The Novice Chef

Apple Turnovers

2010-03-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Stop rolling your eyes at me, yes I know this is another breakfast item...again. But I have a reason this time, I really wanted to try my hand at making my own puff pastry. And I did it! Well I kind of did it. It is the "quick" version, but it is still puff pastry damn it! So after deciding I wanted to make puff pastry, I had to find a recipe to use it in. I went through some of the recipes I have bookmarked involving puff pastry and decided on Apple Turnovers. Reason 1: I love Breakfast! Reason 2: I had some apples to use up! Reason 3: ...

(Check out all that yummy appley puff pastry goodness!)

Apple Turnovers
Printable Recipe

You will need:
1 recipe Quick Puff Pastry (below)
4 large Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds)
2 cups sugar, divided use
3 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Roll dough into 20-by-15-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Trim and cut the dough into 12 5-inch squares and place 6 on each sheet. Place both sheets in refrigerator until ready to use.

Peel apples and grate them. Combine with 11/2 cups of the sugar and the lemon juice and salt in a bowl.

Working quickly with one sheet at a time, place dough on a work surface, put 2 tablespoons filling (squeezed of any excess liquid) in the center, then moisten two adjoining edges with finger dipped in apple liquid. Fold top portion of dough over the bottom, making sure to overlap the bottom portion by 1/8 inch. Crimp edges with a fork. With wide metal spatula, transfer turnover to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Chill the filled turnovers 30 minutes, or cover with plastic and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon.

Brush or mist turnovers lightly with water, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 25 minutes, rotating sheets from front to back and top to bottom about halfway through baking time. With a wide metal spatula, transfer turnovers to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 turnovers.

Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated (2004) by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

Quick Puff Pastry

3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

9 tablespoons ice water

2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

1. Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add a quarter of the butter pieces and process until the butter is in dime-size pieces, four 1-second pulses. Add remaining butter and process to coat the cubes with flour, two 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

2. Combine ice water and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add half of the liquid to the butter mixture and toss until just combined. Keep adding liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough will clump together in your hand. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. The dough will be quite dry and shaggy at this point. Working quickly so butter in the dough does not melt, brace the heel of your hand against the work surface and drag small portions of dough forward in short, brisk strokes to fraisage the dough. Gather dough together, then repeat the fraisage. Press dough into an 8-by-4-inch rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.

3. Place dough on lightly floured piece of parchment paper and roll into 15-by-10-inch rectangle. Then fold dough lengthwise into thirds. Starting from narrowest end, loosely roll up the dough. Press rolled dough into a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. If dough is sticky, rechill it. Repeat this entire step, starting with rolling out dough into a large rectangle. Wrap dough and chill 1 hour, or until ready to use. Well-wrapped pastry will keep 2 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.

Makes enough for 12 turnovers.
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody recipe from Baking Illustrated (2004) by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

2010-03-18T07:00:00.002-04:00

The classics are classics for a reason. Take Snickerdoodles for instance, they are a twist on another great classic, the sugar cookie. And both are delicious, crumbly, soft cookies that have been a staple in kitchens around the country for longer then most of us can remember. You can make a fancy cookie and a classic like a Snickerdoodle and probably 95% of the time the classic cookie will be gone first. I don't know if it is because classic cookies remind us of our younger days, or our grandmothers/mothers kitchen, or even if it is just because we know exactly what we are getting when we grab one of the classics. This particular recipe was given to me when I first got engaged and I have no idea where it came from. It is on an old worn piece of paper in my recipe box. It has directions crossed out and ingredients changed. It has lines where it has been folded and unfolded too many times. And it is one of my favorite cookies to make because everyone loves a Snickerdoodle! Plus they are easy to pull together and like most cookies, travel well. I haven't shared it yet because I think most people already have a Snickerdoodle recipe they love...but hey you never know...this one just might be better then the old one in your recipe box!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Printable Recipe

You will need:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste, or you can substitute extract

And for the topping:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons full of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat together sugar and butter until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla paste. Then add in baking powder, salt, and flour. Roll dough into 2 inch balls (if too sticky to roll, refrigerate until firm-about 45 minutes).

Mix together the topping (sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg) and then roll each ball in the topping mixture. Place the balls on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and use a cup to press each ball flat. Bake for 8-9 minutes and allow to cool.

Source: The Novice Chef Original

Sun-Dried Tomato Omelette

2010-03-17T00:21:00.000-04:00

This is a breakfast for the husband. I love a sugary, sweet, delicious, carby breakfast. The husband, on the other hand, loves a good savory breakfast. Which I can't blame him for because with delicious omelettes like this, I can see where he is coming from. He also likes to have some kind of meat at breakfast, mainly bacon. So on one of our Sunday morning breakfasts I started looking around for what I had in the kitchen to make for breakfast. And I thought since last week we had Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes that this week I would make a savory breakfast. So I created this omelette and it was delicious if I do say so myself. Jorge loved it and gave it rave reviews and it was easy to throw together! Two big pluses in my book!

Sun-Dried Tomato Omelette

Printable Recipe

You will need:

3 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

3 strips bacon (omit for vegetarian meal)

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (ready to eat-not in oil)

Shredded mozzarella (fresh if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you do not like spicy)

A handful of fresh basil chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooking Spray

Whip eggs, milk, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper together. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and pour eggs into skillet over medium high heat until eggs begin to set up and brown. Place bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in the middle of the omelette. Add a dash of salt and pepper on top. Fold the omlette into thirds on top of the filling and allow to cook until filling is warmed through. Serve immediately and garnish with extra toppings if you choose.

