Magazines

   I love my magazines.  I currently subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, and Cooking Light.  Opening my mailbox and finding the latest issue is like a present.  I try not to read the whole thing in one sitting, so I can save it.  I also love to try the recipes from all three of these magazines.  Sure there are lots of recipes online, but that is SO big.  I like to think the recipes in my magazines are hand selected for me and just waiting for me to give them a whirl.  So last week, all three of my magazines came within days of each other.  I have been trying to space out my reading.  While driving to Meriden for our hiking this weekend, I brought along Cooking Light and dog-eared several recipes that caught my eye.  I was so excited during school today to come home and try this one out...what a nerd!  It's called Fall Vegetable Curry and it has sweet potatoes in it, so of course I knew I'd love it.  I haven't tasted it yet since I'm about to run out to kick boxing, but if nothing else it looks like a beautiful fall day...in a dish!  It smells pretty good too.

Fall Vegetable Curry

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (just realized I totally read that wrong...I threw in the whole onion!)
2 tsp Madras Curry powder (What is that you may ask?  You may know, but I didn't.  I also didn't have it.  But you can substitute 1 1/2 tsp regular curry powder and 1/2 tsp red pepper.)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained (I also threw in fresh tomatoes)
2 tbsp, chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sweet potato to pan, saute 3 minutes.  Decrease heat to med.  Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute; stirring continuously.  Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with yogurt.

This yields 4 servings (1 cup curry and 2 tbsp yogurt)
Calories: 231, Fat: 3.9 g, Protein: 10.4 g, Fiber: 8.6g (Just thought I'd throw that in there since the magazine did!)

It also suggests serving this dish with Cashew Basmati Rice.  If you are interested in that recipe, just let me know.  I didn't have time, or the ingredients.  

Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Shiitake Salad with Tofu

Dear Deborah,
    Here is the recipe for that green bean salad I've been promising you!  Enjoy!

Tofu:
1 (12 oz) package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch slices
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 garlic clove, grated
Cooking Spray

Salad:
2 tbsp dark sesame oil, divided
1 cup uncooked pearl barley (I had to google where to find this, while in the grocery store.  You can find it in the section with dried beans.  It comes in a bag.  Think Goya)
5 cups water
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
10 oz large shiitake mushrooms, remove stems
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp agave nectar or honey
2 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 Garlic Clove, minced


1. Prepare tofu, place slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with more paper towels.  Top with a cutting board;place a heavy skillet on top of board.  Let stand 45 minutes, pressing down occasionally.  Cut each slice into 10 cubes; arranging in a single layer in a shallow dish.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl.  Pour mixture over tofu in dish, turn to coat evenly.  Let stand for 25 minutes.  Arrange tofu in a single layer on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.  Cool completely.
4. To prepare salad, heat 1 tsp sesame oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add barley to pan, cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently.  Add 5 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until barley is tender.  Drain, cool completely.  Place barley in a large bowl.
5. Cook green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain and plunge green beans into cold water.  Drain and pat dry.  Add beans to barley.
6. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Brush tops of mushrooms with 2 tsp oil.  Add mushrooms to pan, oiled side down.  Cook 5 minutes or until brown.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 tsp salt.  Cool slightly, slice thinly.  Add tofu, mushrooms, and green onions to barley mixture.
7. Combine remaining tbsp oil, rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, agave nectar or honey, grated ginger, and minced garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Drizzle over barley mixture in a bowl; stir well to combine.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.  Makes about 6 servings of 1 1/2 cups.

This one took a while!  But looking back on it, you can definitely do it in well planned steps.  For instance, you can prep the tofu at a completely separate time, same with the barley.  It was well worth it though, this was really yummy and made a great lunch.  A nice Sunday recipe for packing lunch for the next few days.  It can also make a nice side dish.  This was my first attempt at making tofu and since making this I have made several other dishes with tofu.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this one.  If you try it, take a picture and send it my way!

