A Taste of the Southwest on a Snowy Day

Man, did we get hit with some snow!  It was hard to tell the exact amount that was dumped upon us due to the drifts.  Part of my driveway, unfortunately a very small part, had no snow, while other parts were quite deep.  The drifts practically hide the fence in the front of the house.  What else is there to do on a day like today, except bake and cook?

The chicken enchiladas that I made tonight reminded me of the trip that the husband and I took in September to CousinFest 2009, a.k.a. Aunt Ann's wedding.  I found the recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light in an article discussing Christmas in Santa Fe.  Funny enough in New Mexico, when you order a dish with both the green and the red chili, it is called "Christmas" style.  Alas, this dish was half of Christmas and was just green.  The plain green enchiladas were still good.  I turned down the heat on this by a third for the husband who said that it was still too spicy. 

Green Chili - Chicken Enchiladas
(adapted from Cooking Light December 2007)
printable recipe


3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
3 cups Green Chili Sauce (recipe listed below)
cooking spray
16 (6 inch) corn tortillas
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine broth, 1 cup onion, and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf) in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken from pan, chill 15 minutes.  Shred chicken into bite size pieces, combine chicken, remaining 1/2 cup onion, and sour cream in a bowl.  Stir well.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
3. Spread 1/2 cup Green Chili Sauce in the bottom of a 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Warm tortillas according to package directions.  Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll up.  Place tortillas seam side down, in the baking dish.  Pour remaining Green Chili Sauce over filled tortillas.  Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over tortillas.  Bake at 350F for 18 minutes.  

Green Chili Sauce
(adapted from Cooking Light December 2007)

4 Anaheim chiles
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 ounces of chicken broth

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Place chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 14 minutes or until blackened and charred, turning after 7 minutes.  Place in a heavy duty zip top plastic bag; seal.  Let stand 15 minutes. Cut lengthwise in each chile, remove and discard seeds and tops.  Chop chiles to measure 3/4 cup.
3. Heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic; saute for 1 minute.  Stir in flour, cook for 1 minute.  Add chiles, salt, and broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Place mixture in a blender and remove center piece of the lid to let steam escape.  Secure lid on the blender.  Place a clean towel over the lid (to avoid a messy kitchen).  Blend until smooth.  Cool completely. 
   

Yield: 8 servings, two enchiladas per serving

Prepping for Christmas

I am a control freak and it has really been showing over the past week or so.  In addition, I like to take on a lot of projects at once. 

The husband and I are hosting Christmas dinner for 8 adults, two toddlers, and one baby in our new home.  I started to create the menu two weeks ago and finalized it this week.  I am doing it all, from cocktail hour with two snacks and a cocktail to dessert with three tasty treats in addition to cookies.  The menu was designed to have as few projects going on the day of the big meal.  I looked for recipes that can be prepped anywhere from two weeks to a day before dinner. 

This weekend, I started prepping and freezing what I could.  I made a pecan pie, three different kinds of cookies, dinner rolls, and spiced pecans (not frozen).  Aside from the cookies (some frozen, some eaten, and some given away), I only sampled the dinner rolls.  I loved them.  These guys can be made up to one month ahead of time to be placed in your freezer in an airtight container. 

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
(from Cooking Light December 2006)
printable recipe

1 cup 2% reduced fat milk
 3/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 package dry yeast
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 1/4 cups, flour, divided
1 cup regular oats
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

1. Combine milk, 3/4 cup water, and honey in a small saucepan.  Heat milk mixture over medium-high heat to 100F to 110F; remove from heat.  Dissolve yeast in milk mixture; let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in butter and egg.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine 4 cups flour, oats, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well.  Add yeast mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.  
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, and turn to coat top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85F), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.  
4. Punch dough down, reshape into a ball, and return to bowl.  Cover and let rise 1 our or until doubled in size.  
5. Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead dough 3 to 4 times, let rest 5 minutes. Dived mixture into 24 equal size portions; shape each portion into a ball. Place balls 1 inch apart on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray, or a jelly-roll pan lined with a silpat.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85F), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size.  
6. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
7. Bake rolls at 425F or until browned.  Remove rolls from pan, cool on a wire rack.  

Yield: 24 rolls, unless you sample.  I now have 23 rolls.  

Best with a glass of milk

Many children leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.  The big man needs to fuel up as he delivers gifts on that long night.  I found two great recipes for cookies, not necessarily just for Santa, but to eat yourselves.  Heaven certainly knows that I helped myself to the cookies.  I can't give out cookies as gifts if I don't know what they taste like. 

These cookies are fantastically rich.  The first is a recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumprints that taste just like a PB&J sandwich.  The second is a recipe for Chocolate Cookie Cutouts.  These guys taste like a deliciously rich and chocolately brownie.  I suppose my few years in Hershey have rubbed off on me.  I would absolutely recommend a glass of milk with these cookies.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

(adapted from Cooking Light, December 2007)

printable recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (Note: recipe calls for chunky, but I used creamy and it was fine)

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

7 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour and salt, stirring well with a whisk; set aside.
2. Place sugars, peanut butter, and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined.
3. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray.  Shape dough into 36 balls (about 2.5 teaspoons each).  Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with either a Silpat or parchment paper.   Press thumb into center of each dough ball, leaving an indentation.  Cover and chill 1 hour.  
4. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
5. Uncover dough.  Bake at 350F for 14 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove cookies from pans, and cool on a wire rack.
6. Place preserves into a small microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 20 seconds, stirring once.  Add juice, stirring until smooth.  Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon preserves mixture into the center of each cookie.

Yield: 3 dozen wonderful cookies

Chocolate Cookies
(from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook)
printable recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.  Divide the dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour.  
4. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into shapes.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheets (I lined mine with the Silpat), chill until firm, about 30 minutes.  Bake until crisp, 8-10 minutes.  Cook on wire racks.  

Yield: Martha says this gives you 16 large cookies, but I got a lot more.  Maybe her definition and my definition of large is different.

Both cookies are new favorites in our household.  I also made Snickerdoodles.  Yikes, we have a lot of sugar, butter, and egg baked goods in our house!

Worth the Time and the Mess

Those of you who know me, know that I tend to procrastinate on everything.  When in school, I would drag my heels and wait until the last hour to start a paper.  At home, I wait until the last hour to start dinner, much to the husband's dismay.  Lucky for me (on two fronts), he was busy working on painting the upstairs bathroom in the new house while I was trimming the tree, trying to figure out where to put things, and then I started dinner....late.

Lasagnas are delicious, but can be very time consuming.  This particular recipe was no different and created a huge mess in the kitchen.  It was worth it. 

