Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm at a loss.

It's been so crazy busy around here, and I haven't had time to blog this week. This weekend was my birthday, and I was busy celebrating with my family and Cookie Puss.

If you don't know who Cookie Puss is, I'm sorry. You were deprived as a child.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, take time to express your gratitude. Enjoy your food and your company. Give lots of hugs and kisses. See you after the weekend!

Barefoot Contessa Make it Ahead. Let's Review!

Being the Auntie Ina fan that I am, I was at my local Target bright and early this month on the day that the latest of her cookbooks was released.

I hope the recipes are as good as the Photoshop job they did on her face! Here's the real deal….

I still love her though. Neck waddle or no neck waddle.

Curiously, the first recipe in the book is for dog biscuits. DOG BISCUITS.

I'm at a loss on this one. Dog biscuits as the opening recipe. Mmmmkay. Way to set the tone, Auntie.

After the dog treats, the first section is Cocktails. I don't really drink, so the Summer Rose Sangria, Jalapeño Margaritas and Cranberry Martinis are lost on me. But the rest of the chapter was surprisingly healthy AND delicious sounding minus the Truffled Chicken Liver Mousse. Oh, Auntie. Don't make Chopped Liver and call it Mousse. It's Chopped Liver and it belongs at my grandma's house. Feh. But…Parmesan Kale Chips, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Marinated Herbed Feta and a Greek Mezze Platter all look like winners to me.

Next we move onto Starters. For soup we have Zucchini Basil, Wild Mushroom & Farro, and Cauliflower and Celery Root Soup. None have more than 2 tablespoons of butter or cream for the entire recipe…a pleasant surprise! A couple of salads…Ceasar Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon, Warm Fig and Arugula. Spanish Tapas Peppers, Tomato and Burrata, and Bruschettas with Sauteed Chard. Not too bad. I've got my eye on you, Warm Fig and Arugula Salad.

Let's proceed to the chapter called Lunch. More salads, including Crunchy Iceberg with Creamy Blue Cheese, Summer Paella Salad, and French Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese. Bzzzt for all three of those for me. My palate does not handle goat cheese very well. Iceberg? No. Paella…unfortunately can't do shellfish. There is a gorgeous and healthy looking Winter Slaw with shredded kale and brussels sprouts. Ham and Leek Empanadas and Tomato and Mozzarella Pan Bagnat….neither of which thrill me. Quinoa Tabbouleh with Feta…you lost me at Quinoa and Tabbouleh. Not a fan of either. Lastly, Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tart….second goat cheese recipe already. Not a good chapter for me.

Maybe Dinner will fare better?

Oh, hello Roast Chicken with Bread and Arugula Salad!! Aren't you gorgeous?

There's everything from Slow-Roasted Spiced Pork to Roasted Vegetable Lasagna and Garlic and Herb Roast Shrimp in this chapter. Lots of good looking options.

Vegetables. Love to see a big chapter here. Not sure what Auntie was thinking making a Spinach and Ricotta Noodle Pudding. Again…kugel does not need to have spinach and ricotta in it and belongs back at Grandma's with the chopped liver. Double Feh.

There's everything from Pear and Parsnip Gratin, Stuffed Zucchini, Carrot and Cauliflower Puree, Baked Farro and Butternut Squash to Mashed Potatoes. With Goat Cheese. Again. Stop. With. The. Goat. Cheese. 

Onto Dessert. Now this chapter I have actually made something from. My husband had a potluck lunch and I tested out the Fresh Apple Spice Cake. It was very good. There are Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting, Blueberry Pie, Tres Leches Cake, Ginger Shortbread and many others. 

To end the majority of her books, Ina usually goes with Breakfast. Make It Ahead is no exception. Overnight Belgian Waffles, Chocolate Banana Crumb Cake, Mini Italian Fritattas, Sour Cream Corn Bread and more. 

There you have it. I linked one recipe in each category if you feel like experimenting in the kitchen. I'm kind of hurt that Auntie invited Taylor Swift over to cook with her and not me. Guess I'll just have to shake it off?!?

There's Fancy, and There's Funny

The fancy name for this next recipe would be something like Chicken and Eggplant Bolognese.

The funny name, which I use in my house and amongst my 17 Day Diet local crew is Eggplant Plop.

It isn't the first time I've deigned something "plop." I believe back in February of this year I wrote about Mexi-Plop.

Not a pretty word, I know. But this recipe isn't particularly pretty. But is is one of the ultimate comfort foods for me.

Bolognese is traditionally a sauce over pasta, and this certainly can be eaten with pasta or spaghetti squash. I prefer it as is, in a bowl or a mug. Hot or cold. It is my go-to recipe that continues to evolve every time I make it. Over the course of a year I must have made a variation of it practically every week. I just can't seem to go without it!

There aren't many ingredients involved….

1 pound of ground chicken breast
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
1 8 ounce package of mushrooms, chopped
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
Fat-free mozzarella
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt & pepper

Veggies ready to prep

Ground chicken in the pan

Almost ready for sauce

Sauce added

First half of sauce with cheese

Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in pan, sauté ground chicken. Break into pieces. After chicken seems cooked at least halfway through, add the eggplant and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. 

