Football, beans and bacon - not necessarily in that order.

It’s a soup kind of Sunday.  Yes, I know it’s 90+ degrees down here in sunny Florida but I want soup.  And, I want soup that simmers on the stove for a while and makes my house smell delicious and frees my time up for my Fantasy Football draft that is taking place this evening right around dinnertime.  Okay, you got me – I’ve planned the meal around the draft.  Of course I did!  After all, I plan on winning the Super Bowl – no pun intended…okay, maybe a little intended….Super Bowl….soup-er bowl…get it?  Hahahaha! *sigh*

Anyway, as I said, my Fantasy Football draft is tonight and I believe I’ve got a great strategy.   No, I’m not sharing because I don’t want to give my secrets away and I’m too competitive to share anyway.  Okay, one secret – I’m making dinner that will be done during the draft and all I’ll have to do is ladle and enjoy.  Priorities, after all. J 

I’ve become a really big fan of the dried bean lately.  So inexpensive, so easy and there are just so many delicious options out there.  So, I decided to do a soup that featured a dried bean.  I know I made a navy bean and bacon soup back in March that was fabulous but this soup takes it to a whole new level with the addition of another protein – chicken.  The bean I’m using in this soup is the Great Northern bean – a delicately flavored white bean that is easily found in both dried and canned varieties.  They absorb flavor quite fantastically and provide an excellent amount of protein and fiber – both very important in a healthy diet.  And, if you’re anemic or iron-deficient, you should definitely look to supplementing your diet with beans because they pack a pretty strong punch where iron is concerned too.  Okay, enough of my “healthy eating” soapbox.  Now back to the deliciousness.

This soup is not difficult to pull together at all nor does it require a lengthy and expensive shopping list.  Seriously, most everyone already has onions, garlic and celery on hand (aka the “cooking trinity” or base of most dishes), as well as salt and cayenne pepper.  And, if you’re like me, you probably have a ton of those cans and/or boxes of various flavored broths readily available in your pantry.  So, what you may need to buy is a bag of beans, shallots, some chicken and some bacon.  That’s pretty much less than $10 and you can feed a crowd or pack lunches for a few days after the fact.  That’s a winner in my book and should be in yours if you’re a budget-conscious family.  You might have noticed that I left the cheese off that shopping list and are wondering why.  Well, pecorino Romano cheese can be a little pricey - $5 or $6 for a wedge – and you may not want to spend that.  So, I’m calling the cheese a splurge.  Go for it but the soup will not be any less fantastic without it.  And, if you happen to already have Parmesan in your fridge, use that instead if you want.  Parmesan is not as nutty flavored and salty as pecorino Romano but it will add a nice flavoring.  I imagine lots of you already have Parmesan in your house and you use it regularly to top spaghetti.  Well, I give you permission to use it to top soups too. J

One other thing before I get to the finished product – shallots.  You may be wondering what a shallot is.  Shallots are very similar to onions but it has a sweeter and milder taste but still a very potent flavor that adds depth into the recipe – oh, and they cost a little more than onion.  If you cannot find them in your grocery store, you can add a little more onion to your recipe or even chop some green onions and add that to your soup.  It won’t give it the same flavor profile but it will still be just as tasty.  (and yes, sometimes shallots can be very difficult to find in the store!  You can usually find them near the garlic and onion bins but sometimes they’re stuffed off to the side in a weird place.  Makes no sense.)

Okay, now for the good stuff.  This soup is an Emeril recipe from his Prime Time Emeril cookbook.  (yes, two in a row!)  He says his mom always had a pot of soup simmering on the back of the stove.  One day I would like to meet his mom and eat her food.  Or, even better, have her SHOW me how to cook her food.  Sharing food and recipes is so much fun.  You know the best recipes hardly ever make it into cookbooks because they’re just shared in the kitchen by mothers teaching children how to make their favorite dishes.  It’s history.  You know what?  History is delicious.  And so is this soup.

The broth was flavored very nicely – glad I used sodium-free chicken stock! – and the chicken (which I grilled) was fabulous!  The beans, even after soaking forEVER, still had some bite – that means they weren’t mush and that is a good thing.  They added a nice textural difference to the vegetables which were soft and barely noticeable.  The bacon, which makes everything better, provided a nice, salty yumminess.  Don’t skimp on the bacon – get the real stuff.  You want the fat for cooking the veggies and you definitely want the good, salty, homey, bacon-y flavor. 

