Tofu Stir Fry

    Thinking ahead to lunch this week, I didn't really have any stellar plans or ideas.  I had a package of tofu in the fridge that I needed to use, so I let that guide me this week.  I decided to make a stir fry, quick and easy.  I consulted a couple of online recipes before winging my own concoction.

Tofu Stir Fry

Ingredients
14 oz package of tofu
1 bunch of broccoli
1 bunch of asparagus
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt


Marinade
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp water


Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water


Method
1. Drain and remove excess water from tofu.
2. Place the cubed tofu in a bowl with the mixed marinade ingredients.  Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. While the tofu is marinading, chop your vegetables and mix together the ingredients for the sauce.
4. Next heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat.  Heat 1 tbsp of oil.  Next add the tofu and brown each side.  Then remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
5. Add another tbsp (or less) of olive oil to the skillet and add minced garlic cloves.  After about 2 minutes, add the vegetables, sprinkle with salt, and add 1/2 cup of water.  Cover the skillet to steam vegetables for 4-5 minutes.
6. Once the vegetables are tender, remove any excess water, then add the tofu back to the skillet.  Pour the sauce over the skillet and heat all of the ingredients together.
7.  Serve over brown rice.

The Taste Test
     Many stir fry recipes call of corn starch; however, I find that it is not necessary so I never include this ingredient.  This stir fry came out really great.  The vegetables were perfectly tender and really soaked up the flavor of the soy sauce.  The veggies reminded me of the flavor of Chinese Vegetables, one of my favorite dishes.  

A smoothie a day...

    My Real Simple Magazine for the month of February came and it was full of great information and ideas.  It featured the 30 foods that you should be using and the thing that got me really excited that they were just basic things-whole foods.  I have been trying to use more whole foods and natural ingredients while cooking.  I have never been one to eat a ton of processed foods, but it is something I have been thinking a lot about lately.  It was nice to see that many of the new things I have been trying to use made Real Simple's list. 
     The magazine had a spread about smoothies.  I think it was the simple photographs and pretty colors that really stood out on this one.  I decided that each day this week, I would try a new smoothie, drawing inspiration from the magazine.

Day 1

Cashew Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup ice
1 banana
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews

Method
1. Place the cashews in the 1/2 cup of water and place in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Add the banana and ice to the cashews and water and blend until smooth.

The Taste Test
     This was very easy to make.  The results were thick and delicious.  I liked the almost chewy texture the cashews gave to this treat.  It was almost like drinking a milk shake.  The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.  Since I exhausted my syrup supply on my granola, I skipped this and was happy I did.  There was no need for extra sweetness.  Can't wait for day 2!

Day 2

Strawberry Smoothie

This one I forgot to take a picture of until it was almost all gone...

Ingredients
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 tbsp flax seeds
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

Method
 1. Pace all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

The Taste Test
This one was cold!  I don't know what I was expecting and it probably wasn't the best idea to try this one on the coldest day of the year.  However, it was a nice treat given that I have not had strawberries in months since they are not in season.  I don't love orange juice, so in the future I might try this one again with a different kind of juice.  It may also need a bit more juice.  My smoothie was pretty thick.

Day 3

Berry Banana Nut Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
3/4 Cup Mixed Frozen Berries
1/2 banana
1 tbsp natural peanut butter

Method
    Blend all ingredients until smooth. 


The Taste Test
   Yum! Yum! Yum!  I definitely like milk as a base much better than orange juice.  This smoothie had a nice creamy consistency and I loved the hint of peanut butter.  This may be my favorite so far.

Day 4

Berry and Oat Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 water
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup ice
1 tbsp brown sugar


Method
1. Soak oats in water for 15 minutes.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

The Taste Test
    This tasted like a regular old berry smoothie.  It was refreshing and the oatmeal gave it a thicker texture.  The Real Simple recipe also called for fresh ginger, which I didn't have.  I think that may have added an interesting twist to this classic smoothie.  I'll have to remember to pick some ginger up at the store.  Also looking back at my smoothies from the last few days, I realized that they all look the same.  Maybe I'll aim for something green next... 

Day 5

Grape and Spinach Smoothie

  Ingredients
1 cup red seedless grapes
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup ice

Method 
1. Combine grapes, spinach, coconut milk, and ice in the blender.
2. Blend until smooth.

