Yorkshire pudding

Last weekend Mark’s spunky 80 something year old English Aunt Freda came over for dinner. Yorkshire pudding, which tastes similar to a popover, was the crown jewel of my English-themed dinner. I used milk in the batter for my first attempt, and they turned out moist, delicate, and delicious, but Freda informed me that they are best when made with water. With this knowledge, I tweaked my second batch using part milk and part water. I wish I did this the first time around because they were even more moist, delicate, and delicious. Traditionally, Yorkshire pudding is topped with gravy, but personally, I love it slathered with apricot jam and/or butter.

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Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (I used 1% milk)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Olive oil

Directions

In a small bowl, combine salt and flour together until incorporated. In another medium size bowl beat eggs, water, and milk together until frothy. Slowly sift in flour mixture 1 cup at a time. Let batter set for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Using a muffin baking pan pour 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each muffin tin. Place pan into preheated oven and bake oiled muffin pan for 10 minutes until olive oil begins to lightly smoke. Once oil is lightly smoking, quickly pour batter into hot muffin pan about 1/2 full (batter should lightly sizzle once poured). Bake for 30 minutes until golden and puffy. Serve immediately. Makes 2 dozen Yorkshire puddings.

Delicious green asparagus

Over the weekend Mark and I had his neat, 80-something going on 30-something, Aunt Freda over for dinner. Her being from England, the plan was to have an English themed dinner - I got a little frantic when I realized I don’t know how to cook English! My menu consisted of pot roast, Yorkshire pudding, and bubbles and squeak. I think I might have been a tad bit overzealous making a whole course that was completely new to me, so I thought I should at least add a tried and true dish of mine that would hopefully compensate for any recipes that turned out terribly. Thankfully, none did and they were all a success and will be gladly shared with you all in the very near future! Freda even went as far as complimenting my Yorkshire pudding as tasting as close to English home-style as they can get for being my very first attempt. More on those recipes soon - back to my tried and true recipe, and it involves one of my favorite green vegetables, asparagus. The recipe is as simple as they can get and the preparation, even easier. I lightly sauteed them in olive oil and minced garlic just until both garlic and asparagus browned ever so slightly, but cooking them short enough to leave a nice crunch to them.

Raw asparagus

A good rule of thumb when shopping for asparagus is gauging how firm the asparagus are -  the firmer, the fresher. So feel for nice strong stalks, not flimsy, rubbery ones. Also, when you trim your asparagus, you should be able to snap off the ends effortlessly, in one clean break.

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Ingredients

• 2 dozen spears of fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• A dash of salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Trim the ends off of the asparagus stalks, about one inch. Over a medium-high heat, in a medium skillet drizzle olive oil into pan and let it heat up for about a minute. Add trimmed asparagus and minced garlic and lightly pan fry them until you notice the garlic turn lightly golden. Add a dash of salt and continue to pan fry for another minute. Asparugus will lightly brown, but will still be firm to the bite and the garlic should be a nice golden brown. Sprinkle on freshly cracked pepper and serve.

Orange ginger bath soak

Simple household ingredients make up this fragrant and delightful bath soak that will help you forget your worries from the day. Just breathe in deep and exhale while your skin is getting soothed and smoothed! This would make a thoughtful gift for somebody special in your life.

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Ingredients ~ This was mostly adapted from January 2010 edition of Martha Stewart Living magazine, but I added a little pick me up to it.

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 2 tablespoons of ground ginger
• 8-10 drops of orange essential oil

Directions

Mix all components together and pour into a mason jar. To use, run a warm bath and scoop desired amount into water. If you’re looking for bubbles, I would supplement your bath with bubble bath soap.

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Inspired by my favorite Mexican rice recipe, I decided it was time to stuff some bell peppers. While preparing this recipe, I realized the last time I stuffed a bell pepper was when I was a teenager. It reminded me of when I actually started to love being in the kitchen, helping my grandmother make dinner, and sometimes being in charge of making dinner for the whole family. Stuffed bell peppers was one of the dishes I made, but I’m pretty sure we used an out-of-the-box Spanish rice mix to stuff them with. It’s funny how making something as silly as stuffed bell peppers can bring back so many childhood memories.

Ingredients - Vegetarian/vegan version:  replace ground turkey with ground soy meat and chicken broth with vegetable broth.

