It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Soup Season!

Let's pretend I haven't been gone from the blog for four months, shall we?

I've got an easy one for you.

Ridiculously easy.

Five Ingredient Tomato-Basil Soup - that is literally the name of the recipe. Another Pinterest experiment that ended up being a winner. It is perfect for all cycles of the 17 Day Diet and is also Vegetarian. 

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably local
• 1 handful basil leaves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the canola oil and heat through. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently, to prevent burning. 

2. Add the crushed tomatoes, and fill the can up with water. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil. 

3. Reduce to a simmer, add the basil and cook for 20 minutes. 

4. Puree with an immersion blender or in a standing blender.

Serve with hunks of fresh bread or grilled cheese if you have no issue with carbs! A sprinkle of Parmesan might be nice. I may even make this again and toss some mini-meatballs in it!

Watching the Makos, Dreaming of Salmon

I don't know if it was because I spent the afternoon at a Makos swim meet watching a bunch of kiddos splash back and forth in the pool, but I sure had a hankering for fish tonight.

I have not forgotten about the remaining 75 cookbooks I need to go through, but there was a particular recipe I saw on Pinterest that was calling me.

Salmon with Avocado Salsa.

After realizing that there were very few ingredients and not much work involved, I decided to stop at Whole Foods to pick up the fish. I know that Whole Foods has a reputation for being pricey, but the fish there is top-notch and worth paying a few extra dollars for. The salmon is ALWAYS good and I can't say that for some of the other stores around here. Once you get a batch of questionable fish, your taste for it is ruined for a looooong time, if not forever. So, I pay a little more and am always happy with what I get.

With my two pounds of salmon, a couple of avocados, a red onion and a bunch of cilantro, I was ready to go.

When I got home and read over the recipe I realized a few things. One was that I was not going to grill this fish. Partially because I have a charcoal grill and had no interest in fussing around with it, and partially because I have perfected searing fish in the pan and then finishing it off in the oven.

The other issue was that a couple of my spices didn't match up. I don't have Ancho chile powder. I have regular chile powder. It was going to have to do. Also, no onion powder. I had minced onion, so I swapped that out. Other than that, I was in business.

Here are the spices before the olive oil is added:

And here is the rub on the salmon:

While this sat in the fridge for 30 minutes, I made the Avocado Salsa. Here is where the final change was made. The original recipe called for one avocado. That wasn't enough for this avocado-loving crew, so I used two.

The finished dish:

Oh. My. Gosh. This was SO good. Like, company good. Like, my husband and son sang my praises good.

This dish is a major winner. I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as we did. I had a small piece left over with a bit of salsa, so I hid it in the fridge for tomorrow. Shhh. Don't tell anyone!

Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Serves 4

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder or minced onion
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 2 avocados, cut into chunks
• ½ small red onion, diced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro 
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pre heat grill, or heat oven-proof pan on stovetop with a bit of non-stick spray
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Grill the salmon to desired doneness, or sear skin-side up in pan for a few minutes. Flip over and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
6. Top with avocado salsa

I Can Button My Shorts, But I Can't Breathe!

Ugh.

Just got back from Spring Break.

That followed Winter Break.

That followed Mental Break which = 17 Day Diet Break

I lost my mojo.

Not surprising, I guess. The struggle is never really over.

The difference now is that I gave away all of my bigger clothes. So all I have are shorts and jeans and tops that I bought last year after losing 50 pounds.

I'm glad that I did this...because it would be devastating but easy to slip that bigger size back on. But no...I had to suffer through vacation in muffin-top causing shorts and a limited selection of shirts that didn't make me look like a stuffed sausage.

And now I know...its time to cut the crap.

So bring on the carb-withdrawl headache, the exhaustion of detoxing, the crankiness of having to deal with life head-on rather than shoving something in my mouth.

I'm good to go.