The Taste Test
    I have to be honest, I did not have high hopes for this smoothie but I was determined to make something green.  When I told someone my plans for this smoothie yesterday, they wrinkled then nose at the idea.  I LOVED IT!  The consistency was more watery than some of the other smoothies I posted previously but it really worked.  I love coconut so the creamy texture it added was very nice.  My dad even stopped over and had a skeptical sip.  He said, "it's not bad," which for anyone who knows my dad means he liked it.  Although when I offered to make him his own smoothie, he passed.  I guess he didn't like it that much!  This smoothie tasted really fresh and I think I have just enough grapes to make another one tomorrow.


    If you have any smoothie ideas you love, feel free to post them in the comment section.  I have really enjoyed experimenting with different ingredients and welcome any suggestions.

Boredom Baking

    I had no reason to bake today, except that my friend Elena made me a copy of a recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine in the staff room yesterday that I thought I'd try.  We finally shoveled out from yet another snow storm and another snow day.  My parents picked me up for a much needed outing to the grocery store.  Have you ever been in the grocery store trying to remember a recipe and what you might need?  That's how I found myself today.  I was trying to visualize the recipe and the only ingredient I thought I needed was dried cherries, but I neglected to remember that I was out of dark chocolate chips.  Improvise!

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup old fashion oats
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Method

1.Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Mix butter, brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.  Next add the egg and vanilla and mix together.
4.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Mix until well blended.  Then add the oats, cherries, and chocolate chips.
5.  Use an ice cream scoop (2 inches) to place batter on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Each cookie should be about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 13-14 minutes.  Turn the cookie trays half way through the baking time.
7.  Cool on wire racks.

This recipe made 25 LARGE cookies.

The Taste Test
    The original recipe called for 4.5 oz of dark chocolate coarsely chopped.  I didn't have that or semi sweet chips to I decided to mix milk chocolate and white chocolate chips.  I've never had dried cherries before.  They are similar to dried cranberries only a little more tart.  These cookies came out pretty big, so the spacing is important. 
   I sampled a broken cookie and they were very buttery and delicious, not much different than a regular chocolate chip cookie.  While these babies were baking I decided I would package them up and give them to our custodians at school tomorrow.  They deserve them with all the snow shoveling they have been doing.  Random baking turned random act of kindness.

Broccoli Soup

    Creamy broccoli soup has always been one of my favorites.  Oddly, I have never attempted to make it...until today!  Another recipe from February's Real Simple Magazine.

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients
2 bunches of broccoli (about 7 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato or a few small ones, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (white)

Method
1.  Heat oil in pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 4-6 minutes.
2. Add broccoli, potato, broth, water, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Cover and simmer under vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes).
3. Use an immersion blender to blend soup until it is smooth.  Add a bit of grated cheese to the top before serving.


The Taste Test
    I was a little worried about the taste of this soup given that there is no cream and very little cheese.  I was pleasantly surprised as I had my first taste.  You would never know that this soup was made without cream and a ton of cheese.  The potato really helps to give it a really thick and creamy taste.  I did grate a little cheese over my soup, which gave it just a bit of extra flavor but it would be totally fine on it's own.  I'm really excited about this one.  I can't wait for my sister to get home so I can make her a batch...it's one of her favorites too!

Homemade Granola

     Esty has a blog called Eatsy that I just stumbled across in my boredom induced by another snow day!  They were featuring a recipe for granola that intrigued me.  Granola in the grocery store is so expensive and who the heck knows what's in it for sure.  Yesterday, Arnauld and I passed a Whole Foods so I went in a explored the bulk bins for all of the things I needed. 

Homemade Granola

Ingredients
3 cups old fashion oats
3/4 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (shelled)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon


Method
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Mix everything, except the cranberries, in a large bowl.
3. Place the granola on a cookie sheet, in a thin layer.
4. Bake in the over for 45 minutes.  Stir every 10-15 minutes.
5. After taking the granola out of the oven, stir in dried cranberries.

This recipe made about 7 cups of granola.


The Taste Test
So far I've just nibbled on this a bit, but I'll be adding some to some yogurt later today and will give a real taste test then...