Fall Is Here...Sort Of

We went for a hike at Hubbard Park in Meriden, CT yesterday.  The temperature outside was almost 90 degrees yet there were definite signs of fall all around.

     While the weather outside should be feeling crisp and fall like, it seems that summer is trying to hang on as long as possible.  However, there are definite signs that fall is eventually going to win the struggle.  My lawn is currently sprinkled with yellow leaves that have fallen the trees, the squirrels are busy gathering acorns for their winter stash, and the grocery stores are stocking up on all of the necessities for fall cooking.  A quick trip to Big Y reminded me again that it is not summer anymore.  There were totes of apples, pumpkins, Halloween candy, and a display of locally grown butternut squash.  This year I did not need to purchase squash from the store because my Grandma grew some in her garden this summer and of course graciously gave me three already.  For those of you who don't know my Gram, she is a gardener.  When I was little I thought her house was a farm, without animals.  At the age of 82, she still manages over 100 tomato plants of all varieties, cucumbers, squash, peppers, beans, eggplant, herbs, and much more!  She is very proud of her garden.  Every trip to her house results in a tour of the yard.  She is most proud of the plants that grow in random places, like the crack of a wall.  She excitedly exclaims, "She just grew here all by herself!"
     Last fall I found a recipe in my Cooking Light book for Butternut Squash Soup.  It included Radicchio but I'm still not sure what that is, so I just left it out.  I also made some additions to the soup and so today I'm looking forward to the first batch.  Last year I used an imitation Bullet like apparatus to blend my soup, burning my hands and making a mess (which is not unusual when I'm in the kitchen.)  Last Christmas my parents bought me an immersion blender and Arnauld bought me a food processor.  So this year, I'm excited to try out my new tools.  Right now the squash is baking in the oven.  I'll post a picture of the finished product later on.  But for now, here is the recipe I use.

Butternut Squash Soup
3 lbs Butternut Squash (about 2 medium)
Cooking Spray
5 tsp olive oil, divided
2 large onions finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I use dried if I don't have fresh)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp Parmesan cheese
I also sometimes throw in some brown sugar or cinnamon to make the soup a little sweeter

1. Preheat over to 375
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.  Place , cut side down, on foil lined baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.  Scoop out pulp and set aside.  Discard skins.
3. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in large pan over medium heat.  Add onions, parsley, and thyme; cook for 15 minutes or until lightly browned; stirring frequently.  Add squash, water, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and minced garlic, and bring to a boil.  I also add the brown sugar and cinnamon at this point.  Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.  Place about 2.5 cups into blender, and process until smooth (unless you have an immersion blender).  Repeat until all of your mixture is blended and smooth.  You can top with a little cheese when you serve the soup-I usually don't though.

Happy Times

       So our wedding pictures from our photographer, Katie Slater, popped up in my email unexpectedly yesterday.  What a nice surprise.  I have been stalking Katie's blog for weeks now, waiting for the first glimpse of what I knew would be amazingness.  Since seeing them for the first time yesterday, I can't stop thinking about the wedding.  I have said this to so many people, but it truly was so much fun.  I remember saying to Arnauld the next day, "I'm not sad it's over because when I think about it, everything was just so great!"  That's still true.  I wouldn't want to do it all again, partly because it was a lot to think about but mostly because everything was literally so perfect the first time, why mess with that?  My favorite part of looking at the photos is seeing how much fun everyone else at the wedding had.  I knew Arnauld and I had a blast and so did our families.  But looking through the photos-looking into the background of some of them- I just see so many smiles and people who love each other.  It's sweet.  While planning, that was all we ever wanted-just wanted a big party where everyone had a great time.  I think I may be looking at these pictures nonstop for a while! 

Here is a link for now since I tried to embed the video and it didn't work...Wedding Slideshow

"I feel like a burrito."