• 5 large green bell peppers
• Multigrain Mexican rice
• 1 cup ground turkey
• 1-6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1/2 medium white onion (about 1/2 cup), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

Follow directions on how to make my multigrain Mexican rice. While rice is cooking, prepare the other half of the stuffing by chopping onions, one green bell pepper, tomato, and then mince garlic cloves. In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, drizzle pan with olive oil and toss in onions and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and then toss in ground turkey and cook until meat is done. Next, add chopped bell peppers, tomato, and tomato paste to cooked ground turkey and stir. Add salt and pepper, cover, and cook on low for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once rice is done, mix turkey mixture and cooked rice together in a large mixing bowl. The remaining 4 bell peppers can now be prepared for stuffing by chopping off the top of the bell pepper, then removing the stem and the seeds inside. Place bell peppers into a baking pan standing upright and begin to generously stuff bell peppers with stuffing. Once stuffed, pour 1/4 cup of chicken broth over bell pepper and place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Crunchy tuna salad

Every weekend I try to plan out my meals for the week. That is also when I take the time to make all of my time consuming meals that can get overlooked during my busy work week. If I don’t get a chance to do my cooking over the weekend, then this salad is usually my backup plan. It’s completely adjustable and can be eaten by itself, thrown on a bed of lettuce, stuffed into a pita or squished between slices of bread, or made into an open faced tuna melt with a slice of cheddar cheese. Most of the time, I eat it in a salad or on the go tossed with a handful of crushed whole wheat crackers. It’s probably safe to say that this salad gets made just about every week because it has a crave-able flavor I yearn for, not to mention I love its no-fuss fix-ability. I can make a huge batch in a matter of minutes and enjoy it throughout the week.

I’ve mentioned veganaise in the past and I’ll mention it again because it is the one and only “mayonnaise” I can tolerate. I have strange aversions to “real” mayonnaise and this seems to keep those feelings at bay. I know it seems a little ironic to use anything vegan in a tuna salad, but hey, it works for me (I’m sure regular mayo works just fine). This salad gets it’s crunch factor from pickles and celery - tons of celery.

Chopped celery

Ingredients

• 3-6.5 ounce tuna cans, drained (I use chunk light tuna in water, salt added)
• 3 tbsp. of Veganaise
• 2 large dill pickles, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate leftovers.

Vegetarian Samosas

With the Super Bowl approaching fast, I wanted to post a fun “finger food” idea for you all to possibly bring to your Super Bowl party. I personally prefer my samosas vegetarian style, stuffed with spiced potatoes and dipped in palak paneer or mint chutney. The only difficult part with making homemade samosas, is wrapping them. Think back to when you were a kid passing notes in class, you know, the ones with those fancy origami folding styles. Well, samosa wrapping is just like that, except on a larger scale, and stuffed with goodness. 

Once you get the feel for folding, it’s a piece of cake (it took me a while, then I had my a-ha moment). I wouldn’t be surprised if these little fried Indian food bites tasted just as good brushed with olive oil and baked, instead of fried. That was an afterthought I had after submerging all of them in frying oil - that will be my next adventure in samosa making.

Deep-frying them in oil gave me a greasy, guilty feeling - but once I got over it, it was well worth the guilt. They are absolutely the tastiest little curry-filled devils. If anyone is pondering what to bring to a Super Bowl party that could be considered “finger food”, please make these. Next time I’ll try baking them, but if it’s your first time with samosas, you have to try them fried. Even if it’s only a half batch, its totally worth it.

The main component of a vegetarian samosa filling is potatoes. Spices and other vegetables just enhance the filling.

First off, you'll want to saute chopped onions and carrots with a drizzle of olive oil.

Sprinkle in spices.

Saute together until carrots and onions are tender. Meanwhile boil chopped potatoes in salted water.

Once potatoes are tender, drain water and add cooked spiced onions and carrots. Using a potato masher, mash all ingredients together. Once mashed, mix in peas.

Wonton paper is used to wrap samosas. Cut paper in half so you have two long rectangles. Brush flat edge closest to your body with egg whites, then take opposite corner and fold it across. Press down on edges to seal paper together.

Spoon potato filling inside wonton paper pocket.

Tuck the filling inside and fold it over once.

Fold samosa over one more time and tuck extra paper inside slit opening. Seal edge shut with egg whites.

Yours will probably look better than mine. If it looks like a samosa and tastes like a samosa, then my job is done. Towards the end of my rolling, I started to roll them like egg rolls. Tastes the same so why not! :)

Ingredients

Heat canola oil up and fry samosas until lightly golden brown and crispy.

