Sometimes a Pinterest Idea Actually Works!

Pinterest can be pretty hit or miss so I thought I would share something that actually worked!

I am successfully regrowing green onions.

And it was just as easy as it seems. Just put your root ends in a bit of water and they will grow back giving you a whole new bunch in a few weeks. I don't know how useful this is long term (I'll let you know if they keep it up) but it is pretty neat to see them getting bigger and bigger each day.

Ahh the power of nature. Anyone else have any Pinterest successes they want to share? The fails can be pretty hilarious but I like it even better when it actually works!

Cheers!

Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad AKA Summer in a Bowl

I may or may not be addicted to Trader Joes. Not going to lie, I am probably in there at least four times a week and many of the employees know me by name. Come on, you know if you had a Tj's within walking distance you'd be there all the time too. Any-hoo. The last two days (hey, I told you I had a problem) they have been sampling watermelon salad and I just had to share it with you. This is definitely becoming one of my staple recipes.

It is super easy. Gather your ingredients.

Chop and toss.

I pretty much eyeballed it. I would guess it would be 1/3 cup feta, 1 tbs rice wine (or white balsamic) vinegar, one small watermelon, and 2 tbs chopped mint. Delicious and not that bad for you. I used fat free feta which made one serving (this made 2) cost me 1 pt+ (for you weight watchers folks out there).

This lovely thing showed up today too.

Sadly it won't be installed until the weekend but I am giddy just thinking about it (picture me dancing around the kitchen singing "it's finally happening!") 

Anyone else have an easy and low fat summer salad they love? My goal weight is about 15lb away and I am excited about getting there.

Cheers!

Linking up to:
Frugal Friday

February Good Eats Wrap Up

I meant to get this out before I left for Mexico but alas, it wasn't in the cards. We are still working our way through Alton Brown's Good Eats Cookbooks. I am amazed with how far we have gotten (though we did start way back in June). I was a short month so we didn't get many Fridays but we did enjoy what we had!

After last month we ran in to a few snags in our cooking plans. We didn't have a grill, smoker, or pressure cooker so we ended up skipping ahead a few recipes. Don't worry, I tagged them, so when there is time/money they will be made (it wouldn't be a true challenge if we didn't actually make everything in the book).  Here's the run down.

• Fried Chicken: Probably my favorite recipe in the whole book so far. It was juicy and slightly spicy and perfectly cooked. The only change I would make would be to use less salt (it is a problem in the early recipes) but I still managed to eat basically half a chicken so I call it a success. I will warn you the paprika gets really dark and you'll think you burned it but never fear, it is fine. 
• Lobster: This was our Valentines Day dinner but it was a bit of a flop. No amount of Alton's assurances that Lobster is basically brethren to cockroaches will make me buy a live lobster and kill it. We used lobster tail and I think I've decided I just don't like lobster. Call me strange. 
• For the last Friday before we left we departed from tradition and made something new in the series. For those of you who don't follow the cult of Alton you may not know that Good Eats has ended. But, for the last episode he made the worlds best chocolate cookies, Chocapocalypse Cookies. These were amazing. Four types of chocolate, nibs and very little flour. I just couldn't pass them up and neither should you. 

We've got pot roast planned for tonight's Good Eats (another first for me) and I'm looking forward to it. 

Cheers!

My Second Favorite Holiday Tradition

Last week I shared with you our first holiday tradition: our advent calendar. This week we finished our second holiday tradition, constructing gingerbread houses. This is our fourth year making our houses from scratch and it was exciting as always. We have used the King Arthur Flour recipe every time and it makes the best construction gingerbread. For those of you who haven't made your own gingerbread houses, construction gingerbread is neither tasty nor soft. It basically bakes up like really good smelling cardboard. That's a good thing, you want strong walls to hold all of the candy you will be putting on. The recipe comes with a house template but we like to make our own. This year we were really ambitious (perhaps to our detriment). I chose to make a model of our house and Daniel designed a Tahitian stilt house.

The first step for construction was making our template. It helps to see how it will all go together if you are making anything intricate.

Kitty decided she wanted to help too, much to Daniel's amusement.

 Thanks Honey Bunch.

Normally house making goes pretty smoothly. This year however we both hit a few snags...

Needless to say Daniel's original design plans fell through (as did his roof and a few walls). Like the candy cane brace in the back?

I had a few mishaps as well but basically pulled though in the end. I didn't manage to get the overhang on the roof right but otherwise it is fairly close to what the top level of our house looks like only much shorter (and minus the candy of course).

