Utilizing The Pantry Week

It seems to be a recurring theme among foodies this week. I have been trying to cook out of what I have on hand this week. So far it seems to be going quite well. Tonight's dinner was no exception. Today I got it in my head to utilize some frozen shrimp and some frozen asparagus. I did a few searches online and found a couple of promising recipes. One was a CL recipe for Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto. While that appealed to me on so many levels, I've only made risotto once, and I really didn't like it, so I was hesitant to try again with yummy shrimp and yummy asparagus. Inevitably, I did not find a recipe that called to me, so I decided to create my own, and I turned to an old reliable. Fettucini Alfredo.



Fettucini Alfredo apparently originated in Rome. The original sauce was made with simple butter, cream, and parmagiano-reggiano. That's it. Most of the Alfredo sauces I know and love (as well as my own) also contain garlic. And of course, a sauce made with cream, butter and cheese just screams coronary problems, so I at least do my part by eliminating the cream and using low-fat milk and adding some flour to the mix. I do find it amusing that at restaurants we frequent, plain old Fettucini Alfredo is usually one of the more pricey menu items. It is actually a very economical meal to make at home. And also amusing, is how many people cannot believe that I make homemade alfredo sauce. Come on people, it's not brain surgery.

And not only did dinner turn out great tonight, but it utilized things I had on hand without a trip to the store. (Which I am trying to cut back on.) I only wished I'd given this enough thought earlier, I would have made some breadsticks to go with it. Then again, given that tomorrow is Weigh-In Wednesday, I seriously doubt I needed the added calories. Come back tomorrow when I start dishing about that dreaded word we all cringe at: Exercise.

VRC:Italian

This morning I wake up and I see that Alysha has posted the weekly round up for the Virtual Recipe Club. This week's theme was Italian. That was a tough one to pick just one recipe for. I have made several Italian inspired meals over the past few months, so it was a little difficult to narrow it down to one. However, Chicken Parmesan is a clear winner at our house. I really had no idea how much Andy loves chicken parmesan. We have had it quite a few times since it first made an appearance here. He sees a chicken breast out defrosting, his hope get up, he gets a twinkle in his eye- "Is that what I think it is?" Um, no dear, not today. So we've had it quite a few times as of late. So that was this weeks contribution to the VRC:Italian.


If you're in the mood for some delicious looking Italian food, head on over to The Savory Notebook for the complete round-up. I assure you that you will not be disappointed with what you find there. I am going to have to take a close look at every single one of those recipes. Yum!! Thanks Alysha for doing the VRC round-up this week! Tune in next week for VRC:Cinnamon! That will be a tasty round-up over at Sweetnicks.

Tagged with: VRC Italian

Is it Ever Gonna Stop????

Snowing that is.

I am sooooo done with winter. I have had enough snow and slush and cold weather. I want to be warm. I want to watch my children play in the yard in the lawn. I want to cook on the grill, and have a salad to go with it. Hmm. Guess I have to wait a while. There is one benefit to the addition of a little snow today...

Abigail and Zander had a good time with Daddy playing in the snow. :-)

In other news today, we had an addition to our kitchen family. Last week Andy made his coffee for the next morning. Usual procedure is to load the coffee maker and set the timer for the early morning. On Tuesday night, Andy did that and then went about doing his other things, and before you know it, he was smelling freshly brewed coffee. From the very much off coffee maker. It was actually pretty funny. But it did mean that we needed a replacement. The next day after work Andy stopped at Target to pick one up. He just couldn't find one we were happy with. So I turned to Old Faithful- Amazon.com. I just love the product reviews on Amazon. I searched through literally hundreds of coffee makers looking for the perfect one. It had to have good reviews, be in our price range, and had to come with a timer. I was really surprised that a lot of the makers I was familiar with had poor reviews. And then I found it. And here he is:

This Braun Coffee Maker is simplicity at its finest. It has very few frills and whistles, but man does it brew a good cuppa. It houses a Brita water filter right in the tank, so it purifies our tap water. This not only produces a nice cup of coffee, it also prevents calcification of the maker. We do need to replace the filter every few months, but the end results are so worth it. This also came with one of those gold cone filters, which replaces our need to buy paper filters. It brews perfectly hot coffee in such a short amount of time. I just love it. I am looking forward to many mornings of beautifully perfect coffee.

