The Best Laid Plans

Well, I started this blog with every intention of at least a weekly update, but have been awfully preoccupied of late. Not to worry, we've still been eating well.

I have in the freezer the second helping of Pumpkin & Chicken Enchiladas - I'd like to use it this week (ever since putting this baking dish in the freezer, I have reached for it countless times), but am not hugely looking forward to having these again. The first time around, I thought I really liked them, but each time I ate them (maybe three servings in that casserole), they weren't as good as the last time. But - since I have cooked A LOT this past weekend, I am thinking I'll have to suck it up.

We had a fantastic holiday weekend. My parents came from Nashville to join us, and we had some friends stay overnight on Saturday night. The weekend was filled with good food.

Our thanksgiving menu consisted of turkey and dressing (I am the only Southerner I know who does not make cornbread dressing), gratin potatoes, cranberry sauce, cheese puffs, and green beans. Everything tasted great, though we still have enough cranberry sauce to enjoy with every meal for the next month - guess I should have cut that one in half or more! I even thought the gravy turned out well. I was also celebrating a birthday that day, and had my favorite cake for dessert rather than a pie.

Chocolate Velvet Cake

1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate
6T butter
3T all purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
4T sugar

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in flour, blend in egg yolks one at a time.

Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually beat in sugar, continue beating until soft peaks form.

Gently fold in chocolate mixture, blending throughly.

Pour into a greased & floured 8" cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Top with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:
Melt 1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate and 3T water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in 3T butter, cool to thicken if desired.

This cake has been my top birthday dessert choice since I was about nine years old (as my mother is fond of telling anyone who will listen!) We had a great early dinner, followed by an early bedtime, since eating a HUGE meal at 4pm made everyone about to pass out by 7... :)

Friday, I made some delicious scones (I substitue dried cherries and almonds for the cranberries and walnuts) for breakfast, along with eggs and bacon. Saturday, when our friends came to visit I knew we'd be going out to dinner, so I decided to make a tasty lunch. I planned to have paninis with chicken, provolone, and spinach grilled on my new griddle (Thanks, mom!!) along with a beet, avocado, and pink grapefruit salad that looked amazing (I love grapefruit and have been wanting to try my hand at a salad which includes it). Unfortunately, upon getting the beets out on Friday night to roast, I discovered I'd waited just a liiiiittttle too long to use them. So, plan b was the sandwiches along with just a simple salad. Thank goodness for the salad, since I didn't know MP's buddy's girlfriend was a vegetarian - OOPS. I think we were able to make a veggie version of the panini that she enjoyed...though I need to learn to ask first, so that I make sure everyone can enjoy our meals. Finally, this morning, we had eggs, bacon (none for the veggie!), and my trusty blueberry pancakes.

I can't believe over the whole weekend, not one picture of our meals were taken...but hopefully I can get back on the wagon here!

I am hoping to sit down this afternoon and figure out what very fresh and light meals we can eat for the next week or so, since I have never felt so full. Perhaps the beet salad is just what we need (hope MP doesn't read this :))

My Sunday Routine

Everybody's got a Sunday routine. Some people head to church, others laze around reading the New York Times...me, I love to spend much of Sunday afternoons in the kitchen. Yesterday, I made banana bread for us to have for breakfast all week, the best oatmeal cookies ever (I added dried cranberries, walnuts, white and milk chocolate chips...yuuuum), a roasted chicken (for pumkin enchiladas later this week - still need to roast the pumpkin though), and coconut shrimp soup for dinner last night.

It took most of the afternoon and evening, but I love the warm kitchen and the radio on. It's my own little peaceful time of the week. I am still doing a horrible job of taking pictures, though I think I have one of the banana bread to upload (well, download from the camera, and then upload to the blog).

Tonight was a night off for me. The MP had dinner out while I was at yoga, and I had a bowl of Life cereal for dinner. That is so gourmet of me :)

Most uninspired week ever....at least it ends on a good note.

I am so disappointed in our dinners this week. I have no pictures to share because I couldn't even bear to take any. The MP gets best husband award for not complaining at all, and even telling me that he actually liked everything.

With my prowess in the kitchen, I wondered whatever could be to blame for this depressingly bland week. What have I come up with? Well, it's got to be the cookbook, of course! I am pretty bummed, because I got this cookbook as a wedding gift and had really high hopes for it. The beef stroganoff I made a few weeks ago was from here, but short of that recipe, I can't think of one other that I've actually found to be a keeper.

This week, we had Vietnamese Clay Pot Fish & Indian Lamb Curry with Spinach. Seriously, they were both so boring that I can't even take the time and effort to type out the recipes!

At least I've ended the week on a good note. Tonight, using the base from an epicurious recipe that I really like, I made a wonderful if I do say so myself stir fry.

