The Kitchen Canister

The "New and Improved" Domino's Pizza

2010-06-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Last night we had a bunch of people over after the Phillies game. Since we tailgated in the late afternoon, we weren't hungry again until after 10:00. This also happened to be after our favorite local pizza place closed for the night. After several tries at ordering from another mom and pop store, we determined that it was too late and they were all closed.

Enter: Domino's pizza. Everyone seemed pretty gung-ho about it, but I had my doubts. Not that we really had a choice.

We ordered three pizzas - olives, pepperoni and plain - and breadsticks. It came to the house in about forty five minutes so we immediately scarfed it down.

Before I start my review, I will preface it with the fact that I haven't eaten "chain" pizza since I was in college 5 years ago, so I may be somewhat jaded.

From what I remember of the old Dominoes pizza, the new one tasted almost exactly the same but with more garlic salt on the crust. The cheese and sauce were okay, but the crust was beyond greasy. I had a slice of pepperoni and the one thing I did like was how crispy the meat was. It was even a little charred on the edges.

I also had a breadstick, which really wasn't a stick at all. To prepare what they call breadsticks, Domino's takes a round piece of dough, covers it in oil and spices (my best guess is garlic and onion powder, oregano, grated parm cheese and lots of salt) and then it gets cooked. Once it's out, it's cut in half and one of those halves is placed in a box to serve. This would be great, except you end up with about 8 breadsticks that are all different lengths. My best estimate of the longest one would be 4 inches, tops. The shortest was just a stub of a stick. As you may guess, with 9 hungry people, that can cause some serious tension.

Overall, I don't think we'd order Dominoes again. Next time we are in a dire situation like the one I described above, I think we'll try Papa John's. For now, we will stick with our local pizza shop because their pizza is the best.

Overall Rating: 2/10 (and they only got the 2 for the crispy pepperoni)

I leave you with this, because I just couldn't resist.

Foodie Photo Friday - Butterbeer!

2010-06-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

Those of you who haven't read Harry Potter have no idea what I'm talking about. Those of you who have, know that I'm referring to that creamy beer-like drink that is consumed in the Harry Potter books and movies when the young wizards go to Hogsmeade. In the fictional world of Harry Potter, you can get butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head.

If you want to know more about butterbeer, check out the Harry Potter wiki here.

Anyway, last week, we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Just after you enter the park, there is a stand where you can buy some butterbeer. It tastes a lot like cream soda with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. YUM!

Here is a picture of me drinking butterbeer in front of the Hogwart's Express!

Best part? If you pay an extra few dollars, you get to keep the souvenir cup! I know, I'm a total sucker.

What?!?! You haven't read the Harry Potter series yet? Get your butt to amazon and buy the set immediately! You can thank me later. And if you haven't seen the movies you should pick those up too! The last two movies (the final book is split into two movies because it's just that good) come out later this year and next summer.

5 Days of Indulgence - Monarch of the Seas

2010-06-23T10:45:00.001-04:00

So, in my last post I mentioned I was going on vacation. Part of this vacation consisted of a visit to Universal Studios in Orlando and the rest was spent on a cruise to two islands in the Bahamas. More on Universal later, but first the cruise. We went from Port Canaveral, FL to Coco Cay to Nassau and then back to Port Canaveral. The route looked something like this:

View Royal Carribean Cruise in a larger map

Here is our boat on the right, docked in Nassau. Also in port was another Royal Caribbean ship, a Carnival ship and a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship.

Since this is a food blog, I won't bore you with the details of all the fun we had on wave runners in Coco Cay, or on the free beach in Nassau. I won't even mention all the time we spent in the casino or the great activities we participated in on the boat (and almost won). I'll just get straight to the food. I'll also apologize in advance because I have no pictures of the actual food for you to drool over. Everything moves so quickly in the Main Dining Room that you don't really have a chance to stop and reflect. That, and I was basically in a food coma the entire time.

Windjammer
First things first, let's start with the Windjammer. This is the buffet on the ship. I know it's super hard to keep buffet food tasting "hot out of the oven" and RC did a pretty good job of keeping everything tasty. There was a huge variety of food available every day for lunch until 2:30. You could really get anything you wanted - hamburgers, hot dogs, roast beef, potatoes, salad, pasta - you name it! They also had a variety of desserts that included chocolate cake with a mousse-like filling, brownies, and all sorts of cookies.

By far, the best lunch we had was on RC's private island of Coco cay. It was a huge barbecue complete with burgers, hot dogs, ribs, corn on the cob and mac and cheese. There was also salad available, but with everything I listed above, who really wants to waste valuable stomach space with that?

Main Dining Room
We had a late seating in the main dining room. Any of you who have cruised before know this means you won't eat until almost 9. Most days we stopped for a snack at Sbarro (pizza) to hold us over.

The first night was an Italian theme. You get a three course meal and can ask for more than one if you want it. I stuck with only three dishes though. I started off with the minestrone soup, then the Chicken Marsala and finished with angel food cake topped with fresh strawberries and grand marnier syrup. YUM! For the amount of people served in such a short amount of time, the food was impeccable. It came out hot and tasted like it was cooked to order. The chicken melted in my mouth and even though I wanted seconds and thirds of the expertly baked cake, I refrained. Before dessert, since it was Italian night, the waiters all serenaded us with an Italian love song. That was fun to watch.

The first night was also my brother's birthday. There was a minor snafu with the waiters and his birthday slice of cake didn't come out until we were almost ready to leave. Anyway, here is a picture of him as the waiters sing to him

I'm not sure what the theme of the next night was, but it was mostly fish and since I'm not a fan, I chose the prime rib off of the alternate menu. It was a little fatty, but still good. I just cut around the pieces that were a little too fatty for me. I didn't even need a steak knife to cut it.

On night three the theme was "International Cuisine" so I naturally gravitated towards the Italian. I went with a Caesar Salad, and the Eggplant Mozzarella Tower. This was basically slices of eggplant and Parmesan cheese fried into a delicious little patty, served with tomato sauce on the side. This was by far the best meal I had on the trip. I followed this up with Black Cherries in a cream sauce with vanilla ice cream.

On the last day we were at sea, so we were lucky enough to have lunch and dinner in the main dining room. I was glad of that because by day 4 I was really getting tired of the buffet.

For lunch, they put together a make your own salad bar where you picked the ingredients then one of the chefs tossed and chopped it for you. Think Saladworks but a thousand times tastier and with fresher ingredients. This was the highlight of my husband's eating experience because they had kalamata olives, which were never offered in the buffet salad bar. For our meals, I got pesto pasta and he got some sort of Japanese chicken skewers. I tasted his and it was delicious. The chicken was juicy and not dry like it can sometimes get on a skewer. My pasta was a little creamier than I like it, but it still tasted great.

Later than night we had our last dinner on the ship. I was sort of sad to leave behind all this incredible food. I had Caesar salad again for my appetizer and followed it by a Cheese and Tomato Calzone. For dessert, everyone at the table ordered the brownie sandwich. To say this was heaven would be an understatement. It was two brownies with a layer of chocolate mousse in the middle. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Since this was the last night, the waiters put on a special show for us. Here's a few pictures of them as they paraded around the dining room singing.

After they were done, they asked us to dance to for them. That's when the music to the ever-popular Macarena started playing and we were asked to get up and dance. If you asked me what I expected out of this cruise, never would I have said "800 people doing the Macarena while eating dessert".

Breakfast
The only meal that left something to be desired was breakfast. The scrambled eggs were definitely powdered, as they didn't have the consistent that a real scrambled egg would have. The omelets were good, but the line was always pretty long to get one. I ended up eating a croissant and one of those single serve boxes of cereal without milk by the last day (the ship only had whole and skim and I prefer something in the middle).

Overall, the food on the ship was great. On our last afternoon on the ship, we took a tour of the galley and learned a lot about how they prepped the food. Approximately 800 guests are served at each dinner seating, which lasts only about an hour and a half. That fact alone amazed me. The executive chef then went on to tell us about the rest of his team. Every chef on the ship comes from a 5 star restaurant, and periodically chefs from around the world host training seminars for them so all the chefs stay up to date with the latest cooking techniques.

The galley was much smaller than I imagined, and it is quite an amazing feat to get all the food out in such a short amount of time. The pictures above basically show the whole thing. There is a salad and cold soups station, dessert station and hot foods station. On the wall behind where I was standing to take the picture is a small office for the executive chefs and a 42 inch screen that broadcasts to each chef what dishes need to be made.

If you haven't been on a cruise, I highly recommend you try one out - especially if you love food. It's a chance to try something new. The best part is that if you don't like it, they'll give you something else!

Vacation!

2010-06-10T14:10:00.000-04:00

We're off to a Universal Studios/Cruise vacation, so I won't be posting for the next few days.

When I get back, I'll be sure to report on all the tasty cruise food and our experiences at Universal Studios. Rumor has it we'll be able to get in to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter since we're staying on-site. I hope the butterbeer tastes as good as it looks!!

Product Review - Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers

2010-05-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week I tried two different varieties of Healthy Choice Steamers for lunch: the Balsamic Garlic Chicken and the Grilled Chicken Marinara

Since I had the same experience with both meals, I'll give an overall review of both. Generally, when you buy a pre-prepared meal out of the frozen section of the grocery store, you end up with something that doesn't resemble the picture on the package at all. It looks more like the gruel being served in a fiction novel about an orphanage. This meal, however, surprised me. When I finished microwaving it and put it on a plate, you almost couldn't tell it was a frozen meal at all. I think the steamer basket was key in keeping everything from sloshing together into one big pile of sauce covered goo.

It fell a little short in the taste department, though. The noodles were a little slippery from being "steamed" which made the sauce watery. The chicken was very tasty. My experiences with meat in other frozen meals has been pretty disappointing. It feels funny to write, but this chicken actually tasted like chicken. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the quality, and for just under $4, it was a reasonable option for lunch at work. I paired it with an apple and was full until about 4:30 pm, which is when I normally have a snack, anyway.

Out of these two, I think the Chicken Marinara tasted better, but neither tasted bad.

Overall Rating: 8/10

I was not compensated for this review. I purchased the products mentioned above at full price our of my local grocer's freezer.

Foodie Photo Friday - 5.14.10

2010-05-14T09:46:00.001-04:00

Today you're getting a real treat. We haven't really been out to eat recently, so I'm going to post a video that may qualify as food p0rn. (I can't even begin to imagine the kind of hits I'm going to get from that phrase) I present you with, Gordon Ramsay cooking scrambled eggs. YUM!

This recipe makes my eggs look like trash! I usually use milk to whisk my eggs (before I add heat to them - gasp!) and then add some butter to the pan when I pour the mixture in. Next time, I think I'll try Gordon's way. I can't imagine it tastes bad, and it gives me one less dish to clean up!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

If you like this simple but delightful recipe, try out Gordon's cookbook, Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy.

Don't like eggs? Try some of my other breakfast items.

Fried Chicken for I Heart Cooking Clubs

2010-04-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

Another week has gone by, and that means I cooked up another Bittman recipe for I Heart Cooking Clubs. This weeks theme was "Spice Caravan". I know we can take alot of liberty with the theme, but I really wanted to try something A.) I don't make that often and B.)that stays true to the theme. I think I succeeded with this Fried Chicken recipe.

Now, I can't really tell you the last time I had fried chicken. Actually, I guess that's one of the benefits of having a food blog. I can look back and tell you exactly the last time I had fried chicken. It was in February when I made Chicken Etouffee. Since "fried" is not normally on my roster, I decided to only make two fried chicken legs and then bake the rest in the over using the same spice combination. Both came out delicious - except the fried version took MUCH less time to cook, and I forgot about the baked version. YIKES! No worries, though. I caught it before it burned and it tasted great!

Fried Chicken Made Easy
courtesy How to Cook Everything, Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
Submitted to I Heart Cooking Clubs: Caravan of Spice

Ingredients

Enter, the spices!

~~1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts~~
2 legs of chicken, cleaned and patted dry
~~Neutral oil,like grapeseed or corn,~~ olive oil, ~~or a combination of lard and butter,~~ as needed
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
~~1 tablespoon~~ pinch of salt
1 ~~tablespoon~~ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
~~2 tablespoons ground cinnamon~~ - I used the chili spiced recipe below
~~Lemon~~ Lime wedges (optional)

Directions

1. Dry the chicken well with paper towels. Heat at least 1/2 inch of the fat over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet, broad saucepan, or similar vessel with a lid. While it is heating, mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic bag. Toss the chicken in the bag, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, until they are well coated with flour. Put them on a rack as you finish. (Or wait until the oil is hot, then toss the chicken with the flour one piece at a time and add the pieces directly to the fat one at a time.)

2. When the fat reaches 350°F, raise the heat to high and slowly but steadily add the chicken pieces, skin side down. When they have all been added (or, if you're working in batches, one batch), cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-high, and set a timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, uncover the skillet, turn the chicken, and continue to cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes.

3. Turn the chicken skin side down again and cook for about 5 minutes more, turning as necessary to ensure that both sides are golden brown. As the chicken pieces finish cooking (to check for doneness, remove one piece and cut into it close to the bone; the juices should run clear), remove them from the skillet and drain them on paper bags or towels. Serve hot, warm (keep warm in a low oven if you like), or at room temperature, with lemon wedges if desired.

Chili-Spiced Fried Chicken

Even more punch: Use neutral or peanut oil. Sprinkle the flour with 2 tablespoons each chili powder and ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional), and some salt and pepper; omit the cinnamon. Serve with lime wedges.

Like this recipe? Check out last week's Mark Bittman recipe here.

Foodie Photo Friday - 4.30.10

2010-04-30T09:39:00.004-04:00

I've been a little delinquent on posting these. This is mostly because we haven't really been going out to dinner much and I keep forgetting to take pictures. I dug up a bunch of food pics from our honeymoon, so the next few weeks won't disappoint! Stay tuned!

Here's a treat for Foodie Photo Friday: Crepes!

Menu Item: Chocolate Crepes
Description: Freshly made crepes topped with chocolate sauce.
Where did I order it?: A corner cafe in Paris.
What's the story?: This picture was taken on our honeymoon. After a long afternoon of site seeing at Notre Dame and the Seine, we stopped here for a rest, and a much deserved cappuccino and snack. This is so simple, but so delectable. It really hit the spot!

I want to see your foodie photos! Just make a post, and put the link in the comments below. Link back to this post using the icon below (you can grab the html code from my sidebar), so your readers can enjoy other photos posted.

Three Things Thursday - Pancakes

2010-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

If there's nothing I love more, it's pancakes on Sunday morning. Since it's Thursday, I thought I'd give you all (and myself) something to look forward to this weekend. This weeks recipes show how pancakes can be both good and good for you! GASP!

1. First up, from Simply Life are some yummy looking Blueberry Whole Wheat Flax Pancakes

2. Next, Stephanie, from Stephanie Cooks whipped up some Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

3.Finally, another Stephanie at Macaroni and Cheesecake temped my tastebuds with her Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Want some more pancake ideas? Check out my pancake tag.

Not into pancakes? Try something from my breakfast tag.

Mint Green Iced Tea

2010-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ever feel like you just needed a refreshing glass of something good for you, that wasn't water? Well, I have the answer: Homemade Mint Green Iced Tea.

This super simple to make - just boil 4 quarts of water in a tea kettle (this will take two rounds with a standard tea kettle) and pour into a heat resistant container. Add a few sprigs of mint, and 6 or 7 green tea bags. Let it brew for about a half hour. I know this seems like awhile, but you'll want it strong. After the tea has brewed, add a few cups of ice to bring it down to that refreshing temperature we all love. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

TIP: If you want to make this an adult beverage, you can add sweet tea vodka or just regular vodka. It tastes kind of mojito-ish, so rum might work as well.

WARNING:Do not pour the hot water into a glass container. The dramatic change in temperature will shatter the glass and you will have a dangerous mess to clean up. (Yes, I learned this the hard way and now my favorite pitcher is in the garbage in pieces.)

Takeout Fake-out: Conchiglie Balsamico

2010-04-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

I don't really miss much about our old central New Jersey apartment, but what I do miss is how close we lived to Princeton. In downtown Princeton there is a restaurant called Teresa Caffe. This restaurant serves quite possibly my favorite meal that I have ever ordered out - Conchiglie Balsamico, which is "shell shaped pasta, raised right chicken, asparagus in a balsamic cream sauce" according to the menu. That brief listing of ingredients does not even begin to describe how truly tasty this meal is. It sometimes makes me wish we never moved! (That, and ice cream from the Bent Spoon, of course!)

Since we can't really make a spontaneous hour and fifteen minute trip up there, I thought this would be a great meal to try for my "takeout fakeout" series. I think my version turned out okay, but it was nowhere near as good as the original. We still have some friends in the area, so maybe we will have to make a trip up there soon!

Conchiglie Balsamico
inspired by a dish at Teresa Caffe

Ingredients
1 lb asparagus, cut into bite size pieces, bitter ends discarded
1 lb chicken, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c pasta (some sort of shell shaped pasta would work best)
1/2 c light cream
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
red pepper flakes

Directions
Take the cream out of the refrigerator so it will be at room temperature when you need to use it.

Set up a pot of water for the pasta. While you are waiting for it to boil, cut up the asparagus and chicken. Coat a large skillet (large enough to fit all of the ingredients) with olive oil and cook the chicken. Drain the pan and pat the chicken with a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.

When pasta has about three minutes left to cook, place a steamer bucket over the top with the asparagus in it. Make your pasta water do double duty! Combine the asparagus and chicken in the already heated pan. After draining the pasta, add it to the chicken asparagus mixture.

Pour in the cream and vinegar. Stir so the sauce mixes and coats all of the ingredients. If desired, add a few shakes of red pepper flakes for a little zing.

Chef's Notes
This makes about 6 servings, but does not really reheat well. The second night that we had it, the pasta absorbed most of the cream. I would suggest either making just enough for one serving, or setting aside the "leftover" portions and adding the cream/vinegar the night you are going to eat it.

Container Gardening (2)

2010-04-25T16:29:00.004-04:00

It's been raining all day today so I've been holding off posting this so I could show everyone how the container garden has progressed since last week. UPDATE: It's still raining here, so I'm just going to post this with some pictures I took through my sliding glass door.

The tomato, green pepper and jalapeno pepper plants seem to be growing a bit. The strawberry plant has lots of flowers on it. There isn't much else to pollinate in the backyard, so I hope the bees are able to find it!

Basil and Rosemary aren't really doing much. Last week, I picked a lot of basil to make a Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Pizza (post coming soon), so it's actually lost leaves. They seem to be growing back pretty quickly, though.

I found a spot for the blueberry bush! It's nowhere near the rest of the garden. In fact, it's all by itself to left of the house, in the front yard. That seems to be the only spot that gets constant sun, so it will have to do. There is more space on the side of the house, so if that plant seems to flourish, maybe I'll plant a few more.