The Novice Chef Original

Chocolate Passion Bowl (Or more commonly known as crack)

2010-03-11T12:38:00.001-05:00

WARNING: Make this when you will be taking it somewhere and make sure and give it all away. Otherwise you will find yourself standing over it with a big spoon stuffing your face. Maybe you have more will power then me, but I love this thing so much I want to take it into the coat closet and whisper sweet nothings to it. No, I am not exaggerating. This was first introduced to me a couple weeks ago by a good friend of mine, Kerri. She brought it over for dinner one night and I was hooked. This is my crack. And because of it Kerri and I can no longer be friends, well at least my ass and Kerri can not be friends. Make this soon, or more like now. And plan a trip...or 5 trips to the gym ASAP.

Chocolate Passion Bowl

Printable Recipe

You will need:

3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (3.9 oz each) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 tub (11 oz.) Cool Whip , thawed, divided
1 baked 9-inch square brownie layer, cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5-1/2 cups)
1 pt. (2 cups) raspberries

Beat milk and pudding mixes with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1 cup Cool Whip.
Place 1/2 of brownies in 2-qt. bowl; top with layers of 1/2 each pudding mixture, remaining Cool Whip and raspberries. Repeat all layers.

Refridgerate 1 hour.

Adapted from Kraft

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

2010-03-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

It takes a lot to make this Texas girl happy when it comes to Mexican food. When I moved to Florida, I had friends tell me all about the great Mexican food in Florida. They took me to all of the different places telling me how great it was and how authentic it was. They lied. To their credit they really thought it was authentic and good...but bless their hearts, they had no idea they were just feeding me upscale Taco Bell. Now don't get me wrong, back in the day I made many drunken Taco Bell runs at 2 am...but when you really want Mexican...Taco Bell (or even upscale Taco Bell) does not hit the mark.

Now on the other hand, these enchiladas hit the mark. And why shouldn't they when the original recipe came from another homesick Texan....well actually they came from The Homesick Texan. I made them for some friends and family and everyone was MMMing. Which you know is the best noise for the cook to hear. That sound is better then any words, it is the true sound of someone enjoying their food!

A quick note about these, you must use the Ortega Medium Salsa Verde to achieve the correct taste. The medium is not hot, just flavorful. I tried a more expensive Salsa Verde and was very disappointed in the lack of flavor it added to the sauce. So make sure and pick up the Ortega one! You won't be sorry!

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

Printable Recipe

You will need:

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 Serranos, diced (seeds-in if you like the heat; reduce to 1 if you’re not a fan of spicy food)

1 Jalapeno, seeded, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
16 oz jar of Ortega Medium Salsa Verde
1 & 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
12 tortillas, small fajita size
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
1/2 medium onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 350. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute Serranos and Jalapenos until soft and then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, cheese, and chopped onion to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with leftover cheese, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

To freeze: Cook the sauce and cool completely (I do it quickly using an ice water bath). Assemble the enchiladas in portion-friendly dishes and wrap well with plastic wrap or foil. To cook thawed, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (or to an internal temperature of 165). To cook straight from the freezer, increase the baking time to 45-55 minutes.

Yields: 12-15 enchiladas

Adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from Homesick Texan

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

2010-03-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY ~~BREAKFAST~~ SUNDAY!

I must admit that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I have professed my love of breakfast on here before, but for good measure I thought I should tell you again. I have an obsessive, irrational, over the top love for breakfast. In highschool my family would always go to church on Sunday mornings followed by a family breakfast at a local Mexican restaurant. It was a huge buffet and they would make American breakfast classics along with some phenomenal Mexican breakfast dishes. It was one of my favorite days of the week; my parents probably didn't know it, since it was so uncool to enjoy spending time with your parents...and I thought I was that cool. Growing up I also loved to have breakfast for dinner. As a teenager I was extremely picky (even more so then now) and most of the time I didn't want what my Mom would cook, so I would eat cereal. Now as an adult, not much has changed! I could eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sadly I married a man who believes breakfast is for breakfast and no other time. I have tried bringing him over to the dark side but he refuses and will only eat breakfast...for well, breakfast. Which bring Sundays back into the running for my favorite day of the week because I wake up and make us a tasty breakfast. These pancakes were delicious and perfect for one of our lazy Sunday mornings. I loved the flavor of the lemon and raspberries. Perfect way to bring Spring into your kitchen, despite the fact that it hasn't shown up outside yet!

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

zest of 1 Meyer lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup fresh raspberries

oil or butter for cooking

In a small bowl rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until pale yellow and fragrant.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and butter. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined. The batter may be a bit lumpy. That’s better than over-mixing the batter. Fold in the berries with a few strokes. Not much stirring necessary.

Heat a griddle pan or a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil or a dab of butter and heat through. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of batter to the pan. Heat until bubbles form and start to pop. Carefully flip over and cook through. Place cooked pancakes on an oven proof plate and let rest in a 200 degree F oven while you fry the rest of the pancakes.

Top pancakes with maple syrup.

Adapted from: Joy The Baker

Crockpot Cornbread Casserole

2010-03-03T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I saw the original idea for this recipe on Krista Kooks (which she got from A Year Of Slow Cooking) and it was called Crockpot Tamale Pie. Well I changed it up a bit...well a lot and don't think it is tastes like a tamale at all! It is hard to describe, it is almost like a chili....but either way, no matter what it tastes like, it is delicious. Jorge loved it, and I loved how easy it was. And if you are like me and love walking into the house to an already cooked dinner...well then you will love this! Comfort food meets crockpot in this recipe and it makes me happy! :-)

A note for this recipe, below I have said to use 1 box of jiffy. However, I used 2 because we LOVE cornbread. And if you have a slight obsessive love of cornbread increase the amount to two boxes of Jiffy and cook this on high for 2 1/2 hours.