First, I started some brown rice. Then, I chopped up some veggies we had on hand - about 1 1/2 c broccoli, 1/2 medium sized red pepper, and about 1/4 c shredded carrots and 3 garlic cloves. I sauteed these in about 1-2 tablespoons of peanut oil for about 10 minutes. Next, I added about 1lb of shrimp, and sauteed for about 3 more minutes until the shrimp were pink.

I scooped everything out of the pan in a bowl and set it aside, and added another teaspoon of peanut oil and some red pepper flakes to taste. After that cooked for a moment, I added about 1c orange juice and 1/4c soy sauce and let that cook down until it was thickened.

I finally added back in the stir fry veggies and shrimp tossing to coat. It was so tasty - a little sweet and a little spicy. This recipe would work justas well with any veggies or meat we had on hand.

Since I don't want a repeat of last week, I have gone back to old trusty and am looking forward to a couple tried and true dinners, with only one new recipe this week. On the menu:
Slow-Cooker Chicken Posole (not from old trusty, but tried and true nonetheless)
Coconut Shrimp Soup
Beef Bulgogi - recipe to follow later in the week.
and the newbie (since I have pureed squash):
Enchiladas with Pumkin Sauce

I'll definitely take more pictures this week, what's a food blog without pictures, anyway?!?!

My, how time flies

Wow, time flies when you're preoccupied. I have still been cooking, though activity on the blog wouldn't indicate it. On Halloween, the MP and I decided to stay in and hand out candy to our n'hood trick-or-treaters (and someone wanted to watch the world series!!!). Unfortunately, we ran out of candy...but the Yankees ended up winning the Series, so who cares!?!? ;)

I decided to serve a fall-ish beef stew, apple spice cake, and try my hand at yeast rolls (ha ha ha). The apple spice cake starts this entry because it was definitely the highlight of the meal. I am definitely a fan of all things dessert, but this was great. I got the recipe in better homes and gardens magazine.

You can see that I made mine in 9" round pans (simply because I didn't have 2 - 8" square ones). I think next time, I'll cut the recipe in half, unless I am cooking for a crowd though, considering we're STILL eating this thing! We've eaten it with vanilla ice cream, but it'd be great with caramel too (or even just a little caramel syrup and whipped cream)

Dinner consisted of the pot-au-feu recipe that I'd seen in a Williams-Sonoma catalog. For starters, the one in the picture may look prettier than mine, but this stuff was really good. We did mix in the recommended horseradish and mustard when serving, which I think made it extra tasty. I will say it was not as unique as I'd hoped. (Not to mention, I now have 3/4 head of cabbage that I need to figure out how to use in the next couple days!) I can imagine not making this again.

Here are my poor yeast rolls on their second rise. They don't look so bad here, you say? Yeah, they really seemed to rise nicely, but they spread and flattened a lot during the second rise, and even more in cooking. They came out more like kind of dry yeast roll pancakes than the parker house rolls I was expecting.

I used a basic milk bread recipe from the Joy of Cooking, and thought I did a fine job following all the steps. I am really not sure what happened. I think for my next attempt, I will make rolls in muffin tins, so that they don't have anywhere to go and will perhaps be a little more bready. (I think I might ought to read up on breadmaking some too, to see if I can figure out why they were so dry.)

I've cooked several dinners this week too, and will include those in my next post.

Mystery Squash #2

Back in this post I showcased some mystery squash I'd picked up at the farmers market. I decided to bust out the second one for a very tasty looking dessert that I'll serve to some friends we're hosting for dinner tonight.

Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding

Ingredients

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree, or canned pumpkin
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 medium red apple and/or green pear, cored and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. honey


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In small saucepan combine water and rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring once.

2. In medium bowl combine eggs, milk, Pumpkin Puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup of the cranberries. Pour mixture into 1-1/2-quart straight-sided deep baking dish. Place dish in baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water into baking pan until water comes halfway up sides of baking dish.

3. Bake 30 minutes; stir. Bake 35 minutes more or until outside edge appears set. Remove dish from oven. Cool slightly on wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, in bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberries and boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes; drain. Just before serving, toss together apple, walnuts, honey, and cranberries. Spoon over pudding. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

5. To store, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.



Last night, I roasted this mystery squash to substitute for the pumpkin. I yielded more than I'll need, so I'm guessing some pumpkin bread is also in our future :)

Oh, and if you're wondering what else is on the menu? Well, I typically get more ambitious when hosting dinner on Saturday or Sunday, as there's a lot more time to plan, shop and cook. But, with tomorrow being Halloween, we had to get together with our friends tonight, so I am going with a tried and true standby.

