Happy Birthday to Me!

Here's a special post for my birthday! It's my golden birthday (28 on the 28th). I thought I'd look back on the goal list that I created a year ago, and just see how I did. I didn't accomplish everything that I wanted, but I'm still pretty pleased with how many I did manage to cross off the list!

Goals:
1. Use eggplant in a meal. Done!
2. Bake another pie. Done and done!
3. Take another cooking class. I'm taking college classes instead, that overrules this goal. :)
4. One week a month I'll cook only vegetarian meals (ovo/lacto ingredients are acceptable). Revised this one, as it just didn't work for us.
5. I will have at least 3 new blog posts a week for the whole year (except when we're on vacation). Done!!
6. Host a dinner party for friends. Sort of done...we had a few people over for a super impromptu, not planned meal. That counts, right?
7. Try a new (to us) restaurant every month. Done. I didn't always blog about it but we did try 12+ new restaurants this year.
8. Bake a souffle. Done!
9. Buy more potted herbs for the house. Not done.
10. Make Tiramisu completely from scratch. Not done.
11. Cook a meal with fish at least twice a month. Done! It ended up being mostly salmon.
12. Get an icecream maker and use it! Done, many times over. :)
13. Make at least one pasta dish from scratch. Not done.
14. Try making my own ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Not done.
15. Get a freezer for the garage. We determined that our garage is too small. :(
16. Buy an aebelskiver pan and use it! Used it once, I'm counting it!
17. Cook my very first turkey. I cooked a chicken instead, I'm counting it. :)
18. Look into buying a juicer and use it to add more fruits/veggies to our diet. Decided against it, not worth the money/time/effort.
19. Make caramels. Done!
20. Make Thai food at home. I've made a bunch of curries, I'm counting it.
21. Make macarons. Not done.
22. Try making creme fraiche. Done.
23. Sign on with a home delivery service for local organic produce. Tried one delivery.
24. Make homemade jam. Not done.
25. Make creme brulee. Done!
26. Learn how to use my camera to take better pictures of my meals. I took a class!
27. Try more recipes from my Irish and Norwegian heritage. Done and done!

Now that we've looked at the past, I wanted to update you all on the future. Two months ago I quit my job and headed back to school to begin the long journey of hopefully becoming a Registered Dietitian. Before classes began in January, I wrote almost 30 posts and scheduled them for January and February, which is why I've been able to keep up with my 3-posts-a-week goal while going to class. That backlog of posts has now run out, and classes are keeping me very busy. I'm going to reduce my posting to probably just once a week, but my hope is that one post will be well-written and well-photographed, and hopefully you will appreciate the quality over quantity! :)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!

I've been roasted

I received a roasting pan as a Christmas gift from my mom, and the first thing I made in it was a roast chicken. Believe it or not, I've never roasted a whole chicken before, so this was a first for me! It turned out really well, it tasted great and I used the leftovers on a homemade pizza the next day.

It took a bit longer than I expected to get done (the recipe said 1 hour but it was more like 1.5 hours), but that was alright. The spices might seem a little weird in this recipe but they really do work well together!

I added some red potatoes and onions to the pan and they turned out great, too.

Roasted Chicken
slightly adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (4 pound) whole chicken

5 cloves garlic, whole
1 onion, cut into quarters

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Rub the chicken with the mixture. Cover chicken, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. (I actually didn't marinate the chicken, I immediately baked it and it still tasted great).Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Stuff the chicken cavity with the garlic and onion. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F, and continue roasting 15 minutes. Baste chicken with pan drippings, reduce heat to 425 degrees F, and continue roasting 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

A new kind of pie

As promised, here is the 2nd Mexican recipe for this week. This was a fun way to use my springform pan, and it was a fun meal to eat. We ended up scarfing this tortilla pie before running off to catch an early movie, and it kept us full and happy for hours.

The only thing I disliked was that it took a lot longer than 8 minutes to evaporate most of the beer. Maybe I had the heat too low, but it took more like 20 minutes.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
from EllySaysOpa

Ingredients:
4 (9-10″) flour tortillas
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion
1 jalapeno, minced (remove or leave seeds and ribs to your preference)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz. beer
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen tri-colored bell peppers
4 scallions, thinly sliced (plus additional for garnish)
8 oz. shredded cheddar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a springform pan with a little cooking oil. If necessary, trim your tortillas to fit into the pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the beans and beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer until the beer is almost completely evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the peppers until warm. Add the corn and scallions. Remove from heat, and season to taste.