This also means I am back in the kitchen full-time. On deck first is an old favorite:

Balsamic Marinated Grilled Chicken Cutlets

4 chicken cutlets, cut in half if thick

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T dried fine herbs (I used a mix of rosemary, thyme and garlic) I did not used powdered garlic, but a cube of frozen garlic

1 T salt

1T pepper ( I found this to be a bit much, you may want to cut down)

1/2 cup olive oil

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Put chicken in large ziploc bag and cover with marinade. Keep in refrigerator a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Grill on BBQ or grill pan.

Old Traditions, New Recipies

A couple of years ago I wrote about Passover here. I included my two favorite dessert recipes, Matzo Toffee and Coconut Macaroons.

This year, I have found a new dessert to add to the Passover lineup, thanks to Tori Avey, aka the Shiksa in the Kitchen. 

Tori has kicked my Jewish cooking up a notch every time I try out one of her recipes. Her challah is unbeatable, the charoset (Sephardic and Ashkenazic) is unparalleled and the Pomegranate Molasses Salmon is to die for.

So, the first place I find myself looking when a Jewish holiday rolls around is Tori's website. When I saw these chocolate chip cookies, I knew I had to try them out.

These cookies are ridiculously easy to make and I have never, ever had a Passover cookie that tasted as good as this. 


Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy)

2 sticks, (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 T honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups matzo cake meal
1/4 cup matzo meal
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter with sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Add eggs and mix well.
Mix in cake meal and matzo meal. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoons onto engrossed cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Press down to flatten, if desired.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden.


The next website I visit is The Nosher. 

I wanted to change things up this year, and rather than making the standard brisket I took a leap of faith and tried something completely different.

While it may not be the most appetizing picture, I have to tell you....it was DELICIOUS!

Nosher calls it a Shredded Brisket Cumberland Pie. It has a lot of ingredients, but was well worth any effort.

Ingredients

For the brisket filling:
3 lbs brisket, second cut preferred
1 Tbsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half, any green center removed
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
4 large leeks, washed well and cut into 1-inch chunks, white part only (see Kitchen Tips)
2 cups sweet, full-bodied red wine
⅓ cup mushroom broth
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
4 large carrots (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 medium parsnips, (about 1 pound) peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 small turnips (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 dried bay leaves

For the topping:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cubed (about 9 cups total)
4 Tbsp dairy-free, non-hydrogenated margarine
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup almond milk or soy milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
¼ cup matzo meal
1 Tbsp ground sweet paprika

Directions

Make the brisket: Preheat the oven to 285ºF. Gently sprinkle the brisket with salt and paprika on both sides and rub well to coat.

Heat a large, heavy ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat, pour in the oils, and heat until they shimmer.
Carefully place the brisket into the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a rimmed sheet pan and set aside. Reserve the saucepan.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir well to toast for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the leeks, stir to coat, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the leeks just begin to soften. Add the wine and mushroom broth and stir well. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the stock and stir well. Carefully return the brisket to the pot, and add the carrots, parsnips, turnips, and bay leaves. Cover the pot and place in the oven.

Cook for 3 hours. Refrigerate, covered for 2-3 days.

When you are ready to continue with the recipe, make the mashed potatoes: Fill a large pot with cold water and salt well. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and push them through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the margarine and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and mash until melted. Add almond milk and mix well. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. 

While the potatoes are cooking, skim the layer of fat and accumulated scum from the surface of the brisket pot and discard. 

Remove the meat from the pot, shred and then chop it before covering with foil. Set aside. Transfer the carrots, parsnips, and turnips to a work surface, reserving the pot. Cut the vegetables into ½-inch pieces. 

Set the pot over medium heat and cook the sauce until it is reduced in volume by half, about 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and return to the pot. Return the brisket and vegetables to the pot and stir well. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Spray a 2½- to 3-quart round oven-proof casserole/serving dish with nonstick vegetable oil spray.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the brisket and vegetable mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake until heated through and the mashed potatoes just begin to turn golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. 

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet set over high heat until it shimmers. Add the matzo meal, paprika, and the remaining salt, stir well, and cook until the mixture turns a light brown. Sprinkle the seasoned crumbs liberally over the casserole and return it to the oven. Bake for an additional 5 to 6 minutes, until the matzo meal and potatoes are deep golden brown on top. 

