Top-Iron-Chef-A-Thon

Steve and I recently went to Jamaica, and before we went we "met" some people from various parts of North America on a message board. After several emails, we 4 couples decided to get each other some gifts from areas we're from. Each couple bought some sort of food product; we got everyone cranberry jam and Fluff, the couple from PA got a big ol' stack of large Hershey products, the couple for TX brought Tex-Joy seasoning, and the couple from Canada brought Maple Syrup.

Then I came up with the brilliant idea of trying to make a meal using the some of the ingredients we got or bought as highlights. Here's the selection:

Fluff, Cranberry Jam, Tex-Joy Seasoning, Maple Syrup, Hershey's Milk Chocolate

First thing I did was whip up a dessert. I melted the Hershey bar over a double boiler, broke up some graham crackers, stirred those in and swirled in some Fluff while the chocolate was hot. Scooped clumps out onto parchment paper and VOILA - S'mores Bites!



After that, I tackled the main course. The first thing I worked on was the stuffed chicken breast. I whipped up a stuffing of:
- 1/4 cup cranberry jam
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- Dashes of cinnamon, garlic powder, and crumbled some dry sage
- Salt & Pepper

I then slit the chicken breasts and scooped some of the stuffing into each one (makes 4, with enough to put some on the top of the breast for a minute at the end of cooking). Then popped them in my electric oven on "Broil", 10 minutes per side.



Off to the side dish! I washed, cut, and boiled about 800 grams of red skinned potatoes. While those were boiling, I sautéed half of a Vidalia onion and measured out about a cup of sweet kernel frozen corn. When the potatoes were cooked and drained, I mashed those bad boys up with about 3 tbsp. of Earth Balance (or whatever butter product you would use), the onions, the corn... AND - Tex-Joy seasoning for flavor. I have no idea how much I put in... until Steve and I decided it tasted right.

When it was all done and plated, here is what it looked like:



We enjoyed the meal with my cousin Andy and his girlfriend Shayna. It was pretty darn good. Steve said he wants me to keep the chicken in the recipe rotation, and the potatoes as well. The S'mores bites were also quite tasty.

So - for my Jamaica Pals - here some ideas for what you can do with your goods.

Cold Salad for Summer Picnics

When the weather starts to get nice and the grills start to fire up people's minds turn to eating outdoors. Whether it's a barbecue in your backyard or a picnic on the beach, enjoying a meal together outside with family or friends is one of life's great pleasures.

This year, I decided I needed something easy and unique to be able to throw together on a budget that would work for any cookout or picnic. The answer?

Refreshing Couscous Salad



Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry couscous (cooked to package directions)
- 1 Red Delicious, Gala, or Fuji apple (cored, diced, and tossed with 3-4 drops lemon juice)
- 1 cup chopped broccoli, steamed and cooled OR 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed (with 1 or 2 runs of the knife through it to make slightly smaller)
- 1/2 sweet or Vidalia onion, diced and caramelized
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Dressing:
- 1/4 cup champagne wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil OR 2 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 tbsp orange OR lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp dried sage, crushed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- Salt & Pepper

Method:
- Prepare couscous, apples, onions, and broccoli.
- Toss first four completed ingredients in large bowl with raisins. Set aside.
- In small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk for 30 seconds to combine.
- Drizzle dressing evenly over couscous mixture. Toss so that the dressing coats everything evenly.
- Add grated parmesan cheese and toss.
- Transfer to portable bowl that has a lid (such as a Tupperware or Pyrex container) and put in fridge for at least 2-3 hours to allow ingredients to blend. For best results, prepare the night before. Serve chilled.

So far I've brought this to a picnic with friends and a pot-luck cookout with our small Bible study group and haven't taken much home either time. Tomorrow I'm going to another small cookout with some close friends and I'll be bringing it then too. My litmus test is always how often Steve asks me to make something, and this is one that he has asked me to make for each event since the first time I made it.

My thought: It's got a light flavor that is definitely a great accent to a summer or spring outdoor meal. Plus, it's super easy to make - start to finish takes 30 minutes or less. Tomorrow will be the third appearance for the salad, and hopefully the weather will hold out for our cookout!

