Cooking in Cucamonga

A New Year

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

This blog has been sorely neglected for the past several months, despite my best intentions to blog more and increase the quality of my blogging in 2011. But, I am rarely home to cook anymore because I joined the coaching staff of a year-round competitive swim team in mid-September. Or should I say, re-joined. I was a swimmer on this team 7th grade through my first year of college, and then coached during my sophomore and super sophomore years, before spending several months in London, and then returning to the states to finish out my degree in San Francisco. It's been years since I hung up my goggles and stashed my stop watch, but funnily enough, right when I was feeling the itch to re-join the swimming world, I was asked if I wanted a position coaching the pre-senior level group.

Despite the fact that my group doesn't practice until three and a half hours after my teaching day ends, and I don't get home before 8pm anymore, I love coaching and being a part of these athletes' experience. However, because of these late evenings, I am rarely in the kitchen these days. I try to cook on the weekends, on days when the school I teach at is on break, or the rare evening we don't have swim practice, but I still come up short on blog-worthy recipes. So if you've been following me these past few months, wondering what my deal is, there you go. My plan for 2012 is to blog at least one new recipe a month--I think that's do-able and hopefully you'll still want to check in with me and see what I've been "cooking in Cucamonga". :)

My other blog, Janet From Another Planet, houses my non-cooking musings, vacation photos, and other aspects of my life outside the kitchen. It's a little more witty and a place to let my hair down and have some fun. Yep, I am that nerdy and just said that! :) Check out my recent list of 11 New Year's goals and maybe let me know some of your goals!

Psst...

2011-10-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

My beer blog

Go read it. Try some new beers. Tell me about your favorite beers.
Mmm, beer.

Smoked Tri Tip

2011-10-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

The husband and I were debating what birthday present I should get for my big 30th birthday last month, and we kept going back and forth between a new lens--L glass, drool-- for my camera, or the Weber smoker I'd been wanting for quite awhile. We'd go to BBQs Galore and stare and the smoker, then come home and I'd log into Amazon and oogle the lens. Decisions, decisions.

Well, I'm sure you can figure out what direction I ultimately went, based on the title of this post. The free prime shipping and the allure of smoked meats won beat out the new glass. (Though I still hope to get the lens for Christmas!) The smoker arrived a few days before my birthday, but with all my prior commitments it was a few weeks until we were able to finally smoke some meat. Finally, a Saturday arrived where I was only semi-busy with coaching swim practice, followed by presenting at a literacy conference, and since tri tip takes less than 3 hours to smoke, I had the husband pull out the tri tip on my way home and I lit the charcoal moments after stepping in the door. With the smoker holding steady around 240 degrees, the small cut of meat was ready in just about two hours.

We anxiously waited for the meat to rest once we pulled it off the smoker, and when it was finally time to cut into it, the husband and I kept eating small chunks of meat while I cut it into slices. Each piece was infused with a rich smokey flavor that enhanced it without overpowering the beefy flavor of the meat. We opted to just pour a little bit of BBQ sauce on the side, rather than directly on the tri tip, to allow the meat's natural flavor to take center stage.

Smoked Tri Tip
Source: Smoking-Meat.com, The Smoker King.com, and BBQBug.com

Recipe
1 tri tip
garlic salt
pepper
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil

Directions
Fill in chimney starter with crumpled newspaper and charcoal. Light the newspaper and let sit, about 20-30 minutes, until the top layer of charcoal starts to turn grey and ashy. I have a Weber Smokey Mountain-- I take the body off the smoker and set the
chimney on the charcoal grate for this step.

Sprinkle the tri tip liberally with the garlic salt and pepper, rubbing the seasonings into the meat.

Once the coals are ready, pour them onto your charcoal grate and re-assemble the body, if necessary. I added about 10 unlit coals at this point, to keep the fire hot throughout the cooking process. Once the smoker reaches 225 degress, add about 3-4 chunks of wood (I used apple) to the top of the coals, and then place the tri tip, fat side up, on the grill. Put the lid on and leave the smoker alone for the next 45 minutes. Be sure to monitor the temperature of the smoker, keeping it in the 225-250 degree range. If it gets too hot, close the bottom vents.

While the meat is smoking, mix the apple cider vinegar and oil in a small spray bottle. Shake it up well and spray it on the meat after about 45 minutes. Spray the meat again every 30 minutes; be sure to do this quickly to prevent too much heat from escaping. You do not need to flip the meat over; the fat will render into the meat, giving it a rich, moist flavor.

Test the meat's temperature after about an hour and 15 minutes; take the meat off the smoker at 130-135 degrees (this will be pink throughout).

Slogging Through

2011-09-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

It's the last Sunday in September and I'm sitting here on the couch, trying to finish my thesis. This thing has become the biggest monkey on my back. I am so close to being done, but it feels like the finish line is still miles away. The quarter has already started, which means I need to be completely done-all 5 chapters written, earlier revisions completed, ready for editing done- in the next 2-3 weeks. Chapters 1 and 2 are done, with the exception of revisions. I'm up the my eyeballs in Chapter 3, writing out instruction of specific strategies. Only about 7-8 more strategies to go--that's probably another 5-10 pages. Chapter 4 is 75% done; I need to explain the instruction of specific strategies based on text type (cause and effect, etc). I haven't even begun Chapter 5. That's suppossed to be the "easy" chapter, but we'll see.
I have a full-time job, with hours of work beyond the workday, and I'm coaching swimming in the evenings. I keep telling myself I'll work on writing in the hours between teaching and swimming, but with grading, contacting parents, and helping kids after school, I haven't held true on that promise yet.
And now, Mustache Bash 2011 (aka my 30th birthday party) is fast approaching, followed by 4 days in Sacramento for a state writing test committee (awesome resume builder!), then a weekend coaching at a swim meet in Seal Beach, speaking at a reading conference in Pasadena...when will I find the time? I really want to take one more quarter, but the husband doesn't support that idea. ::sigh:: He's right though. It's another quarter we have to pay for and I probably could finish if I buckled down harder. But, isn't my sanity worth it?
I'm sure anyone reading this is wondering what the heck I'm doing blogging and not working on my thesis. You're right. But, I've been working for the past 2 hours, I'm stuck on finding information on teaching comprehension of main idea in text, and my brain needs a break.
It'll all be worth it when I receive my master's degree, something I never thought I'd do. They pay increase will be nice, too.
Someone please remind me of this when I start thinking about phd school...

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" with Goat Cheese and Parmesan

2011-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

So last fall I went hard core no carbs, South Beach Diet phase 1, for a few months and dropped over 20 pounds. It was really hard to not eat carbs since I love sweets and bread products, but losing the weight made me feel better about myself, and it was something I just needed to do for my health.

Well, I got lazy, started chowing down on all my favorite carbby foods again, with no restraint, and I re-gained a few of those pounds. The husband's pants have been fitting a bit tighter lately as well, so we decided to give South Beach another try, but this time focus more on less carbs, rather than NO cabrs, because let's face it, carbs taste good! And no carbs gives me headaches and makes me crabby- I'm no ray of sunshine on a normal day, so doing something that puts me in a bad mood is no way to live life.

In our quest to cut the carbs, I pulled out this recipe for cauliflower mashed "potatoes", which obvs contain no potatoes. Let me tell you, I am not a fan of many vegetables, and cauliflower is definitely on that list. But, once they were pureed, then combined with goat cheese and parmesean cheese, I could.not.stop eating them! The consistency was spot on- smooth, creamy, velvety. Yummm. The two different cheeses added extra creaminess, as well as amazing flavor.

The husband, who is a veggie hater and steak lover, commented that this dish was the star of the meal and better than the steaks we had for dinner. If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" with Goat Cheese and Parmesan Cheese
Source: Kayln's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon half and half or cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Chop up cauliflower into small chunks, discarding the stem and leaves.

Put cauliflower and minced garlic in a saucepan (or microwave safe bowl if you want to microwave it) with enough water to cover the cauliflower. Cook for 20 minutes, until cauliflower is soft.

Drain the water and let cauliflower sit in a colander for about 5 minutes to allow extra water to drain off.

Puree cauliflower in a blender or food processor (I used my immersion blender for this, with the cauliflower in a saucepan. It worked great!). Put pureed cauliflower in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and mix in the goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir to melt the cheese, then remove from heat. Sprinkle chopped chives over the top and serve warm.

Beer Delay...

2011-07-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay with the second half of my beer round up. I typed out the entire thing, but like a bonehead, forgot to save it before closing the window. :{ Since my thesis is sorely neglected right now, and we're going on vacation soon so I really must get more done, Part Two will not be up on the blog until later in the week. Go re-read Part one instead! :)

"What's Not on Tap" Part One

2011-07-14T21:03:00.001-07:00

So I've got something a little different here tonight. Instead of the usual recipe blog post, we'll be discussing beer. Specifically a beer tasting class I attended at Total Wine. Do you have a Total Wine near you? They're like BevMo, but bigger, and according to The Husband, better.

Total Wine does beer and wine tasting classes every month, and I've been wanting to attend one for quite awhile now, but either grad classes conflicted with the date/time, or I would just plain forget about the class until the day after is happened. Yeah, seriously, it sucks to remember you wanted to do something pretty much right when it ends. Lame. This month the stars aligned and I actually remembered before the class passed. (Well actually, we were at the store on Sunday, buying some new gin for an at-home gin taste taste, when I saw the sign and immediately signed up.)

The beer class was $15 a person and I went alone because the husband is a party pooper and didn't want to join. Well that and he has nearly zero listening comprehension skills, because no matter how many times I described the class to him, mentioning it was a beer TASTING, he thought it was a class on homebrewing. What??? I mean it makes a teeny tiny bit of sense because I have been talking about a desire to homebrew recently, but that never came up in the conversations we had about taking a beer tasting class. :/ I called the afternoon of the class, once he finally realized it was a tasting not a brewing class (which by the way, I think would be an awesome class to take!) and said he wanted to go too, but they were sold out. Ha! Maybe next time he'll learn to listen to me...who am I kidding, no he won't.

Anyway, if you've made it through that long intro, I applaud you; I'm sure you are thinking to yourself "when is she going to stop yapping about nonsense and get to the goods?!" Well, here we go.

As the title of the post suggests, this was not a tasting of Bud Light or Coors. (People of the world, put down your shitty beers!) Actually, I stole the title from the class, which was called "What's Not on Tap: Uncommon, Extraodinary Beers You Must Try". I was really hyped to try beers that would require CIA-like intelligence to find, but being as this was in Total Wine, a store that sells beer, it's not that hard to find them. Just walk down their aisle of beer, and there you go! However, you're not going to pony up to your local dive and find these on tap, so I guess there is some truth to the title.

Upon arriving and checking in, I found a seat at a long table, and then headed to the back for some fancy cheese (ok, it was really just regular ol' cheese from Fresh and Easy. but still good.). We were all given a packet of tasting sheets to record the beers we tried, along with our thoughts on their appearance, aroma, taste, and mouth feel, as well as 2 glasses, a bottle of water, and a cup to spit into (I choose to actually drink all my beer. Why would you waste perfectly good beer?!). We were also given a copy of the evening's PowerPoint which contained information on each style of beer, foods and cheeses to pair with the beers, beer trivia, and a few websites for more beerformation. Don't get wigged out by the PP aspect! It was not boring in the least, and was a good way to know what the heck was going on. Plus, having a copy meant I didn't have to write down all that info, but could instead focus on drinking-I mean tasting- the beers, and recording my thoughts on each. I was thankful for this because I felt the pourings moved at a bit of a quick pace and I wasn't always sure how to describe the beers, so referring to the PowerPoint, which listed characteristics, helped me out a bit.

Let's get into the beers, shall we? Just a quick note before you leap into judgement--all of these photos were taken with my iPhone. I didn't want to bring my DSLR and feel obnoxious or deal with trying to figure out the right settings while trying to enjoy the beer. Also, I forgot to take pics of a couple of the beers because I was too busy having fun drinking.

Beer #1

Name: Reissdorf Kolsh
Style: Kolsh
Country of Origin: Cologne, Germany (many of the beers I tasted were from Germany)
ABV: 4.5-5.5%
Recommended serving temperature: cold, 39-45 degrees
Food pairings: grilled food, spicy food, German food, chicken, fish, shellfish
Cheese pairings: Brie, Camembert, Montery Jack, Edam (WTF is that??)

Okkkkkkkk, I have like zero notes on this beer. LOL. It was a pale gold color, clear, with a diminishing, fizzy head. Since I have no notes, I can only deduce that it wasn't a favorite. I think I remember it was kind of bland and boring. Not for me. Maybe good if you're not a big beer fan? Though really, I think shitty beer is what keeps people from liking beer. Not that this is a shitty beer.

Some other beers in this style are one by Flying Dog, Tire Bite Golden Age, and Alaskan Brewing's Summer Style. Who cares. This beer was not in my top anything.

Ok, let's move on.

Beer #2

Name: Lost Coast something or other (helpful, right? Don't worry, I actually improve as we go on)
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer
Country of Origin: no effing idea, but it is over 1,000 years old
ABV: varies, but low (what the eff type of information is this? Sorry, this is copied from the PowerPoint. Stick with me past this beer and I promise improvement here people. Besides, it's not like YOU paid $15; this information is free...Ok, sorry for the hostility there. Let's keep going, shall we?)
Recommended serving temperature: cool, 46-54 degrees
Food pairings: salads, desserts
Cheese pairings: none given...effin' Total Wine screwing up my blogging...

Alright, well with that intro this must be a promising beer. So an herbed/spiced beer means that the brewer added in plants and herbs beyond the normal hops to give the beer a sweeter taste. Informative, yes? So this technique, called gruit, is actually really old; they were doing this back in the Middle Ages before hops. Do you think serfs were drinking it up, or was it just a royalty thing? I'm sure Google could tell us, but let's move on to my assessment of the beer.

This beer was not as forgettable as the first one; it had a light, summery, slightly perfumey or herbal taste to it, with the hazy, pale straw color of an unfiltered beer. But again, not a favorite of mine. Too boring. Maybe I should mention at this point, I tend to go for dark, bold, flavorful beers. And sometimes Bud Light Lime. What, a girl's allowed to slum it sometimes.

Beer #3 No Picture.
Name: Pike Kilt Lifter
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy (what a cute name, wee heavy!)
Country of Origin: Scotland (say it with a Scottish accent for more fun!)
ABV: 6.5-10%
Recommended serving temperature: cellar, 55-57 degrees
Food pairings: roast/grilled lamb, game, pork, grilled smoked salmon, deli sandwiches
Cheese pairings: aged and smoked cheeses, asiago, gruyere (we had a smoked Gouda in class and it was really delish with this beer)

I enjoyed this beer much more than the first two, though I didn't take many notes beyond circling attributes on my tasting sheet. The beer has a honey/caramel color, with some cloudiness and a lasting head on the pour. It smelled caremely, but tasted more nutty, toasty, and slightly smokey, with a smooth moutfeel. This beer has a bit of warmth to it, but I wouldn't shy away from drinking it during a summer BBQ (cook out for those of you not in The Golden State) either. This was a nice, drinkable beer that I'd recommend for someone who is ready to move past the yellow fizz that is Bud and Coors and into a real beer. (Yep, I am a beer snob.)

Beer #4 No picture
This is about the time people started loosening up and the room got noiser and a bit rowdier. People were talking beer and having a great time. I was pretty quiet since I was there alone and the woman next to me disliked pretty much every beershe tried. As did the woman with her. WTF? Why come? Even two of the guys in their group weren't enjoying the beers. These were clearly MBC people (MBC is Miller, Bud, Coors for those of you not in the know.)
Name: Old Suffolk English Ale
Style: Old Ale
Country of Origin: England
ABV: 6-12%
Recommended serving temperature: 55-57%
Food pairings: baked ham, roasted/grilled game, lamb, beef (so, perfect for Easter dinner! Now when you need to bring sometime to a spring dinner, you can bring this beer.)
Cheese pairings: Asiago, Gloucester (an English cheese I haven't seen in the states. I was a big fan of this cheese during my stint in London.), Gorgonzola, Gruyere, Roquefort, Stilton (another English cheese I haven't seen stateside. Let me know if you know where to buy it!)

Ok, I actually took some notes about this beer. It is a brown ale with a diminishing head, and a sweet, chocolately, toasty, smokey, slightly spicy aroma. It had a sweet, chocolatey taste, with some dark fruity flavors, almost like a wine. I thought this was an enjoyable beer that I would drink again. It was very smooth with a balanced body and a long finish (you're still tasting it awhile after that last swallow).

Beer #5 Not pictured
Name: Weihenstephaner
Style: Weizenbock (meaning "strong-wheat")
Country of Origin: Germany
ABV: 6.9-9.3%
Recommended serving temperature: cool, 46-54 degrees
Food pairings: roast pork, roast beef, smoked ham, desserts
Cheese pairings: Gouda (including smoked....again MMMM!), Manchego (a hard, Spanish cheese)

Let me get this out there right away. I love wheat beers. Hefeweizens are a big favorite of mine. And actually, I thought all German wheat beers were Hefs, so it was pretty cool to learn that is not the case. According to my handy PP handout, Weizenbocks are stronger in alcohol and flavor character than Hefeweizen or Dunkleweizens, and are characterized by clove spiciness and fruity-banana flavors. Typically, I do not like wheat beers with banana notes, but this Weizenbock showed me that some beers can get it right.

The Weihenstephaner looks like your standard unfiltered wheat beers: golden color, cloudy appearance, a fizzy head. It has a clean, yet spicy aroma, which mimics the taste. (Look, I'm actually giving you some real information now! Aren't you excited? I'm excited.) It is slightly sweet, with a fruity, spicy/clove taste, and a small hint of bananas. Which, as I said before, normally I am not a fan of--nor do I like wheat beers that have a bubble gum taste (what the eff is up with that?! Why would you want a beer to taste like gum? Go drink a Jones soda if that's what you're looking for and leave the beer to those of us who don't want to junk it up!). But this beer pulls off the banana-clove taste very well.

If you're not a big beer drinker, but you're looking for a brew you can actually enjoy, I'd suggest giving a weizenbock a try. But don't get the one at Gordon Biersch; it has that weird banana-bubble gum taste. yuck.

What number are we on now?

Beer #6

Name: Spaten Monchen Dunkel
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager
Country of Origin: Germany
ABV: 4.5-5.6%
Recommended serving temperature: cool, 46-54 degrees
Food pairings: roasted meats, BBQ, sausages
Cheese pairings: Gruyere, Munster

So the first note I have at the top of my tasting sheet for this beer is *buy. Guess I liked it. LOL. So the Spaten Brewery has been around since 1397, which I guess means they know what they're doing. Here's another fun fact for you: Lager in German means "cellar" and lager beers are aged, or rested, to mellow out the flavor. What does that mean to you, a beer layman? Basically it means that this is a smooth, balanced, drinkable beer. It's an amber color, with a diminishing, fizzy head. It has a sweet, caramely, chocolately aroma, with a chocolately, toasty, and bisquity flavor. It has a very mild bitterness to it, which plays nicely against the chocolatey, bisquity, or bready, flavors.

I'd definitely recommend giving this beer a try, especially if you're looking for an easy to drink, yet flavorful beer. This is another one I'd like to see at summer BBQs and get togethers. Again, if more people were trying quality beers, less people would say they "don't like beer." Though then again, if those people keep thinking that way, it means there's more good beer for me.

Ok, since there were 13 beers sampled in the beer class, I'm going to break this up into two parts. Read about the rest of the beers on Monday! And it would be awesome if you commented and told me how much you're enjoying my beer roundup...or how lame you think this all is. I just like comments.

Grilled Summer Vegetables

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

The husband and I can be a bit of picky eaters when it comes to veggies, which leads to us eating far fewer vegetables than we should. But one of our favorite ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diets is by grilling them. The grill brings out the sweetness in the veg, similar to oven-roasting, while the burning charcoal imparts a nice smokey flavor into the food.

