first official event for AFBA happened last month at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) where I met other Austin food bloggers to embark on our first philanthropy project. Our visit to the CAFB really opened my eyes to the myths of food stamps and my misconceptions. I was shocked to hear that 82 percent of CAFB clients are not homeless and 41 percent are children.

Let me let that sink in just a second. In December 2010 the CAFB dealt with 49,409 cases in Travis County with 110,756 people receiving benefits...and nearly half of those were children.

It was really great to meet Lisa Goddard and hear from her about the positive programs CAFB has implemented in our city. At the same time it was heart breaking to hear the large number of folks who have to decide between buying food for their family or paying the utility bill. The Federal Food Stamp Program changed it's name to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in 2008.

If you live in Texas you may have seen signs in grocery stores that say "Lone Star Card Accepted." Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) gives food (SNAP) benefits through the Lone Star Card. This is a plastic card that is used like a debit card. Each month, your approved monthly benefit amount is placed in the card's account. I thought this debit card system was a smart way to allow clients to be discrete at the grocery store.

Hunger exists when an individual lacks access to the resources needed to provide enough healthy, nutritious food on a regular basis. 1 in every 2 people in the COUNTRY will be on SNAP at some point in their life. Alex Cruz would know, she is one of the case workers who helps families and individuals sort through the very LONG and confusing application for the SNAP program. She knows first hand how to debunk the many myths about SNAP benefits.
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Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

2011-05-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

Even though I've heard over and over again how EASY creme brulee is, I never attempted it because I am not confident when it comes to baking anything. Hand me a bag full of groceries and I bet I could whip up a spectacular dinner - but ask me to bake cookies, brownies, pudding, cupcakes...uh, I will look back at you with a blank stare. I hate how the measurements on baked goods have to be exact, maybe it's the fact that in my kitchen I don't follow the rules. My cooking is exactly that...mine. I like to use recipes simply as a guide...but a recipe for a baked good isn't a guide, it's a road map that must be followed exactly or else you run off the road and down a cliff. Next thing you know, you are crying in front of the stove as your cupcakes fall into a concave shape in the muffin tins. Oh, that's just me?

Now that you know my angst surrounding baking you are probably wondering how in the world I talked myself into Creme Brulee. Last weekend I had seen yet another cooking show where the chef whips up creme brulee and exclaims to the audience how utterly easy it is to do. Well, I've about heard enough! That was it! I am going to the store to buy my own butane blow torch (it was the ONE kitchen gadget I have yet to own) It was the blow torch that really sent me in a tizzy. Blowing fire and burning things never looked so fun! I settled on a recipe, made my grocery list and hit up my HEB...only to leave with everything I needed except for the blow torch. I wasn't going to let that stop me. After all, I should find out if I am even capable of making a creme brulee before I purchase another kitchen gadget.

For my Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, I stuck to a pretty traditional recipe. If you search online, you will find so many variations for the "basic" creme brulee. I found recipes calling anywhere from 3-10 eggs for one batch. Some say use vanilla bean, some say use vanilla extract. Some use whipping creme, some use whole milk, some half and half. Really, the recipes I found online ran the gamut. I pulled the best out of all I read to make my own - and I used both vanilla extract and a bean (for the black specks). My sweet Mother-in-Law brought me back the vanilla extract from her recent vacation to Mexico. Thanks Deb! And Jim thanks you too!
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Celebrate Earth Day Everyday

2011-04-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

Earth Day 2011 was on April 22nd, but you know, it's not too late to start celebrating everyday! Earth day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. Jim and I have slowly made some changes around the house and in the way we live that I believe have made a big positive impact on the environment. First of all, we started recycling religiously. As many wine bottles that we go through a week.... It was a simple change, but we now look to see if each piece of trash is recyclable and lucky for us, Austin has a great recycle program.

Jim has also gone through the house and changed out the lights to more efficient light bulbs to save on energy and they also last longer. Earlier this year we purchased some energy efficient appliances. The new front loading washer and dryer is a.ma.zing. I had no idea how much more "efficient" they would be. I wash on the cold setting most of the time because the washer does such a good job and that saves energy by not heating the water . The dryer also completely drys our clothes in a quarter of the time our old dryer did. One of my favorite change was the new energy efficient dishwasher. It got me thinking about what other small changes can I make in the kitchen (my domain) which would please mother earth.
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Grilled Mahi Mahi Kabobs

2011-04-25T00:17:00.000-05:00

I am on a fish kick lately...have you noticed? Jim isn't quite sure what has gotten into me. It started back when I tried Mussels and absolutely loved them, boy have I been missing out all these years. Maybe I'm making up for lost times. I tried Salmon for the first time recently and thanked Jim for nudging me in that direction. For this easy dinner I made kabobs of mahi mahi filet, marinated in a green olive tapenade. Inspiration for this easy dinner comes from epicurious. I served the fish kabobs with jasmine rice mixed with chopped roma tomatoes, marinated red bell peppers and avocado. Man did we enjoy this dinner! Here is what I did.

This is half the mahi mahi filet that I purchased. It was only after I cut it in half that I had the thought, "dang, I should take a picture of it right out of the package from the market." It's a big honker, but I was pleased with the price on this filet...It wasn't as expensive as say the Sea Bass or Halibut.

I cut the fish filet in half, then I sliced into roughly 2x2 pieces and placed them in a small casserole dish covered with olive oil and green olive tapenade. You can absolutely make an olive tapenade yourself... just chop any kind of olive you like by hand or in the blender and add olive oil . You can make it as chunky as you like or puree it to make a paste. In a pinch, I used a store bought green olive tapenade that I found on the International food aisle.
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Santa Fe Chicken Skillet

2011-04-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

After being out of town and away from my kitchen for a couple days, Jim was really missing my cooking. I didn't have time to plan dinner, or grocery shop but I did go through the fridge and pantry to dig out some ingredients to make a spectacular dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Here is how I did it. We always have chicken in the house, that was a good start. The veggies I found were an onion, a green bell pepper, 2 garlic cloves and a can of diced tomatoes (which I always have on hand.) I also gathered some leftover black beans (from another recipe), a block of cheddar cheese and egg noodles.

The key ingredient, that pulled all these random foods together is the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Santa Fe Blend.
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Noble Pig

2011-04-19T10:54:00.001-05:00

The Noble Pig isn't just a fantastic sandwich filled high with spicy ham, pulled pork, melted provolone cheese and thick cut bacon on toasted white or wheat bread...

The Noble Pig is a sandwich shop in Northwest Austin which also serves what looks like a very yummy breakfast. My co-workers and I heard through the grapevine about this fantastic "pork place" and were trying for weeks to schedule a time to all go for lunch.

Located in a small strip center in Northwest Austin on 620 North, it's easy to pass up if you are not familiar with this side of town.
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What to Grill this Weekend: Salmon

2011-04-16T13:39:00.001-05:00

Although I've been apprehensive to cook and eat salmon, I know the health benefits of this fish make it a super food. I tend to prefer mild, white, flaky fish to salmon. Jim just loves salmon and talked me into giving it a try the other night. And boy am I glad he did!