Serve immediately.

I also made my favorite Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast from Auntie Ina, Salt & Pepper Spaghetti Squash Kugel from the Nosher, Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower-Leek Kugel from Epicurious.

My last recipe was one that I concocted myself, inspired by this:

Ben and Jerry made a Charoset Ice Cream. The problem is that it was only sold in Israel. 

Since there was no way I could get my hands on the real thing, I decided to make my own. The EASY way!

All it takes is a stand mixer and a package of Breyer's Natural Vanilla.

Dump the ice cream into the mixer, and with the paddle attachment beat until soft. Then...add in your flavorings. In this case, it was the charoset (apples, wine, candied nuts, cinnamon, ginger and honey) for Passover. For another occasion it can be just about anything...in the Summer I make it with peach pie.

Scrape the mixture back into the Breyer's container and re-freeze. That's it! So easy.

• 
  

Fifty Shades of Meh

Let me tell you something about cookbook #26 of 99.

It sucks.

I HATE this book.

You would think that my vegetarian husband would be totally into it, right?

No.

Even he couldn't find anything in here that he wanted me to make for him.

This was yet another mother-in-law Christmas present that sits on the shelf.

Until today, where it sits in the give-away pile.

I'm not sure how focaccia can taste like nothing...but if you follow the recipe from the Chicago Diner Cookbook you will surely find out that it can.

It was so promising, the dough rose so beautifully.

The coloring was good, it was dotted with specks of rosemary. What could be bad?

Well, it was pretty lame. It was meh. It wasn't just meh. It was...

And this is coming from a carb addict, a guy who will pretty much eat anything, and a boy who would eat an entire loaf of bread if I let him.

So, bye-bye Chicago Diner Cookbook. We hardly knew ya. And that's ok by me!

Do You Know the Mincemeat Muffin Man? (I'm Married to Him!)

Remember how I had to have the Loaves and Fishes cookbook because Auntie said so?

Well, I apparently also had to have the Tate's Bake Shop cookbook because Auntie wrote the forward to it.

Fortunately, it is much less of a disaster than her first suggestion. I mean, how can you mess up baked goods?

The book is full of some fantastic looking ideas, like Almond Butter Cake, Ginger-Apricot Scones, Chocolate-Nutella Shortbread Sandwiches and Cinnamon-Swirl Bread.

Did I make any of those?

Nooooo.....

My choice may make you wrinkle up your nose.

I made Mincemeat Muffins.

Yeah, I said mincemeat.

Before 1997 I didn't even really know what mincemeat was. I mean, I had heard of it...but had never come into contact with it until my first Christmas with my now-husband.

My future mother-in-law made a mincemeat pie for dessert. I took a bite and forced myself to swallow it. I took another bite to be polite. I also took another bite because my boyfriend was filming me with the video camera and I didn't want to be caught gagging or spitting on film. Through a clenched smile, I believe I muttered the words "It's weird." Ahh, my first Christmas.

Needless to say, I have not touched mincemeat since.

My husband is another story.

Every once in a while, he craves mincemeat. Most of the time it passes without having to indulge him. This year, I figured I would incorporate it into my cookbook project.

Enter, Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook (#25 of 99)....

Out of all of the delectable items in here, I went with the mincemeat muffins.

It was really just a basic muffin recipe with some jarred mincemeat mixed in. I tried to keep Auntie in my head and asked myself "How baaaaad can thaaaat be?"

Umm.

Pretty bad.

Unless you slapped a lot of butter and jam on them...

And then they were somewhat better.

But not enough for me to ever eat a bite of one again.

Now, if you enjoy mincemeat....you would probably like these muffins. Despite the fact that I thought they were gross, I am still keeping the book. Not because it has Ina's endorsement, but because those Chocolate-Nutella Shortbread Sandwiches are going to have to be tested out. You know. Purely for literary and science sake!

Cooking With The Mouse

I just got back from a crazy 3-day trip to Disney World.

I've written about my love of Disney before here, and not much has changed since then.