Anyone else gardening? How is your garden doing?

Eggplant Dip for I Heart Cooking Clubs

2010-04-24T17:41:00.004-04:00

Awhile back, I participated in a blog roundup called Tyler Florence Fridays. Well, that roundup sadly came to an end a few months ago. Lucky for me, the people who ran that blog have started up something new called I Heart Cooking Clubs. All the recipes submitted are by a certain chef, just how Tyler Florence Fridays worked, only the chef on I Heart Cooking Clubs changes every few months.

In April, they are featuring the recipes of Mark Bittman. When I first read who the chef was, I though, who the heck is that?. Then when I was searching for recipes, I realized I actually followed his NY Times blog Bitten. Duh, Melissa. An interesting thing about Mark Bittman is that he's never had any formal training, he's never worked at a restaurant. So I guess that means there is hope for all of us cooking enthusiasts yet. Read more about Mark and his philosophy on eating simple here.

If you know anything about Mark Bittman, you'll know he's all about simple and easy. He frequently posts "101" lists on his blog, which go through 101 ways to make something quick. Some of these lists include, 101 salads, 101 make-aheads, etc. I got the recipe below from "101 20-minute dishes for Inspired PIcnics"

This is a departure from my normal recipe post because the recipe is so simple. It doesn't even require an ingredient list.

Eggplant Hummus Dip
from Mark Bittman's 101 20-minute dishes for inspired picnics , #22

Cook whole unpeeled eggplant in a dry, hot skillet, turning occasionally, until collapsed and soft. (Or grill, or roast, or hold with a fork over an open flame.) While it’s cooling, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Chop the eggplant flesh (leave the peel behind) and roughly mash in the bowl. Add red pepper flakes if you like. Serve with pita

Chef's Notes:
Yup, that's the whole recipe. You thought I was kidding when I said he was a simple cook, didn't you? Since there aren't any measurements, I'll list the amounts I used:

1 large eggplant
1/4 c. hummus (my grocery store was out of plain old tahini)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice - but I ended up squirting in a little bit more after I tasted it
three shakes of salt and pepper
1 clove garlic (if I was just using tahini, I probably would have used 2, but hummus already has garlic in it.)
I'm not sure of the amount of parsley, but after it was chopped, it was about a palmful
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

This is for the potluck roundup on I Heart Cooking Clubs, so I guess it's appropriate that I'm taking it to a BBQ tonight. I'm excited to see what everyone thinks!

Three Things Thursday - New Food Blogs

2010-04-23T09:32:00.004-04:00

I know I'm super late with this, but you know what they say - better late than never! Today I give you three food blogs I've recently discovered through the comments on other blogs.

1. Erin has a great blog on food, travel and everything else called Travel Eat Repeat. Check out her Vegan Style Burger and Fries post.

2. I actually found this next blog through my own comments. Food by DB is a recipe blog by a stay at home dad in CA. His newest recipe for Pesto Risotto looks great!

3. I found Danielle's blog Coffee Run through Erin's blog above. Danielle is a vegan and a runner with a great blog! She's also convinced me that mustard greens might actually be tasty!

If you want to see more of my favorite blogs, check them out here.

What are your favorite blogs? How do you discover new ones?

Container Gardening (1)

2010-04-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

I was hoping to do some in ground planting this year, but our lawn is in very bad shape and a lot of our time is spent trying to get it to resemble the lush lawns of our neighbors. We've made some decent progress, and the last thing I want to do is mess it up by digging out a garden. Another thing I'm having trouble with is sunlight. The only spot in my backyard that gets sunlight all day is on our deck. Instead of utter failure with a garden that doesn't get enough sun, I've decided to try my hand at container gardening.

I understand that container gardening does have it's limits - for example, I don't think I'll be planting corn any time soon! I do like the idea of prolonging my growing season by being able to bring some of the veggies indoors, though.

Last week, I purchased a strawberry plant

and some basil.

These two plants convinced me that container gardening is well worth it. During the week we had a frost warning, which is pretty rare for this late in the year. Since the plants were in pots, I was able to bring them inside for the night and protect them. I'm not sure what I would have done if the plants were in the ground.

Yesterday, I picked up some more vegetables to add to the container garden.

Jalapeno Peppers - these came in a pack of nine, but I didn't want to plant them all in one pot. I don't have any extra containers, so they'll stay in the plastic until I can get some.

Green Pepper

Cherry Tomato

and Rosemary, another herb to keep my basil company.

I also purchased a blueberry bush, but I'm not sure where to plant it, so it's still sitting in the pot for now. It looks so lonely over there all by itself.

Here is the whole group together on the corner of my deck.

Eventually, I'd like to fill the entire ledge with different herbs like mint, parsley, and cilantro. I'd also like to add some more veggies like eggplant and maybe another tomato plant. I'm not sure how much success I'd have with cucumbers and lettuce, but that would be great. How rewarding would it be to make a salad out of stuff I could just pluck from the backyard?

How about you? Do you like to garden? Do you garden in the ground or in containers? What is your favorite vegetable or fruit to grow? Share your gardening successes and failures with me in the comments.

Restaurant Review - Casona of Collingswood

2010-04-17T10:02:00.005-04:00

This past week was South Jersey Restaurant Week, so we used this as an opportunity to eat at a restaurant we've been eyeing up for awhile: Casona of Collingswood in Collingswood, NJ.

The type of cuisine the restaurant serves is Cuban, and being a fan of some other Cuban restaurants like Cuba Libre and Bongos Cuban Cafe, we thought we'd really enjoy this restaurant. An added bonus was that we didn't have to travel to Philly or Florida to get a taste of Cuba.

The restaurant itself is very cute. Originally a house, the bottom floor is now set up for a dining experience. Now that it is getting warmer out, the patio is open. It was a little chilly on Sunday, so we sat indoors. Casona is BYOB, but there is a small bar across from the hostess station - for coffee.

For those of you not familiar with how restaurant weeks work, there is a set menu made up of three or four courses, for a set price. At Casona, the menu was four courses for $35 per person. The regular menu was also available.

Course 1: Soup
Our choices here were either black bean soup or Mussels Cream Soup. I'm not a fan of mussels to begin with, and the thought of them in a soup did not appeal to me. In the end, all four of us ordered the black bean. The soup was delivered in crocks, and smelled strong of cumin. It tasted good, but had a little bit of a salty aftertaste. The amount of cumin was a perfect compliment to the beans.

Course 2: Appetizers
For appetizers, we had three choices - Guacamole Chamacuero, Chicken Empanadas, and Carpaccio de Venado (Venison). My husband and I decided we would both order something different and split it. This was the best way to taste more than just one. Since we were both torn between the Empanadas and the Guacamole, we went with those two. No one in our group ordered the venison, so I don't know how good or bad that was.

This was by far the most delicious course of the meal. The guacamole was creamy. The grapes gave it a sweet taste, balanced out by the hotness of the peppers. It came with plantain and tortilla chips for dipping. Both types of chips were expertly fried and crispy. There is nothing worse than a soggy chip, but we didn't have to worry about that here.

The empanadas were also delicious. They came with a spicy sauce that you could dip it in, they were so good on their own, we really didn't need it. The chicken was very tender, and the whole thing melted in your mouth. This item is on Casona's regular menu, and I highly recommend you get them if you're ever dining there.

Course 3: Entree
There were four choices in all for the main course. Three people at the table ordered the Bistec de Palomilla Empanizado - breaded fried top sirloin steak served with rice, maduros & cucumber tomatoes salad with garlic emulsion. I was the odd ball and ordered the Masitas de Puercos - fried little pork chunks with moro rice, tamale, avocado & maduros. Also available was Sauteed Cod and Cuban Rice with Shrimp.

I wasn't a huge fan of the pork or the steak. I'm not sure if this was because my hopes were so high after such a great appetizer, or I was full, but this was the course that disappointed me the most. I'm not a big fan of fried items, so this may have been my problem. The plantains and rice/black bean cake were really good though. To the restaurant's defense, our waiter told us these items were brand new to their menu, and we went on the first night they were rolling it out.

Course 4: Dessert
The dessert served was a perfect end to the meal. The Tres Leches was absolutely divine. Everyone at the table finished the entire dessert, even though most of us decided we were pretty full after Course 3. As described by our waiter, Tres Leches is a white cake, soaked in three different kinds of milk, then topped with whipped cream and caramel. He should have just said it was heaven, because I don't think I've ever had a dessert so good.

All in all, the meal was great, with a few low points that could be overlooked due to lack of experience cooking the dish.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Casona of Collingswood
563 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
(856) 854-5555

If you live near Collingswood and want to know more about another area restaurant, see my review of The Tortilla Press.

For another review of this restaurant, visit Me and the Blue Skies.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to dine at Casona, nor was I compensated for this review. The review above reflects my honest opinion of the restaurant and its food.

Three Things Thursday - Pizza

2010-04-15T08:30:00.001-04:00

Here are three recipes that feature one of my favorite foods: pizza!

1. First up is this lovely looking Roasted Vegetable Pizza from Cook with Sara.

2. Next a Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza from Simply Life.

3. And finally, Grilled Whole Wheat Pizza from Simply Sayisfying.

...and if you're still hungry for more pizza recipes, check out my pizza tag.

Pasta Tossed with Broccoli and Diced Tomatoes

2010-04-14T21:22:00.003-04:00

Today is the first time I've cooked during the week after work in a loooooong time. It's been tax season for the last few months, and now it is finally over! YAY!

So naturally, being a little out of practice, I didn't take anything out to make. I didn't even think about what could be prepared before my commute home. This meant it was time for a pantry meal. My usual go to ingredients for a 'make it quick' meal are pasta and tomato sauce. I can whip up a decent sauce in a few minutes as long as I have an onion and green pepper in the fridge. Unfortunately, there was no onion.....or pepper. Needless to say, I had to figure out something else.

Staring in my pantry, it finally came to me.

Pasta Tossed with Broccoli and Diced Tomatoes
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 lb pasta - I used Rienzi brand, Cantanisella Lunga
1 leaf fresh basil, torn into small pieces
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions

Boil pasta according to directions on box. While the pasta water is boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the broccoli pieces in a steamer basket that will fit over the pasta pot. Once heated, saute the garlic for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil to the mixture and turn it up to medium heat, stirring constantly so the tomatoes reduce.

When there is 4 minutes left on the pasta, set the steamer basket over the hot water so the broccoli cooks. Once the pasta is finished, add the broccoli into the tomato mixture, and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Once heated through, serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Honest Scrap Award

2010-04-11T08:22:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Crystal over at Crystal Clear Reading for this Honest Scrap Award. She has a great blog about books and there's currently a giveaway going on over there, so go check it out!!!

Now I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself, so here goes:

1. I have two cats and one wakes me up every morning at 2am to get his head scratched. Like the idiot I am, I do it.

2. My commute to work is 90 miles, one way.

3. I only go to the office three times a week.

4. Yesterday I sprayed our front lawn with weed killer and almost got attacked by one of those giant bees because I sprayed it by accident.

5. When I was in high school, my favorite TV show was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

6. This year I am going on two cruises within a month of one another, and I've never been on a cruise before.

7. On Friday, my Master's degree came in the mail! Whooohooo - No more school!!

Now that you've learned about me - I'll pass this on to 7 other people:

Megan C. from Married and More
Alee from Love Is...
Kim from Stirring the Pot
Erica from My Columbian Recipes
Rachel from Rachel Vs. The Kitchen
Arena from The Nerd's Wife
Kate from Whimsical, Whamsical, Whumsical who also gave me the "You're Going Places" Award.

For this award you're supposed to tell the blogging world where you want to be in 10 years.

In ten years, I'd like to have a job where I work less hours so I can be home with my beautiful well-behaved children and cook them delicious meals. (What, is the 'well behaved' too much to ask??)

Trip to Amish Farmer's Market - Mullica Hill, NJ

2010-04-10T17:27:00.003-04:00

This morning I went to the Amish market in Mullica Hill, NJ with my parents. My mom goes every week and always raves about how great it is. After hearing this time after time, I decided I needed to check it out myself. From the way my mom talked about it, I envisioned this place to be huge, like larger than our local Target. Much to my dismay, it was about as big as Trader Joe's. A little unimpressed with the size, I applied the old adage that 'good things come in small packages' and followed my parents in.

Upon entering you are greeted with the amazing smell of freshly made donuts. Naturally, the donut stand is right by the door to suck you in. I avoided temptation and continued to the left. The whole place is designed in a circle, with vendors lining both sides. When you're done, you have the choice of leaving, or eating whatever you purchased in a little dining area.

Next to the donuts was the produce. It all looked very fresh, but I didn't purchase any. In this section, you could also buy a freshly made fruit smoothie. On the other side of the produce were baked goods with items like cookies, pies, cakes, and breads, and the sandwich stand, where you could buy a made-to-order hoagies (subs, heroes, torpedoes, grinders, whatever you want to call them).

Passing both of those stands by, we headed to the beef and pork counter. Since it was my first time and I didn't have a ton of cash on me (no credit cards accepted!), I went light. I purchased four beef burgers and four pork chops. My mom got a pound of chipped steak that would be wonderful for steak sandwiches, a rack of ribs, and a pork loin. On the other side of this counter, was a stand that sold chips and various kinds of dips. We passed on that one, though I was curious to see if their black bean hummus dip was anything like mine. Maybe next time.

Next up was the lunch meat counter on our right and the poultry counter to the left. I opted for a pound of 98% fat free, low sodium turkey breast from the lunch meat counter and my mom picked up some chicken cutlets and already cooked hot wings from the poultry counter.

Then I ventured into the candy and nut shop on the left while my dad picked up his favorite tapioca pudding. While perusing the candy and nuts, I observed that the prices of the candy were just a bit high and passed. I did pick up some yummy unsalted, roasted almonds though, since they were slightly cheaper than the ones I get at the grocery store.

After all this shopping, I was hungry, so I stopped off at the homemade pretzel booth. Here you have the option of pretzel dogs, cheesesteak pretzel dogs, pepperoni and cheese pretzel dogs, and just regular pretzels (plain or cinnamon and sugar). I wasn't feeling very saucy, so I got a plain pretzel. It was buttery and hot right out of the oven, and delicious! For $1.75, it was well worth it.

On our way out, the lure of the donut caught my dad. He picked up a half dozen.

Overall, I would say I had a great experience at the Market. It would take me about 40 minutes to get there from my house, though, so I probably won't make it out there that often. Everything was so fresh, I wish it was just a little bit closer. If you go, I would definitely recommend bringing some of your own canvas reusable grocery bags. You pay separately at each counter and end up with a ton of bags that are different sizes, so it would help to consolidate.

Here's a truly terrible picture of my haul. I was taking shots for a half hour and finally gave up:

Amish Farmers Market
108 Swedesboro Road
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
856-478-4300

Three Things Thursday - Books about Food

2010-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since I love to read, and I love to cook, I thought it would be appropriate to mix the two together for this Three Things Thursday entry. I give you, reviews by some of my favorite bloggers on the subject of food.

1. First up is a review of Farm City from the blog Muffin Top. It is the story of how Novella Carpenter turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a farm. I've never heard of this book, but it certainly sounds interesting.

2. Jacki at lovely little shelf has reviewed The Emperors of Chocolate by Joel Glenn Brenner. This book tells the story of the big name chocolate manufacturers Hershey and Mars.

3. Lastly, a cookbook that Kim at Stirring the Pot reviewed. I just had to include this one because I love Giada so much. She never disappoints with a recipe, and it looks like Giada's Kitchen is no exception to this statement.

HAPPY READING!

Chickpea Salad

2010-04-06T08:45:00.003-04:00

If you read my post below, you already know I hosted my first Easter dinner this weekend. It was fun but stressful knowing that 7 people were counting on me to serve up a tasty meal. If you're interested in how I kept everything under control, look for my post later today with my timetable in it.

Anyway - on to the salad I served.

While perusing the internet for a unique salad, I came across this recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen. It was supposed to be very warm on Easter, so I thought it was the perfect light side dish to go with the other items.

If you'd like the recipe, please click on the link above. The only thing I did differently was omit the olives because I despise olives.

Chef's Notes:

The dressing to this salad had a very strong vinegar taste to it, making it kind of tangy. If you're not a fan of vinegar, then you probably won't like this dressing. You could always add more oil (I think that might make it a bit oily, though) or maybe cut the vinegar with water so you get the same volume of dressing, just less bite from the vinegar.

I highly recommend marinating for the full two hours suggested in the recipe. This gave the ingredients time to meld together.

Overall, the salad was a hit and it was the perfect amount. There was about half a serving leftover that I enjoyed later that night with some corn added to it. This salad would make a perfect lunchtime meal!

Apparently, I am gaga for Chickpea Salads! Check out the one I made last week.

Critique My Easter Menu

2010-04-02T10:30:00.004-04:00

HELP! This is my first time hosting a big family meal and I want to get it right.

Here are the facts:
1. There will be 8 people attending dinner and 12 people attending dessert.
2. 1 of the 8 dinner guests is a vegetarian.
3. I can't change the main dish because my mother-in-law has volunteered to bring it.
4. Since it's going to be pretty warm, we were thinking of eating outside.

Appetizers
Bleu cheese, chopped walnuts and tawny port spread (my husband's grandmom will be bringing this)
Hummus with crackers, carrots and cucumbers

Salad
Chickpea Salad from Kalyn's Kitchen

Main Course
Heavenly Ham (from mother in law)
One Portabello mushroom for the vegetarian
Grilled Pineapple
Asparagus with a balsamic glaze
Corn
Potatoes

Dessert
My husband's grandma is bringing a cake
My mom is bringing an ice cream cake
Coffee
Tea

So, now that you've seen the menu, here are my questions:

1. What kind of potatoes would you make? mashed, baked, those little red roasted potatoes with rosemary?
2. I've never cooked a portobello before because I'm not really a fan of mushrooms. Have you made one and how did it come out? Do you think I'd be better off grilling it? I found a few recipes that say to grill it instead of bake it.
3. Am I missing anything?

Three Things Thursday - non-food bloggers

2010-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I follow a ton of blogs. So many, that I have trouble keeping up with not only the food blogs, but all the other blogs, too. All of them are awesome. Why else would I keep them in my reader? So this Thursday I want to showcase some recipes from my blog friends whose blogs aren't dedicated to food. It's always good to branch out!

1. Ally at CasuALLY musing cooked up some delicious looking Swedish Meatballs as part of her 101 in 1001 task list. She is working on learning 5 new dishes and doing a great job so far. Go Ally!

2. Arena at The Nerd's Wife is paying homage to the South with her Louisiana Chicken Pasta. Looks to me like it has just the right amount of creaminess and spice.