Enjoy dipped in mint chutney, tamarind sauce, or by themselves.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped potatoes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 egg
• wonton wrapping paper
• Canola oil for frying

Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Meanwhile, saute chopped onions, carrots, and minced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add spices to onions and carrots after 30 seconds (red chili powder, curry, garam masala, tumeric, ginger and salt). Cook until onions are translucent and carrots tender (about 5 minutes). Once potatoes are done, mash them up and mix in spiced onion mixture. Stir in frozen peas. In a deep frying pan (I used a wok) filled about half-way, begin to heat your canola oil (or whatever frying oil you choose to use). While oil is heating up, you can begin stuffing and wrapping your samosas. Above I gave a detailed picture of how to wrap a samosa.

Mexican Multigrain Rice

I’m a picky person when it comes to Mexican food. It has to taste a certain way, or I just won’t eat it. I generally get an idea of how good a Mexican restaurant is by how well they prepare their beans and rice. Am I the only one who does this? I mean, you know the food is going to be darn good if they can get the essentials right.  I’ve personally had my series of  Spanish rice failures in the past and understand how difficult it can be to get that authentic flavor just right. I think I might have accidentally put together my “it” recipe. I used multiple grains instead of the usual white rice. It’s a mix of brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds. The texture, flavor and look of this blend makes this my new favorite Mexican rice, so far.

For a while Mark and I were eating this almost every night for dinner. We became pretty creative with different ways we could use this flavorful, spicy concoction. Mixing it in with black beans and baked chicken, in tacos, on a salad, it’s amazing when you love something, how easily it is for you to come up with different excuses to use it in. I’m cooking up some stuffed green peppers as we speak (post soon to follow).

Multigrain rice: brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds

Ingredients - Vegetarian/Vegan version:  replace chicken broth with vegetable broth or water

*I used a rice mixture found at Trader Joe’s, but if you don’t have a store near you, or, if you have a difficult time finding daikon radish seeds and black barley, then replace with pearl barley or wheat berries.

• 1- 7 3/4 ounce can of El Pato brand tomato sauce (this is easily found next to the cans of roasted green chilies and jalapenos at your local grocery store)
• 1 1/4 of chicken broth
• 1 cup multigrain mixture (1/2 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup daikon seeds, 1/4 cup black barley)

Directions

Throw all ingredients into a rice cooker and hit start. If you don’t have a rice cooker, use a medium sauce pan and bring all ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Miso Soup

Mark’s home from his long business trip, and all is good in the world. When Mark came home, he said “Let’s go on an adventure - a weekend getaway!”  We’ve always talked about going on weekend adventures, but then life and it’s responsibilities inevitably interrupt our plans. So it was set, we planned our trip and we were going to stay at our favorite, and supposedly haunted, historic hotel in Flagstaff, the Hotel Monte Vista. Then a freak blizzard hit northern Arizona over the weekend, and now instead of life interrupting our plans, nature stepped in. We’re not giving up though, it’s just our little adventure might be postponed for a week, or two.

We weren’t about to let it ruin our weekend, so we decided to go for a hike at our favorite nature spot, Sabino Canyon. Still within Tucson city limits, the weather was perfect, and the desert mountain tops were gracefully capped with snow.  There’s something magical about snow on a desert landscape.

After our hike, we were freezing our britches off, so I thought a piping hot miso soup would hit the spot. And it did.

Photo taken on our Sabino Canyon hike.

Miso soup requires miso paste, which is made from fermented soy beans. Miso paste comes in different variations like red, white, mild, and others that can be found at your local Asian food store. I used a mild, white miso paste. It’s light and flavorful.

You can play around with different components to this soup, add more or less ingredients - it’s completely adjustable to your taste buds.

Dried seaweed

Cut tofu into small cubes

Fill a pot with water, broth, miso paste, tofu, garlic powder, mushrooms, dried seaweed, and and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

Ingredients ~Vegetarian/Vegan version: replace chicken broth with vegetable stock or water

• 3 tablespoons of white miso paste (add more for more flavor)
• 2 tablespoons dried seaweed strips
• 1/2 cup extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

In a medium size cooking pot mix miso paste, broth, and water together until paste has dissolved. Add remaining  ingredients (except green onions) and bring to a light boil for 5 minutes. When done, stir in green onions. Serve hot.

Homemade maple and brown sugar granola.