Have fun making this soup!  And, for all the people in my fantasy league, get ready.

Happy cooking, drinking and eating!

bacon, bean and chicken yumminess!

Chicken, Bacon, and White Bean Soup Portuguese-Style

1 pound dried white beans, such as white kidney (cannellini) or great Northerns, rinsed and picked over

½ pound bacon, cut into ½-inch-wide pieces

2 cups chopped yellow onions

½ cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne

2 quarts chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

¾ pound diced cooked chicken

1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano

1.  Put the beans into a large pot or bowl.  Add water to cover by 2 inches and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight; drain. (For a quick soak, bring the beans and water to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to stand for 1 hour.  Drain.)

2.  Fry the bacon in a heavy medium stockpot over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to lift onto paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pot.  Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add the shallots, garlic, bay leaves, salt and cayenne.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots soften, about 1 minute.

bacon!

3.  Add the beans to the pot with the stock, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 ½ hours.

in go the beans

stirring, stirring...

simmer baby, simmer!

4.  Stir in the chicken and the reserved bacon and heat through.  Remove and discard bay leaves.

5.  Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Serves:  Lots of people (8 to 12) but in this house, 4 with plenty of leftovers for lunches during the week!

When in Rome.....make southern food!

The kids go back to school tomorrow!  Okay, in my house, one kid goes back to school.    Hello sophomore year!  And, interestingly enough, one adult too.  Me!  Grad school, here I come!  Which translates to – ridiculously busy life, here I come!  Don’t worry, I won’t forget about you.  I will still need to eat after all and no amount of homework can keep me from trying new recipes and telling you all about them.  It’s what I love to do.  And actually, this will probably work out in your favor because I have a feeling I will welcome the opportunity to share freely without being constrained by research or potential grades.  J 

Anyway, I wanted to make something that would serve a dual purpose – be comfort food and provide leftovers for lunches and perhaps another dinner during the week.  I did not get this recipe from my homemade cookbook of magazine recipes.  Shocker, I know!  Actually, I pulled out an old, favorite cookbook of mine by Emeril.  Please tell me you didn’t just say Emeril who.  Okay, so if you’ve been living under a rock for the past quite a few years, Emeril Lagasse.  LOVE him!  BAM!  Anyway, I opened his Prime Time Emeril cookbook and thumbed through, looking for what I wanted.  Now, it should be noted that this cookbook houses one of my all-time favorite Emeril recipes and I have made it many, many times.  So many times, in fact, that I really should know it by heart and the pages are covered with food splatters.  Now, that’s the sign of a well-worn recipe – when it’s covered in its own ingredients!  Hilda, his mother, makes an incredible stewed chicken and Emeril has shared it in this cookbook.  SO FLIPPIN GOOD!  But no, I did not make that tonight.  It’s nice to have favorites but I wanted to make something of his that I hadn’t made before.  Then, I found it.  The perfect recipe for tonight.  And, Strangely enough, one month ago today I made a different version of this recipe.  Last month it was Cooking Light; this month it’s “pork fat rules!” Red Beans and Rice.  ("Pork fat rules" is an Emerilism.)  Hey, I am in the south after all.  When in Rome….right?  Right.

Now, I know that this is not going to be as lean and healthy as the Cooking Light version but….sometimes you have to have the real thing and this is pretty much the real deal.  I mean, I even had to buy a ham hock!  Had no clue what a ham hock even was before I went to the store!  Fine, laugh if you want.  I can take it.  But, it definitely wasn’t hard to find – right in the meat section - and certainly didn’t break the bank.  Actually, I didn’t really have to buy too much for the recipe besides the beans, sausage and ham hock.  Everything else, I already had.  That’s a bonus when you’re on a budget. J  And, the other bonus about this recipe is that the simmering time TOTALLY outweighs the prep time.  So, what that means for you is only a small amount of work needs to be done before your house smells FABULOUS! 