One of my favorite things about the fall is eating butternut squash. I can't get enough of it.  When I was looking back through some old...wait for it...Cooking Light issues, I saw a recipe for spinach and butternut squash lasagna.  How perfect, it is a comfort food that has butternut squash and the green veggies that I need to eat more of.  The dish was heavenly. The sauce was creamy, but not too rich.  The cheeses lended the right amount of salt and nuttiness.  The butternut squash was tender and the spinach with a bit of garlic was fantasic. 

Apologies in advance for no photo.  I found my camera, but don't have a picture because the dish is very messy and at 8:30 last night when I was eating, I didn't feel like plating in a nice manner.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna (adapted from Cooking Light)
(printable recipe)

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 cups 2% milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced shallots
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
8 cups of butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 2.25 pounds)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 minced garlic cloves
3 (6 ounce) bags of baby spinach
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
2. Peel and cut butternut squash.  Place squash in a large bowl.  Add vinegar, toss to coat.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat.  Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray or on a Silpat.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and thyme.  Bake at 425F for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. 
3. While oven pre-heats, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. 
4. Cook milk in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge.  Don't let the milk boil.  Remove from heat; keep warm.
5. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add shallots, cook two minutes or until tender.  Reduce heat; add flour, and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons of milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Gradually add remaining milk, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook until smooth and thickened.  Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Combine 1 teaspoon olive oil, red pepper, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add spinach, one bag at a time; cook until wilted, stirring constantly.  Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. 
7. After squash is done cooking, reduce oven temperature to 350F.
8. Spoon 1/3 cup of milk mixture onto the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish that was coated with cooking spray.  Add three noodles on top of milk mixture; top with spinach mixture, 2/3 cups milk mixture, 1/2 cup Asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Arrange three noodles on top of cheese; add squash mixture, remaining 1/2 cup Asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 2/3 cup milk mixture.  Add remaining noodles, milk mixtures and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.  Let it stand for about 10 minutes after. 

Yield: 8 servings

The First Day of Meteorological Winter

As I write this post on December 3rd, it is 67 degrees Farhenheit...in Boston...in December.  According to the news on Tuesday morning, December 1st is considered the first day of meteorological winter.  In order to usher in the season, I chose to make Black Beans with Rice and Mango.  I figured we could use some tropical flavors in the winter to make it seem less cold out.  For all of you who are loving the weather today, you're welcome.  I will take the credit for the spring like weather as I made a tropical dish the other night for dinner and this must have ushered in some warm weather. 

As you will see (or not see), there is not a picture of this dish.  I recently moved (again) and have yet to unpack the camera and take pictures of food.  I  have been cooking, but haven't photographed anything.  However, this black bean dish was so great I figured I could get away without a picture.  Also, I seemed to have misplaced some focus in the move.  The dish calls for red and green peppers.  When I plan out my menus for the week, I make my grocery list.  How I missed red and green peppers, I don't know.  I used celery to give the dish some crunch and it did a great job. 

With the new move, comes new restaurants.  There is a tapas place within walking distance that I can not wait to check out.  I reviewed the menu today and it looks fabulous.  They also seem to have a great wine list.  Review to follow after I check it out. 

Tropical Black Beans and Rice (adapted from Weight Watchers)
(Printable recipe)

2 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lime juice
2 Tbspn cilantro
1 cup chopped celery
1 diced mango (medium)
2 minced garlic cloves
15 oz can black beans
3 cups cooked rice, kept hot

1. Add oil to medium skillet over medium heat.  Let the skillet get hot, wait for the sizzle.
2. Add all ingredients except beans and rice.  Cook, stirring occassionally, until celery is crisp tender.
3. Stir in beans.  Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve over rice. 

Yield: 4 servings

Meatless for Mullins

To those of us who are omnivores, it seems that the vegetarian options are limited or boring.  However, that is far from the truth.  We just need to be more creative.  Or realize that vegetarian options extend far beyond beans or plain tofu.  There is the expression, variety is the spice of life.  Spice adds variety to vegetarian dishes. 

I modified this recipe a ton.  I cheated to make it easier for after work by using the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice microwave packets.  Let's face it, I was never going to be on Top Chef and can admit to using these kitchen shortcuts. 

The husband and I loved this recipe, especially the rice.  The rice can be served with almost anything.  I think it would taste great with a nice piece of grilled salmon.  The rice is the superstar in this dish.  I am getting hungry just thinking about it. 

Curried Tofu with Coconut Rice

(adapted from The Flavors of Bon Appetit 2004)

Printable Recipe

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 packets Uncle Ben's Jasmine Ready Rice

3/4 cup unsweetened light coconut milk

4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

Juice from 1 half of lime

2 large minced garlic cloves

2 teaspoons olive oil

16 ounces extra firm tofu, drained, pat dry, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup whole small cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts

1. Stir shredded coconut in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until light golden, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to bowl.  
2. Prepare rice according to package directions.  Add to bowl with coconut.
3. In a blender, mix 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, lime juice, and half of garlic.  Mix into bowl with rice and coconut.  Keep warm.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add tofu; stir-fry until golden, about 6 minutes.  Add onions, curry, cumin, red pepper, remaining ginger and garlic.  Stir-fry 1 minute.  Stir in tomatoes and remaining coconut milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  
5. Divide rice among 4 plates, top with tofu and sprinkle with macadamia nuts.

Yield: 4 servings

No Buttering Up to Buttery

My former college roommates have at one time given me the nickname of Flanders.  I am not exactly sure how I earned this moniker, but I think it is because I would try to paint a rosier picture when it is not always warranted.  Sometimes, I can call myself out on it and I notice that sometimes I apply it to some dining experiences.  In the instance of a recent dining experience at The South End Buttery, I am no Flanders. 

The negative experience does not apply to the food, but rather to the service. The husband and I got there a bit early in the attempt of meeting our friends, Laur and Skaz, for drinks before our reservation.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get drinks due to a difficult parking situation.  Please place one check mark in the negative column for Buttery, there is no parking or valet service.  You are left to your own devices of attempting to capture an elusive visitor space or find a parking lot. 

Should we have been able to find parking and meet our companions earlier, we would have been hard pressed to find a place at the bar, that area was tiny.  The bar was crowded and there wasn’t much in the way of standing room.  Place another check in the negative column.  However, the Franklin Café is right down the street for a before or after dinner drink should diners chose to get a drink before or after.

When our reservation was ready, we were escorted downstairs to a cozy room with what Skaz called a nice “urban fireplace”.  Our server took our drink orders after we sat down, I don’t think he took the drink orders immediately, but we were talking a bit so I didn’t notice how long we waited.  The gentlemen in our party were given their drinks soon after ordering, however Laur and I waited long after the guys got their drinks.  Place another check in the negative column for not brining the drinks together.

Laur and Skaz ordered a salad to start the meal.  It looked big enough for two people to share and looked delicious.  The husband and I ordered the mussels that came with frites.  The mussels were great and broth was very garlicky, which is fine by me.  The frites were double battered and came with a side of curry aioli.  Curry is quickly becoming one of my favorite spices.  I love the heat that it gives to dishes.  Add a check to the positive column. 