I am sure I have mentioned my favorite cookbook before, which is simply a collection of recipies from the Everyday Food magazine. I have never received this magazine before, though I have given subscriptions to it often as gifts (great gift idea for someone who loves too cook, but is also realistic about time committments in the kitchen!). This cookbook is full of flavorful, easy recipes, often with many ingrediants that most anyone who cooks regularly will have on hand. Many of the recipes also have some nutritional information included in an index (for those times when we're counting calories).

Anyway, tonight, I'll serve Braised Chicken with Mushrooms & Oven Baked Polenta

Ingredients
4 - 6oz boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (or Pork Cutlets)
Coarse salt, and ground pepper
2T olive oil
1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/2 in thick
4 garlic cloves, havled
1/2 c dry white wine
1 3/4 c reduced sodium chicken broth
2T chopped fresh parsley (more for garnish)


Directions
1. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 1/4 t each of salt and pepper. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add the remaining 1 T oil to the hot skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 1/4 t of salt. Cover; cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Pour the wine into the skillet, cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 minute. Add the stock and parsley; cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover; simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the cutlets and polenta topped with the mushrooms and a drizzle of the cooking liquid. Garnish with additional fresh parsley.

Oven Baked Polenta

Ingredients

3/4 c cornmeal
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 c milk
2T butter
1t fresh marjoram (or 1/4t dried)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a lidded baking dish, whisk together 3c water, cornmeal, 1 1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t pepper. Cover and bakefor 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2. Remove from the oven, and add the milk, butter and marjoram, and whisk briskly until smooth. Serve immediately.


Getting hungry already!

Mid-week Bake-a-thon

I have started attending a yoga class on Wednesday evenings, leaving MP to his own devices for dinner...well sort of, we all know I am too controlling for that, so this really means, pre-portioned leftovers and a note with re-heating instructions (as if he's never used the toaster oven!).
So, since yoga doesn't start until 6:45, I have a couple hours between work and class to spend doing cooking other than weeknight dinner preparations. This week, I had a couple of very ripe bananas on the counter, and so I'd decided I would make banana muffins, and I knew these were the ones. I have a bag of wheat germ I have used all of one time, and why not take a chance to get some healthy grains into an otherwise unhealthy breakfast? I only had 1/2 the bananas I needed, so I had to cut the recipe in half, which is a bummer, because they turned out awfully tasty (nutty & dense).

We were also fresh out of sweets, and I don't think a meal can be considered complete with out a little taste of something sweet at the end, not to mention I've had this crazy peanut butter craving of late, so here was the ticket. I added about 1/3 bag of mini chocolate chips, and they're heavenly!

How I Spent my Sunday

Sunday was really dreary and rainy and chilly - it seems to be the norm, at least more often than not this fall. I decided to spend my afternoon in the kitchen. I started off with my new favorite cookies. These puppies are so good, I will never make a single batch again. I have been heating one up each night with just a few bites of vanilla ice cream, and think life may never be the same again. If MP tries to eat more than his allotted half, then he better watch out! Bless his heart, heaven knows how he manages to live with my and my "only child" weird food/eating ways.

Next up...I needed to use up some cauliflower that was about to bite the dust, so I tried this recipe on another blog I have recently discovered (thanks, facebook!). It was pretty tasty, but next time, I think I won't have the caraway seeds - I know they typically go well with curry, but I think it's one of those flavors that I will go ahead and admit is not one of my favorites. That said, this turned out as a great side dish. In fact, I think I could just add some cubed lamb to it and have a fantastic and easy dinner on my hands.

Next up - wheat muffins. Again, a recipe that I think will become an old standby. I am really going to try to make my own yeast rolls in the next week or so, but these guys are so quick and easy - not to mention the MP loves them. I know they're not a cibatta roll full of white flour and preservatives, but at $3.50 per 6 of those - not to mention the poor health of the grocery store option - I am going to try to provide most of our own bread in-house so to speak.

Finally dinner! From the farmer's market, Pasta Italia, the best ever fresh pasta. By the time the market closes for winter, this pasta will be available year round at HyVee and Schucks. I am so glad, I had been starting to hoarde it in the freezer, worried I wouldn't be able to get it. The spaghetti was coupled with a simple tomato/meatball sauce. I just sauteed some garlic in oil, added 3 cans of fire roasted tomatoes, a little oregano, basil and thyme. I let that cook down for about 20 minutes while I made the meatballs with an egg, about a third of a cup of milk, a cup of whole wheat crusty breadcrumbs, fresh parsley and 1lb of ground beef. I formed about 20 meatballs, and then dropped them into the tomato sauce, covering them, and cooked that for about 10 minutes. The leftovers for lunch today weren't bad either...