"Stuffed" Portobello Caps

Late last week, I wanted to make Steve and I a tasty dinner without meat. We're finding that since we're counting our calories, that one of the easiest things to eliminate on a day we don't have a ton left is meat since it's so high in calories. As I often do when I'm so moved, I opened up my fridge to see what was there. I found a package of portobello caps that needed to be used, as well as a bunch of other ingredients. I set to work and came up with....

"Stuffed" Portobello Caps with Cheesey Peasy Rice
Serves 2



Stuffed Portobello Caps
Ingredients:
- 2 large portobello caps, washed and stems removed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced red pepper
- 1 cup diced sweet onions (or Vidalia)
- 1.5 tablespoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder (to taste)
- 3 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese, divided
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Place the mushroom caps smooth side down and sprinkle visible side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Turn after 2-3 minutes and repeat on the other side.
- Remove caps after both sides have cooked for 2-3 minutes each and set aside on an ungreased cookie sheet, smooth side down.
- In same pan (respray if needed), sauté garlic, red pepper, and onions until edges of onions begin to brown.
- Add basil & oregano, stir it in until completely incorporated and remove from heat.
- Divide the pepper & onion mixture in two, completely filling the two mushroom caps.
- Sprinkle with 1.5 tablespoons per cap of parmesan cheese.
- Cook in 350 degree F oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Cheesey Peasy Rice
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dry brown rice
- 2/3 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan & romano cheese (the kind you put on pasta)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Method:
- Cook rice to package instructions (usually takes about 30-40 minutes). **Note, I usually eliminate the butter or olive oil and the rice turns out fine.**
- In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add about 1-2 tablespoons of water so that the rice is almost sticky when it's finished.
- Cook the peas in the microwave for 2 minutes, to allow them to thaw and slightly warm.
- When rice is finished, combine rice, peas, cheese, garlic powder, salt & pepper over low heat.
- Remove from heat and serve.

Taking T-Bones for All They're Worth

If you live in the Southern NH area, you probably know about a small restaurant chain called T-Bones. They have locations in Salem, Derry, Hudson, Laconia, and Bedford NH as well as 2 sister restaurants - Cactus Jack's - in Manchester and Laconia. Their menu has tons of variety, all their food is made to order (you can modify it however you want), the prices are reasonable, and the food even tastes pretty darn good.

Those that know Steve and I know that a) we're planners and b) we like to look for the best possible bang for the buck. Enter our annual taking of T-Bones - with this year being the most lucrative one yet. Here's a comprehensive list of how you too can take T-Bones for all they're worth.

1. Sign Up for the Paybacks Program: This is T-Bones instant win for people who go there 2-3 times per year (maybe 4 depending on what you get). For every $100 you spend in food you get a $10 coupon for use at a future visit. Oh yeah - it's also free to sign up.

2. Pay Attention: Every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and also at occasional other points to raise money for charity) T-Bones offers a deal where for every $5 in gift certificates you purchase you get back $1 in gift certificates. Free T-Bones money. Also, this year I paid attention and caught that for the first time ever, and for a limited block of time, T-Bones was allowing gift certificates purchased to go towards Paybacks points. This means for every $100 in gift certificates purchased - $10 coupon back. If you need to buy a gift for someone this is a great way to make $5-10 in free gift certificates for yourself OR do what we do (since we don't know many other people who go to T-Bones) and get yourself free T-Bones money. This leads to number three...

3. Be Prepared: If you like T-Bones/CJ's, and you know that you and your significant other are going to go on dates or want to go out to dinner at some point during the year, plan ahead. Each year Steve and I have in our annual budget anywhere from $200-300 that we block off to pre-purchase our date nights to T-Bones. With their $5 in GCs get $1 deal, this means we're guaranteed $50-60 in FREE T-BONES MONEY by planning ahead. This year, we were able to do $300, which means we've got $360 in gift certificates AND (remember what I said about this year's limited time Paybacks offer?) another $30 in Paybacks coupons which means we've got $390 set aside for our date-nights and emergency "Don't Eat At Home Tonight" funds.

Ridiculous? Yes. Amazing? Also yes. For those that didn't catch the math on that - for $300 in gift certificates we got a 30% return on our investment and almost $100 in free food at T-Bones by planning ahead.

Oh... I'm not done yet.