Usually, I just slice up the vegetables and sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil, before grilling em up. This time, I decided to make up something of a simple marinade to add some pizzaz. The lemon and lime juice adds a bright note to the veggies, without overpowering them.

The best part of this dish is that it works with whatever veggies you have on hand. The husband loves broccoli, so I threw some florets in for him, but you can easily leave them out. Onion slices would be delish, as would carrots or asparagus. Make it your own, but make it soon!

Grilled Summer Veggies
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
about 1 pound of summer squash (I used 1 yellow crookneck, 1 patti pan, and 1 round squash I don't know the name of)
1 medium head broccoli, stems trimmed and discarded
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
heavy shake salt and pepper

Directions
Prepare a charcoal grill for direct heat.
Slice the squash into planks or into bite-sized chunks.

Combine the squash and broccoli florets in a large bowl or Ziplock bag. Pour the remaining ingredients over the vegetables and stir or shake to combine.

Once the charcoal is medium hot (I usually cook my meat first, then the veggies, so the charcoal is at the appropriate temp) and the coals are glowing, but there aren't any flames, place a grill pan over the center of the grill. Pour the veggies into the grill pan and cook until the veggies are soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Shake the grill pan and stir the veggies as they cook to ensure all the vegetables cook evenly.

Remove from heat and serve.

7 Layer Bars

2011-06-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

I recently brought dinner to a friend of mine who had a baby. The night before I planned to visit, I realized I didn't make any kind of dessert-you can't bring someone dinner and leave out the sweets! I didn't have a lot on hand (no milk really limits you in baking!), but I figured I could throw something together. A quick Google search lead me to these 7-Layer Bars, and luckily I had nearly all of the ingredients in my pantry; I did have to sub milk chocolate chips for the white chocolate, but really, who's going to complain about more chocolate?!

These bars are thick, a bit chewy, and wonderfully sweet. They're easy to whip up and a complete crowd pleaser. What more could you ask for in a dessert?

PS If you're looking for an easy, yet impressive dessert for the 4th of July, these cookies definitely fit the bill.

Seven-Layer Bars
Source: Brown-Eyed Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
9 graham crackers (5 ounces), crushed
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
½ cup butterscotch chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the pan with two overlapping pieces of foil or parchment paper, leaving overhang to act as handles for lifting the bars out of the pan. Spray with non-stick spray.

Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake until the outer flakes just begin to brown, about 4 minutes. (Keep a close eye on it – coconut can go from slightly browned to burnt in a matter of seconds.) Set aside.

Melt the butter and combine with graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl. Toss together until the butter is evenly distributed. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

In order, sprinkle the walnuts, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and coconut over the graham crumbs. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the entire dish.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the bars from the pan using the foil or parchment handles and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, cut into 2" by 3" bars.

Strawberry Nectarine Vodka Collins Popsicles

2011-06-20T10:39:00.001-07:00

Wow, that's a mouthful of a title, isn't it? What about strawberry nectarine boozesicles? Better? Summer vodkasicles? Ok, ok, I'm getting a bit ridiculous here, I know. Whatever you want to call them, go for it, but the important thing is that you make these. Soon.

These are extremely customizable too what you have on hand; the original recipe calls for peaches, but I had nectarines. I bet mangoes would be wonderful as well. I also used half white sugar, half brown sugar because I didn't have enough white. And now I'm thinking I want to try switching the vodka for Malibu rum next time for a tropical twist.

If you're making these for non-drinkers or kids, you could switch out the alcohol with juice. I bet Kern's Nectar peach would be fabulous.

I picked up my popsicle mold at Target for about $4, though I've heard they have them in their $1 spot right now (I checked 2 Targets and couldn't find any). If you don't want to buy a popsicle mold, you could also use Dixie cups or cordial glasses.

Note: The Husband and I agreed the vodka taste was a bit strong in these, but I am not sure if that's because I put 3 Tablespoons of strawberry puree in each, rather than the 3 teaspoons the recipe calls for, or that they really are just strong. My best guess is, with the right amount of strawberry puree, the vodka won't be an overpowering taste. I do want to try making these with gin soon!

Strawberry Nectarine Vodka Collins Popsicles
Source: Endless Simmer
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
10 strawberries, pureed
nectarine syrup (recipe at the end)
12 ounces tonic water
2 ounces plus 3 ounces vodka (divided usage)

Directions
Stir 2 ounces vodka into the strawberry puree.

Pour 3 teaspoons strawberry vodka mixture into the bottom of popsicle molds. Set aside.

Pour the tonic water into the nectarine syrup and stir to combine. Add the remaining 3 ounces vodka and stir.

Spoon the nectarine mixture into the popsicle molds over the strawberry puree. Stir to combine.

Place in the freezer for 8 hours.

Nectarine Syrup Ingredients
1 nectarine, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I used half white, half brown sugar)

Directions

Puree the nectarine slices in a blender or food processor.

Combine the nectarine puree, water, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Pantry Organization

2011-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am a hot mess when it comes to organization and tend to just throw things on the floor or counters, rather than putting them away. My desk at work it often piled with papers that are in the process of being graded, have already been graded and need to be passed back, or need to be graded. My student assistant cleans up my desk for me at least twice a month!

Even worse than my desk is my pantry. I buy a lot of items in bulk, and then just toss them in the cabinent, still in the plastic bag from the grocery store. Or I transfer it (flour, sugar, dried coconut, etc) to Ziplock bags, which I label, but then again, just throw them in the cupboard, with no real rhyme or reason.

Look at what I am talking about! A huge mess, right?!

Beyond the fact that my pantry looks extremely disheveled, the mess also leads me to forget what items I have in stock, so I tend to buy the same things over and over, despite having a plentiful stock on hand.

Last Sunday, while the husband napped on the couch, and after finishing my 3 store grocery shopping trip, I finally decided to tackle the mess. I headed out to Wal-Mart, bought tons of glass storage jars and a package of labels, then headed home to empty and organize.

This is that same cabinet from the last picture, but all cleaned up. Amazing, right?!

Here's the shelf above it, which was just as messy to begin with.

I have what seems like a million types of flours (AP white, AP whole wheat, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pastry), brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon sticks, sesame seeds, slivered almonds, whole almonds, milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips (we kept pulling our bag after bag of these delicious morsels; I'd even bought more during my grocery trip that morning, thinking I was running low!), and a ton of other pantry staples. Now, rather than digging through bags and bags of bulk items, I can just grab the canister it resides in and go.

There are a few items that are still in ziplock bags; most of those items are things I don't purchase often, so I didn't feel the need to spend the money on jars for them, when a ziplock bag will work fine.

Next up cleaning and organizing my spices, liquids, and other cooking supplies (bread crumbs, panko, cornmeal, etc).

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I love Pinterest? I spend waaaaay too much time on there each week, scrolling through everyone's pins, repinning them to my own boards, looking for images to pin from other websites. I have been known to even have dreams about pinning. It's an addiction I tell you. But one I'm not looking to break anytime soon.

Most of my pins are food-related (of course!), which is how I came across this recipe for cashew chicken. A few days after I repinned it to my board, I cooked it up in my kitchen. Both the husband and I loved it, and wished I'd made more, practically licking our plates clean. The original recipe calls for butter leaf lettuce, but I couldn't find any, so I used iceberg since I already had some in the crisper. I think I added a bit too much cayenne though, as this dish was a tad spicy for the two of us, however, it didn't take away any of the yum. :)

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Source: She Wears Many Hats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients for Chicken Cashew
2 chicken breasts (about 3/4 lb. total), diced
8 leaves of greenleaf or iceburg lettuce
3 tablespoons canola oil (or oil of choice)
1 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
basil, for garnish

Ingredients for stir fry sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions
For the stir fry sauce mix all ingredients together, making sure to dissolve the brown sugar. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in pan over medium to medium high heat. Add diced chicken and brown (about 4-5 minutes). Remove chicken from oil.

Add onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to pan; brown.

When onions and garlic are brown and tender, add the stir fry sauce, browned chicken and cashews. Saute mixture for a few minutes and remove from heat.

Spoon chicken mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more cashews or basil.

Janet Collins...My Spin on a Tom Collins

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched Mad Men? The husband and I are big fans of the show, though we're a few seasons behind because we just started watching it on DVD a few months ago. I love the suave business environment with men in hats and liquid lunches. Well, let's be honest, it's not just liquid lunches, but drinks pretty much every moment of the day.

After watching 2 seasons of the show, and reading part of Boozehound, I decided it was time I venture beyond my standard vodka tonic and try something that would make Don Draper proud. As a classy bar in Vegas, all dark wood and bronze-vested barmen, I ordered a Mad Men classic, an oldfashioned. Wow. Just wow. It's basically just burbon, sugar, and muddled oranges and marishino cherries. Definitely a stiff drink. A little too stiff for me. I moved onto the Tom Collins, which I found to be much more up my alley. I was ready to join the Sterling and Cooper crew....I guess I'd have to be Peggy or Joan, since I'm not a guy.

I brought a bottle of gin down to my parents' house for a recent visit, promising to make a round of Tom Collins' for everyone, however, I failed to look up the recipe in advance, and wound up not having most of the needed ingredients. I summoned by inner Draper and improvised.

Janet Collins
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 shots gin (use the god stuff)
2 shots tonic water
3 shots 7-Up or Sprite
1 1/2 shots Rose's lime juice
juice of 1/4 lime
crushed ice

Directions
Pour all ingredients, except the ice, in a tall glass and stir to combine. Add additional 7-Up to taste, if desired.

Add crushed ice to two rocks glasses, and pour the liquid over the top. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

Photo Class: 2 Peas Week 1

2011-06-05T19:29:00.001-07:00

Despite having my DSLR for over a year now, I don't feel like my photography skills have progressed much in that time span. I began shooting completely in manual right away, but I usually have no idea what settings to use or why. I've joined some photo forums, but I spend more time on the social aspect than the learning portion, so I needed to try something else.

My blogging buddy, MJ of The Rookie Chef, recently bought a DSLR herself and we decided to tackle the 2 Peas photography course together, in hopes of actually learning how to take decent pictures. Once a week, we'll be posting our course work on our blogs, food pictures or not, to track our progress...and frankly, because I need some accountability! :)

This week's focus was aperature. I shoot wide open a lot of the time, so this week's lesson was great for me...I think I like shooting a bit more closed up! The tutorial instructed to shot in AV (aperture priority) mode this week, ignoring shutter speed; I also set my ISO and white balance to auto, so I could just focus on aperture.

I'd definitely love to hear any constructive criticism from anyone out there. :)

F/1.8

F/8

F/22

Grilled Artichokes

2011-06-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have kind of a long commute home from work every day, and I often spend the time stuck in the car thinking about what I want to eat and what I am going to make for dinner, which is exactly how I came up with this recipe. I knew I was going to grill up some rib eye steaks that we didn't get around to cooking on Memorial Day, and as I was thinking about sides, I remembered I bought two ginormous artichokes recently, but hadn't eaten them yet. Since I already planned to have the grill fired up, I thought grilling the artichokes sounded good too. A quick Google search (not while I was driving!) turned up an abundance of blog posts and recipes, so after a quick glance through several different sites, I decided to just keep things simple and boil, then grill the chokes.

You want to boil them first to soften up the tough leaves; the grilling imparts a smokey flavor into the vegetable, which was perfect with a simple lemon butter. Since the whole point of grilling the artichokes is to get that smokey flavor, I once again highly recommend a charcoal grill over gas. You won't get the same flavor from gas.

Grilled Artichokes
Source: various websites

Ingredients
1 artichoke
1-2 Tablespoons butter
lemon juice to taste

Directions
Bring a pot of water, deep enough to cover your artichoke, to a boil. Boil the artichoke for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, stack your charcoal in a pyramid, creating areas of indirect heat, and light the fire.

Cut the artichoke in half, lengthwise. Pull out the purply inner leaves and the furry portion, leaving the heart intact.

Once your coals are white and hot, place the artichokes cut side down over indirect heat. Cover the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the artichokes are slightly charred.

Melt the butter and squeeze in your desired amount of lemon juice. I like to also squeeze straight lemon juice onto the artichoke itself. Dip the leaves in the lemon butter and enjoy.

Garlic-Chipotle Beef Kebabs

2011-05-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and experience something from your own life all over again? Is that weird? Well, I feel like that sometimes and if I could pick one experience to revisit I'd go back to age 20 when I spent 3 months in London. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe my time across the pond. However, I never got around to trying kebabs while I was there (London has a huge Indian population, which means they have tons of Indian eateries as well), mistakenly thinking they were the same as the shish-kabobs I'd eaten at home so many times before.

Now, more than nine years later I've come to find out they are totally not the same thing at all. The husband, who as you may remember is Pakistani, mentioned wanting some kebabs the other day, but explained he didn't want what we usually have, he wanted Indian kebabs. He totally laughed when I told him that I thought they were the same thing. A few days later my newest issue of Everyday Food arrived, with a special section on kebabs, including one Indian-style recipe. I was super excited to show the husband and try making them.

The best part of this meal was that the husband decided to join me in the kitchen and help mix up all the ingredients--a rare occurrence for sure. He said these kebabs were very similar to those his mom made when he was growing up and we should definitely make these again. We doubled the recipe to make 12 kebabs since we weren't having any side dishes. I also made a yogurt dip to serve; simply stir about 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cucumber peeled and thinly sliced, and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt into a small container of Greek yogurt. Let the flavors meld for about 30 minutes, then dip your kebabs.

Garlic-Chipotle Beef Kebabs
Source: Everyday Food
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/2 small yellow onion, finely grated (I just threw mine in the food processor)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
big pinch black pepper

Directions
Heat a grill to medium heat. (As always, I highly suggest using a charcoal grill rather than gas. Charcoal lends a much better, smokey flavor, which I just feel you cannot achieve with a gas grill.) Clean and lightly oil the grates once they are hot.

If using a charcoal grill, I found it best to build a pyramid of charcoal in the center, so you can set your kebabs in a circle over the direct heat.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands until well combined.

Dived the mixture into 6 equal portions. Using your hands, shape each portion of meat into a long oblong, about 1" across. Make sure they are each an even thickness so they cook evenly. Insert a long skewer lengthwise through each oblong .

Grill the kebabs, turning occasionally, for about 6-9 minutes, until they are cooked through. I found it best to let them cook, with the BBQ lid on, without turning for about 4 minutes, then I turned them about once per 45-60 seconds after that. This keeps the meat from falling apart on the grill.

Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream

2011-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

My favorite Girl Scout cookies are Tag-a-logs and Samoas; so much so that when I bought a box on my way into the grocery store during this year's Girl Scout Cookie season, it was half-eaten as I walked back out of the store. hehehe My friend's daughter is a Daisy this year, so I bought several boxes of cookies from her, and as I was eating a handful of Samoas one day, I thought about the Thin Mint ice cream I've seen in stores in the past.

"These cookies would make some amazing ice cream!" I thought to myself, pulling The Perfect Scoop off the counter. I thumbed through the tome, looking for inspiration for the base, already planning to mix in hot fudge, caramel and cookie pieces. David Lebovitz's Toasted Coconut ice cream jumped out as the perfect foundation for the ice cream, providing a creamy, coconuty flavor, that is key to the Samoa taste.

As the ice cream churned, I flipped to Dave's recipe for caramel sauce, which was super easy to make and didn't involve any corn syrup, which I saw in other recipes online. I used my own hot fudge technique and chopped up some cookies; as soon as the ice cream was done churning, I added my mix-ins and anxiously awaited the completion of the hard freeze. Oh the finished product! SO good and a perfect recreation of my favorite Girl Scout cookie. :)

David Lebovtiz's ice cream calls for a vanilla bean, which I can never seem to find in any stores around here, so I used additional vanilla extract in its place. I'm sure the actual bean produces a much richer flavor if you can find one, but don't stress if they are as elusive for you as they are for me.

Oh and one last note; if you don't have any leftover Samoas (I don't blame you, we ate 3 boxes in about two weeks here!) Keebler's Coconut Dream cookies are almost a dead-on replica. The only difference between the two is the cookie base; the Girl Scout cookie base is more crisp than it's doppelganger.

Samoa Ice Cream
Source: inspired by Girl Scout cookies, ice cream base and caramel sauce from The Perfect Scoup, hot fudge- no source.
Printable Recipe

Mix-Ins
4 Samoas or Coconut Dream cookies
caramel sauce (see below)
hot fudge sauce (see below)

Ice Cream Ingredients

1 cup dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 cup whole milk (I used reduced fat as that's what I had on hand)
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
big pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ice Cream Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the dried coconut on a baking sheet and back for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently so it toasts evenly. Remove from the oven when it is golden brown and fragrant.

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar, salt, and the toasted coconut. Use a paring knife and scrape all of the vanilla seeds into the warm milk, adding the pod as well. (I just poured in about 3/4 of teaspoon vanilla extract at this point.)

Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for one hour.

Rewarm the coconut-infused milk mixture. Set a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and strain the coconut-infused mixture into the bowl. Press down on the coconut firmly with a spatula to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible. Remove the vanilla bean pieces and discard the coconut. Pour the strained liquid back into the saucepan and set aside. Save the medium bowl.

Pour the remaining one cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set the mesh strainer on top.

In the medium bowl (used when straining the liquid from the coconut), whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm coconut-infused mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture over medium heat with a spatula, constantly scraping the bottom as your stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour this mixture through the mesh strainer, into the heavy cream. Mix in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir until cool over and ice bath.

Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator over night. Churn in your ice cream maker, according to manufacturer directions.

Once ice cream has finished churning, transfer half of the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Stir in half of the chopped cookies, and fold in 1/4 of the caramel sauce and half of the hot fudge. Layer the remaining ice cream on top and repeat.

Caramel Sauce Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Sauce Directions

In a deep, large, heavy-duty saucepan, spread the sugar in an even letter. Cook the sugar over low to medium heat, watching it carefully. When it begins to liquefy, use a heatproof spatula to very gently stir it to encourage even melting.

Gently stir until all of the sugar is melted and the caramel turns a deep amber color. (Note: According to The Perfect Scoop, it will smoke at this point. This did not happen to me, but don't be alarm if it does for you!)

Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in half of the cream, which will steam and bubble furiously. Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream, as well as the vanilla and salt.

Whisk until smooth.

Any sauce that you don't use for the Samoa ice cream can be refrigerated for two weeks. Simply rewarm for a few seconds in the microwave and stir before using.

Hot Fudge Sauce Ingredients

Milk
chocolate chips

Hot Fudge Sauce Directions

Pour the milk and chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. The more milk you use, the thinner the sauce will be. I like to use about a 1/2 milk to 1 part chocolate chip ratio.

Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each 20 seconds, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Tangerine Curd

2011-02-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's been about 2 months since I've blogged anything. Grad school kicks my butt, work is stressful, and managing pre-diabetes has kept me out of the kitchen for much of 2011. But I've finally returned and with a great offering. Tangerine curd.

I love the pretty yellow color of this sweet-tart spread; it brings a lot of cheeriness into this cold winter weather we're experiencing. I heard it even snowed in LA today!! Citrus is like that though--just when I'm missing the plethora of fruits available during the spring and summer, stacks of citrus fill the grocery store produce section, beckoning with their bright flavors.

This recipe turns out a silky smooth, buttery, sweetly tart spread, that is just as good eaten by the spoonful as it is spread on some toast or a muffin. I planned to spoon it over ice cream, in ode to my grandma, but wound up eating the entire jar-full with a teaspoon.

Tangerine Curd
Source: Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon tangerine zest
1/4 cup tangerine juice
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch of salt

Directions
Combine sugar and tangerine zest on a clean cutting board. With the back of a spoon, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is very fragrant and slightly orange in color.