The final result?  Um…DELICIOUS, of course!  I only have one warning.  This dish is a little salty.  Okay, it’s more than a little salty – the saltiness is noticeable, like on a saltine cracker.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m a fan of the salty.  But, I think this dish might have too much and it definitely comes from the ham hock (um, hello 1093 milligrams of sodium!).  I did use the teaspoon of salt but I used one quart of “no-salt” stock and one quart of “33% less sodium” stock.  Definitely use two quarts of “no-salt” stock and maybe drop the teaspoon of salt down to a ½ teaspoon.  Yes, the ham hock does add that much salt.  But, even with the salt, it was fabulous and not very spicy (if you want spicy, use spicy sausage and maybe some crushed red pepper, or you can just have some hot sauce at the table) and Thing 2, when asked how it was, nodded her head and said, “mmph mm mmmpph!” No, it’s not a new language – she had her mouth full!  But, I got the idea – she meant, “Bam!”  J  I guarantee husband will wish he had not been at work.  Thank goodness for leftovers!

Comfort food.  So comforting and delicious.  If you like red beans and rice, you will like this recipe.  So, what are you waiting for?  Start soaking those beans!

Happy cooking, eating and drinking!

YUM!

Red Beans and Rice

1 pound dried red beans

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped yellow onions

½ cup chopped green bell peppers

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ pound andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Emeril’s Original Essence

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

One 1-pound ham hock

2 to 2 ½ quarts chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Hot, cooked rice

1.  In a colander, rinse the beans under cold running water.  Discard any broken beans or pebbles.  Transfer the beans to a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.  Soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Or, bring the beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches to a boil in a large pot over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover tightly; let stand for 1 hour.

been soaking all night!

2.  Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring often, about 4 minutes.  Add the sausage, salt, Essence, cayenne, black pepper, thyme, and bay leaves.  Cook, stirring often, until the sausage is browned, about 4 minutes.  Add the ham hock and cook for 2 minutes.

3.  Drain the beans and add to the pot.  Pour in enough stock to cover by about 1 inch.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.

simmer, simmer, simmer away!

4.  Mash about one-fourth of the bean mixture against the side of the pot with a heavy spoon to thicken the juices.  Remove the ham hock.  Let cool slightly.  Slice the meat from the bone, discarding the skin and bones.  Return the meat to the pot and heat through.

5.  Spoon the rice into bowls and top with the beans.

The quest for awesome mac 'n cheese...part 2

It’s time for the newest episode of “quick Monday night blog!”  Hooray!  First of all, let me tell you, it’s been QUITE the Monday.  It was like revenge of the Mondays today and I’m very, very glad that it’s over.  Seriously, I was ready to stop at happy hour and ask for my martini in a to-go cup!  No, I didn’t.  That would be wrong.  But, I thought about it!  

Anyway, I’ve planned out a prospective menu for the week without assigning days to the specific meals.  With today being a Monday and a half, I decided that I wanted something quick but still “comfort food.”  So, I decided that it was time to make a different and new recipe of Mac and Cheese – Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese from the April 2007 issue of Cooking Light.  Mac and Cheese fans, this is a good alternative to the blue box!  Now, I’ve discussed macaroni and cheese before and my quest to make the perfect dish that equals my husband’s Grandma’s recipe.  Well, unfortunately, this isn’t it.  But it could be with some tweaking.  The only problem, I didn’t have time to tweak.  BUT, you will!  Don’t get me wrong – it WAS good.  It just wasn’t great.  It WAS easy but it didn’t provide me that comfort feeling that I really wanted.  

The sausage was pretty good.  I must admit, I forgot to look at my list and couldn’t remember that it was supposed to be chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage so I bought sweet Italian chicken sausage.  That was pretty tasty and added a nice freshness to the mac and cheese but it really needed the savory.  So, first note – don’t buy the wrong kind of sausage!  Second note – there is something missing.  It’s definitely not the cheese.  The cheese combination was pretty excellent, as a matter of fact.  If you shop in a store that doesn’t carry mini cream cheese blocks, do what I did and buy the 4-pack of the little individual .5 ounce packs.  Perfect and then you don’t have 2-6 ounces of cream cheese sitting in your fridge for an undetermined amount of time.  If you’re anything like me, you’re nodding your head right now.  That’s right – nod away.  But, there’s definitely something missing with the seasonings.  I will make it again (with the right sausage) but I’m going to mix up the seasoning blend.  Onion powder and garlic salt do make a tasty combination but they don’t come through the cheesiness very well.  I’m thinking black and/or red pepper would be a nice addition.  Of course, you can add (or not add) whatever seasonings you desire.