Crockpot Cornbread Casserole

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1 lb ground turkey/chicken, browned & drained (season it with garlic salt & pepper to taste while browning)

2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 can black beans, drained

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 10oz can tomato sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 pkg Jiffy Cornbread (with 1 egg & 1/3 cup milk mixed according to the package)

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine ground turkey, corn, black beans, roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, white pepper, cumin, and paprika. Pour into crockpot and level out. Pour already mixed Jiffy Cornbread on top of the meat mixture and spread evenly on top. Cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours. It is done when the cornbread is fully cooked.

Inspired by A Year Of Slow Cooking

South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2010

2010-03-02T19:00:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to have won two tickets from Foodbuzz to go to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami, Florida! It was an absolute blast! I chose to take my husband Jorge with me and make a weekend out of it. We stayed right on South Beach (on Ocean Drive). We could walk to everywhere and we ate right there overlooking the beach. We had such a blast walking around and taking in the scenes and the crazy people of South Beach. Then Sunday morning we woke up so excited to head over to the event, but it did not start till 11am. So we went and grabbed breakfast first at a Cuban restaurant with some friends before heading over. Jorge had his cafe con leche and I had my diet coke and we were then ready to tackle the festival!

So we get there and first they want to see our tickets, which buzzing with excitement I almost didn't want to hand over because I wanted to keep them for proof we went. The lady told me I had to hand them over, so eventually we parted with the tickets and started waiting in line...for what we were not sure....

Turns out we were waiting in line to get our wrist bands, our wine glass (a Waterford wine glass that we got to keep), and a gift bag full of goodies!

Then after grabbing your gift bag, and wine glass you start heading out to head into the festival, but before that they fill up your glass with your wine of choice. That's right, 11am and a glass full of wine. In other words, HEAVEN!

Then we made our way over the dunes to get to the beach.

And once we got to the top of the dune this is what we saw! The beach was BEAUTIFUL! The water stunningly blue, not to mention the weather was just phenomenal. The sun was beaming, it was in the 70's and there was not a cloud in the sky. In other words a perfect day for the festival!

Here is a close up of the beach, which you could see the entire time while in the festival!

We then got in line to actually enter the festival. They had white tents set up for everything which looked nice, crisp and clean along side the white sandy beaches.

So once you walk in, this is what you see...tons and tons of foodies all milling around. So not being quite sure what to do we just started walking around. Soon enough we figured out that the first set of tents were vendors handing out free things and the other side of the tents where were the Chefs would be doing demonstrations. So we grabbed another glass of wine (oh yes, it was time for another) and hung around waiting for some of the sessions to begin.

Here I am after my second glass of wine getting ready to go see Emeril! There were many chefs there on Sunday! We were so excited to see them all. They each did a demonstration and it was so fun to get to watch the chefs unscripted and live. Here are some pictures of the famous chefs we got the chance to see!

At 1 o'clock they opened the tasting tent and we were able to go in and try all kinds of different foods and wines. It was all you could eat and drink! We tried all different types of wine and vodkas. We also tried to make sure and try all of the foods! But there was just sooo much, there was no way we could try it all! It was all delicious and fun and I wish I could somehow share it with each of you, but they told me I was not allowed to take it all home with me, so sadly you will just have to imagine through the pictures! Check out some of the foods we tried:

And now for some of the wine!

And lastly, one of the biggest highlights of my day is when we saw Fabio Viviani! And I got a picture with him!

He is my all time favorite chef from Top Chef and it was so exciting to get to meet him! He is such a hottie! And yes, my husband does know that I think he is adorable and he still took the picture for me!

The day was wonderful and if you ever get the chance to attend I seriously suggest you do! I would like to thank Foodbuzz for sending me! We had the time of our lives and it would not have been possible without them!

You can view all of the photos from the festival on the fan page on Facebook of The Novice Chef Blog.

Cookie Dough Truffles

2010-03-02T17:48:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I make something that truly makes me say MMMMMMMMMMMMMM and these little babies were one of those times! I made a very small batch because I had a feeling that they would be too good to resist and I would not be able to send them away fast enough...and I was right. Truffles are one of my favorite things to make because you can dress them up with decorations, shape them into shapes, or just let them shine just by themselves. So next time your sweet tooth starts calling, whip up a batch of these and I promise you will not be disappointed!

Now before the recipe, I have a little bit of website news! The Novice Chef blog is now on Facebook! So please go become a fan!!

Cookie Dough Truffles

Printable Recipe

You will need:

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ pounds dark chocolate candy coating, chopped

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. (The dough softens quickly at room temperature so it works best if they are frozen, not just chilled in the refrigerator.)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring often until smooth. Dip balls in coating; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, melt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 5 ½ dozen.

Adapted from: My Kitchen Cafe originally from Taste Of Home

Website Maintenance

2010-02-27T00:29:00.001-05:00

Hey guys, someone recently informed me that they were unable to subscribe to receive The Novice Chef blog in their email. Looks like it has been down for a while, so I apologize for any inconvenience! But it is now up and running again, so please if you were unable to before, subscribe! You may subscribe any time by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the screen where it says "Subscribe Via Email" or by clicking here.

Thanks for continuing to read my crazy food rants and raves!
Jessica

Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting!

2010-02-25T21:00:00.003-05:00

Guess who has a beautiful new camera? Oh ya! That's me! No more crappy point and shoot camera! I got a beautiful Nikon D80! Gotta love tax return time, a loving husband, and being able to buy it used! Check out all that sexiness!