I’m stuck home alone while Mark is on a two week business trip. The only good thing about him being gone is getting half-finished projects completed. Like, a half-painted canvas that was meant for Mark’s birthday last June. Or, like a 90% finished painting for my friend Kelsey’s going away present back in late July. And maybe, just maybe, I can tackle my closet and the wreck that it is, once and for all. I’m also learning valuable motherhood skills all on my own, watching my infectiously lovable niece, Luna. You see, on most Saturdays Mark and I watch Luna for my sister, Nobie, and I always have my husband’s helping hand when I need to run errands. Not this Saturday though, I’m winging it solo. It’s probably safe to say I won’t be breaking out my paints to finish those paintings quite yet, (sorry Kels, Mark) since Luna’s at that stage where everything goes into her mouth. But I do think I can get away with making some fun girlie stuff in the kitchen. Like homemade granola.  I’ve been waiting a long time for a good and healthy granola recipe. One that does not require a lot of butter or oil. My grandmother throws together the best darn granola around. But it also contains tons of peanut butter and almond butter, oh and don’t forget regular butter. This recipe is perfect for me and what I’m looking for in a good, healthier granola.

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Alternatively, homemade granola makes a great gift!

If anybody else has a favorite granola recipe, I would love to hear from you!

Ingredients-This recipe was adapted, partially,  from February’s addition of Martha Stewart Living magazine

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut shavings
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together (except raisins and currents) and spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring granola every 10 minutes. Mix in raisins and currants and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until toasted. Cool completely. This granola can be stored for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.

Mexican wedding cookies

Mexican wedding cookies are my all-time favorite. Every year my friend Kereese and her mom make dozens and dozens of these little bite-size balls for Christmas. Her family calls them ’snowballs’, and I’ve also heard of another alias:  Russian tea cookies. To me, they’re Mexican wedding cookies, but I could be biased since I’m half-Mexican from my father’s side. I love these cookies so much that I had to have them for my wedding and Kereese’s mom painstakingly agreed to make 300 of them to be placed into a cookie jar for my wedding cookie table. Before we even took off on our honeymoon the next morning, I managed to stuff my belly full of them. I was in a major cookie comatose on our flight to Barcelona.

A year and a half has passed since then and I hadn’t seen them until Kereese brought over a small tin full of them, AND, our friends Mike and Miwa brought a whole batch over Christmas day. I guess it’s feast or famine with these little bites. I think I ate more of those cookies than I did real food. Seriously. I’m almost ashamed of myself. Almost. Now I have the recipe to make them any time of the year, which could be dangerous. I didn’t want to ruin perfection, so I tried to stick to the recipe completely, (a first for me) except for a minor adjustment to the flour. I cut the flour with whole wheat pastry flour, and honestly did not taste the difference!

The moral of this story is:  please make these cookies. Thank you.

Pulse pecans in a food processor or blender.

After dough is all mixed up, shape it into a large ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

Roll a tablespoon amount of dough into a ball and gently press it down, making a semi-flattened ball.

You can make these bigger or smaller, they melt in your mouth either way.

Ingredients : recipe adapted from our friend Miwa (Thank you!!!!!)

• 1 cup pecan pieces or halves
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided (I used half whole wheat pastry flour, and half regular all-purpose flour)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place pecans in food processor. Process using on/off pulsing action until pecans are ground, but not pasty. Beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup flour, vanilla, and salt. Beat at low speed until well blended. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour and ground nuts with spoon. Shape dough into a large ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pale golden brown. Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place 1 cup powdered sugar in 13×9 (inches) glass dish. Transfer hot cookies to powdered sugar. Roll cookies in powdered sugar, coating well. Let cookies cool in sugar. Sift remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar over sugar-coated cookies before serving. Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 1 month.

Makes about 48 cookies, depending on size.

Mulligatawny soup sprinkled with garam masala, cauliflower and cilantro

Mulligatawny is Kramer’s favorite soup in the infamous Seinfield Soup Nazi episode. No soup for you! Now this isn’t actually the soup nazi’s recipe, but it does share the same name. Mulligatawny translates to “pepper water” in the Indian Tamil dialect, and that is an accurate description - this is one spicy soup. I stuffed this with a bunch of veggies and spices and I’m pretty tempted to toss in some chicken next time. This soup has endless possibilities as far as add-ins go. Eat this with naan, or a samosa, or by itself. I don’t think I have ever used this many spices in one single pot, but let me tell you, this is one of the tastiest soups yet!