3. Hyperbole and a Half is by no means a food blog, but it might just be the only blog in my whole reader that makes me laugh out loud at least once during every post. Here is Allie's take on Cake vs. Pie. If you have time - check out her Spaghatta Nadle drawings. This girl is a laugh a minute!

Craving spaghetti after looking at that comic? Try some of the recipes under my pasta tag.

Takeout Fake-out: Philly Cheesesteak

2010-03-28T21:40:00.001-04:00

In light of some recent events that have hit a little close to home, my husband and I have decided to start saving more aggressively than we have been in the recent months. Ever since we purchased our home, it's been the wild west as far as spending goes. I'm surprised the people at Home Depot don't know us by our first names yet! One place that we could easily save is eating out. The problem is, I love trying new restaurants, so this will be a pretty big challenge for us.

Enter, this new feature, Takeout Fakeout. I'm going to try and do one recipe a week where I mimic something I see on a menu or that we've eaten at a restaurant. My main goal is to try and do it cheaper. So here is my first attempt, a Philly Cheesesteak (minus the cheese because we want to stay healthy, too).

Take Out Fakeout - Philly Cheesesteak
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1 lb of sirloin steak
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
fresh ground pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion

Directions

Slice the sirloin steak into very thing slices, so thin you can almost see through them, discarding any large pieces of fat you come across. Once all the meat is slices thinly, put it in a large Ziploc bag and add the Worcestershire and soy sauces, and pepper. Add about a half cup of water and toss around the mixture once the bag is sealed. Let marinate for a half hour.

While the meat is marinading, roughly chop the green pepper and onion into bite size pieces. Coat a pan with oil and, once hot, add the onions and peppers. Let cook until the onions are translucent and the green peppers soft. Put on low and coat another pan with a small amount of oil. Add the steak and cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain the steak and mix it into the pan with the onions and pepper. Raise the heat back to medium and cook for 3 minutes so the flavors combine.

Serve on a roll with desired toppings. (I prefer tomatoes, ketchup and pickles.)

Chef's Note:

photo credit: wallyg via flickr
This is a picture of a steak from Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadelphia. When visiting the area, tourists usually opt for Pat's or its rival across the street, Geno's. The debate between which establishment makes a better steak can get very heated. People in this area are very passionate about this. One thing everyone can agree on is one thing: It is all about the roll. If you're not using Amoroso, you might as well use an old shoe!

And now here is a picture of my version of Philly's claim to fame, besides Rocky and the Liberty Bell of course.

This tasted really great, and while it wasn't quite as big as the sandwich you'd get at Geno's or Pat's, it was still very filling. The only difference between my sandwich and the pro's version, was the way the steak was chopped. To do it right, you need a flat grill surface and two metal spatulas. If you get the technique down, you end up with slivers of steak that melt in your mouth. Since I have non-stick pans and plastic spatulas, I didn't quite get the same consistency. It still turned out great, though.

Price Comparison

Kitchen Canister
Amoroso Rolls - $3.99 for 8 = $0.50
Sirloin Steak - $9.01 for 1 lb, which made 4 sandwiches = $2.25
Green Pepper - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Onion - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Total Cost: $3.25

Pat's Steak Sandwich - $7.50

Total Savings: $4.25

Want to see more fakeouts? Click here.

If you'd like to read more about the Geno's/Pat's rivalry - see this Destination Eats blog post.

Three Things Thursday - Breads

2010-03-25T09:51:00.002-04:00

This week I'm featuring some recipes for bread. I'll be honest, making bread scares me, so while I have a ton of bread recipes bookmarked in my reader, I'll probably never get around to trying them. Over the past two years, I've learned that my strong point is cooking, not baking. I think it's because baking seems to be all about 'exacts', while you can be a little more liberal with cooking. Then I thought to myself, maybe some of my readers would want to try out some bread recipes. So, here you go!

picture courtesy pkurecipes.com

1. To start out, try Mrs. Messi's Super Easy Bread for Beginners

2. Then move on to this Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Straight Up Good Food.

3. For something sweet, try the Monkey Bread over at Smitten Kitchen.

Like I said, I don't bake much bread, but I did try my hand at croissants last year. Check out my experience!

Fakeout - DIY Hamburger Helper

2010-03-23T20:25:00.005-04:00

Ground Beef. Now, that's a tricky item. There are really two things I do with ground beef: meatballs and hamburgers. In the interest of this blog, and in branching out, I thought that tonight I'd try something a little different.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make Hamburger Helper all the time. Of course, as all mothers do, she put her own little twist on it. I posted her recipe around this time last year, and thought tonight was a great night to revisit it.

DIY Hamburger Helper
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a dash of paprika, red pepper flakes and rosemary
1 can of cannellini beans
1 roma tomato, diced
2 cups egg noodles
1 packet of powdered brown gravy mix

Directions

Heat some oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are fragrant and start to become translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Meanwhile, boil the water to cook the egg noodles.

Add the beef to the frying pan and saute. After mixing the onions, garlic and beef together, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and spices and mix. Once beef is browned, add the cannellini beans and heat through for about 5 minutes.

Once you add the beans, the water for the noodles should be ready. Add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes. They're going to cook a little bit with the beef mixture, so don't cook them all the way.

While the noodles are cooking, add the tomato and stir the mixture. Turn it down to low heat.

Once the noodles are done, strain them, but reserve a little less than a cup of the boiling water. Add the water and noodles to the beef, and mix in the gravy packet. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the mixture come to a boil. Once it boils, put the heat on low and let it heat through.

Servings: 4

Chef's Notes
To modify this recipe, I added beans, and reduced the amount of noodles to make it a little healthier and more filling. This worked out great. I've been exercising a lot lately, so I find that I'm much hungrier at night than I normally am.

The next time I make this, the only thing I would do differently is use a can of diced tomatoes, or increase the fresh tomato to two. There wasn't enough tomato taste for me and I think it would be a nice compliment to the beans.

If you're looking to make this recipe even healthier, I think ground turkey would taste great, too.

Overall, I think it tasted very similar to hamburger helper. That little white glove guy can keep his prepackaged dinner, because I would definitely make this again!

sorry buddy!

James Beard Nominees Announced

2010-03-23T10:21:00.004-04:00

picture courtesy The James Beard Foundation

Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced its Nominees. For those of you who don't know, this is like the Oscars for the food world. Here's a quick run down of the local chefs/restaurants nominated.

Stephen Starr was nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur. He has about 10 restaurants in the Philadelphia area, in addition to some in Atlantic City and New York City. (Check out Pod if you're in the area - it's excellent!)

Tom Colicchio was nominated as Outstanding Chef for craft restaurant in New York City.

Bibou in Philadelphia was nominated for Best New Restaurant.

Nominated for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional were Garret Oliver and Paul Greico, for Brooklyn Brewery and Hearth, respectively. (Both located in NYC)

Vetri in Philadelphia was nominated for Best Service.

The nominees for Best Chef - Midatlantic included two chef's from Philly - Jeff Michaud (Osteria) and Michael Solomonov (Zahav).

And finally, I also need to give a shout out to the nominees for best food blog -Grub Street NY, Serious Eats, and Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook

To see all the nominees, click here.

Chick Pea Salad

2010-03-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Another lazy Sunday gone by and we had nothing to eat for lunch. This Sunday was particularly menancing thanks to our old buddy daylight savings time. By the time we finished eating our waffles for breakfast, it was almost noon! This "spring ahead" business is really no fun.

Thanks to our late (and filling) breakfast, I decided to whip up something pretty light for lunch so we could get back to a normal eating schedule for dinner.

Chick Pea Salad
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients
1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 of an onion, diced (I used a yellow onion, but I bet it would taste better with a red one)
Juice of one lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients above in a large bowl and mix together. Let ingredients blend for about a half hour, then serve.

Three Things Thursday - 3.18.10

2010-03-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday again! That means it's time to post some excellent recipes I've been meaning to make, but haven't quite gotten to yet. This weeks theme is the ever elusive side dish. I always have trouble pairing sides up with main dishes. We usually end up with some rice and a steamed veggie (broccoli or green beans, most likely). Here are some new ways to spice up your sides:

1. Green Beans Marinara by Lauralop at edible ventures

2. Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto by Stephanie at Macaroni and Cheesecake.

3. Japanese Cucumber Salad by Stephanie at Stephanie Cooks.

Want some more side dishes? Check out my side dish tag.

Grilled Pork Chop Marinade

2010-03-17T10:44:00.001-04:00

Okay, so this isn't really a recipe, but I wanted to share a picture of our first grilling attempt of the season. It was finally warm enough out that I ventured to cook outside. I love the way grilled food tastes, so I was super excited.

Pork Marinade
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients
1 ounce of dark rum
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons of McCormick Grillmates for Pork
4 boneless pork chops
1 gallon sized plastic bag that seals

Directions
Combine all ingredients in plastic bag and seal. Shake it around and then let it marinate for no longer than a half hour. (I've noticed pork tends to fall apart if you marinate it any longer)

I'd suggest brushing each side of your chops with a little oil before putting them on the grill. Mine stuck a little bit and it was a pain to clean up. Grill your porkchops to desired doneness and this is what you're finished product will look like.

Whole Wheat Waffles

2010-03-16T10:20:00.004-04:00

This Sunday was my husband's turn to make breakfast. He went for waffles, since we always have pancakes. Using our trusty BH&G cookbook, he whipped up a delicious breakfast.

Whole Wheat Waffles
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Bridal Edition

Ingredients
1-3/4 cups ~~all-purpose~~ whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups milk
~~1/2~~ 1/4 cup ~~cooking~~ olive oil ~~or butter, melted~~
1 teaspoon vanilla

NOTE: you will also need a waffle iron to make these. If you don't have a waffle iron and don't want another large piece of equipment clogging up your kitchen, I did find this nifty looking waffle griddle at Crate & Barrel.

Directions
In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker (use a regular or Belgian waffle baker). Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

Servings: Makes 12 to 16 (4-inch) waffles

Chef's Notes
I always love waffles on a Sunday morning. It's a perfect way to relax with your cup of coffee. Even better, making them yourself means it costs less than it would at a diner, and you don't have to wait for a table!

These waffles were good, except they were a little on the dry side. We tried to be healthier by using less oil, and I think that's where the dryness came in. On the bright side, the old baking soda that I complained about in my last breakfast post has been replaced with a new supply, and the waffles puffed up perfectly.

Not in the mood for waffles? Check out my egg or pancake tags.

Foodie Photo Friday - 3.12.10

2010-03-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's Foodie Photo Friday again. Today, I take you back to our honeymoon in Paris about one and a half years ago. We spent 3 days in Paris and then took the train to Venice, then to Rome.

Menu Item: Saumon grillé, sauce béarnaise
Description: Salmon and bearnaise sauce, with mashed broccoli and carrots. Spinach and leafy green lettuce on the side.
Where did I order it?: La Gueuze in Paris, France.
What's the story?: We ate here while we were waiting for it to get dark out so we could make our way up the Eiffel Tower. We originally planned on only getting a drink because they had happy hour specials on their Belgian beers and my husband couldn't resist. However, we got pretty hungry sitting there, so we decided to eat. This was actually my husband's dish, and he loved it. I had a taste of the mashed veggies and they tasted great. It's something I've been wanting to recreate but haven't gotten around to it yet. Perhaps for our anniversary to remember our awesome honeymoon?

*****

Want to see your picture and a link to your blog on Foodie Photo Friday? Send me a link by clicking the picture below.

Three Things Thursday - St. Patrick's Day Recipes

2010-03-11T08:22:00.005-05:00

St. Patrick's Day is coming up next Wednesday, so I thought it'd be nice to gear you up with some excellent recipes.

1. First up, how about a drink? A lovely Guinness Float from The Hungry Mouse.

2. Next, some hearty Irish Stew from Savory, Spicy, Sweet.

3. Last, but certainly not least, have some dessert! Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes from Cook Like a Champion.

Erin Go Bragh!

Don't like Guinness? Try this recipe for a Bailey's and Amaretto cocktail.

NJ Diner Tour to Benefit our Food Banks

2010-03-10T20:13:00.005-05:00

So I heard about something pretty cool going on next weekend in NJ. The Kindred Souls, a band based out of NJ, is doing a diner tour. Yes, you read it right, a diner tour. Here's the idea: The weekend of March 19, the band will start visiting a diner in each county of NJ. They'll play a set, and ask everyone dining to donate $1 per table, and have the diner match that, with $1 per check. All proceeds will go to the NJ Federation of Food Banks. The band plans to hit one diner in each of NJ's 21 counties. I'm exhausted just thinking about it and I didn't even strum a guitar!

So if you're going to be in NJ that weekend, check out the schedule and pop into one of our state's great diners for a bite to eat and to donate! If they reach their goal, it will mean 21,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank.

Thanks to John and Lisa Are Eating in South Jersey for the heads up on this!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2010-03-07T11:10:00.005-05:00

Every Sunday my husband and I make breakfast. For the past few Sundays we have been making pancakes. Last week, I used this recipe, but they came out really flat. When I say flat, I mean flat. One pancake wasn't even as thick as a quarter. I had a feeling it may have been baking powder that lost its potency, to test that theory, I tried a different recipe this week.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Bridal Edition

Ingredients
1 cup ~~all-purpose flour~~ whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.

In another medium mixing bowl combine the egg, milk, and cooking oil and vanilla extract. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Mix in chocolate chips just before pouring batter. (They sink to the bottom quickly, so make sure you give it a good stir before each pour.)

For standard-size pancakes, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. For dollar-size pancakes, pour about 1 tablespoon batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or till pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm.

Servings: Makes 8 to 10 standard-size (4-inch) or 36 dollar-size (2-inch) pancakes (8 servings).

Chef's Notes
The verdict is that these pancakes were delicious, but still sort of on the flat side. The next time we're at the grocery store, I think I will be picking up a new package of baking powder.

Hungry for more pancake recipes? Check out my pancakes tag.

Foodie Photo Friday - 3.5.10

2010-03-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

Another Foodie Photo Friday is upon us. As a carnivore, I should warn all you vegetarians out there, that you may not like this weeks installment of Photo Friday. Before I post the picture, I'll just say it was taken at a place called Museo del Jamon. The English translation of this is Museum of Ham. You've been warned!

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Menu Item: Serrano Ham Sandwich
Description: A thick slice of Serrano ham on a hard 6 inch roll.
Where did I order it?: Museo del Jamon in Madrid, Spain
What's the story?: We went to Madrid in 2007. It was our first trip overseas together and we wanted to soak up all the country had to offer. We took a food tour of the city, and this was our first stop. If you ever go to Madrid, definitely sample the ham sandwich here. We went later in the night, around 9, and it was really packed. You can't see it in this picture, but the bar where you order sandwiches is to the right. My then-fiance (we actually got engaged only a few hours earlier that day) weaseled his way through the throngs of people to get to the counter. The sandwiches were delicious!

If you want me to feature your favorite foodie photo next Friday, click here for how to submit.

Three Things Thursday - 3.4.10

2010-03-04T11:04:00.000-05:00

This week I'll link to three recipes that would be great for lunch. In my constant quest to avoid a turkey sandwich for lunch, I am always starring recipes in my google reader for salads and soups that I can make large quantities of and feast on all week.

1. Escarole and Butter Lettuce Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Hazelnuts posted on Epicurious.com

2. Quinoa Salad with Cucumber posted on Liz's Cooking Blog

3. Mediterranean Chopped Salad posted on What's Cookin', Chicago?

Well, there you have, 3 fabulous salad recipes for you to impress your friends with. Those recipes not enough for you? Maybe you'd like some soup to go with it? Check out my soup recipes by clicking here!

Chicken Chili Verde

2010-03-02T10:23:00.006-05:00

If you've been following me over the course of this blog, you already know I have a soft spot for anything tex-mex. When I came across this recipe on TPOX's blog, Proceed With Caution, I knew I had to try it. I'd never made anything with tomatillo's before, but this looked pretty simple. I wrote down all the ingredients and headed to my local grocery store to search them out. Lucky for me, I snagged the last 10 tomatillos the store had. Unlucky for me, when I got them home and unhusked them, one was moldy. Ew! Needless to say, I threw that one out and used the remaining nine. It still came out great, though.

Chicken Chili Verde
courtesy TPOX at Proceed with Caution

Ingredients
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapenos, stem removed (and seeded if necessary to reduce the heat)
10 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1/2 of a large white onion, quartered
~~1/3 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed~~ (Grocery store was all out)
4 tablespoons ~~vegetable~~ olive oil
~~5-6 small~~ 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

Directions
1. Place garlic, jalapenos, tomatillos, and onion in a large stock pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil (see step 3) over medium heat, and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.

2. Add contents of the pot to a blender along with 1/2 cup water and cilantro. Puree until smooth, being careful to allow steam to escape while blending or you will end up with a newly decorated kitchen in a wonderful shade of green!

3. When tomatillo mixture reaches a boil, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken until no longer pink, then drain skillet. Add pureed tomatillo mixture to skillet, then add salt, to taste. With the lid cracked, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Serve with mexican rice and tortillas, garnished with lime for juicing.

Servings:6

Chef's Notes
Even though my recipe was minus one tomatillo, it was still delicious. For the jalapenos, I seeded one and left the seeds in the other. I didn't think it was that spicy, though, so next time I think I will leave all of the seeds in. I served it with black beans and mexican yellow rice. We also used whole wheat tortillas for dipping in the sauce.

Photo Friday - Beer Sampler at Rock Bottom Brewery

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Menu Item: Beer Sampler. Okay, I know this isn't food, but drinks can be delicious too!
Description: a small sample of 8 of the beers that Rock Bottom brews on premises
Where did I order it?: Rock Bottom Brewery in Denver, CO
What's the story?: In August, we went on a beer-cation to Denver and this was one of our stops. Denver is home to many microbreweries and brew pubs. We spent a long weekend sampling some of the better beers that come our of Colorado. Coors not included! We're talking craft beers, here, people.

Three Things Thursday - 2.25.10

2010-02-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday again! This week, I'll link to some recipes that feature asparagus.

Asparagus is probably one of my favorite vegetables. It's great with some balsamic vinegar drizzled across it, or just steamed with some salt and pepper sprinkled on top. These recipes take asparagus to a new level, though.

1. Grilled Asparagus with Prosciutto, Torn Croutons, Poached Egg, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar - Ad Hoc at Home by Celeste at Sugar & Spice

2. Asparagus and Zucchini Quiche by Stephanie at Stephanie Cooks

3. Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook Review: Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies by Kim at Stirring the Pot

I Won a Book!

2010-02-24T21:19:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Ally over at CasuALLY Musing! I entered a contest on her blog and won Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.

Go visit her blog and follow her journey to complete 101 things in 1,001 days. Her dogs also run the cutest blog ever. Click here to see it!

Thanks again, Ally!