4. Don't Forget Your Calendar: T-Bones has an annual calendar that has coupons for each month of the year. These coupons are each good for one appetizer, one dessert, or one kid's meal and have a value of up to $9.99. Now... here's the thing with the calendars: they are available right after Thanksgiving and they typically go pretty fast. If you don't get them the first week after Thanksgiving, there is no guarantee that there will be any left - so make sure you get out and get them!

But wait! This year there's more!

Remember I said that we bought $300 in gift certificates? We found out about a super-secret added bonus last night. This year, when you buy over $100 in gift certificates, you get a dual spice pack containing the T-Bones House Seasoning and the Cajun Seasoning blend they use at Cactus Jack's. Inside the pack is also a recipe card containing the recipes for NH's Best Burger and Cajun Fish Fillet.

There you have it. That's how you take T-Bones for all they're worth. If you've never been to T-Bones or Cactus Jack's, we highly recommend it because the food is great and the waitstaff are usually super friendly and attentive. Then if you like it, we've given you a guide for how to get the most bang for your buck when you eat there.

Enjoy.

The 2008 Annual Pull

Blueberries, Beer, and Bruins

I was recently invited to come along to a Boston Bruins game with my good friend Mags. She scored some sweet tickets fo' free on Craigslist and when asked to go - I heart Mags, so of course I went!! I took the train down and met her for dinner at Boston Beer Works, a local restaurant chain that brews 16 kinds of beer at their restaurants in Boston (2), Salem, and Lowell.

It was a triumvirate of excitement: a girls' night out with Mags, my first Bruins game, and trying out a "famous" new restaurant. Holy crap - my head essplode.

First of all - I have to say that hanging out with Mags is one of the most fun things ever. It's so nice to hang out, laugh about life, and just have a good time. It was great to see one of the hometown teams win a game on home turf (7-4, it was a REALLY good game).

But the point of this post is not to get into the inside jokes that Mags and I have or give you a blow-by-blow of the game. It's to tell you about the obligatory sports night beer that I partook in at Boston Beer Works.

First, let me show you:



That, my friends, is a Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale. The little balls - for those that have not had a blueberry beer at a place that does this - are wild Maine blueberries.

I'm not much of a beer fan. There are some that I don't mind, but usually for a beer to really grab my attention it has to have some sort of character to it - a flavor if you will. There are a couple of Dogfish Head IPAs that do this and my favorite bottled beer is the Harpoon UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen. I recently had a sip of a Pumpkin Spice ale that I thought was just great. This beer ranked up with some of my favorites with absolute certainty.

The beer itself was (as you can see) a lighter ale. It had a crisp taste with not a lot of bitterness as it went down. There was the definition of a light beer, but with the sweet hint of blueberries as it made its way across your tongue. It was enjoyable and didn't feel that filling on the stomach - which is good, because a lot of beers can feel like you ate 3 dinner rolls by the time you finish them. Without a doubt, this was one of the best beers I've had while I've been out to dinner someplace.

The neatest part though were the little blueberries. As I drank the beer, every so often one or two of the little guys would make its way into my mouth and add a wee bit of blueberry "pop" to the taste of the beer. At the end of the beer, I had 5 or 6 blueberries left at the bottom of the glass which I dug out with my fork to eat. It was the perfect ending to the beverage - instead of beer that had a slight taste of blueberry, I had a mouth full of blueberry that had a slight taste of beer. As we were having our meal, the blue globes of goodness kept rising and falling up and down the brew as kind of a "blueberry beer lava lamp" (as Mags put it).

Oh... the food at the restaurant was quite tasty too. But with a name like Boston Beer Works, the beer had to live be at least decent and it most certainly was.

It's easy to eat green...

Two of our closest friends are going to be moving to California soon, and tomorrow we're going to be having a going-away party for them. It's a potluck, and being as I couldn't think of anything good that I already knew how to make - I decided to create something new.

Inspired by the year-round greenness of Southern CA (for the most part) and my most recent post about peas... I set off to Hannaford and got to work. At the request of Steve, I'm putting in a bit more effort to write down the things that I create and made sure to write down every single ingredient I put into this dish.