Saute onions, garlic, carrots and green chilies with all the spices. Cook until onions look translucent.

Add tomatoes, potatoes, water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add lentils and bring back to a boil. Potatoes will be tender and lentils fully cooked when it is ready to mash.

Ingredients - Vegetarian/Vegan option:  use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, grated
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green chilies, minced with seeds
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped
• 1 cup zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 10 cups chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth if you are vegetarian or vegan)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can coconut milk (I used full fat, but you can use low-fat as well)
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped potatoes
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon curry
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate

Directions

In a large soup pot, saute onions, carrots, green peppers, and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil. Saute the onions until translucent, then add all of your spices and salt. Saute for another 2 minutes over a low heat. Next, add chicken broth, water, potatoes and tomatoes, and bring to a low-boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lentils and bring back to a boil for 15 minutes. Then, lower heat to a simmer, for another 15 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash soup together (if you want a smoother soup, you can blend it in a food processor or blender, but I prefer this semi-chunky). Next, add coconut milk, tamarind concentrate, thinly sliced zucchini, and finely chopped cauliflower. Heat back up to a low boil for a few minutes (2-3) and mix in chopped cilantro. Serve hot. Optional:  For more heat, as in spice, add some red chili flakes to your pot, that should do the trick! Sprinkle bowl with garam masala powder and fresh cilantro.

I made this tart over Christmas and got a huge response. So, naturally I thought it would be nice to share with you all. It’s pretty straightforward and takes only minutes to throw together, but looks likes you spent all morning making it. My kind of tart!

Ingredients

• pre-made frozen pie dough, thawed
• 2 cups blueberries, (frozen or fresh)
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar (regular white sugar will work, too)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• a dash of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Directions

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Press pie dough in tart pan or pie pan. In a medium bowl, mix blueberries, lemon zest and sugar together. Pour blueberries into pie shell and bake on the lowest rack  for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30-40 minutes, just until crust is lightly golden brown. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Quinoa-roni with brussel sprout slivers

This is a healthier spin-off of the famous Rice-a-Roni. The main components of Rice-a-Roni are pasta and rice. I used orzo for the pasta portion, and quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa (pronounced “keenwah”) is a super food that provides an abundance of nutrition, like fiber and protein. Quinoa is my favorite grain. I absolutely love it with fish, chicken, mixed in salads, and now, in this funky/healthier version of Rice-a-Roni. It fluffs up when cooked and in my opinion is the shining star in this recipe. It gave me the energy and gusto to get through my last holiday week before we were inundated by friends and family Christmas day, which by the way was so much fun!

Where Brussel sprouts come from!

I always thought Brussel sprouts came from a magical stork, until I saw this behemoth at the store. I was surprised to find out that these little cabbage-like cuties grow on this huge stock.  So if you happen to find something like this in the store, please get it. Not only do they stay fresher on the stock, it’s more fun to pluck them off yourself.  Also, it’s an interesting item to have in your grocery basket, you’ll get strange looks of curiosity.

so delicious...

Ingredients

Optional:  To make this vegetarian or vegan; replace chicken broth with vegetable stock

• 2 cups of Brussel sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth/vegetable broth

Directions

Toss orzo into boiling water and boil for 9 minutes. Strain and set aside in a mixing bowl. For quinoa, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until quinoa gets fluffy. In a frying pan, saute minced garlic in butter. Slice Brussel sprouts lengthwise and lightly brown them in frying pan with a little olive oil. Add all ingredients into the mixing bowl with the orzo and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Optional:  mix in a dash of soy sauce if you like.

Cookie in a jar

If you’re in a pinch for a Christmas gift idea, I have the solution for you. Cookie in a jar. Our good friends Ben and Gina from Austin sent one to us for Christmas, and I just love the idea. Simply find your favorite cookie recipe, write it out on a card, then layer all of the dry ingredients in a clean mason jar. Cut out some festive fabric or tissue paper and tie a bow around it. You’ll have a unique and personalized gift that anybody would love.

Brown sugar shortbread cookies

The holiday season is chugging along and I’m still knee-deep in recipes that I have to make before family and friends arrive Christmas day. Thankfully I had some baking helpers over the weekend. My aunt, sister, and niece came over for a baking extravaganza last weekend. We made these shortbread cookies, among other cookies and breads. These cookies are dangerously good, especially with a cold glass of milk. Mark and I are trying our darnedest not to eat them all before others can enjoy them. We shall overcome!