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together the egg yolks, egg, tangerine sugar, tangerine and lemon juices, butter and salt. Whisk over the heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Transfer to a small jar or airtight container and refrigerate until cool and thicker in texture. Curd will last, refrigerated, for about a week.

2010 Recap

2010-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like 2010 has gone way too quickly. It's hard to believe that we're about to start another new year in just a couple of days. This New Year's Eve will mark 6 years since the husband and I first met, 4 years as a teacher, and the last 9 months of my twenties.

Time once seemed to stand still for me; hours felt like days, days felt like weeks. Nowadays, time just flies. I feel like my life has been on fast forward these past several years--not necessarily in a bad way though. I just can't believe how fast the months slip by.

It doesn't feel like it's been 4 months since I was on summer vacation. I can't believe I've already finished one quarter of grad school and will be starting my second quarter the Monday after New Year's Day. 2011 is poised to hold a lot of great changes for the husband and I, and I can't wait to see all that will unfold in the coming months.

But for now, here's a look back at some of my favorite recipes from this year. My photography is still pretty poor, but the recipes are what really matter (right?). I had a hard time picking my favorites from this year; I made so many dishes that we enjoyed. My blog, my rules, so I've included a few recipes for each month, rather than the standard one per month. Enjoy!

January
Buffalo Blue Pizza. I made many pizza variations this year, but Buffalo Blue was a flavorful favorite of mine.

Oven-Roasted Parmesean Broccoli I've always hated broccoli, but this recipe is so good, I willingly include broccoli in our meal plans.

February

Basil Ice Cream. A lot of people made a funny face when I told them about basil ice cream. But then they tried it. Those funny faces were replaced with requests for more ice cream.

Grilled Stuffed Potatoes. If I weren't watching my carb intake, I would grill one of these up right now.

Crispy Maple Ginger Tofu. This is the recipe that showed I can make good tofu at home!

March

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs. One of my favorite chicken recipes ever. Savory-sweet with the smokey charcoal flavor from the grill.

Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets. Another confidence boost in the tofu department. These appeared on our dinner plates numerous times this year.

Chocolate Mousse. Make this soon.

Barbecue Babyback Ribs. A warm weather staple in our house. So simple, yet so flavorful. Lots of witty commentary with this one.

April

BBQ Chicken Pizza. The husband's hands-down favorite homemade pizza.

Lime Marinated Flank Steak. Be sure to use super ripe avocados. My mouth is watering thinking about this meal.

Strawberries and Cream Cake. Everyone who tried this cake agreed--much better than the traditional angel food cake with sliced strawberries. I went out of town for a day or two, leaving 3/4 of this cake in the fridge. When I came back home, I discovered the husband had completely polished it off.

May

Summery Fruit Salad. I'm craving the summery-sweet flavors right now. Basil is an unexpected, yet perfect, savory addition.

Chocolate Overload Nutella Mousse Pie. Sinful.

Filet Mignon. A simply elegant meal for the husband's 30th birthday.

June

Hummus. A snacking staple.

Cherry Pie. Summer in a pie plate.

July

Beer-a-ritas. Refreshingly light, with a powerful punch. Don't drink too many! I think I'll need to make a batch of these soon...

Cinnamon Ice Cream. ooooo, this is some good stuff. I made this ice cream several times this year and it received rave reviews every time. Even from my cinnamon-hating boss.

Rosemary Dijon Salmon Burgers. A nice alternative to eating fish fillets.

August

Cherry Almond Granola. I made a huge bag of this and snacked on it endlessly. It is perfect on its own, or stirred into plain Greek yogurt.

Guacamole Salad. Is it summer yet? I'd like to grill some ribs and dish up this amazingly flavorful side dish right now.

September

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken. Make this instead of feeling guilty for hitting the Chik-fil-a drive through.

Apple Cake Pops. Too cute. Super yummy. Perfect for a group of teachers.

October

Herb-Marinated Sirloin Tip Steaks. Meaty deliciousness.

November

Pumpkin Custards. A low-sugar pumpkin dessert. I served these to my friends and family members who are diabetic, or are otherwise watching their sugar intake, and everyone absolutely loved the results.

Almond-Encrusted Chicken Nuggets. Serve with some spicy mustard or barbecue sauce to dip in and say adios to McDonalds.

December

Candy Cane Sugar. Better than trying to crush up candy canes by hand and winding up with huge, sharp shards.

Candy Cane Sugar

2010-12-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

I like sprinkling crushed candy canes on Christmas treats, but if you don't crush the candy canes enough, you're left with huge jagged chunks that aren't so fun. I saw a picture of peppermint sugar on Tastespotting and decided to give it a try. I like how finely crushed the candy canes are, and combined with the sugar, they give a sparkly touch to special treats.

Candy Cane Sugar
Source: Tastespotting and Pip & Ebby

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
candy canes (however many you want)

Directions
Break up the candy canes into large chunks (you can skip this step if you're using mini candy canes)/
Put the sugar and the candy canes in the bowl of a food processor. Turn it on and process until you have the desired size. I like mine mostly fine, with a few small chunks.

Store in a airtight container or ziplock bag. Sprinkle on top of cake balls, peppermint bark, cookies, cakes, or whatever treats you like!

Turkey Dumplings with Sesame Dipping Sauce

2010-12-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

I love making these turkey dumplings for a weekend meal, though I think they'd be great as a party appetizer as well. Making filling comes together quickly, as does cooking the dumplings, but filling and sealing the wonton wrappers takes awhile, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

This is a great recipe for a low-carb diet, which makes me love it even more! If you're vegetarian you can easily omit the turkey and add in 1 cup of spinach leaves, or shredded carrots and diced bell peppers.

Turkey Dumplings with Sesame Dipping Sauce
Source: Adapted from Reverse Diabetes-Holiday Issue
Printable Recipe

Dumpling Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
6 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green portions)
one 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
8 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
48 wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup thinly slices green onions, plus additional for garnish

Dumpling Directions

Brown the ground turkey in a skillet until cooked through. Drain off any fat.

Combine the turkey, scallions, water chestnuts, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Working with several wonton wrappers at a time, while keeping the remainder loosly covered with a damp cloth, start filling the wontons. I find it easiest to hold the wrapper in one hand and add about a 1/2 teaspoon to a teaspoon of filling to the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half, over the filling, and press the edges together to seal. Set aside and keep covered with a damp cloth. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.

Add the dumplings to the boiling water (it's best to work in batches) and cook until they float to the surface--about 3-4 minutes.

While the dumplings are cooking, make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, and scallions.

Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon, draining off excess water. Serve with dipping sauce and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

Pumpkin Pie

2010-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

My first Thanksgiving away from home was my junior year of college. Going to school in northern California meant that I was an 8 hour drive away from home; I had no desire to make the long trek down the 5, and being a broke college kid meant I couldn't afford holiday airfare home. Much to my parents chagrin, I decided to stay in the Bay Area and drive down to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving dinner with a high school friend who was attending UCSC.

I made a few pumpkin pies, packed up my car, and headed off to Santa Crux aftr dropping off some friends in San Jose. Everyone was worried about me though, since my car wasn't the most reliable--in fact, it had a penchant for breaking down at the worst possible moment. And of course, why would Thanksgiving be any different. Alone on a windy, two-lane road in the Santa Cruz Mountains, halfway between San Jose and Santa Cruz, my car puttered and jerked to a halt right at a bend in the road. There was no getting it started again, so I pulled out my cell and made some calls...a short while later, AAA was there to give me a lift back to my friend's house in San Jose, the pies still sitting in the back seat.

Though sitting on that mountain road was pretty scary, that turned out to be a great Thanksgiving. We never did eat the pies though, as my hosts already had a full spread prepared. But every year I make the same recipe and laugh when I think about that first Thanksgiving away from home.

This pie is a family favorite; it's bold, spicy flavor puts store-bought--and even the Libby's pumpkin recipe--to shame. I use canned pumpkin, but you can also roast your own pumpkins for the puree.

Ingredients
1 ½ cup pumpkin puree
2 beaten eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon each ground mace and cloves (sub nutmeg for mace if you don't have any mace)
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
½ teaspoon each salt, ginger and nutmeg
9” pie shell (I use Martha Stewart's pate brisee recipe)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Press pie dough into greased 9" pie pan.

In a large bowl, mix ingredients together in the order given. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 45 minutes.

Cool before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

This was the second year that the husband and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner in our home--we like the tradition of inviting our families over and cooking a big meal for everyone. Last year, I made the majority of the meal, but asked each of our families to bring a dish as well. This year I decided to make the entire meal myself, which gave me the chance to try out some new recipes.

In my family, we traditionally have spiced cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner, and the husband's family likes the whole jellied canned cranberries, but when I saw these blackberry cranberries posted on Annie's Eats, I knew I wanted to give them a try.

While I was making them, I have to admit, I was skeptical. They tasted odd and too sweet to me at first. But after chilling in the fridge overnight they were fabulous! The cranberries still had a bit of a bold, spiced flavor, but the blackberries added a nice texture and sweetness. I'd definitely make these again in the future.

Note: I doubled the recipe because I like lots of leftovers on Thanksgiving. The recipe below is the original, non-doubled, amounts.

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce

Source: Annie's Eats

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
12 ounces fresh cranberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons water

Directions
Place cranberries in a medium saucepan. Add water to the pan, just under 1-inch deep (berries do not need to be completely covered.)

Heat over medium-high heat until the berries begin to pop. Cook a few minutes more, until most of the skins have popped.

Gently stir in the blackberries, sugar, salt and allspice.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and whisk together until smooth. Add the mixture to the pan with the berries and stir to incorporate.

Bring the cranberry mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce has thickened. (I cooked mine for about another 10 minutes or so.) Smash the berries a bit while you stir, leaving some berries intact for a chunkier texture.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Custard

2010-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving--are you ready?! The husband and I are hosting Thanksgiving for the second time this year and I've been planning the menu since about September. My original menu had about 3 sides and 15 desserts, but I've since changed it up a bit and reduced the amount of desserts to just three. Believe me, I'd much rather eat dessert for dinner than "real" food, but I know I'm kind of alone on this one, and since I shouldn't be eating too many sweets, I figured I shouldn't create a bunch of leftover treats either. Boo.

Even though I plan to indulge on Thanksgiving, I do want to have a "less guilt" dessert option, so I don't completely jump off the South Beach train. These pumpkin custards are a nice option for people following South Beach or who are just watching their sugar intake. I tweaked the recipe a bit to include more spices, as the original only called for a little nutmeg and cinnamon; I like my pumpkin to have a bolder flavor.

Pumpkin Custard
Source: Adapted from Reverse Diabetes: Holiday Recipes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon agave syrup
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups low fat milk

whipped cream, for topping

Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a roasting pan with a kitchen towel to prevent the custard cups from sliding around. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, sugar and agave until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, all spice, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until blended; whisk in the milk.

Pour the mixture into six 6 ounce (3/4 cup) ramekins. Set the custard cups on top of the towel in the pan and slowly pour the boiling water into the pan, until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the cups.

Gently place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the custards are set.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place the ramekins on a wire rack to cool.

Refrigerate for at least an hour, or until completely cooled. Serve with whipped cream if desired,

Pumpkin Pie Bars

2010-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving, so hopefully you have your menu for this year's turkey dinner planned out. But, if you're still looking for another addition to the dessert table here's a fun spin on pumpkin pie! These bars have the soft consistency of traditional pumpkin pie and the butterscotch chips add an element of flavor that pairs so well with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pie Bars
Source: Annie's Eats and Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Crust and Topping Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
12 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans
Butterscotch chips, for topping (use as many as you like)

Filling Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (about 1 3/4 cup)
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil,folding the foil over the edges of the pan. Lightly grease the foil.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and mix with a fork. Add the pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (you can also do this in a food processor or with a fork). Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside. Add the remaining crust mixture to the prepared baking pan and press onto the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Bake the crust alone in the oven for 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling.

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.

Once the crust has been removed from the oven, pour the filling into the pan and smooth over the crust. Sprinkle the filling with the reserved crumb mixture and butterscotch chips.

Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve.

Jalapeno Chicken Salad

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

This hardly qualifies as a recipe, in my opinion, since you basically just mix a few things together and then eat. :) But it's something I've been eating a lot of lately since it is South Beach-friendly, and friends have asked for the recipe, so I decided to go ahead and blog it after all.

The jalapeno and lime give a spicy-tart kick to the chicken, while the olive oil leaves a very distinct (in a good way!) taste. I like to eat this on its own or with some sliced cucumbers and red bell peppers, but I bet it would be great as a sandwich or on some whole wheat crackers.

I don't actually measure out the ingredients for this when I make it, so the following recipe is a rough guideline. You can add or subtract to suit your tastes. :)

And just in case you're keeping count, the total weight loss is now at 16 pounds! Woooooo!

Jalapeno Chicken Salad
Source: an awesome co-worker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
one 12.5-ounce can chicken breasts, packed in water
1-2 Tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
1 teaspoon olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lime
2 green onions, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (remove the seeds and ribs if you don't like a lot of heat)
1-2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork.

Serve immediately, or chill until ready to eat.

Red Snapper with Tomatillo Salsa

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Following Phase One of South Beach has not been easy...I feel like the list of things NOT to eat is miles long, and the approved list of foods is teeny tiny. The results have definitely been worth it so far, but I do have to admit, I fell off the wagon a bit recently....I ate a McRib over the weekend and a Whopper on my way to class last night. oops. :/ So I guess Phase One will extend an extra week for me, to make up for those "cheats".

Back to this recipe. I needed something tasty and non-chicken based for a Phase One meal, so I turned to fish. The husband loves fish, and even though I love sushi, I am really picky about cooked fish. I don't like it to taste fishy and the texture needs to be firm and flakey, otherwise it just totally grosses me out. I'd had macadamia nut encrusted halibut at a restaurant back in September and thought it was a nice mild fish, so when I saw this original recipe (it calls for halibut) I figured we'd give it a try.

Unfortunately, fish has seasons (did you know this? I didn't) and apparently halibut is not in season in October/November. The fish monger at my local Henry's told me if I could find fresh halibut (I don't like buying bags of frozen fish either. yuck) it would be crazy expensive, and then steered me towards the red snapper fillets. I didn't feel like piling up the charcoal and manning the grill, so I cooked the fish under the broiler-yum!

I loved the tomatillo salsa too. This was my first time trying a tomatillo and I will definitely be making this chunky salsa again soon.

Red Snapper with Tomatillo Salsa
Source: Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients for the fish
4 red snapper filets (about 1 pound total)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon Spike seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fish rub

Directions for the fish
Turn the broiler on to high.

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the fish, in a small bowl and mix together.

Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray and lay the fish on top. Rub the mixture over the tops of each piece of fish.

Broil for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until the fish is just cooked through and is flaky. Serve with the tomatillo salsa.

Salsa Ingredients
5 medium-large tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
one 3-ounce can diced green chiles (I used the fire roasted chiles)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed jalapeno (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Salsa Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Toss again before serving.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about roasting pumpkins for homemade puree and mentioned setting the seeds aside for roasting. I love roasted pumpkin seeds; they remind me of carving Jack-O-Lanterns on the back porch as a kid in preparation for Halloween. We'd usually save the seeds and my mom would roast them in the oven for a yummy snack!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Source: adapted from All Recipes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Pumpkin seeds (any type of pumpkin is fine)
Salt
1/2 Tablespoon butter per 2 cups of seeds

Directions
Heat your oven to 300 degrees.

Clean any pumpkin goop off of the seeds. Spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet and blot dry.

Melt the butter in the microwave and then pour over the pumpkin seeds. Stir with a spatula to evenly coat. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Stir again, then spread out into an even, single layer.

Roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure they are evenly browned.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Almond-Encrusted Chicken Nuggests

2010-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I recently began following the South Beach Diet, so I've been looking for recipes that fit in with those restrictions. I want to be as healthy as I can, so of course, I'm changing my eating habits. As a result, I won't be blogging many sweet treats or carb-heavy recipes anymore, since I'm not going to be eating them. I know, I know. We'll deal with this together though, ok? There might be some every now and then, but those treats will be quickly packed up for friends and co-workers to enjoy. :)

On the upside, I've lost 13 pounds in my first week of following the South Beach Diet!

So as I was searching for a tasty recipe that didn't contain carbs, sugars, or unhealthy fat, I found this homemade chicken nugget recipe. The almond meal (just grind up slivered almonds in your food processor) replaces bread crumbs to cut out the carbs and add in some healthy fats.

The husband and I both loved these nuggets and can't wait to eat them again. The few seasonings in the recipe pack quite a punch of flavor! The husband dipped his nuggets in BBQ sauce, while I ate mine plain; we both had oven-roasted broccoli and shallots on the side and felt quite satisfied when we were done eating.

Almond-Encrusted Chicken Nuggets
Source: Kalyn's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 2 breasts)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil (enough to coat the baking sheet)
3/4 cup almond meal (ground up almonds)
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked or hot)
3/4 teaspon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Turn on your oven to 400 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with the olive oil and place the sheet in the oven while it preheats.

Trim all visible fat and tendons from the chicken, then cut each thigh into 4 or 5 nugget pieces of about equal size. You can use a mallet to pound out any nuggets that are too thick.

Combine the almond meal, paprika, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl, or pie pan and mix together with a fork. Dip each nugget piece into the almond meal mixture, pressing onto the chicken with your fingers so the mixture coats the chicken. Coat all the nuggets before you remove the baking sheet from the oven.

Once each nugget is coated, lay them on the hot baking sheet and cook 8-10 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is lightly browned. Remove pan from oven, turn the nuggets, and bake another 10-12 minutes on the second side, until nuggets are lightly browned and cooked through. (Don't overcook.)

Serve hot, with mustard or ranch dipping sauce if desired. If you're not following South Beach or a low glycemic diet, dip them in whatever your heart desires! Just don't tell me about it. ;)

Herb-Marinated Sirloin Tip Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

2010-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know I'm in grad school? Yep, I'm taking 12 units (3 classes) towards a Masters Degree in Education, while continuing to work as a full time teacher. I'm stressed and feel like I'm buried under homework, but I'm also really glad I decided to persue another degree. What does this all mean to you, my dear readers? Well, one, it answers the question of why I've been slacking on my blog; I'm not cooking as much, and when I am, it's usually nothing special.

I'm attending classes at Cal Poly Pomona, which has an excellent teacher preparation program, but it's really known as an engineering and agriculture school. They have a whole program dedicated to the meat sciences, including breaking down sides of beef and making their own sausages! If I could cram a few more hours into my day, I'd love to take some of those classes...and maybe some classes in the Restaurant and Hospitality program. And a photography course or two. Sorry, birdwalk.

Anyway, I recently decided to check out the campus farmstore after tasting the Meat Sciences original "Broncowurst" and discovered they sell free-range, grass-fed, organic cuts of beef. Ever since the husband and I watched Food Inc. we've eaten less red meat and have been interested in buying more humanely treated meat when we can, which isn't always easy to do. Well, here was a whole freezer section of meat that fit that criteria, so I grabbed a package of sirloin tip steaks and headed home.

A quick search on Google informed me that this is a tougher cut of meat, and isn't the same thing as a sirloin steak. The websites I looked over highly recommended marinating the cut for several hours before cooking to produce a more tender entree. I also cooked up a mushroom sauce to top the dish, which tasted very similar to the mushroom sauce at Henry's Pacific Grill. Yum.

The husband and I both loved this dinner and can't wait to make it again. The marinade was definitely the right way to go; the meat was tender and incredibly flavorful.