Saute until eggplant and mushrooms have softened and browned. Then add the jar of sauce.

In an 8 or 9 inch square dish, add half of the bolognese. Then sprinkle with cheese. Add rest of sauce on top and top with some more of the shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

And there ya have it. Ground chicken and eggplant bolognese. Or eggplant plop. You choose! I'm sticking with this:

I Did the Mash

Trying desperately to keep up with some new and compliant recipes. At the grocery store yesterday I had a run-in with Gingerbread Twix. I didn't buy them, but found myself pissed off that I couldn't. Instead I ended up with a cart that was full of healthy goodness, and just a tiny bit of racism.

For some reason Paula Deen's face is slapped on the package of the only brand of ground chicken breast my local market carries.

I would rather not buy anything that she was associated with but there are times where I just need my damn ground chicken breast and have to suck it up. 

Hence the racism in my cart.

But no Twix.

The cold is approaching and I find myself craving comfort food. The Italian Egg Drop Soup totally hit the spot the other day. Tonight I tried my hand at Cauliflower Mash.

The results were interesting, there were some things I would change the next time I made it…but I would surely make it again.

The original recipe called for cutting up a cauliflower into florets and roasting it with some cloves of garlic in the oven until it was soft enough to mash up.

No problem. Did it.

Grabbed my potato masher and went to work, but it just looked like fibrous shreds. It was not the mashed potato consistency that I was after. 

So…I had a few choices. The traditional blender, the food processor, or the immersion blender. I went with the fastest and least messiest option…the immersion blender. It wasn't as proficient as the other choices but it did get the job done.

Now that I had the right consistency I was supposed to add the rest of the ingredients. It called for olive oil, romano cheese, salt, pepper, and cream.

There was no way I was going to throw in 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1/3 cup of cream into the cauliflower so I did about 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of something that isn't necessarily 17 Day Diet compliant but probably should be in cycle 3. It's called Extra Thick Single Cream made by The Brooklyn Creamery Company. It has 30 calories, no sugars and 3.2 grams of fat in a tablespoon, so I threw it in there. Because I'm a rebel like that.

I did add about 1/4 cup of romano cheese…and boy was that pungent. I think next time I will go with the parmesan. I also put in a splash of chicken stock to wet it.

This isn't making a great impression, is it?

Well…it really did hit the spot as far as wanting something akin to mashed potato. Mine wasn't too pretty, so I will share someone else's version with you…

Here is a basic idea of what to do…but feel free to play with it.

1 head of cauliflower
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled (I would use less…I found it to be too garlicky..and I usually enjoy roasted garlic)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup romano or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of Extra Thick Single Cream
Chicken stock to moisten if needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into florets, peel the garlic, salt and pepper them and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast until very tender, about 50 minutes or until soft.

Use a blender or food processor to mix to desired consistency. Use a hand masher for a chunkier texture. Add olive oil, cheese, and cream, mix well. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Can me made ahead and reheated.

Experimenting with recipes found online can be tricky…sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. While I wouldn't rate this one as a true knockout dish, I would absolutely make it when I had that craving for something like mashed potato. Who knows…you may even want it at your holiday table this year?!?

Thanksgiving Came Early This Year!

I was in the kitchen making a batch of Chicken and Eggplant Bolognese (which I just realized I haven't shared the recipe with you for and NEED to ASAP!) minding my 17 Day Diet compliant business when my cellphone buzzed  with a text message.

It was someone from the local Whole Foods asking me if I wanted to attend a Thanksgiving Dinner Sneak Peek for food bloggers. Tonight. In three hours.

This was a bit of a conundrum for me.

I've been back on the wagon and watching every morsel that goes into my mouth over the last few days, and this dinner was not going to be diet-friendly. There was part of me that wanted to stay home and cook my salmon and cauliflower…but there was a bigger part of me that was ridiculously curious about this dinner.

Whole Foods has always been my favorite market. Before it came to my area I would go out of my way to stop at any of their stores that I came across. When visiting relatives in other states…I'd be sure to hit a Whole Foods. There's just something intoxicating about it, and I just can't pass it up!

That being said, I decided to go for it and eat mindfully. Small bites just to see what they were offering.

Little did I know it was going to be an all-out feast!

Do you see what's on that menu, dear readers? This was going to take a long ride on the recumbent bike to undo. Fortunately….it was all worth it!

There was a beautifully set table with flowers, candlesticks and not just any water. Fancy VOSS water in sparkling and still. Also, an interesting drink called 12 Beverage, an all-natural sparkling drink that is lightly sweetened with fruit juice. I tried the Pomegranate Black Currant and the Citrus Ginger. It was almost like a more evolved edition of the typical sparkling cider and perfect for the non-alcohol drinking crowd at your table. Completing the setting were plates of pumpkin bread, and I really hate to admit this…but it was better than mine. Frankly, I was shocked! I don't typically buy baked goods anywhere since I love to do it myself. Seems the tide has turned, because the Whole Foods pumpkin bread is delicious, moist, and sadly for me…kicks my pumpkin bread's butt!