Vegetable Barley Soup

2010-02-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, you constantly find yourself rummaging the pantry for something to take to work for lunch. I've had so many turkey sandwiches since January 1, that I think I'm about to turn into one. This week, I vowed that this would not happen, so I took a stroll through my google reader for soups that look both delicious and healthy. Lucky me, I came across this beef barley soup on Jersey Girl Cooks. It was really simple to make, and since we're observing Lent, easy to make meatless for Friday.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
courtesy Jersey Girl Cooks

Ingredients
1 TBS olive oil
1 lb top round beef cubes
10 cups ~~beef~~ vegetable broth or stock
8 ounce can tomato sauce
12 oz package of frozen~~1 1/2 cups chopped~~ carrots
10 12 oz package frozen peas
10 12 oz package frozen green beans
1 1/2 cups barley
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
~~In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium and brown meat.~~ Add broth, tomato sauce, ~~and simmer for 1 hour. Add~~ carrots, peas, green beans, barley, onion powder and garlic powder. Cook for 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Pomodoro

2010-02-23T09:16:00.005-05:00

As I was browsing through my google reader the other day, I came across this chicken recipe from Rachel at Rachel vs. The Kitchen. I wanted to make something similar to bruschetta chicken that I see on menus when we go out, and this looked like a perfect recipe. The only change I made was to add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Mine turned out a little creamier than Rachel's, but it was still delicious. I think next time I'll use a little less cream, or a larger can of tomatoes. I used whole wheat spaghetti for my pasta, so I had to throw it in a little earlier than the 4 minutes Rachel suggests.

Please mosey on over to Rachel's post to read the full recipe details.

Chicken Etouffee

2010-02-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last week was Mardi Gras. Since we couldn't actually go to NOLA, I decided to cook up a tribute to the region. What better way to do this than to get a recipe from Emeril himself? BAM!

Chicken Etouffee
adapted from Emeril Lagasse of Food Network

Ingredients
~~1 (4-pound) chicken,~~ 2 large chicken breasts cut into ~~8 pieces~~ strips
Salt
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ~~vegetable~~ olive oil
8 5 tablespoons unsalted butter - I used Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend
3/4 cup flour
1 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle dark lager or amber beer - I used Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
1 quart cold chicken stock
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
~~1/4 cup chopped parsley~~ - The grocery store was all out, so I omitted

Directions
Season the chicken pieces with salt and cayenne pepper.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat and sear chicken pieces on both sides until golden brown. Remove to a platter and reserve.

Add butter to pan and when melted, add flour, and stir to combine well. Continue to cook roux, stirring constantly, until chocolate brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Immediately add onion, celery, bell pepper, and bay leaves and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, then add the beer and stir well to loosen any brown bits from pan bottom. Add the stock, brown sugar, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine well. Bring to a boil, return chicken pieces to the pot, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Remove chicken pieces to a platter and when cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from the bones. Return chicken meat to etouffee and continue to cook another 30 minutes, until sauce is thickened and flavorful and chicken is beginning to fall apart. Add chopped parsley and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve immediately over rice or other starch of choice.

Chef's Notes
This was very delicious, but not as spicy as I thought it was going to be. The next time I make it, I will probably increase the amount of cayenne that I coat the chicken in for an extra spice factor. Since the chicken I used didn't have any bones in it, I didn't cook it for nearly as long as the recipe above suggests. I basically skipped the middle step of boiling for 1 hour and 15 minutes and only cooked it for 30 minutes. The sauce still thickened up, even thought I didn't let it boil for as long as suggested. I served it over jasmine rice.

Foodie Photo Friday - 2.19.10

2010-02-19T14:00:00.001-05:00

I didn't get any submissions this week, so here's my photo:

Photo credit: Kamila Harris Photography

Menu Item: Wedding Cake
Description: Buttercream Icing and chocolate chip cake
Where did I order it?: My wedding at Auletto Caterers. The cake was made by Termini Bros.
What's the story?: This was our wedding cake and it was delicious. I would recommend Termini to anyone in the area. The cake was moist and they did a perfect job decorating the cake from my description.

Don't forget to enter next week's round up!

Three Things Thursday - 2.18.10

2010-02-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week I'll share some of the dessert recipes that had me wiping drool off my keyboard. Happy baking!

1. Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Peanuts? yes, please!

2. From smitten kitchen, Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes with mint cream. In case you haven't noticed, I seem to be partial to chocolate!

3. Lastly, from Macaroni and Cheesecake, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.

Update to Photo Friday

2010-02-16T09:42:00.002-05:00

Since I love looking at photos of food so much, I've decided to extend my Photo Friday feature to all you followers out there! Every Friday I'd like to start a "round up" post of your favorite food photos. All you have to do is follow these rules:

PHOTO FRIDAY RULES:

1. You must be a follower of my blog to participate
2. Entries for Photo Friday should be submitted no later than the Thursday before at noon.
3. Pictures should be of food prepared by someone else, enjoyed by you.
4. Post a link on your site to this page's permalink using the image below.
5. You don't have to be a food blog to participate. All followers welcome!

How to Participate:
Just send your entry to kitchencanister at gmail dot com by noon the Thursday before. Please include FPF in the subject line so I can sort through any spam.

When sending please include the following information:

Your Name

Your Blog's Name

Your Blog's Url

Menu Item

A short description

Where you ordered it

One sentence review (optional)

A medium sized picture (350x450 or smaller)

Click here for past Foodie Friday posts!

Black Bean and Corn Soup

2010-02-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, I think I'm finally done with all the recipes out of my Wegmans magazine, so now it's back to some original concotions and some other of my favorite sources.

For those of you who aren't aware, we got completely slammed with snow in NJ last week. On Saturday it snowed almost 30 inches, and then mother nature dumped another 18 on us the following Wednesday. To top it all off, a transformer blew in our neighborhood and we were without power from 6pm Wednesday night to the early morning hours of Thursday. Lucky for us, none of our perishable cold items went bad, and we had enough food and candles to survive the night. Blankets were also key. After the temps dropped, it got pretty cold in the house without heat!

Cooking by candlelight isn't really as fun as it sounds, but at least I can be grateful that we have a gas stove so we were able to cook. This is a recipe I threw together based on the items we had laying around the house. On Tuesday night we bought one of those pre-cooked roasted chickens, so I used the leftovers in this soup.

Black Bean and Corn Soup
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients
Leftover chicken from pre-cooked rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups shredded)
32 oz. chicken stock
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup acini di pepe pasta

Directions

Shred chicken and add to a large stock pot. Her on medium low for a 3-4 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add beans, corn tomatoes and spices. Let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until pasta is at desired doneness.

Servings: 4

Asparagus Soup

2010-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, before you get to the bottom of this post, I need to apologize. I realize that the soup in this picture looks absolutely horrifying. What it lacks in looks, it certainly makes up for in taste, so give it a try!

Asparagus Soup
courtesy Wegmans Menu Magazine

Ingredients
1 small white onion, 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 carton (32 oz) Vegetable Stock
1 lb asparagus, 1-inch dice
Salt and pepper
~~1/2 tsp A. Vogel Herbamare Herb Seasoning Salt (Nature's Marketplace)~~ - I looked this up online and it's really just a mixture of other seasonings that I already had, so I made it myself. Click here for the recipe. I used everything but the kelp and yeast and it tasted pretty good in the soup.

Directions
Add onion and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW. Cook on LOW, stirring often, about 10 min, until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned.

Add stock and asparagus; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil on HIGH. Reduce heat and simmer 5 min, until asparagus is knife-tender.

Remove pot from heat. Carefully puree soup with handheld blender until smooth. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt; ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with Creme Fraiche or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Servings:About 5

Chef's Notes
This soup was really light at only 60 calories a serving. It goes great with a sandwich to round out the meal.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein and Green Beans

2010-02-14T11:49:00.003-05:00

What's this? An actual recipe? Contrary to popular belief, I have been cooking - I've just had zero time to actually post the recipes. Last week, I cooked up a bunch of recipes from the Menu Magazine I received in the mail from our local grocery store, Wegmans. I feel like I am a walking advertisement for this store lately, but they truly have some excellent recipes. I promise after this week, I'll go back to a more eclectic mix of sources.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein and Green Beans
courtesy Wegmans Menu Magazine

Ingredients
~~1 pkg Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut~~ 12 oz green beans, rinsed and cut
1 pkg (16 oz) Asian Classics Lo Mein Noodles thawed per pkg directions
1 lb ~~Wegmans Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for Stir-Fry~~ chicken breast strips - cut into chopstick friendly sized pieces
3 Tbsp ~~Wegmans Vegetable~~ olive Oil, divided
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 pkg (12 oz) Asian Slaw
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Wegmans Garlic Sauce - Since Wegmans is a store native to the northeast, this sauce was sort of like a garlicky stir fry sauce. I'm sure you can find a good substitute in your local grocery store
1 Tbsp ~~JFC White Roasted~~ Sesame Seeds

Directions
Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 3-4 min. (I just blanched mine in my spaghetti pot that has a built in strainer. I think this was much easier than removing them with the spoon) Remove beans with slotted spoon; drain and set aside. Add noodles to blanching water; blanch 2 min. Drain and set aside.(Oops - Looks like I skipped this step. I'll read the recipe more carefully next time!)

Drizzle 2 Tbsp oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.) Stir fry chicken 4-5 min; remove from pan and set aside.

Drizzle remaining Tbsp oil around sides of pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add garlic, Asian slaw, and green beans. Stir and toss, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken, noodles, and garlic sauce to stir-fry pan. Stir briefly to heat through, 2-3 min. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Servings: 4

Chef's Notes
Like I've mentioned before, this recipe can definitely be made without all the store brand products suggested. In fact, the store was out of most of the listed items, so I had to substitute some. I used regular chicken and cut it myself, as well as beans that needed to be cut and cleaned. I didn't really mind this, because I sometimes find slicing and dicing sort of therapeutic. Anyway, the recipe was pretty good, but also a little indulgent. At 540 calories a serving, it wasn't very filling. My husband and I both found ourselves going back for seconds. Overall, it was pretty easy to prepare. Had I used the pre-cut chicken and beans, I think it would have only taken about 20 minutes start to finish. With the added prep, it took me about 30 minutes.

Photo Friday - La Boqueria in Spain

2010-02-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Menu Item: Fresh Fruit Smoothie
Description: not much to describe really - fresh strawberries and ice blended together
Where did I order it?: La Boqueria (open air market in Spain)
What's the story?: While walking down the Ramblas, we discovered this market. It was filling with fresh fruit, fish and poultry. Many of the locals were enjoying their breakfast, so we also decided to take part. Doesn't it look lovely?

Three Things Thursday - 2.12.10

2010-02-11T19:50:00.000-05:00

Three blog posts for the week. Since I love it so much, the theme is Mexican!

First up, from Elly Says Opa! is some delicious looking pork.

Next, an interesting spin on Mexican inspired ingredients from Simply Satisfying. A Mexican Chicken Crescent Braid

Lastly, some Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas from Stirring the Pot.

Turkey Chili

2010-02-05T09:34:00.004-05:00

In prep for the big game this weekend, here's a great tasting chili recipe made with turkey. The recipe I'm posting below calls for either Wegmans brand or name brand items specifically, but I think it would taste the same if you used other products.

**BLOGGER DISCLOSURE** I didn't get anything for free from Wegmans however I did get a coupon in the mail for $2 off the ground turkey and $1 off the chicken stock used in this recipe. It should be noted that this coupon was delivered to everyone in the area, so no special treatment here!***

Turkey Chili
courtesy Menu Magazine

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
2 lbs Food You Feel Good About 94% Lean Ground Turkey
12 6 cloves Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, minced
2 (about 1 lb) red peppers, 1/4-inch dice
~~2 pkgs (8 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Diced Green Peppers~~ 2 green peppers, diced
2 pkgs (8 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Chopped Onions
2 Tbsp McCormick Gourmet Collection Mexican-Style Chili Powder
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Wegmans Soy Sauce
6 Food You Feel Good About Fresh Bay Leaves (or 2 dried)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Wegmans Diced Tomatoes
1 carton (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Chicken Culinary Stock
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Heat oil in large stockpot on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add ground turkey. Crumble and sear until lightly browned, about 5 min.

Add garlic, peppers, and onions to browned ground turkey. Stir in chili powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves, cloves, and cumin.

Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to simmer; add beans. Continue to simmer, uncovered, on MEDIUM-LOW about 45 min, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Ladle chili into warmed bowls; serve.

Chef's Notes

I've never had chili with cloves in it and I think the next time I make it, I won't add them. After I ate the chili, all I could taste all day was cloves, which isn't exactly pleasant. I also added my secret ingredient to the chili:

unsweetened dark chocolate. I think it adds more texture and depth to the broth.The chili was also not very spicy. Next time I might add a jalapeno, or additional chili powder to kick it up a notch.

Photo Friday - Snooze Breakfast Burrito

2010-02-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hey Look! It's another new feature! Every Friday I'll post a picture of a meal I've eaten at a restaurant, where the restaurant can be found, and the story behind it.

Menu Item: Snooze Breakfast Burrito
Description: scrambled eggs, hash browns, veggie black beans, cheddar & jack cheese, topped with salsa fresca and your choice of green chili or ranchero!
Where did I order it?: Snooze, An A.M. Eatery - 2262 Larimar Street, Denver, CO 80205
What's the story?:We ate here on our last day in Denver is August of 2009. This was so filling and so good, I tried my best to finish every last bite. I ended up leaving a little on the plate because it was just too much. If you're planning on going, go early and be prepared to wait. We got there before 9 and still had to wait over an hour.

Italian Wedding Soup

2010-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those trips to the grocery store where nothing can go right? This was me on Sunday afternoon. My husband and I ventured out around 2pm on Sunday, which is the same time we go almost every weekend. Today, the grocery store was packed, though. There was also mayhem in the produce section. Someone had spilled something in every aisle: a giant bottle of salad dressing was broken by the peppers, blueberries rolled every which way by the potatoes, and something really slippery was all over the floor by the lettuce.

After we got out of the produce section from hell, my husband fought his way through the deli counter and I tried to pick up the rest of our food. Unfortunately, everyone in NJ must have decided to make the same meals as me this week. This is what I get for looking at the circular and buying the meats that were on sale. Anyway, the store was completely out of a few items that I needed to make the soup below, and the Stir Fry I'm going to make later this week.

All in all, I don't think it mattered. The soup was really good.

Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from Wegmans Menu Magazine (Fall 2009)

Ingredients
1 Wegmans Large Egg
1/2 lb Food You Feel Good About 85% Lean Ground Beef (I found a package of 95% lean beef and used that to make this a little healthier)
Half of 1/4 cup ~~chopped~~ dried Italian parsley (flat leaf)
2 Tbsp Italian Classics Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp ~~Wegmans Basting~~ olive Oil
1 pkg (8 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Mirepoix - The store was completely out of its mirepoix mix. Since this is just onions, carrots and celery chopped up, I chopped equal portions of all three in my food processor and used that instead.
1 carton (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Chicken Culinary Stock
1/3 of 15 oz pkg Food You Feel Good About Fresh Chopped Escarole (about 2 cups)- I used three big handfuls which was probably more than 2 cups, but it made the soup heartier
1/2 cup Wegmans Acini di Pepe Pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Italian Classics Italian Blend Grated Cheese

Directions
Beat egg slightly in medium bowl; add ground beef, parsley, and bread crumbs. Mix well with clean hands. Form into small meatballs, using about 1 tsp ground beef mixture for each.

Brown meatballs on all sides in basting oil in braising pan on MEDIUM, about 5 min. Remove meatballs; drain off all but 1 Tbsp pan drippings.

Add mirepoix; reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 min, until veggies are soft but not browned.

Add meatballs and stock; bring to boil on HIGH. Lower heat to MEDIUM and simmer for 5 min. Add escarole; return to simmer on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add pasta; let simmer about 5 min until pasta is tender.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with grated cheese.

Servings: 7

Chef's Notes
As I said above, I had to make some substitutions. The store was out of fresh parsley and the mirepoix mix, so I improvised. The soup came out great, but I think the meatballs were just a little too big. Next time, I think I'll make them closer to bite-size. Most of them need to be broken in half to easily chew. The soup itself isn't extremely flavorful, so I think I'd also add in some garlic next time.

Three Things Thursday - 1.28.10

2010-01-28T14:09:00.002-05:00

I think I'm going to modify this feature just a bit. Each week, I'd like to highlight three random recipes that I bookmarked in my reader.

I plugged some numbers into Random Integer Generator, and it pulled up the following:

Here are your random numbers:

18 29 49
Timestamp: 2010-01-28 19:09:12 UTC

So here they are. Recipes 18,29, and 49.

18. Simply Great Chicken, Chewy Sugar Cookies, and Cosmo Popsicles: Lucky you, you're getting three great recipes from Bunny's Warm Oven

29.Italian Rice Balls by Stephanie at Stephanie Cooks

49. Bobby Flay's Wild Mushroom Burger by Joelen at Joelen's Culinary Adventures

I hope these enjoy these recipes. If you get around to cooking them up before me, let me know what you think!

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin

2010-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

I was feeling lazy last week, so instead of actually cooking up a stew like I planned, I threw the beef tenderloin I bought into my slow cooker. I really love my slow cooker. You just throw it all in, and out comes a delicious meal with meat so tender that it just falls apart. YUM!

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

3 lb beef tenderloin
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
about 1 tablespoon of McCormick steak rub
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch asparagus, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots

Directions

Rinse beef and place in crockpot. Sprinkle spices over beef, and rub with McCormick spice mix. Pour beef broth and vinegar over mixture. Add vegetables. Cook for 8 hours on low.

Servings: 5

Chef's Notes:

Since this is an original, I don't really have many notes. When the beef was done, I pulled it out and put it aside, fishing out the vegetables with a slotted spoon. I made a gravy out of the broth remaining in the crockpot by emptying it into a small pot and adding 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Cook the gravy on high until it boils, then let stand for a few minutes. To complete the dish, I served with a baked potato.

Restaurant Review: Mexican Food Factory - Marlton, NJ

2010-01-17T10:29:00.003-05:00

Last night we went to the Mexican Food Factory with my brother and his girlfriend. My husband and I have been here two other times and loved the food. Our guests had never been, so we were hoping to show off how good the food was.

We went sort of early, and it wasn't very crowded, so we didn't have to wait for a seat. The hostess sat us in a booth in the back. Normally, I like booths, but for some reason the seating is all off kilter there, and some of the booths are really tight. The first one we tried was cutting into us on one side, with ample space on the other. The tables don't move, so we had to switch seats. Once settled, we ordered the following:

Chips and Salsa
Me: Black Bean Soup and Chicken Fajitas
Husband: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Mole Pablano
Brother's GF: Black Bean Soup and Chicken Chimichanga
Brother: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Carne Birra

The restaurant also has a good number of Mexican beers on tap, as well as familiar favorites. They also offer sangria and margaritas. The guys were happy with their beers. My husband got one called Quack, which tasted a little like wine. I ordered the Sangria, which was fruity and delicious.