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

     My friend Erin is coming over for lunch later this afternoon.  She is bringing homemade hummus and we are going to make hummus wraps.  I searched around for something simple that would go along with our healthy lunch.  I finally decided on tomato and chickpea soup, a recipe I found on Simple Daily Recipes.  This will be the first recipe I try from this blog, so I'm excited to see how it comes out.  It seems simple enough!

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (14 oz)
3 cups of water or vegetable broth
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
5 cups spinach
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper


Method
1. In a large pot, cook the onion until soft over medium heat.  Toss in the garlic, chickpeas, water, rice, tomatoes, spinach, tomato paste, and parsley.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about 25 minutes.  Stir from time to time.
2. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  Let the soup sit for about 10 minutes before serving.


The Taste Test
     Delicious!  This was so easy to make and tasted great.  A nice slice of crusty bread would make this the perfect meal.  

If we have to watch football, we might as well eat nachos!

     So many people are in a football craze these days, with the excitement of the Superbowl on everyone's mind.  Everyone except probably me.  Friday Arnauld came home from work pumped for all of the games this weekend.  The mere mention of ALL the games made me cringe.  But trying to put a positive spin on the situation, I decided to make nachos and invite the gang over.  I won't pretend that these are healthy because I didn't really even think about that last night as a created three trays of deliciousness.  The great thing about nachos is that they are hard to mess up and you can toss on anything that you love.  Here is what I used:

Nachos

Ingredients
Snyder Tortilla Chips
Mexican Shredded Cheese
Fresh Tomatoes, chopped
Pickled Jalapenos (from a jar)
Ground beef, prepared with a package of taco seasoning
Olives
Vegetarian Refried Beans
Avocado
Salsa
Sour Cream

Method
1. Before preparing the actual nachos, I made my variation of guacamole...which is very simple.  I started out by literally squeezing all of the avocado out of the skin.  I then use my hands to mush it all up.  I finish the guacamole off with some salt and pepper.  Sometimes if I'm feeling crazy I mix in a spoonful of salsa.  Someday I'll try making "real" guacamole.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Lay the tortilla chips in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Add refried beans, tomato, beef, olives, and cheese.
4. Bake in over until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
5. Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. 

I bought 2 bags of chips and made 3 trays of nachos.  I prepared one tray without beef for my vegetarian pals.

This snow day calls for spaghetti and meatballs...

     Another 2 feet of snow means a snow day in Connecticut...again!  It feels like there is a new storm brewing every few days.  I always look forward to the first few snowfalls of the year.  I love the clean look everything has before the snow is tainted with sand and footprints.  I also love the way the trees look when the branches are covered in snow.  Unfortunately, this part of a snow storm does not last that long.  Then reality sets in and shoveling has to get done and the excitement of a snow day settles and I find myself stir crazy!  What better way to cure the boredom than to cook?

     Last night one of Arnauld's co-workers mentioned that he was going to spend the night at his parents house and have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  This sounded good so Arnauld and I made a quick trip to the grocery store to get some ingredients so that we could make our own spaghetti and meatball dinner on this fine snow day.  Over the holidays my Uncle Tony mentioned a Giada recipe for tomato sauce that he has tried and really liked.  So that's on the agenda for later this evening.  I also had some ground chicken in the fridge so I've already mixed up a batch of chicken meatballs that I'm excited to get into the oven later tonight.

Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 med onion minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup uncooked instant oatmeal
• 1 eggs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp  basil
• 1 tsp  oregano
• 1 tsp  parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Method
1. Mince your onion and garlic or throw them in a food processor if you don't want to chop them. Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.
2. Form into equal sized meatballs.
3. Cover your sheet or pan with tin foil for easy clean up.
4. Bake at 425F for  20-25 minutes. Don't overcook or they will be dry. Break one open and make sure the center is cooked through before serving or cooling to freeze.

*I made 10 rather large meatballs with this recipe

Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 to 6 basil leaves
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Method

1. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
2. Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

The Taste Test
    I'm not the greatest fan of Italian dishes, possibly because I take it for granted.  I have a straight from Italy Grandma who makes hundreds of jars of tomato sauce every summer and spaghetti and other pasta dishes are a part of every meal she makes.

     This sauce was really easy to make.  I didn't end up food processing half the batch because I added the meatballs before I remembered that step.  I actually liked the slight chunks of vegetables that were left in the sauce.  We had a lot of extra sauce since I only cooked half a pound of spaghetti.  I poured the leftover sauce into a freezer bag for another snowy day.