Herb-Marinated Sirloin Tip Steaks with Mushroom Sauce
Source: marinade adapted from Grass Fed Beef 101, Mushroom Sauce adapted from My Recipes
Printable Recipe

Marinade Ingredients
2 sirloin tip steaks (about 2 pounds total)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon honey

Mushroom Sauce Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 2 shallots)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms, stems removed, rinsed, thinly sliced
pinch salt
1 cup beef broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup green onions, minced

Directions
Combine all of the marinade ingredients, except for the beef, in a medium bowl and whisk together. Place the steaks in a glass bowl or pie pan and pour the marinade over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and marinated in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours, turning the mean occasionally.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Sautee the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes, just until the shallots begin to soften and turn translucent. Add the mushrooms and sautee for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt after about two minutes.

Add the broth, wine, vinegar, and butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 6 minutes. Sauce will reduce. Add in the minced green onions and cook another 2 minutes. Turn heat to low and keep warm while steaks cook.

Heat a broiler to high and line the broiler pan with foil. Spray with non-stick spray and set the marinated steaks on the foil. Discard the remaining marinade.

Broiler for 4 minutes, then flip steaks and broil for another 3-4 minutes, depending on your desired level of doneness.

Plate and spoon the mushroom sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

2010-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was earnestly awaiting fall. Never mind the 100+ degree temperatures we were still experiencing; I wanted to taste fall! The best way to satisfy a fall craving is with pumpkin treats, so I set out to the grocery store to pick up a can or too of pumpkin puree. Of course, the shelves were bare. Two years in a row of poor pumpkin crops led to two years of a pumpkin shortage. Even suppliers online were estimating shipping times upwards of 2 months!

Just as I was thinking about roasting pumpkins for my own pumpkin puree, Annie of Annie's Eats posted a tutorial on that very topic, taking all the guesswork out of it for me! By the time I got around to picking up some pie pumpkins, canned pumpkin puree was back on the shelves. However, I fancy myself a hippie of sorts, so I still wanted to give homemade pumpkin puree a try. Super easy, though a bit messy. If anyone out there has a baby, I bet this would make for some great homemade baby food too.

You can freeze your homemade pumpkin and save for the next time you're craving a homemade pumpkin treat. I used mine to make pumpkin cream cheese muffins....yum!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Source: Annie's Eats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Pie pumpkins
water

Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Using a sharp knife on a stable surface, slice each pumpkin in half lengthwise. I found their shells to be very hard, so be careful!

Scoop out all the pumpkin "guts" and seeds. Set aside if you want to make roasted pumpkin seeds, otherwise discard.

Place the pumpkin halves face down on a cookie sheet (be sure to use one with raised sides). Pour water onto the cookie sheet until it's about an inch or so deep. This will help steam the pumpkin flesh.

Bake the pumpkins for about 60-90 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the shell. Let cool.

Drain the water off of the cookie sheet and discard. Scoop the roasted flesh out of the shells and into a food processor. Process until it is a smooth puree.

Line a mesh strainer with paper towels and set over a medium bowl. Scoop the pumpkin puree into the strainer and let sit for about an hour. This allows the excess liquid to drain out of the puree. Discard the liquid and store your pumpkin puree in a freezer-safe container. Freeze if you are not going to use in the next few days.
Note: I got about about 3 cups of pumpkin puree from two pie pumpkins.

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

2010-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love browsing blogs and discovering new (to me) blogs during my down time. Seeing the creativity of others on the internet -- and not just in the food bloggosphere, but in the crafting, decorating, and other creative blogs as well -- inspires me to try new things, both inside the kitchen and out.

Recently while browsing through blogs and following links to other people's favorites, I found Everybody Loves Sandwiches. I just had to click on the link because, well, I love sandwiches! :) I was so excited to see what they had to offer and definitely was not disappointed with their plethora of posts. As I scrolled down through their older entries, I found the offering that sealed the deal for me; I added I Love Sandwiches to my list of favorites before I even finished reading.

What is it that could have me so smitten with a website, you ask? Oven-fried chicken. Wait, not just oven fried chicken, but SPICY oven-fried chicken. I love oven-fried chicken. Make that LOVE. It is so freaking good, and I always feel like I am cheating the evils of fat since oven-fried chicken doesn't even come close to a fryer. Add in a layer of spice, another foodie love of mine, and you had me at hello. (Ok, I abhor Rene Zellwegger, so I am really ashamed to have used that line. Also, abhor is one of the vocabulary words I taught my Language Arts Review students last week. Teaching them new vocabulary words makes me feel smarter. heh. However, as always, I digress.)

Where was I?? Oh yes, my love of oven-fried chicken and spicy foods. Add a spice component to oven-fried chicken and I've found my new favorite meal. This is also a healthy alternative to buffalo wings during Monday Night Football.

Don't be scared by the adjective spicy in this recipe though. We all know that the husband is a total wuss when it comes to spicy foods, yet, he loved this chicken as much as I and asked me to make it again soon. The spice comes through in the flavor without burning off your tastebuds. More of a daredevil in the heat department? You can easily up the amount of hot sauce and cayenne to set your mouth aflame.

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken
Source: adapted from Everybody Loves Sandwiches
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 container plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
Juice & zest of 1 lime
3 Tablespoons hot wing sauce
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
5 chicken boneless chicken thighs

1 cup dry breadcrumbs (I used the herbed breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 Tablespoons butter

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients (Greek yogurt through the pepper) and stir until smooth. Add the chicken to the mix and turn to coat. Let marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

In a shallow pie pan, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, thyme, paprika and cayenne. Stir with a fork to combine.

Pick up one chicken thigh at a time and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides. Set the chicken in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.

Dot the chicken with butter (don't skip this step, or your chicken won't come out with a crisp coating). Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

An Apple A Day

2010-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

The calendar says fall, but here in sunny southern California, the temperatures still shout summer. Just yesterday, we hit record-breaking temperatures, including a scorching 111 degrees where I'm at! Not fun when you park on the wrong end of campus and have to walk about 2 miles from the parking lot to your class, followed by taking the stairs up to the 6th floor. yuck. It was still 97 degrees when my class ended at 7pm!

After an incredibly hot August, and now September, I'm ready for it to start feeling like fall, and I felt like an apple spice cake with a maple cream cheese frosting would be just the thing. When I was googling I came across Bakerella's Apple Cake Pops (which she made with chocolate cake) and *knew* I needed to combine the cake pops idea with the apple spice cake recipe for a fun fall treat!

With a 3 hour professional development training scheduled after an already long school day, my principal thought snacks might help the pain of staying at work until 6pm on a Monday night, so she asked me to bake up some cookies. But instead, I brought these apple cake pops!

Apple Cake Pops
Source: Cake and frosting from Eggs on Sunday
Cake Pop idea from Bakerella

Cake Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tart apples, peeled and diced small

Cake Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 9 x 13" baking pan (Eggs on Sunday reccomends an 8" or 9" pan, but since I was making the cake into pops, I wasn't so concerned with a thick fluffy cake.).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.

Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until well blended and light, about 2 minutes.

Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt, in two additions. Mix just until blended. Turn off the mixer, add the diced apple and stir by hand.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let cool for about 5-10 minutes, then crumble the cake into a large bowl. Finish cooling the cake in the refrigerator while you make the frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (NOT fake syrup! Spring for the real deal here)
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Frosting Directions
Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed, until smooth.

Add the vanilla, maple syrup, spices and salt. Reduce the speed to low and add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until well blended. Increase the speed to high, and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Mix into the cooled, crumbled cake.

Cake Pop Materials

Lollipop sticks (I needed 2 bags. Buy them in the cake decorating section at Michaels)
Pretzel rods, ends broken off into about 1/4" pieces
Green sprinkles (I used small star-shaped sprinkles. Be creative!)

Making the Cake Pops

After mixing the frosting into the cake, being sure it is evenly combined, shape about 1-2 Tablespoons into balls, using your hands. I got about 40 or so cake balls out of this cake recipe.

Set the balls on a piece of wax or parchment paper and chill until firm, about 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator. Once the cake has firmed up, melt the candy melts in the microwave and stir until smooth. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted candy and then gently push into the center of each cake ball.

That's a lot of cake pops!

Return to the refrigerator for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the melted candy to firm up on the sticks.

Rewarm the melted candy in the microwave for about 15 seconds, stirring until smooth. Make sure the candy is completely melted and free of lumps. Gently dip the cake pops into the candy melt, completely covering each cake ball.

Gently lift the cake ball out of the melted candy and lightly tap off the excess. Stick the end of the lollipop stick into a thick block of styrafoam. Immediately, press the end of a pretzel stick into the top of each "apple" and add a green sprinkle. I found it was easiest to place the sprinkles with a pair of (clean!!) tweezers.

Let sit until the candy coating is completely dried and has firmed up.

These pancakes are bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

2010-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pancakes are the perfect weekend breakfast. Anytime the husband and I indulge in a stack of Sunday morning pancakes, it reminds me of the times my parents would surprise me with a weekend breakfast of banana pancakes. Though I usually ate mine hours after everyone else since I always slept in as late as I possibly could (I had to make up for all those days of early morning swim practice before school!).
Usually when the husband and I want pancakes, we just hop in the car and head to IHOP, but add in two side orders of hash browns, maybe a side of bisquits and gravy (with the gravy...on the side), and two beverages, and you've got a pretty pricey weekend breakfast. I don't know about you, but if I am going to drop $30 bucks on breakfast, I don't want to spend it at IHOP!
I've made homemade pancakes before, both from a mix and from scratch, so I know how easy it is, I just don't enjoy the mess I tend to make and the pile of dishes waiting for me once breakfast is eaten. But, I figured a holiday weekend called for a real homemade breakfast, so I pulled out the canister of flour, my tin of baking powder, and an incredibly ripe banana hidden away in the freezer. Add some cinnamon and nutmeg, drizzle with real maple syrup, and that's a breakfast I don't mind laboring over--pun intended :).

Note-I got a whole lotta pancakes out of this recipe--including one mishapen Darth Vader-cake--and we couldn't finish the entire stack. I wrapped the remaining five pancakes up and tossed them in the freezer; a quick nuke in the microwave and stint in the toaster, and voila, a quick weekday breakfast!

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1 overripe banana, mashed (you want the black bananas that look gross...they have the best flavor!)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used half and half, since I was out of milk)
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions
Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Slowly pour into the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy.

Heat a pancake griddle or a large pan on the stovetop over medium high heat.

Spray your cooking surface lightly with non-stick spray. Ladle batter onto the griddle and cook until the edges are done and the middle of the pancake has several bubbles in the surface (about 2-3 minutes). Using a large spatula, flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the pancakes is golden brown and the middle is cooked.

Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until the whole batch is cooked.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

2010-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting factoid about black beans for you to chew on: You can cut your risk of heart attack by nearly 40% just by eating 3 ounces of black beans a sad (thank you Reader's Digest).
Not only that, but these little legumes are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and folate, as well as naturally low fat. Those benefits all add up to a healthy dining option.

But, eating a pile of plain black beans can get a bit boring. That's where black bean burgers make an appearance. Healthy, filing, and flavorful, these burgers make a great dinner and are easy to pack for lunch. Just add some sandwich thins and your favorite toppings and you're set! Just in time for back to school (well, really, back to work if you're me).

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Source: Adapted from Good Things Catered
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 large bell pepper, any color (I used red)
3 green onions, roots trimmed off
1 large clove garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans no salt black beans, rinsed well and drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (taste after mixing in the 1/4 teaspoon)
1 1/4 teaspoons sriracha (Spicy chili sauce)
1 egg
1/4 cup herbed bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roughly chop the the bell pepper, green onions (use both the green and white parts) and garlic into large pieces. Combine them in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced.
In the bowl of a food processor, add onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic.

Remove the vegetables from the food processor bowl and place in fine mesh strainer to strain off excess liquid. Gently press the minced vegetables to help squeeze out the liquid.

Add the drained black beans to the food processor and pulse several times to mash the beans into a chunky paste.

Combine the minced vegetables and mashed beans in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir to completely combine.

Using your hands, shape the mixture into patties. Place each patty on the parchment paper. The mixture will be thick and goopy, but should hold it's shape easily.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges have crisped up and burgers are cooked through.

Remove from oven and serve. You can also freeze these burgers for future meals.

Cherry Almond Granola

2010-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the terrible turquoise color cast in this picture. I didn't have a chance to edit it out...plus I am not very good at editing. :/

The husband loves sugary, kiddie cereals; His eyes light up when Cocoa Pebbles, Cap'n Crunch, and Lucky Charms go on sale at the grocery store, hoping that I'll throw a box or two in the cart. I, on the other hand, didn't eat those types of cereals growing up, so I never developed a taste for them. In fact, I think most sugary cereals are disgusting and hate buying them for the husband.

What I did eat as a kid was Cheerios, Rice Krispies, shredded wheat (not the frosted kind!), oatmeal and granola. Now as an adult, I don't have time to sit down for breakfast, so I usually eat in my car while I drive to work or I eat in the teacher's lounge once I finally get there, so I like food that is easily portable and doesn't require a lot of dishes or utensils. One of my favorite breakfasts is granola stirred into low-fat or Greek yogurt.

My inner hippie wanted to try her hand at making homemade granola; I scoured the internet looking for recipes and found a ton! Eventually, I decided to just use the basic ideas from two different recipes, and add in the flavors I wanted, creating my own Cherry Almond Granola.

Cherry Almond Granola
Source: inspired by Annie's Eats and Alton Brown, among others
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups puffed rice cereal
1 1/4 cups dried cherries
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.

Combine the oats, rice cereal, cherries, coconut, and almonds in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

In a smaller bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredient mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine, ensuring the oat mixture is evenly coated.

Pour the granola onto two baking sheets (I lined mine with parchment to make cleanup easy), spreading into an even layer on each sheet.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until nearly dried. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom every time you stir, as well, to ensure they both cook evenly.

Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Tequila Chicken Burgers

2010-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was recently searching for some black bean burger recipes when I found this chicken burger recipe on Cara's Cravings. I love this blog because she keeps her focus on healthy, flavorful food and I have yet to be dissapointed with anything I've tried. So when I saw these burgers I decided to put the black bean burgers on the back burner for a bit and make these instead.

The husband and I were both really happy with the way they turned out as well, though I think next time I might add a bit more salt and some dried crushed jalapeno (or some of the jalapeno ribs ans seeds) for a touch more heat. The burgers were incredibly moist and filling and they were a great way to use chicken without tasting boring.

I'm thinking about making a big batch of these burgers, then freezing them individually for quick weeknight dinners, or easy-to-grab lunches, once the school year starts up again, especially once my Masters program begins at the end of September.

Tequila Chicken Burgers
Source: adapted from Cara's Cravings
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
4 green onions, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
dash of lite soy sauce
1 shot tequila
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/4 cup plain oatmeal

Directions
Turn on the broiler to High. Spray a sheet of foil with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until chicken is ground.

Form into 4 uniform patties. Set each patty on the foil and broil for 10-12 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

I served my burgers on sandwich thins with tomato slices and Dijon mustard.

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry

2010-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the second summer I've planted a little container garden on my patio. We don't have much: a tomato plant, a dying crook-neck squash plant, a Meyer lemon tree, and two boxes of herbs, including basil, oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme.

I planted in June rather than April or May this year, and we had really cool weather this spring and early summer, so most of my plants haven't been too prolific this year in their offerings. In fact, my basil plant was yellowy, with only a few bug-eaten leaves for most of the summer.

But then the heat hit in mid-July and all of a sudden it's like someone transplanted a new basil plant into my garden over night. The leaves are large, vibrantly green, and sweetly fragrant. I have to keep on top of it daily now to stop it from flowering.

Other than the usual pesto, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make with all my basil (though I've been dreaming about basil ice cream), until I came across a recipe for Chicken and Basil Stir Fry. I made a few minor changes, including adding broccoli (the husband's fav stiry fry ingredient), crushed dried jalapeno and salt and pepper and upping the amount of basil. Overall this was a good dish, though I would have preferred it to be a bit more spicy and the sauce a bit thicker, though I did double the sauce ingredients (which is reflected below).

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry
Source: Adapted from Casual.Concotions
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 cup chicken broth

4 Tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into large chunks

1 small head of broccoli, cut up

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into wedges

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into small pieces

2 cloves minced garlic

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnish

3 green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried jalapeno, optional (you can sub cayenne)
salt
pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, fish sauce, ginger and brown sugar. Add the corn starch and whisk until cornstarch and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

In a wok heat the oil over high heat until it is hot. Add the bell peppers and zucchini and stir fry for 1 minute. Add jalapeno and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds.

Add the chicken and stir fry until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in basil and green onions and stir-fry until the green onions are just wilted.

Whisk the sauce mixture in bowl again and pour into pan. Cook until the liquid comes to a boil and thickens slightly.

Serve over rice, if desired.

Pomegranate Semifreddo and Blueberry Sorbet Bars

2010-08-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

First off, I apologize for the long delay in posting!! My laptop was at the Apple store, undergoing repairs for the past several days, and since all my pictures are stored on my laptop, I couldn't post. Also, I recently decided to delete a TON of pictures out of my iPhoto application, hoping it would help speed up my slooooooow computer. In my purging, I deleted photos of several dishes I had not yet blogged....and iPhoto was the only place I'd stored those particular photos. *sigh* That is just like when I decide to clean my house and then throw away, or otherwise misplace, papers that I actually need.

Ok, without further ado, the creamy deliciousness that is pomegranate semifreddo and blueberry sorbet. Another blogger made a similar creation, using completely different flavors recently, adapted from a recipe in Gourmet. I instantly looked up the original Gourmet recipe and decided with my flavor changes, this would be a great dessert for my dad's birthday dinner. He loves blueberry desserts, but I didn't want to make something ordinary, like a pie, so I set out to make this cool concoction.

Semifreddo is Italian for half-cold and refers to any chilled or frozen desserts, including cakes, pies, ice cream, and custards (thank you Google and Epicurious!). The semifreddo in this dessert is a frozen creamy delight, not really ice cream, but not a custard either. I just called it yum.

When freezing your dessert, make sure your pan or container lies flat in the freezer or the contents will slide, making for an uneven, though still deliciously edible, dessert. I used frozen blueberries for the sorbet, as that's what I had on hand, but I bet this would be even better with fresh! Also, the sorbet in this dessert is modified from the blueberry sorbet I made previously; either one would work well here.

I'd recommend making this a day in advance in order to give it enough time to fully freeze; I made mine just a few hours before my parents came over for dinner and it wasn't fully set once it was time for dessert. We ate it anyway, but I would've liked it to have been perfectly ready.

What flavor combination would you use for this dessert?

Pomegranate Semifreddo and Blueberry Sorbet Bars
Source: Semifreddo adapted from Gourmet, Blueberry Sorbet adapted from The Perfect Scoop
Printable Recipe

Blueberry Sorbet Ingredients
4 cups blueberries
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar + 1-2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Limencello

Semifreddo Ingredients
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
blueberries and/or pomegranate seeds for garnish, optional
Sorbet Directions
Line a 9 X 9 pan with plastic wrap.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Strain the mixture to remove the skins and seeds (you definitely want to do this unless you want all your guests to wind up with blueberry stuck in their teeth!).

Freeze in your ice cream maker, following manufacturer's directions.

Smooth into the 9 x 9 pan and place in the freezer, ensuring it is on a level surface.

Semifreddo Directions
Whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, and pomegranate juice.

Beat the chilled cream until it just holds stiff peaks, then gently fold into the condensed-milk mixture.

Spread over the blueberry sorbet, smoothing the top. Freeze until solid, at least 2 hours, ensuring the pan is on a level surface in your freezer.

Cut into bars and garnish with fresh blueberries and/or pomegranate seeds, if desired. Keep remaining portions in the freezer.

Guacamole Salad

2010-08-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

The husband and I recently invited my parents over to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday. All 4 of us a big fans of babyback ribs, so I immediately planned to BBQ 3 racks of ribs as the main course. But when it came to the sides, I wasn't sure.

I didn't want to go the traditional route of corn and potato salad, so I kept browsing recipes until I hit upon this guacamole salad. I knew it would be the perfect pairing to our ribs. It was really really good! I bought my avocados a few days before making the salad in order to give them time to get ripe; they were perfectly smooth and creamy, with that faint bacon-y taste that Hass avocados sometimes have.