I of course went to my local Whole Foods who I know carries fresh fresh fresh seafood and has a comical and wildly knowledgeable staff behind the seafood counter. I explained that I dont' like "fishy-fish" and they told me that this Atlantic Salmon filet was delivered only hours before I walked in the door. With fish this fresh, the "fishy" flavors that I dislike will be mild. I asked about soaking the filet in milk, as I had read that would take away the fishy flavors. They told me that it doesn't really work as well as the old wives tale claims.

I felt like I hit the jackpot when I spotted this purple asparagus. It was my first time to find these and I was mesmerized. This asparagus would be the perfect accompaniment to my salmon dinner.

The fish mongers at Whole Foods were kind enough to even add the seasonings for me. For Jim, I had them season one filet with a lemon pepper rub. This rub would highlight the delicate flavors of the salmon.

For me, the fish mongers dusted my filet with a green chile rub which ended up being so incredibly spicy that it nicely masked any fish taste for me... I know, I know... the point is to taste the salmon. Well, not for me. I couldn't stop eating the salmon because the spice was so wonderful. I loved it!

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A Sweet Easter Giveaway

2011-04-14T16:58:00.003-05:00

{The Giveaway is now closed. Scroll down to the bottom to see who the lucky four winners are.}

I haven't had a giveaway on this site for a while, and now that it is Spring time and Easter is right around the corner... let's give some sweet treats away!

If you live in Austin, Texas then you are very lucky to have access to this fabulous company. Iffy's Sweets and Treats was established this year to pay homage to bite-sized baked treats. From time-tested treats like cupcakes, to the more trendy cake pops, to the sophisticated French macaron, Iffy is dedicated to pleasing your taste buds with a delectable palette of her simply delicious sweets and treats.
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How to Make Spring Rolls

2011-04-12T19:39:00.003-05:00

We have been experiencing 85 to 95 degree weather in Austin, TX and are just thrilled to welcome Spring! I want to soak up every lovely afternoon that we have in the 80's because soon and very soon it will be in the triple digits. Right now is the perfect time to put together a batch of these cool and crunchy Spring Rolls that are surprisingly easy to assemble and highly customizable.

Have you seen or cooked with these vermicelli rice noodles? They are quick cooking, thin noodles that are great as the base of stir-fry or added to soup. I boiled a medium pot of salted water, added a handful of rice sticks and let them boil for just a few minutes. As soon as they were cooked through (about 3 minutes) I strained and set asside to cool as I prepped the remaining ingredients.

For a nice spicy bite, I rinsed a handful of cilantro.

I like the crunch of cool Spring Rolls, so I thinly sliced a red bell pepper. Again, use what you have on hand!

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House Pizzeria

2011-04-09T17:03:00.000-05:00

After hearing some buzz about House Pizzeria, Jim and I decided to check it out for lunch one day. The building that is House Pizzeria doesn't look like much. In fact, the building was once a KFC drive through located in the 'hood of Airport Blvd. Local Austinites should know better than to let the exterior lead you astray, some of the most creative chefs in this town of ours is cooking in odd locations including trailers.

The inside is new and modern with various colors and textures that bring you in and make you feel comfortable. There is a very small bar area, maybe four bar stools total serving a good number of local brews plus Maine Root Draft Root Beer. They carry all the Austin standards: 512, Live Oak, Real Ale and some every changing surprises.

Since we were there for lunch during the work week, Jim and I didn't sample anything from their beer selection...but it was noted and we will definitely go back "after hours" so we can enjoy a cold beer with our pizza. Mmmm cold beer and pizza!

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Mussels and Wine Feast

2011-04-05T08:31:00.001-05:00

I had not eaten mussels until last week when a friend and I met at Vino Vino, a local wine bar in Austin and shared a bowl of mussels in white wine sauce topped with french fries and a dollop of herby hollandaise sauce. It was spectacular, I couldn't believe how delicious the mussels were. I absolutely loved dipping the crusty bread that accompanied our dish into the flavorful juice in the bottom of the bowl. I felt sad that I had missed out on this experience for so long. Jim has ordered them before in restaurants, but my fear of shellfish and eating something that looks like the actual animal (ex: crawfish, peel and eat shrimp, frog legs) kept me from being adventurous.

For food this tasty, I thought I could overcome my fear and just go for it. What better way to take on something new and experiment in the kitchen than surrounding yourself with hungry friends? If the dish bombed, we could always order Chinese takeout or pizza delivery. My mom is cringing right now. She always told me never to try new recipes on friends or for a special event or holiday.

Our awesome friends Chip and Shelley had us over to their new home for a night of poker and I brought all the ingredients to share a Mussels and Wine Feast. Why is it always so much fun to cook in someone elses kitchen?

Jim really loves to play Texas Hold 'em and he is trying to teach me. I've played about six times and enjoy it also, but I still need my cheat sheet to remind me the denominations of the chips and also the order of the hands.

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Chicken Hash over Creamy Polenta

2011-04-01T22:46:00.002-05:00

This was a totally random and made up dinner that ROCKED! I wanted something comforting, filling and wholesome - and I also wanted to use up produce that was on it's last leg in my house. I pulled every vegetable I had out of the fridge and then roasted two chicken breasts. All the ingredients are slow cooked in my dutch oven with wine and chicken stock and then served over the creamiest and most delish polenta. I didn't know what to call it, "everything but the kitchen sink chicken and veggies dinner?" Doesn't sound appetizing. A "hash" is a great way to maximize leftovers or use up produce before it spoils. Although a traditional "hash" usually contains potatoes of some sort, I replaced the starch with polenta and then named my recipe Chicken Hash over Polenta.

By the way, Jim is absolutely terrible at coming up with recipe names. I should start a list of his suggestions. My sweetie pie means well, but I'm pretty sure he would have named this "the really good chicken and vegetables."

Both Jim and I enjoyed this meal so much that I made it twice...and photographed it twice. I usually don't take pictures of a dish I've already posted, BUT I've made some improvements to my "kitchen studio."

I have invested in an EGO light and a small tabletop tripod. Can you tell the difference? Above is the new photo I took this week, below is my first run with this recipe that I took about a month ago.

Here is the step by step photos from my first run at Chicken Hash over Polenta:

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Short Rib Stroganoff

2011-03-26T20:21:00.002-05:00

We love short ribs, I mean come on who doesn't?! Beef short ribs are a popular cut of beef and typically more tender and meatier than their counterpart, pork spare ribs. I like to cook them low and slow to render the most tender meat that you can cut with a fork, you can't argue with that kind of goodness. When you remove them from the oven and you have to use two hands to get the bone to stay with the meat, you've done a good job! I paired the short ribs with our favorite mushroom sauce from my Stroganoff recipe. It's so rich and creamy and perfectly pairs with egg noodles.

The marinade for the short ribs are simple, just four ingredients - but all BOLD in flavor. I would say that fresh herbs and veggies are always best, but if dried herbs is what you have on hand USE them!