Loads of walking, lots of food.

I am avoiding the scale like the plague, but plan on starting Cycle 1 over again now that I am home and have been to the grocery store.

Before we left, I got into the mood with yet another one of my cookbooks. This time it is #23 of 99.

Calling it "gourmet" is a bit of a stretch.

It's also pretty old, so some of the restaurants that are in the book don't exist anymore.

I must have bought this one in a Disney haze. It happens sometimes.

Looking for the fastest and easiest recipe in the book, I came across one for banana bread. Sold.

Supposedly this recipe comes from the Disneyland Hotel. We have actually been there, but not to eat banana bread. We visited Trader Sam's, a very cool tiki bar that has some amazing decor and special effects. They're actually building one now at Disney World, and I can't wait to go there again!

Anyway...banana bread.

Disneyland Hotel Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
* 1 cup butter
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 cups flour
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons water
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 cups ripe bananas (Mashed)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together Flour, Salt and Baking Soda — Set Aside.
Mix melted Butter and Sugar until well blended.
Add Eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.
Add Water.
Add Bananas and Vanilla — Mix well.
Fold in Flour mixture until well incorporated.
Grease 2 loaf pans and divide batter equally between the 2 pans.
Bake for 1 hour or until center of loaf is firm and a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean.

Pretty darn good!

Everyone has their own banana bread recipe, but I think this one is worth a try. I threw in some chocolate chips, because why not?

As for cookbook #24, I figured I would get Disney out of the way by having my kiddo make something from this book:

I had picked this up at a Scholastic Warehouse sale. I had big dreams of cooking with my child. When he was very young he would watch Ina Garten with me and say "MIXER! MIXER!" Unfortunately that didn't actually mean he wanted to make anything past cracking eggs.

As he got older, he showed a bit more interest and even attended a cooking class one summer and took great pride in making french toast for us. Not too bad! As for why they also taught them how to make bacon-wrapped cream cheese toast I'll never know...

So, I pulled this book out and handed it to him, telling him to choose whatever he wanted and I would pick up the ingredients at the store.

Mercifully, he chose something cheap and easy...

Essentially it was just chocolate pudding with a touch of peppermint extract, topped with Cool Whip that also had a hint of mint. He added the mini chips as a garnish because I refused to let him color the whipped cream with green dye. I had to draw the line somewhere. It was bad enough we were loading up on chocolate before bed...no one needed artificial colors as well!

I won't bother copying the recipe because if you can't figure this one out you must be my grandmother...who couldn't even make me a packet of Ramen soup when I was little. She told me to wait for my grandfather to come back from the store because she "didn't know how" to make it. Despite the fact that I told her she just had to boil 2 cups of water and then add the noodles for 3 minutes...she insisted on waiting for Poppy to return. She then gave me some Triscuits and cheese. That was as domestic as she got.

Fortunately, I did not inherit her aversion to the kitchen and have now gone through 24 of 99 cookbooks! I am not sure about keeping either one of them, honestly. I am sure one of my friends that has little kids would like the Magic Kitchen. Sadly, we've outgrown it. As for Mickey's "Gourmet" Kitchen? It gets one more chance with me, then it's a trip to Ebay if I'm not impressed!

Do Wagon Wheel Tracks Come out of Clothing?

So, I fell off the wagon.

Not only did I fall off the wagon, I got run over by the wagon.

And dragged behind it.

I don't know if it was the miserable winter we had, or just a general feeling of major disorganization. I just haven't been able to get it together.

Well, here I go again back to square (cycle) one. I'm on Day 3 and finding my way again with the help of my favorite Cycle 1 Italian Egg Drop Soup. And lots of Advil.

Spring break is coming up and I need to be able to put my shorts on without cutting off my circulation.  And then get back to where I was before and go past that point.

I did manage to knock off a few more cookbooks...all of the recipes were super unhealthy and somewhat lowbrow.

I'll share with you ASAP.

In the meantime, I am headed to the kitchen. I have some Eggplant Plop to cook up!

If It's Good Enough for Oprah...