The result: Green Pasta Salad



Ingredients:
- 1 lb. penne, cooked to package instructions
- 1.5 cups frozen peas, thawed (but not cooked)
- 1 each/6 oz. bag baby spinach
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
- 2 cubanelle peppers, seeded & chopped (approx. 1 cup)
- 1 medium cucumber, seeded & chopped (approx. 1.5 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Champagne wine vinegar
- Zest of 1 lime (approx. 3 tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp sage
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- Salt & Pepper

Method:
- Cook & drain pasta and put back in pan.
- Immediately incorporate entire bag of baby spinach in with pasta and cover pasta pan. Stir in between vegetable choppings to wilt the spinach, and cover immediately after each stirring.
- Once spinach is wilted, in bowl combine pasta/spinach and all remaining vegetables.
- Make dressing per ingredient list above, whisk together in small bowl.
- Pour dressing over contents of bowl and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Add cheese and stir until cheese is evenly distributed.
- Allow to sit overnight in fridge so ingredients can settle and "meld".
- Serve chilled.

I took a bite before I popped it in the fridge to make sure it didn't suck. I thought it was pretty darn good, and can't wait to see what it tastes like tomorrow after settling all together overnight.

300th Post - And it's a lame one!

In honor of my 300th post I've decided that I want to pay homage to one of my favorite vegetables and one that I think is often overlooked for its wonder...

The Pea.

I LOVE peas. I was that weird kid that would go for seconds, thirds, and sometimes fourths on that little round vegetable that most children just play with. Oddly sweet yet still having that distinct taste of a green veggie, I would mix it with my potatoes, rice, or just eat them plain. When it was my turn to pick out the vegetables at dinner during the week, I would push aside those cans of green beans in search for my little round darlings.

As I grew older, my love for peas did not fade. Once in college, a friend of mine and I were watching some good old "Bad Dating TV" late one night and got the munchies. She asked what I thought I wanted... and I paused. There was only one thing that could satisfy my college midnight craving that night: peas. We went to the campus convenience store and each bought a can. I busted out my good old crank can opener, dumped the contents into a bowl, and after 2 minutes had a delicious and relatively good for me snack.


My room smelled like peas for a week.

College ended and still my love for peas endured. I discovered sugar snap peas and the wonder of them in salads and stir fry dishes. They're tasty, but still not as delectable to me as a good old fashioned side of peas. In my quest to eat healthier I've abandoned the old stand by of canned peas in favor of frozen peas to reduce the sodium and maximize the vitamin value. I've discovered that peas can be good in so many things... in homemade pot pies, in pasta salads, and in homemade soups just to name a few.

What is bringing on my sudden desire to spout the beauty of peas?

This week I've been on a comfort food kick, and one of my favorite stand-bys for comfort food is boxed macaroni and cheese with a serving of peas mixed in. I've evolved over the years from store-brand mixes to organic boxed mac & cheese with thawed frozen peas. Every so often I'll even do a one-person homemade mac & cheese like I did tonight (1 serving each of pasta, peas, and cheese with one serving of Smart Balance all mixed together... mmmm) when Steve isn't going to be around for dinner. Mix that all together and garnish it with a good amount of black pepper. There's nothing that says comfort to my tummy like that heaven in a bowl.

So there you have it. My 300th post, and a profession of love for one of my favorite veggies. Enjoy... and peas be with you.

America's Oldest Restaurant

Last Friday, Steve and I met up with his cousin Doug and spent the afternoon and evening in Boston. We wandered around the Government Center/Quincy Market/Boston Harbor area chatting and catching up. The highlight of the evening was a dinner at the Union Oyster House, which is a Boston landmark and America's oldest restaurant.

We had a 6:00 reservation, but we were running a bit early and arrived at 5:40 or so. They were able to seat us immediately, and so we went to our table and began to review the menu. As was expected - it was completely drenched in seafood. Steve and Doug ordered the Shore Dinner which consisted of lobster (boiled or broiled), a bag of steamers, an ear of corn, and 2 red potatoes. Included in the price was also a cup of clam chowder and a dessert of either indian pudding or gingerbread. Steve ordered the lobster broiled to try something new. From what he said, the clam chowder was quite tasty, the lobster and steamers were really good, and well... let's just say he tried the indian pudding.

