New Cookbook (or 2)

I just bought My Father's Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow and I love it, I have thought differently about Paltrow every since I watched the entire series "Spain- On the Road Again" on PBS staring Gwyneth, Mario Baltli, Mark Bittman, and Claudia Bassols (a Spanish actress). You wouldn't know it by looking at her but, Gwyneth loves food! More recipes to come from this book, as I test them out. Right now I am just reading through it like a novel. I am a cookbook geek! As if there was any doubt! So far there are lovely pictures, fantastic tips on how to eat more healthy (I can't wait to get some Veganaise, which she swears by instead of regular mayo, although I can't find it in my traditional stores so I am going to have to hop on over to either Trader Joes, New Seasons, or Whole Foods I guess but the way she goes on and on about it, and after watching Anna's and Kristina's Grocery Bag -a show devoted to testing cookbooks- they also thought it was pretty fantastic). Also the premise behind this book of cooking and enjoying food with family fits right in with my philosophy!

I also got Ina Garten's Back to Basics for my birthday, as I previously stated in my broccoli post I am trying out recipes from this book as well over the coming weeks. FYI the Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts that I made from this book were AMAZING! Look for it in a post coming soon. I personally love Ina, and love her show on Food Network. I love her ease at entertaining and who wouldn't love to have her house! I mean the kitchen and garden alone are to die for, but I digress! This book also has wonderful photo's and fairly easy recipes with not that many ingredients and includes tips like using premade puff pastry, and store bought pesto if you dont' have your own. I do like to follow recipes in a step 1, step 2 format and this book is written in paragraph form, so that is my only complaint. Other than that I have tried at least three of her recipes and they have all come out amazing so far.

                                            I give them both 4 out of 4 forks!



Iced Coffee Anyone?

So I saw the blog post over at Pioneer Woman for the Perfect Iced Coffee and the pictures were so enticing I had to try it myself. I went to target, that saucy minx (does she seduce you into buying things you don't need every time you step through those doors like she does me?), anyway I bought an iced tea container for $6 and preceded to make a batch.

You are basically making a super concentrated mix, and I think it is important that you figure out how to make it taste to your liking. Over many a cups I have found that if I use my little insulated cup full of ice, I put in about 1/4 of the coffee concentrate, a couple tablespoons of water (it is powerful stuff!) 2 tsp of sugar free hazelnut syrup, and then top it with some milk. It is great every time, especially on hot summer days on my way to swimming lessons with Molly.

At first the original recipe says that it lasts Ree a couple of weeks, but when I first made it I was thinking there is no way I was downing it! Then I ran out of milk so I haven't had any for awhile but it is seriously very tasty. Highly recommended!

Roasted Broccoli... on the BBQ?

As I was telling everyone on FB yesterday I had a religious experience with my broccoli last night, I had received a huge head of broccoli in my CSA last week and I needed/wanted to use it; however I don't have AC in my house. For those of you wondering why that should matter I have to get creative in my cooking during the summer so as not to heat up my house. I basically use things like my microwave (I also used to use an electric kettle often as well, but that now has a permanent home in my camper), toaster oven, and BBQ like they are going out of style. Think of it this way, anything you do in an oven can basically be done on your BBQ (just use baking sheets or grill pans for the small stuff). The toaster oven also works for smaller things and takes way less energy and heat to cook what you are doing. And my go to side dish for the summer is couscous, which is easily done in the microwave vs. burner on the stove!

Anyway as I was staring at this head of broccoli, I was stumped! Because how do we all cook broccoli? We steam the crap out of it! Well, my house was already 77 degrees and it was mid 80's outside I didn't want the thermometer to keep going up. So I thought in my head, you can roast it can't you? So I pulled out my i phone and checked my How to Cook Everything App (which if you have a smart phone, love to cook, and don't have this app what are you thinking? GET IT! Worth every penny! I check it all the time just for quick reference! You can of course by the big ol' tome too but still...) any surprisingly there wasn't anything in that app for roasted broccoli besides a gratin which I didn't want to do. However I have been cooking out of the recent cook book from Ina Garten Back to Basics, and low and behold she totally had a recipe in there for roasted broccoli - probably why it came to my mind in the first place, since I have been perusing it so much. Anyway I modified the recipe a tid to suit my needs and family's taste buds and voila (insert church choir hymns and all that) it was freaking amazing! I couldn't stop moaning my appreciation as I was eating it. I will have to tell my CSA provider today how it changed my life, seriously, I can't see eating broccoli a different way ever again!