Ugh, it's been a rough winter.

I've been struggling with the same 10 pounds up and down since the holidays.

I buckle down for a couple of weeks, then go off the rails. I eat perfectly all week, then the weekend rolls around and I turn into the Tasmanian Devil.

I've got to get my shit together A.S.A.P.

So, I pulled out another cookbook with "healthy" in the title.

The Healthy Kitchen by Rosie Daly and Andrew Weil.

Rosie was Oprah's personal chef back in the day, and Andrew Weil is a doctor who has written many books about holistic health...and I have never read any of them.

I think I've barely read this one. I'm sure it was purchased in another one of my "I'm gonna get healthy" phases. There's a Costco sticker on it.

Costco is dangerous. Everything is seemingly a bargain, so aside from purchasing what you need, you end up with a book, DVD, towels, raincoat, fake UGGS, or whatever else is laying around.

So, I must have thrown this book into my cart.

Sticking with my 17 Day Diet, I found a chicken recipe that looked pretty interesting and fit into my plan.

Santa Fe Chicken

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients

• Juice from 3 limes
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts ' '
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

• Mock Sour Cream or low-fat sour cream
• 1 lime , sliced into 6 thin slices
• 6 scallion firecrackers (see Tips below)
• 1/4 cup fresh salsa or Papaya Salsa

Directions

Mix together marinade ingredients in a bowl, stirring thoroughly. Pour into a shallow baking pan and lay the chicken breasts in. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat the broiler.

After one hour, when the chicken has absorbed all the flavors of the marinade, pour in the white wine. Broil the chicken under a medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes, basting it with the juices to keep it moist.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and slice it at an angle. Garnish each piece with a little of the pan juices, a dollop of sour cream, slices of lime and a scallion firecracker, as well as a dollop of salsa.

Tips from Rosie's Kitchen

• The scallion "firecracker" is a lively garnish that gets its name from the way the leaves of the onion curl away from the body of the onion, creating a "firecracker" appearance. Cut 2 inches off the green leafy side of the scallion. Trim the roots at the white bulbous end. Then cut three slits about 1/2-inch down through the white, bulbous end. Fill a bowl with ice water and drop in the freshly cut scallions.
• It is never too much trouble to cook extra chicken breasts. They hold the flavor of the marinade and are wonderful for chicken salad or sandwiches for work or school.

Nutritional Information

212.3 calories, 4.4g fat, 0.8g saturated fat (46.8% of calories from fat), 30.1g protein, 13g carbohydrate, 72mg cholesterol, 0.9g fiber 

I ended up just cooking the chicken in a saute pan. I have bad luck with broiling. I always end up burning things.

After slicing it, I served it fajita-style.

I've gotta say, this was pretty damn tasty. I get so caught up in my usual way of making chicken, and I get worried about trying new things with spices that aren't my favorites. I'd hate to waste all the time and ingredients.

But....this was good. I would make it again. The kid ate it without complaining. It's probably good cold, sliced into salad. It makes a mean fajita.

So, even though I'm not completely sold on the holistic teachings of Dr. Weil, I think I may hang onto the book and try some more recipes. 

If it's good enough for Oprah, its good enough for me!

Parton Me, But Have You Seen Dolly?

Back in 2009, we took an epic road trip.

Starting here in Connecticut, we stopped in State College, PA, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and then back home.

We saw everything from Penn State, to Churchill Downs, a ball game, a bat factory, Lincoln's birthplace, Graceland, the motel where MLK was assassinated, the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, Luray Caverns, Mammoth Cave, and everything in between.

We ate at places we had seen on Man v. Food and Food Network, like Gus' Fried Chicken, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, and the Loveless Cafe. We sat in Elvis' booth at the Arcade and ate fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. It was awesome.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was one of our many stops. I thought it looked like the Hillbilly Las Vegas. A strip of pancake houses, wax museums, go-karts, hotels, panning for gold and other oddities. It is also the home of Dollywood and Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Oh, and Dolly Parton herself.