I have a lot to learn about how to use this camera and the different settings and features. But it could not have come at a better time since Jorge and I are heading to the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami this weekend! I can not wait to use this baby down there! And in three weeks we will be heading to my cousins wedding in Texas and I can not wait to use it there!

Now I have this camera, and I couldn't wait to make something to photograph! Then I realized what is actually worth being photographed for the first time? And it hit me, CUPCAKES! But what kind? Not a normal kind, no instead a brownie cupcake! Topped with peanut buttery goodness! Yes, yes that is deserving of being the first thing I photograph with my new cool camera! And they were, they really were. They were delicious, fun, and easy. They tasted a lot like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and just like a Reese's I dare you to just eat one!

Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Printable Recipe

-Brownie Cupcakes-

You will need:

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
1 1/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into foil cupcake tins till 3/4ths full in a cupcake pan and bake for 17 minutes (my oven took 17 minutes, but ovens can run very differently so make sure and keep an eye on them). Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. When they are done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to stuff your face until they are mostly cool.

Source: Alton Brown

-Peanut Butter Frosting-

You will need:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy. Then pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Adapted from: AllRecipes.com

The decorations on the cupcakes are mini chocolate chips!

Homemade Stock

2010-02-25T06:30:00.001-05:00

Wow. I am one of those people. I can barely believe it. I have joined the dark side...the dark side where I make my own stock! This past weekend I made my own vegetable stock as well as my own chicken stock. Both were easy, both were so much more tasty then what you get out of a box/can, and both were much healthier! I think my favorite part of making my own stock, is that I control what goes in it. I control the salt and I control the preservatives, or well the lack of preservatives.

To make homemade chicken stock follow the below recipe, add what ever veggies you have on hand and add a chicken carcass to the pot and follow the exact same directions.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Printable Recipe

You will need:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 leek, roughly chopped

2 large onions, roughly chopped

4 carrots, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley

4 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon peppercorns

20 cups water

In a large stock pot (I used my 8 quart stock pot) heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, leek, shallot and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and spices. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in water a few cups at a time, filling to 1 inch below the rim. Increase heat to medium-high and watch, stirring occasionally, until liquid just barely begins to bubble. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. You do not want a rolling boil or you’ll end up with a nice big mess. Skim the scum from the stock every 15-20 minutes if needed. Simmer uncovered for 2 to 4 hours. Remove from heat.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container, discarding the solids. Allow stock to cool completely in the refrigerator until fat begins to separate. Skim as much fat as you can from the surface (the vegetable stock should not have much fat).

Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or divide stock into freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Adapted from: Love and Olive Oil

____________________________________________________________________________

(Picture from the lovely Kerri Mcconnell from our recent day after photo shoot! It was so fun to get into my wedding dress a year and a half later and run around taking fun photos with Kerri! If you need a photographer, make sure and see if she is available! She is absolutely phenomenal!)

Now on a non-food note, make sure and check out Newlyweds Blog for an interview about Jorge and I! We have been married for a year and a half now, so not sure if we really qualify as newlyweds anymore...but when Jenna contacted me and asked if I wanted to do it, I figured it looked like fun! So like I said, check it out if you get a chance!

Banana Bread Waffles

2010-02-23T16:57:00.003-05:00

I like to go against the grain from time to time. So today on National Pancake Day I present you with waffles. Why, because I can and also because you know they look delicious and neither you, nor I, would turn them down! These waffles were delicious and really hit the spot! Whip up a batch this weekend...preferably on Sunday. And when you are thinking of me while putting these together, come by and visit me on Twitter. This Sunday I will be on South Beach (Miami) "live tweeting" (with lots of pictures) from the Food Network SoBe Wine & Food Festival! I will be in the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village where I will get to try all of the Celeb Chef's foods and hopefully get to meet a few!

Check out the Chefs that will be there...

If you miss me on twitter, I will be posting a blog update about it a few days later! So make sure and make these waffles, catch me on Twitter on Sunday, and make sure and check back after Sunday for the blog update!

Banana Bread Waffles

Printable Recipes

You will need:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1½ tsp. yeast
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground clove
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 whole bananas)
2 tbsp. sour cream or Greek yogurt

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm milk and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt and spices. Whisk together to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk just until smooth. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. When you are ready to make the waffles, remove the batter from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be about doubled in size and there should be small bubbles on the surface.

Add the mashed bananas and sour cream or yogurt to the batter. Whisk lightly to incorporate into the batter. Cook in a preheated waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve as desired with maple syrup and banana slices.

Source: Annie's Eats adapted from Honey & Jam, originally from Seven Spoons

Turkey Avocado Wrap

2010-02-16T18:53:00.000-05:00

After the Valentine's Day Cannoli and Krispy Kreme Burger I thought we could all use a lighter post! But I am going to let you in on a little secret, this does not taste lighter! The avocado adds the fat and the Sundried Tomato flatbread adds flavor! If you are looking for a healthy light lunch this is perfect! And even better with a coup of soup!

Turkey Avocado Wrap

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1 Best Life Sundried Tomato Light Flatout Wrap

4 oz honey roasted turkey breast

1 slice white American cheese

2 slices of a large tomato

1/2 hass avocado, mashed

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Inside of the wrap, spread the avocado. Top avocado with cheese, turkey, and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste and roll it up and enjoy!