Steve's Shore Dinner - Main Course


Not being much of a lobstah lovah (yeah, I said it), I went ahead and ordered the grilled swordfish special which came with snap peas, mashed potatoes, and a roasted tomato. I also ordered the cream of tomato soup as an appetizer and the Boston Cream Pie for dessert (no... I don't like clam chowdah either). The soup was so smooth and tasty; I'm not usually much of a tomato soup person (unless it's with grilled cheese), but this was a great one. The swordfish was also quite good, it flaked right off with the fork and was not over or undercooked. The snap peas were crisp and cooked in a light oil (tasted like with some lemon too). The mashed potatoes were red-skinned mash with a slight taste of garlic and butter. Overall, the meal I had was really good.

Danielle's Swordfish Dinner - Main Course


Overall, our experience at the Union Oyster House was a very delicious and good one. We would definitely go back there again if we were in the city. The food was great and the staff were friendly. If you're ever looking for a place to eat in Boston, definitely check out this historic landmark.

Use What You've Got - Day 3

On Day 2, we didn't eat dinner in (see below post) but our lunches did consist of things we already had at home. Last night was dinner in, and when I opened the fridge there were definitely things that had to be used before they went bad. So I quickly whipped together a tasty little pasta dish that consisted of:

- 2 leftover homemade chicken fingers, cut up into little pieces
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped broccoli
- Some leftover roasted red pepper sauce
- Ronzoni Smart Taste rotini
- Dash of cheese

On the side I made more little toasts out of a quartered hot dog roll, sprayed with olive oil spray and dashed with Brady Street seasoning. Divided up the pasta into the 2 dishes, spread the cheese on top, and threw the bowls and bread under the broiler for about 3 minutes to toast the bread and melt the cheese. The result was a quick, tasty dinner that emptied out a bit more of our fridge.



Today we won't be attacking our stash as much because it's leftover Chinese food for lunch and then dinner from the Hannaford salad bar before youth group. However, as I was looking for stuff to make last night, it occurred to me that I can probably continue this next week while Steve is away - at least to some extent.

Use What You've Got, Baby!

No room left in the pantry...

No room left in the freezer...

No room left in the fridge...

Crap.

This week I've decided that for the need for space in my pantry, freezer, and fridge I'm going to be doing a series called "Use What You've Got". After a few canning events, various accumulated leftovers, and buying more stuff for the freezer I've realized that I have no where to put more food. My goal this week is to buy as little food as possible and make every meal with what I already have in the apartment. The only exception to this might be Friday when we have friends over for dinner because most of what I have is odds-and-ends that will make lots of great food for 2 people, but not four.

So without further adieu:

Use What You've Got: Day 1
Last night was pretty easy. I had a package of boneless country style pork ribs that needed to be used and also a big container of leftover veggies that were a couple of days away from the trash. Sunday night Steve put the ribs in a blueberry marinade (from the blueberry canning day this summer) to sit overnight and I tossed them on the broiler for 10 minutes per side. I then reheat the veggies and gave them proper position on the plate (protected from the blueberry juices). Pork is garnished with some whole pickled blueberries (from which the marinade came). The little toasts are one whole wheat hot dog roll quartered, sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with Brady Street, and toasted under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes (careful eye so they didn't burn).



The package of pork ribs also allowed me to make a meal for an elderly woman at our church and also save 2 for myself to eat next week when I fly solo while Steve's in NYC at technical training.

Pie in the Sky

On Steve's birthday, we had a bunch of people over to hang out and instead of cooking or having a pot-luck we just ordered a bunch of pizzas from Sal's. Once everything was said and done... we had 2 full pizzas left over. I had pizza for lunch every day for 2 straight weeks (no, I'm not kidding - one slice of pizza is a tasty lunch). By the time I had eaten the last piece, I was looking forward to our weekend away to Vermont so I could have NOT pizza.

The Friday we got there we were hungry, and Steve said "What do you think about Pie in the Sky for dinner?"

Initial reaction: Guh, pizza?

Steve handed me the menu to look over for a few minutes to decide between that and a Thai place we had passed. I figured I'd ought to give the menu a fair shot since Pie in the Sky had been so highly recommended to us and they do serve more than pizza. Which I was sick of.

Or so I thought.

They have a few specialty pizzas there and one of them immediately caught my eye: the Blond Vermonter. I knew I had to have it, and no longer would I be sick of pizza. I was right.