We grabbed lunch at a place called the Applewood Farmhouse. It was down home cooking that featured things like apple fritters and apple juleps. For some reason I ended up buying their cookbook, because who doesn't like apples?

This ended up being another dust collector. I suppose its more of a souvenir than a practical cookbook at this point.

Guess I got all caught up in the apple-craziness that afternoon?

I chose to make Topsy-Turvy Apple Coffee Cake. Mostly because I had all of the ingredients already and because it looked fairly easy.

3/4 c butter or margarine, divided
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c pecans, chopped
1 cups of sliced apples
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in 8-inch square baking dish; blend in brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle pecans over brown sugar, place apple slices in single layer over nuts. Stir baking soda into sour cream and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Cream remaining 1/2 cup butter; add eggs and beat thoroughly. Stir flour, sugar and baking powder together. Add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately to creamed mixture; starting and ending with dry ingredients. Pour over apples, bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in dish 10 minutes, invert onto serving dish.

Ok.

First of all, I had no idea what happens when you add baking soda to sour cream.

Science!

It glopped all over the place, and that was really annoying. This was not turning out to be as quick and easy as I thought...

The end result was just okay. The boys ate it and liked it, but I tasted it and would not make it again. There was nothing remarkable about it...and I have made so many other apple cakes that were much better than this one.

Still, I feel like I can't get rid of the cookbook. Mostly because it's just a fun souvenir from a great trip. I may drag it out one day and try something else. And then probably get rid of it!

Split Pea Heaven

I was a total slug this weekend.

Between the below zero temperatures, the Valentine's Day gluttony, and the four and a half hours I spent on the couch watching the SNL40 special, I feel like garbage.

Not enough fresh air, too many carbs, and a neglected house.

Time to push the reset button!

I'm like the Very Hungry Caterpillar who needs just one green leaf to feel better. Hopefully that will do the trick!

I did make some soup yesterday that is unbelievably delicious...if you like split pea.

It is incredibly easy to do, and only has a few ingredients. The only one that I wonder about nutritionally are the smoked turkey legs. Obviously there is a salt factor going on, and some other shady ingredients. But...I may have to try with regular turkey legs and see if it still works because this soup is ridiculous.

3 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 T olive oil
1 cup green split peas
2 medium smoked turkey legs
Pepper
(I am leaving out the salt due to the smoky turkey)

Heat olive oil in stockpot. Sauté carrots, celery, onion and garlic until they begin to sweat. Add split peas and turkey legs. Add water to cover just above the split peas. Cover and simmer for an hour or so.

Remove turkey legs and let cool. Shred meat off the bone, discard skin. Add the meat back into the soup.

That's it, people. It's that easy.

My Funny Valentines

It was a rare treat to have Valentine's Day on a Saturday this year.  It gave us plenty of time to be together and spend some time in the kitchen as a family.

Since there are three of us in my little family, we each chose a cookbook from the collection and picked a recipe to make.

Each one of us had varying results!

The kiddo chose something from this book:

The husband chose something from this book:

And I chose something from this book:

That makes 19, 20, and 21 of 99 cookbooks down.

The best part is that they are all keepers!

I could start in order with salad, then entree, then dessert....but I'm going with dessert first!

The chef is super cute!

He chose something more complicated than I had expected, so I gave him a hand. I would say he did about 75% of the work on this one.

This particular book is fantastic for kids, because it gives very specific instructions and encourages the chef to be sure they have all of their materials ready before they begin. There are explanations as to why they need to prep things a certain way, and helpful suggestions for substitutions or corrections.

I picked this one up at a Scholastic Warehouse sale last year, and I am SO glad that I did. It's a beautiful book and all of the recipes look fantastic. It isn't a dumbed-down kids' cookbook at all. We've got one of those...I'm sure it will make an appearance sooner or later!

Instead of transcribing the recipe, I am going to post photos of it.

 

Here is Mr. Big Hands swirling the batter together:

And the finished product:

 It was pretty damn delicious! Very rich though, even though I subbed reduced-fat cream cheese for the regular. If you make this, I suggest a tiny slice or you may regret it!