Our entrees came out at a great time, soon after we were done with the starters.  The husband got the burger that came with a side of fries.  He said that these fries were different from the ones that came with the mussels.  Both the Skaz/Laur team and I ordered the pulled pork sandwich served on cornbread and with a side of coleslaw.  The sandwich was great; it was open-faced and did not have an overwhelming BBQ taste.  The cornbread was moist but was supposed to be poblano cornbread and I did not get that taste from it.  Throw a check in the positive column for food, but throw another check in the negative column as Laur and Skaz ordered a side of fries with their sandwich and the fries did not come out until after they finished their meal. 

We decided to go for dessert and selected to spilt the hazelnut semifreddo and the lemon tart with rhubarb syrup (the dessert had me at rhubarb).  Desserts were great.  The lemon was tart and sweet, but the semifreddo was the favorite for Laur and I.  She is the ultimate ice cream fan, so that stamp of approval from her means something.  Place a check in the positive column for food. 

Normally, when recapping a dining experience I do not discuss the bill.  We got the bill and split it down the middle.  Right before signing off on the bill, Laur made sure to suggest that the husband make sure that the fries were removed, they weren’t.  So, we sent the bill back to be revised.  The next bill came, and the server messed up again. He split the bill evenly, and added a tip of nearly 100%.  We sent that one back as well.  The third time was the charm and the bill represented what it was supposed to. 

In summary, the food at Buttery was great.  However, the service was bad.  There was the delay with getting the drinks, the side that did not come out with the meal; we had to flag down the server to get another drink, and the bill mishap.  Lucky for us, the company was great.  There are enough restaurants in the South End to visit upon another visit and Buttery will likely not be visited again.  There is no Flanders gloss to the experience here. 

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

There is a saying, "you can never go home again".  I suppose it means that things will never be the same as they were when you left.  In some ways it is true, while in others specifically food related, it is the furthest thing from true.  The great city of New York was my home for five years.  While in NYC, I made so many great friends, got to do some really cool things, and experienced some of the best dining. 

I recently revisited the city with Kakes and Wixon to see Lea.  While Wixon and I were discussing the trip, we made several comments related to food, "We have to get cupcakes, we have to get pizza, etc...".  There are some foods that you can not get anywhere else but in New York.  While you can certainly get pizza and bagels anywhere, they taste better in NYC. 

One of the first stops for food, was to Lou's Cafe in Midtown.  Lou's is likely not listed in any guidebook, however it is a great little spot to grab a quick bite to eat.  It was located halfway in between where Lea and I used to work and we would meet there several times for lunch.  When she and I used to go there I would usually get the chicken soup or the ham and cheese on a croissant.  This time, I opted for the smoked salmon with chive cream cheese on a toasted bagel.  It was delicious.  Wixon got a BLT, while Kakes and Lea each got the salad sampler.  One thing that I love about Lou's, is that you can get great sandwiches that are served with either pasta salad or a mixed green salad.  There are no french fries.  YUM!

For dinner, we chose to go to Rosa Mexicanos in Lincoln Center.  I think that my love for Mexican food has been confirmed several times on this blog.  You can never go wrong with this cuisine.  The restaurant is lively which is great for a girl's night in which we would be anything but quiet.  Of course, we had to start with the guacamole that is made tableside.  Miss Lea had the duck with blackberry sauce, Kakes had the salmon, Wixon had the enchiladas, and I had the steak and shrimp stew.  While I did not taste the entrees that the girls had, they all seemed to enjoy theirs.  Mine was perfect!  The steak was so tender and the sauce that the shrimp and steak were in had the right amount of heat.  I devoured my plate.  A great thing about Rosa Mexicano's is that the portions are just right.  You walk out satisfied, but not too full.  We chose not to get dessert at Rosa's, and chose to go elsewhere.  We were delighted with the small little bites of chocolate that came with our bill. 

We tried something new for dessert and ventured further up the west side to Cafe Lalo.  It was a Wixon discovery when she was exploring options for after dinner.  This crowded cafe reminded me of the cafes in Buenos Aires as they have great desserts and a great drink menu.  Cocktails and desserts are a great way to end the evening.  I sample the apple crumb pie with a glass of Champagne.  The pie was good, but I think mine is better.  Lea's dessert was to die for!  She selected the Oreo cheesecake.  I managed to get a few bites and loved it.  It is so rich and delicious!

Let's fast forward to the following morning and breakfast.  When Wixon first starting to work in the city, she worked in the West Village and encountered a delightful little coffee/breakfast/lunch place that she so kindly introduced me to.  I love the Grey Dog Cafe and their grilled cheeses.  While a grilled cheese may not seem like it is hard to mess up, I appreciate those who concoct a mean grilled cheese.  Alas, we came here for breakfast and I have the Challah bread french toast, with eggs, and potatoes.  It was so very filling which was great that we didn't have to stop for lunch on the way back home. 

It should be of no surprise to my loyal readers that a stop to get cupcakes was the dessert to our trip.  Magnolia Bakery is one of my favorites and the favorite of several other people.  Kakes, Wixon, and I had to get some to bring home to our loved ones.  These cupcakes have the right homemade taste in the cake portion as well as the icing.  I LOVE this place.  During our visit, we somehow managed to beat the crowd and not wait in line.  It was the perfect ending to a great girls' weekend. 

p.s. I had half a cupcake for breakfast the day after I got back.  During birthday week, calories and fat do not count. 

Take That Dunkin'

Everyone is vulnerable to something. Achilles had his heel and I have my sweet tooth. To be honest, I have thirty-two of them. My love for all things sweet is not a secret as I am the first one to order dessert, but it is detrimental in my quest to drop a few pounds. Adding insult to this injury, a Dunkin’ Donuts is housed in the lobby of the building that I work in. I have to walk by this den of temptation each time I walk in and out of the lobby. The expertly baked and perfectly crusted muffins that lay on the top shelf taunt me, daring me to purchase them. They remind me of the Sirens in Homer’s Odyssey. Rather than luring me to rocks in the ocean, they lure me to weight gain. Upon occasion, I have been weak and walked out of Dunkin’ with a waxy paper bag filled with either a blueberry muffin (not the fat-free kind, who is kidding who, those things are not any better for you than the full fat version) or a coffee cake muffin. It’s been a little easier to avoid the pastries Dunkin’ Donuts as I have been brining my own coffee with me each morning, but every now and then temptation strikes.