The Blond Vermonter is a thin crust pizza brushed with olive oil, then covered in a layer of Vermont cheddar cheese (likely Cabot), then sprinkled with sliced ham and topped off with a layer of Vermont apples. I know it sounds weird - but trust me, it was one of the most amazing pizzas I have ever eaten. There's just the right mixture of more bitter tastes with the sharp cheddar, a salty bite with the ham, and the balance is sealed with the sweetness of the juicy apples. It's then cooked by a talented fellow in a wood-fire brick pizza oven, and served on a wooden pizza board.

The Blond Vermonter, in all of its delicious glory

I ordered a small (Steve had spotted chicken marsala on the menu, and he's kind of a sucker for it) and it was bigger than I had thought it would be (it says 12", but really it was more like 13" or 14"). When Steve finished the chicken from the marsala, he passed on the pasta because there was no way I could finish the pizza myself - and it was too wonderful to pass up. I now think that at some point in time I'll be making Steve and I a pizza like this at home. It might well have made its way on to my comfort food list. If you're ever in Stowe VT, stop by Pie in the Sky and try this amazing pizza.

Trying New Foods - The Hula Burger

In an effort to try and expand our food horizons, Steve and I have been actively trying to test out new foods both at home and when we're out to eat. The latest successful new food attempt at home was the Gardenburger Gourmet Hula Burger: a vegetarian burger with a bit of a sweet kick.



The description on the outside of the box mentioned that it contained pineapple and sweet onion. I cooked them up according to the box directions and then put them on a standard hamburger roll. This was the only mistake; these burgers are pretty big and should be eaten with either a larger roll or no roll at all. We did add a bit of melted cheese to them as well.

The first thing I noticed when I took a bite was the distinct taste of coconut, so I grabbed the box and looked at the ingredients. Indeed, there was coconut in the burger. The burger was a rice base and contained the aforementioned coconut, pineapple, sweet onions, and ginger among other yummy ingredients. Throughout the meal, there was definitely a sweeter taste that was accented by the Pickapeppa sauce that we used as a condiment. I served up the burger with some green beans and homemade oven-roasted "fries" that were seasoned with Penzey's Southwest seasoning (which I'll get to in a minute). The only "criticism" I have of the burger is that though it was good, I would only be able to handle half of it the next go-round. This is not because of the burger itself, but rather the eater preference of my own which dictates that I don't like an awful lot of sweetness/ginger at once. Some people like that, I can't take as much as this burger offers. That said, Steve loved it.

Now... about the fries. I sliced the potatoes in fry-shaped wedges and placed them in a mixing bowl. I then sprayed the fries with olive oil cooking spray and added a fair amount of the Penzey's Southwestern Seasoning. Then I cooked them for 12 minutes, flipped them, and cooked for 12 more (at 400 degrees). They were quite yummy, spicy and good without a lot of that "ouch" spicy burn. So yummy. Those... I could eat a lot of those. ::grins::

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me!

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to get together with some girlfriends and do something that I'd never done before because I was too scared that I'd screw it up.

What, you ask, did I do? I participated in a Canning Day!

A few of showed up at Marie's house with a pound (or more) of peaches each, and learned how to can. We made peach jam and canned peaches. With 5 of us going at the chopping, stirring, measuring, pouring and other canning related activities, the afternoon flew by and before we knew it we each had a big ol' jar of peach slices and a couple-few jars of jam.

I learned two things that day:
1) Canning is really easy, although time consuming and definitely a useful skill to have.
2) Canning is something that I really enjoyed doing, but would never do it by myself. I know myself, and I'd get bored with it pretty quickly.

Here are a couple of action shots from the day. In July it looks like there's going to be a blueberry session, and I hope I can make it!!!

Chopped peaches for jam and slices for jars


Kimberly choppin' away


Finished Slices


Finished Jam

Triple P Yumfest

After a long weekend of camping with friends, the prospect of a good meal and a hot shower are two of the most appealing things you can imagine. However, the thought of prolonging a long weekend as much as possible is often more appealing. So after you've packed up the tent and left your campsite, heading out for a late breakfast together satisfies the desire to add more fun to a weekend and fills your tummy with a good meal.

This weekend Steve and I and 4 of our pals found ourselves in this exact situation. Thankfully, at the beginning of our trip our friend Nathan suggested that after we pack up our cars we head north a few exits to Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH. This saved us some early morning "Where should we eat?" discussion and also left us the promise of trying out some famous pancakes.