Anyway, here it is.  It was quick.  It was easy.  It was NOT my favorite but it has potential.  Maybe it needs bacon.

Happy cooking, eating, and drinking!

Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese

4 ounces chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage (such as Gerhard’s), chopped

1 ¼ cups fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup (about 1 1/3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

¼ cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less fat cream cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

5 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Heat a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes or until browned.  Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in cheeses, onion powder, and garlic salt; cook 3 minutes or until cheeses melt, stirring constantly.  Stir in pasta.  Garnish with parsley, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 ¼ cups)

Calories 433 (29% from fat); Fat 13.9g (sat 7.8g, mono 3.8g, poly 0.9g); Protein 23.6g; Carb 53.1g; Fiber 2.7g; Cholesterol 56mg; Iron 2.4mg; Sodium 538mg; Calcium 340mg

Chili that should come with a warning label....

So, the NFL opened on Thursday evening with five preseason games.  I don’t know what that means in your world but in my world, I’m always ready for some football!  With the whole lock-out mess and the true lack of football news to keep me on the edge of my seat, I was totally relieved when the madness ended and then, the madness began.  My Twitter feed was blowing up with all the news of trades and free agent acquisitions.  It was GREAT!  I had to write it all down so I could keep track and process it all at the end of the day.  Yes, I’m a nerd.

Anyway, the other exciting part about football season besides the whole football thing is the knowledge that cooler weather is on the way and with cooler weather brings a WIDE range of comfort food including chili.  Now, I’m well aware that Fall has not yet arrived and, in Florida, the humidity is laughing at me for thinking that nicer temps are around the corner.  That’s fine.  I’ve got a/c and I can cook chili if I want to!  So, that’s what I did!  It’s my “welcome back NFL” celebratory meal. (Yes, I know it’s Saturday and the first games were two days ago but really awesome chili takes time to cook and I don’t have that time during the week.  Yes, I could have done chili in the crockpot but I didn’t.  Quit being picky.  Moving on.) 

As I’ve mentioned before, I love cooking things that take time and make my house smell really good.  I’ve also mentioned that we love us some chili up in this house and, regardless of the heat index, we’ll gobble it up without complaint.  So, I knew I was safe even if I made one that had some heat of its own. J  Now, a good many people out there are what are known as “chili purists”.  We are not in that category.  BUT, if you are, be warned that this chili is made with ground chuck and contains beans.  I’m not sure what the big deal about beans is – can someone explain it to me?  I get why beans are off limits in a chili cook-off (so the judges just get the flavors of the meat and the seasonings) but I’m not in a contest here.  Whatever.  I think the beans add a nice textural difference to the dish and we like them so they’re in.

Oh, hey, I haven’t mentioned where this recipe comes from!  Sorry – this recipe for Beef Chili with Beans comes from the December 2006 issue of Food and Wine magazine.  That’s a pretty exotic name for this recipe, don’t you think?  Ha!  Honestly, I guess it is pretty straightforward.  It is what it is, after all.  Now, there are some differences in this chili than you’ll find in others.  First of all, it doesn’t call for your regular, run-of-the-mill chili powder.  Oh, no.  That’s what makes this recipe special.  You have to find not one different chile powder but two different ones!  I promise that you’ll be able to find the ancho chile powder since McCormick® makes it.  If I can find it down here in Podunk, Florida, you can find it at your local grocery store and/or Walmart.  The other one – well, I couldn’t find it so I used something else.  What you need is pure pasilla chile powder.  I have no clue what that is.  I did not find it in the Walmart.  No, I did not go on a search of grocery stores – I substituted hot Mexican chili powder that I happened to have in my pantry.  It works.  If, however, you have the time and the energy and, perhaps a Hispanic food market near you, then you can certainly search for pasilla chile powder.  You’ll have to let me know the different taste qualities in that chile powder compared with regular.

I definitely need to warn you again that this chili definitely has some heat to it.  This is not for the faint of heart.  Or my Grandma.  (Mom, don’t make this for her.  You can, however, make it for bridge group and have fun watching everyone run for the water and/or beer bottles! J)  It’s kind of “slap you in the face” chili but really, isn’t that what chili is supposed to be?  Feel free to top it with cheese, sour cream, onions or your favorite topper.  We choose cheese which had the nice effect of putting a little lid on the spiciness without taking it away.  It was delicious.  And my face turned all red and little beads of sweat popped out on my forehead.  Fabulous!  Again, here comes the warning label moment – THIS CHILI IS SPICY!  Okay, you’ve been warned.  Don’t come back to me and say “hey, I didn’t know this chili was spicy!”  I will not apologize.  Your own fault.  And I hope you enjoy it!  We certainly did!

