Balsamic Tilapia and blogs

   My friend Elena originally sent me the recipe for this easy tilapia dish but it called for lots of onions and peppers, which I don't like.   The original recipe also suggested sprinkling the fish with blue cheese before baking, but I don't tend to use a lot of cheese so I cut this out as well.  My recipe looks nothing like the original except the fact that I also used balsamic vinegar but I would never have tried it had it not been for that recipe. Today was my second time making this dish.  The first time I used squash in place of the peppers.  Tonight I used fresh broccoli and sun dried tomatoes.

Balsamic Tilapia  


Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups broccoli
1/2 medium onion
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used the dry kind from a bag)
1/2-2/3 pounds tilapia
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in pan.  Add onion, broccoli, and sun dried tomatoes.  Saute and then add balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Rub tilapia with remaining tbsp of olive oil.  Add salt and pepper.  Place in baking dish.  Add balsamic vegetable mix to the top.
4. Bake until fish flakes (about 20 minutes?)


     In other news, our wedding was featured on La Belle Bride today! Arnauld was just daydreaming about being on Oprah yesterday and having 15 minutes of fame.  While this blog is no Oprah, it was really exciting for me.  I spent a lot of time reading blogs as I envisioned our wedding.  I never had a picture of my wedding growing up...actually, that's not true.  I do remember wanting a poofy dress similar to a cupcake.  However, after getting engaged I had a vision of a rustic backyard party where everyone had a great time.  It turned out to be more beautiful than I ever could have imagined and way more fun.  A lot of that was due to all of the great ideas I got from blogs and from working with all of the great people that I met along the way.  Around the same time I was in full wedding planning mode, I read the book The Happiness Project.  It was a lot like Eat, Pray, Love only more real.  It was about a woman who spent a year trying to make herself happier.  Part of her happiness was in making the time for projects.  I've tried to make time in my life for the projects that help me to feel accomplished and provide a creative outlet...hence the blog!  My wedding gave me plenty of projects and it's exciting to see that it is now featured in a place that might provide inspiration to others.

Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving has come and gone but this year the holiday left a lingering feeling of gratitude in my heart.  I feel so lucky to have my family so close by and to spend time with them as often as I do.  While it was strange not going to my grandma's house for Thanksgiving this year, it was really nice to try something new-to start some new traditions.  For one, it was nice to have both my family and Arnauld's together.  I always feel torn having to rush from one house to another on holidays.  Spending time all together at our house has come to be a tradition in itself so it was nice to extend that to a holiday.  I love the way our house has become a place that everyone feels welcome.  I have a little sampler above the sink in my kitchen that says, "May your house be too small for all of your friends."  Whenever I am washing dishes after having people over I always read it and smile to myself thinking that it's so true. 

For our Thanksgiving centerpiece I brought in some twigs from outside and made cards for everyone to write something they were thankful for.  Arnauld joked that only a teacher would come up with something like this.  I thought it was a nice way for everyone to reflect on their lives and think of something they were grateful for.  My favorite was Jax's.  He said he was thankful for "stinky garbage trucks," his latest obsession. 

      I was so prepared for all of the things I was making for Thanksgiving that I actually felt bored during the day as I waiting for our guests to arrive.  I had made pies Wednesday evening.  This turned out to be a bit eventful because we lost power half way through the baking time.  Adding to the excitement was Jaxson screaming, "Turn on the lights!"  We used the one small flashlight I happened to have in the house to transport the two pies and two screaming children to my mom's house to finish the baking.  The pies were great and the interrupted baking time didn't seem to effect a thing.  Everything else went really smoothly and with the help of many people, we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.

Parmesan Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce

Buttermilk Apple Pie

Of course Jax wouldn't have any Thanksgiving dinner.  This is him driving his stinky garbage truck through his pancake.

The biscuits were a big hit.

Ace is a great eater and tried many new things.

     Friday night we had the pleasure of a sleepover with Jaxson and Ace.  Jaxson and I continued the baking with his favorite, "Pink Cake."  These sweet treats are funfetti cupcakes with  pink Pillsubury frosting.  Jax loves to mix and was a huge help in the kitchen.

Thanksgiving Sneak Peak...