Roasted Broccoli (on the BBQ)
(serves 4) or 3 greedy people!-like my family
1 good sized head of broccoli
Olive Oil to coat
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Garlic Powder
**Need a baking sheet or grill pan for BBQ
1. Leave the broccoli florets good sized so they don't burn on the grill, coat in olive oil (2-4 tbsp depending on the amount of broccoli) you want it to look like it has a slight glaze on it but not drenched, I usually do this on a cookie sheet/baking sheet.
2. Few pinches of salt (I always use Kosher salt, if you haven't switched yet what are you waiting for?) and fresh ground pepper all over each one. Then about 1 tsp of garlic powder again sprinkled evenly over each floret. Then toss with your hands to make sure it is all well coated.
3. Put on grill pan, or straight into BBQ with cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.
NOTE: they will get a little dark/burnt looking and crunchy, this gives it a sweet nutty flavor, trust me!

Served with microwaved couscous, and grilled steak with cilantro/lime compound butter. 

Father's Day Breakfast

On Saturday I made breakfast that was delicious; pancakes, fruit and the best bacon ever! On Father's Day Brian requested Egg's Benedict, and I must say it was another fantastic meal. Brian said, "That was a great $30 breakfast, only at home!" The eggs are from my aunt Peggy, she has about 40 chickens and whenever I see her she gifts me the most delicious eggs. And thanks to this video, on how to poach the perfect egg I must say I was able to whip this all out rather quickly. I only took 30 minutes because the home fries take that long, untouched, in the oven! The strawberries are from our CSA, and maybe from our neighborhood foraging (there is a big strawberry patch planted in front of our neighborhood, that I am convinced no one picks but me! I have picked in the last two weeks 12 cups worth! I have even made a small batch of strawberry rhubarb jam in my bread maker from these free berries! That will come later in a post!) And the berries were dressed with honey from my CSA, a new feature this year that is just to die for!

Look at that egg!

When I was a little kid I thought this breakfast was so gross, of course that was only from afar I had never tried it. I would like to think that had I only tried it I would have fallen in love with this dish much sooner, but alas it wasn't until I was an adult that I truly understood that truly great qualities of this dish. Now my daughter on the other hand, doesn't have my hang ups, she dives right in with both hands, literally! Who says three old's are picky eaters!

**See previous posts on roasted potatoes for the recipe.

Summer Vacation is Here! Special Grilled Cheese

As I begin my first full week of summer vacation I am trying to get back into the swing of things and posting a lot more. I still have occasionally been taking photos of things that I have cooked when I think about it, so this first entry is a backlogged entry from the beginning of June, daddy was busy for First Thursday at his shop and Molly and I were on our own. Daddy had this when he came home but I think he didn't fully appreciate how good I personally thought it was. Molly, by the way, ate the entire egg first then dove into the grilled cheese. You never know what she will dive into, to be honest.

I am looking forward to our summer starting, we have camping, swimming, stories and crafts, lots of walks, and sports classes to help keep us busy and doing things. Not mention the up keep of our gardens, yes Molly has her own container garden going (fully of pumpkins and watermelon seeds, plant starts of parsley and cilantro we will see if she doesn't drown them before they start to produce - the girl really loves to water!) More on the gardens to come!

Now for the recipe of the day:
Gruyere Grilled Cheese with Egg, Spinach Salad and Hash browns

Serves 4
10-14 WW pts (depends on what butter you use and how much, as well as your servings of salad and hash browns!)
(4)Thick sliced sourdough bread
8 oz Gruyere Cheese, shredded
2 tbsp Butter
(4) Eggs
*Spinach Salad Kit
*Frozen Hash browns (this is a fast week night meal! you will have a few pans going at once though)
1. Cook hash browns according to packet instructions, slather one side of bread with butter and build with cheese in the pan on medium high heat (use cover to help melt the cheese but don't forget about them, which can lead to burning!). Flip when one side is golden brown.
2. In a nonstick skillet on medium heat with a little pad of butter crack the eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the whites start to solidify toss in a few tablespoons of water and cover with lid. Cook eggs to desired doneness, I like my yolks a little runny! 1-3 minutes. Don't forget your sandwiches!
3. In a salad bowl put together salad kit, serve the sandwiches with the eggs on top and dinner is served!

Thanks to Relish for this dish!

Kid Friendly Stroganoff With Great Flavor!

I know, I know, long time no post! This dinner we had last night was so good, and I tried taking a picture with my new phone to see ease of use, and to see if it helps get me motivated to bang out a quick post while on my break at work. This was a recipe from Relish, and it says that it is kid and friendly and man is it ever. My child ate so much last night, and it is a great stroganoff recipe, easy and great flavor!