Nutrition facts: Calories 472.1; Total Fat 27.9 g; Saturated Fat 7.4 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g; Monounsaturated Fat 11.0 g; Cholesterol 76.6 mg; Sodium 1,567.2 mg; Potassium 604.4 mg; Carbohydrate 29.4 g; Dietary Fiber 15.5 g; Sugars 1.3 g; Protein 41.4 g

Source: Me

Florida Fried Fair

2010-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Instead of going to a restaurant and fighting the crowds on Valentine's day, Jorge and I decided to get a group of friends together and go to the Florida State Fair! It is always a blast and I think it should be called the Florida Fried Fair. Everything is fried! Don't believe me? Look at just one of the thousands of food stands:

That is right! Your eyes do not deceive you! You do see deep fried Butter, Oreos, Pepsi, Cookie Dough, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, and MilkyWays! There were also fried Twinkies, Veggies (including pickles and green tomatoes), Hostess Cupcakes, and Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches! All of it heavenly fattening. But none of it deserved a whole post. No what I am about to share with you was not even deep fried, if you can believe it! It also created a ton of excitement! Check out those faces!

This thing required you to stand in line, pay for it and then be given a ~~golden~~ red ticket which you then had to go wait in another line while you wait for yours to be made!

Now what is it? Well, it had these ingredients:

Need a close up to get a better idea?

Now that you know it involves Krispy Kreme donuts, are you as excited as they were to find out exactly what it is? Still no idea? It's a...

After you pick up your jaw off the floor, check out this heart attack inducer!

Yes, that is a greasy beef patty, bacon, cheese, onions, lettuce and tomato...placed between two Krispy Kreme donuts! Are you as compelled to try this as they all were?

Verdict? They all loved it! Well all except one who said she would rather have a regular burger. The rest have proclaimed their undying love to this Krispy Kreme Burger!

We had to take a second trip back before leaving for some of them to have their second burger! My sister has asked me to please make them for her birthday in April and my husband and one of my best friends Samarie have asked for me to make these for them every four months. Why every four months? Well that is the time allotment they decided they would need to fully clean out their arteries before clogging them up again.

Now how can you make this "specialty" at home?

First sign yourself up for an angioplasty. Next, whip up a super greasy beef burger. Next smash it between two Krispy Kreme donuts with bacon, onions, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. And pray you make it to your scheduled angioplasty.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY READERS!

That's right just some mouth drooling photos and a link: Cannoli!

Chunky Salsa!

2010-02-11T21:00:00.003-05:00

Recently I signed up to be part of Adopt A Blogger as a Mentor. I was happy to see that I was paired up with Liesl from Liesl's Confection Dissection! I hope some of you will go over and show her some of the love you show me! Hopefully I will be able to help her achieve her blog goals!

As for this salsa, I choose to make it because it was more of a chunky salsa, almost like pico de gallo. I personally like a smoother salsa like the Salsa Roja from One Particular Kitchen to eat with chips. But since I am using the salsa in the Salsa Chicken recipe, I wanted a chunky salsa (smooth salsa just would not be the same). And of course just to make sure it was good I had a ~~ton~~ few test bites and it was delicious!

Chunky Salsa

Printable Recipe

You will need:

10-12 fresh garden tomatoes, seeds removed

2 jalapenos, seeded

4 garlic cloves

3 medium shallots

1/2 cup fresh minced cilantro

1 large spanish onion, chopped

juice of one lime

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

good pinch of fresh salt and pepper

In a food processor, combine and finely pulse, jalapeno, garlic, and shallot. Empty contents into a large bowl. Cut tomatoes into medium chunks. Add to food processor and pulse several times. Empty tomato mixture into bowl with the other ingredients. Stir to combine all ingredients. Add the juice of one lime, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro. Stir to combine. Allow to sit in fridge 12 hours before serving for flavors to fully develop. Serve with tortilla chip or in Salsa Chicken!

Adapted from Liesl's Confection Dissection

Lemon Melting Moments

2010-02-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I need to be in the kitchen where I know that I can start with some raw ingredients and make something spectacular. Where I understand why an ingredient works or why I should leave something out because something else would work better instead. Mainly because I know that 95% of the time when I am cooking or baking the end result is going to come out just like I planned.

Today was one of those days. I had spent the last two hours staring at a 43 page poem for my world literature class...not understanding a word. I enjoy reading and I enjoy books...but I hate poems...and I really hate poems written back in the 1700's. So after not understanding, I wanted to go into my kitchen where I do understand! And this is what my understanding turned into...

I love a good lemon cookie, and the cookie part of these were DELICIOUS! I have actually never had or really heard much about melting moment cookies. Normally they do not have a filling in the center and are covered in powdered sugar. The cookie part of these is almost like a shortbread, but not as dry and with a lot of good flavor. I liked the filling but thought it was a bit too buttery and should have used less between the cookies. Next time I will make half of the amount of filling for these. Below I included the full amount of filling.

Lemon Melting Moments

Printable Recipe

-Cookies-

You will need:
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup corn starch
2 cups plain flour
zest form one lemon

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and creamy. Add in lemon zest, and then sift in cornstarch and flour.
Mix together with hand mixer or stand mixer on low. Roll dough into 30-40 1/2 inch pieces and place them onto the baking tray.
Using a fork, push down gently to flatten the cookies and leave an imprint. Bake for 20 minutes on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Cool thoroughly.

-Filling-

You will need:
1/4 cup butter at room temperature

3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Beat butter, sugar and lemon juice until creamy. Fill a piping bag with the filling and pipe some filling onto one cookie and join it with another one.

I kept these cookies in the refrigerator and removed them 15 minutes to warm up before eating them.