     The meatballs came out really soft, I think because they were baked rather than fried in a skillet.  They tasted good with the sauce.  Overall, these recipes are keepers for the few times a decade we may feel like tomato sauce and meatballs!

Small Treats

     This week I've gone back to some tried and true recipes.  Friday night, I stopped at the store on my way home from school after an early dismissal because of snow.  I picked up the things I needed to make homemade pizza.  When Arnauld finally made it home from work, there was hot pizza waiting for him.
    Earlier in the week I made the lemon and honey glazed chicken thighs that I previously posted and today I already have rice prepared to make brown rice and chickpea veggies burgers, which is already up on my blog as well.  I couldn't go a whole week without trying something new, so when I came across this recipe for mini-chocolate chip cookies I knew I could give them a whirl while my rice cooked.  They literally took 10 minutes start to finish.

Mini-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Butter, softened
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 Large Egg White
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method
1. Blend together butter, oil, and sugar in a small bowl.  Add vanilla, salt, and egg white.
2. Combine flour and baking soda.  Combine with batter.  Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop 48 half teaspoons onto cookie sheets, leaving a bit of room between each cookie.  Bake at 375 for 5 minutes.


The Taste Test
     These little sweets are the perfect solution to a craving for chocolate without throwing good habits out the window.  They taste just like your favorite full size cookie and as long as you don't get carried away and eat the entire plate, you won't sacrifice whatever New Year Resolutions you may have set for yourself!  Now I'm off to deliver a plate of these to my Grandma.

Friendship Bread

    This recipe comes from grouprecipes.com.  I have never been on this site before but when I googled the ingredients I was hoping to use to make a bread, I was pleasantly surprised.  On the site, this recipe is called Cranberry Oatmeal Bread.  I am going to rename it Friendship Bread.  The recipe called for walnuts and grated orange peel.  I did not have either.  I used sliced almonds instead and forgot about the orange.

Friendship Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal 
• 1-1/4 cup hot water 
• 3/4 cup softened butter 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp grated orange peel
• 1 egg
• 2-1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1-1/4 cup chopped cranberries (I used dried)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used 1 cup of slivered almonds)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease and flour 2 (8" x 4") loaf pans and set aside
3. In medium bowl, combine oats and hot water
4. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes
5. In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy
6.Add oat mixture, sour cream, orange peel and egg, blend well
7.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, mix gently
8. Fold in cranberries and walnuts
9. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans and smooth to level
10. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and sprinkle over batter I skipped this.
11. Bake for 55-65 minutes until bread is golden brown and pulls away from the sides of pan
12.Cool 5 minutes in pan. Carefully run a knife around the edges of the bread and remove to wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap to store.

Update: So my friend Heather has demanded more feedback on how my recipes turn out.  I often blog while things are cooking/baking.  I do this to kill time and also to avoid cleaning the kitchen!  My blog is usually posted before I have even had a chance for a taste test. In an effort to please my best pal, who is too far away to enjoy any of my endeavors, I will try to add a bit more about how my recipes turn out.  Here it goes...


The Taste Test
    This friendship bread smelled SO good baking in the oven.  Fortunately this recipe made two loaves because as soon as I flipped the bread onto the cooking rack, I hacked off a chunk...just to make sure it was edible.  This was a sweet treat that wasn't too dry.  Because of the almonds and cranberries, it had a nice mix of chewiness and crunch.  Unfortunately I was in such a rush to taste it that my cut came out uneven so I just had to cut off and eat a bit more to even things out.    It took a few cuts to get it just right but now I'm happy to report that everything is in order and I still have one loaf of bread to share with a friend.

Quinoa Tofu and Veggies

    2011 and I am going to start the year off with something other than soup for lunch!  I wanted to try something new, so I bought some tofu at the store and then searched for a recipe.  I found a recipe for Quinoa Tofu and Veggies at savvyvegetarian.com.  I adapted the recipe a bit based on what I had in the kitchen.  It was pretty easy to make and I took a bite to taste test it and it was good!  There is a lot of texture and I think it will be really filling.