Because I am weak against pastries, I have been looking for a lower fat and lower calories blueberry muffin. I found it in the Eating Well cookbook that I borrowed for far too long from Wixon. These tasty and slightly messy blueberry muffins are topped with a bit of coconut and macadamia nuts. The macadamia nuts and coconuts whisk me back to the beaches of Hawaii where I spent my honeymoon six years ago. This memory and the song “Toes” by Zac Brown Band is making me thirst for another beach vacation. Oh, poor husband will be hearing how I want to go on vacation again.

Coconut and Macadamia Nut Muffins (a.k.a. Pretend You Are in Hawaii Muffins)
(adapted from Eating Well)
Printable Recipe

¼ cup unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons plus ¾ cup all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons plus ½ cup brown sugar, divided
5 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen (not thawed) blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine coconut, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, butter and coconut (or vanilla) extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add blueberries and the remaining 3 tablespoons nuts; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.
4. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes more before serving.

I will be following up on the blueberry muffins with a lemon raspberry muffin in a few weeks. Stay tuned….

On a side note, I have friend who also has a huge sweet tooth who is giving up sugar for a year. Bless her heart, I could never and would never do that. Follow her adventures in healthy eating at http://52weekssinsucre.onsugar.com/.

It's About Time

Money Magazine ranks Milton, Massachusetts as the fifth best town in the USA to live in. The town is located just outside of Boston, has good schools, ample parks, hiking trails, and is the hometown of the husband. The prices of homes and real estate listings tout this statistic from Money Magazine. However, until recently, Milton was missing something. That something was a good restaurant. Milton has been known as a “dry town”, not allowing restaurateurs a liquor license. However, this changed with the recent addition of Abby Park in East Milton Square.

Abbey Park represents something that the citizens of Milton and nearby communities have desired for quite some time. It is a restaurant with a Boston caliber menu without the hassles of driving into Boston and finding parking. Its location in East Milton Square allows some diners to walk to this establishment from home without having to worry about parking at all.

The husband and I were spontaneous last Saturday night and opted to try the eatery. We were not sure what the situation would be, as we did not have reservations, lucky for us, we were going on the early side of a Saturday night dinner. Despite the fact that Abby Park was packed, we managed to get a table by the front window where the husband could look out on to the streets that he once “ruled” (his words not mine) as a youth.

Immediately, we were impressed with the menu selections. This was not going to be any other dining experience in the suburbs. We started the meal off with the “Park Board”. It was a nice assortment of small flatbreads, olives, blue cheese with fig jam, a white bean rosemary dip, proscuitto, and almonds. The board was good to split between two and could be split with a party of up to four. The husband chose to go with the panko-crusted halibut special. I opted to go with the Kobe Flank Steak with truffle macaroni and cheese and parmesan herb frites. The steak did not disappoint, it was tender and had just the right flavors. The mac’n cheese was ok. It did not pack the flavor punch I was hoping for. The herb frites were delicious with the right amount of salt. I could not stop picking at them.

Of course, we went for dessert. Abby Park has a fantastic dessert menu and offers “small bites” in addition to the full size dessert. The small bites are great, as they do not make you feel guilty for getting something sweet after dinner. The small bites can also be shared with your dinner date. We chose the chocolate pecan pie, chocolate truffles, and banana cream pie. The pairing of chocolate and banana worked nicely together. The chocolate was so rich, that a full size portion would have been far too much.

I highly recommend that diners try Abby Park. The service was great, the menu had a nice variety and they are changing it this week, and you cannot beat the small bites for dessert. If you go, I would absolutely make a reservation. As word of mouth spreads about this jewel in Milton, it will be more difficult to just walk in and get a table.

Christmas in September

The waiter asked me, “Would you like red, green, or Christmas?”  My answer was a definitive “Christmas please.”  You may be reading this and wondering what in the world am I writing about.   What is the deal with red, green or Christmas?  The answer is red or green chili (salsa) or both, a.k.a. Christmas, on my plate.  This is how it is ordered in the “Land of Enchantment

I recently was brought to New Mexico to celebrate my aunt’s marriage in Albuquerque, or as extremely well respected (and very strong) family members nicknamed it, Cousin Fest, Cousinpolooza, or Cousin Stock. 

There are a few rules that one should follow when traveling:

1. Always eat the local cuisine.  Don’t go to your favorite national chain while away on vacation, if you like chain restaurants, you can get the same thing at home.  Also, if a destination is known for producing a great dish (i.e. fish at the beach, or seviche in a Latin American Caribbean location) go for it.  That is where you are going to get the most authentic variation of that particular dish.
2. Try the local beers.  If there is something on the menu that you can’t get at home, go for it.  You can always get Stella at home. 
3. There is no diet on vacation.  What fun is counting calories at home?  It is even worse while away.  Just don’t do it.  Enjoy your vacation.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for my diet, I followed all of these rules while in New Mexico.  However, while on vacation…

The husband and I built a few extra days into our trip to see the sights of Santa Fe.  We consulted the guidebook and recommendation of the hotel concierge and sampled the food at The Shed.  We were quite hungry and exhausted and wanted to eat right away.  We thought that we could walk right into the restaurant and get seated right away.  Much to our disappointment, The Shed takes a break in between the lunch and dinner courses.  We had to walk around the chilly and damp city until dinner.  Finally, 5:30 rolled around and we were greeted to a nice fire in the corner fireplace while we waited for our table. 

Upon sitting at our table we ordered the chips, salsa, guacamole and a pitcher of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s Pale Ale.  The guac was smooth and creamy and we ate up every morsel.  The beer was great as well.  For dinner, we both ordered the Enchilada and Taco Plate, as per our server’s recommendation.  It did not disappoint, and I ordered mine Christmas style.  I ordered the plate with beef.  One thing that we thought was weird was that the dishes are served with garlic French bread.  I thought was weird for the dishes, but it really worked.  The bread was very soft and the garlic was not overpowering.  While we were waiting for our table, we were chatting with another patron who mentioned that The Shed is known for its Mocha dessert.  This frozen chocolate mousse was excellent.  If you are in Santa Fe, check out The Shed for the recommended dinner and dessert options. 

The following evening, we decided to try some BBQ, as we were likely to have a lot more New Mexican style cuisine in the following days.  We wanted to stay within walking distance (to walk off some of dinner) to our hotel and still get something good.  We opted to try the Cowgirl Café.  The inside was kind of cheesy, all the servers wore cowboy boots and hats and the walls were covered with pictures of rodeos and the like.  I chose to have the Bunkhouse Brisket.  The bonus for me is that it was served with baked beans and potato salad.  It was filling and was exactly what I was in the mood for.  The beef was so tender that a knife was not needed.   Of course, we ordered dessert.  I went for the peach and cherry cobbler.  It was good, but I really wanted biscuit like cobbler. 

Saturday was the day of the aunt’s wedding and the reunion of the cousins.  After the wedding, we took a short walk from the Bottger Mansion to High Noon, where dinner was served.  I opted for the Plaza Platter, which was filling but delicious.  I loved the taquitos.  The husband at the last minute chose the Brown Sugar Coriander-Cured Beef Tenderloin with wild mushroom enchiladas.  It was soooooo good.  The beef had so many flavors. 