   Our first major holiday as hosts is just around the corner.  Luckily we will have a lot of help preparing a Thanksgiving feast for both my family and Arnauld's.  Arnauld's mom is making the turkey and some veggies.  My mom is making stuffing and pumpkin pie.  

Below are a few recipes that are on my list for the big day.

I wasn't even planning to have cranberry sauce, the thought of that stuff in a can grosses me out. But a conversation at lunch on Friday made me change my mind.  One of my friends at work shared her recipe for fresh cranberry sauce so I'm going to give it a shot. 

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

Fresh cranberries
Navel oranges
Honey

Method
 Put all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend.  It's that easy.  Apparently it comes out kind of crunchy and tart.  You can sweeten to your liking with the honey.   I'm excited to try it!


This next recipe comes from my Real Simple magazine.


Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Parmesan 

Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 1hr 10m

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1⁄4-inch-thick rounds
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Oil a shallow 2 ½- to 3-quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, thyme, cayenne, the remaining tablespoon of oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
4. Remove the foil from the baking dish, sprinkle the pecan mixture over the potatoes, and continue to bake, uncovered, until the pecans are toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. 

This last recipe for warm apple buttermilk custard pie comes from my Cooking Light book.  I made it last year and Arnauld requested it again this year.

Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie

Ingredients:

• 0.5 (15 ounce) package pie dough

Streusel

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Filling

• 5 cups sliced peeled granny smith apples (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hr

1. Preheat oven to 325º.
2. To prepare crust, roll dough into a 14-inch circle; fit into a 9-inch deepdish pie plate coated with cookig spray. Fold edges under; flute. Place pie plate in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. To prepare streusel, lightly spoon 1/3 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1/3 cup flour, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Place streusel in refrigerator.
4. To prepare the filling, heat a large nonstrick skillet coated with cookig spray over medium heat. Add sliced apple, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; cook 10 minutes or until the apple is tender, sitrring mixture occasionally. Spoon the apple mixture into prepared crust.
5. Combine remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour over apple mixture. Bake at 325º for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300º (do not remove pie from oven); sprinkle streusel over pie. Bake at 300º for 40 minutes or until set. Let stand 1 hour before serving.

Here is something else that I thought was a great planning tool for a big undertaking like Thanksgiving...especially if you are a novice like me!  I use a planner made by momAgenda.  I find it to be a great way to stay organized.  If you are a nerd like me, a good planner is important.  I was talking to someone at work just this week about how I can stand in Barnes and Noble or Staples for a really long time contemplating just the right planner or notebook.  So I get periodic emails from momAgenda and they have a free template for planning Thanksgiving dinner.  I haven't actually used it, although I did print it out.  There are other free printables available to help keep you organized.  Here it is in case anyone is interested!

Thanksgiving Planner



Stay tuned for pictures of the finished products and reviews! 

What Ali cooked...

    On Saturday night, Arnauld and I were invited to dinner with Ali and Erik in Stamford.  We were excited to spend the evening with our pals and Ali is a self proclaimed "foodie" so I knew she'd whip up something delicious.  I knew I wasn't planning any major cooking endeavors this weekend, so I asked Ali to write my first guest post.  Hopefully this will just be the first of many from my friends!  Here is goes...


Jess and Arnauld came to dinner in Stamford with me and Erik Saturday
night. We kept it simple, but added a few special things to make each
part of the meal special. First, I made a simple green salad with
romaine lettuce, endive, tomatoes, and avocados. I made homemade
balsamic vinaigrette to make it extra delicious. I usually just toss
ingredients in, taste, and add more of something to make it how I like
it, but I will try and replicate a "recipe".

Ali's Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

 Ingredients


1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup to 3/4 cup)
balsamic vinegar (1/2 cup, maybe)
salt
pepper
oregano (or Italian seasoning - whatever you have on hand)

Blend all ingredients until dressing is thick and creamy.

I also made my new favorite side dish, a little something I like to
call "Mash". It is a take on mashed potatoes and is really easy and a
great way to hide veggies! Here's the "recipe".