I added a roasted passilla pepper to the mix to give everything a smokey flavor and tie the salad into the main course. I loved the way the whole things turned out and even at a bowl of the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Guacamole Salad
Source: adapted from Pink Parsley
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 passilla pepper
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
1 jalepeno, seeded, minced
zest of one lime
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground dried jalapeno (you can sub cayenne)
2 ripe Hass avocados, cut into large chunks

Directions

Roast a passilla pepper until the skin is blackened. (I roast mine over the flame on the stove). Let the pepper cool, then peel off and discard all of the charred skin. Deseed the pepper and cut it into large chunks.

Combine the first 7 ingredients, including the roasted pepper, in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olve oil, salt, pepper, and dried jalapeno. Pour this dressing over the salad and gently toss, coating all of the vegetables.

Add the avocado just before serving.

Toss and taste before serving; you may want to add a bit more salt at this point.

Blueberry Sorbet

2010-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was craving a sweet treat recently, but didn't want to indulge in the full fat ice cream I usually make. I opened the freezer to see what I had on hand and saw several bags of frozen fruit: strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and mixed berries. I know, I know, we're in the thick of summer and all of those are summer fruits. But I didn't want to go to the store to pick up fresh fruit, so I stuck with the frozen, which is picked at the height of ripeness anyway, so it makes a fine substitute.

Anyway, I digress. Looking at the big bag of frozen blueberries I decided to go with a blueberry sorbet, and of course, turned to my ice cream bible, The Perfect Scoop. Alas, the tome doesn't include a blueberry sorbet recipe, but it does have a simple blackberry sorbet that I decided to modify, using the ingredients I had on hand. The original recipe calls for fresh lemon juice to help contrast the sweet flavor of the fruit, but I was out of lemons. So I used vodka. Ok, ok, I know what you're saying. Vodka is not acidic like lemon juice, but I was going to use it anyway, since the alcohol content helps keep the sorbet from freezing rock hard.

The only thing I wish I had done differently was cut the sugar down a bit; blueberries are naturlly sweeter than blackberries, so I didn't need to use the same amount of sugar as called for in the original recipe. Oh well, live and learn, right? The final result wasn't TOO sweet, but I think it would be better with a bit more tartness. Which the lemon would have provided. :)

Blueberry Sorbet
Source: Adapted from The Perfect Scoop
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups blueberries
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vodka

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

You can strain the mixture if you want a completely smooth sorbet, but I left mine unstrained.

Freeze in your ice cream maker, following manufacturer's directions.

Transfer to a storage container and store in your freezer.

Chicken and Mushroms in a White Wine Sauce

2010-08-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Summer break is a great perk of teaching. After waking up at 6am all school year, I relish sleeping in until 9am every morning. Even then, I set my alarm or I'd easily sleep much much later.

Once I finally do roll out of bed, I usually settle into the couch with my laptop and check out my favorite websites, one of which is Annie's Eats. She always has such beautiful pictures, so even if I'm not too interested in the recipe I love seeing her photography.

I haven't blogged too much this summer, mainly because the husband and I have been eating a lot of stuff that I've made several times before. I feel like we often find a new dish we love, but then never eat it again because I want to make something new to feature on my blog. But then a few days ago, Annie's Eats posted a recipe for Chicken and Artichokes in White Whine Sauce, served over rice, that looked especially good. A quick browse through the recipe and I saw I had nearly all of the ingredients, except for the artichokes, and that it wouldn't take too long to make, so I quickly decided to cook it for dinner that night.

I didn't want to run out to the store, so I just omitted the artichokes, and I used two large portabella mushrooms, rather than the baby bellas the original recipe called for. I also doubled the sauce ingredients, as I planned to serve the chicken over fettucini instead of rice. And my last change was using 5 or 6 boneless chicken thighs in place of the breasts; that was an unintentional change (I thought I grabbed breasts from the freezer), but the results were great.

I loved this dish, though the husband thought it was just ok. He felt like the wine flavor was too pronounced, but I disagree. I felt like it was a good balance of flavors, though I did add a sprinkle more salt at the table.
Chicken and Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 servings dried fettucini noodles
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de provence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5-6 small, boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced in half lengthwise
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 portabella mushrooms, quartered, then sliced
2/3 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup chicken broth
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions
Bring a large stockpot of water to boil on the stove. Once the water comes to a boil, add the fettucini noodles and cook until they are al dente, about 12-13 minutes.

In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine the flour, herbs de provence, salt and pepper and stir with a fork to blend. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture.

Coat the chicken thighs in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate; cover and keep warm.

Add the butter to the same skillet and warm until melted. Add the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid is released from the mushrooms and they are tender, about 5 minutes.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the white wine, chicken broth, and reserved tablespoons of flour; whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to the skillet, cooking until it is warm and slightly thickened.

Return the chicken to the pan to warm through and cover with sauce. Serve the chicken over fettucini with sauce spooned over the top, and garnish with grated Parmesan as desired.

Jalapeno Cheddar Sandwich Bread

2010-07-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Bread, I knew I needed to make it. I went out to the grocery store that day and bought the few ingredients I was missing and got to work right away. The smell of the cheddar and jalapenos permeating the air made turning my oven on (twice!) during a 100+ degree day totally worth it.

This is not the same kind of jalapeno cheddar bread you'll find in the bakery section of the grocery store. This is a loaf of bread intended to be sliced up for sandwiches, not the round hunk covered in melted cheddar and jalapeno slices.

As soon as this was cool enough to cut into, I started slicing chunks off to eat, warm and soft. Slathered with soft butter, or even plain, this bread is so good, that I haven't even tried making sandwiches with it yet!

Next time I might add some dried crushed jalapeno to add a bit more spice to the bread. I'd also knead in more cheese, creating pockets of cheddar throughout the bread. I felt like the cheese was too mixed into the dough, though since I didn't use a sharp cheddar, my opinion may be skewed. Overall, I loved this bread and plan to make it again and again; it will definitely liven up my workweek sandwiches this year!

Jalapeno Cheddar Sandwich Bread
Source: Pink Parsley
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold buttermilk (I used regular milk and added some vinegar)
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 Tablespoons honey
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 envelope)
4 small jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, diced
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Directions
Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position, and another to the middle position. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. When it is preheated, maintain the temperature for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.

Toss the jalapeno and 1 cup of the cheddar with 1 Tablespoon of flour in a small bowl.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add the cold buttermilk and stir to combine.

Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add the buttermilk/water mixture, butter, honey, and yeast to a liquid measuring cup. Turn the mixer on low, and add the liquid in a slow stream, increasing the speed of the mixer as you go to medium. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping to scrape the dough from the hook as needed.

After about 2-3 minutes add the jalapeno-cheese mixture, and continue to knead about 10 minutes total, adding the remaining flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball, about 15 seconds. Knead in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese to create pockets of cheddar in the bread.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the oven until the dough doubles in size, 50-60 minutes.

Turn out onto the floured surface and gently press the dough into a rectangle that is 1 inch thick and 9 inches long. With the long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers as you roll to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed.

Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, and press it gently to make sure it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20-30 minutes (Note: I placed my dough in the garage to rise on a hot day, cutting the rising time in half).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty baking pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and pour into the empty pan. Set the loaf onto the middle rack, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40-50 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Beer-A-Ritas

2010-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have been to three 1st birthdays this summer. In a few weeks, I'll be headed to another. The husband and I do not have children (yet), so while I LOVE playing with my friends' babies, I always kind of feel like the creeper adult at these events. Unless they have booze. Then I can just drink some beers while chatting with my friends and cheering for the kiddos swingin away at the pinata.

At a recent 1st birthday party the husband and I attended, I learned how to make beer-a-ritas. That's right, I learned a new boozy beverage while in attendance at a child's birthday party. Well, to be fair, we arrived a day early and helped set up for the party, so the idea for beer-a-ritas was brought up before the party began. While L and I set up for the shin dig, the men folk were sent to the store to stock up on hot dogs, condiments, and beverages, which introduced the idea of making a batch of beer-a-ritas. We joked about having a VIP section with wristbands for the alcohol, so as not to offend the non-drinking adults in attendance, but once word got around about this wonderful beverage, people were lining up for a glass. Our first double batch dissapeared quickly, so I convinced L we should whip up another bowl-full.

Though beer and tequila mixed together might not sound too tasty, let me tell you, the two are a perfect pairing! So much so that the beer-a-ritas didn't taste boozy, making it easy to knock back one or two....or four. Just don't hurt your brain trying to figure out where the combination fits in with the old adage, "Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear."

A word of warning: Do NOT drink these on an empty stomach. Eat a couple of hot dogs or some birthday cake before imbibing; these bad boys pack a punch!

Beer-A-Ritas
Source: Our amazing friends!
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
12 ounces Newcastle beer (you can use other beer if you want, but the Newcastle is ah-mazing!)
12 ounces Tequila
12 ounces water
10 ounces frozen limeaide concentrate
ice

Directions
Pour all ingredients into a large bowl or pitcher and mix well.

Pour into a glass, add a bit of ice, and a squeeze of lime, if desired.

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

2010-07-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

The husband and I recently headed up the coast a bit to visit some friends for the weekend and celebrate their daughter's 1st birthday. This was our first trip up to see them, after they've made many visits down here, and we were spending the weekend in their (gorgeous!) home, so I wanted to bring a 'thank you' treat. I figured with two small children, fruit muffins would be appreciated-they're great for a healthy afternoon snack or quick breakfast.

I hesitated on whether or not I should bring them after asking the husband his opinion once I took them out of the oven. I wasn't offering a taste, so he just took a look and made a face, saying they didn't look that great. I waffled back and forth over taking them or not, but as there wasn't enough time to make anything else, I decided to just go ahead and pack em up, ugly or not.

Thankfully, our friends care less about looks and more about taste, and were more than happy to receive these muffins. G, who is obsessed with fiber, was even more excited when I told him they were made with whole wheat flour, oats, and tons of fruit...in other words, packed with fiber. The kiddos made quick work of a couple muffins right away, gobbling them down as a late afternoon snack. Their one-year-old daughter seemed to especially like them, eating two in quick succession!

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 cup berries, fresh or frozen (I used a combination of frozen mixed berries and sliced fresh strawberries)
Strawberry halves for garnish, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir just until combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the applesauce, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and egg. Stir until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the fruit with a spatula.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

2010-07-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

What can I say? David Lebovitz knows ice cream. His cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, is the Bible of ice cream recipes, in my opinion. Every batch of ice cream I've made from his tome has been a definite home run, and this was no exception.

As always, the ice cream was smooth, creamy, and perfectly flavorful. The recipe calls for 10 cinnamon sticks to be steeped in the milk and cream for an hour--this imparts a warm, spicy-sweet flavor that is the star of the dish. It reminded me slightly of Red Hots candy, but was also Christmasy; this would pair wondefully with a warm slice of apple pie or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. It's a perfect summer treat as well. In fact, I don't know when this ice cream wouldn't be a good addition to the table.

I bought my cinnamon sticks in bulk in the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store, located next to the other bulk spices.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
10 cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Directions
In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Once warm (not boiling), cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for one hour.

Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining one cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the warm cinnamon-milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. (Note: I temper the eggs by pouring just a small amount of the warmed milk in first and whisking, before slowly pouring in the remaining milk mixture.) Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Constantly stir the mixture over medium heat with a spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour this custard through the strainer and into the heavy cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a freezer safe storage container (I use Gladware) and freeze.

Rosemary Dijon Salmon Burgers

2010-07-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I posted this recipe a few months ago, but without any commentary or pictures, and with the unappealing title "Salmon Patties." All of these things added up to a less than stellar, not to mention enticing, post.

The burgers were a huge hit with the husband, who asked that I make them every two weeks, so I felt like a new post was in order. I made the salmon burgers again, much to the excitement of the husband, and dressed them up with slices of avocado and garden fresh tomatoes. Even I, who doesn't care too much for fish (unless it's sushi!), loved these burgers. We use sandwich thins as our buns, which cuts down on the carbs and really lets the flavor of the burger stand out.

Rosemary Dijon Salmon Burgers
Source: Adapted from Serious Eats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 salmon fillets, skin removed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Deli Mustard (optional)
1 tablespoon black pepper
4 green onions, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 bread crumbs
pinch salt
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Topping Ideas
Dijon mustard
ketchup
mayo
tarter sauce
tomato slices
avocado slices
lettuce

Directions

Cut the salmon fillets into large chunks. Put about 1/3 of the salmon in a food processor, with the mustard and pepper. Process until the mixture becomes a thick paste, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the green onions towards the end and process so they are finely chopped into the fish.

Add in the rest of the salmon and the rosemary and process just until the larger chunks are combined with the salmon mixture. The fish should still be in chunks, about a 1/4", not completely pureed.

Scrape the fish into a bowl and add the bread crumbs and lemon juice. Mix together, then form into 4-6 patties of even thickness.

Grill for about 3-4 minutes per side, until the patties reach an internal temperature of about 150 degrees.

Dress with bun and topping and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pita

2010-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Once I made homemade hummus, I knew I needed to try homemade pita; the two are just made for each other. I am so glad I finally tried my hand at this recipe; these pita turned out soft and flavorful and paired perfectly with some sliced grilled chicken and hummus.

The process is a bit time consuming, though not difficult. I put my bowl of dough in the garage to help speed up the rising process, especially since I had the A/C blasting while making these, transforming my kitchen into a cool, drafty space-pretty much the exact opposite of the environment needed for dough to rise.

Whole Wheat Pita
Source: Annie's Eats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 Tablespoon honey
1¼ cups warm water
1½ cups bread flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions
Combine the yeast, honey and 1/2 cup of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and stir to combine. Add in 1/4 cup of the bread flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, and mix until smooth.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup bread flour, 1 1/4 cup wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed for about 8 minutes; the dough should be smooth and elastic.

Lightly oil a large bowl (I sprayed mine with Pam), and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning it over once to coat. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towels and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees, with the rack in the middle position. Preheat your baking stone, on the middle rack, at this time.

Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and punch down the dough. Then, divide it into 8 equal pieces (I used a ruler to measure it out and cut the dough with a long knife).

Form each piece into a ball. Working with one piece at a time, flatten each ball into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.

Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover the sheet with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Transfer 4 pitas, one at a time, to your hot baking stone (you can also bake these on a baking sheet) and bake for 2 minutes. Using tongs, gently flip each pita over and bake for an additional minute. Set the cooked pitas on a rack to cool and repeat with the remaining dough.

Store in a large ziplock bag or other airtight container in the refrigerator.

Vacation's all I ever wanted, Vacation's all I ever needed...

2010-07-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

I know this is a food blog and all, but I'm serving up a post on my recent Catalina Island vacation. The husband and I spent 3 days in the tiny harbor town of Avalon, and I took a bunch of photos that I want to AW, so that's what I am going to do. Not to worry though; despite my recent absenteeism, I do plan to return to regular food blogging again. In fact, I even have a pita post all set to go next week (I've also written up a post on homemade chocolate ice cream for your enjoyment, but the husband keeps eating it all before I can get a picture)! :)

But for now, take a trip 22 miles off the Long Beach shore and suck in all the summer sun...

We flew from Long Beach to Avalon in a helicopter, which was very cool. But since it was hella foggy out, there wasn't much to see until we broke through the cloud cover a few miles out from the island. The view of the harbor was a-MAZ-ing! I was super lucky and got to sit up front, next to the pilot, which afforded me the best views in the chopper. The husband was relegated to a window seat in the back, next to a woman and her elderly, cancer-stricken mother.

After we dropped off our bags at our incredibly pink hotel, Hotel St. Lauren, we headed out to explore. And found a restaurant serving $5 mojitos, which just happen to be our favorite beverage. Score!

The bartender seemed a bit frazzled when we asked for a round of mojitos, which he later informed us was due to the fact that they were nearly out of mint.

We each had about 2 and a half mojitos before he officially ran out of the key ingredient, ending the $5 special. For the next 3 days. That's island life, I guess.

After imbibing and watching some World Cup, we decided to go on a glass bottom boat tour, something I have *always* wanted to do. I imagined an undersea world of color, filled with coral reefs, a rainbow of fish, and possibly an octopus or starfish sighting. Wrong.

If you ever find yourself in Catalina, skip the glass bottom boat tour and go do something more fun. We saw about a million perch, some striped bass, a few Garibaldi (which just look like huge goldfish) and a ton of huge kelp plants. It didn't help that the sunken seating prevented me from getting a good view of the horizon, leaving me slightly sea sick.

I didn't take any photos on the tour because fat, grey fish are boring. Go to your nearest grocery store, walk back to the seafood department, look at the whole fish laying on ice, imagine them in a state of gross obesity, and you'll see pretty much the same thing we saw. The kids on the boat were beyond excited, but I was bored and wishing we'd spent our money on something better. Also, since the boat cruised on over into Lover's Cove, which allegedly has the best snorkeling in Avalon, I knew to skip renting snorkel gear; I didn't want to pay twice to see overweight grocery store fish and huge goldfish. Fool me once...

After a semi-good dinner at El Galleon (teriyaki-glazed shrimp and steak kabobs with white rice and butter soaked veggies for me. BBQ sauce smothered, incredibly tender, ribs with burnt mashed potatos and the same veggies for The Husband. And a couple Shiner Bocks to wash it all down.) we walked over to The Casino (not a gambling venue though) and then headed over to Descanso Beach. We walked down to some steps leading into the ocean, an easy access entrance for scuba divers, and watched the rising tide. I found a few small crabs blowing spit bubbles on the rocks. One particular crab was very camera shy; every time I pulled out our little point and shoot camera, it scurried away. But I was determined to take its picture, darnit, so I just waited until it thought I didn't notice it crab-walking its way up the rock.

Once we were back in our hotel room, settling in for the night, a horror befell the husband and I. Dread and fear set in as I pawed through our luggage, looking for an essential item, one I can never leave home without. I had forgotten my ear plugs. You may be laughing at me right now, but let me tell you, I am not just being over dramatic here (ok, well, maybe a little...). YOU come spend a night next to the husband with nothing to protect your ears, and I'll come sleep at your house. We'll see who's still in a good mood the next morning.

By the time I realized I'd forgotten to pack my saving grace, it was too late to go pick up a new pair on the island-everything was closed. I cranked up the A/C to act as a white noise machine, jammed some tissue in my ears, and tried not to think about the imminent snoring that would soon fill the room. Sadly, my efforts were for naught, and neither the husband nor I enjoyed much sleep that night.

Thankfully, we had no hard and fast plans our second day, so I slept in late the next morning before heading out to breakfast at The Pancake Cottage (the same place we'd enjoyed our mojitos the day before). I opted for their bacon waffles, accompanied by a large bowl of sliced fruti, and a glass of water.

The husband went for bisquits and gravy (with the gravy on the side) and 3 buttermilk pancakes, as well as a hot cup of coffee. He was quite happy with my suggestion that he order the gravy on the side, since he hates how the bisquits are usually swimming in gravy; he prefers to just dip each bite into the gravy. While I wolfed down my food, and some of his, the husband left half of his pancakes untouched, having reached his stomach's limit. I've always been the big eater, while he is my dainty little bird. ;)

After breakfast, we rented a golf cart for 3 hours and drove around the island like a couple a bats outta hell. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous, clutching the side, as we took some windy turns up the hills, but it was a lot of fun. A lot of streets are closed to rental carts, most likely to keep the tourists from annoying the residents, but we didn't let that totally stop us. We made a few illicit turns into "no rental" territories, getting lost once, and irking some islanders at another point. The views were amazing, though much to the husband's dissapointment, we didn't see any of the island's famed buffalo. I wasn't surprised though, since we couldn't take the cart into the interior of the island.