     Anyone who knows Arnauld, knows that he can be a somewhat picky eater.  Maybe picky isn't the right word-he is disciplined.  During the week we are pretty good about eating healthy-which usually means pretty simple at this point.  Grilled chicken and steamed veggies is standard.  So when Arnauld came home on Friday stating, "I feel like a burrito," I was pretty excited!  We wanted to keep it simple since it's Sunday night and we had a busy weekend, so I googled "simple chicken burrito recipe" and this is what we got:

Simple Chicken Burrito Recipe

It was really simple and didn't come out bad for my first attempt at the art of burrito making.  I stuck to the recipe, except I threw tomatoes from the garden into mine.  In the future I'd probably experiment with more veggies and other fillings.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Last Sunday marked my mom and dad's 29th wedding anniversary. I always enjoy getting my entire family over so this was a great excuse to make a cake and celebrate the two people that brought us all together. I was originally going to just make a cake, which then turned into ordering pizza. Then dad said, "But Jess, your pizza is so much better than any pizza you can buy." So we made pizza.

     I first tried this pizza recipe from my Cooking Light book for some friends from work this past summer.  It was easy to make and really tasty so I have since made it a few more times.  You can adapt the recipe to include your favorite toppings.  This time I made variations using turkey bacon, zucchini, plum tomatoes, cannellini beans, spinach, and fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients:
Cornmeal
Store bough pizza dough from the refrigerated section
salt and pepper
 olive oil
your favorite pizza toppings

    Begin by placing parchment paper over large baking sheets (you can even use masking tape to hold it down if needed) and sprinkle with a spoonful of cornmeal.  Roll out your pizza dough into whatever shape makes you happy.  This is hard for me, luckily I had my Grandma over to help!  Next add your ingredients, minus any cheese, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Next bake in the oven (on 400 F) for about 20-25 minutes or until it begins to turn golden brown.  Add the fresh mozzarella and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Take out of the oven and drizzle with olive oil.  Cut and serve.

     I wanted to try a new cake and I wanted it to be BIG...it looks more impressive. So I went to the bhg.com and came up with a Pecan-Laced German Chocolate Cake. I always like to boast when my desserts are "made from scratch." Even though everyone was very stuffed with pizza, everyone was happy to try the end result-even Jax who dug right in!

Sundays

    Around this time of year, most people look forward to Sundays because of football.  Not me!  I may have married one of the biggest sports fans alive.  All year he looks forward to the fall because of football-high school, college, the NFL- Arnauld loves is all.   Football season also begins the start of his second career, fantasy football.  He seriously considers it revenue because the last few years he has won in one of the leagues he plays.  So while he is yelling at the tv and keeping a constant eye on his score via espn.com, I take advantage of this time to try new recipes or prepare meals for the week ahead.
     This week at school, parents will have a chance to visit our classroom for Back to School Night.  The last few years I have attempted to break the awkwardness of this initial meeting with cookies.  Instead of listening to me babble on about sight words and writing workshop, parents are planning the quickest route to the giant plate of cookies I have waiting for them.  Last year my mom made delicious chocolate chip cookies for me that I of course claimed that I made myself.  This year, I thought I would make my own-chocolate chip oaties.  I got this recipe from a book called Perfect Chocolate.  They are quick and easy!

Chocolate Chip Oaties Recipe
Makes about 20

Ingredient

 4 oz butter softened plus extra for greasing          

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar              

1 egg                                                                      

1 cup rolled oats                                                   

1 tbs milk       
1 tsp vanilla extract     
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder     
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa                  
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

6 oz milk chocolate chips                                                           

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then add the oats, milk, and vanilla extract.  Beat together until well blended.  Sift the flour, unsweetened cocoa, and baking powder into the cookie batter and stir.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place dessertspoonfuls of the cookie batter on 2 greased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake in a preheated oven, 350 F, for 15 minutes or until slightly risen and firm.  Let cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.