Mash

 Ingredients
2-3 potatoes, maybe 4
2 or 3 large carrots
1/2 -3/4 o head of cauliflower
1/2 cup milk, or so (whatever kind you have on hand)
3-4 cloves garlic (or more if you like this garlicky)
2-3 tablespoons butter (margarine, whatever)
sour cream (if you have it on hand)
salt
pepper

Peel and chop potatoes and carrots into small chunks. Cut cauliflower
into similarly sized pieces. Put all ingredients in a large pot with
cool water and bring to a boil. Once cooked through and soft, drain
and return potatoes, carrots and cauliflower to pot. Mash as you would
for mashed potatoes and add milk, butter, and, if using, sour cream.
Mash to desired thickness and add salt and pepper to taste. You can use
hand mixer, stand mixer or even an immersion blender (which is what I
used).

Last, I cooked pork tenderloin. I know Jess and Arnauld eat a lot of
chicken and butternut squash, so I wanted to do something a little
different. This recipe I borrowed from Ina Garten (The Barefoot
Contessa) off the foodnetwork. It's a simple marinade and easy to
cook.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe/index.html

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloins

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
• Good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• 3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Those 3 dishes, on top of a little wine and good conversation made for
a really fun, relaxing evening! I'm so happy Jess and Arnauld came
over!




Ali also tried a brand new dessert for the evening that she didn't include in her post.  Here is a picture of her apple cinnamon dumplings and chocolate banana dumplings.

Honey and spice and everything nice...

    Arnauld and I aren't huge pork fans but my parents recently gave us some, so this week I once again surfed the web for a recipe with minimum ingredients that wouldn't take too long.  I found this recipe for Honey and Spice Glazed Pork Chops. I wasn't even going to post this recipe since I doubt I'll make it again, not because it wasn't good but just because we don't like pork chops.  But my mom asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Honey and Spice Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  honey
• 2  tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground cloves
• Cooking spray
• 4  (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low; add honey mixture. Cook 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once.

Yields: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 tablespoon glaze)

Sunday is Soup Day

    Last week was a doozy and I after all of the cooking I did on Halloween, I was all cooked out!  Needless to say, it was a slow week in my kitchen.  I had to rally today in order to throw something together for lunch this week.  I did a quick google (from my bed, on my phone) in order to find a new soup to try this week.  After a few batches of Butternut Squash Soup, I've been keeping my eye out for something new each week.  Last Sunday I made potato leek soup in the crock pot from a recipe I found online.  It was simple and a bit bland but I liked it.  Here is the recipe:

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

• 4 medium leeks, hairy root end trimmed and thinly sliced, white only to make about 4 cups

• 4 medium to large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 4 to 6 cups water, vegetable or chicken broth, to cover I used water

• Salt, to taste

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Place the leeks and potatoes in the cooker.  Add the water or broth to the pot, just to cover.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, until the potatoes are tender.  Using a hand held immersion blender or transferring to a food processor or blender in batches, purée the soup.  Taste for salt and add the butter.  Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve immediately with fresh French bread.

    Today's soup was Carrot and Sweet Potato.  Just like the potato leek soup, it had just a handful of ingredients and it was very simple to make.  It also made a lot of soup...12 cups.  That means I have lots to share!

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons  butter, divided I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of Smart Balance
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 4 3/4  cups  cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 1/2  cups  water
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3  cups  chopped carrot (about 1 pound)
• 1/4  cup  half-and-half I used a recommendation from one of the reviews for this recipe and used 1/4 cup of soy milk instead.
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3  cup  reduced-fat sour cream I skipped this...
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and this!

Preparation

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Move onion mixture to side of pan; add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to open space in pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 1 minute or until butter begins to brown. Add sweet potatoes, 3 1/2 cups water, broth, and carrot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Place half of soup mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup mixture. Stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 2 teaspoons sour cream and 3/4 teaspoon parsley.

    In other news, my grandma booked a trip to Italy for the week of Thanksgiving.  She always hosts Thanksgiving dinner.  So of course I jumped at the chance to invite both my family and Arnauld's over for turkey day...of course asking everyone to come over and cook together.  Should be interesting.  I'm starting to think of the menu, wanting to stick with some traditional favorites but would love some recommendations and recipes.  If you have something you love, send it my way!