We did see this cute little buffalo though. I wanted to buy it, but it wasn't for sale and the husband didn't want to help me steal it.

That night we ate some mediocre food on a patio overlooking the harbor, wrapped in our beach towels becasue it was so cold, before setting out to explore on foot. There wasn't much left to explore at this point, since Avalon is so tiny, but it was fun to walk around together and talk.

The next morning we went parasailing, something I have wanted to do for at least 15 years! Originally we were only going to go up 900 feet because I was too scared to go the full 1,400 feet, but the owner said he'd send us up to 1,400' for the 900' price, so we agreed. I can't pass up a good deal. We nervously boarded the speed boat with another young couple, who I volunteered to fly first. I am so nice. We watched them flying high above the sea for about 10 minutes or so, and then it was our turn. The husband was excited, but I was incredibly nervous. They told us not to worry about falling, that if the rope broke or the boat stalled out, we would gently float down to the water, courtesy of the giant parachute we were attached to. Once we were 1,400 feet up in the air, this was not comforting to me.

But, it was incredibly awesome, if freezing cold, and I would totally do it again if given the chance. It was actually really peaceful at the top, with the water and the little town far below us. I even released my death grip on the straps for a moment to hold the husband's hand and wave to the camera below.

After our parasailing trip, there wasn't much left to do, though we still had about 4 hours left on the island. We walked around, taking pictures of the vacation homes, talking, and soaking up the sun. For lunch we grabbed a couple of buffalo burgers, a large order of fries to share, and some sodas on the pier. I really liked the buffalo burgers; they were small, but dense and filling. I guess this was actually our closest brush with buffalo on Avalon....too bad we were eating them, rather than watching them roam through the brush. Oh well, they were tasty and I wouldn't mind another.

Finally it was time to get on the boat and bid Avalon adieu. We sat on benches on the back deck of the boat, watching the island fade in the distance, and breathing in the cold, salty air. As we approached Long Beach, we stood by the rail, letting the sea spray hit our faces, trying not to get knocked over by the wind and rocking of the boat. I didn't get sea sick (unlike our Mexico cruise a few years back), but now, a few days later, it still feels like I am standing on the unsteady deck of the ship.

Turkey, Avo, Tomato Grilled Cheese

2010-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. The toasty, buttered bread and the gooey cheese are soooooo good! I could eat multiple grilled cheese sandwiches every single day, if I didn't care about being healthy.

But sometimes you've just gotta have a grilled cheese. So to make it a bit more filling and healthy, I cut back on the cheese and bulked it up with some turkey, avocado and sliced tomatoes. And I added a bit of a kick by using sourdough chile bread from Fresh and Easy. Yummy!

Turkey, Avo, & Tomato Grilled Cheese
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 slices sourdough chile bread
butter
turkey lunch meat
sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 avocado, sliced
1/2 tomato, sliced
butter

Directions

Heat a pan on the stove over medium low heat.

Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread.

Slice 4 small slices of cheese.

Place one piece of bread on the hot pan, buttered side down, and top with 2 slices of cheese. Add a few slices of turkey, followed by the tomato and avocado slices, then topped with the remaining 2 slices of cheese. Set the 2nd slice of bread on top of the sandwich, buttered side up and gently press down for 2-3 seconds.

Grill your sandwich on medium low heat for a few minutes (about 3-4 minutes) until the bread is golden and toasty, and the bottom layer of cheese is soft and slightly melty.

Using a wide spatula, gently flip your sandwich over, cooking until the bread is golden and toasty.

White Wine Mussels

2010-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been craving mussels for over a year now. At the start of last summer, the husband and I road tripped it on up to San Francisco for a long weekend and while we were there we met up with some friends of mine for dinner at Q, where our group shared a bowl of mussels in broth. The dish was incredibly good and we greedily soaked up the broth with hunks of warm bread. That dinner stayed in my mind throughout the trip, and in the year since then I've had a longing to recreate the meal.

I spotted mussels at a decent price in the seafood section of Henry's recently, so I scoured the internet for the perfect recipe (well, not really. I just picked the first hit on Google) and got to work. While mussels do take a bit of prep work, since you have to soak them, this is not a difficult or extremely laborious dish. My best advice would be to chop the garlic, shallots, and parsley while the mussels are soaking, rather than lounging on the couch watching Real Housewives of NYC.

Debearding the mussels is a bit weird--it feels like they are fighting back as you yank their beards off (maybe they are?)--but it's better than eating that hairy stuff attached to them. Make sure you scrape off any barnacles or other ocean debris on the outside of the shells as well.

Use a good white wine, as it is the base of the broth, and serve each bowl of mussels with a big hunk of crusty bread. Bon appetite!

White Wine Mussels
Source: Adapted from Food Network, Barefoot in Paris (Ina Garten)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 pounds fresh mussels
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots (5-7 shallots)
1 1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic (5-6 garlic cloves)
1 pint grape tomatoes, whole
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup white wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons pepper

Directions
Fill a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and add the flour. Pour in the mussels and let soak for 30 minutes to dredge any sand. (My mussels opened a bit, gently sighed, then closed and sank. It was cute.)

Drain the water and rinse off the mussels. Throw away any with open shells. Using your fingers, grasp the beards and pull off. (I found the best way to do this was yank the beard quickly towards the top of the shell.) Scrub the shells with a brush to remove any lingering debris.

In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent.

Add the tomatoes, thyme (I throw the whole branch in), parsley, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. As the tomatoes soften, gently smash them with the back of a wooden spoon to incorporate their juice into the broth.

Add the mussels, stir them once or twice, then cover and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mussels are opened (throw away any that don't open). Shake the pot once or twice to ensure the bottom mussels don't burn.

Serve the mussels in a bowl with the broth and a hunk of bread.

Cherry Pie

2010-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

The husband and I went to my parents' house, along with my brother and his wife, for a Memorial Day BBQ and my mom asked me to bring a dessert. I figured what better way to kick off the summer than with a cherry pie?

Though the picture is pathetic, this was a really tasty pie. Make sure you use tart cherries; the sugar will make sweet cherries too sweet for this recipe.

Cherry Pie
Source: Shared by an online cooking acquaintance (from Musselman's canned cherries)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) red tart pitted cherries
1 cup reserved cherry juice
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9" pie dish and gently press in a pie crust.

Drain the cherries, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the liquid.

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in the reserved cherry liquid until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles.

Cook an additional minute until the mixture is thick.

Remove from heat and stir in butter, cherries, and almond extract.

Pour into prepared crust. Top with a lattice or vented crust (I cut out pie crust starts to top my filling).

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake 25-35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. (Note: I placed my pie on a baking sheet to capture any boil over of the pie filling.)

Hummus

2010-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The husband and I are still on our health kick, though I think it is becoming more of a lifestyle than just a phase. We've both improved in our running abilities, we've been keeping our commitment to run at least 3 days a week (the husband actually works out about 5 days a week!), and we're starting to see some results on the scale. I even ran my first 5K recently, finishing in 32:47 and 310th out of 1,000 runners (and 27th in my age group)!

Showing the husband my superior running skills after running my first 5k.

All of this healthy living has also affected my cooking; We've been trying to eat healthier at home and limit the amount of baked goods and sweets, replacing junky snacks with fruit and baby carrots.

One of our favorite healthy snacks is hummus and I've been buying it by the truckload from Fresh & Easy. Since we not only like to be healthy, but we also like to save money, I decided to try making hummus myself; A can of garbanzo beans is less than 75 cents and homemade ensures that there's no funky additives or weird processing.

Even with the added step of making my own tahini, this homemade hummus was incredibly easy and tasted fabulous! The husband was skeptical, but after a bite, and then another, followed by a few more, he became a believer. We like to eat our hummus with carrot sticks....well, the husband also likes to make hummus sandwiches...but you could spread it on pita, dip crackers in it, or use it as a spread for turkey sandwiches. How do you eat your hummus?

Hummus
Source: adapted from Annie's Eats
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans
6 tablespoons tahini (see note at bottom for homemade tahini)
4 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 - 1/2 cayenne, depending on your heat preferences

Directions
Process the garbanzo beans, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in a food processor until ground, about 15-20 seconds. Scrape down the sides.

With the machine running, add the lemon juice and water through the food tube. Scrape down the sides and process for another minute.

With the machine running, add the tahini and olive oil through the food tube, continuing to process until the hummus is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Store in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until serving.

Tahini
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

Directions
Toast the sesame seeds on the stove in a large pan over high heat. Stir them gently as they toast to keep them from burning.

Once sesame seeds are golden brown, pour them into the bowl of your food processor. Add half the oil and process until crumbly.

Scrape down the sides. Add the rest of the oil and continue processing until the sesame seeds form a paste (this took me about 2 minutes or so). Scrape down the sides and under the metal blade periodically.

This will yield a scant 6 Tablespoons of tahini.

Technical Difficultues Update

2010-06-14T14:28:00.001-07:00

The USB cord for my camera is still MIA. But never fear, I just bought a memory card reader at Big Lots for $10 and uploaded all the pics on my camera. So, once I get the laundry going and vaccum the living room (the husband leaves me long To Do lists in the summer since he is jealous of my time off), I will post a new recipe.

Yay!

Due to Techinical Difficulties

2010-06-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

The husband has misplaced my camera cord, so I am unable to upload any pictures. Therefore, I am on a blogging hiatus for another week until we either A) find the cord or B) Order a new one. Blogging food without pictures is lame.

Don't forget about me while I am gone!

Summery Fruit Salad

2010-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back with a healthy recipe, here people. Consistently inconsistent, right?

I made this refreshing fruit salad to keep as a quick snack and easy healthy lunch item for week day lunches. I actually meant to include jicama in it as well, but forgot to pick some up at the store. The husband requested grapes be included, but they were super expensive for some reason, and they didn't actually look that great, so I opted to leave them out this time. But that's the great thing about fruit salad, you can really just throw in whatever you want: pineapple, grapes, oranges, papaya, whatever.

I decided to use a squeeze of lime juice instead of dressing to keep the salad simple and healthy, as well as let the flavors of the fruit shine through. The lime juice gives all the fruit a nice tang and the basil adds an interesting savory-sweet depth of flavor.

Summery Fruit Salad
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 a small seedless watermelon
1 pound strawberries
2 pints blueberries
2 kiwi
1 champagne mango
4-5 small basil leaves
juice of 1 lime

Directions
Rinse all fruit well. Remove the strawberry stems, peel the kiwi and mango, julienne the basil, and cut the watermelon into chunks.

Toss all of the fruit together in a large bowl with the lime juice. Refrigerate until it is time to serve.

Nutella Brownies

2010-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Note: sorry for the poor photo. I baked these in the evening, after the natural light was gone, and we didn't cut into them until several hours later when it was pitch black out, so I didn't even try a photo then.

I hope you caught the irony in this post after yesterday's narration. First I give you a recipe for veggie kabobs and tell you all about the new healthy lifestyle the husband and I are embarking upon, then I follow up with a post about Nutella brownies.

What can I say, I'm consistently inconsistent. (Dead Like Me reference, anyone?)

That, and who can resist Nutella? Especially when the BIG jar is on sale.

I made these brownies for some friends of ours who were visiting from Santa Barbara, just as a sweet treat and a thanks for always thinking of us when they're in town. Everyone raved about how good they were :), and I just had to agree. The best part of making these brownies? The night of drinks with friends that followed, and a dozen fresh chicken eggs from another good friend (thanks again Peggy!).

I modified a brownie recipe from Baker's chocolate, but you could use any basic brownie recipe you like, even a boxed mix, and just swirl in the Nutella. I ran out of white AP flour while making these brownies, so I used half white, half wheat and no one was any wiser.

Nutella Brownies
Source: Adapted from Baker's Chocolate
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon Nutella + another 1/4 cup or so

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13" pan with foil, then spray with non-stick spray.

Roughly chop the chocolate, then toss in a microwave-safe bowl with the butter. Microwave 1-2 minutes, until the butter is melted and stir to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth; you may need to microwave for another 15-30 seconds to fully melt all the chocolate.

Stir in the sugar.

Add in the vanilla, eggs, and 1 Tablespoon Nutella and stir until combined. Mix in the flour, then pour the batter into the 9 x 13" pan.

Spoon dollops of Nutella onto the brownie batter, then using a butter knife or a spoon, swirl the Nutella into the brownie batter, creating a marble effect.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with small fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake!

Eat Your Veggies

2010-05-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

The husband and I are on a kind of health kick right now and have been working out a few times a week together. I've even started running a couple times a week, 3 miles at a time. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me-I've always hated running and would walk as soon as my legs began to hurt. Now that first mile is so easy it feels like I am floating down the track, and even though I am exhausted by the end of my third mile, I feel amazing for running the whole way without stopping or walking.

So with this recent focus on living healthier, we're trying to eat healthier dinners as well and eat a serving of veggies with dinner every night. The husband and I both love grilled veggie kabobs, which makes it even easier to get more nutritious food into our diets. They are full of fiber, making them very filling, and low in calories/fat. The best part about vegetable kabobs is customizing them to what you like and what's available in your store. I used 3 different types of squash and 2 different peppers, but you could use mushrooms, shrimp, onion--whatever you like!

Grilled Kabobs
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3-4 turkey & chicken basil sausage (I buy mine at Trader Joe's)
1 zucchini
1 yellow crook-neck squash
1 calabeza
1 bell pepper
1 poblano pepper

Directions
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes so they don't burn up on the grill.

Prepare a charcoal grill with an even layer of charcoal on the bottom of the grill.

Cut all of the vegetables and sausages up into bite sized chunks, of even thickness. Thread them onto the skewers, alternating the different vegetables and sausage.

Lay the skewers on the grill in a single layer and grill for 2-3 minutes, rotating the skewers.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper if desired and enjoy.

Smooth like buttah

2010-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started blogging about a year ago, I've noticed several tutorials on butter making floating around the web. I always read them with interest, but didn't really plan on making my own. It's not any cheaper to make butter yourself, and it takes some patience, plus I like that store-bought butter is wrapped in paper that neatly marks each tablespoon-perfect for measuring when I want to bake.

After I made the husband's birthday dessert, I still had a ton of heavy whipping cream leftover (I forgot to check how much I'd need for his pie, so I just bought a quart container), which I didn't want to go bad. But after such a decadent dessert, I felt like we needed to lay off the sweets for awhile, so the cream continued to sit in my fridge. But then Joy the Baker poster a new butter making tutorial, and I decided to give it a whirl. I'd made whipped cream several times before, and butter is just a few stages past whipped cream, so I figured "why not?"

Oh my. Homemade butter is so smooth and creamy. Perfection. I was licking it off the spatula, the knife, the beaters. I was eating butter all by itself. I should probably make some rolls to smear it on.

Homemade Butter
Source: Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
heavy whipping cream (I had about 1.5 cups)
salt

Directions
Chill your mixing bowl and wire whisk in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes prior to making the butter. This will help the cream evolve from liquid to whipped cream to butter faster. This is an optional step, so don't panic if you forget to do it. :)

Pour the cream into the bowl of your electric mixer. Fit the mixer with the wire whisk attachment and beat on medium.

The cream will begin to thicken and form peaks. You've reached the whipped cream stage. I really wanted to pour in some powdered sugar and eat it by the spoonful, but I restrained myself and kept mixing.

Keep mixing. It will feel like forever. You might wonder if your cream is ever going to morph into butter. If you're like me and BBQ'ing while making butter, you may worry that the BBQ smell is your mixer's motor beginning to smoke. Don't worry, it's not. Keep mixing.

Your whipped cream will begin to get thick and chunky. Slow the mixer down a bit to avoid splashing buttermilk everywhere. Keep mixing for about another minute.

You should have thick clumps and some cloudy water in the bottom of the bowl. Spoon the butter into a fine mesh strainer, dumping out any water left in the mixing bowl. Gently press the water out of the butter with a spatula. Push out as much water as you can and then return the butter to the mixing bowl.

Mix for another minute or two. The clumpy butter will transform into smooth, creamy, spreadable goodness. Return the butter to the strainer and dump out any extra water.

At this point, one of Joy's readers recommends kneading the butter in extremely icy cold water, dumping out the water when it gets cloudy. I tried this, but I couldn't keep my hands in that freezing water! I pulled it out, squeezed out the water and threw the butter back in the mixing bowl.

Add about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix on low to incorporate. Spoon the butter into a ziplock bag, squeeze out any extra air, and refrigerate up to two weeks.

Try not to eat by the spoonful.

Marinated Grilled Salmon

2010-05-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

It often feels like the husband and I eat nothing but chicken and ground turkey. Mainly because when we eat at home, we eat pretty much nothing but chicken and turkey. :) We made a conscious decision some months ago not to buy red meat anymore (though we do every once and awhile, like the birthday filet mignon) for a variety of reasons, and we don't really eat fish (other than sushi), since I am not a fan. The husband doesn't eat pork (other than some occasional bacon and baby back ribs) and while we like lamb, I never think to pick any up at the store.

So once you look at those self-imposed restrictions, we really are left with poultry as our only non-veggie option. But the husband recently mentioned that he misses eating fish, so since I like to keep him happy, I picked up two wild Alaskan salmon fillets on my next trip to the grocery store. I googled "grilled salmon" and found an appealing marinade on Allrecipes.com.

Well, I am glad I agreed to adding some fish into our meal plan again! This salmon turned out perfectly! The brown sugar gives a hint of sweetness to the fish and the grill infuses a smokey flavor throughout the flaky flesh. This was nothing like the mushy, fishy-tasting salmon I remembered from the last time I cooked up some fish. It definitely helped that I bought high quality fish, rather than the big bag of frozen fillets at Costco. I told the husband I would definitely eat this dish again, so it looks like fish will be making a more regular appearance on our weekly menus in the near future.

Marinated Grilled Salmon
Source: adapted from Allrecipes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 Wild Alaskan salmon fillets, about 1.5 pounds
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
freshly ground black pepper
sprinkle salt

Directions
Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is fully incorporated.

Place the salmon fillets in a large ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Turn to fully coat. Refrigerate and let marinade for 2 hours.

Soak a handful of wood chips in cold water while the fish marinates.

Heat a charcoal grill. Once the coals are white hot, sprinkle the wet wood on top of the coals. Grill the fish, with the lid on to trap the smoke from the wood chips, for about 4-6 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

You put the lime in the coconut...

2010-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this recipe for coconut lime bundt cake, that old song sprang to mind. But I have to ask, did Coke used to have a commercial with the lyrics "You put the lime in the coke, you nut, and drink em all up? Because I swear, that is how I remember the song, but when I looked up the lyrics that was not what came up? Anyone?

But, again, I digress. I made this cake for Mother's Day, cutting it in half so I could give half to my mom and the husband could give half to his mom. My mom unwrapped it and my dad immediately said, "Is the other half for the husband's mom?" and laughed when I confirmed. The husband said his mom enjoyed it as well, reaching for a fork as soon as she pulled the foil off.

This recipe calls for shredded coconut; you can use either sweetened or unsweetened, but since I have a sweet tooth and this is a dessert, I went with sweetened. The cake is very moist, light and sweet, with a strong coconut flavor, due to the can of coconut milk. It, however, wasn't limey enough for me, though this could be reconciled by drizzling with a lime glaze.

Coconut Lime Bundt Cake
Source: My Kitchen in the Rockies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup lime juice (about 7-9 limes)
zest of 2 large limes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons dark rum, optional (I used Malibu coconut rum)
3/4 cup shredded coconut
additional butter and flour for greasing pan

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a bundt pan with the additional butter, making sure to get it in each depression. Sprinkle the additional flour into the pan, turning it to fully cover the butter. Turn the pan over and gently tap out any extra flour.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Heat the coconut milk and butter in a small saucepan, just until the butter is melted and the milk is heated through. Stir in the lime juice. Set aside, but keep warm.