You know the deal – recipe follows.  Happy cooking, eating, sweating and drinking!

a big bowl of spicy deliciousness

Beef Chili with Beans

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds ground beef chuck

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons pure ancho chile powder

3 tablespoons pure pasilla chile powder

3 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

2 teaspoons chopped oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 15-ounce can pinto beans

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with the juices

5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

Salt

1.  In a large, heavy pot or a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil.  Add half the ground beef and cook over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Brown the remaining ground beef.  Return the first batch of browned beef to the pot.

2.  Add the onions and bell pepper to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, ancho and pasilla chile powders, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

prepped and ready to go

now that's a big pile o' spices!

3.  Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, tomatoes, chipotles, tomato sauce, tomato paste and the vinegar.  Simmer the chili over low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.  Add the lime juice, season with salt and serve.

getting ready to simmer

dinner's done!

Make ahead:  The chili can be refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Put your hands in the air and back away from the sandwich!

Don’t get me wrong – sandwiches are GREAT and I love them!  They are practically the perfect lunch (or post-workout) food.  They don’t take too much time to assemble and they fit nicely into one hand – how many of us eat on the go these days?  I mean, really, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is probably the perfect sandwich – it’s easy to make and packs a powerful punch for delivering the perfect combination of protein and carbs to help satisfy a post-workout hunger.  And, hello, it’s PEANUT BUTTER and PEANUT BUTTER is AWESOME!!!  Unfortunately, not all peanut butters are created equal (Don’t forget to read the ingredients!  If the jar says more than peanuts and salt, you may be getting more (bad stuff) than you bargained for.) and most jellies are just fruit-flavored sugar so you have to watch the pb&j consumption. Of course, for those of you that are my age or older and grew up with Sesame Street®, we all learned to count by peanut butter sandwiches so we can’t help that we LOVE them.  A la peanut butter sandwiches!  Ah….memories….Love you Count von Count!

Anyway, while sandwiches are delicious and fun to assemble, sometimes opening your lunch sack to find another sandwich can be slightly boring and sad sometimes.  Variety is the spice of life after all and you don’t want to be bored with your food.  Food is to be enjoyed, savored and celebrated.  Food usually brings us together and yet another sandwich can cause you to want to run far, far away and find the nearest vending machine and have a Snickers bar for lunch.  Bad cravings!  Bad, bad!! (see, it’s the whole peanut butter thing again!  Although, don’t get a Snickers.  That’s a really, really bad choice.  Get a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and share one or buy the Nutrageous.  Trust me on this one.) 

Sorry, I keep getting off topic.  Back to my story.  As you know, I’m a runner.  Running makes me happy.  And hungry.  And some days I’m REALLY hungry.  So, you know I look for interesting and fun recipes in all kinds of places and I found a great one in an unexpected place.  Okay, so not really unexpected for me but maybe for you.  I subscribe to Runner’s World magazine (big surprise, eh?) and I also get emails from them with interesting articles and links to blogs that aren’t always in the print issue.  This recipe actually came from there!  The article is entitled, “Don’t Cook Now” and features “delicious, minimal-prep recovery meals ready in 20 minutes or less.”  Um, is that speaking to you the same way it spoke to me?  Delicious?  WIN!  Minimal-prep? WIN!! Ready in 20 minutes or less?  WIN!!!  And the first recipe jumped out at me right away.  Yes, it does say “recovery meal” but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate this dish into your every day life even if you don’t go participate in endurance sports.  Usually the hardest part in any healthy life is making sure that healthy food choices are made.  I mean, it’s just so easy to swing through the drive-thru and grab dinner on the way home or run to the snack bar and grab a quick, don’t have to think about it burger for lunch and take it back to your desk and eat.  Well, this offers you the opportunity to break out of that rut even if for one day a week – or every other week – or even a month – and even the smallest change will benefit you in a BIG way!  And, as evidenced by the fact that I licked the container clean and seriously wished I packed myself more, this change is DELISH!  You will love it! 