Adapted from: Anh's Food Blog

Superbowl 2010

2010-02-04T16:47:00.002-05:00

Guess what kiddos? It is Super Bowl time!! That was a lot of ~~fake~~ enthusiasm for a girl who could care less about football. However, I do care that on Superbowl I get to drink a good amount of beer and eat lots of tasty treats. Those two things make Superbowl a dang good time for this girl!

I have been asked a lot for some ideas of food to bring to Superbowl parties this year and instead of emailing, texting, or twittering all the things I think would be good, I figured I would share with everyone here! Now I do not have anything new myself to share with you to serve at your ~~Get Drunk & Eat~~ Superbowl Party but I do have a bunch of fun ideas from some of my favorite food blogs! Check out for my Appetizer Tag for some more ideas if none of these strike your fancy!

DIPS

Salsa Roja (Roasted Red Salsa)- One Particular Kitchen

(Photo courtesy of One Particular Kitchen)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus- Pinch My Salt

Spinach and Artichoke Dip- Beantown Baker

Hot Black Bean & Corn Dip- Delish

Queso Fiesta Dip- One Particular Kitchen

Guacamole- Erin's Food Files

Grandma's Cheese Ball- Vintage Victuals

Jalapeno Popper Spread- Lemons & Love

Chili Cheese Dip- Crockpot Tuesdays

The Famous Crack Dip- Sing For Your Supper

Finger Foods

Bacon Wrapped, Goat Cheese and Almond Stuffed Dates- Beantown Baker

(Photo courtesy of Beantown Baker)

Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites- Pennies On A Platter

Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Peppered Honey- Love and Olive Oil

Lasagna Appetizer Cups- Erin's Food Files

Mushroom and Onion Tarts- Christy Cooks

Mini Taco Cups- Chef Mommy

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers- Erin's Food Files

Cherry Tomato Bites- Our Life In Food

Mexican Polenta Rounds- Cake Batter And Bowl

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella- Love and Olive Oil

Cranberry Red Wine Meatballs- Confections Of A Foodie Bride

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms- Pink Parsley

(Might) Need A Plate/Bowl

Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Shoulder- Erin's Food Files

(Photo courtesy of Erin's Food Files)

Chicken Wings- Beantown Baker

Turkey Bean Pumpkin Chili- Erin's Food Files

Mini Ham And Cheese Sandwiches- Beantown Baker

Bacon Appetizer Crescents- Delish

Chili- One Particular Kitchen

Pepperoni Pizza Roll- The Way To His Heart

Buffalo Wings- Proceed With Caution

Chicken Enchilada Rollups- Annie's Eats

Polenta Pizza- Brown Eyed Baker

Football Chicken Cakes- Cake Batter And Bowl

Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping Sauce- Brown Eyed Baker

I hope that with the help of these wonderful blogs your party is a success! Also, please post a link to any other recipes you think would be perfect for a Superbowl Party here in the comments!

Pistachio Encrusted Cannoli

2010-02-02T23:00:00.004-05:00

(Samarie and I)

I spent this past weekend celebrating one of my best friends, Samarie's, wedding! We had an absolute blast!

(From left to right: Samaire, Me, Mi'a, and Christina)

The day before her wedding we went and had a wonderful girls lunch at Timpanos!

We ate and drank way too much! But I think that is how it is supposed to be! And best of all we laughed, a lot!

I wish I had photos from the wedding to share, but since it was just this past weekend I do not have the photos from their photographer yet! You will just have to believe me that we had a wonderful time and the wedding was beautiful! The bride, Samaire, was simply stunning and she married a wonderful man!

The following night, Sunday, we had a lovely dinner with a small group of us to celebrate and Christina made a delicious traditional Puerto Rican dinner! Since she was making dinner, I offered to bring these delicious things:

Please wipe the drool off your keyboard so you can scroll down and see the rest.

These Pistachio Encrusted Cannoli were delicious! The filling was perfect! I loved the freshness the orange provided the filling, and I think it was the perfect amount of chocolate inside. And the pistachio ends? HEAVEN! If chocolate covered pistachios are not already produced yet, I think I have found a gold mine! They provided the perfect salty-sweet combo! These honestly are going to be my new "want to impress" dessert! This time I made my own cannoli shells, but I think next time I will just buy them. They were quite time consuming to make, and honestly I doubt anyone will truly notice if I do not make them homemade. But in case you are one of those "from scratch" people I will share the full recipe!

Pistachio Encrusted Cannoli

Printable Recipe

-For the shells-

You will need:

1 lb. cake flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 ounces vegetable shortening
2egg yolks
¾ – 1 cups wine (enough to make the dough easy to roll and handle)

Mix all ingredients together and allow to rest at least 4 hours before frying. Tear off a chunk of dough about the size of a walnut and roll into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Wrap the dough around a cannoli form, overlapping dough and press to seal together. Heat vegetable oil to around 375°F (the best temperature for deep frying) and, a few at a time (or however many fit in your frying vessel without crowding), place the prepared forms into the oil. Fry until light golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the forms from the fryer and set on paper towels to drain. Allow to cool until able to handle and slide the shell off of the form. Cool completely before filling.

For step by step photos of this process please see Brown Eyed Baker!

-For the dipped ends-

You will need:

1 cup chocolate chips

Chopped Pistachios

Parchment Paper

Heat the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or microwave if you would prefer). Once the chocolate is tempered (or melted in microwave) dip ends of cannoli at an angle into the chocolate. Shake slightly to remove excess chocolate and then dip into chopped pistachios. Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and pop into fridge to harden. Once hardened fill with the filling.