In a small food processor I added four cloves of garlic and 1/2 tablespoon cracked rosemary, 1/2 tablespoon ground thyme along with one cup of olive oil.

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How to Make a Fruit and Cheese Plate

2011-03-18T18:31:00.002-05:00

This is my new favorite appetizer plate to whip together when I don't have the time to cook. Say, an impromptu happy hour starts at you home and you need something to munch (stat) while you drink. OR, if you are cooking dinner and need something to put out for guests as you make final preparations, the fruit and cheese plate is perfect. It was Ina Garten who I saw do this on TV and I said to myself, that woman is a genius. Who said that everything you serve has to be homemade from scratch? Focus on one main thing and fill in with gorgeous produce and cheese. When you're designing a cheese plate, remember that you're looking to create a balance of flavors and textures.

Keeping texture in mind, I selected spicy candied pecans that I purchased in bulk at HEB. Local and in season is going to be key here when selecting your ingredients. I'm using local Texas Hill Country honey, but only a smidgen. The bosc pear is going to bring plenty of natural sweetness and spice to this plate. Bosc are an elegant variety, with distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other pears. I like their crunchy yet tender flesh and their sweet-spiced flavor. A common misconception is that Bosc pears need to be peeled or cooked before being eaten, and that’s simply not true. Those who have not tried a Bosc would most likely be surprised... and pleased that the brown skin hides a delicious, spicy and slightly firmer flesh. Check usapears.com for recipes and more facts about all types of pears.

This plate was serving a small group, but if you have several people you are creating the fruit and cheese platter for, you should consider adding a few more cheeses. Vary by type, adding a cow's milk and a goat's milk, and vary by texture, something hard like manchego and/or something soft like brie.

The star of the show is hands down this Humboldt Fog cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre. It is at the top of my favorites list at the moment. I looooooove goat milk cheeses, and this has a thin stip down the middle, reminiscent of a mild blue. Anyone who has tried it I'm sure will second my high opinion of this cheese.

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Chicken Florentine Crepes

2011-03-16T22:56:00.002-05:00

I haven't been this excited to post a recipe since the Lemon Gnocchi last month. Lately I have felt stale in my kitchen. It may be the roller coaster that life has put my family on that has deflated my excitement for cooking. It's six months after my parents were hit by a drunk driver and they are still dealing with serious hospital visits and scary surgeries. The good news is I think we are finally on the mending end of all this - both physically and emotionally. My parents are at home and doctors say they will BOTH be back to (a new) normal in 4-6 months. Because, let's face it...you don't just shake off something like this. Don't drink and drive folks, it ruins lives!

Let me get back to the exciting part! My enthusiasm and interest in cooking has returned and I'm head strong about stretching my culinary point of view. Jim has remained my muse and the reason I am persistently experimenting in the kitchen. I find inspiration from all over but mainly the web and my cooking magazines. My newest Food Network magazine gave me the idea for Savory Crepes and after searching and searching online for the perfect recipe, I decided to write my own. Most Chicken Crepe recipes I found also contained mushrooms and the filling wasn't as creamy as I had imagined. When writing my own recipe, I referenced Emeril Lagasses 2003 recipe for Savory Crepes with Creamy Chicken, Ham and Mushroom Filling. Jim and I both agreed my dish was a remarkable success and one that I will certainly add to the "entertaining" file for when we have guests over.

Here are the ingredients to HWM Chicken Florentine Crepes:

6 Crepes (I used store bought, but will one day tackle the homemade crepe)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cups chicken stock, hot
salt and pepper
3/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated Parmesan

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Bolognese Sauce

2011-03-13T17:52:00.001-05:00

Bolognese sauce is known to Italians as Ragù alla Bolognese, to the French as Sauce Bolognaise and to Jim as Meat Sauce. Jim isn't far off, this is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Sometimes Bolognese sauce is thought of as a tomato sauce, but actually the authentic recipes have only a small amount of tomato concentrate.

I first became interested in Bolognese after watching Tyler Florence make Tagliatelle Bolognese on his show Tyler's Ultimate. The addition of milk to this meat sauce was so intriguing to me, I just had to make this myself. I loosely followed Tyler's recipe, and edited here and there along the way.

My ingredient list (pictured above):

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the LARGE jug in the background)
1/4 pound bacon
1 medium onion
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
5 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed
2 cups dry red wine (more about the wine later)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I recommend serving with:
1 pound dry tagiatelle, pappardelle, or other ribbon pasta
1 handful fresh basil, hand-torn, for garnish
1 T ricotta or freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

When I open a bottle of wine my first instinct is to check out the cork. This isn't a snobby thing to do, you can actually tell a lot about the wine you are about to enjoy by inspecting the cork. I don't believe sniffing a cork will tell you anything, it's most likely going to smell like cork. I always check to see if wine runs the length of the cork, that could mean that wine has seeped out, allowing oxygen in, which would change the taste of the bottle.

This particular cork had some wine crystals form on the bottom of the cork. Having this sediment in the bottle neck and attached to the underside of the cork indicates the bottle was most likely stored on its side for a long period. This type of storage is recommended, as it lets the sedament form on one side of the bottle and also keeps the cork moist, helping it form a better seal. If you have a cork with lots of gunk at the bottle neck and on the cork, you may want to decant the bottle and also use a strainer to keep the sedament from getting into your glass.

The technical term for "wine crystals" is tartaric acid crystals. This isn't a bad thing, it's natural in many, many red wines and also found in white wines.

And I've said it before, I will say it again...I strongly suggest cooking with wine you would also drink, please don't buy the cooking wine. {I realize I sound like a broken record.}

I've covered the wine stuff, and I've also poured myself a glass while I prep veggies. {happy girl}

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Champagne Vinaigrette

2011-03-08T12:16:00.006-06:00

I've been on the road a lot lately, and it's SO hard to eat healthy while traveling. Jim and I both have been very busy and I’ve settled for convenience foods instead of foods that fuel my body. This week, we have decided to get back on track so I started looking for ways to make dinner salad more interesting. There are some fabulous all natural salad dressings at the grocery store, but I often find myself getting bored with the same dressing three days in a row.

Today, because it's FAT TUESDAY, I'm posting about a delish homemade Champagne Vinaigrette dressing. To make salads more interesting, I’ve decided to start making my own when possible. There are endless variations on vinaigrettes, but it basically boils down to a vinegar, an oil, and some flavorings. I’ve discovered I like the tart/sweet balance in vinaigrettes so I pulled together ingredients that will give me a salad dressing that keeps me and the hubby both interested and satisfied.

Here are the ingredients that I gathered to make my HWM Champagne Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic
1 shallot
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Honey mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
3 dashes Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Using a food processor, I add all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Blend until the garlic and shallot have been minced. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a continuous stream until the dressing has emulsified.