Quinoa Tofu and Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 lb extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup cashew pieces-The recipe never mentioned where these came in, I just tossed them in with the tofu
• 1 Tbsp peeled minced fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 six inch zucchini
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaf
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp gr coriander
• 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro

Method

1. Soak quinoa 15 - 20 minutes, rinse, drain and set aside
2. Cut tofu in bite sized cubes, place in a small bowl, sprinkle with garlic salt and soy sauce and shake or stir to coat with marinade. Set aside
3. Heat 1 -2 Tbsp olive oil on low in a large pan
4. Mince ginger and garlic
5. Chop celery, carrots, and zucchini into small pieces.
6. Turn the heat up to medium, and stir fry ginger, garlic, celery, carrots for 5 minutes
7. Add zucchini and stir fry another five minutes
8. Stir in dry spices, herbs
9. Add the drained quinoa and stir until coated with spices
10. Add 1 3/4 cup water, and salt, then bring to a boil, cover and cook 15 minutes on low
11. Meanwhile, fry the tofu cubes on medium, stirring and turning, until browned
12. Stir tofu and parsley into the quinoa and vegetables
13. Heat on low for another few minutes and serve

The Taste Test
     This dish had a lot of flavor and texture.  The combination of ginger and soy sauce along with the cashews made this a really tasty lunch.  The tofu had a good consistency, not too mushy.  I've found a good method for getting all of the excess water out of my tofu, although it looks a bit strange.  I remove the tofu from the package and pat it dry with paper towel.  I then place the tofu between several layers of paper towel and underneath my heaviest cutting board.  I then place canisters of sugar and grains on top and let it sit for about 45 minutes.  It's amazing how much water gets removed through this process.  I bought another package of tofu at the store this week.  I'm excited to try and find something new to try.  Stay tuned... 

If you cook, they will come

   I've discovered that my cooking is a selfish act.  I cook so that my family can gather and be together.  I cook because I know that when I do, everyone will come over and for a moment relax from the craziness that ordinarily consumes their day.  Arnauld is probably tired of hearing me say, "Hey, want to make dinner for everyone tonight?"  Last night, New Years Eve, was no exception.  I went straight to the internet to find some new and not so complicated recipes to tackle.  Here is what I came up with:

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/3  cup  reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, divided
• 1  (15.5-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; add 1 can of artichokes and beans. Process until smooth. Add remaining can of artichokes, 3/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, and garlic. Pulse 20 times or until artichokes are coarsely chopped.
3. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Maple Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

Method

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Arrange the chicken, onion, and sweet potatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Drizzle with the maple syrup and top with the sprigs of thyme.
3. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Antipasto Style Penne

Ingredients

• 1  medium red bell pepper-I skipped this
• 1/2  cup  pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/3  cup  refrigerated pesto
• 3  ounces  prosciutto, chopped-I also skipped this to make it a vegetarian option
• 1  (7-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped
• 1  (6-ounce) jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 8  ounces  uncooked penne pasta (about 2 cups)
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4  cup  pine nuts, toasted

Method

1. Stir olives, pesto, tomatoes, and artichokes together in a large bowl.3. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to vegetable mixture, and toss gently to combine. Spoon about 1 cup pasta mixture into each of 6 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining cheese and 2 teaspoons pine nuts.

My mom made Magic Bars for dessert.

Magic Bars

Ingredients

1 stick melted margarine                            

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

6 oz chocolate chips                                     

1 cup coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Method

Melt butter in 13x9 pan, pack in graham crackers on bottom of dish, and layer chocolate chips and coconut. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

     My sister and her family are leaving to go back to North Carolina later today.  My heart feels heavy knowing I'll have to say goodbye to them for a while.  It's amazing how much our family has grown with the addition of Jax and Ace.  They are so loved by everyone.  Sometimes I'm amazed by how much love I do have for them.  I feel so fortunate to have been able to be so close to them as they grow and learn.  I'm fascinated by how much they soak in from the world around them.  The other night I slept over my mom's house while Arnauld was in Long Island.  I slept in Jax's room.  When he woke up, he got so excited and said, "The sun is awake!  Time to get up."   They remind me to take time to cherish the little things in life, the things that make everything worthwhile.  It's these little moments that I will miss most-that and hanging out with my sister.  But thanks to modern technology, I know they are only a Skype call away...or a short plane ride!

 Happy 2011!