-For the filling-

You will need:

1 & 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 c mini chocolate chips
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest of one large Orange

Combine all ingredients and place into a large piping bag fitted with a large tip. You will need a very large tip to allow the filling to flow freely (the chocolate chips get in the way of a smaller tip). Fill the cannoli shells and place back into the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them! Enjoy!

Cannoli Shell source: Brown Eyed Baker

Dipped Ends and Filling adapted from: Bake at 350

S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

2010-02-02T14:26:00.019-05:00

Foodbuzz just announced a contest for two of their Featured Publishers to get to travel to the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition! One of the winners will be able to go to the Las Vegas regional competition and one will be able to go to the finals in Napa Valley! In case you do not know exactly what the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition is, here is a description from Foodbuzz: "The Almost Famous Chef Competition gives top culinary students from around the world a chance to showcase their skills to top chefs, culinary experts and media and the opportunity to win cash and a paid apprenticeship with a top chef to jumpstart their career." I have always dreamed about getting to watch a competition like this up close and personal, so this would be a complete dream come true! Not only do I get to go, but I get to share it all with you! I get to take tons of pictures and taste a lot of the foods that these fabulous chefs have made and share it all, right here, with you! I promise lots of great photos that you have come to expect, and I promise to write down what I thought of each thing I get to try so I don't forget!

I really hope I am chosen to go to one of the events! Not only do I love to watch cooking competitions (I am a huge fan of Top Chef and Next Food Network Star and like to go to local cooking competitions), but I know I would be great at blogging about the event for all of you to see!

And also, I am a fan of S.Pellegrino (and Acqua Panna-we were drinking both)! Don't believe me? Check me out here, this past Friday at a girls lunch....

(Please click on the picture to be able to read the arrows!)

Foodbuzz has asked anyone who wants to go to tell them why they should be chosen...Well for starters I am obviously a huge fan of food! To get to taste some of the creations from some of the best up and coming chefs would be a phenomenal opportunity. Also I love cooking competitions! I love the buzz that you feel around the room from all the competitors and watching chefs put their heart and souls into cooking. I also would love to be the one to get to share this event with all of you, my darling readers! I know many of you would enjoy reading about it, just as much as I would love detailing it in pictures and words. And lastly, since I love S.Pellegrino I think I should be a shoe in!

Finger crossed, dear readers! I hope to be sharing this amazing event from my computer screen to yours very soon!

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

2010-01-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

I love quick bread! Ok wait, scratch that, I love bread. I always have and I blame my mother for it. It is probably not logical to blame her for it since I highly doubt you can actually inherit an obsession with bread...but it is easier then blaming my horrible self control. I, like my mom, would rather have bread and dipping sauce (of any kind) then a dessert. My poor husband and Dad do not even try to get in between us, the bread, and the dipping sauce. It is actually pretty comical to watch them try to steal a piece or two!

This bread was great, easy, and delicious just like all quick breads should be. It would be wonderful with a bowl full of chili!

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Printable Recipe

You will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk

1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

Preheat the oven to 375, and grease or spray an 8x3 inch loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add the cheese and gently toss and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg and whisk together. Pour mixture into well in center of flour and stir mix together lightly with a wooden spoon. Add peppers and stir just until dry ingredients are all combined. The batter should be lumpy.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the oven. Bake until the top is golden-brown, and springs back when touched in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and eat warm!

Adapted from the book Savory Baking, by Mary Cech as seen on Pink Parsley. Originally seen on Homemade By Holman

Cheddar-Corn Chowder with Bacon and Scallions

2010-01-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

This soup was MMM MMM GOOD.

No, not that kind of MMM MMM GOOD. This kind:

Real MMM MMM GOOD. Recently I found out that a friend of mine says that she buys the Chunky Campbell's Soups instead of making her own soup. Ok first off, that is not soup. That is some processed foods mixed together and then thrown into a can, that you heat up in your microwave. And it does not taste half as good as what can be made in your own kitchen! Plus, when you make it, you control what goes into it!

Now I am going to admit I am not always good about not eating unprocessed things. I love coke zero (although I have cut it way down in exchange for tea) and I love Sundried Tomato Wheat Thins...and I will never turn down an Oreo, but after reading Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan I am really trying to follow some of these "personal policies" (as he puts it). Instead of saying they are rules, he says they are personal policies, because even he understands you can not follow them all the time. But they still are good policies to follow (if you do not have the book I seriously suggest picking it up)!

So I happened to have this book in my purse when I was talking to the friend who eats canned soup (I know, I know only I would have the book in my purse), so I whipped it out and guess what?! Canned soup breaks over 10 rules that I could find immediately! Here are just a few:

1. "Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader can not pronounce." (pg. 17)
-Here are a few ingredients from the back of that specific soup pictured above:
Niacin, Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium, Phosphate, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
I don't know about you, but I have no idea what half of those are, or what they do, and I sure don't need them in my body.

2. "Avoid foods you see advertised on television" (pg 25)
-I know we have all seen the commercials about Campbell's soup with the football players and their mamas. Do you want to be as big as a football player? No? Me neither.

3. "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." (pg 41)
-Pretty self explanatory.

4. "Sweeten and salt your food yourself." (pg 75)
-Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Erythorbate, and Sodium Phosphate are three different types of salts added to this soup (Campbell's Chicken Corn Chowder). That can of soup has 1700 mg of sodium total. Which is 70% of your daily salt intake. That is outrageous! I promise if you make your own soup, you will not have even close to that amount of salt in it. Salt is used as a preservative in canned foods, so expect to find a lot of it in pretty much everything in the canned aisle at the store.