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Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

2011-03-02T08:36:00.001-06:00

Have you tried Chicken Spaghetti? Like Charlie Sheen is trending in the news right now, Chicken Spaghetti was trending a while back, then everyone forgot about it...at least I did. Then Jim asked me recently to make a casserole that he could reheat at work for lunch all week long. I remembered how GREAT my Chicken Spaghetti Ole tasted as leftovers so I got to it again and developed a new Chicken Spaghetti recipe, taking notes from the Pioneer Woman's recipe from 2007.

I gathered the last of my frozen chicken from the freezer, a box of whole wheat dried spaghetti, a 4 ounce jar of pimentos, a head of garlic, a green bell pepper, an onion, two cans of low fat cream of chicken soup, 3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Lawry's seasoned salt and cayenne pepper.

I didn't even bother defrosting the chicken. Instead I put the three frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of my dutch oven, topped with about a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkled in some salt and pepper, put the lid on and popped the cookware in the oven at 350 for one hour. I even left the house, ran a few quick errands, and when I returned, fully cooked chicken! Once cooked, shred with two forks! You could also give the chicken a small dice if you like that sort of thing. Jim prefers the chunks, I prefer the shred.

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Lemon Gnocchi with Shrimp, Spinach and Peas

2011-02-27T13:14:00.001-06:00

Gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Like bruschetta, it's an Italian food word that people have some trouble with. Never fear, the Italian pronunciation police are here.

The "gno" makes a "nyo" sound with a silent "g".

The "cch" is pronounced as a hard "k".

The "i" is an "ee" sound as in "tree".

"nyo kee"

Gnocchi is the plural form of the word. The singular is "gnocco." So you might order a plate of gnocchi and savor each delicious gnocco on that plate.

Check your local grocery store and you just might find a package of fresh vacuum packed gnocchi near the pasta. These thick and soft dumplings can be made from a variety of ingredients. You will most commonly find Potato Gnocchi, but they are also made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients. The smaller forms are called gnocchetti.

For this recipe, I used a pre-made vacuum pack of gnocchi but I very much want to try making gnocchi from scratch in the near future. Gourmet magazine featured this recipe for Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas in 2007. The recipe went on to win a blue ribbon award on epicurious where it has consistently received top marks with reviewers. I can tell you exactly why... The ingredient list is fairly short, the active cooking time is about 20 minutes and the flavor medley is freaking fantastic. You have the soft pillows of gnocchi covered in a flavorful cream sauce topped with the zing of fresh lemon and pop of bright peas. It’s truly a winner!

I altered the recipe slightly with the addition of raw shrimp that I purchased deveined and shelled. With a tablespoon of butter melted in my dutch oven, I threw in the shrimp and sauteed until no longer pink.

Next, I added a chopped shallot and a three chopped garlic cloves.

I added one cup of heavy cream and a 1/2 cup frozen peas.

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Osso Buco

2011-02-22T00:01:00.001-06:00

Jim and I splurged last month to purchase two beautiful veal shanks from the grocery store to remake one of Italy's most renowned braises: osso buco. It's a classic Milanese dish cooked in a rich broth that includes tomato and wine. The dish is finished with lemon zest and parsley, which stand in for the more common gremolata that often accompanies it, along with a creamy polenta. The term ossobuco roughly translates to "hole in the bone" or "pierced bone." Once cooked, don't forget to dig into the amazing bone marrow!

I loosely followed a recipe I found on Epicurious. In addition to the two 14 ounce veal shanks, I gathered:

1/2 c vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups veal stock
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 t dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

I was very excited to try out this Demi-Glace Gold. I had heard that many fine dining restaurants use this to make their veal stock, so I was anxious to see how it worked for me too.

I had help choosing the wine for this meal. Jim and I consulted with Central Markets wine experts to choose Italian wine for this special meal. I cooked with the one on the right, and we drank the wine on the left with the meal.

After seasoning the veal shanks with salt and pepper, I tied cooking twine around each to secure the meat to the bone. When braised, the meat will literally fall off if not tied together.

Next, I lightly rolled the veal shanks in flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat a large dutch oven over high heat. Put the oil into the casserole and let it heat. Brown the veal shanks in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. If the oil turns dark during the process, like mine did, discard it and heat a fresh cup of oil for the veggies.

Remove the meat to a plate and let rest while we cook the veggies.

Add the onion, celery and carrots to the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about five minutes.

Stirring constantly.

Add the garlic, stir and cook for one minute until fragrant.

Add the one cup of dry red wine .

Cook for about two minutes, until reduced by half.

At this point it's time to add back the veal shanks and the rest of the liquid and spices.

In go the veal shanks.

Next we add two cups of veal stock, two cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of crushed tomatoes.

The herbs I added at the end are thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf. Once the liquid boils, cover, transfer to the oven, and cook for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees, until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bones.

I can't say why I don't have pictures beyond this point because I remember setting up the shots. I was so ecstatic to take pictures of our tiny espresso spoons being used to remove the bone marrow. The sauce looked completely amazing on top of the creamy polenta. I am just sick that the pictures seemed to vanish from my camera!

You will just have to imagine with me.

After 2 1/2 hours of cooking, carefully remove the veal shanks from the pot and set aside. The meat will definitely be falling off the bone. I had to use a combinations of tongs and a spatula to get the meat out in one piece. Next, I strained the braising liquid and discarded the herbs. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until reduced by a quarter. Using a skimmer or large spoon, skim off any grease or foam that rises to the surface. Return the strained vegetables and the veal shanks to the liquid and taste for seasoning.

To serve, cut and discard the twine, put a single osso buco (veal shank) in a bowl, and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce and vegetables over it. I made a super creamy polenta by adding 1/2 cup of cream cheese to the hot polenta and put that on the plate first, topped with the osso buco and then topped with a ladle of rich sauce and chunky vegetables. Garnish each osso buco with the lemon zest, and chopped parsley and season with pepper. It was TO. DIE. FOR. I can't wait until the next time we splurg and I can make this again, and hopefully get the pictures of the finished product posted.

Potage Parmentier

2011-02-20T13:17:00.001-06:00

I've been ferociously fighting off a cold for nearly a week now. My month is very full and that is exactly what I told the doctor last week, "heal me" because I really don't have the time to lay around. Of course he told me what I didn't want to hear, I needed to lay low and rest. When I'm feeling under the weather, I usually make soup and fill it full of nourishing vegetables. Remember this Chicken Noodle Soup when I came home from New Orleans and was sick as a dog?

A co-worker of mine brought this Potage Parmentier soup to the office earlier this month when we held our first annual Soup Kitchen. Rita artfully combined the best of two superb recipes, one from Julia Child and the other from James Beard. There are many variations on this basic onion and potato recipe, some using leaks, some using cream at the end or water instead of chicken broth. I used Rita's soup recipe and also struck out on my own along the way.

I began with one large spanish onion, thinly sliced on my mandolin. It is a total of 3, almost 4 cups of sliced onions, in my dutch oven with 3 T butter over medium heat.

While the onions cook down, I used my mini chopper to mince a cup of carrots. This was my addition, since I wanted lots of veggies in the soup.