Appetizers were introduced, and while I could not try two of them due to shellfish allergies I was assured my table mates that they were absolutely delicious.

There were Tornado Shrimp wrapped in crispy sweet potato, crab cakes, and brie en croute. This particular brie had apples and cranberries and was very tasty. I was more intrigued by the other flavors they offer…cherry with rosemary and fig with apricot. For $16.99 it's well worth it and will be a likely addition to one of my holiday celebrations this year.

The next part of the evening was the adorable Chef Adam, who showed us how to properly carve a turkey. It was fascinating to watch, and very informative. He explained the importance of using the right kind of knife for the job. All of you sawing away at your bird with an electric knife? That's a no-no! It lets all of the moisture out and creates a dry bird!

After our carving lesson, we got down to business. And by business, I mean dinner. Lots of it!

On the table we had not one, but two kinds of turkey! There was a Plainville Farms turkey and a Kosher turkey. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with almonds,  mashed maple sweet potatoes, and cranberry orange relish. For the vegans and vegetarians there was meat-free Gardein roast stuffed with a savory mix of vegetables, brown rice and cranberries.

In the name of science, I had to taste ALL of it:

Let's start on the far left with the vegan Gardein roast and mushroom gravy. I have actually bought this before for my husband who is a vegetarian but never bothered to try it myself. I've got to tell you…WOW. I really liked this. There is a crisp breading on the outside, the "meat" is moist and the stuffing in the middle is savory and then a bit sweet from cranberries. Honestly, I don't think that the average person could even tell that it wasn't actually turkey!

Now for the real turkey. I had initially taken a piece from one side of the platter and was somewhat underwhelmed by it. It was turkey, but nothing special. I decided to go back and take a piece from the other side of the platter and NOW we were in business! The second piece I took was moist, flavorful, and easily cut with the side of my fork. I had to stop myself from going up to get more of it! So in my humble opinion, the Kosher turkey was the clear favorite. It had been brined, Chef Adam told us…and lucky for everyone that the brine solution is sold in the store. To top off that perfect turkey was some delicious gravy that I sopped up with most everything on my plate!

The sides are usually everyone's favorite part of the meal, and these didn't disappoint. The clear favorites for me though were the green beans with almonds, the mashed maple sweet potatoes, and the cranberry orange relish. The irony in that is the fact that I never, ever touch the cranberry sauce at the Thanksgiving table. Ever. Last night was the first time I indulged in cranberry sauce and boy am I glad I did. Woah. This was amazing, and the Grand Marnier that Chef Adam adds takes it to another level.

Just when I was ready to pop, there was this….

Not one, not two, but THREE pieces of pie. Apple, pumpkin, and apple crumb pie. Fortunately I was able to take a bite of each and then bring them home for my boys to finish off. They were all very good, especially the pumpkin.

All in all, it was a lovely evening, and I am very thankful to Whole Foods for including me. All of the foods mentioned in this post are available at your local store. You can even order online at shop.wfm.com

As for me, I will absolutely be purchasing a few of these delicacies this season. Ok…confession time. I already did. I went back today and picked up one of these to share with my boys:

Like I said….Thanksgiving came early this year!!

As for that salmon and cauliflower that I was supposed to eat last night? I had it this evening. Back in the saddle again!

Chicken Soup For The Cold

I won't even get into the fact that I haven't posted in almost three months.

So, this happened:

And this happened:

Then there was all of this:

Which all meant I spent a few months giving the finger to the 17 Day Diet:

But now?

I'm back! With a few extra pounds, so it's time to go Cycle 1 again.

I really wanted to change things up this time so I didn't get sick of the usual standbys. I spent some time scouring Pinterest and reviewing the hundreds of 17 Day Diet friendly recipes I had pinned over the past year. I even started to sort them into categories. All I needed to do now was get off my ass and get into the kitchen.

Here in the Northeast, its getting chilly. Soup, stew and chili time. I hadn't really found any Cycle 1 soups that I really loved in the past year, but this time we have a winner!!

Italian Egg Drop Soup with Meatballs

I adapted the recipe from someone who I typically avoid at all costs. I know that there are some people that love her, but I just can't do it. She literally frightens my husband and child. I never made a recipe of hers that was outstanding. I don't even like to say her name. Let's just call her Hachel Hay.

I left out the breadcrumbs to make it C1 appropriate…and it can be eaten at any time on C2 & C3. I changed up some of the amounts of things as well and it worked out nicely. I also switched it from dark meat turkey to chicken breast. Here's my version:

Italian Egg Drop Soup with Chicken Meatballs

1 pound of ground chicken breast

4 large eggs

1/2 cup grated (REAL) Parmesan

salt and pepper

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1 head escarole, coarsely chopped

1 lemon, cut in wedges

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan and a 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 3/4 inch meatballs and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, and return to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the escarole.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon water and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle egg mixture into the simmering broth, pushing meatballs and escarole aside. Stir in remaining parmesan cheese and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with lemon wedge.

Enjoy!

• 
  
•