The Black Bean soup was delicious, which also came with rice. The Tortilla soup, the soup of the day, was also great. It came with tortilla chips to dunk into the soup.

You also get two types of salsa at MFF. One is a little too hot for me, but I love the traditional mild tomato salsa. It goes perfect with the chips.

My chicken fajitas were perfectly cooked. My only complaint is the amount of tortillas you get with them. You get about 8 pieces of chicken on a bed of green peppers and onions. However, you only get 4 tortillas - the small kind. I always end up with extra chicken - which isn't such a bad thing because it tastes great on its own anyway.

Everyone but my brother was please with their meal. The Carne Birra came out cold. It wasn't just a little cold, but was probably sitting out for at least 20 minutes. The waitress was extremely apologetic about this, and when my brother mentioned that he didn't like the meal in general, she let him order another at no additional charge. He ordered the chicken and pork flautas, which he said were very good.

Overall, it was a nice experience at the restaurant. I love Mexican food, and think they're fajitas are one of the best in the area. If you go, I'd recommend asking for a table as opposed to a booth, so you don't run into the same problem we did.

Three Things Thursday - 1.14.10

2010-01-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

Oops! I forgot to post this yesterday. Anyway, here it is a day late. The three things I'll talk about today are three recipes bookmarked in my google reader. Of course, I have over 100 bookmarked, but today I'll pull out three random ones.

1. Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies by TPOX at Proceed with Caution.

Yum! These cookies look divine. I love chocolate more than words can say, but alas, even though they are a "clean eating" cookie, cookies are something that will really mess up my diet! I'll have to save them for an occasion where I won't be the only one eating them. For now, I will just gaze at TPOX's lovely picture.

2. Butternut Squash Risotto by EJacks at Simply Satisfying.

Yes, this recipe is from September of 2009, but I never got around to making it. I'm still seeing some butternut squash in the stores, so maybe I will try it soon. I've never made risotto before, but this one certainly looks delicious.

3. Whole Wheat Cinnamon Muffins by Stephanie at Stephanie Cooks.

Now these are something I can really get on board with. I'm always rushing out the door on the mornings I have to be at the office, so muffins are a perfect "grab and go" for me. On top of that, they're made with whole wheat flour.

Sunday Brunch Menu

2010-01-11T15:41:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday I hosted a brunch for 13 of our closest friends. I've always loved breakfast food, and hate that I can never serve it when we have a party because we always have them at night. So this Sunday, I got my chance to cook up a fabulous brunch for some even more fabulous people.

Now, before I get to the menu, I need to apologize for not having any pictures. Even though I prepared almost everything the night before, the morning was a little hectic and I didn't have time to snap any before it was all devoured. At least there were no leftovers - that's a good thing, right?

Sunday Brunch Menu

Food

Cherry Poppy Seed Muffins from Tyler Florence - These muffins were to die for. We actually had a few left over and I was so happy to be able to eat them for the next few days as a quick breakfast on the way to work.

Blueberry Muffins from Alton Brown - I thought these were a little greasy and they didn't really rise. I think the next time I want to make blueberry muffins I'll use the base recipe from the muffins above and substitute in blueberries.

Scrambled Eggs - always a favorite of mine. I'll sneak in a picture from a few months ago when I posted about a small scrambled egg breakfast.

Overnight French Toast - Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Bridal Edition - this was the closest recipe I could find online to match the one from the book.

Yogurt - no one really ate the yogurt but I had to include something healthy. If I had to do it again, I'd mix in some almonds and blueberries to make it look more appetizing.

Fresh Fruit

Bacon - I only made one pack of bacon, and it was barely enough. I was the last one to make up my plate and there was only one lonely piece left when I got to it.

Apple Harvest Oatmeal - this was really delicious too. I don't normally like Oatmeal, but with all the different spices in it, this tastes lovely. It wasn't that hard to make, either.

Beverages
Coffee
Tea
Orange Juice - with fresh sliced oranges - I only bought 1 gallon of juice and it went quickly. I think next year I am going to try making mimosas.

Broccoli Soup

2010-01-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

I think my new favorite food network chefs might be the Neelys. It seems like every time I turn on the TV, Down Home With the Neelys is on. I love the way the two of them work so well together in the kitchen. Granted, I'm sure majority of their moves are choreographed, but it's still nice to see them moving about seamlessly through their recipes.

I grabbed this Broccoli Soup recipe off of their food network page, and while I love broccoli, there was two things I was weary of:

1.) I've never had a pureed broccoli soup before.
2.) I'm not really a fan of creamy soups to begin with.

The figured I could tweak it a little to get through some of my fears. The amount of cream they called for was perfect, but my soup ended up more green than the picture on food network's website and I even ended up using less broccoli than the recipe called for. While we were chopping it up, my husband noticed that one of the crowns we purchased was a little mushy. I didn't want to chance it screwing up a brand new recipe, so we threw it out.

Broccoli Soup
courtesy of Down Home with the Neelys

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (for extra zing!)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (sub out vegetable broth if you're a vegetarian)
1/2 cup cream
Homemade Croutons, visit link above for recipe (I didn't make my own croutons, instead I used ::gasp!!:: store-bought.)

Directions
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to boil.

Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot with Homemade Croutons.

Servings: 4 generous bowls

Chef's Notes:
Like I said above, I had to toss one of my florets, but the soup still turned out pretty hearty. I always get nervous that a soup without any meat in it won't be that filling. I served it with a small side salad and some croutons on top and it kept me full all night. I still haven't gotten around to picking up an immersion blender for myself, so I pureed the veggies in my blender by transferring them with a ladle and large measuring cup. ***NOTE: be very careful when blending hot liquids in your blender - the steam can burn!***

Another great thing about this recipe is that it would probably taste just as good if you used vegetable broth, so you can easily adapt it for the vegetarian in your family (as long as they eat dairy products, of course!).

Three Things Thursday - 1.7.10

2010-01-07T08:01:00.003-05:00

Guess what! It's Thursday again. Sorry I didn't get around to posting about the delicious brunch I hosted last Sunday, but I came down hard with the flu Sunday night (darn germy houseguests!) and my first day out of bed was Wednesday - and it wasn't all that stellar. To start, I missed the exit on the highway that I need to take to get to work. Luckily, there is another exit further up that doesn't take me too far out of my way. My medicine head almost got the best of me again when I narrowly missed taking the eastern instead of the western spur of the highway. UGH! Go away you stupid cold!

Anyway, today I'm going to write about my Three Kitchen Items I Want to Purchase in 2010:

1. Emulsion Blender - I did a couple recipes in 2009 that called for an emulsion blender. While it is possible to use a regular blender and yield similar results, it is much much messier. I'd love to try my hand at some more pureed soups like the butternut squash soup I made back in October, but it's just too darn time consuming to cook it and then transfer it - cup by cup - into the regular blender.

2. Zester - More recipes than I can count on my "to make" list call for the zest of some fruit. Without a zester to complete this step, I've been skipping these recipes. I've read that the zest really makes a difference, so I don't want to try them until I have one of these.

3. Silicone Whisk - my non-stick pans are just begging me to pick one of these up. Any time I make a gravy and need to whisk it, I have to use this old metal pot that my metal whisk won't scratch. Having one that I could use on a non-stick surface would be mighty helpful!

Maybe now that I've committed these things to writing, I'll actually remember to buy them the next time I'm out!

Icebox Cake

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Need something quick and easy to take to a pot luck? I've got a great dessert that you can whip up in about 10 minutes, and it doesn't even require you to turn on your oven.

Nilla Wafer Icebox Cake
Kitchen Canister Original (stolen from my mom)

Ingredients

1 box of Nilla Wafers
1 large box of chocolate cook and serve jello-pudding
1 small box of vanilla cook and serve jello pudding
cool whip (optional)

Directions

In an 8x8 pan, arrange a layer of Nilla Wafers. Set aside enough wafers for two more layers.

Prepare chocolate and vanilla pudding according to directions on box at the same time.

As soon as the pudding comes to a boil, carefully spoon the chocolate over the Nilla wafers. Arrange another row of wafers and repeat with vanilla pudding.

Repeat with wafers and chocolate pudding. Add a last layer of wafers, if desired. Chill for about 1 hour in the fridge so the pudding can set. Cut into slices and top with whipped cream.

Chef's Notes

If you like bananas, you can substitute the middle layer of wafers for sliced bananas. I don't really like them so I omitted them.

Also, a note regardng the pudding layers. The pudding will be hot and more "liquidy" than a thick pudding because it hasn't set yet. Be careful not to pour too much at once or the wafers will displace. If this happens, just move them around with the back of a spoon.

Three Things Thursday - 12.31.09

2009-12-31T13:15:00.005-05:00

I have a lot of blogs in my google reader. A few of them have a feature called Three Things Thursday, where they list three things they want to talk about.

In honor of the new year that is upon us, I thought it fitting that my first "Three Things" should be the things I'd like to change about myself going forward.

1. I want to blog a recipe at least twice a week.

Sure, this sounds really simple, but when life gets in the way, as it usually does, this becomes really hard. Blogging about a recipe twice a week means I'll actually have cook (or bake) twice a week. This we become difficult in February, March and the beginning of April, since I'll be working 70-80 hours a week. This sort of lines up with my next goal, though.

2. Only eat dinner out once a month.

Keeping this goal will make goal #1 a little easier to acheive, as well. If I'm not eating at a restaurant, that means I'll HAVE to cook on the weekends, right?

3. Complete the Broad Street Run

For those not from the area, the Broad Street run is a ten mile race through Center City, Philadelphia. While I know this will be my most difficult task to complete, I'd like to give it a try. As of now I have five months to go from running 3.2 miles to ten. If I keep up the running at least three times a week, I think I can do it. Wish me luck!

French Onion Soup

2009-12-29T12:33:00.003-05:00

We are bracing ourselves for another cold week here in NJ. Now that winter is in full swing, I am definitely in "soup" mode. It's the perfect meal to eat after battling the fierce winds we've been having.

Last night I ventured into completely new territory. Not only was this a recipe I never made before, it was also a soup I've never even tasted before. Several problems can arise from this situation. The most prominent of these problems being that I had no idea what the finished product should taste like! Lucky for me, my husband is something of a French Onion Soup expert. While we were eating, he explained to me that the soup itself usually tastes the same everywhere, but the bread and cheese is where most restaurants take some creative liberties. For example, at Panera Bread, they use croutons and shaved parmesean cheese while at a diner you will get a thick slice of bread covered with bubbly cheese straight out of the broiler.

The recipe I grabbed off food network didn't really give much direction, so I eyeballed a lot of the ingredients. As usual, my recipe additions are in italics below.

French Onion Soup
courtesy The Food Network Magazine, 50 Easy Soups

Ingredients

4 sliced onions (I used sweet onions)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter
fresh ground pepper
6 cups beef broth

Directions

Cook 4 sliced onions and 2 thyme sprigs in butter, covered, 20 minutes.

Uncover; cook 1 hour (It only took 45 minutes for my onions to carmelize.), or until caramelized, stirring occasionally.

Add 6 cups beef broth; simmer 10 minutes. Add ~~cognac~~ Note: we didn't have any cognac in our liquor cabinet so I passed, salt and pepper.

Top with gruyere toasts. To make the toasts, I took two slices of italian bread and shredded gruyere cheese on top of them.

I placed them on a piece of foil and broiled them until the cheese was bubbly and crispy.

Servings: about 4 bowls

Chef's Notes

Like I said above, I omitted the cognac because we didn't have it. Apparently, it rounds out the taste of the soup, but we didn't miss it. The soup tasted delicious! To make it a little more healthy, I think I'm going to eat the leftovers without the bread, though. I served this with a side salad since I didn't think the soup would be filling enough alone.

Vegetable Beef Soup

2009-12-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

It's getting mighty cold here in New Jersey. To me, that means cooking up some warm soups to get you through the night. We didn't really have much in the house, so I threw together this quick Vegetable Beef Soup in about an hour.

Vegetable Beef Soup
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients

1.5 lb cubed beef
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
2 handfuls of green beans, cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces
1 small bag of baby carrots, cut into slices
48 oz beef broth
1 cup shell macaroni
black pepper
oregano
parsley
2 dried bay leaves

Directions

Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil. When smoking, add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are transluscent. Add the beef and saute until browned. Add all remaining ingredients except for the shells. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the macaroni when there are ten minutes left so it doesn't overcook.

Servings: about 8

Chef's Notes

This soup was savory and sweet. Normally, I just let the onions soften up during the hour that soup simmers. This time, I let them carmelize a little bit before adding the broth. I think that added tremendously to the taste of the soup. It goes great with a big piece of crusty bread!

Boneless Cran-Apple Pork Chops

2009-12-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Every Friday night is pizza night here at the Canister. This past Friday night, we changed that tradition. Instead of throwing away $15 on a pizza that we would eat Friday night for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for lunch, we decided we would actually cook. GASP! This is a big step toward our goal of saving a little more money each week. Now that we have a house, little expenses keep creeping up and surprising us. Last week it was a blown light bulb, the week before, the garage door stopped opening, and so on and so on. Thankfully, that last one happened after we already freed our cars from the garage. As a result of this, I've found that I spend more time in line at Home Depot than I do in the kitchen! Anyway, since we had some free time Friday night, I thought it would be a perfect night to cook. Enter: the best pork chops I've had in a really long time.

Boneless Cran-Apple Pork Chops
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients
4 boneless pork chops, fat trimmed
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried sage
1/2 cup water
1/4 of a sweet spanish onion, cut into slices

Directions
Combine all ingredients except water and onions into a large bowl. Pour water over top and stir so each pork chop is coated with marinade. Let chops soak for 15 minutes Coat a pan with olive oil and heat until smoking. Add onions and let carmelize. When pork chops are done marinading, add to pan with onions. Cook each pork chop 3 minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Serve with jasmine rice and broccoli. Top with onions.

Servings: 4

Chef's Notes
These pork chops were so delicious. The spiciness of the chili powder balanced the sweetness of the apple and cranberry juices perfectly. By adding the pork chops to the same pan as the onions, the onions absorbed some of the pork marinade and came out super sweet. Overall, this was a very tasy meal.

Shredded Chicken Soup

2009-12-11T09:10:00.004-05:00

So this was our first week of really cold weather here in NJ. It all started last Saturday when it snowed. Generally, we don't get too much snow in these parts until later in the winter, like February, so snow in December is always a surprise. Of course, the first snow is always fun. This storm was particularly great, because it snowed all day on Saturday and melted by Sunday at noon. No shoveling required!

In light of this new cold weather, I decided it was time to break out the soup recipes. I tried this one in crockpot, since I had to go into the office on Monday and wanted something warm and comforting to come home to that night.

Shredded Chicken Soup
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (about 2 pounds)
1 bag of shredded carrots
1 package of cheese tortellini
2 15 oz cans of low sodium chicken broth
oregano
fresh ground black pepper
salt
italian seasoning

Directions

Rinse chicken and remove gizzards. Pat dry and place in crock pot. Add water to crockpot until it covers about half of the chicken. Add spices above to taste. Cook chicken on low for 8-10 hours.

After the chicken is cooked, remove from crockpot and shred using two forks, setting aside the legs and wings for leftovers. Add the chicken broth to the stock created by roasting the chicken all day. Put the chicken back in the crockpot and add the carrots and tortellini. Let cook on high for about an hour and. Top each bowl with parmesean cheese and serve with crusty piece of bread.

Servings: about 7

Chef's Notes:

This soup lasted us almost all week. On the last night, I had to add some additional broth because the noodles sucked it all up. Make sure you use a lot of pepper to bring out the flavor in this soup. It tasted so much better with the cheese on top.

Warm Apple Cake

2009-12-11T08:50:00.005-05:00

I made this cake on Thanksgiving and it was a real hit. Though the name of it is Warm Apple Cake, I served it room temperature. Keeping something warm while traveling and then eating a big turkey dinner is not an easy feat. I also hate reheating something that is supposed to be made warm. The taste just isn't the same. I once tried to reheat a pecan pie, and it ended up runny. It still tasted great, but the presentation just wasn't there.

So, while this cake wasn't served as intended, it was still delicious, and it really had staying power. We were eating it well into the next week. That's the thing about Thanksgiving meals. You're so full after the big meal, there's no room for all of those delicious desserts! I ended up eating only a small piece of this cake on Thanksgiving, as did the rest of my family. That left us with almost the whole cake leftover, which was fine with us! I will never turn down a delicious dessert that I can eat 3 or 4 more times after dinner every night.

Warm Apple Cake
taken from 101 Easy Entertaining Recipes, by Gooseberry Patch

Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour (I used half AP, half whole wheat)
1 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
2 c. apples, cored, peeled and grated
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, divided

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees Farenheit. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together egg, apples, and 1/4 cup nuts; add to flour mixture. Spread in a greased 8"x8" baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean. Top with remaining nuts and serve warm.

Servings: 9

Chef's Notes
The recipe in the book also recomended that the cake be topped with a caramel sauce. I didn't have the time or the means to make this on Thanksgiving morning, so I skipped it. It would probably taste great, though. Instead, we topped it with whipped cream and when I had it later in the week, I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

When I first started to make this cake, I had some reservations. The batter seemed really sticky and wasn't really settling into the pan. I thought maybe I used too much flour, but after some shaking of the pan, the batter ended up covering it.

I used 4 fuji apples for this recipe and it was just sweet enough. I don't have a grater, so instead of grating the apples up, I chopped them into small pieces in my food processor. Having some chunks of apple in the cake was really a nice touch. I'm glad I didn't have the grater.

Product Review - Steamfresh Meals for Two

2009-11-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

On Friday we had a frozen dinner. This was unlike the frozen dinners you ate as a kid, parked in front of the tv. Remember those? The plastic tray, with your main meal, a veggie on the side, and some sort of dessert that could also be heated in the microwave. The dinner we had was nothing of the sort.

I saw this in the grocery store and since it was on sale, I decided to give it a try. Sometimes we come home too late from work to cook a meal from scratch, so I thought this would be the perfect emergency meal when we didn't have any leftovers to eat.

It works just like all the other steamfresh products work. If you're not familiar here, are the instructions: Remove bag from freezer. Place in microwave with the bottom up (side without the picture). Heat for 10 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Pour into bowl, mix and enjoy! **Note - heating times vary for each product - please read instructions before heating**

Very simple.

The description on the bag is as follows: Tender strips of grilled chicken breasts, asparagus, yellow peppers and tomatoes, tossed with rigatoni pasta in a roasted garlic sauce.