Next, I mince a few stalks of celery. This is another of my additions, I just love using the leaves from the celery stalks in soup.

We have nearly 4 cups onions, 1 cup carrot and 1/2 cup of minced celery.
The veggies got a little dry, so I added another tablespoon of butter.

Continue to cook and stir over medium heat.

Then I sliced some baking potatoes very thinly using my mandolin.

When the vegetables were very very soft, I added a splash of dry sherry and let the alcohol cook off for about five minutes before then adding the potatoes.

Then I added five cups of chicken broth. You can use just water, or vegetable broth also.

Bring to a boil, then cover and let it simmer over low heat until the potatoes are tender. The potatoes are sliced so thinly, it really didn't take long for them cook, maybe 15 minutes.

I thought the seasoning of this soup was brilliant. 2 t salt, 1/2 t nutmeg and 1/4 t cayenne pepper.

The nutmeg adds that certain something that you can't quite put your finger on. The cayenne, adds a very very little burn to the soup which I think is essential! Don't skip!

Most recipes I read then have you push the soup through a food mill or ricer. I don't have one, so I used my immersion blender on the lowest setting to very gently puree the soup. I didn't want to turn this into a tub of mashed potatoes so I just zapped it a couple of times in different places to break up the potato chunks.

The last step was to add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and serve topped with chives. I think this French soup was very easy to pull together, used common ingredients I had on hand and definitely got me on the right track to healing. I'm feeling better all ready!

HWM Potage Parmentier
(Onion and Potato Soup)

3 c peeled and thinly sliced yellow onions
1 c minced carrot
1/2 c minced celery
3 T butter
2 T dry sherry
4 c peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
5 c chicken broth
2 t salt
1/4 t fresh cayenne
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 c heavy cream
Garnish with chopped chives

Directions:
Saute onion, carrot and celery in butter for 10-15 minutes over medium heat. Add sherry and stir until alcohol has evaporated. Add potatoes and cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt, cayenne and nutmeg. Put the soup through a food mill, or use an immersion blender to break up potato chunks. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and serve with a sprinkling of chives or nutmeg on top.

Veal Cutlets with Mustard Sage Sauce and a Poblano Potato Gratin

2011-02-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

Longest. Title. Ever. But what else was I supposed to name this? I made two recipes, an entree and a lovely side dish that I can't wait to eat as leftovers. My friend Paulina gave me the inspiration for this recipe. She posts on FB about her cooking, and my husband likes to always point them out to me. Her latest salivating dinner she posted about was Lobster Pot Pie. Doesn't that sound delish? I ran into Paulina the other day and asked her about the Lobster Pot Pie, and then she mentioned in our conversation that she made Veal Chops in a Mustard Sage Sauce for Valentines Day. Yum! I knew this would be my next meal!

I had some poblano peppers in the house that needed to be used up, so I jumped online to see what new recipe I could make with these peppers to accompany the Veal. I found this Blue Ribbon Recipe for Poblano Potato Gratin on Epicurious, one of thier highest ranked recipes of all time. It comes from a 2008 issue of Gormet magazine and I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. Lovely!

For the Gratin, you will need:
1 1/2 pounds fresh poblano chiles (about 5)
1 pound onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
I added:
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Ground Mustard
Scant dash of Cayenne Pepper

The first thing we need to do is burn the crap out of the poblano peppers. I char mine right on the gas stove. Alternatively, you can put these under the broiler in the oven. Turn every couple of minutes to get them black all over.

Next, put the peppers in a zip top bag and let them steam for at least 10 minutes. You could also put them in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

While the peppers steam, slice the onion from root to tip.

Set over medium heat with a splash of olive oil or vegetable oil. This step cannot be rushed. Let the onions cook down for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring often and adding in more oil if the pan gets too dry. We are waiting for them to fully caramelize and turn a dark brown color.

Meanwhile, let's slice the potatoes! Peel them first, and then using a mandolin, slice the potatoes as thin as possible.

I found that putting the slices in a big bowl of water helps rinse the extra starch from them and also prevents them from turning brown.

Now that the poblano peppers have steamed, give them a good rub to easily remove the blackened skin.

Remove the seeds and membrane from the inside.

Then simply slice these into thin strips.

Add the poblano pepper strips to the caramelized onions. Stir to combine, then remove from heat and set aside.

I used my dutch oven to cook the potatoes with the cream and milk over medium heat. Bring it to just a boil, and stir often to prevent any milk from burning on the bottom. The mixture will thicken as it heats up.

I added a few of my own seasoning additions. 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon White Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Mustard and a scant dash of Cayenne Pepper.

Generously butter a 3 quart baking dish.

When the milk comes to a boil, turn off heat and you can either add the onion and poblano mixture to the milk and potatoes... or...

You can add them in layers to the baking dish like I did.

I wanted to ensure the ingredients were evenly distributed, so I started with a thin layer of potatoes on the bottom, then topped with the onions and poblano peppers, then added more potatoes...

Until I dumped the rest of the milk and onion mixture on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Everything gets brown and bubbly! Let this rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Oh yum! I love how the sauce thickens and the potatoes are soft and the onion and poblano peppers so flavorful! Next time, I will ty adding a layer of Parmesan cheese in the middle and/or on top. I thought the gratin could use a little salt and in my opinion and the cheese would have supplied that salt flavor and act as a bit of a binder. I completely understand why this recipe is a Blue Ribbon Recipe.

I served this potato side dish along with veal cutlets in a rich mustard and sage sauce. Here is how I made the veal...

I first seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, then dredged in a bit of flour. You could then, dredge in egg and then a crunchy coating, but I wanted to keep these simple because the sauce is AWESOME!

I used the same pan that I cooked the onions and poblano peppers in. Add a tablespoon of butter to melt over medium-high heat.

Then, this picture is a fast forward photo of the finished product (I moved quickly and forgot to take pics, shame on me) Here is what you missed: I browned the veal on both sides, maybe a total of 4 minutes (not long) then removed them to a plate and tented with foil to keep warm.

Add about two tablespoons of minced shallots to same skillet and stir 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon minced sage and two tablespoons of mustard to the skillet and bring to a low boil until very thick, scraping up browned bits, about 4 minutes.

Add 1/3 cup of half and half and boil until liquid thickens to sauce consistency, about 1 minute. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon minced sage, add back the veal along with any juices exuded by the meat. Adjust seasoning. Place one cutlet on each plate and spoon sauce over.

Pair this with a nice salad (like the spicy caesar salad I made) and you have a really wonderful and flavorful dinner. Oh, Jim and I really enjoyed this!

My recipe inspirations:

Epicurious, Veal Chops with Mustard Sage Sauce

Epicurious, Poblano Potato Gratin

Chipotle Caesar Dressing

2011-02-16T03:56:00.001-06:00

Who knew that making your own salad dressing was this easy and yummy? My friend Shelley gave me the idea for this Caesar Dressing, and I couldn't resist putting this on my blog ASAP. There are so many variations of Caesar Dressing out there, some are more of a vinaigrette, some are super creamy, some are tangy and this one... is caliente!