Meatball Stroganoff
Prep and cook time: 35 minutes 10 WW points Easily serves 6! (lunch leftovers!)
10 ounces egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 white onion , diced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 cups frozen turkey meatballs, thawed
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through but still firm to the bite. Drain, toss with butter, and cover to keep warm.
[2] While the noodles are cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the oil, then the mushrooms, and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
[3] Add remaining oil to skillet, then add onions, paprika and cayenne and sauté until onion is soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add wine to skillet and deglaze. Simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir.
[4] Whisk in broth. Add lemon juice and mustard; simmer until thick, about 8-10 minutes.
[5] Stir in meatballs, cooked mushrooms, sour cream and dill. Cook until meatballs are heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over noodles.
* served with steamed garlic/almond green beans

Meatless Monday #1 Enchiladas

First post in awhile! No excuses, I was too busy with work, a 2.5 year old, and I got sick for a couple of weeks. I have had a few people question if I am still cooking or not, a big fat yes is your answer! And for the most part I have been taking pictures, so I have a back log of stuff to write about. It is just a question of getting down to it and writing it out. I do have to admit though that until recently we have been eating home made meals but not always sitting down at the table. The last couple of meals though we have been sitting down to a proper dinner and both my husband and I have commented on how nice it is; to sit instead of in front of the TV at the table, and be able to talk to each other, laugh and smile at Miss Molly, and generally enjoy each other's company. Turn on a little soft/smooth jazz on the TV as background music and you have a nice ritual end to a busy day! Which is why I started this blog anyway so it just reinforces the point really.

I am going to attempt to do more "meatless" meals from here on out, we aren't going totally veggie but as Michael Pollen says, "It doesn't hurt to have a few meals a week that are meatless." I do have a vegetarian (well now vegan as of the first of the year) in the family so I am constantly, not that I cook for her, but I am constantly thinking in my head as I am eating my creations how easy and/or hard it would be to make it "meatless."  So this isn't a stretch and I think overall it is a great idea. This is one of those "meatless" meals that we had this week.

Now over the years I have tried different enchilada recipes and not really found one to my liking, one had an absurd amount of cinnamon in it -which I questioned at the time but still did it anyway- it ruined the dish, well at least for my family it did! That is something that people need to think about as they read over a recipe, really look at the ingredients and if there are too many that your family -on their own don't really like- then don't use the recipe, or if there are some pieces that you can sub out something in place do that, and most of the time you can custom make a recipe to your families tastes. So for example my husband hates olives, so I generally leave those out of all recipes. Or when it comes to spicy flavors, I am real careful no matter how much the recipe calls for because I can't deal with too much heat. Or if I don't have Oregano, think of what you can sub in place (like Italian seasoning, or dried basil). Because bottom line, not all recipes are going to hit the nail on the head every time at least by being quick on your feet you can salvage a recipe for the whole family. This recipe was a SUPER WINNER! Regardless of the fact that it is meatless, not vegan though, it is now my new enchilada recipe! SO GOOD!

Black Bean Enchiladas 

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

14 WW pts
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 red onion , chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
12 ounces frozen soy crumbles, thawed (can sub BOCA burgers)
1/2 cup prepared chunky salsa (I used half sweet mango salsa, and half HOT salsa)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (this is 2 oz on your cream cheese pkg)
1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese Mix

8 6-inch corn tortillas

1 can high-quality enchilada sauce
4 green onions , chopped
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Add a little oil and onion and saute until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder and garlic. Add the beans and soy crumbles and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
[2] Stir in salsa and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and add cream cheese and a 1/2 cup of the Mexican cheese mix, stirring until the cheese melts.

[3] Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread bean mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up and then arrange them, seam sides down, in the baking pan.

[4] Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. (you might think you need more sauce, you don't make sure you cover evenly with cheese but overall you don't need more sauce it is the perfect amount)
[5] Bake until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted, 20 minutes.
[6] Top with green onions and serve

*Something to think about, making this lasagna style so you don't have to roll the tortillas...

These were so good, my husband and I were still raving about them the next day as we ate them for lunch. Really a stellar recipe.

Easy Corn Side Dish
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp butter
3 cups frozen corn
(For a little heat you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper, but be careful!)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Splash of milk
1. Saute the bell pepper, butter, corn, and salt and pepper till warmed through.

2. Right before serving splash in a bit of milk. Taste to make sure it is nicely seasoned and serve.