So Friday came and instead of pizza, we opted for this frozen meal. Unlike other frozen dinners, this chicken actually tasted like real chicken. It wasn't spongy, and there wasn't alot of fatty pieces like I'm used to getting in some other meals. The sauce was good, but in my opinion, there was way too much of it. When I emptied the contents into the mixing bowl, not all of the sauce came out. Instead of coaxing the rest into the bowl, I just threw it out. It was about 1/4 cup worth of sauce. The sauce that made it into the bowl was more than enough to coat the chicken and veggies.

The meal was delicious, and pretty satisfying. I spent about $5.00 for this meal and 1/2 the bag is only 340 calories. So this not only saved us from buying a $14 pizza, but also saved us some calories! Seems like a win-win to me.

Click here for a rundown of the other steamfresh meals available.

***Disclaimer: I was not paid to review this product, nor was I provided any free samples. The review above is based solely on my impression of the product, and I was not influenced in any way by Birds Eye Food Inc.***

Penne with Vodka Sauce

2009-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last week my husband took over the kitchen again. He decided to make a simple penne with vodka sauce recipe from Giada over at food network. He made it even simpler by using some store bought marinara sauce as a base. It was a perfect dinner for a Sunday night. We spent most of the afternoon painting furniture, studying, and picking up some new home accents for the house, so we were were running around all day.

Penne with Vodka Sauce
courtesy Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients
1 quart ~~Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or~~ store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup ~~heavy~~ light cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne

Directions
Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Chef's Notes
I'm not sure if the vodka taste was too strong because of the vodka we used (Ketel One) or because the recipe called for too much. The first night we ate this, my mouth tingled a little bit from the vodka. The next night it must have cooked down a little more when we reheated the sauce because the taste was not as strong. I would recommend cooking the sauce down a little longer, maybe 30 minutes.

We also used light instead of heavy cream to make the meal a little more health conscious. The result was a sauce that was not quite as pink as a vodka sauce you would get in a restaurant. It was just as delicious, though, so I'm not complaining.

If you want to make the sauce from scratch instead of using a jarred sauce, you can find the recipe on the food network site (see link above). Since we didn't use the recipe, I didn't post it.

The Ultimate Beef Stew

2009-11-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Last week it was rainy and gross out. I thought this would be the perfect week to make a stew. I've always felt that stews warm you're whole body up and make you feel cozy - the ultimate comfort food. As I looked through my backlog of recipes, I came across Tyler Florence's recipe for beef stew. Once again, he did not fail to impress me with his combination of ingredients.

The Ultimate Beef Stew
courtesy of Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (this cut is also called chuck shoulder pot roast and chuck roast boneless)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy) - I used Merlot and it tasted fine, too
8 fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups beef stock
9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
~~2 cups frozen pearl onions, a large handful~~
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh
1/2 pound frozen corn
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows, for garnish
Toasted Peasant Bread, recipe follows, for serving

Directions
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.

While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.

Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strip, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.

After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.

To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, garnish with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and add a dollop of Horseradish Sour Cream. Right before serving add a slice of Toasted Peasant Bread, half way submerged in the stew.

Chef's Notes
I didn't make the horseradish sour cream, or the Peasant Bread. Instead, I served the dish over egg noodles. The dish was really good. My only complaint was that the gravy was not thick enough to cover the noodles. On night number two, when we had it as leftovers, I added a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up a little, which worked out well. It covered the noodles and still tasted great.

Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

2009-11-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Now that my housewarming is behind us, I can get back to what's really important: posting recipes!

Last month we had a few days that were pretty warm. I think one day we even got into the 70's. Since that's almost unheard of this time of year, we fired up the grill for one last meal before it starts getting too cold to cook outside.

Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa
courtesy The Neelys of Food Network

Ingredients

Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
1 small shallot, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped and seeds removed
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
4 ~~bone-in~~, center-cut pork chops

Pineapple Salsa:
1/2 pineapple, diced and cored, juices reserved
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 small jalapeno, diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper

Directions

For the marinade:
Blend all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a resealable plastic bag and add the pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.

For the salsa:
Mix all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning. Set aside for 10 minutes for flavors to meld.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Remove chops from marinade. Grill for 5 minutes per side for a medium rare and 8 minutes for medium. Remove chops from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the salsa on top.

Recipe Notes

First, I will talk about the salsa. I only used 1/4 of a red onion and I think it still had way too much onion compared to the other ingredients. Next time, I'll double up on the tomato to balance it out. The pineapple and jalapeno gave it the perfect balance between sweet and spicy though. The salsa was excellent with the pork chops.

Now, onto the pork. Marinading the pork chops really made a difference. Though the recipe recommends marinading for up to 3 hours, my chops soaked it up for only an hour and I think they were perfect. They were so moist, I wanted to eat two!!

The recipe reheated nicely the next night and the salsa got pretty spicy as the flavors sat and melding together. I served this with black beans, which complimented the pork perfectly.

Updates Coming Soon - I promise!

2009-11-11T09:21:00.002-05:00

Before I write anything, I'd like to sincerely apologize for not posting in a few weeks. I've been cooking, I just haven't had time to get the recipes up. My new house has taken over my life. We're getting ready for a housewarming party in two weeks and I've been spending all my time making to-do lists and searching for the perfect curtains!

Look for new recipes starting Friday!

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

2009-10-23T08:30:00.000-04:00

That crisp fall weather has finally hit us here in NJ and you know what that means: it's time for all those lovely comforting fall foods like squash, apples, roast turkey and of course, soups! Nothing warms a person through and through like a good bowl of soup. Today I was in the mood for just that, so I turned to my trusty friend Tyler Florence for a good soup featuring a favorite fall vegetable, butternut squash.

I just discovered how tasty butternut squash is last year, thanks to this blog. I was looking for a new "fall-ish" recipe and stumbled on a great and simple recipe for pan fried butternut squash. It was heavenly. Butternut squash - where have you been all my life??!!

A few weeks ago, we rekindled our relationship while out at dinner. A local restaurant was serving their version of butternut squash soup and I tried it. It was really good. So good that it's kind of been on my mind ever since. So today is the day I tried out a squash soup on my own - with the help of my favorite food network chef of course!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Tyler Florence of Food Network

Ingredients
2 (2 pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
Vegetable oil
1/4 pound amaretti cookies I couldn't find these in my supermarket so I nixed them. I served it with those crostini breads that you buy for bruschetta
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1 onion, sliced thin
1 11oz can of white shoe-peg corn
1 clove garlic
splash of heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock, either homemade or store-bought -use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian
Pinch of grated nutmeg - I couldn't find nutmeg at the store either so I used cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil. Place squash cut side up in prepared dish. Pierce each squash half several times with toothpick or skewer. Bake until squash is tender, about 45 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, use a handheld mixer with the chopping attachment to pulse the cookies until roughly chopped. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring the olive oil up to almost smoking. Quickly cook the sage leaves until crisp. Remove and reserve the sage, and saute the sliced onion and garlic. When the squash is done cooking, using a large spoon, scrape squash into the pot; discard peel. Add 3 1/2 cups chicken stock and nutmeg and puree until smooth, add additional stock to reach desired consistency. The video for the recipe shows Tyler adding a splash of cream to his soup at the end, so I did the same, even though the printed recipe doesn't call for it. After pureeing the squash and onions, I added the corn. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with crushed amaretti; garnish with sage leaves.

Recipe Notes
As noted above, I added corn to this recipe to give it a little extra "something". I also added garlic when I sauteed the onions. Some of the reviews on food network's website said the soup was lacking a little, but I thought it tasted great! It probably would have tasted even better if I wasn't in such a rush to finish it up and remembered to add the cinnamon at the end!

The only thing I wished I had for this recipe was an emulsion blender. After combining the squash, onions, garlic and broth, I had to scoop it out into my regular blender to puree. That was a real pain, since the blender could not hold the entire contents of the stock pot. I ended up blending two batches and then combining them to reheat. Well, Christmas is coming soon, right? Maybe Santa will put an emulsion blender under the tree!!

Spaghetti Carbonara

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

HELP! Someone has taken over my kitchen! Oh wait....it's just my husband.

Yes, you read that correctly. Tonight was Jim's turn to cook a fabulous meal. To my surprise, he chose a recipe that I've been shying away from because of one of the steps. Cooking Spaghetti Carbonara involves an egg, which is supposed to be added to a hot pan, without scrambling it. Yikes - that sounds quite difficult. The secret to not scrambling it, is to temper the egg with some hot water that you use to boil the pasta. I would say that this worked out well for our meal, but not perfectly. A little bit of the egg ended up scrambling, but the dish tasted wonderful overall. Great job, Jim!

Spaghetti Carbonara
Courtesy simplemom.net

Ingredients
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
freshly grated Romano cheese
~~handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish~~

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat (I use a wok). Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta for two minutes; add red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

In a separate bowl, beat the yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with the meat and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, and toss rapidly to prevent the egg from cooking. Remove the pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and extra grated cheese.

Chef's Notes: "I combined the recipes from a few sites, but I roughly followed this one. I didn't use the wine, garlic, or parsley. I also cut the recipe in half."

The pasta did not come out saucy - it was more the consistency of what you get when you eat pasta with butter. This was probably because we didn't add the wine. It still ended up being quite a lovely meal, though.

GO Phillies! - Sugar Cookies

2009-10-21T20:28:00.002-04:00

Game 5 is underway and my Phillies have a chance to clinch a spot at the World Series tonight. The least I can do to wish them luck is.....bake? Yes, we don't have tickets (we didn't win the lottery the team ran), so we're watching from our living room and enjoying these sugar cookies from Alton Brown. (the icing was store bought because I have learned that I do not possess the skill to make a quality icing from scratch!)

Alton Brown's Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes
Like alot of others, I found the dough very hard to work with. It kept sticking to my rolling pin even after using the powdered sugar on it. I had one un-iced and it tasted really good though, unlike some reviews stated. I cut the white flour with whole wheat and also used smart balance butter spread instead of real butter. The cookies had to go the whole 9 minutes to brown on the edges in my oven. I would definitely make them again!

GO PHILLIES!!!!

Authentic Pasta E Fagioli

2009-10-21T08:47:00.005-04:00

Before I get to this recipe, a little bit about my experiences with Italian foods. I grew up in a half Italian, half Irish household. My mom is Italian, and her specialty is spaghetti and meatballs. Every Sunday, we would have a fresh pot of gravy (yes, gravy not sauce) cooking in the kitchen. The smell of fresh food cooking like that was so great. My mom never really ventured beyond that and chicken parm, as far as Italian cooking went, thanks to a picky husband and son. (Side note: Interestingly enough, when we went to Italy on our honeymoon, we found out that chicken parm isn't really Italian - I don't think we saw it on one menu during our entire stay.)

Now that I am on my own, and have a husband who will eat almost anything, I find myself diving a little deeper into Italian cooking. A few years ago, I dug up The Olive Garden's version of Pasta E Fagioli and thought it was excellent. Then we started going to more authentic Italian restaurants and realized that what the Olive Garden makes (much like all of their dishes), is not what true Pasta E Fagioli is supposed to look or taste like.

Determined to master the more traditional soup recipe, I set out looking for a new recipe this weekend. My first stop was Giada's page on Food network's website. I didn't have to look very long to find a recipe that I thought would resemble what you get in a restaurant.

Pasta E Fagioli
Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network

Ingredients
~~4 sprigs fresh thyme~~
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine.(I didn't have a cheesecloth to secure the spices in, so I just threw them in the pan and fished them out with a slotted spoon before serving.) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Recipe Notes
This soup was fantastic. A lot of the reviews said that it was too salty, but I didn't think that it was. As long as you use the low sodium chicken broth, I don't think you'll have a problem with the salt. The only thing I may add the next time I make this is a can of diced tomatoes or some roasted red peppers. I think the flavor would balance out nicely with beans.

My only other complaint is the reheatability of the soup. The next night the soup was a lot more congealed than I thought it would be. If you are going to use this as leftovers, I would make sure that you have some extra broth on hand to add to it before reheating it.

Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin

2009-10-11T10:39:00.003-04:00

Now that we are finally somewhat settled into our new house, I've begun to get back into the cooking swing of things. The first few weeks it was really hard to get a routine down since we were always running here or there to pick up essentials for the house. I think past week was our first "normal" week. I've finally gotten used to working from home a couple days a week, and my husband is learning the ins and outs of the traffic flow for his commute.

On Tuesdays I go into the office and my husband goes into NYC, so that means neither of us are home very early. I decided this was the perfect day to try out a crock-pot recipe for the first time in the new kitchen. Cooking beef in the crock-pot is relatively easy, so I knew there wouldn't be any problems.

Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients

3 lbs beef tenderloin
about 15 baby potatoes
1 onion
1 bag pre-peeled carrots
1 cup water
olive oil

The following spices:
rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
garlic powder

Directions

Wash the potatoes and cut in half. Cut the onion into slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes and onion. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.

Place the beef in the crockpot and pour water over it. Sprinkle the spices above, to taste. Add the vegetables. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Servings: 6

Recipe Notes:

This beef came out great. It was really tender and basically fell apart when I took it out the crock pot. I ended up shredding it with two forks because it was almost impossible to cut into slices. Since I was out at work all day, I put the veggies in along with the beef. If you prefer them to be a little firmer, you could probably put them in during only the last two hours of cooking.

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

2009-09-28T20:15:00.005-04:00

Another food network recipe. This might be a record. I think I am in what you would officially calla "food rut". I don't feel like cooking anything in the cookbooks I own and whenever I look online, I can't find anything that really calls to me. I was browsing for healthy recipes when I came across this one from Ellie Krieger. I don't think I've ever made one of her recipes before, or have even heard of her show. Apparently, she is a registered dietician. Since we really want to start cooking healthy in the Canister, I thought she would be a great start. So here goes, my first Ellie Krieger recipe!

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach
courtesy Ellie Krieger of Food Network

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked

Directions

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Recipe Notes

How super simple is the recipe? The hardest part was cutting the chicken in half, and I even cheated when I did that! Instead of buying two breasts, I bought the pre-cut version, so I had 5 perfectly portioned pieces of chicken. I would definitely make this again. The whole recipe can be pulled out of the pantry, with the exception of the chicken. While I really love a challenging recipe from time to time, I really love it when recipes are made from ingredients that are almost always on hand. If you don't believe me, see how simple this recipe is for yourself. Click here for a video of Ellie Krieger making it.

This dish was really delicious for how simple it was to make. My husband really liked it, too. This is definitely going to end up in the weekly meals rotation.

Chicken Fajita Burgers

2009-09-27T17:33:00.005-04:00

I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of Rachel Ray. I don't really like her talk show that much, and her voice cuts right through me. As I was browsing the food network website for an easy, grill-friendly Sunday night meal, I came across this recipe for Chicken Fajita Burgers. Since this combines two very awesome things - cooking on the grill and tex-mex - I didn't want to pass it up.

For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you've probably realized by now that one of my favorite types of food to cook up is tex-mex. I don't know what it is about it, but I really love the spice that goes into it. Maybe one day we will visit Mexico (or even Texas) and taste the real thing. I bet it's nothing like what I'm used to cooking, but I'm sure it'd be delicious! I digress....so here is the recipe!

Chicken Fajita Burgers
courtesy, Rachel Ray of The Food Network

Ingredients:

Chicken Fajita Burgers:
1 1/3 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoons ground chipotle (smoky flavor) chili powder, a palm full
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Several drops hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) - (I used the McCormick seasoning, but the one specifically made for chicken, not montreal steak)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Seared Peppers and Onions:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced lengthwise, reserve 1/4 of a piece, uncut
1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and chopped
2 cups tomatillo, green chili salsa or chipotle-tomato salsa, your choice
4 crusty rolls, split - (I used Arnold Select Sandwich whole grain sandwich thins)

Directions
Combine chicken, chipotle powder, cilantro, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Score and divide meat into 4 sections and form big patties, 1-inch thick. Using the rest of the 1/4 reserved onion piece, grate the other half of it on the burgers. Drizzle patties with extra-virgin olive oil and cook 6 minutes on each side or until meat is firm and cooked through.

Heat a medium skillet over high heat (I used our grill instead of a skillet). Add extra-virgin olive oil and peppers and onions. Stir-fry the veggies tossing them with tongs to sear them at edges. Add the jalapeno or serrano pepper. Toss and turn the mixture about 3 minutes, then add salsa of choice and toss a minute longer. Place burgers on each bun bottom and top with 1/4 of the pepper and onion mixture and bun top.

Servings: 4

Recipe Notes:
The original recipe (see link above) is for both beef and chicken fajita burgers. Since there are only two of us in our house, I made just the chicken burgers. We ALWAYS have beef burgers, so I thought chicken would be a nice change.

Rachel also suggests you serve this meal with her Bacon and Black Bean Smash. We're trying to watch our fat intake here at the Kitchen Canister household, so instead I served it with plain black beans seasoned with some diced onions, cinnamon, chili powder and cumin.

I also added an extra jalapeno because these type of recipes usually never have enough kick for us. I think one jalapeno would have been more than enough, however. I am writing this post a half hour later and my mouth is still a little tingly!

Overall, this was a pretty good recipe. I have always been skeptical of Rachel's recipes really taking less than 30 minutes, but this one only took me about 25 minutes start to finish - and I had some down time while things were simmering to clean up, so the mess afterwards was minimal. I think this would have taken me over 30 minutes if I made the suggested side, but regular black beans are so simple, it was easy to stay within the alloted time. I also had some help - my husband happily manned the grill while I took care of the stuff on the stove.

Happy Anniversary to me! (belated)

2009-09-25T17:31:00.003-04:00

I've been so busy this past week I didn't even have time to post about what happened one year and one week ago! My husband and I were happily married at the church I grew up going to. We had a great day and people are still complimenting us on how fun our reception was! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day:

This past year has been absolutely wonderful. Everyday I fall even more in love. I can't wait to see what the rest of our life together has in store for us!

All pictures were taken by Kamila Harris Photography. If you're in the PA/NJ area, I highly recommend her!

Restaurant Review: The Tortilla Press, Collingswood, NJ

2009-09-25T09:02:00.003-04:00

This week was Collingswood restaurant week, which just so happens to be a town adjacent to where we just moved. I had been wanting to try The Tortilla Press for quite awhile, so we decided to take this opportunity to go there with a group of friends.

Now, let me premise this review by saying that this is my first experience dining somewhere with a prix fixe "restaurant week" menu, so I'm guessing my experience may have been different had we went on a Saturday night and ordered from the regular menu.

We had a party of 6, so we made a reservation for 8pm on Monday night. The atmosphere in the restaurant was really great. They have big windows that slide all the way open (floor to ceiling) to give you that outdoors when you're indoors feeling.