For this Chipotle Caesar Dressing you will need:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon pureed canned chipotles
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon capers
5 anchovy fillets
8 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

(the kosher salt snuck into that picture, not sure where it came from.)

I use so much olive oil in this kitchen that I finally just broke down and bought one large jug of the stuff. Because of olive oil's high monounsaturated fat content, it can be stored longer than most other oils -- as long as it's stored properly. When choosing your storage location, remember that heat, air, and light are the enemies of oil.

Instead of using anchovy fillets you could also purchase anchovy paste, which would have made more sense for me since I had to enlist Jim's help with this step. I will eat them in salad dressing, but I will NOT touch them.

The reason I like this recipe so much is that I put everything in the cuisinart blender with the exception of the olive oil and red wine vinegar. You simply need two measuring spoons: a tablespoon and a teaspoon, then start measuring out the ingredients. This dressing is made very quickly.

Blend the first nine ingredients until chopped, then with the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil, then the red wine vinegar. Taste for seasoning, and if you find the consistency too thick, you can always add water a tablespoon at a time until it's just the way you like it.

Add freshly shaved parmesan to the top along with some crunchy croutons...Wow! I thought this was a GREAT spicy Caesar and loved the way the chipotle peppers gave the dressing a smokey flavor. This could easily become my favorite salad for dinner, just add a grilled chicken breast or a few cooked shrimp on top.

My recipe inspiration comes from Bobby Flay's Grilled Romaine Salad on FN. Looking for more salad dressing recipes? Check out this Homemade Ranch Dressing that also uses chipotle peppers to give it some heat. Bon Appetit!

French Onion Soup

2011-02-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

I love a good bowl of French onion Soup. I don't like the onions too long and stringy that they slip off my spoon and splash on my blouse. I like the broth to be flavorful and seasoned well, not flat and watery. Most importantly I want a thick crusty crouton on top covered in melty cheese.

I've made a similar soup before, using Guinness as the base and I thought it was really great. When asked to bring a soup to work for a group luncheon, I thought of making the Irish Onion Soup again, but wanted to try something new. I turned to Ina Garten who always has fantastic recipes. I used her recipe as my inspiration but added a few extra ingredients like fresh thyme which I thought added a nice herbal element.

You will need onions, lots of onions. I used three very large sweet onions, which cut up amounts to 8 cups. The key to cutting the onions is to slice in half and then cut into 1/4 inch slices from ROOT to TIP.

Another important element is the liquor. I used a dry sherry and a brandy that I keep on hand for cooking, 1/2 cup of each.

You will also need to gather:
1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups good dry white wine
8 cups beef stock
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly grated Gruyere
Baguette, sliced on the diagonal ¼-inch thick

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, saute the onions with the butter and bay leaf for 20 minutes, until the onions turn a rich golden brown color. You cannot rush this step! After an initial sweat of the onions, I turn the heat down to low and let it cook, stirring occasionally until the color is dark like this.

After 20-30 minutes, add 1/2 cup of the brandy and 1/2 cup of the sherry. I add these separately and let the onions cook in the liquid for five minutes before adding the next ingredient. These liquors will deglaze the pan and the onions will absorb all the flavors. Yum!

Add the white wine plus the thyme and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Next, add the beef stock plus salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper, and serve hot with a toasted baguette covered with greyere cheese on top.

It's the cheesy toast that makes this soup for me. The flavors are deep and rich due to the caramelized sweetness of the onions. Be sure to use a good white wine and quality beef stock. This is an easy recipe folks, and oh so good on a cold evening.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes

2011-02-05T10:29:00.000-06:00

Have you jumped on the Greek Yogurt bandwagon? Not only is this delicious and creamy, but yogurt is one of the super foods we all should be eating regularly. Plus, yogurt is also ranked as one of the world's healthiest foods.

There are many good brands of Greek Yogurt, some of which are fat free or low fat. If you can't find Greek yogurt, you can make something similar by straining regular plain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. They make yogurt strainers, but if you don't have one, use two coffee filters inside a colander, placed inside a bowl to catch the liquid.

I've been wanting to try a yogurt pancakes recipe, and Jim brought home some blueberries from the store last week. Blueberry pancakes are one of his favorite breakfast foods so I thought I would surprise him this Saturday with this new recipe.

The recipe I decided on was originally from Pioneer Woman, but Smitten Kitchen adapted them, and then I adapted them even more. So this is a morph of a morph!

To make my Greek Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes you will need the following:

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup

Mix all the dry ingredients first.

Dump the yogurt on top and stir it together very gently.

It’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together, then add to the yogurt batter.

Mix gently until Incorporated, being careful not to over mix.

On a hot griddle over medium heat, melt just a little bit of butter.

This is a scant 1/4 cup of batter and then sprinkle with blueberries. I prefer to drop the blueberries on the batter after it's on the griddle rather than mixing it in the wet batter.

After about two minutes, you will see bubbles appear on the batter. That's when you know it's time to flip.
This recipe made six pancakes that were about five inches in diameter.

Top with a pat of butter, some maple syrup and dig in. The texture of these are so good, I love the tangy flavor the yogurt adds. Not pictures is the stack of pancakes I topped with whipped cream. Decadent!! You need to beat 1 cup whipping cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form and then add a dollop on top of the maple syrup. Enjoy the weekend even more!

Southwestern Eggrolls for Superbowl

2011-02-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

It's the end of football season, and I can't necessarily say I'm sad to see it go. I'm looking forward to getting my Sunday back. During football season the games dictate what church service we go to, and when we can run errands, and what we watch on TV (obviously). With one TV in the house...well, you get the picture.

To celebrate the BIG Superbowl Game (and the end of football season) I think you should make these Southwestern Eggrolls. They are an exact replica of the Southwestern Eggrolls at Chili's and are SO delicious. A crispy flour tortilla filled with smoked chicken, black beans, corn, jalapeno Jack cheese, bell peppers and spinach. Served with cool avocado-ranch dressing, you will certainly be the MVP at your house this weekend!

To make 5-7 egg rolls (cut in half to make 10-14 pieces) you will need to gather the following:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil, for sauteing the veggies)
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels (or canned corn)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
5-7 (7 inch) flour tortillas
1 quart oil for deep frying

Start by seasoning your chicken breast with your favorite spices. I used a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Sear in a frying pan over medium-high heat in a little bit of oil until just cooked through, about five minutes per side. Set the chicken aside while we prepare the rest of the filling and the chicken cools a bit to handle.

Give a red or green bell pepper a small dice. You only need 2 T of this.

Give the green onion a fine dice, you need 2 T of this.

In the same fry pan that you cooked the chicken, turn the heat down to medium and add 1-2 T of oil and add the bell pepper and green onions, saute for 3-5 minutes, until tender.

I used both canned corn and canned black beans. Drain and rinse each. We will use about 1/4 cup of black beans and 1/3 cup of corn.