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Ingredients: This recipe was adapted from my aunt’s co-worker, Betsy

• 1 cup softened butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I like dark brown sugar)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl (either by hand or in a mixer), cream sugar and butter together. Gradually add in flour. Once combined, pour dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading. Keep kneading dough until smooth (about 3 minutes). Roll out to 1/3 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters or slice into rectangles,  diamond, or squares. Place on an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart, and bake for 25 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool for five minutes. Makes roughly 3 1/2 dozen shortbreads (depending on size of cookie).

Chocolate dipped candy canes

If you like peppermint bark as much as I do, then you’ll really love this inspired, yet easier way of enjoying it. I really don’t think it can get easier than this. Makes for a great presentation and will take less than five minutes out of your day. Now that’s my kind of holiday recipe!

All you need is a dozen peppermint candy canes and a bar of chocolate. Two ingredients is unheard of for something so decadent.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces good dark chocolate or white chocolate
  
• A dozen peppermint candy canes

Directions

Melt chocolate in a double boiler until smooth (or microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until completely melted). Dip candy stick half way in melted chocolate (I used a rubber spatula to help spread chocolate) and twirl it around to remove excess drippings. Lay chocolate covered candy canes on a flat surface lined with parchment paper. Let cool completely.

Homemade marshmallows

We spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco with Mark’s family this year. And it never fails, my mother-in-law Fran made another recipe that I had to have. She made homemade marshmallows. I’ve only dreamed about making something like this. I think for a hot second last year, I was close to actually attempting making something like this, but never actually got there. They were so incredibly good, and soft, and flavorful. How could I ever buy store bought marshmallows again!

This is what happened after popping the first marshmallow into my mouth, followed immediately by another, I feverishly copied down the recipe on some scratch paper marked with a big A.S.A.P lettering so as I would not forget to make them when I got back home. But how could I though, they are simply unforgettable.

The best thing about making your own marshmallows is you can do what you want with them. You can color them, flavor them, make them mini or make them gigantic. And just to let you know, mint flavored marshmallows in hot chocolate…..I can’t put it into words how good they go together. I know my family will be enjoying these for Christmas and every holiday thereafter!

Ingredients - This recipe was adapted from www.MarthaStewart.com

*Fran tweaked the recipe a smidge, replacing the vanilla extract with other extracts. She made two batches; one lemon flavored and one peppermint flavored and colored them accordingly. If you would like to flavor your marshmallows, simply substitute the vanilla extract with another flavoring, like peppermint extract or lemon juice.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (if using peppermint extract, 1 teaspoon should suffice. If making lemon flavored, use 2 tablespoons worth of fresh lemon juice)
• confectioner’s sugar and corn startch for dusting
• optional - food coloring (red or green for peppermint flavored, yellow for lemon flavored, orange for orange flavored marshmallows)

Directions

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water inside an electric mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Let set for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan over a low heat and stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Place a candy thermometer into saucepan and turn the heat up to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it has reached 244 degrees F (should be at firm ball stage). Immediately remove pan from the heat. Turn mixer on low, and slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture. Increase the speed to a high setting. You will want to beat the marshmallow mixture until it has almost tripled its volume (approx. 15 minutes). At this point you will want to add your flavoring of choice, in this case, add the vanilla (or peppermint, lemon, etc) and mix until well incorporated.

Next, generously dust an 8 x 12 inch glass baking pan with part powdered sugar / part corn starch. Pour marshmallow mixture into the dusted pan. Optional- if you choose to add swirls of color, now is the time. Pick coloring of choice and add 8-10 drops of food coloring, then take the end of a toothpick and swirl color in and around. Dust top with powdered sugar cornstarch mix and let marshmallows stand overnight, uncovered so they can dry.

Finally, once your marshmallows have had a substantial amount of time to dry. Make your cuts into cubes of your choice size. Once cut dust them again with powdered sugar cornstarch mixture as they will be extremely sticky. Keep them in an airtight container and they should keep for up to two weeks. Enjoy on there own, or topped on hot chocolate, or dipped in chocolate, caramel, the possibilities are endless.