Other foods that I loved while away included blue corn pancakes and sopaillas.  I will absolutely try to recreate the pancakes. 

Should you ever find yourself in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, go to the above-mentioned restaurants.  Don’t follow a diet, try the local beers and cuisine and order your dinner Christmas style. 

Even Better Than the Real Thing

The city of Philadelphia is known for a few things, Rocky, the Liberty Bell, the Fresh Prince, and Cheesesteaks (Philly readers, I know that there are more things that your fair city is known for, however for the sake of keeping my list short I only mentioned a few items).  As this is a blog regarding food, guess which one I want to discuss?

I am a huge fan of the cheesteak.  A few years ago, the husband and I had a layover in the Philadelphia airport and I insisted upon getting a cheesesteak from one of the airport fast food restaurants.  While not necessarily authentic, it was still good stuff and not needed after a weekend of drinking high calorie adult beverages and eating fatty foods.  

Cheesesteaks are great sandwiches.  They are steak and ooey, gooey melted cheese with peppers and onions.  That said, that combination is not exactly diet friendly, at least the first two ingredients are not diet friendly.  I was pretty excited when I came across a recipe for a cheesesteak in the Eating Well cookbook that I borrowed from Wixon. 

Hmm, a cheesesteak from Eating Well, what is the catch?  Would it be fake cheese, tofu standing in for the steak?  Nope, the trick was using portobello mushrooms in the place of steak.  Portobello make for a great steak substitute as they taste meaty, and I mean meaty in a good way.

These sandwiches were a snap to make.  The broth and the soy sauce gave them a nice flavor and the melted provolone cheese gave them the right amount of salt. 

Portobello "Philly Cheesesteak" Sandwich
(adapted from Eating Well)
Printable Recipe

4 whole wheat-buns, split in half
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
5 large portobello mushroom tops, stems and gills removed
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 deli slices of provolone cheese, cut into bite-size pieces

1. Toast the buns in a toaster oven.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.  Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat.  Stir in broth and soy sauce.  Remove from the heat and stir in the pieces of provolone cheese.   Divide the mixture into 4 portions and place on buns.  

Yield: 4 servings

An Elastic Waistband Can Serve You Well

There are but a few occassions in which it is acceptable to overindulge in food.  Generally speaking, these times are holidays and when celebrating some sort of accomplishment (i.e. a graduation, birthday, anniversary, running a marathon, etc...). There is something about celebrating that lends to eating a bit beyond what one should consume in one sitting.  Perhaps it the relaxed atmosphere surrounding the gathering. 

The husband and I recently celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary and did what we normally do while celebrating this milestone, we went big.  Sometimes, going big for the anniversary dinner means splurging on a tasting menu, or going someplace that is supposed to be "romantic".  This year, due to a big vacation, buying a house, and then another vacation, we decided to go lighter on the wallets, but bigger on the food that was to be consumed. 

We recently moved to the 'burbs and were excited to try a restaurant where one parks themselves.  Imagine that, no city restaurant with valet parking!  We opted to try Scarlett Oak Tavern in Hingham, MA.  Normally, we don't go to steakhouses for dinner, but this was a nice establishment with a great menu, also rated a Best of Boston in Boston Magazine in 2008. 

We were not disappointed with our selection.  The mood was lively and not quiet in this huge restaurant located in a 250 year old colonial house.  It was perfect for what we wanted.  Sometimes, it is not fun to be in a super quiet restuarant...BORING. 

Prior to our appetizer, the bread basket arrived at the table.  Lots of people suggest not eating the bread as it fills you up and leaves no room for dinner.  Those people would lose out at this dining establishment.  The basket had a variety of sourdough, cranberry bread, and cornbread.  All were wonderful, but the cornbread really struck out onto its own.  It was perfectly moist and sweet. 

From the menu, we selected to start with the tuna and golden beet carpaccio which was served with a small arugla salad.  Normally, I am not a fan of beets, but these were sliced as thin as paper and the tuna that sat on top was spectacular. 

The husband chose to have the steak tips for his dinner.  With his steak came the choice of two sides.  He is still in love with me as he sacrificed having baked beans so that I could have onion rings.  His other choice was the macaroni and cheese.  His steak tips were wonderful, though they may have been slightly overcooked.  The onion rings had a perfect golden crust and the right amount of salt.  The macaroni and cheese was a little disappointing, they didn't taste as though they had much flavor.  Then again, earlier in the week I made my classic macaroni and cheese and had been eating it all week long. 

I selected to try the sirloin special of the evening.  It was dusted with porcini mushrooms and topped with blue cheese.  After the blue cheese was added on top, the steak was thrown in the broiler until the cheese started to melt.  This was served with horseradish mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.  It was a wonderful choice.  Our server and the the runner who brought out the food were raving about it and saying that I would not be disappointed.  The steak was also brushed with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  The cheese and the vinegar created a harmonious balance of flavors that I can only replicate in my dreams. 

One should have stopped eating after the entrees were finished, but we each have a sweet tooth and can rarely turn down dessert.  I am glad that we have this weakness as the desserts were fabulous.  The husband selected the S'mores tart and I chose the carrot cake.  The tart was a graham cracker crust with tiny marshmellows drizzled with chocolate on top.  Um, awesome.  The carrot cake was the size of a cupcake with a generous amount of cream cheese icing.  Perfect!

I highly recommend a visit to Scarlett Oak Tavern.  The prices are great, the atmosphere is lively, and the service was fantastic.  Our server sent us home with a bit more cornbread.  Love her!

Easy Breakfast for Guests

Having company is good.  Having easy guests is better.  Having an easy pre-prepped breakfast to serve them is best. 

I recently had the pleasure of having two friends stay for two nights while in town to see the Deutsche Bank Golf Championship.  As I no longer live within a stone's throw of my standard great breakfast spot, Terry's Place in Southie, I had to come up with a breakfast of my own.  What to do, what to do...Then it hit me, why not do an overnight breakfast casserole?  That way I would not have to scramble (pun intended) around in the kitchen while they are awaiting some sort of breakfast. 

After a brief internet search, I came upon a recipe on the Weight Watchers website for an overnight scrambled egg breakfast.  The recipe is good, though I added some tomatoes to it to give some color and to use the fabulous Jersey tomatoes that one of my guests brought with her.  I liked the recipe, though next time I would add some sort of spice to it to give some extra flavor.  I added some Tabasco sauce (no surprise there) to my serving since I like spicy foods.  The husband added ketchup (no surprise there) to his breakfast.  He also suggested adding some syrup to it to give it some sweetness. I don't think I agree with that suggestion, but feel free to try it and share your comments.