Add the black beans to the pan.

The chicken should be cool enough to handle now. Cube the chicken into small pieces and add to the pan along with the corn and frozen spinach.

I took the frozen spinach and just chopped off an estimated 2 T and threw it in frozen. It didn't take long to thaw in the hot pan.

Next, chop 2 T of hot jalapeno peppers and add that to the pan.

Season the mixture with 1/2 T minced parsley, 1/2 t ground cumin, 1/2 t chili powder, 1/3 t salt and 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper. I don't know why I was so shocked, but as soon as you add the seasoning you realize this is exactly how the Southwest Eggrolls at Chili's smell.

Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterrey Jack cheese so that it melts.

I put the mixture in a separate bowl, then added the shredded cheese.

Ideally, you should use at least 7-inch flour tortillas. The tortillas I had on hand were not quite as large, so my eggrolls were a little shorter, and the filling stretched to way more than the five egg rolls. I made around a dozen egg rolls.

Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. This steams them and makes them more pliable to work with. One at a time, fill a tortilla with about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling and wrap up tightly. Fold the sides in, and roll up snuggly. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Note: I would suggest at this point you secure each egg roll closed with toothpicks. You will thank me later. Alternatively, I would suspect that you could use a slurry of cornstarch and water to seal these closed.

Once they are all rolled up, place in the freezer for 2-4 hours (or overnight, if you want to make these the day before).

Now we turn our attention to that AWESOME avocado dip that comes with the eggrolls. You won't believe how easy this is to make. You need a cuisinart blender (or you could do this by hand with lots of mashing and stirring.)

Here is what you need to gather:
1/2 cup smashed fresh avocado (I used an entire medium sized avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk (I used milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper

Add all the ingredients to your blender, and whirl away until it is smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more of whatever you think it needs.

Cover and refrigerate this, I found the dip tasted better after an hour or two in the fridge!

Now for the fun part. I've always wanted a deep fryer, but never bought one because I couldn't justify the purchase and we don't really need to be eating lots of fried food. Well... I won this at a tradeshow from the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. What better way to break it in than to make these Southwest Eggrolls?!?!

Fill the fryer with 4-6 cups of oil (or to the minimum fill line in your fryer) and heat to 375 degrees. I used canola oil. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 5-6 minutes or until nice a golden brown and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

My first batch of egg rolls didn't turn out so well. The eggrolls opened up in the hot oil....

For the next batch, I used toothpicks to hold the opening closed. This is the way to go!

The eggrolls turned out MUCH better!

Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a bowl of the avocado dipping sauce.

Then stand back and watch them disappear (like football season soon will). The flavor of the eggrolls and dipping sauce was spot-on-identical to the eggrolls at Chili's. Yum, yum, yum.

Yum.

Want more game day food ideas?
Check out my roundup of recipes for football season!

No Fear Beef Wellington

2011-01-30T18:50:00.001-06:00

I felt like cooking something new and asked Jim to dream up whatever he wanted for dinner as long as it contained puff pastry. He requested Beef Wellingtons and I was delighted to start research on this classic dish.

Some say it was his favorite meal, and others claim it resembled the boots that he wore. Whatever the case may be, the Duke of Wellington has a grand dish named after him, which became the entertaining extravaganza of the 1960s. Read more at epicurious.com.

There is a lot of hoopla surrounding this entree...made popular again by Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen where it's astonashing how few of the chef's on his show can mess up a Wellington. It led me to believe this was a difficult dish, but the more I studied recipes, the more I realized how DO-able this actually was. Gordon has a highly produced video on YouTube if you want to see how he puts a Beef Wellington together.

I must have read a dozen recipes about Beef Wellington, but narrowed my inspiration down to two that I blended into my own. Emeril Lagasse's Pork Tenderloin en Croute was chosen because I liked the Mushroom Duxelle which I have made before, see HWM Pork Tenderloin en Croute post here. Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Wellington recipe was chosen for it's use of prosciutto, thyme and cooking times.

Two small cuts of fillet mignon that I seasoned with salt and pepper, and set on the counter to bring to room temperature.

To make the Mushroom Duxelle, I first minced a large shallot and added it to my cuisinart blender.

I purchased a bag of white button mushrooms that were already cleaned, and added three cups to the cuisinart blender.

Pulse until mixture is finely minced - especially because we don't care for mushrooms texture.

In a large saute pan, melt the 3 T of butter over medium-high heat and I added 1 T of minced garlic, and cooked, stirring, for two minutes.

Okay Jim, I'm ready for a glass of wine!

I'm going to cook with it, yes... but I'd also like a glass to sip on. Thanks love!

Add the mushroom mixture, 1 t salt and 1/2 t white pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to caramelize and all the liquid has evaporated.

The duxelle takes a full 20 minutes to reduce, so go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine. Jim opened a Topel 2006 Cab, yum yum yum.

A lot of liquid has evaporated, now let's build some gorgeous flavor.

Add 3/4 cup of white wine. I used Murphy-Goode Chardonnay. Add 1 T soy sauce and 1 T balsamic vinegar.

Deglaze the pan with all these liquids and continue to stir and cook until the liquid is fully evaporated.

This is about five minutes later.

Remove the from heat and let rest while we assemble the other ingredients.

Heat your oven to a very hot 400 degrees. Put a little olive oil in a skillet and heat until just smoking. The meat should be at room temperature, and place those in the skillet and don't touch for two minutes. Then flip and let the meat brown on the other side for one minute, and then place the entire skillet in the oven for five minutes.

Defrost your puff pastry in the fridge, or out on the counter then roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick.

When the meat is finished in the oven, let it cool enough to handle and then cover in dijon mustard.

Here is the prosciutto I bought at my local grocery store.

Pull the thin pieces of prosciutto apart and lay in a single layer in the center of your puff pastry.

The next layer is the mushroom mixture.

In the very center, place the filet covered in mustard.

Now we are going to wrap this like a little present. Drape over the top layer of pastry very carefully, smoothing it down with your hands as you go. You don't want any air trapped between the pastry and the meat.

Spray a baking sheet with pam and place these pastry packages seam side down. Cut off any excess pastry (but be careful not to cut off too much) and pinch the openings closed with the tines of a fork. Mix an egg with a little water and brush the wash on top of each wellington.

The filet I purchased came wrapped in bacon, so I stretched it out onto the baking sheet to crisp up instead of wasting them.

I've been waiting for the perfect time to use this stuff: Bacon Salt!

I gave it a sprinkle across the top of the egg washed puff pastry. Any kind of specialty salt would be nice here...and no one will be disappointed if you leave them naked.

That's it. Just bake at 350 for 20 minutes and pull them out when the pastry is nice and brown.

I served the steaks with grilled asparagus and big salad.

Let these sit for about five minutes before cutting in.