Using the whisk attachment, combine the lime zest and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and doubled in volume. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Scrape down the sides of the mixer with a rubber spatula.

Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add in the shredded coconut and mix on low just until everything is combined.

Pour in the warm coconut mixture in a steady stream until smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the greased bundt pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick or butter knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Top with a lime-sugar glaze and additional shredded coconut, or just sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Chocolate Overload Nutella-Mousse Brownie Pie

2010-05-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

Did you read the title up there? Chocolate Overload Nutella-Mousse Brownie Pie.

Oh. My. God.

Seriously.

Chocolate Mousse.

Brownies.

Nutella.

Nutella...Nutella!!!

This is some serious business. I have a little thing for Nutella.

That's an understatement. Nutella and I have engaged in a love affair in previous years. I had to break it off years ago, it just wasn't a healthy relationship. We first met when I was a young 20-year-old, first venturing out into the world, yet feeling a bit homesick during a stint in London. The first thick spoonful of chocolate, eaten alone in a hostel kitchen, squelched any longings for home right away. I fell hard and fast, head over heels in love.

But then I returned home, went away for the last few years of college, and broke off our love. The thought of all those chocolate-hazelnut calories glomming onto my body kept me away for years. Until I saw this recipe.

Oh.My.God

Yeah, I had to say it twice.

As soon as I saw this chocolate brownie mousse pie I knew I *needed* to make it--Immediately.

Thankfully, the husband had a birthday coming up. There was only one problem: he wanted red velvet cupcakes. Red velvet is my kitchen foe, so I usually resort to buying the Sprinkle's mix from William-Sonoma. So I did what any ~~good wife~~ chocolate-lover would do....I convinced him he should opt for this chocolaty-goodness instead. Happily the chocolate-on-chocolate dessert was a hit, and no mention of red velvet was made again.

I may have also licked the Nutella jar clean. But that's just between you and me.

Chocolate Overload Nutella-Mousse Brownie Pie

Source: Adapted from Sing for Your Supper, brownie recipe from Baker's Chocolate

Printable Recipe

Brownie Ingredients

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

Chocolate Mousse Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Nutella, plus additional for drizzling

1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy whipping cream

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 ounces cream cheese, softened

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9", deep dish pie pan with nonstick spray.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate and butter in the microwave (I did 45 second increments) until the butter is melted. Stir to melt the chocolate.

Stir the sugar into the chocolate, ensuring it is well combined. Add the vanilla and eggs and stir until completely combined. Add in the flour, stirring until well blended.

Pour the brownie mixture into the pie pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine actually took about 55 minutes).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool, in the pie pan, on a wire rack.

Once the brownies are completely cooled whip the cream, vanilla and sugar in a mixing bowl, using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks form. Spoon into another bowl and set aside.

In the same mixing bowl (no need to wash), mix the cream cheese and Nutella, with the paddle attachment, until well combined.

Gently fold in half the whipped cream with a spatula. Repeat with the remaining whipped cream, gently folding until the whipped cream is fully incorporated. Do not stir or you will lose the fluffiness of the whipped cream.

Using a large spatula, spread the mousse over the cooled brownies. Spoon the remaining Nutella into a small ziplock bag. Snip off the corner and pipe over the mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The birthday husband wearing his new Niners jersey and posing with his bday decorations. :)

Filet Mignon

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

The husband turned 30 last week, which bummed him out a bit. Knowing he wasn't too excited about entering a new decade (a horror I don't have to face for another year and a half, thank God), I wanted to make this birthday amazing.

He requested steak for dinner, so I headed out to Henry's and asked the butcher for their best cut of meat. They had some preimo-quality filet mignon on sale, which the butcher and his assistant *highly* recommended, so of course, I picked a few up. I asked the butcher for a few cooking tips, since I'd never cooked a filet before, and I have to say these steaks were amazing! Melt in your mouth tender, flavorful, and perfectly done. This coming from a woman who is not really a big fan of steak. But I was so glad I was able to make a delicious steak and make the husband happy on his birthday.

Before he came home, I also stopped by Target and picked up some birthday decorations (no over the hills banners here!) and was surprised to find the 49'ers Jerry Rice jersey I bought as a gift in our mail box--I wasn't expecting that to arrive for several more days. Perfect timing!

But I digress...steak...next time you have a special occasion to celebrate, go pick up some premium filet mignon, and grill 'em up.

Filet Mignon
Source: Advice of the butcher at my market
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
filet mignon
sprinkle salt
a heavy shake of pepper

Directions
Remove filets from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Wipe them off with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture--this will help get a nice sear on the outside.

Sprinkle one side of each filet with a bit of salt and a heavy shake of pepper. Let sit.

Heat a charcoal grill to high heat, with the charcoal heaped in the middle. You will be cooking these both direct and indirect.

Once the grill is hot, place the filets directly over the heat and cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Using tongs, gently turn the meat over. Cook for another minute or 2, then move to indirect heat until finished cooking. Rare (135 degrees) or medium (140 degrees) is best, as this is a lean cut of meat.

Remove from the heat, cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes, so the meat can reabsorb the juices.

Plate and pour any juices from the plate over the filets.

Enjoy! And Happy Birthday, Husband!!!

Tequila Marinated Chicken Thighs

2010-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a bottle of tequila to make a batch of margarita cupcakes (which were a fail, by the way :/), but I really only needed a few tablespoons, so I had pretty much a full bottle sitting around. I *really* just wanted to make a blender full of potent margaritas with it, but I can't handle a tequila hangover during the week, so I marinated some chicken in the boozy goodness instead.

Ohhhh, such a good idea! This chicken came out super tender and flavorful. I upped the amount of tequila from the 2 Tablespoons called for in the original recipe to 4 Tablespoons - I wanted to make sure the tequila flavor would come through in the cooked chicken. This was definitely a good choice--we could taste the tequila, but it didn't overwhelm the rest of the flavors.

I have to admit a bit of a flub on my point though. I didn't check the amount of charcoal I had on hand before getting started. When I went to fire up the grill my charcoal bag had maybe 10 briquettes in it! I didn't have time to go buy more, so I tried to make do with what I had. Yeah, that didn't work; the grill didn't get hot enough to cook the chicken. After about 10 minutes on the grill, the meat all had nice grill marks, but was still completely raw, so I cranked the broiler up to high and threw the chicken in there to finish cooking. Annoying, but a good solution to my dilemma. :)

Tequila-Marinated Chicken Thighs
Source: Adapted from The Mexican Cookbook
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
12-15 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
11 garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes, plus 1/2 a lime
juice of 1 orange
4 Tablespoons tequila
1 Tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
1 Tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cumin
3-4 springs oregano, leaves stripped from the stems
2 teaspoons pepper

Directions
Pour all of the ingredients, except for the half lime, in a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken and turn the bag to coat.

Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the barbecue until hot. Cook the chicken, turning once, until cooked all the way through (165 degrees).

Remove from grill and let sit, covered, for about 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices.

Squeeze the juice of the remaining half a lime over the chicken and serve.

Taco Salad

2010-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite summer meals is taco salad. It is really easy to throw together, and is a perfect light meal for those days when it is just too hot.

We're not quite in summer yet, though the weather has been heating up this week...after a 2 week spell of wintery cold weather. I made this for dinner on a recent warm day when I didn't really feel like cooking dinner. I had some leftover grilled chicken and carne asada in the fridge, so I convinced the husband that a meaty salad would make a great dinner. He was still a bit hungry later that evening, so if you have a big appetite, you might want to serve some rice and beans with this salad.

I like to crush the tortilla chips and sprinkle them over the top of this salad, but the husband prefers them uncrushed and the salad heaped on top; serve your's however you prefer. I also think that Fresh and Easy's Lime Tortilla Chips are the best for this salad as they add another kick of flavor.

Taco Salad

Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound grilled carne asada

3 grilled chicken thighs

1/2 head Romaine lettuce

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

3 green onions, sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 bag frozen corn, or 1-2 ears fresh corn, steamed or grilled, kernals cut off

1/2 cup shredded cheese

tortilla chips (I used colby jack, but pepper jack or sharp cheddar are good choices too)

salsa

2 limes

Directions

Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. If these are refridgerated leftovers, heat for about 30 seconds to cut the chill. If the meat has just been cooked, set aside and let cool; you don't want the meat to be so hot it wilts the lettuce.

Rinse and dry all of the vegetables.

Tear the lettuce into small pieces and put them into a large serving bowl. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and meat. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and toss.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the salad.

Serve with the tortilla chips and spoon some salsa over the top.

Grilled Yogurt Chicken

2010-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was recently housesitting for my parents while they enjoyed a 7 day Mexican Rivera cruise. *sigh* How nice. Anyway, my mom left me a big stack of magazines to go through, as she was planning to throw them away. She had Women's Day, Martha Stewart Living, Southern Living, and Sunset, none of which I subscribe to. I eagerly begin flipping through the magazines, looking for new recipes and ideas, when I found this chicken recipe. I headed out to the grocery store, bought the ingredients and fired up the grill.

This is a quick and easy dinner that I could see myself making even on a hectic weeknight. Don't be intimidated by pounding the chicken out, it's simple and even kind of fun! :) I do think the marinade could use a bit more flavor, so I might add some sliced green onions and possibly a bit of lime juice or garlic powder next time.

Grilled Yogurt Chicken
Source: adapted from Sunset Magazine
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt (I used garlic salt)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric (I omitted)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Layer chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness (about 1/4 of an inch). I used a large cast iron skillet, whacking the chicken, to accomplish this.

Prepare a grill to high heat.

Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, cumin, lemon, salt, pepper, tumeric, and chili flakes in a medium bowl. Dip the chicken in the bowl, one piece at a time, coating both sides with the yogurt mixture. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Throw out the remaining marinade.

Pour the oil on a paper towel and rub the grill grates with it to help prevent the chicken from sticking.

Grill the chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

Steamed Artichokes and Lemon Butter

2010-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love artichokes; they make a quick, easy meal. Just boil some water and steam until the leaves are soft. I remember my mom serving steamed artichokes as the main entree for dinner in the spring and summer when I was growing up, so when I saw artichokes at Fresh and Easy recently, I decided to pick one up for myself.

I know many people like dipping them in mayo, but seeing as I am not really a fan of the condiment, I prefer dipping mine in butter. I love the zippy tang of citrus fruit, so I figured adding a squeeze of lemon to the butter would be a great way to jazz up this simple dish.

Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Butter
Source: Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
artichokes (1-2 per person)
butter (about 2 Tablespoons per person)
lemon juice (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons per person)
water

Directions

Fill a large stockpot with water. Set a steamer basket on top of the water; make sure there is about 2 inches between the bottom of the steamer basket and the top of the water. Cover and bring to a boil.

Rinse the artichokes. You can also cut off the pointed ends if you like, but I leave mine as is.

Add the artichokes to the steamer basket once the water is boiling (you may need to cook them in batches if you are serving a crowd) and cover the pot. Leave the lid on and steam them for 25-45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke; you should be able to pull the outer leaves off pretty easily once they are done. My artichoke took about 33 minutes.

While the artichokes are steaming, combine the butter and lemon juice in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10 second increments until the butter is melted. Portion the melted lemon butter into individual dishes for each person.

Pull the leaves off the artichokes and dip into the lemon butter, scraping the flesh off the underside of the leaves with your teeth.

Once you get to the middle of the artichoke, scrape off the fuzziness--you've uncovered the heart. Eat the heart whole, dipped in butter, or save for later use in salads, pizzas, and calzones.

3 Cheese Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

2010-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Mmm, doesn't that sound yummy? Not just one cheese, but THREE cheeses stuffed into a portabello mushroom. Now what if I told you one of those cheeses-the main cheese, even- is cottage cheese?

Wait, stop!

Don't hit the back button!

While cottage cheese may be the lumpy, bumpy mainstay of diet food, when combined with some mozzarella and parmesean, mixed with garlic-sauteed spinach and heaped into a beefy portabello cap, that lumpy excuse for a cheese comes alive. The flavor of the mushroom seeps into the cheeses, flavoring everything with a cheesy-earthy taste that is simply delicious. I know I am pushing my luck with some of you readers (people are still questioning my decision to make basil ice cream....unless they were lucky enough to get a taste. Those people are lining up for more.)

I have to admit, originally I was going to make Ricotta and Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms, but I deviated for a few reasons:

1. I could stand to lose a few pounds (I let you decide what "a few" means), and cottage cheese is a low fat option.

2. Cottage cheese was significantly cheaper at my local Fresh & Easy, and I was trying to save money (so I could spend it on ice cream instead :/ )

3. I wanted a new recipe that I could blog, rather than a rehash of something I've already done.

Since I am housesitting for my parents, this was the perfect opportunity to try out the cottage cheese mushroom. No husband to worry about pleasing and plenty of time to make something else if this turned out badly since it only takes me 15 minutes to get to their house from work.

This was definitely a winner and will be made again. The husband will have to just deal...

3 Cheese Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 portabello mushroom caps
3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesean cheese
1 tablespoon shredded mozarella, plus additional to top
1 bag of fresh spinach
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the portabellos, removing the stems and gills.

Spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray and cook the mushrooms, gill-side up, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Sautee the garlic and spinach, just until the garlic is soft and the spinach is wilted.

In a medium bowl, combine the cooked spinach and garlic with the cottage cheese, parmesean cheese, and 1 tablespoon mozarella cheese. Add in the salt, pepper, and crushed chili peppers. Set aside.

Remove the mushroom caps from the oven. Spoon the cheese and spinach mixture into the mushrooms. It is ok to mound it slightly higher than the mushroom's edge. Sprinkle each cap with additional shredded mozarella cheese.

Return the mushrooms to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and slightly golden. It may run into the baking pan a bit.

Plate each mushroom and serve.

Favorites Recap; New Post on Monday

2010-04-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have several new recipes set to post, but the computer I am currently using is a real PITA when it comes to uploading photos. I will be back at home this weeked, so expect several new blog posts on Monday! Sorry for the delay. :(

Check out some of my previous favorites while you're here:

Bean and Corn Salsa
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Cornish Game Hens with Fingerling Potatoes
Paco's Pepper Snacks
Summer Pasta

Homemade Frozen Pizza

2010-04-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever my parents go on vacation, I am the go-to person to house and dog sit. It's a win-win situation because they get someone to take care of the house for free, and they live about 10 miles from the school I work at, versus the 32 miles I normally have to commute. The only kink in the situation is the husband (as in my husband); he doesn't cook and will eat fast food for dinner every night if given the option.

Usually I just leave him to his own devices, but this time I decided to prepare some meals for him in advance. But then I got a bit lazy, so I decided to just make him a bunch of frozen pizzas. As I was making them, I figured this would be a great meal to make for new parents, or just to keep on hand in my freezer, rather than buying frozen pizzas from the store.

I made a total of 4 pizzas, two BBQ chicken and two carne asada, two large and two medium. I made the large pizzas so he'd have leftovers for lunch as well. A grapefruit sized hunk of dough will yield a large pizza.

Homemade Frozen Pizzas
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Olive Oil Dough (I used half wheat and half white flour)
Your favorite toppings

Directions

Pre-heat the oven, with a pizza stone on the middle rack, to 525 degrees.

Line up for pieces of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle each with cornmeal.

Rub you hands with olive oil and divide the dough into four chunks (you can divide it into smaller hunks if you want more personal sized pizzas). Using your hands, stretch the dough to your desired size and thickness. Re-oil your hands if the dough starts to stick to your skin.

Bake each crust for 4 minutes. (I baked mine one at a time, as that's all I could fit on my stone.)The dough will be slightly browned and puffy, but still soft.

Top with whatever toppings you like. Place the pizzas in the freezer, on cooling racks, for about 20-30 minutes. This will firm up the sauce and cheese before wrapping.

Wrap each pizza in two large pieces of foil, folding over the edges to seal it up. You can also put the pizzas in large freezer bags if desired.

Stack and freeze.

Directions for cooking the frozen pizzas

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees, with a pizza stone on the middle rack. (It's ok if you don't have one, the crust just won't get as crisp.)

Unwrap the pizza and cook directly on the stone, or the oven rack if you don't have a stone. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-04-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've made pizza, so when I recently made a new batch of dough, I wanted to try some new toppings. The husband and I like to pick up a box of CPK's frozen BBQ chicken pizzas every now and then, so I figured why not try out a home made version?

I used a half wheat, half white flour crust (only because I ran out of whole wheat flour and didn't want to run to the store), spread with a sweet BBQ sauce, and topped with a mix of cheese. This pizza was delicious! And it was a nice break from our usual tomato sauce pizzas. You can see some turkey pepperoni in the picture up there; I didn't feel they really added anything to the flavor (I couldn't even really taste them, actually), so I've omitted them from the ingredients list below. You could certainly experiment and add them to your pizza though.

I can't say that this BBQ pizza is better than CPK's, but it was a good at-home alternative. I even made a few extras to freeze for later!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga originial
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Olive Oil Pizza Dough (grab a piece about the size of a grapefruit)
1 chicken breast or 2 thighs, grilled and cut into small chunks
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2-3/4 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
cornmeal for dusting

Directions

Pre-heat the oven, with a pizza stone on the middle rack, to 525 degrees.

Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking. Using your hands, stretch out the pizza dough to your desired size and thickness; the husband and I prefer a thinnner crust.

Note: I've found this dough is easiest to work with if I coat my hands in olive oil first-it prevents the dough from sticking to my skin.

Spread BBQ sauce all over the pizza, leaving about a 1/2" border all around the edge--this will form the crust. Top with both cheeses, the sliced onions, and the chicken.

Bake on the pizza stone (you can leave the pizza on the parchment) for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbly.

Chicken and Veg Stir Fry, Version 2

2010-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I recently made this stir fry, using bags of frozen veggies I had on hand. We thouroughly enjoyed it, and since stir fry is an easy (if a bit time consuming) dinner, I decided to make it again. This time I had a bunch of different fresh veggies in the crisper, a can of baby corn in the pantry, and chicken breasts rather than thighs, so it was practically a whole new dish.

Start a pot of brown rice (I use my rice maker) while you chop up the veggies and the rice will be done right about the time you are ready to plate your stir fry.

On another note, I've been showing Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution to my journalism students lately, and they are loving the show. I gave them some time in the computer lab to check out his website and many of them were searching for the stir fry recipe Jaime made on the show! Too cute.

Chicken and Veg Stir Fry
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups green beans, cut in half
2 cups asparagus, cut into thirds
1 can baby corn, drained
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
1 cup water + 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bullion

Directions
Cut up the chicken breasts into small chunks and put into a ziplock bag. Add the cornstarch and shake, ensuring that all chicken pieces are coated. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ground ginger, minced garlic, and pepper. Shake to coat and let marinate 10-30 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok until hot. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until chicken in no longer pink.

Remove chicken from the wok and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon sesame oil in the wok. Once it is hot, add all of the vegetables, sprinkle with garlic salt and add the chili paste . Stir fry until heated through and crisp. Add the chicken back to the wok, pour in the water with bullion. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve over rice.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2010-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the husband and I's 2nd wedding anniversary; I can't believe it's already been two years since I walked down the aisle with my dad, Tim McGraw's "My Best Friend" playing, while Omar stood waiting at the alter for me. Our wedding was a ton of fun, with an open bar and all of our friends and family there to celebrate with us.

To celebrate our 2nd anniversary, the husband and I went on a tour of a local brewery, topped off with several of their beers. And I may have found some more oranges on the way home... The husband, as always, rocked it in the gift department. He bought me a Lady Gaga CD (my new musical obsession), Chelsea Handler's new book Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang, Bang, and David Lebovitz's ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop! Yes, the book I have referenced on Google Books many times; he saw me drooling over it on Amazon and knew that I *had* to have it. :) I got him the new Grand Theft Auto for PS3, which he was seriously coveting.