I even included the covered front porch, painted floor and all. What house would be complete without two little gingerbread residents?

And a secret peek inside- our Christmas tree in the front room.

Even if there were a few flops this year it is still a great tradition. We made up some mulled wine and spent the day with quite the candy high. All in all, I call it a success!

Cheers!

A Great Gift for any Wine Lover

When my friends from Santa Cruz came in to town for Thanksgiving they not only brought copious amounts of wine but also a great housewarming gift (or two). The Menu Wine Breather.

via

 I love decanters. They are great for bottles that really should breathe a while but you don't really want to wait. Let's watch Daniel demonstrate.

As you can see the whole process was also very interesting to our not so little miss kitty. Can you believe how big she has gotten? I barely remember the tiny little thing I introduced you to two months ago.

Now, back to the wine. The aeration really helps cut the sharp tannic notes some wine can have. We always try a glass before and a glass after to see the difference. It can be astounding. Not all wine needs to be decanted but it is nice to have around for the ones that does. I certainly can't wait hours for my glass of wine! Pair with some nice glasses or a good bottle of wine and you have the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life (in case you are like me and haven't even started shopping yet).

Cheers!

Good Eats Challenge Week 20: Flan

One of my favorite quotes about food is this one from Wag the Dog: "There is no difference between good flan and bad flan." After this recipe I think I may be on board with this concept (depending on how you read that sentence). Nothing really went wrong it just wasn't that interesting.

Here's the recipe I used from Alton Brown

Ingredients

Software:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup half-and- half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar

An assortment of jams, preserves, or dessert sauces such as:

• Blueberry jam
• Apricot preserves
• Butterscotch ice cream topping
• Hot fudge ice cream topping
• 6 eggs

Hardware:

• Roasting pan large enough to accommodate 8 custard cups with at least 1-inch to spare around
• 8 custard cups
• Glass or stainless steel bowl with a spout
• Fine mesh strainer
• Small nonreactive saucepan
• A kettle boiling water
• Whisk

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the saucepan, combine the milk, half-and-half, vanilla, and sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat.

Next, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of each topping into each of the custard cups. The topping should come a few millimeters up the side of the custard cup.

Separate 3 of the eggs using the slotted spoon. Reserve the whites. (Note: Freeze the whites in ice trays. After the whites are frozen, place the frozen cubes into zip-top freezer bags. The frozen whites can be frozen up to a year.)

Place a mixing bowl on a rubber pad or a wet towel to prevent the bowl from spinning out of control. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining whole eggs and the yolks. Whip the eggs with a whisk until slightly thickened and lightened in color. While whisking the eggs, drizzle in about a quarter of the hot milk. Now whisk the tempered eggs back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a glass or stainless steel bowl with a spout. Pour the egg mixture through the strainer in order to catch any curdled egg bits or particles that may be in the mixture.

Place the custard cups into the roasting pan. Evenly distribute the custard into the custard cups, going short on the first pass. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and pour boiling water into the pan just under the level of the custard.

Cook the flans for about 40 minutes, or until they wobble slightly when the pan is wiggled, about 40 minutes. You can also insert a paring knife midway between the edge and the center. If it comes out clean, the flans are done. Using tongs, remove the cups from the pan to a towel-lined sheet pan. Allow the water in the roasting pan to cool before discarding. Cool, cover and chill.

When you are ready to eat turn the flan out on to a plate and serve. My caramel one came out great

My jelly one however didn't come out quite so great

Blech. Honestly the best part was the caramel so that isn't saying much for the recipe. I did however use the other recipe from the episode to great success.

I actually made 7 quiches with my leftover ham. It is a really easy recipe. Mix 2 eggs and 1 cup of half and half together with a pinch of nutmeg and pour over your filling.Bake at 350 for 25-35 min. I made two ham and spinach, two ham and leek and two ham and fennel. I stuck them in the freezer so now I have a quick and easy dinner ready for whenever I need it. Got to love leftovers right? We also made a bunch of turkey enchiladas to freeze so I am well stocked for the next few months. Anyone else have good leftover recipes? I love finding ways to re-purpose just about anything, including food. 

Cheers!