These are so filling and very very flavorful. It's an impressive dish, and one that I found very easy to prepare. Beef Wellingtons are time-consuming to assemble, but can easily be completely prepped a day in advance and then slid into the oven for 20-30 minutes to bake before serving. I think it's perfect for birthdays, Valentine's Day, Mothers/Fathers Day, or Wednesday. Review the links posted above for Beef Wellington recipes and make this for you and your sweetheart soon.

Love and Pasta

2011-01-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

Homemade Pasta is a labor of love, and a PERFECT way to show someone how much you love them! I encourage you not to wait until Valentine’s Day to show the special people in your life how much they mean to you.

The ingredients are shockingly simple. Flour and egg are really all you need, though I discovered through my research the most successful recipes also included semolina flour or 00 Flour.

For my first batch of homemade pasta I purchased the semolina flour at Central Market in the bulk section. Mix the flours together and make a well in the center.

The simple rule of thumb is two eggs per one cup of flour. You can figure one egg per person. I was making pasta for three, so I used three eggs and 1.5 cups of flour (1 cup of regular flour and ½ cup of semolina).

Don’t be like me and make your well so small that the eggs fall out.

Get ready for the fun and messy part: ladies and gentlemen, remove all jewelry and roll up your sleeves.

Using your hand, very lightly start breaking up the egg yolks and turning the eggs in the well so that it slowly starts to incorporate the flour gently. Once the flour and egg are mixed together you will have a crumbly ball and wonder if it will EVER come together.

Working on a floured surface, begin kneading it.

I found the easiest way is to squash it with both hands and then stretch the dough away from me with one of them while holding it with the other, pushing with the base of my hand near my wrist. I then simply fold it back on itself, give it a little twist and repeat. Keep doing this until the dough feels smooth.

Eight to ten minutes later...

Most recipes say to wrap your ball of dough in cling film and leave it somewhere cool (the fridge) for 1 hour.

There are a couple different attachments for the KitchenAid mixer that assist in making pasta. I borrowed this one from a co-worker to see how I liked using it. It attaches to the KitchenAid and pushes the dough through what looks like a food grinder and then out the front shaped panel, which to me, looked like something I used to play with as a child using play-dough.

Alternately, you could roll this out by hand as thin as you can possibly get it and cut it into whatever shape you prefer. I was disappointed at the thickness I achieved by rolling this by hand and would prefer to use a roller with thickness settings. (What a wonderful valentines gift that would be. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!)

For this machine, the instructions were to pinch off walnut size pieces of dough and feed it down the tube to where the auger then spirals the food across and through the plate out the front.

I used the fettuccini plate and let the dough spit out a good eight inches before cutting the bundle.

In the end, I decided that this attachment is not for me. I would much rather use a pasta roller and cut the pieces myself.

The dough had to be immediately separated (and not easily) after it is extruded from the fettuccine plate. I pulled every single strand apart and laid them side by side in a floured pan.

If you want to dry the pasta, you could use hangers (cleaned and floured) to hang the pasta until dry. I was cooking these up right away so as soon as I finished up with the dough, I put a pot of salted water on the stove to boil. I wasn’t sure if the pasta would stick together so I started working in batches. Fresh homemade pasta cooks so quickly (2-3 minutes) so it became quickly clear to me that cooking in batches was not necessary. Toss all the pasta in the boiling water and test a piece after two minutes by biting it to see if it is the perfect al dente.

I wanted to keep the pasta light and not weigh it down with a heavy sauce. I used leftover lobster bisque that I thickened with whipping cream to toss with the hot fettuccini noodles.

There is just no way to describe the fresh flavors of homemade pasta: It’s love twirled around a fork.

Making Whoopie

2011-01-23T17:58:00.000-06:00

We are making Whoopie Pies! Not quite a sandwich cookie, not quite a cake, whoopie pies are known by two characteristics: their soft, rounded shape and a generous amount of sweet creamy filling. For Christmas my mother in law bought me a whoopie pie pan and a wonderful cookbook, "Whoopie Pies" by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.

The cookbook is adorable, with pages full of useful tidbits and helpful tips for making your own whoopie pies. I'm going to share what I learned, including the fact that you don't need fancy equipment to make whoopie pies. Here are some items I found really useful:

My KitchenAid Mixer: I used this for the cake batter and to whip the filling. Of course you could also do the mixing by hand and work those bicep muscles!
Whoopie Pie baking Sheets: I liked using this because it ensured my whoopie pies were uniform in size. You could also use baking sheets, just be consistent with your scoop size.
If you are using baking sheets, line with parchment paper or a silpat sheet liner.

For my first batch of whoopie pies, I let Jim choose from the recipes in our cookbook. His choice was Red Velvet Whoopie.

For Red Velvet Whoopie Pies you will need the following:
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C cocoa powder (you could use as little at 1/4 C depending on your preferences)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 C unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/2 C vegetable shortening
1/2 (packed) brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 ounce (one small bottle) red food coloring
1 C buttermilk

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. (I didn't sift these ingredients first, and nothing bad happened to me.)

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (oh, how I love this kitchen gadget), beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and red food coloring and beat just until blended.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1/2 cup buttermilk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 T of batter onto a prepared baking sheet (or your whoopie pie baking pan) spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

To make Classic Buttercream frosting I used:
3 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 T heavy whipping cream
1 t vanilla extract
Pinch of salt.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners' sugar with the butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

To assemble the Whoopie Pies, spread filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife or spoon.

Alternatively, you can use a pastry bag with a round tip to pipe the filling onto the cakes, which will give you a smoother, neater presentation.

I personally like the wonky handmade look. But that's me.

Did you know a Whoopie Pie by any other name would taste as sweet? They have also been called Scooter Pies, Chocolate Drops, Round Dogs, Cream Cakes, Gobs, Moon Pies, and Black Moons.

Top it with another cake, flat-side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.

If your treat is flat or thinly filled, sorry.... that is not a proper whoopie pie.

The cake part of the whoopie pies can be baked in advance and frozen. Bake as instructed by the recipe, cool them completely, then transfer to a cookie sheet and flash freeze in freezer for one hour. They will then be frozen enough to store in a resealable freezer bag without sticking to one another. These can be stored in the freezer for a month.

Most fillings (buttercream, ganache, cream cheese) can be made ahead and stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. The "classic" fillings (Marshmallow and Whipped Chocolate Ganache) do not store well and are best used the same day.

When you are ready to assemble the whoopie pies, remove the cakes from the freezer and defrost at room temperature for at least 2 hours before filling. Remove the creamy fillings from the fridge and bring to room temperature about one hour before using.

A Fun Fact: Five-hundred people attended the first annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. One of the judges at the event is now working to make whoopie pies the state's official dessert.

Another fun fact: Instead of a wedding cake, Jim and I decided to order Whoopie Pies from our favorite little bakery in downtown Napa. Sweetie Pies in Napa, California produces some of the best cookies and sweet treats we have ever had. It's a must stop for us whenever we are in Wine Country.

This could quite possibly be the worst picture of Jim and I at our wedding. It's not going to make it into the wedding album but I will post it here for everyone to poke fun at.

Once you go whoopie, you'll never go back.