And, yes, it really took less than 20 minutes to make.  I prepped the salad last night, dressed it this morning (my preference – you can certainly dress the salad immediately after making it and put it in the fridge) and separated into lunch containers for husband and me.  Yes, I pack my husband his lunch.  I’m very June Cleaver, aren’t I?  Hey, this way, I know he’s eating good stuff instead of doing the snack bar/drive-thru dance.  I love him enough to do that.  And, he’s a good sport and eats it! J 

Overall, this salad was the BOMB and I’m glad there’s more because I’m already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.  It was quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.  Hey, have you ever watched that show on Food Network?  The food they eat always looks just so fabulous and sounds so decadent and rich and, sometimes, forbidden.  I had tried to come up with something that I could say was the “best thing I ever ate” and really couldn’t.  Okay, so I’m picky so there’s lots that I haven’t tried (and won’t ever try) but I also like many things and find that the entire meal, rather than just one dish, makes something memorable.  This salad – all in one little container – definitely fits into the premise of this show and is standing atop my list of “the best thing I ever ate (that I made myself).”  Try it and see for yourself!  Recipe’s down there. ↓

Happy (no)cooking, eating and drinking!

Hello Nurse!

Chickpea, Cherry and Ginger Salad

2 15 ½ ounce cans chickpeas

1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges

½ red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

2/3 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup dried tart cherries

1 jalapeno, minced

1 cup parsley, chopped

4 ounces feta

2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients through vinegar.  Whisk apple-cider vinegar and olive oil; add salt and pepper.  Pour over chickpea salad and mix well.

An old favorite - revisited.

I don’t know about you but it’s been a long week.  I was definitely not in the mood for a long cooking adventure today even though it’s Saturday.  Plus, I didn’t really want to go to the grocery store so I was hoping to find something easy to make that used what I had in the house.  No, I didn’t want to make hot dogs or grilled cheese sandwiches…again.  So, I set out to find a good recipe that used ground sirloin.  And, interestingly enough, I found a good one that was pretty easy and I didn’t need to buy a single ingredient.  Amazing, I know!

This recipe was very familiar.  Once upon a time, I was young (shocking, isn’t it?) and newly married and still really learning to cook.  Where does a young chef turn when she needs something fast and easy and satisfying for dinner?  Why, Betty Crocker®, of course!  Betty is famous for quick and easy meals, especially of the boxed, just add ground beef/chicken/turkey variety.  Ah, Hamburger Helper®, how you fed my family when I was tired and desperate for something easy to throw together.  Well, of course, it’s been YEARS since I’ve purchased a box – in fact, I’m having a hard time remembering the last time I actually did buy one -  has to be at least a dozen years ago or so – but, putting this recipe together really brought back memories.  It’s a grown-up, not from a box version!  I found the recipe in Cooking Light, March 2006.  It’s elegantly titled Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake.  Sexy, ain’t it?  You know you’re attracted to it.  You know you want to try it. J 

It was actually pretty easy to throw together – I think the total time was around 35 minutes, 40 tops.  It could have taken less time had I gone to the store and purchased pre-chopped onions and bottled minced garlic but I chose to use what I had at home and chop my own.  The only cheat I did use was pre-shredded carrot but, again, I already had that.  If I hadn’t, I would have shredded quite a few carrots and that would have been okay.  That’s actually kind of fun, in my opinion.  Yes, I’m odd.  The best part?  You get to make your own cheese sauce!  No kidding!  Your own cheese sauce with far less preservatives and weird things you’ll never, ever, ever be able to pronounce.  I don’t care who you are – that’s definitely a win!  Seriously, who names those ingredients/preservatives anyway?  Aliens?  Definitely not normal people with a normal vocabulary.  Anyway, moving on.

Easy, breezy dinner on a Saturday and three of the four of us really liked it.  Thought it was delicious, even.  Thing 2 thought it was too cheesy.  Really, that was her complaint.  How can something be too cheesy?  The child prefers cheese pizza with extra cheese, for goodness sake!  Whatever.  Perhaps her opinion should not count.  Well, no, that’s not fair.  Fine, it counts.  Take it with a grain of salt if you’re a cheese fan but, if you have picky eaters, maybe go easy on the cheese the first time around.  There – I warned you.  25% of consumers believe that this dish is too cheesy.

Happy cooking, eating and drinking!

dinner!

Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

(or Sexy Hamburger Helper®)

1 (8 ounce) package small elbow macaroni (or whatever shape you prefer)

Cooking spray

1 cup pre-chopped onion

1 cup pre-shredded carrot

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat, drain.  Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

3.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and carrot; sauté 4 minutes.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

4.  Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine.  Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

cute little bowties!

5.  Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended.  Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.  Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir.  Top evenly with remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

cheesy!

ready for the oven

YUM!

Yield:  8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Calories 293 (24% from fat); Fat 7.7g (sat 4.2g, mono 2.4g, poly 0.7g); Protein 22.3g; Carbohydrates 30.1g; Fiber 2.1g; Cholesterol 46mg; Iron 3.1mg; Sodium 622mg; Calcium 209mg

Sir Mix-a-Lot "lite"....

I was at lunch at work last week and one of my colleagues had red beans and rice for lunch.  Everyone was discussing it because it really smelled delicious.  I decided at that moment that I really wanted some red beans and rice AND I didn’t want it from a box.  I knew there had to be a good recipe out there that wouldn’t require hours to make that would stand up to the delicious (and not good for you) Zatarain’s® that really is quick and easy to put together.  

Well, of course you know where I looked and, lo and behold, I found a Cooking Light recipe!  Cooking Light magazine often has a section where they make a good recipe better (and lighter) or they compare their version with a popular boxed or frozen meal.  This recipe happened to be in one of those sections where I could actually see the difference.  The Cooking Light version of red beans and rice cut almost a hundred calories and lopped off a HUGE 2,000 (yes, 2,000!) mg of sodium.  The fat content is a little higher but that comes from the olive oil which is not awful.  Besides, olive oil (the good stuff) really adds depth and amazing flavor to sautéed vegetables. J

Anyway, I planned our meals, to include leftovers, for about a week and a half and knocked out all my shopping on Saturday.  Of course, it then proceeded to rain the ENTIRE weekend and we were all bored and nearly ate ALL the food I bought.  Thank goodness the red beans and sausage survived!  Although, I must admit, I almost didn’t make it tonight.  I had planned on it – even re-read the recipe this morning so I knew what was in store when I got home from work – but, today….well…today was a long day.  The first words Thing 2 said to us when we got home was “you guys ­­even ­­sound tired.”  Yes, it was true – we were both tired.  During the drive home, I had been trying to come up with a quick alternative to my plans – you know that’s when hot dogs or pizza sounds REALLY good.  But then, Thing 2 said….”are we having that recipe for dinner that the cookbook is opened up to,” (ahem…red beans and rice) “cuz that looks REALLY good!”  Well, that sealed it.  AND, not only that, but she cleaned the kitchen for me – including washing the stack of Tupperware® containers that had been multiplying in the sink.  At that point, I probably would have given her whatever she wanted!  Thank goodness she only asked for red beans and rice! Phew! J

So, I’m so glad I did make this dish for dinner because it really was delish and we all pulled together in making it.  Hey, family fun in the kitchen!  The recipe calls for an 8 ounce container of prechopped onion, bell pepper and celery mix – now, I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen anything like that in my grocery store so we had to make this the old-fashioned way and do all the chopping on our own.  Anyway, that was the most difficult part and it really wasn’t that bad.  Yes, I’m aware I didn’t do the chopping – that’s what made it not that bad! J  Hey, maybe that’s what made it taste that much better….  Those restaurants really have the right idea – food always tastes better when someone else makes it for you!

The final result?  YUM and easy and fairly quick so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal.  AND, if you can find one of those mythical prechopped onion, bell pepper and celery mixes, I would definitely grab one because that will cut down on the prep time.  Seriously, all you’ll have to chop is the sausage and garlic (unless you buy bottled garlic and then, you’re pretty much set).  Life’s too short to wait for delicious and healthy red beans and rice.  Try this recipe and spend some time enjoying it with your family. 

Happy drinking, cooking and eating!

dinner!

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 (3-ounce) chicken andouille sausage link, chopped

1 (8-ounce) container prechopped onion, bell pepper, and celery mix

1 ½ teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-ounce) can red beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup water

1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and onion mix to pan; sauté 4 minutes.  Add Cajun seasoning, salt, oregano, and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Partially mash beans with a fork.  Add beans, ¼ cup water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, stir in pepper.  Serve over rice.