We were advised that Polly's is a famous place, and indeed they were featured on CBS This Morning back in 1994 and also won one of the "Best of New Hampshire" prizes for 2007. They've been open since 1938 (this would be their 70th anniversary) and have been family owned & operated since their inception. They offer 3" pancakes and 7" waffles made with 5 different kinds of batter (plain, whole wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal-buttermilk, and cornmeal) and 4 different kinds of filling (blueberry, coconut, chocolate chip, and walnut) among a variety of other things. In addition to an awesome pancake parlor, they also have their own maple sugar farm (Hildex Maple Sugar Farm) where they churn out their own maple syrup, sugar, and spread.

When we arrived, we all got cups of some tasty coffee (not sure if it was the coffee or the maple sugar I added to it that made it so good) and contemplated our pancake choices. I ended up getting a Pancake Sampler (2 each of 3 kinds of pancakes) consisting of whole wheat blueberry, oatmeal-buttermilk coconut, and plain chocolate chip pancakes and some country sausage. The waitress (who also cooks up the pancakes) brought out our first of 2 rounds of 3 pancakes and I got down to business.

The pancakes were - in a word - amazing. They do not short change you on the fillings; I had tons of little blueberries, chocolate chips, and coconut in my 3" cakes of yum. The maple syrup was a wonderful addition (I love syrup on pancakes, and as much as I wanted to try the sugar or spread on them I couldn't bring myself to do it) and the pancakes soaked the syrup right in making them that much more delicious. While all three of the pancake flavors were delicious, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite was the oatmeal-buttermilk coconut. I'm usually a huge blueberry pancake fan, but I found the whole-wheat batter to be denser than I was expecting. Don't get me wrong - it was still quite good - but if I wasn't so full I could have gone for 3 more of those oatmeal-buttermilk coconuts. The batter was lighter and fluffier than I was expecting and there was just enough coconut to make it perfect. The plain chocolate chip pancakes were also quite good; I usually find that places that make chocolate chip pancakes use too much chocolate, but these were smaller chips at just the right amount.

The sausage was average... that's really it. Little patties of artery-clogging goodness just as you would expect any sausage to be.

By the time we were done, I was completely impressed and satisfied with Polly's. Next time I'm camping in the White Mountains, I'll definitely insist on making the trip up to Polly's for breakfast on the last day of the trip. The food was absolutely great, the rustic atmosphere was nice and cozy, the staff were really nice, and incase I didn't mention it... the pancakes were some of the best I've ever had.

Pizza Creation!

I've recently been trying out some new things at home to give us a bit of variety in our weekly menus. I found 2 recipes on the Food Network website that I've tried out - one for Moroccan Style Chickpea Soup (which I mentioned previously) and one for Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Fettucine. Both were quite tasty and I thank the Food Network chefs for making these available on the in-tar-web.

After those two successes, I've been getting a bit more experimental with what I've been making. The first thing I tried that worked out really well was a pizza that broke out of the normal "pizza" tradition a bit. Instead of using a tomato based sauce, I used a roasted red pepper based sauce and also used feta cheese instead of the traditional mozzerella. Steve declared that I should share this with the world, so - here goes. Maybe someday I'll find it pop up in a pizza joint someplace (but I doubt it).

Danielle Athanas' Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Pizza

Ingredients:
- 1 premade whole-wheat pizza crust (I got mine at Whole Foods)
**Pizza crust stretches easier at room temperature. I usually buy mine same-day and leave it out while I'm prepping everything else and it does the trick.
- For pan/dough prep: 1/8 cup flour, 1 tbsp. EVOO
SAUCE (makes enough for 2 pizzas, so you'll be able to store some):
- 2 tbsp. EVOO
- 1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped*
- 3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 19 oz. Roasted Red Peppers (I used a 12 oz. and a 7 oz. jar), drained and chopped*
- 1-1.5 tbsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp. basil
*The chopping can be larger chunks; I usually just do strips.
TOPPINGS (for one pizza):
- 1 cubanelle pepper, "cored" and sliced in rounds
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not the ones soaking in water, the freeze-dried ones)
- 1 cup feta cheese (or more, to your taste)
- 1/4 cup romano cheese, shredded lightly (I use a microplane)