While we were waiting to place our order, we were given tortilla chips, with salsa and a black bean dip. The dips were really delicious, but the home made chips were a little lacking. After several tastes, we came to the conclusion that they took stale chips, doused them with oil and threw them back in the oven to make them seem fresh. One of our friends even went as far to say "This might be the worst chip I've ever eaten". Yikes!

Tortilla Press is BYOB, like all restaurants in Collingswood. The menu offers three types of alcohol-less margaritas to which you can add your own tequila. We went for the traditional lime. The lime is fresh squeezed. I don't normally like margaritas but this one was excellent. I think the fresh squeezed lime really made it perfect.

On to the meal!

The menu was $30 and for this amount you got the following: One appetizer, choice of soup or salad, main course, and dessert.

Appetizer
We had our choice of the following:

Chile rellanos in a fresh tomato cilantro broth - two people at our table got this. One of them was my husband so I definitely had to try it. It was really good, but just a little too much cheese for me.

Crab guacamole tostada - no one got this, so I can't vouch for it.

Mini cheese & onion enchilada in a guajillo chile sauce - someone at the table got this and said it was really delicious.

Twin mini cilantro chicken tacos with a mango-jalapeño salsa - two of us got this. You would think when two people get the same thing at a table, it would come out the same exact way. This is not the case at Tortilla Press. While the menu clearly states the taco should be topped with mango-jalapeno salsa, mine came without any salsa. The other person who ordered this did get the salsa. When I asked to have mine topped with the salsa, they took my tacos back to the kitchen and brought it out with the salsa that we got with the chips. I didn't feel like arguing at that point, so I just ate it with the regular salsa. The chicken was really good, and the soft shell tacos were cooked just right. I was told the mango salsa was excellent, too.

Soup or Salad
Mini mexican cobb salad with corn, bacon, black beans, queso fresco & tomato vinaigrette - only one person at our table opted for the salad. He said it was nothing really to write home about, but it was very good.

Cup of fresh, home made butternut squash soup with garlic croutons - the rest of us ordered the soup. After waiting for what seemed like forever in between the appetizer and soup, the waitress came out to inform us that there was no butternut squash soup left. We were very dissapointed because all 5 of us were really looking forward to this soup. She told us we could sub a soup off of their regular menu so we all ended up choosing their black bean soup. Another 10 minutes went by, and out comes our soup, only it wasn't the black bean - it was the butternut squash! Yay! The soup was the perfect blend and the squash wasn't pureed to a pulp like most squash soups. I like how with every bite you actually got some squash to chew on. The croutons were also delicious.

Entrees
Enfrijoladas... a Mexican classic! Seasoned, spicy chorizo rolls in corn tortillas with queso fresco, black bean sauce, lime pickled onions & mexican crème. Served with fresh sautéed green beans - all of the guys we were dining with got this entree. Again, all three came out different. One was topped with only mexican crème, one with just onions, and one with both. I think this restaurant is in desperate need of someone to do their plating. An entree should never come out of the kitchen looking different than the one before it.

To top it off, one of the enfrijoladas was cold. So cold, that it needed to be sent back to the kitchen. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant where I've been served a cold meal before, so this was a first.

Fire Grilled Shrimp: Plump and juicy with an ancho chile apple cider reduction. Served with sweet potato gratin and a spicy eggplant, mushroom & zucchini ragout - no one got this, but it was offered, so I thought I'd still list it.

Pan seared scallops: Drizzled with fresh chipotle creamed sweet corn sauce and served with poblano-spinach rice - two people at our table ordered the scallops and they had no problems with them. They said they were excellent.

Pork & Beef Peccadillo: A tender, flavorful stew with almonds, raisins, olives, tomato & cinnamon. Served with cilantro rice - I was the only one who ordered this, and I kind of feel bad for everyone else. This was really delicious. The meat was very tender, and though I was a bit skeptical about the raisins, it was a really a great complement to the other flavors. The rice was really good as well - cooked perfectly.

Dessert
Pumpkin bread pudding with our cajeta sauce and a dollop of fresh whipped cream - everyone who ordered this said it was really delicious and they would definitely get it again.

Home made Apple cobbler with apples from Schober Orchards. Topped with vanilla ice cream - this was really good. I'm so glad that it's fall again. Desserts like this really make me feel good inside. It was the perfect mix of crunchy and chewy, and the ice cream really rounded out the dessert well. I would go back just to get this dessert again.

They also offered Flan, but no one ordered it at our table.

Overall, our experience here was less than stellar compared to what I've heard about this place. Since we went on a Monday night, I may be willing to give it another try on a weekend, just to compare.

I really want to like this restaurant because the head chef is dedicated to using local farms for all of his food and that's something I can really get behind. Practices like this are better for the environment (it cuts down on shipping costs) and for our local economy. Check out his interview on John and Lisa are Eating in South Jersey. You can also check out the chef's own blog here.

Home made French Fries

2009-09-13T12:12:00.001-04:00

I served these french fries with the Black Bean burgers in the previous post. They came out pretty good, and even tasted okay the next night when we reheated them in the microwave.

Home-made French Fries

Ingredients

2 baking potatoes
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (you could probably add more salt if you wanted, but I like my fries more on the spicy side than the salty side)
olive oil cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400.

Peel and slice the potatoes into wedges. Once sliced, place the wedges into a large mixing bowl and coat with 2 or three sprays of cooking spray. Add the spices above and toss to coat the fries.

Spread the seasoned fries out on a non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven and bake until golden brown - about 15 minutes.

Black Bean Burgers

2009-09-12T11:51:00.004-04:00

Keeping on our healthy kick, I made black bean burgers the other night. I'll be honest, a burger without meat scares me a little. I wasn't sure if I could really pull this off and have it be tasty. The recipe I found on food network's website got great reviews, so I thought I would give it a try anyway.

It turned out pretty good. The burgers were a little dry, but I think that's because I wasn't getting the right consistency and got a little trigger happy when I was adding more bread crumbs. I'm not sure you could make these on the grill, because it took a little bit of time in the pan for them to reallt firm up. My first one split when I tried to flip it too early.

Black Bean Burgers
from Sandra Lee of Food Network

Ingredients
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
I also one jalapeno pepper to my burgers. It spiced them up a little bit.
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 hamburger rolls- Sandra suggests using the leftovers for another recipe, which is why only 4 hamburger buns are called for. I got 8 burgers out of my recipe

Optional Toppings:
1 tomato, sliced
4 small Romaine lettuce leaves, or any other type you have on hand
1/4 cup ketchup

Directions

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-low heat.

In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until finely chopped. Add 1 can black beans, cilantro, parsley, egg, and red pepper flakes and pulse to combine.

Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining can of black beans and the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix until well combined.

Reserve 1/3 of the black bean mixture for Round 2 Recipe. Divide remaining mixture into 4 portions and form into patties. Place on hot oiled grill over medium-low heat and cook about 6 minutes a side or until heated through. Toast hamburger buns on a grill. Place a burger on the bottom of each bun. Top with lettuce, tomato and ketchup. Cover the burgers with the top of the bun and serve.

Review
These were much better than I was anticipating, having never had a black bean burger before. I thought they were going to be mushy and without real consistency, but they were very tasty. Of course, they didn't taste exactly like a real beef hamburger, but I think I could get used to this as an acceptable substitute were I to ever become a vegetarian.

On the first night, we used the suggested toppings above, but on the second night, we tried salsa instead of ketchup and it was much much better.

So Why Haven't I Been Blogging?

2009-09-12T11:39:00.002-04:00

Two reasons:

1. I am a tax accountant and one of our big tax deadlines is coming up. I've been spending almost every waking moment at work, right now. Last night (yes, FRIDAY), I was there until 2am. It sucks, but it will all be over on Tuesday!

2. We bought a house!!

Clearly, reason two is much much more exciting. So, without further ado, here is what it looks like:

I'll spare you pictures of every room, but since this is a cooking blog, I thought most of you would be interested in the kitchen. This is one of the reasons we liked the house so much. In our apartment, there is no space in the kitchen. It makes it very hard to move around while we're cooking, and as any good entertainer knows - everyone always ends up in the kitchen, so it was important that we have a big space to entertain in.

In the picture above you can see the other reason we liked the house so much: the HUGE deck! IT spans the entire back of the house and even has a spot that looks like its made for a hot tub (maybe one day, we'll actually put one there!)

Takeout Food - Wegmans

2009-09-09T18:05:00.004-04:00

If you are fortunate enough to have a Wegmans near you, you probably already know what I'm going to post about. Over the past few weekends, my husband and I have been making some improvements to our house to make it move-in ready. Since we haven't moved any of our major items like, pots, pans, and cooking utensils, I haven't been cooking much. Unfortunately, there is only so much takeout pizza a girl can have before she goes crazy.

Enter, Wegmans. For those of you who don't know, Wegmans is a grocery store that has a HUGE prepared foods section. They have made-to order hoagies, pizza, and other sandwiches, as well as a asian and thai food bar. In addition to that, there is fresh sushi, soup and a slew of meals you can pick up and heat at home in the refrigerated section.

Wegmans has lifted the "what's for dinner?" burden for us while we are living somewhere without cooking utensils! We've tried the lemon grilled chicken and the pasta with homemade sauce and cheese. My husband has had their sushi and I've also tried the Italian Hoagie and the chicken noodle soup. I don't think we've had a bad meal there yet.

The menu changes with the season, so click here to find out what a Wegmans near you is serving up.

Culinary Tour - North and South Carolina

2009-09-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

Last week, my husband and I ventured down to the Carolinas for a family vacation. When I say family, I mean the WHOLE family. There were 16 of us, including my husband's relatives from London, England. It was great to see everyone and to eat such lovely southern food.

View Larger Map

We stayed in Ocean Isle, NC, which is about 35 minutes outside of Myrtle Beach. Our first night there we dined at Tomo, a hibachi restaurant on the island. The show at this hibachi was similar to other hibachi restaurants, and the food was both delicious and reasonable. I had Chicken Hibachi and Jim had Salmon hibachi. Both came with a salad, soup, fried rice and vegetables. We also split cucumber rolls - 3 each. Other offerings at the restaurant included scallop hibachi, shrimp hibachi and teriyaki chicken. All of the above were ordered by others in our party and they said they were delicious.

Here is half of us at the Hibachi table:

Tomo Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse
120-7 Causeway Dr
Ocean Isle Beach
North Carolina, 28469

Tuesday - Outlet shopping in Myrtle Beach and then dinner at Benny Rappa's. This is a sort of unique restaurant because it has a menu that changes daily. I had eggplant parmesean and the rest of the family enjoyed lasagna, spinach and walnut ravioli, and italian sausauge. All of our meals came with a starter salad. Regular bread is complimentary, but they also offer garlic cheese bread for a nominal charge.

A note on getting there: Both Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach use a seperate numbering system. Even though the towns seem like one continuous town, there are TWO 17th streets, one in North MB and one in MB. When you're looking for Benny Rappa's make sure you're in NORTH Myrtle Beach. We went all the way down to 17th in Myrtle Beach, which was about a half hour out of our way.

Benny Rappa's Trattoria
1453 Highway 17S
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

After dinner we went to Broadway at the Beach to watch the fireworks. We also enjoyed a perennial favorite - Ben and Jerry's scoop shop!

There were five of us, and four of the group had Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road. I was the oddball who ordered Peanut Butter Cookie.

Wednesday - Every year, the family seperates and the girls have a ladies day. This year, it was decided we would tour Silver Coast Winery and partake in the wine tasting. The tour of the winery was very neat. Our knowledgable guide answered all of our questions without looking annoyed at all. After a 20 minute tour, and 20 minutes of questions, we were set to move on to the tasting. For $10 we tasted 10 wines - 5 white and 5 red. I loved their Calabash White so much that I purchased a bottle for $9. They also had a Viognier that I was very tempted to buy, but at $28 it was a little out of my vacation spending budget.

cheers! me and the in-laws

Silver Coast Winery
6680 Barbeque Rd.
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469

By the time we got back, it was too late to organize a restaurant expedition like Monday's, so we dialed up Cinellis for Takeout Pizza. Being from NJ, I'm a little bit of a stickler for the taste of a good pizza. It's not THAT hard - dough, sauce and cheese - but most places outside of my immediate area have a very hard time with it. Anyway, this pizza was pretty good, as far as pizza outside of the NY/NJ/eastern PA area goes. It was also finished relatively fast for the amount we ordered - I think there were 8 pies in total.

Cinelli's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
14 Causeway Drive
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina 28469

Thursday - Today was newlyweds day. Yay! My husband and I set out on our own adventure in North Carolina. During the day we went to Southport, which is not far from Ocean Isle. We walked around and ate lunch at a gallery/cafe and went to the christmas and candy shops. Around 3 we caught the ferry over to Fort Fisher to go to the aquarium. Unfortunately, we got there at 4 and it closed at 5. The admission was under $10 so we took a chance and went in anyway. An hour turned out to be perfect for the size of the aquarium. We even got to see two of the staff don some scuba and clean the alligator tank - while the alligators were in it!!! Yikes!!

NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
900 Loggerhead Rd
Kure Beach, NC 28449-3786

After the aquarium we headed to the next town over to enjoy a free wine tasting and some appetizers at 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind. We each enjoyed one complimentary glass and one we paid for. We also ordered an anitipasto tray with pepperoni and red roasted peppers.

After the wine, we still had time to kill before dinner, so we went to the Pleasure Island Beach boardwalk. I wouldn't say this was really a boardwalk (I'm from NJ, remember - we're KING of boardwalks!) but it had every store a boardwalk should have - surf shop, fudge shop, rides and an arcade. At dusk, a cover band took over the boardwalk to play their set. We watched for a bit and then made our way to Wilmington, NC.

For those of you who watch One Tree Hill, you'll be delighted to know that this is where it's filmed. We didn't, however, go on a star search for all of OTH's actors. We were here for dinner, so we headed straight for Front Street Brewery, where, for less than $40, we imbibed, dined, and went home with merchandise! Jim had the pulled chicken and I had the pulled pork. After tasting both, we decided that mine was the clear winner. The sauce was so delicious, I had to eat the whole thing!

Front Street Brewery
9 North Front Street
Wilmington, NC

Friday - Today was our last day, so the plan was to be lazy all morning. Unfortunately for us, the water had decided to kick it up a notch. A hurricane far off the coast made the waves extremely choppy with a bad undertow. The beach was evacuated before we even got a chance to change from pajama's to swimsuits. To kill the rest of the day, we went to Calabash, where they have a cute Christmas shop, combined with your normal souveneir store. Afterwards, we headed to Barefoot Landing. We had ice cream at Kohr Bros. and all the free samples we could stuff our faces with at the peanut shop, fudge shop and salt water taffy shop. Who needs lunch when you can dine on all those snacks?? By about 7, we were actually getting hungry, so we went to one place we could all compromise on - Ultimate California Pizza. If you've never been to one, it's very similar to California Pizza Kitchen, only I think this place has a lot more variety when it comes to pizza. Most of the choices can be made somewhat healthy, too. You can get your pizza on whole wheat crust, and they had a lot of low-fat options on the menu. Everyone was very satisfied with their dinner.

Ultimate California Pizza
2500 N Kings Hwy
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577-3079

After dinner, my husband, me and his cousin went to play mini-golf, where we were effectively pulverized by his cousin's high score. On the last hole I would have gotten a hole-in-one, but something was wrong with the hole and my ball went in and after two or three seconds, popped out!!! Oh well.

On the way back home, we stopped at a BBQ place in VA called King's Barebeque Two. We drove Jim's grandparents home and they couldn't say enough good things about it. All 4 of us ordered pulled pork sandwiches and were definitely satisfied. The price was right, too. Each platter came with a sandwich, french fries, cole slaw and a drink and was only $4.

King's Famous Barbeque
2910 S Crater Rd
Petersburg, VA 23805-9223

Black Bean Soup - Tyler Florence Style

2009-08-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Another Tyler recipe. This time, I wasn't even trying to make a recipe created by him, honest! As I mentioned in another post, we wanted to take it easy this week with eating, so we opted for meat-free meal plan. Black beans are a perennial favorite of mine, so I googled black bean soup and this recipe came up. This was surprisingly easy to make. The most difficult part was pureeing the garlic, onions and peppers because I only have a mini-prep. I had to do two rounds of processing before I was able to get through the whole peppper and onion!

Black Bean Soup
courtesy Tyler Florence of Food Network

Ingredients
1 pound dried black beans - I used 2 15 oz cans of pre-cooked black beans
4 cloves garlic - only two cloves of garlic for me!
2 onions, roughly chopped - I only used one because I thought more than that would be a little onion heavy for my tastes
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro - I substituted dried cilantro
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh oregano - subbed dry again
2 tablespoons ground cumin
~~1 smoked ham hock~~ (since we were staying away from meat - although this sounds delicious!)
1 jalapeno, split
1 3/4 quarts low-sodium chicken stock (To make this completely veg, substitute this for vegetable stock)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crema: I didn't make the crema, but I thought I would post it anyway in case someone wanted to attempt it
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lime zest
Lime wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions
Pick through the beans and discard any debris - wash under cold running water.(skipped this step since I used canned beans) In a food processor, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.
Set a large pot over medium heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin. Add vegetable puree and saute until just fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, jalapeno, and stock. Slightly cover and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender. (Since my beans were already cooked and I didn't use the ham hock, I only simmered it for 20 minutes)

~~When cooked, take out ham hock. Cut ham meat off the bone, cut into pieces and set aside.~~

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree just enough of the beans and stock (about a third of the total pot) to thicken up the soup and bring everything together.(I don't own an immersion blender and since we're moving my real blender was packed away, so I just smashed some of the beans with the back of a large spoon. This thickened the soup, but not as much as blending them would have.) Season with salt and pepper and fold ham meat back into the soup.

Make the crema by combining sour cream and zest. Serve each soup with a spoonful of lime crema, a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro.

Pardon the ugly picture - It tastes much better than it looks!

Review
My husband was a little concerned the soup would taste too onion-y because that's all he could smell when I was cooking. However, the soup had the perfect balance of all the flavors. Instead of garnishing ours with the crema recipe above, we used part-skim mozzarella. The only thing I might do differently next time is add some chili powder or red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch. It wasn't quite as spicy as I like my black bean soups. Another A+ for Tyler!

Make sure you visit Tyler Florence Fridays for a round up of other awesome Tyler recipes!

Garden Orzo Salad with Herb Dressing

2009-08-27T09:10:00.000-04:00

After our long vacation of eating out nightly, we decided that this week we'd eat a little lighter. I think while we were away we gained about 5 pounds from all the yummy food, so I'm sure our waistlines will thank us for taking it easy this week.

I saw this recipe on the food network show Rescue Chef on Sunday morning and decided it would be perfect. On the show, it was slotted as a side dish, but it more than filled us as a main course. You could probably even add some chicken to it if you want to make it a little more filling. I wanted something quick and relatively free of mess, so I stayed away from the chicken option.