Overnight Scrambled Egg Bake (adapted from WeightWatchers.com)
Printable Recipe
16 oz. fat free egg substitute
12 oz. fat free evaporated milk
6 slices of white bread
6 oz. Canadian Bacon, diced
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes sliced thin

1. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Beat eggs well and add milk
3. Place bread on the bottom of the baking dish.  Toss ham and cheese over bread.  Pour egg mixture over top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
4. Bake covered at 350F for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Cut into 8 portions and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

The recipe went over well with the guests.  My guess is that they would rate the breakfast much higher than the sleeping conditions.  The poor ladies had to sleep on the floor since the guest room is filled with boxes and the bed won't be put together until we get to our house.

No Fuss, No Meat

 

When coming home from work, dinner should be ready and on the table.  However, for those of us in a double income family, that is unrealistic.  Dinner can be ready when the slow cooker is employed, or if one makes dinner ahead of time and it just needs to be heated up.  I love the slow cooker for this purpose, but decided I wanted a meal that didn't need to be plugged in all day.  Thus, on Sunday I made two meals, one for consumption that day and the other to be placed in the fridge for dinner later in the week.  

I loved this recipe, it was easy to make and wallet friendly since there was no meat involved.  Best of all, it is a Weight Watchers recipe that only counts for four points.  It was four points of a well balanced deliciousness.  I love that recipe adds in fresh cilantro to the store-bought salsa.  It gave the sauce the freshness that it desired.  

Mexican Bean and Tortilla Pie (adapted from Weight Watchers)

Printable Recipe

1 cup canned tomato sauce

3/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

5 flour tortillas

30 ounces canned black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed

1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Combine tomato sauce, salsa, cilantro, chili powder, and cumin a small bowl.  
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add as many tortillas as will fit in one layer.  Cook about 1 minute, turning once, until lightly toasted.  Remove and set aside.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  
3. Spoon 1/4 cup of tomato sauce mixture over bottom of 9-inch pie plate or other round, shallow baking dish.  Top with a tortilla and 1/4 cup more of sauce.  Spread with 1/2 cup mashed beans; top with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese.  Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 3 more layers and then top with remaining tortilla, sauce and cheese.  
4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake until heated through and sauce bubbles around edges, about 5 minutes more.  Cut into 6 wedges and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

More Fruit for Dinner

Sweet and salty seems like the perfect combination of flavors.  It offers a little something for everyone.  That is what makes chocolate covered pretzels so great.

Using fruit in an entree gives cooks the chance to please all diners at the table.  Blueberries combined with feta cheese has that nice balance of sweet and salt, once the lime juice is thrown in there is a a nice hint of tart.  Delicious!  This pasta salad has all of these flavors and the bonus is that it is relatively healthy.

 

Chicken and Blueberry Pasta Salad (adapted from Eating Well)

Printable Recipe

1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast

8 ounces whole-wheat radiatore

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1/3 cup reduced fat crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 cup blueberries

1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place chicken in a skillet and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10-12 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool.  Shred into bite-size strips.
2. Bring a large pot of water ot a boil.  Cook pasta until tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions.  Drain.   Place in a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, place oil and shallot in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 2-5 minutes.  Add broth, feta and lime juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the feta begins to melt, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to the bowl with the pasta.  Add the dressing, blueberries, lime zest, and salt.  Toss until combined. 
   

Still Watching the Wallet

There are conflicting reports on how long the recession will last.  Are we still in it, are we exiting it, will we be in a recession for another year?  All I know, is that I have to watch my wallet.  Lucky (or unlucky) for me, the husband monitors all of our spending.  It makes it hard to sneak in a pair of shoes unless I pay cash.  However, I am digressing. 

It seems to be a trend in cooking to make meals that won't break the budget.  Cooking Light has been pretty good at offering tips to save at the grocery store.  I also noticed this trend continuing in the pages of the September 2009 issue of Food and Wine.  Though the feature article was not named in a way to suggest that it was saving its readers money, it was about sandwiches.  Sandwiches save money. 

Sandwiches also are great dinner when you want to save time.  This is perfect for me as I no longer have a short 15-20 minute commute home.  I simply can not make time intensive dinners during the week any longer.  Hence a recent uptick in the use of the slow cooker and eating sandwiches.  However, I am not going to make any old sandwich with a few slices of deli meat and cheese.  I like sandwiches with a twist, something that is filling and tastes great. 

The recipe that I found in Food and Wine for a tuna melt serves this purpose.  This isn't your mother's tuna melt that only has mayo in it and is thrown on an English muffin and topped with cheese.  This tuna has little bits of red onion, fresh basil, a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, served a toasted ciabatta bread.  It is fabulous and a quick meal!


OregonTuna Melt (adapted from Food and Wine September 2009)
Printable Recipe
12 oz. canned albacore tuna packed in water
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut for four sandwiches
dijon mustard and mayonnaise for spreading
4 slices of Swiss cheese

1. In a medium bowl, mix the tuna with the onion, olive oil, vinegar, basil and crushed red pepper.  Season with salt and pepper. 
   
2. Spread mayonnaise and dijon mustard on top of each piece of bread.  Place 1/4 of tuna mixture on four slices of bread, top each with one slice of cheese.
3. Place bread halves in a toaster oven and leave it in until cheese starts to melt.  Place the bread half that only has mustard and mayo on top of the half with bread.

Yield: 4 servings

Grab It and Go

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Eating this meal gets you off to a great start and gives you energy to get you to lunchtime and deal with all of those e-mails and phone calls.  However, there are some of us who try to maximize our sleep time in the morning and do not have time to eat breakfast at home.  The sleep lovers among us eat something at work. 

Sometimes there is no problem and we bring breakfast from home, other times we pick up something when we grab the morning coffee or tea.  That is where the problem is.  We are spending some extra cash on breakfast and likely picking up something that is not very good for us.  One of my favorite temptations is the glazed stick from Dunkin' Donuts, or their blueberry muffin, or their coffee cake muffin, really it is any sort of baked good.  I do love my Dunkin.

When berries are fresh and in season, I love to have a breakfast of strawberries and blueberries topped with Greek vanilla yogurt.  It is so refreshing and filling.  I love having something that is good for me first thing in the morning.  Now that summer is dying down, I won't be eating berries and yogurt each day but I still need something portable for breakfast, forget waking up early to eat.  Enter the savory breakfast muffin.  I came across this recipe when I was looking through the Eating Well website and knew that this would be a great breakfast.  The bonus is that you can make and freeze the muffins for up to one month. 

Savory Breakfast Muffins (from Eating Well)
Printable Recipe
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
3/4 cup diced Canadian bacon
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.   Place muffin cups in pan.  
2. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and butter in a medium bowl.  Fold in scallions, bacon, cheese, and red pepper.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened.  Scoop the batter into the muffin pan.  The cups will be very full.
4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20-22 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Loosen the edges and turn the muffins onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.  