Method:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees (I have a conventional oven in New England, adjust other ovens as necessary)
- Heat 2 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat.
- Saute the onions, and as they start to heat press the garlic cloves into the pan.
- When the onions have started to become translucent (approx. 5 min.), add the roasted red peppers, crushed red peppers, and the basil. Heat for 2-3 min., remove from heat.
- Cut the top off of the cubanelle pepper, remove the inner seeds and slice in circles until you run out of pepper. Set aside.
- By now the onion/pepper saute should be cooled slightly. Put all contents of the pan into a food processor and process until it looks like a sauce (approx. 1 min. or so).
- On a cookie sheet, pour approx. 1. tbsp. EVOO and spread with a brush (or spoon) to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the pizza dough from its packaging and sprinkle both sides with flour. Stretch the dough on the cookie sheet; don't worry if it doesn't touch all the edges, you don't want it to have holes. I usually get it to touch the 2 shorter edges and about 2-3 inches away from the longer edges of a standard cookie sheet. If it's not at room temperature or close, be prepared to fight to get it where you want to be before you add the toppings.
- Scoop half the sauce onto the pizza
- Distribute the cubanelle peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and romano cheese evenly across the top of the dough.
- Cook in your preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

(Makes 4 servings of 2 slices each)

The problem when I experiment with stuff like this is that I usually don't write it down. I have two things I made for a picnic tomorrow that I could probably replicate by sight... but hopefully no one will ever ask me for the recipe.

F'Real!

Saturday night we got home and realized there was no ice made in the house and wanted nothing more than a tall glass of ice water. Being the good little wife that I am, I left Steve to do his homework and hopped in Lil' Car to go to the store and get some ice. I thought I would surprise Steve with a treat so I walked around the store with my eyes peeled for something that would be tasty and treaty. Just when I had given up finding anything that was tasty AND met our want to avoid bad things in our food (high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc.) I was met with a small freezer case that read "Start here" and a large contraption above it that read "Step 2".

I discovered the coolest convenience store contraption ever. F'Real Milkshakes.

F'Real Milkshakes might be the coolest thing to ever have happened to the cold ice-creamish snack that Americans love. The concept is simple; run into the convenience store for a snack and get a self-serve milkshake. You start by selecting one of the cups of frozen goodness* from the freezer case (either ice cream or the fruit-smoothie type), removing the foil lid, and placing it in the cup holder. From there, you select the thickness you prefer your shakes (Less Thick, Regular Thickness, or More Thick), press the button, and your cup disappears! The cup holder rises inside the machine where the blender mechanism is located. You patiently wait while the blender whirs and spins away. After about a minute, the cup holder lowers to present you with your tasty milkshake. All that's left after that is to put a lid on your cup, pop a straw, and enjoy.



I waited for two minutes while the F'Real machine whipped up a chocolate milkshake for Steve and a vanilla milkshake for me. I cashed out, and brought Steve home the surprise treat. Oh yeah... I did remember to get the bag of ice too.


*Yes, I read the ingredient labels. At least the chocolate and vanilla flavors have no high fructose corn syrup while the fruit types did. None of them had the hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils. In fairness, I did not check the strawberry or frozen cappucino flavors.

Cooking Lesson

I learned a lesson yesterday.

I'm actually a bit nervous when it comes to cooking an "exotic" recipe. If it has the name of a Middle Eastern, Asian, or African country or nationality in the title of the recipe I'll usually avoid it for fear of screwing it up royally and having it taste terrible. I know people who can make Indian or Chinese food on the fly, and I've always thought that was such a cool thing to be able to do. There are some things that I can make on the fly and I can be a bit creative sometimes, but when it comes to non-American fare I get cold feet.


A couple of weeks ago, I bought a can of chickpeas (or Ceci, or Garbanzo Beans... whatever you prefer to call them) because I like chickpeas and wanted to keep them on hand. The thing is, I have no general idea what to do with chickpeas besides put them in my chili or process them into hummus. Last night I got up some bravery and made Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup (incidentally I had to buy 2 more cans of chickpeas to make it) from a recipe I found on the Food Network website. It was so freakin' good. I got rave reviews from Steve and was advised strongly that this should be a repeated recipe.

Lesson learned: Quit being a chickenpants when it comes to cooking new things. Worst case scenario is that it's gross and you make a PBJ.