Garden Orzo Salad with Herb Dressing
adapted from Food Network chef Danny Boome

Ingredients
NOTE - I halved the entire recipe because it said it served 20 on the website. The amount I ended up with will be more than enough for the two of us to eat for three nights.

For the herb dressing:
2 lemons, zested and juiced
~~2 oranges, zested and juiced~~ 1 tbsp orange juice, no pulp
1 cup ~~cider~~ white wine vinegar
~~2 cups~~ 1 tbsp ~~fresh parsley~~ dried cilantro leaves
~~2 cups~~ 1 tbsp ~~fresh basil~~ dried basil leaves
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the salad:
4 cups orzo
Salt, for water
5 ears corn, kernels removed
~~5 stalks celery, diced~~
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 pints cherry tomatoes

Directions
In a food processor add lemon zest and juice, orange zest and juice, cider vinegar, parsley, basil. Turn on the processor and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is blended together. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To a large mixing bowl add the raw corn kernels (I cooked my corn - on the cob - before I added it to the salad at the recc of some of those who commented on the original recipe posted on food network's website), diced celery, seeded and diced cucumber and whole cherry tomatoes.

Once orzo is cooked, drain and rinse under cold water; drain well. Add cooled orzo to bowl and toss. Add dressing to salad and toss again. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.

Review
I thought the salad was very good, but was a little worried about the dressing. Many people commented on the original recipe that it was too tart. When I tasted it after mixing it up, they were right. After it was added to the salad, however, some of the tartness went away, countered by the sweetness of the tomatoes and the corn. The amount of dressing the recipe makes is more than enough. I would add about 1/4 of what you made and taste it to be sure before adding more. You can always offer the rest on the side in case your guests want to add more. All in all, this was a super simple and refreshing salad. I will take this over your regular lettuce, tomato and cucumber any day!

I've been such a bad blogger....

2009-08-14T11:23:00.005-04:00

I have to apologize to all my followers because I've been the worst blogger lately! One of my classes is coming to an end so I've been wrapped up in studying for the final, and more importantly, we're leaving for vacation in Ocean Isle, NC on Sunday, so I've been packing like a crazy person. On top of all that, we also have a very good friend's wedding this weekend. How exciting! I know it's hard to believe but I did cook this week. I promise I'll post when I get back next Sunday. Here's a peek at what's to come:

Black Bean Burgers
Cinnamon Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Carrot and Broccoli Walnut Stir Fry
Oven Baked French Fries
Mock Home Fried Potatoes
Food pictures from the wedding we're attending on Saturday (I hear a rumor it will be BBQ!! Mmmm...)
A culinary tour of Ocean Isle, NC

See you when I get back! In the meantime, here are some other blog posts that have tickled my fancy the past few days:

Mexican Yellow Rice by Joelen of Joelen's Culinary Adventures
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies by Celeste of Sugar and Spice
Pizza in a Pot by Rachel of Rachel vs. "The Kitchen"
Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies by Elra of Elra's Baking

Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber and Cilantro

2009-08-07T07:16:00.006-04:00

Thanks to a wonderful coupon from Borders this past weekend, I acquired another Tyler Florence cookbook. I was trying to decide between Eat This Book and Tyler's Ultimate and ended up going with the latter choice. On the way home, I was flipping through the book and thought this chicken recipe would be a really great summer meal. It was light, not too much prep work involved, and I had almost all of the ingredients in my cupboard. A real shocker, since I almost never have the ingredients Tyler cooks with. This is partly my fault, though. When I make up my own recipes I'm not very out of the box. Now that I have been cooking with Tyler Florence Fridays, I find it more and more exciting to venture into the kitchen.

Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber and Cilantro
Tyler's Ultimate by Tyler Florence

Ingredients
Vinaigrette
1/4 c soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh red pepper flakes

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups panko
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
A couple good handfuls of stemmed spinach leaves (4 cups)
1 cucumber, unpeeled, cut crosswise into thin slices
handful of fresh cilantro leaves
1 scallion, white and green part, sliced
cracked black pepper

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and red pepper flakes for the dressing.

Toast 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet until fragrant, a minute or two, then set aside.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put a chicken breast on the cutting board and, holding a large knife parallel to the board, cut through the breast horizontally so that you get 2 fillets. Repeat with the 3 remaining breasts. Put the chicken on a platter, drizzle two tablespoons of the dressing, and toss to coat. Set the rest of the vinaigrette aside. Let the chicken marinate for about 10 minutes.

Combine the panko and the remaining sesame seeds in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your fingers so that the seasoning is incorporated and then taste it; the panko should be well seasoned. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned bread crumbs, patting the crumbs gently so that they adhere.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Line a platter with paper towels and set that to the side of the stove. Add about half of the chicken to the pan and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to the towel-lined platter to drain while you cook the rest.

Put the spinach in a bowl with the cucumber, cilantro, scallion and a tablespoon of the toasted sesame seeds. To serve, arrange a mound of greens on a plate, set a piece of chicken on top, stack a few more greens on top, and finish with another piece of chicken. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Make 3 more plates this way and shower with the remaining tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and cracked black pepper.

Servings: 4

The verdict is in on this one! As I guessed, it was very easy to prepare and a nice light meal for a Sunday dinner in the summer. The only thing we did differently was bread only one side of the chicken. We're trying to eat a little healthier, so this was our attempt to do that with this recipe. I also have a tip: If you make the vinaigrette ahead of time, make sure you whisk it really well right before serving. Otherwise, the spices will stick to the bottom and your dressing won't be as flavorful.

This is my submission to Tyler Florence Fridays this week. Please click below and check out all the other entries!

Moroccan Chicken

2009-07-30T21:57:00.003-04:00

Now that I am getting to know my way around the kitchen a little better, I'm not so frightened of Tyler Florence's recipes anymore. Even though they typically take more time to prepare than my usual weeknight go-to's, the payoff is tenfold. I always end up with a meal that pleases both my and my husband's taste buds.

Of course, since I prepped this meal during the week, I didn't have time to roast a whole chicken. Instead, I used three chicken breasts and halved the recipe. Since there was no cavity to stuff the lemon in, I sliced it up and stuck two slices on top of each piece of chicken. The cilantro and garlic were then placed in the roasting pan so the chicken would soak up the flavor as it cooked.

Moroccan Chicken
adapted from the cookbook Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen

Ingredients
Moroccan Spice Mix:
1 cinnamon stick, chopped in pieces
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Chicken:
~~1 (3 1/2 pound) whole free range chicken~~ 1.5 lb chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, ~~halved~~ sliced
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

To prepare the Moroccan Spice Mix for the Chicken: Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander, and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for just a minute to release the fragrant oils; shake the pan so they don't scorch. In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the brown sugar. (A word of advice: make sure you thoroughly wipe out your coffee grinder before you make coffee again - Moroccan spices taste great on chicken but horrible with coffee.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels. Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub; make sure you don't miss a spot. Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the lemons halves, cilantro, and garlic in the cavity and place the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Drizzle the oil all over the chicken. If you have time, let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to really get the flavors down deep into the meat. Roast the chicken for 1 hour; pop an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; if it reads 160 degrees F, it's done. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Pull the chicken from the bone and shred the meat, with your fingers or 2 forks. Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the bird over the meat to moisten.

Not a big shocker, but I really enjoyed this recipe. However, the next time I make it, I think I might go a little lighter on the cloves. This was the first time I've ever had cloves, so I wasn't entirely sure what they'd taste like. To me, it was just a little too strong.

Soon we will be closing on a house, and we'll actually have a grill. I think the spice rub would be perfect for making some chicken kebobs and serving with a light Tzatziki sauce.

If you'd like to see more recipes by Tyler Florence, click here for the round up.

Baked Potato with Black Beans and Corn

2009-07-27T19:47:00.005-04:00

A couple weeks ago I joined Sparkpeople in an effort to track my eating and exercise. Like all things, I was really good at entering it all in every day...for the first two weeks or so. That's when it all went steadily downhill. Entering everything I ate was really good practice for me though. It helped me see that all those little "snacks" during the day really add up. Even though I'm not tracking my meals as religiously anymore, I think I've become more conscious of the mindless eating I do at work.

There are also some really excellent recipes for lunches that the site suggests. One such recipe is a variation on your regular baked potato.

Baked Potato with Black Beans and Corn
from Sparkpeople.com

Ingredients
1 baking potato
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained
1/4 cup canned sweet corn
1/2 cup salsa - I used medium because I didn't want it too spicy

Directions

Scrub potato with a wet paper towel to clean. Poke several holes in it with a fork. Wrap with a paper towel and cook in microwave for 4:30. Place on a plate and slice the potato in half. Top with beans and corn. Cook for another 30-45 seconds in microwave. Remove from microwave and top with salsa.

Servings: 1

This makes an excellent workday lunch because the whole thing can be put together in my office kitchen and it's really filling. I'm sure it would also be tasty on summer weekends when firing up the oven is the last thing you want to do.

This meal is also abs diet friendly because it incorporates black beans and corn.

Culinary Tour - New York City - SoHo

2009-07-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

Over the Fourth of July weekend, my husband and I ventured into New York City. Recently, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened an annex in SoHo. (For those of you not familiar with NYC, SoHo is the neighborhood south of Houston street, on the southwest end of the island). Thanks to Yoko Ono's generosity, they have also opened a limited engagement exhibit called John Lennon, The New York Years.

If you live in the NY area and have any interest at all in music, this is a really fun museum. It costs $30, but you get your own headset that is your musical guide through the museum. As you pass exhibits, songs relevant to those artists play. For example, when we looking at the lyrics Madonna penned in a notebook, the lyrics were playing on our headphones. Anyway, my point is - it's worth the money if you're into rock n roll history. My favorite exhibit were the letter Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel wrote to each other while they were teenagers.

So now back to the food!

While we were there, we ate lunch, a snack, and dinner in the city. For lunch, we went to a pizza place called L'asso. It is located at 192 Mott Street off of Kenmare. We split a small Pizza Giardino, which was perfect for lunch. The pizza was really delicious, and worth the small argument my husband and I had while we were looking for a place to eat.

The Annex operates on a time entry system, so we still had some time to waste before we entered. It was a no brainer to stop by our favorite frozen yogurt place, Pinkberry (WARNING: link contains music so turn down your speakers if you're at work!). They were serving bing cherries as a topping because they were in season. Score! I got a small original yogurt with cherries and pineapple. Jim got a small original with kiwi and raspberries. What a great refreshing snack - and very low in calories compared to ice cream or other desserts.

After the annex (it took us a good 3 hours to go through it), we went to quite possibly the best mexican food restaurant I've ever been to. It's called La Esquina and it is located at 114 Kenmare Street. If you are in the area, GO HERE!! It's just that good. We had the Carnitas Michoacan (pork tacos) and the Tinga de Pollo, which is pulled chicken stew with tomato, chipotle and cinammon, served with avocado, cabbage and tortillas. We also got a side of yucca. For our drinks, Jim had a Michelada. This is any mexican beer, served over ice, lime and chipotle puree. I had something a little less adventurous, whit sangria. Both were very good, but the Michelada was a little too exotic for me. I liked the way it tasted, but don't think I could have a whole drink of it.

Overall Ratings:

L'asso: 3 1/2 stars, the pizza was good, but the service was sort of slow. Bobby Flay can't be wrong, right? Watch the clip above for a scene at L'asso from Bobby Flay's Throwdown.

Photo courtesy pinkberry.com
Pinkberry: 4 stars, there was a very long line, but on a hot summer day that always happens. The toppings are always fresh, and the order was perfect.

photo courtesy La Esquina
La Esquina: 4 stars, the decor in the restaurant was a little odd (naked mexican ladies who were far from models), but the food and service was excellent. For the amount of money our bill was, the food was well worth it.

Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans and Chiles

2009-07-19T08:00:00.008-04:00

This recipe is sure to be another Tyler Florence favorite for our house. I received the cookbook Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen as a Christmas gift and it is quickly becoming my favorite gift of all time. So far, I have made Tyler's Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins from this book and it was a real hit. Most of the recipes in this book require ingredients I don't keep in my cupboard and more time than I have on weeknights. I usually make his recipes on Sunday when I have a lot of time. They're always winners. For other recipes I've made by Tyler, see my Tyler Florence tag.

Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans and Chiles
from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen

Ingredients

Marinade
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon ~~sesame~~ olive oil
1 teaspoon five spice powder - we didn't have five spice, so I used a substitute I found on recipezaar
1 tablespoon corn starch
sea salt and ground pepper

1 lb boneless beef top round, sliced paper thin
3 cups ~~peanut~~ olive oil - see note in review below
1 ~~tangerine~~ orange, unpeeled, sliced paper thin in circles
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
4 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, minced
~~4 dried red chiles~~ 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3/4 lb green beans halved on the bias
1/4 cup low sodium chicken ~~stock~~ broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tablespoon ~~black vinegar~~ or balsamic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, sesame oil, five spice powder and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper. Add the beef, toss to coat in the marinade, and stick it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, pour the peanut oil into a wok and place over high heat. Heat the oil to 350 F (about 15 min). Toss the tangerine slices with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch. When the oil is smoking hot, quickly fry the tangerine for about 4 minutes. Frying the tangerine first removes the bitterness from the skin and the slices become crispy so you can eat them whole. Carefully remove the tangerine slices with a strainer to drain on a paper towel lined platter; their shape should remain in tact.

Bring the oil back up the smoking point and add half the beef. If you fry it all at once, the oil temp will drop and the beef with stew instead of crisp. Fry for 2 minutes and the remove to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the rest of the beef. Very carefully drain all but 1/4 cup of the hot oil into a heat proof container. Stir fry the ginger, garlic, green onions and chiles in the remaining oil until they perfume. Add the green beans; season with salt and pepper. Mix the chicken stock with the rest of the cornstarch and add it to the wok. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Simmer until the sauce is thick and the beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Return the beef and tangerines to the pan and coat. Scatter the sesame seeds on top. Serve with steamed rice.

Serves: 6

Review

As far as the taste of this recipe goes, it was incredible. Before I made this, I searched some other blogs and found that Kristin of Sogkonnite Living had posted a review of this recipe. She mentioned that the sensitive stomachs in her house couldn't handle the deep frying. On her suggestion, I stir fried the oranges and the beef, instead of immersing it in oil. The recipe still turned out great. I also used a mix of black and white sesame seeds, though I'm not really sure this affected the taste at all. The only thing I was disappointed with was the oranges. Maybe I didn't cook them enough or something, but the skin definitely did not lose all of its bitterness. We ended up peeling the skin off. Next time I make this, I will peel them ahead of time.

Hungry for more Tyler recipes? Check out the roundup at:

Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops

2009-07-18T08:37:00.005-04:00

Every once in awhile, I give up my kitchen duties and let my husband take over. Sometimes the result is not so great, and other times, it's simply fantastic. Tonight was one of those nights. A little stressed out from working late and taking a night class, my husband offered to cook on Sunday. He picked two recipes, one we had almost all the ingredients for, and the other, next to none. I had to choose between these two, so I chose the easier one, since he's not good with multi tasking in the kitchen.

I left him completely alone for 1 hour to prepare the meal. When he emerged from the kitchen, four lovely pesto stuffed pork chops came with him. Overall, this was a great meal.

Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops
from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Bridal Edition

Ingredients
~~3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese~~
2 tablespoons refrigerated basil pesto
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
4 pork loin chops or boneless pork loin chops, cut 1-1/4 inches thick - TIP: since we were going to stuff the pork chops, we purchased butterfly cut chops at the stores instead. This made stuffing them much easier.
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions
For filling, in a small bowl stir together ~~feta cheese~~, pesto, and pine nuts. Set aside.

Trim fat from meat. ~~Make a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to the bone or the opposite side.~~ Divide filling among pockets in chops , placing the filling on one side of the chop. Fold over the other half of the chop(when they bake, the two "flaps" will sear together). If necessary, secure the opening with a wooden toothpick.

For rub, in a small bowl combine black pepper, oregano, garlic, red pepper, and thyme. Rub evenly onto all sides of meat. Place chops on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until done (160 degrees F) and juices run clear. Brush vinegar onto chops the last 5 minutes of baking. Before serving, discard toothpicks.

Servings: 4

I don't normally post this, but since they had them listed on the site, I thought I would add them. Of course, the facts below would be for the meal prepared exactly as printed on the BHG website.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 358, Total Fat (g) 18, Saturated Fat (g) 5, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 6, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 104, Sodium (mg) 201, Carbohydrate (g) 4, Total Sugar (g) 1, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 41, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 2, Calcium (DV%) 6, Iron (DV%) 11, Lean Meat (d.e.) 6, Fat (d.e.) .5, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

My husband paired this with corn on the cob and broccoli and carrots with walnuts.(Stay tuned later this week for that recipe). The whole meal was really delicious. The only thing we would do differently if we re-made this, was to go a little lighter on the rub. Rubbing both sides of the chops may have been overkill because the spiciness of it completely overtook the taste of the pesto stuffing.

For the corn, instead of using butter, we topped it with lime juice and chili powder. This was a great healthy alternative to butter!

Black Bean Pizza

2009-07-14T07:19:00.002-04:00

This recipe was pretty quick and I threw it together with stuff I already had lying around. Since we're moving in a few months, I want to try and use up as many pantry items as possible so we don't have to pack them. Enter, black beans in a can, pizza sauce and dough I had in the freezer.

Black Bean Pizza

Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pizza sauce (I used Ragu Pizza Quick, Original Style)
1 tablespoon of salsa
1 teaspoon each -
cumin
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
onion powder
1 cup mexican blend cheese
1 recipe pizza dough

Directions
Mix beans, salsa, and spices in a bowl. Spread sauce on pizza dough and top with the bean mixture. Top with cheese.

Serves: 4

This recipe was pretty tasty, but didn't do too well when we reheated it. I think it dried out a bit in the fridge overnight. If having as leftovers, I would suggest putting a little sauce on the top before you reheat it.

Super Easy Fruit Salad

2009-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went to a Fourth of July BBQ at a friends house. There were going to be a lot of people there so I volunteered to bring a couple things. Since I'm trying to stay healthy, I went for a fruit salad and an orzo salad. Here is the recipe for a super easy fruit salad that was a real hit.

Super Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients
1 lb bing cherries
1 box blueberries
1 lb green seedless grapes

Directions

Slice the grapes and cherries in half, and throw out the cherry pits. Add blueberries and mix. Serve either in a large mixing bowl, or portion into dessert dishes and top with whipped cream.

Note: Halving the cherries and grapes makes it look like this dish actually required effort. I will also say that everyone was very happy to have cherries without the work of getting rid of the pits! This also doubled as a delicious breakfast the next day.