Yield: 5 servings (serving: about ¾ cup bean mixture and about ¾ cup rice)

Calories 336; Fat 8.4g (sat 1.8g, mono 5.1g, poly 1.3g); Protein 12.7g; Carb 51.6g; Fiber 5.9g; Cholesterol 36mg; Iron 3.3mg; Sodium 698mg; Calcium 90mg

My kitchen smells like bacon and chocolate....intrigued?

You won’t believe what I made today.  Make sure you’re sitting down.  I'm not kidding.  SIT!  Okay, thank you. (For those of you still standing, don't come back and yell at me after you fall over and conk your head.  I warned you.)

Three words.  Bacon.  Bourbon.  Chocolate.  All in one dish.  Seriously.  Thank you Food and Wine Magazine!  Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans.  Boy, is that fun to say, or what?!  Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans.  Mmmm…..what more could a girl ask for?  (Okay, the nerd in me wishes pecans were instead named something that started with the letter “b” – alliteration is so much fun!)

This recipe is from the August 2011 issue of the magazine.  Yep, I’ve had this magazine for maybe 4 days and I’m already making recipes out of it!  It is seriously packed with delicious sounding grub, this recipe topping the list!  AND, you know how we LOVE bacon so it HAD to be done!  After all, everything’s better with bacon.

            Sidebar – there’s an Amish Farmer’s market in Maryland that has some really awesome stuff including chocolate-covered bacon.  All my Maryland friends – you know who you are – go there and try it if you have not already.  It is YUMMY! Trust me.

The best thing about these brownies – except for the bacon and bourbon, of course, is that they are from scratch.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  There are some seriously awesome brownie mixes available in your local grocery store – hello Ghirardelli! – but brownies from scratch are just so amazing.  They tend to be rich, dense and decadent.  Basically, they’re everything a brownie SHOULD be!  And these definitely meet that criteria.  The bacon adds a saltiness that contrasts the chocolate and the pecans add a crunch that compliments the smooth density of the brownie itself.  Really, this is HEAVEN in a bite!  Okay, more than one bite and I’ve definitely had more than one brownie so far.  Don’t judge me.

Normally we use turkey bacon in this house but for these brownies, I wanted the good, salty stuff so I bought some applewood smoked bacon.  YUM!  Plus, you have to reserve nearly ¼ cup of bacon grease to add to the recipe and turkey bacon just doesn’t produce that.  No, don’t be grossed out – it really adds to the richness of the brownie.  And no, this is NOT low-fat.  It’s a brownie, for goodness sakes! J 

Let’s talk about the bourbon.  If you like to lick the beaters, you will definitely taste the bourbon in the mix.  Mmmmm….just enough to add to the flavor but not enough to make you tipsy.  I used Bulleit – a delicious frontier bourbon whiskey in an old-school glass bottle recommended to us by my brother-in-law – thanks Monte!  Hope you’re not mad I used two shots for other than drinking!  Um, and no, don’t ask me why it’s a “bourbon whiskey”.  I used to think they were two different things but, apparently not.  And, while we’re on that subject, why the heck is scotch a “scotch whiskey?”  Seriously, could alcohol BE any more confusing?!  Oh wait….don’t answer that.  You, of course, can use the bourbon (whiskey) of your choice.  

The bottom line is... bacon, bourbon and chocolate are a divine combination that EVERYONE – especially chocoholics – should try.  Recipe’s down there.  You’re welcome. J

Happy drinking (bourbon), cooking and eating!

Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans

½ cup pecans

½ pound sliced bacon

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons bourbon

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1.  Preheat the oven to 350̊.  Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of overhang on 2 opposite sides.  Spray the paper with vegetable spray.  Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes.  Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.

2.  In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp, about 6 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and let cool; reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat.  Finely chop the bacon.

3.  In a saucepan, combine both chocolates with the butter and stir over very low heat, until melted; scrape into a large bowl.  Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in both sugars with the reserved 3 tablespoons bacon fat.  Beat in the bourbon.  Add the eggs and salt and beat until smooth.  Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the bowl and beat until blended.

4.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the bacon and pecans on top.  Bake for about 50 minutes, until the brownies are set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center; a toothpick inserted into the center should have some batter clinging to it.  Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool completely.  Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper.  Cut into squares or rectangles, serve and do a happy dance.