Yield: 12 servings


For the record, in addition to bringing in my breakfast (and lunch) from home, I am also bringing in my morning iced coffee.  Not only is this saving some cash, but I am thinking it is good for the environment as I am not throwing away a plastic container each day.  Who knew I was so green?

A Hoboken Food Fairytale

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there existed a delightful Italian deli named Piccininnis in the middle of quaint Hoboken, New Jersey. Inside, one could order a variety of sandwiches, Italian specialty products, wines, and items purchased at a store like BJ's that were clearly marked "Not for Individual Sale". However, the draw of this small business was assembling the perfect sandwich in the eyes of the husband.

Fortunately, for him it was mere footsteps away. The exact number of footsteps were never counted, however the path was something like going down one flight of stairs to the main door of our old building, walking down another six stairs to the sidewalk and then taking a right and walking no more than twenty steps to a bit of heaven on earth. The proximity to such a wonderful establishment was extremely hard to leave when the days in Hoboken were up.



We celebrated the husband's birthday recently, a birth date he shares with former infamous mafioso Carlo Gambino, former baseball player Cal Ripkin, Jr., and Craig Kilborn. When asked what he would like for his birthday meal, he gave the simple answer of a sandwich. I was stumped. What kind of sandwich would I prepare for his birthday? A simple PB&J would not suffice, nor would a grilled cheese. What to make? Then all of a sudden it hit me, I would make his favorite sandwich from Hoboken that he had not had in years.

One of the husband's favorite sandwiches from Piccininnis was the Hoboken Delight. This sandwich featured sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzerella (a.k.a. fresh "mutz"), turkey, fresh bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lettuce and tomato. Or, at least these were all the items on the sandwich that I could remember.

Before work on the day of the husband's birthday, I stopped in Whole Foods (a.k.a Whole Paycheck) to pick up the last minute fresh items for this sandwich masterpiece. I wanted to get the freshest bread, freshest deli meat, and balsamic vinegar (our last drops of balsamic vinegar were consumed during our haste of moving).

It was killing me to not make anything homemade for his birthday. On the day prior to the day in which he celebrates another year. I attempted to make another of his favorites...pickles.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Hoboken Delight and Quick Pickles.

Hoboken Delight
Printable Recipe
4 ciabatta sandwich rolls
1 pound fresh oven-roasted turkey
1 ball of fresh mutz
sun-dried tomatoes
4 piece of lettuce
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice open the sandwich rolls.
2. Delicately place 1 piece of lettuce on the bottom of each roll. Top with tomatoes (enough to cover the length of the bread. Place about three pieces of thinly sliced mutz on top of tomatoes. Top with 1/4 pound of turkey. Drizzle vinegar and oil over sandwich.

Quick Pickles (adapted from Eating Well)
Printable Recipe
1 1/4 pound cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 thinly sliced medium onion
2 cloves slivered garlic
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon mustard seed

1. Place cucumbers in a colander set in the sink. Sprinkle with salt; stir to combine. Let stand 20 minutes. Rinse, drain and transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
2. Meanwhile, combine vinegars, brown sugar, onion, garlic, dill, and mustard seed in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers; stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to bring to room temperature.
   

Finally, how does the story end? The husband was pleased with his birthday sandwich and told me that he thought it also had ham. Ugh, I was close, but no cigar.

How does the story end for Piccininnis? Unfortunately, we heard that it closed down. It is a coincidence that it closed a few years after we moved? You can draw your own conclusions.

Jazzed Up Chicken Salad

Someone is behind the times. Adding curry to may is nothing new, but it is very tasty. I had lots of success with it the other day when I made the chicken sandwiches with blueberry salsa. Therefore, I wanted to add it to a bit of chicken to this mix for a chicken salad. I do love my chicken salads...

Curry Chicken Salad
Printable Recipe
1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 pound chopped cooked chicken
8 slices of multi-grain sandwich bread

1. Combine mayonnaise and curry in a small bowl. Add chicken and stir.
   
2. Spread evenly over 4 slices of bread. Top with lettuce and a piece of bread.
   
3. Slice and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Switch It Up

Who is in charge of determining which foods "belong" to specific meals? Who says that egg sandwiches are only for breakfast? It is time to break some of those rules...

The husband and I have been on a sandwich kick for a while. Sometimes nothing beats two pieces of bread, some lettuce, a slice of tomato, and some sort of protein to chew on. I needed to look for some new meal idea online and decided to check out some ideas for sandwiches. While the egg sandwich is nothing revolutionary, it certainly does taste great.

This one adds hard-boiled eggs to the standard BLT. It also adds some chives to the mayonnaise. Recently, I've been quite happy when I've added different things to mayo, i.e. chives, curry powder, garlic, etc...It is that little bid of something that makes a big impact.

Bacon, Egg, and Tomato Club Sandwich (From epicurious.com, Gourmet July 2009)
Printable Recipe
1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
8 slices sandwich bread, toasted (I prefer a multi-grain bread)
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced thinly
1 pound bacon, cooked crisply
3-4 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
4 slices of lettuce

1. Combine the mayo and chives in a small bowl.
   
2. Spread it over four slices of bread.
3. Top with equal amounts of egg, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Yield: 4 servings

Sometimes it's worth taking a chance

There are certain flavors/ingredients that at first glance, don't seem to make much sense when paired together. Some include chili powder and chocolate, bacon sorbet (I think that combo was on Top Chef), or cumin topped apple crisp. The last reference is related to a mistake I made once upon a time when making apple crisp, I quickly grabbed a spice from the cabinet and quickly seeing the "c", "m", and "n" on the label, I thought it was cinnamon. However, as I quickly found out when taking a first bite it was cumin. And for the record, it doesn't really taste good. At least I can admit failure.

However, I digress from the original stream of thought, which is easy to do when you have been up with insomnia for the past few hours. I was looking at recipes for easy to make sandwiches since the kitchen is in major chaos due the the move to the 'burbs this past weekend. I saw a recipe on epicurious.com posted from Self for turkey roll ups with blueberry salsa. To put this in Jerry Maguire terms, I was had at blueberry salsa. I am a big fan of fruit based salsas and the way that they interact with meats.

I loved how the flavors of the cumin interacted with the blueberries and peppers. It was fantastic! I wouldn't have thought that cumin and blueberries would work well together, perhaps based on my apple crisp mistake circa 2004.

Also, the husband was nervous about this dish with cumin and jalapenos, but did not say that it was too spicy for his liking. This was not another instance of the dry chili rub that was made a few weeks ago.