I am not trying to lecture you if you are a canned soup lover. I am just trying to educate you! Until I read this book I was pretty uneducated myself. I had been wanting to pick up this book for a while and when I was on my way back from my trip to Houston, I saw it at the airport. I bought it and read the entire thing in a day. After reading it, I feel much more educated when I walk into the grocery store and I now know the things I want to avoid. Does this mean that at Thanksgiving I will not be eating green bean casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup? No! Just means I will be eating things of that nature in moderation, and I think you should too! Especially when it is so easy to make a delicious soup at home! If you are one of the people that say they do not have time, I don't believe it! Things like soup can be made on a weekend and frozen individually and reheated whenever you are ready! Easy, tasty, and homemade!

So next time you think about having soup for dinner, make it! Make this one! Because this one was delicious! I adapted this recipe to make it lighter. I switched heavy cream for fat free half and half. I also switched regular bacon for turkey bacon. And next time I make it, I will skip the potatoes, because I personally did not like them in this soup. I also used frozen corn instead of canned corn since Mr. Michael Pollan, said frozen veggies or fruit are good! And instead of using half whole kernel and half creamed corn I just stuck half of the corn in my food processor and hit pulse a couple times. I also halved the recipe and I am very glad I did. The full recipe is meant to serve 10-12 people and is HUGE! The recipe, as I made it, is below. To find the original recipe please go see Wanna Be Betty Crocker!

Cheddar-Corn Chowder with Bacon and Scallions

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1/2 pound uncooked turkey bacon, diced
1 medium spanish onion, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium red potatoes, diced into 3/4 inch cubes (next time I will omit these)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used Pacific Organic brand)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less depending on preference)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
16 ounce frozen corn, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup fat free half and half
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Kosher Salt and Fresh Black Pepper to taste
1 bunch scallions, sliced

Preheat a stockpot over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside on paper towels to drain.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the drippings and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock and cayenne pepper and coriander. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 35 minutes. Add 1 cup, 8 ounces, of corn, and using a blender of food processor chop up the remaining cup of corn before adding it to the soup. I hit pulse 4 times on the food processor and like the consistency. Also add cheese and cream. Then simmer an additional 7 minutes. Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in the scallions and bacon pieces. Enjoy!

Adapted from: New England Soup Factory Cookbook as seen on Wanna Be Betty Crocker

Nutritional Facts:

This soup is VERY filling. I used spark recipes and entered the recipe as I made it. I made it as making 6 servings, which are very filling servings I promise! The original recipe was for 10-12 servings, which I cut in half.

304 calories per serving; 11 g fat; 514 mg sodium; 36 g carbs; 4.7 g fiber; and 14.5 g protien

Texas

2010-01-24T21:00:00.003-05:00

Guess where I was last week?

Any guesses (pretend like you did not see the title)? I was in my home state...Texas! The picture above is of downtown Houston. Our time was split between Galveston and Houston. I went, along with my Mom, for my cousin Abby's bridal shower.

Meet my darling cousin and bride to be Abby:

I am her Matron of Honor (boy, that makes me sound old), so of course we had to go for the shower! While there we also did a lot of other fun things. We ate, we drank, we shopped, we visited, and we ate. We ate a lot! We had her shower, which was a success and she got some great gifts. And we stayed up chatting as if we were back in Highschool. My Mom, Granny and I went and saw the play Wonderland which was great! And we went to one of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurants Pappasitos! So I would like to share with you my trip in just a few pictures!

At the fish market on the water.

One of the historical buildings on Galveston Island.

A friendly cat named Charlie at a neat shop called Tom Thumb.

The ladies of my family during Abby's bridal shower!

And now I would like to take a second to beg H-E-B to come to Florida! You see, H-E-B is a grocery store in Texas that is like a Publix on serious steroids but with the prices of Wal-Mart. Seriously. I know they have the same prices, or sometimes better prices, then Wal-Mart because my cousin, Abby, was recently employed to work at their headquarters in San Antonio. And not only are they wallet friendly, but they also have a huge selection. While in Houston, we stopped in to one of the H-E-B Plus grocery stores and they had a section where a man makes fresh, hot tortillas! Another section where someone makes fresh pasta every day! A huge cheese section of gourmet cheeses for very affordable prices! An amazing wine selection! And a huge fresh produce and meat section! They even have a section where you can put your own olive oil in a jar for only $7.99!

Here are a few pictures from inside the store:

So please, H-E-B, come to Florida! I need you!

(PS I would also be thrilled to have a Trader Joe's!)

Greek Pasta Salad

2010-01-24T14:33:00.000-05:00

Ahhh Sunday! Sunday's are probably my favorite day of the week. They are nice and quiet...well usually...but not this Sunday. No this Sunday I woke up and took the dog out and on my way back inside I saw this:

I guess Benny decided it needed to be crazy cat Sunday instead! He was jumping to knock the leaves off the glass door. Speaking of Benny, he helped make this pasta.

Ok, maybe not, but he did supervise. As you can see he is a rambunctious kitty so while I was making this pasta he watched from on top of the refrigerator...the top of the cabinets...and from under my feet. He always likes to supervise while I am in the kitchen, however funnily enough he does not eat any human food. He just has no interest, unlike two of our other animals that eat anything and everything.

So you will just have to trust me that this pasta was delicious since Benny didn't try it. I liked how easy it was to throw together, like most pasta salads are. But I really liked the flavor. Delicious, fast, and colorful. A winner in my book!

Greek Pasta Salad

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon white sugar

2 1/2 cups cooked bow tie pasta

7 roma tomatoes, quartered

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped chives

1 (6 ounce) can whole black olives

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, tomatoes, feta cheese, chives, and olives. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Adapted from All Recipes