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I just finished a half marathon today. To load up on carbs before the race, I munched on these yummy muffins.They were perfect before the race and gave me just enough energy to get me started. The weather was frigid at first but once I warmed up, I found myself peeling off layers and layers of clothing. This was a huge accomplishment for me and now I’m finding myself looking online for more marathons to tie my sneakers to. I made an extra batch of these muffins as a “good job” gesture to my coworkers for doing this marathon with me. I somehow convinced 9 of them to sign up for a 13.1 mile marathon. During the last week leading up to the marathon, I heard a lot of moaning and groaning in the office and sour faces of co-workers who regretted signing up in the first place. I figured bringing in post-marathon muffins would make those achy joints and blisters a little bit easier to cope with.

I awakened these muffins with the subtle yet bright flavor of freshly grated orange zest. Cranberries and oranges are a delight when put together in holy matrimony. Then to bump it up a couple of notches, I accentuated the orange flavor and made an orange glaze to top off these ruby speckled muffins.

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Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup evaporated cane sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh cranberries (1 1/2 cups  roughly chopped in a food processor, the other half cup left whole)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Orange-glaze

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer or using a hand mixer, beat eggs until creamy (about 1 minute). Add sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Next add salt, orange zest, 1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries, 1/2 cup whole cranberries and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Fold in dry mixture with the wet mixture. Lastly, fold in walnuts. Line muffin pan with liners or lightly grease inside of each muffin tin cup. Fill batter 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes. Makes 14-16 muffins.

For the orange-glaze, mix all ingredients together:  orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar if it is still runny. You’ll want it slightly thicker than molasses. Spread on top of cooled muffins. Enjoy!

Jamaican Jerk pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes

December is just flying by. I can’t seem to make time for anything. I have a todo list about a mile long of things I need to do before Christmas. So when Mark proposed the idea of making dinner the other night, I gladly obliged. Mark ran with this marinade and made it drool-worthy. He tied on my frilly apron and took on the kitchen like he owned it. I loved it! You see, the kitchen is my territory and I don’t like to share it much, but I handed it over with a smile when he wanted to make this Jamaican jerk recipe for the first time. It’s hot and spicy with punches of flavor that will send your tastebuds into a whirlwind. Juicy and lean medallions atop a bed of homemade mashed potatoes and all was good in the world.

A medley of spices combine for Jamaican Jerk

Pork tenderloins marinating in Jamaican Jerk spices

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins (roughly 1.3 pounds each)
• 2 shallots
• 1/2 white onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 habanero peppers  (I left some seeds in to make it spicy)
• 2 teaspoons peeled and chopped ginger
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Preparation: Combine spices, oil, soy sauce and vinegar into a mixing bowl. Chop onion, shallots, ginger, garlic, and habaneros, and toss into same mixing bowl. I lean towards spicy food, so I left some habaneros seeds in - you can remove them if you like, or include them all if you like insanely spicy food. Blend all ingredients in a food processor. In a freezer bag, marinate both tenderloins overnight - or at least one hour if you’re cooking it the same night.

Cooking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook both tenderloins for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing the medallions.

Note: If you have never worked with habaneros before, be careful not to touch your eyes directly after touching the pepper. You will be in for a painful surprise. While slicing and de-seeding the peppers, I only handle them using the plastic grocery bag they came in, disposing the bag immediately afterwards.

Chicken noodle soup with kale

We just got back from our Thanksgiving trip to see Mark’s family in San Francisco. We had a great time, but I think I caught a little bit of a cold along the way. I made a pot of chicken noodle soup this last week, and it just seemed fitting to make another. It’s broth-y and chalked with nutrients from kale. Kale’s a super food. Super green, super good. I love it in soups, stir-frys, warm salads and wherever I can sneak it in. I combined it with hot chicken noodle soup, and I think I’m on the road to wellness.

If you’re feeling the sniffles, or even if you’re not, make this soup. It pairs well with cold weather.

Ingredients

• 1 gallon of water
• 3 large chicken breasts
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (combination of sage, thyme, ……)
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 3 sections
• 1 bundle of kale, chopped (about 3-4 cups)

Directions

In a large soup pot, boil water, salt and chicken for 20 minutes on a high heat. Add poultry seasoning, basil, rosemary, and oregano. Add celery, onions, carrots and garlic and boil for 15 minutes on a medium-high heat. Add pasta and boil for 10 minutes. Once pasta is done, turn off stove and add chopped kale. Once soup is completely done cooking, chicken should easily pull apart into shreds. What I do is place the cooked chicken breasts on a plate and mash them into shredded pieces (this should be effortless), then toss the shredded chicken chunks back into the pot of soup and mix back in.