Chicken Rollups with Blueberry Salsa (adapted from Self August 2009)
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 pint blueberries
1 peeled and diced kiwi
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion finely chopped
4 leafs of romaine lettuce
4 whole wheat tortillas
4 grilled chicken breasts

1. Clean and grill chicken. Because our new and hopefully very temporary digs do not allow us to grill, I used my George Foreman.
2. Stir mayonnaise and cumin in a medium bowl. Add blueberries, kiwi, pepper, and onion. Stir until thoroughly combined.
   
3. Spread 1/4 of mayonnaise/fruit mixture on each tortilla. Top with chicken and lettuce leaf.
4. Wrap up and enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings

They Call It Mellow Yellow

I was singing this Donovan song to myself while looking over my large pot of yellow vegetables. I was thinking to myself that this soup of corn and yellow squash looked pretty boring and the listed ingredients did not seem like it would pack enough punch to provide a meal of good flavors. Lucky for me, I was quite wrong.

I love that the ingredient list for the soup is short. It only has 7 ingredients. There is a suggested 8th, but that is the squash blossom that would be added for a garnish. As this was just for my consumption and not for a group of people, this was skipped.

Some people who know me, know that I am not a big squash fan. I wish I was, but there is something about the consistency that gets me squeamish. I can't really eat zucchini unless it is the form of bread or muffins. The yellow squash in this recipe gets liquefied, so there was no problem for me.

This soup which looks boring as you pour it into your empty soup bowl provides a delicious corn flavor. If you don't like cornbread, you would not like this soup. But, who could hate cornbread?

While watching the soup simmer, I was thinking that I would have to add my favorite jalapeno slices by Mt. Olive to my bowl to add some flavor. I was worried what the husband would think of it since he would NEVER add jalapeno slices to anything. However, I did not have to add the spicy slices because the corn lent enough flavor to my hungry mouth. Please note, that as of this posting the husband did not eat the soup. He wasn't hungry and decided to skip dinner. He munched on leftover seviche as a snack before I started dinner.

The soup is time consuming. I would not recommend it for an after work dinner. It is good on one of those nights where you are not in a hurry to eat.

I did not pair the soup up with anything else as I was not incredibly hungry. However, I foresee me making this soup for the next time the girls and I have a potluck dinner. I could see it pairing well with a variety of dishes.

Sweet Corn and Squash Soup (Cooking Light Magazine July 2008)
Printable Recipe
1 tablespoon butter
1 large chopped onion
4 cups of fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
3 cups water
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
   
2. Place half of corn mixture into a blender. Remove center piece of lid to allow steam to escape; secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Strain corn mixture through sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Note: I only did this for about 1/4 of the mixture. I personally don't mind a slightly thicker soup and I think it gives the soup a bit more flavor.
3. Pour into bowls and serve.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size is about 3/4 cup soup)

Good Friends and Good Food

We are getting older, though of my core group of college friends I am the youngest (thank goodness for that), and it was time to celebrate the birthday of our beloved Kakes. Lea, we would have been with you for your birthday, but you were in NJ and we were in Boston. Regardless, you were missed terribly!

The scene for the 25 plus a couple years birthday dinner for Kakes was Piattini on Newbury Street in Boston. Our resident Back Bay media director, Michele, selected this delicious and quaint Italian restaurant for the celebration dinner. It was a cold and rainy night so we were not given the opportunity to sit outside. That was a bummer, but not a surprise given how terrible the weather has been this summer.

The tables inside have a beautiful copper top on them which lends a bit of color to the small interior of the restaurant. Despite the fact that the interior was small, I didn't feel like we were sitting with the neighboring diners, nor hearing their conversations. I liked that we could speak at a comfortable volume with one another while not feeling like we were too loud.

Our server, forgive me for not remembering his name, was very nice. He noticed the birthday cards on the table for Kakes and wished her a happy birthday. I liked that he let us catch up and picked up on the subtle signals that we were ready for our drink orders. He did not rush us into ordering either.

For drinks, Kakes went with a white wine and I can't remember which she went with. Michele went with the house wine and I am still obsessed with Argentina and went with the Malbec. When we got our wines, our server presented us with a small card that with mentions of where the wine is from with a brief description of the flavors.

The menu is quite large, though not overwhelming. There are quite a few small plates, the English translation of the restaurant name is small plate, but we all opted to have a salad to start and then a pasta dish. Kakes selected the salad special of beets and goat cheese. Michele opted to have the Caesar. I went for the Salmone salad. We were all quite pleased with our selections. I appreciated that the salad was not skimpy with the portions of salmon. I loved the balance of the saltiness of the capers with the soft texture of the smoked salmon.

We each ordered different entrees, but all had some pasta with them. The birthday girl ordered the lobster ravioli. It looked spectacular. Michele ordered the Ziti con Pollo. I was eyeing both of these dishes on the menu and once again when they hit the table. I went for the Frutti di Mar. Once again, the portions of fish were not skimpy. There was a generous amount of mussels, shrimp, scallops, but I would have like a tad more calamari. I ordered it with the spicy red sauce and was please with the level of hotness in the dish.

We did not order dessert much to my dismay, but not to the dismay of my hips. Though, when we celebrate my birthday, we will absolutely be ordering dessert. It will be my birthday wish. I can't be the only eating the sweets!

I would definitely go back to Piattini. I liked the casual and laid back atmosphere. The food was delicious and the prices were ok. We did spend a bit, but it could be traced back to the wine. If I go back, I would love to try some things from the small plates portion of the menu and of course I would get something sweet to finish the meal.

A Twist on an Old Favorite

Rice pudding was one of my favorite childhood desserts. My mom would make it upon occasion and it would be saved in a large red Tupperware container. When I visit, I am like Pavlov's dog and sometimes equate that large Tupperware bowl with rice pudding. Though, when I visit it is not filled with rice pudding. Mom, or should I refer to you as "the mother" or "the mom", can it be filled with some rice pudding upon my next visit to PA?

I wanted to try this Latin American twist on one of my childhood favorites. Perhaps, the Latin American twist is only in the name as I have never had rice pudding during my visits to any Latin American country and have no basis of comparison. I suppose that means I should visit another Latin American country soon, whether it be in the Caribbean, Central or South America. I do want to check out Tikal in Guatamala. Maybe I should check on the availability on rice pudding. Oh, darn...husband let's get those passports ready again....

I liked this dessert, but I don't think I would put in the lime zest again. I liked the flavor of the lime, but I was not so into how the zest looked when distributed in the pudding. I would be open to any suggestions on how to better incorporate the lime in this. Also, the husband did not think the pudding was sweet enough. However, I found the level of sweetness to be appropriate, but then again I am trying to watch my calories. If I were not so calories conscious, I'd probably crave a bit more sugar.

Arroz con Dulce (Cooking Light August 2007)
Printable Recipe
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil Stir in rice. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in fat-free milk, sugar, and rind; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 minutes or until mixture thickens and becomes creamy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in golden raisins and vanilla.
   

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 2/3 cup)