Just as we do with most special occasions, we opted to stay at home and make dinner, rather than go out. I didn't make anything new, choosing instead to stick with some of our favorites!

The menu:
BBQ ribs with a dry rub
Grilled Stuffed Potatoes
Strawberries and Cream Cake
Champagne

Zucchini Fries

2010-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this recipe for zucchini fries I immediately bookmarked it as something I wanted to try right away. While these are nothing like potato french fries, of course, they are so yummy. The panko gives the zucchini a crispy crunchy coating and the oven roasting brings out a slightly sweet flavor in the zucchini itself.

Zucchini Fries
Source: Adapted from Le Petit Pierogi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 zucchini, cut into sticks
3 eggs
4 Tablespoons milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons season salt
salt
pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire cooling rack. Spray the rack with non-stick spray.

Assemble 2 shallow bowls and one large ziplock bag.

Mix together the season salt, pepper and flour in the ziplock bag.

In the 2nd bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.

In the 3rd bowl, combine the panko and Parmsean cheese. Season the zucchini sticks with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Add a quarter of the zucchini sticks to the flour mixture and shake to completely coat with flour. Remove the zucchini sticks from the bag and dip them, one by one, in the egg mixture, followed by rolling in the panko until coated.

Place on the cooling rack, side by side, and repeat until all of the zucchini sticks are coated and breaded.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Serve with ketchup or marinara sauce.

Lime Marinated Flank Steak

2010-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

As I was flipping through my copy of Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast, I noticed that a lot of her recipes are chicken or pasta. That is usually right up my alley, but the husband gets tired of poultry long before I do, so when I flipped the page to this flank steak recipe I immediately showed it to the husband and asked if he wanted to try it. Since this was right around the time we'd been eating nothing but chicken for several days, and I rarely buy red meat, he jumped at the chance to add this to the week's menu.

I am really glad we gave this one a try. The lime juice paired so well with the soy sauce and ginger, with none overwhelming the other. I wanted to make burritos out of the steak, but was hesitant at first since it was marinated in soy sauce--I went ahead with my plan and they turned out fabulously! We spread extremely ripe mashed avocado on tortillas, topped with the sliced steak, some sliced green onions, and a drizzle of crema-perfection. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was just as good as the night before.

I think this would make a great weeknight meal because you only have to marinate the meat for 30 minutes; heat the grill right after making the marinade and it will be ready to go as soon as the meat is!

Lime Marinated Flank Steak
Source: Great Food Fast
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4-5 limes)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for grill grates

Directions
Combine all ingredients, except for the vegetable oil, in a large ziplock bag. Marinate for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Once the coals are hot, rub a paper towel with vegetable oil on the grates, using tongs.

Cook the steak on the grill (throw away the marinade), with the lid on, until your desired doneness (160 degrees for medium well, about 8-10 minutes).

Remove meat from the grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the meat to reabsorb the juices. Slice across the grain in thin slices.

Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry Muffins

2010-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

My cousin and his wife recently had a baby, who I couldn't wait to meet. In a nice twist of fate, my first day of spring break also happened to be the same day of their 2nd wedding anniversary, so they asked me not only to come visit, but to babysit for a few hours while they went out to dinner. Initially I was a bit nervous...I haven't babysat since high school and I haven't spent anytime taking care of a 4 week old baby alone. But I love babies, I was excited to see my newest relative, and I wanted the new parents to be able to enjoy their anniversary, so of course I agreed.

Before I got in the car for my trip down to San Diego, I baked up a batch of these muffins to take with me. I love baking for friends, and with new parents usually exhausted from caring for their baby, I figured they would enjoy not having to worry about making breakfast for awhile. My cousin ate one the moment he walked in the door from work, so I'm pretty confident these were a welcome treat!

The husband was a bit sad that I only left him one muffin (not that he can complain too much, since he ate all of the leftover strawberries and cream cake while I was gone!), so I baked up another batch for the two of us to enjoy. I bet these would be great with some whipped honey butter smeared inside!

Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry Muffins
Source: Adapted from this recipe, originally from Vintage Victuals
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour

1 cup oats, rolled or quick

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds, optional

2 eggs

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup fat free sour cream or crema

1 mashed ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, sliced

Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray, or line them with paper liners.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the eggs, apple sauce, sour cream, and fruit (except for the blueberries) together.

Pour into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 full and bake for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Sorbet

2010-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I actually made this sorbet before I made the kiwi sorbet--well like one day before. Strawberries were on sale for less than a $1 a pound, so I quickly scooped up 5 pounds, knowing I wanted to make the strawberries and cream cake and this sorbet.

Just like the kiwi sorbet, this was refreshing and it tasted like fresh sweet strawberries here. Be sure to use ripe strawberries or the flavor won't be as pronounced.

Strawberry Sorbet
Source: inspired by Deliciously Organic
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup orange honey (you can use regular honey)
3/4 cup water
juice of one lime
1/4 cup strawberry syrup (the liquid from tossing sliced strawberries in sugar)

Directions

Heat the water and honey in a saucepan, just until the honey melts.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes and then freezer in your ice cream maker.

Homemade Chicken Gravy

2010-04-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I made this gravy on Easter, using the pan juices from the roasted chicken. I knew I wanted to make gravy since we were having chicken and mashed potatoes, and after making gravy from scratch on Thanksgiving, I knew I could do it again. I didn't use a recipe here, I just added flour and water until it was the right consistency. The pan juices make the gravy really flavorful, unlike that packaged, powdered junk. Definitely give this a try the next time you roast a chicken!

Homemade Chicken Gravy
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Pan juices from roasted chicken
2-3 tablespoons flour
2-3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the roasting pan on the stovetop, with the flame on medium high. Add the flour and mix into the pan juices. Add the water and whisk to combine, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Season the gravy with salt and pepper and pour into a serving dish.

Enjoy over roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, or whatever else you like smothered in gravy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2010-04-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I recently tried a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, where the meatballs were simmered in the sauce. It was from a source I normally trust, and it sounded good, but I thought the meatballs were horrible! They had a really mushy texture from simmering in the sauce, which I couldn't stomach.

I wanted to make spaghetti and meatballs again, as the husband has requested it several times recently, so I did some Internet digging and found a recipe from Alton Brown that incorporated spinach into the meatballs and then bakes them in the oven. I decided to riff off his recipe, switching out grated zucchini for the spinach and changing the seasonings to use what I had on hand.

These meatballs were infinitesimally better than the other recipe I tried! I simmered a semi-homemade tomato sauce to top the noodles and made some quick garlic bread to go with the meal and both the husband and I were happy.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Source: meatballs inspired by Alton Brown
Printable Recipe

Meatball Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 a zucchini, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup panko + 3/4 cup additional
1 egg

Tomato Sauce Ingredients
(double this if you like a lot of sauce or there are more than 2 people)
1 can stewed Italian tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine the turkey, zucchini, seasonings and egg in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Add the 1/4 cup panko and mix into the meat mixture.

Pour the 3/4 panko into a small bowl.

Form the meat into meatballs and roll each meatball into the panko. Set the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

While the meatballs bake, combine the stewed tomatoes, the tomato paste, cheese, and seasonings in a small saucepan and simmer. You can add some water to make a thinner sauce if you like.

Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain the water from the cooked noodles.

Layer the noodles, sauce and meatballs and enjoy!

Kiwi Sorbet

2010-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love having a Costco membership; I think we save a lot of money buying our toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry detergent in bulk. Their baby back ribs are a great price and we always run in for movie tickets before heading out to the theater. But other times, I think buying bulk is not so great. I mean there are only two of us and we can't eat ALL that food, but I hate when things go to waste.

Case in point: the 5 pounds of kiwi I recently bought. The husband loves kiwi, so last time I was at Costco I picked up a container of the fruit for him. He ate a few, but the majority of the kiwis were still sitting on the counter 2 weeks later. Luckily I stumbled upon this recipe, which I immediately bookmarked to use up all those kiwi.

The sorbet is really refreshing and fruity. It tasted kind of tart right after I churned it, but after the hard freeze in the freezer it was sweet and kiwilicious!

Check back soon for my variation using fresh strawberries. Yum!

Kiwi Sorbet
Source: Deliciously Organic
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups kiwi, peeled and chopped (about 8-10 kiwis)
1/3 cup orange honey (you can use regular honey)
3/4 cup water
juice of half a lemon

Directions
Heat the honey and water in a saucepan, just until the honey melts.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Chill the mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

Strawberries and Cream Cake

2010-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

So what did you do for Easter this year? The husband isn't Christian and I am not very religious, so we don't really have any Easter traditions--we just kind of go with the flow each year and do whatever sounds good in the moment.

This year we invited my friend and former college roommate, Cherice, along with her fiance, Kavin, over for dinner. We had a blast; while the guys drank beer and played video games, I had Cherice help me out in the kitchen, roasting chicken and a variety of veggies, mashing potatoes, and making gravy from scratch. To top off a great dinner, I served chocolate mousse and this strawberries and cream cake...with homemade whipped cream!

I think this cake might become our new Easter tradition.

Strawberries and Cream Cake
Source: The Busty Baker
Printable Recipe

Cake Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup milk

Strawberries and Cream Ingredients

1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, divided
½ cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (one ¼-oz envelope)
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter an 8-inch round pan, and line the bottom with parchment. Butter and flour parchment and sides.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for pan 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When cake has cooled, make the strawberries and cream:

In a large bowl, combine half of the strawberries and ¼ cup of sugar; set aside.

Pour 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over water; let soften for 5 minutes.

Heat saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. (It will congeal when cooled completely, but you can dissolve it again by returning it to the heat and stirring.)

In the clean bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream, vanilla extract, and remaining ¼ cup sugar until very soft peaks form.

With mixer still running, gradually add gelatin mixture; beat until soft peaks form.

Assemble the cake:

Using a serrated knife, split the cake in half horizontally.

Place the bottom half, cut side up on a serving plate. Arrange the strawberry/sugar mixture over the bottom cake layer, drizzling any juices in the bowl over top the strawberries. Don't be shy with the juices!

Top with half of the whipped cream, leaving a 1 inch border.

Cover with top half of cake. Top with remaining whipped cream.

Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least 1 hour, up to 1 day. Just before serving, arrange remaining strawberries on top of cake.

Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake

2010-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how sometimes time seems to fly and other times it drags on? And at yet another time it seems to do both? That's how I feel about this school year...some days and weeks just seem to drag on for.ev.er. Others fly by and I can't believe how quickly Monday turns into Friday.

It seems like we started the count down to Spring Break right after Winter Break this year. I remember February winding to a close, and the prospect of the 5 weeks of March, with no scheduled days off, looming large and long in front of us, the only salvation being Spring Break coming right as April entered. The daily Spring Break count down in the teacher's lounge, mocked me as we ate and chatted everyday. Time seemed to slow down and linger in March, taunting me as I looked forward to a week off.

Now I'm right in the middle of Spring Break, and it feels like those long, slow moments of March were a lifetime ago. I can't believe it's *already* April and I am enjoying my days of relaxation at home. Of course, too soon it will be time to go back to work and this break will be just another distant memory. But for now I am enjoying a nice perk of teaching-the breaks!

To celebrate spring and the arrival of break, we had a staff potluck Wednesday before break. When the sign up list came around, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, beyond knowing I definitely wanted to bake a dessert. Then Joy the Baker posted a poppyseed bundt cake, answering that question for me. I added some almond extract and dusted my finished cake with powdered sugar instead of her blueberry glaze...perfection.

Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake
Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/1 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar (I was out, so I used apple cider vinegar, which worked perfectly)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
Powdered Sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" bundt cake pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, almond extract and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Whisk together until just combined and no lumps remain. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to assure that it is loosened enough before inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

Pour about 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar into a mesh strainer and sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Indian-Spiced Burgers

2010-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

After serving chicken for multiple nights in a row, the husband was longing for something else to eat. When I told him we'd be having roasted chicken for Easter dinner, he sighed and asked if we could please have something different in the two nights left before Easter. Wanting to please, I flipped through the numerous recipes I tagged in my copy of Great Food Fast, looking for something new--and not chicken--to make for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the recipes I really wanted to try featured chicken, of course.

But then I came across a recipe for Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers. The husband and I are both big fans of making turkey burgers, and I am always looking for new flavors, so I decided to go with this recipe, subbing in ground turkey for the chicken.

I am so glad we gave these burgers a try! I normally don't care much for cumin, but combined with all of the other spices here, it made for a delicious new burger combo. The cayenne definitely spiced things up too; I was really glad I made the cumin yogurt sauce to help cut the heat! But, to be honest, I think I accidentally used 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne, instead of the 1/4 teaspoon called for in the recipe.

The husband, who despite being Pakistani, is not normally a fan of spicy or Indian food, *loved* these burgers and commented that I should make them twice a month. That was more specific than "add them to the rotation", so he must have really loved them!

Indian-Spiced Burgers with Cumin Yogurt Sauce
Source: adapted from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used regular table salt)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 a cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
whole wheat pitas

Directions
Prepare your grill for medium-high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, green onions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Set aside to marinate for 10-30 minutes.

Form the meat into 3/4" thick patties, about 3 Tablespoons of meat per patty. Sprinkle with additional pepper.

Pour about a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil on a folded paper towel. Using a pair of tongs, rub the oiled towel on the grates of the grill to prevent meat from sticking.

Grill the patties until cooked through (165 degrees internal temperature), about 3-4 minutes per side. About 2 minutes before the meat is done, heat the pitas on the grill as well.

Slice the pitas in half and place a cucumber slice and two patties inside. Drizzle with cumin yogurt sauce.

Cumin Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients
1 container (about 3/4 of a cup) low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve with Indian-spiced burgers.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

2010-04-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

This was another one of those "end of the month, end of the money" meals. Rather than go to the grocery store to pick up random ingredients for a dish, I pawed through the freezer, pulling out what we already had on hand. When I found a package of chicken thighs and assorted frozen veggies, I knew a stir fry would be the perfect meal.
Though the ingredient list is long, this meal comes together quickly and easily. The marinade is pretty simple, but adds a ton of flavor to the chicken. I squirted a bit of sriracha sauce on my plate (after photographing it) for a bit more heat, but you can also up the chili paste in the stir fry itself if you want.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
5 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup sliced bell peppers (I used a bag of frozen multi-colored peppers)
1 cup corn kernels
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 cup water + 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bullion
additional pepper to taste
1 dash/smidge of chili paste, add more or less depending on how much heat you like (mine was not spicy at all, so add more like a 1/2 teaspoon if you want spicy)

Directions
Cut up the chicken thighs into small chunks and put into a ziplock bag. Add the cornstarch and shake, ensuring that all chicken pieces are coated. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ground ginger, garlic powder, and pepper. Shake to coat and let marinate 10-30 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok until hot. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until chicken in no longer pink.

Remove chicken from the wok and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon sesame oil in the wok. Once it is hot, add all of the vegetables, sprinkle with garlic salt and add the dash of chili paste . Stir fry until heated through and crisp. Add the chicken back to the wok, pour in the water with bullion. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve over rice.

Chocolate Ice Cream Topping

2010-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love ice cream. Who doesn't? And sometimes when I am enjoying a bowl of creamy delicious ice cream at home, I want some hot fudge to go with it. However, I am not willing to buy it from the store...it's too expensive and that Magic Shell stuff weirds me out....what makes it firm up like that?? That can't be natural.

So, when I am in the mood for some hot fudge goodness, I whip up this quick sauce, which my mom taught me to make back in middle school. I've recently introduced my husband to my homemade hot fudge and it's quickly become his favorite as well, though he prefers his without the peanut butter.

The following recipe is enough for 2 small bowls of ice cream.

Note: these pictures were taken at night when there was no natural light, hence the yellow hue from my kitchen lighting.

Chocolate Ice Cream Topping
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 ounces chocolate chips
2-3 tablespoons milk (add more or less depending on how thick you want your topping)
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon smooth peanut butter

Directions
Put all ingredients in a microwave safe-bowl and microwave for 30 second increments. Stir after each 30 second spin in the microwave. Continue until the chocolate is melted and the mix is smooth.

If your topping is too liquidy, add a little more chocolate chips and microwave again until melted.

Chicken Tacos

2010-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I made these tacos using leftover meat from my oven-roasted chicken. This was a great way to use up some leftovers, without having the same meal twice! Not only that, but this also brought the cost of the chicken down to pennies per meal (we got 3 meals each out of one bird!)--always a bonus when you're trying to save money.

Chicken Tacos
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
corn tortillas
leftover roasted chicken, shredded
crema or sour cream
chunky salsa
shredded cheese
green onions, diced

Directions
Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or until they are soft. Heat the chicken for a minute or so, until heated through.

Pile the chicken into the tortillas and drizzle with crema, salsa, diced green onions and the shredded cheese.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

"I paid the bank note, the car note, an' yes, I paid the 'phone bill too.
An' then I turned around an' I found that the house note's due.
Well, I'd love to take you out like I said I would, honey,
But there's too much month at the end of the money."

If you listen to country music, like I do, you might be familiar with that song by Marty Stuart. I used to feel like there was "too much month at the end of the money" pretty frequently, but now that the husband and I have been paying off our debt and working with a monthly budget, I no longer worry about stretching our pay checks to the end of the month. I know we will have enough to pay all the bills, save, and have some fun money, no problem.

Except this month we didn't do such a great job sticking to the budget. And now we're about a week away from the end of the month and the bank account is running on empty. So if I want to put gas in my car in order to commute to work, I can't spend any money on groceries. Time to be creative! I consider my kitchen to be "empty" if I can't get to the grocery store twice a month, and while we may be severely lacking fresh vegetables, we are far from without food. I knew we had a half-full jar of pineapple teriyaki sauce in the fridge, a can of pineapple rings in the pantry, and lots of ground turkey in the freezer, so threw these ingredients together and created a teriyaki burger. The husband and I both love burgers, and he loves pineapple--in fact, he always orders the teriyaki burger when we go to Islands--so I knew this would be a hit. And I was right!

We used whole wheat buns, but we also like sandwich thins when we want to save some calories. I served these burgers with homemade fries.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 20 ounce can pineapple rings
3 Tablespoons pineapple teriyaki, plus more for dressing your burger
hamburger buns
sharp cheddar cheese, if desired

Directions

Prepare a charcoal grill, or heat a grill pan.

Dice two pineapple rings and mix into the ground turkey, along with the pineapple teriyaki sauce.

Form the meat into even-sized patties (I made 6 small patties), making sure the middles are not much thicker than the edges.

Grill the patties on each side about 4 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Grill the remaining pineapple rings for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Toast the buns while the meat is cooking. Top each bun with a patty, a thin slice of cheese, a pineapple ring, and a drizzle of pineapple teriyaki.

Enjoy!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs

2010-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe from Pink Parsley Catering recently and immediately bookmarked it. I love grilling chicken thighs and the marinade sounded delicious. Well, just like everything I've made from Pink Parsley, this was fabulous! The flavors melded together perfectly, with none overwhelming the others.
The marinade is slightly sweet because of the honey, but the rosemary and red vinegar round out the savory end of the flavor spectrum here. That, combined with a slight char from the grill, created a wonderful entree. The husband even commented that it was too bad I didn't make more, and he rarely wants seconds! This might even be our new favorite chicken recipe, which is saying a lot considering how often we eat chicken.
I love chicken thighs because they are still a lean meat, even if they are a bit fattier than breasts, and they are incredibly moist and flavorful. So if you normally eat chicken breasts, I suggest you give boneless, skinless chicken thighs a try soon. You might be surprised at how tasty they can be!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs
Source: Pink Parsley Catering
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon's coarse ground mustard)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I used 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
1/2 lemon (I omitted)

Directions

Combine the garlic, oil, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt, and rosemary in a large ziploc bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Allow to marinate chilled for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Grill chicken thighs 3-4 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165.

Remove from grill and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest 10 minutes, to reabsorb the juices.

Serve and enjoy!