Good Eats Challenge Week 19: Mussels

So I've been dreading this Good Eats Challenge because I'm a little squeamish about shellfish (OK, I'm down right insanely picky about everything but that is what this challenge is addressing). So far on this first time journey I've had meatloaf (loved it!), shrimp cocktail (delicious!), and soup (not amazing but satisfying) so I figure there is a first time for everything. The recipe was exceedingly simple and easy to make and (i'll admit) not too bad.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 large leek, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped
• Pinch kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 20 mussels
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• Chopped parsley

Hardware:

• 8-quart nonreactive, stainless steel stockpot
• Metal colander or steamer insert

Directions

In the stockpot, sweat the garlic, leeks, and salt in the olive oil until softened over medium-low heat.

 Place the mussels in the colander and spray them with cold water to remove any excess dirt or grit. Remove any beards with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Add the chopped tomato and the wine to the stockpot and turn the heat to medium high, and bring to a simmer. 

Insert the colander of mussels into the stockpot and cover. After 3 minutes, check to see if the mussels have opened. If some are still closed, cover the pot, and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Discard any unopened mussels.

Place the mussels in a serving bowl. Remove 10 mussels from their shells and add them to the stockpot. Using a stick blender or a bar blender, puree the mussels until the liquid is of a sauce-like consistency.

Pour the sauce over the mussels and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread.

Daniel was a good sport and tried them first

Since he didn't run out of the room screaming I figured they couldn't be too bad so I tried a few. I have to say they were pretty tasty. Some were more bitter than others but the sauce was really what made the dish. I think I ate half a loaf of bread sopping it up. YUM! All in all I say I wouldn't be afraid to try mussels again but I don't think I'd add them to my weekly menu. The sauce however would make a great stew base which I just may have to try one of these days soon. Anyone else tried something they didn't think they would like recently and found out they were wrong? I was shocked how much I liked the meatloaf (I know, weird right?) I'm thinking of doing an all Good Eats Thanksgiving this year. I'm working on the menu now. 

Cheers!

Good Eats Challenge Week 18: Post Thanksgiving Soup

Ok, I know I'm jumping the gun like Peir1 here on my holidays but I had leftovers and I wanted to use them up. Since it was a great soup it will definitely be added to my arsenal for post Thanksgiving leftovers. It is super straight forward and has very little steps (in fact I hardly took any pictures because let's face it, boiling water isn't that interesting).  


Here's the recipe

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 1 turkey carcass
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen mixed vegetables (I used Trader Joe's Soyccotash) 
• 1/2 cup rice
• 2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine the vegetable stock and the turkey carcass in a large soup pot over low heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients to the stock. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the bones before serving.

Told you it was simple. I halved the recipe and used duck instead of turkey because that is what I had, but it would work well for any poultry. It was a little gross boiling bones but the house smelled so deliciously of duck that It was worth it. Seriously, I would make duck candles if I could. The pièce de résistance was the duck skin chips I made to top it off. I saved all of my duck skin and put it on a foil lined pan with a baking rack on it (this holds the skin up away from the fat that melts making it crispy). 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven and you have the best kind of bacon ever. 

It was warm and satisfying. Just what I need now that the temps have been dipping down below 40 at night. Yum! I know duck is not usually a staple in most kitchens but give it a try, you won't be disappointed.  

Good Eats Challenge Week 17: Meatloaf

Ok, so this may come as a shock to most Americans (at least it was a shock to all of my co-workers) but I have never had meatloaf before in my life. My mother never cooked it. Probably because she rightfully believed none of us would eat it. We were a picky bunch. To this day I still have problems with lots of foods. I wont eat stew or anything I can't figure out what each ingredient is. That being said, I'm very adventurous when it comes to cooking at home. And, as Daniel pointed out, isn't trying new things what this challenge is all about? So I sucked up my squeamishness at weird looking food and gave it a shot (though truth be told I don't ever plan to make the applesauce we skipped. Gross!). Honestly, I'd eat this meatloaf again and again and again. It was delicious. Easy to make and it lasted all week since it called for over 2lbs of meat.  We actually cooked this two weeks ago but I didn't want to leave it out.

Here is the recipe courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and broken
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 18 ounces ground chuck
• 18 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. 

Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. (I just free formed it since that was how he did it on the show) Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

Cook for another 20-25 min or until it reaches 155 degrees. Enjoy!

Obviously my loaf didn't stay too loafy but I didn't care. We both went back for seconds of this dish. The glaze was great too. Nicely spicy with a hint of sweetness. Add this one to your recipe files because this is a keeper! The Chocolatier at work said her favorite meat combo is equal parts lamb, pork, and chuck so I may have to try that sometime soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cheers!