Fit a tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan. Layer with 1/4 of the bean mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat layering 3 times, finishing with 3/4-1 cup of cheese on top.Bake 20-25 minutes, until cheese melts. Let rest 5 minutes before removing from pan, sprinkling with scallions, and slicing into wedges.

Enchilada Soup

I really love Mexican food (there is another related post coming later this week!), and I thought this soup recipe was pretty good. I honestly don't think the enchilada sauce adds much flavor, and I would leave it out in the future (especially to reduce the amount of sodium in this meal). If the weather is a bit cool this is a perfect weeknight meal, and I love that it's done in the crockpot.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
from DaintyChef

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounce) Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 package (10 ounce) frozen corn
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup bell pepper, diced
1 can (10 ounce) Enchilada sauce
2 whole chicken breasts
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and ½ cup milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. In a large bowl, whisk together the enchilada sauce and chicken broth mixture . Gradually whisk in remaining milk until smooth. Set aside.
In a crockpot, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, remove chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup, mix together. Top with cheese and serve.

Complete meal in a packet

I love easy dinners, and this was one of the easiest. Sadly, I didn't particularly enjoy the flavors, but that might be personal preference as The Husband thought it was alright. I did like the chicken, but I didn't enjoy the mushrooms at all. At least this meal creates ZERO cleanup, as everything is cooked in foil!

Orange Chicken Packets

Ingredients:
1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
4 5-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of orange
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
6 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Cut 4 rectangles of aluminum foil.

Layer the mushrooms, pinto beans and garlic into each of the foil rectangles. Lay the chicken breasts on top and season with salt and pepper. Top each chicken breast with an orange slice and drizzle the butter and orange juice concentrate on top.

Bring together the edges of the foil and fold over each other. Seal the ends well.

Place the foil packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Sausage Stew

Stew. My husband turns his nose up at the mention of stew, although he tolerates it more than the dreaded soup, He didn't seem to hate this recipe, which for a stew is high praise! :) I added a couple spices and a bit of cream, just because I had them and I thought it would make the stew a little more robust. I also reduced the stated quantities by 1/2 as the recipe below serves 10!

Lentil, Kielbasa, and Garlic Stew
slightly adapted from IWasBorntoCook

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds turkey kielbasa, cut into bite size chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups baby carrots, cut into small chunks

4 medium stalks celery, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups water

2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (or homemade)

2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 1/2 bags (16 oz) lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tsp Italian Seasonings
Bay Leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot, then add kielbasa (divide if necessary). Cook until brown, then transfer to a plate.

Add onion, celery and carrots to pot and cook until golden. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add water, broth, tomatoes, seasonings and lentils to pot and bring to boil. Reduce to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir in kielbasa and heavy cream and heat through. Serve.

Savory Strudel

I've had a box of phyllo dough sitting in my freezer for the better part of a year. I bought it back when I made baklava, and have been meaning to use it I just hadn't found the right recipe. Well, the wait is over because this recipe is amazing! So flavorful and delicious, and it's easy enough to make on a weeknight. Just make sure you take your phyllo dough out of the freezer the day before! I did make some modifications to this recipe, and I think it made it even tastier and easier.

Chicken and Goat Cheese Strudel
adapted from Loves to Eat

Ingredients:
1 lbs extra lean ground chicken breast
2 tsp dried Italian seasonings (it's easy to make homemade Italian seasoning)
10 ounces baby spinach
4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
10 sheets whole-wheat phyllo dough, thawed
Evoo cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped

Directions:
Cook onion in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add garlic and seasonings. Cook another 1-3 minutes. Set aside.

Add spinach to skillet and cook covered one minute. Transfer spinach to fine mesh strainer in sink or over bowl and let cool two minutes. Make sure all the juices/water is strained out of spinach. Mix with chicken and cheese.

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place 1 phyllo sheet on counter. Coat with evoo spray. Continue with all 5 sheets each on top of the other.Spoon chicken mixture onto phyllo stack. leaving a 2 inch edge. Add 5 phyllo layers on the top, continuing to spray in between each layer. Bake on a cookie sheet or baking pan for 20-25 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool 3-5 minutes and then cut into 4 equal pieces. Serve immediately.

Beer + Bacon = Muffins!

Beer. Bacon. Cheese. Those three words usually elicit happiness and smiles, but this recipe was really just so-so. I liked the idea of these muffins, but really the flavor just wasn't what I expected it to be, and they aren't worth the calories. They do go well with chili though, so if you're making a bowl I wouldn't hesitate to make these as a side dish.

Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread Muffins
from PreventionRD

Ingredients:
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (12 oz) can or bottle of beer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large pan, cook bacon on medium-high until crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and add onion to the same pan with bacon grease; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add bacon, onions, garlic, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into each of 12 muffin tins in a prepared muffin tin (wells will be full). Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing. Yield: 12 large muffins.

Completely unique and a must try!

I'm still in love with homemade pizza, and this recipe truly astounded us with its amazing-ness. This pizza was simply...mind boggling. It almost leaves me speechless it's just that tasty. The flavor combinations are completely unique and you really must try this pizza. I could eat this every day and be happy. :)

Apple, Brie and Sausage Pizza on a Pumpkin Crust

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Pizza Dough
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (~110 F), divided
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups bread flour (I needed at least another cup of flour to keep the dough from being too sticky)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

Pizza (cut these quantities in half if you're making one pizza)
4 apples
8 oz brie
4 spicy Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, and brown sugar. Let sit for about five minutes or until it starts foaming.

While the yeast is proofing, in a small saucepan, combine butter, salt, and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Heat until the butter melts. Let it cool until warm, but not hot. Pour butter mixture into the yeast mixture and then into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix the pumpkin puree into the yeast and butter mixtures. Mix in the bread flour. Using the bread hook attachment, mix the dough on speed 2 for 10 minutes. Add enough flour so that after a minute of mixing, the dough sticks more to the hook than to the sides of the bowl. The dough should be a little sticky.

Cover the bowl of the stand mixer with a damp paper towel and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 500.

After the dough has risen risen, cut off half of it. Sprinkle the half with flour and mold it into a ball. Place on a clean surface that’s covered in flour and roll out to a desired thickness. Place on a pizza pan. Bake for 3-4 minutes and remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, crumbling it up using a spatula.

Cut apples into thin slices. Layer onto pizza. Next layer slices of brie onto the pizza. Sprinkle with turkey sausage.

Put in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes or until bottom of dough is starting to get brown.Notes: I froze one portion of the dough for future use, and I successfully refrigerated the other one for a day before making the pizza.

My new favorite cookie

I used to think that Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip cookies were my favorite...until I met these PB & NUTELLA cookies!! These are incredible, we managed to eat all of them in just a couple days. Next time I make these I'll be giving a bunch of them away so I don't eat them all again.

Just writing about these is making me want to go make them again. Yum!

Nutella Swirled Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large measuring cup or bowl. Slowly stir in to the peanut butter mixture.
4. Drop spoonfuls of Nutella on top of the dough and swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.
5. Chill the dough for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Roll into balls by hand.
7. Place the balls of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
8. Use a fork to lightly press the balls down and make a criss-cross pattern.
9. Bake until the edges are very lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.
10. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes: I couldn't get the nutella to "swirl" into the dough so I ended up just mixing it into the dough with a spoon. It worked just as well.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

I hate to admit that I only took ONE picture of this meal. I completely forgot to take one after serving it, so you'll have to make due with the single pic of this recipe in the crockpot. It was a really filling soup, I enjoyed it. Of course it's a soup so the husband only tolerated it. :) I left out the creamed corn and the chiles in adobo as I didn't have them on hand, and honestly they weren't missed. I just added a little more regular frozen corn and some diced jalapenos instead.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 large onion, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 (15-oz) can creamed corn
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 tsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo
• 3 Tbs minced fresh basil

Directions:
Cook bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp and browned, 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon (You can either add to the crockpot or keep out and crumble on top after the soup is done). Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in 2 cups of the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining 3 cups of broth, potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into the mixture. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours.Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and allow to cool slightly before shredding it into bite-sized pieces. Add it back to the slow cooker, along with the creamed corn, frozen corn, cream, and chipotle chiles. Continue to cook until everything is heated through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the basil, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

A veggie side

I'm still in love with roasted veggies, and this root veggie salad makes a wonderful side dish. Most of the veggies didn't even make it into the salad, I stood over the hot oven with a fork in my hand just eating the veggies as soon as they came out of the oven. Heavenly!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
Salad:
18 red/white pearl onions, peeled (I used a regular white onion cut into 1" pieces)
3 large carrots, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/3-inch-wide pieces
3 large parsnips, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 oz baby arugula
1 ripe pear, halved, cored, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the onions, carrots and parsnips. Add the oil, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Scatter the vegetables on a large nonstick rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes. Turn the vegetables over and roast until tender and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Set the vegetables aside.

In a salad bowl, combine the arugula, pear slices and roasted vegetables. Add the Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss until coated. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and serve.

In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually whisk in the oil.

Note: Leave the honey out if you want it to be truly vegan.