To erase the dessert calories, we can move on to the salad...

This is a Winter Green Salad with Sugared Walnuts, Crispy Pears and Pomegranate. 

My darling husband chose this from his new cookbook that he got for the holidays. He nailed the Pomegranate Vinaigrette that goes on the salad.

Winter Green Salad with Sugared Walnuts, Crispy Pears and Pomegranate

Serves 6.

6 cups chopped or torn bitter greens (arugula, romaine lettuce, frisee, dandelion greens or watercress)
2 D'Anjou pears (red or green), thinly sliced
Seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

For the sugared walnuts:
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 tablespoon maple sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups walnuts

For the pomegranate vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon zesty honey mustard
sea salt

Prepare the vinaigrette: in a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients by hand or with handheld blender. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the walnuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine syrup, walnut oil, maple sugar and cinnamon. Add walnuts, toss to coat and spread on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and set aside.

Assemble the salad: Place greens in salad bowl, combine with most (but not all) of the sliced pears, drizzle with pomegranate vinaigrette and toss to coat. Arrange remaining pears and sugared walnuts over salad greens, top with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Unfortunately, we had some issues with the nuts.

When you've been primarily out of the kitchen for the last 17 years, and you have multiple distractions, mistakes are bound to happen. Rather than measuring the nuts out into a dry measuring cup, he just went by the weight on the bag. Bzzzt. Not the same thing.

So, our nuts were not as candied as one would want. Then when we tried to fix them, we just ended up burning them.

Fortunately, I had a stash of candied pecans from Target in the cabinet left over from Thanksgiving. Success! (You've got to picture Kristin Wiig's Target Lady saying that one!)

The salad was saved and it was delicious.

Onto the main event....

Blue Ginger is a restaurant in Wellesly, MA. When my husband and I lived outside of Boston in Newton Centre back in 1998 & 1999 Ming Tsai opened a restaurant nearby and we had to check it out. Ming was the MAN back then. A big, handsome guy who had a cooking show on Food Network.

We had a delicious meal at Blue Ginger, and were fortunate enough to meet Ming himself that night. We purchased his new cookbook, and he was gracious enough to sign it for us:

I chose to make Teriyaki Salmon, since that seems to be the only protein source that we all can agree on these days. Living with a vegetarian, a dieter and an 11 year old can get complicated. 

So, we settled on Teriyaki Salmon with Mirin Cucumber Salad

Vinaigrette

1 ½ teaspoons wasabi powder1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet sake)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ cup Grapeseed oil
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
Juice and zest of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
4 skinless salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), preferably center cut
2 large English cucumbers julienned*

To make the vinaigrette, combine the wasabi powder and mirin in a medium bowl and mix to make a paste.  Whisk in the vinegar and sugar.  Whisk in the oil and season with the salt and pepper.  Taste and correct the seasonings, if necessary.  

1. To make the salmon, combine the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer slowly until reduced by half or syrupy, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame seeds and cool.   Transfer to a baking dish, at the salmon, turn to coat and marinate for 1 hour. 
   
2. Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat the broiler.  If cooking outdoors, spray the grill with nonstick cooking spray.  Grill the salmon over high heat, or broil, turning once until the flesh is slightly charred, about 4 minutes per side.  Brush the fish with the remaining marinade as it cooks.   The fish will be medium-rare to medium.
   
3. About 10 minutes before serving, toss the cucumbers with enough of the vinaigrette to coat them completely.  Correct the seasonings and set aside.   Divide the salmon among 4 plates.  Place a salmon fillet on top of each portion and serve.

And there you have it. A pretty successful Valentine's Day dinner that we all helped make. I couldn't think of a lovelier way to spend a snowy Saturday night!

My Heart Belongs to Whole Foods

It's no secret that I've had a long-standing love affair with Whole Foods.

Its one of my happy places. I get a Whole Foods high every time I step through the doors. There is just something intoxicating about it. I don't know if its something that they pump through the ventilation system, or just the dizzying array of exotic products that haven't been tainted with preservatives and pesticides.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to an event back in November to explore Whole Foods Thanksgiving options, which I wrote about here.

This time I got to go back for a Valentine's event, and I'm going to share the love with all of you right now!

Last time, we had a sit-down dinner to sample all of Whole Foods offerings. This time, it was a more casual environment, with stations set up with delicious Valentine foods, gift ideas and some beautiful floral arrangements that are offered this time of year.

There are some amazing specials going on, and a great selection of floral arrangements, from a single rose in a bud vase to tulips. There were also some very creative options, like this one:

Not the greatest shot, but I love the pussy willow stems crafted into a heart! 

They had some gift items as well, and I ended up gifting myself some of the Savannah Bee lotion later on in the evening! Happy V-Day to me!

Aside from the flowers and the gifts, there were seven other stations set up with delicacies to entice everyone. 

There was the ubiquitous Valentine's Day dinner....surf and turf. Whole Foods is offering an outrageous deal this year:

Seriously? $19.99 for two steaks and two lobster tails? Ridiculous! I passed on the lobster due to allergies, but I had some sirloin. It was good, but I would punch it up a bit at home with a compound butter while heating it up. Amazing deal, though!

I much preferred this option:

Sole with Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, Herb Truffled Fingerling Potatoes with Crispy Shallots, and Ribboned Carrots with Baby Brussels Sprouts. The fish was delicate and perfectly cooked, with a gentle lemon-butter flavor. The veggies were good, and I even ate the sprouts like a good girl! But those potatoes? Oh my. I needed a moment with those. I'm not sure if it's because I've been off the carbs for so long or what, but those potatoes were making my head explode with delight. Insanely good.

There was also the option of Coffee and Vanilla Rubbed Pork. Same sides as the fish. The pork was very tender, and had more of a kick than I had expected! There was some cayenne in there, as well as chili powder. It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

Pasta was also represented in the form of Heart-Shaped Ravioli that was stuffed with crab and lobster:

There was also a pasta company from South Jersey called Severino Pasta that had some heart-shaped pasta. They supply all of the fresh pasta to Whole Foods as well as some of their sauces.

Now we come to my two most unexpected favorites...

One of them is from a wonderful company that makes a product called Just Mayo. It is a delicious egg-free mayonnaise. There is the most adorable woman who demos the product at Whole Foods all of the time. The kind of lady that hugs you when you say goodbye. Just as sweet as can be! We are big fans of the product...but I was wondering what the heck she was doing at a Valentine's Day event. Mayo? Not so sexy.

Well, consider me wrong.

This mayo was dead sexy. Don't believe me? Just watch...

Where's the mayo? What? You don't see it?

It's there. It's in the chocolate.

I was blown away. It was delicious. 

Fortunately, my new BFF the Just Mayo lady shared her recipe with me and I will now share it with you:

1/2 cup packed cocoa powder

3/4 cup Just Mayo

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

2 T milk

Beat cocoa powder, Just Mayo and vanilla together until well combined. Add milk and sugar and whip until smooth.

Serve with strawberries, graham crackers, or whatever else you want to slather chocolate deliciousness on!

The other product that I fell for was from a company called RIPE. They make "bar juice" that is cold-pressed and 100% natural. Simple, pure ingredients. Low glycemic. Insanely good. 

So good that I went and bought some to bring home. The Mojito was phenomenal, and its a fun mixer  with or without the alcohol. With more snow coming our way this weekend here in Connecticut, I'm happy to know I have a little bit of summertime in my glass with this product!

So what's Valentine's Day without the chocolate?

Well, Whole Foods has covered ALL of the bases. From custom chocolate-dipped strawberries, to cheesecakes, cupcakes, layer cakes and tiered cakes you are all set to go into sugar-shock.

Look at these gorgeous creations:

So there you have it. Whole Foods put out yet another stellar spread for the holiday. And one that won't break the bank, either! Can you imagine getting steak, lobster and two dozen roses for under $50? That's NUTS!!!

I know I'll be celebrating with my two favorite guys this Valentine's Day and some provisions from my favorite store...Whole Foods!