I also got one more surprise in the mail today. One that I am very excited about. As everyone knows, I am a loyal subscriber to Cooking Light magazine. But I have been on the lookout for a few other good food magazines to subscribe to. I had been subscribing to both Gourmet magazine and Bon Appetit magazines. And while they are perfectly fine publications, I just wasn't using them. I enjoyed reading them, but there was rarely a recipe that piqued my interest. I had been thinking about Food & Wine, but due to recent developments and their choices of articles to publish, they will not receive my subscription dollar.

What did I find in my mailbox today? This lovely card:

Andy's Mom has gifted me with Eating Well Magazine- one that has definitely been on my radar, but I've been a little hesitant because of the subscription price. I am thrilled to receive Eating Well, and I am very thankful to Mom Waz for the very generous gift. It will most assuredly be put to good use.

And that's all for tonight. I spent the day rearranging my cupboards again, so supper was a quick and easy one, and one I have already shared, so I will refrain from the double post. :-) Have a great night everyone!

Simple Supper

Tonight's supper was simple and yummy. This is one of my go-to recipes for company. The original recipe came from a Pillsbury Bake-Off. I don't know who wrote it, or what book I got it from, but I do know it was in the bake-off. Creamy Spinach and Tortellini is a great way to dress up frozen spinach. The sauce is remarkably easy, and takes just a few minutes. I have changed the recipe a tad. The original version called for 1 cup of heavy cream. Hmm. I will save my heavy cream calories for dessert. So instead I use 4 ounces of low-fat cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of low fat milk. It may not get quite as creamy, texturewise, but it's pretty darn close, and doesn't leave you feeling like you ate too much. We had simple salads to accompany tonight, and it was a perfect meal for our Sunday Company Dinner. You can find the recipe at the Recipe Trove, or you can click on the link above.

Battling the Sugar Demon

On the path to healthiness, I have encountered resistance. As a former "Trekkie" I tend to think in the terms that only The Borg will understand, and that is that "Reistance is futile." And for the most part, it really is. I can spend two days eating very well, being conscious of my food choices, and ultimately having a great couple of days. Then I will get in the mood for a sweet, and out comes the cookies (or cake). And do I help myself to one portion? Oh no. Portion could be one cookie or two cookies, or if they're really small, maybe even three. But my problem is that I will have three cookies and think to myself "That's plenty, I don't need anymore." Then 30 minutes later I'm remembering those cookies, and I want more. So I have just one more. Okay, maybe two. And then the cycle just continues. So rather than battle with my resolve, I think I need to work with it.

Battling the Sugar Demon is a pointless endeavor. I don't really want to win. I love my sweets, and I love what sugar does in my kitchen. No matter what form, and I don't intend to give it up. Sugar substitutes just don't cut it for me. You cannot fool my tongue into thinking that processed chemical tastes just like my beloved sugar. So what options do I have? I intend to snuggle up with that Sugar Demon, take him out for a walk, and see just how small I can make him. I intend to be careful.

The worst time of day for me is early afternoon. Zander is sleeping, Abigail is at school, and I usually spend that time curled up with a book, last night's episode of Project Runway, or my blog. I get the munchies really bad, and the Sugar Demon is at full strength. One option that does work for me is dark chocolate. Specifically, Dove Promises. Two of those beautiful pieces of chocolate will take care of any cravings I have, so long as I make it a point to fully savor. I slowly nibble each Promise, letting each nibble melt slowly on my tongue. But what about when that doesn't work? Well, I have recently begun discovering loose-leaf tea, and if I make myself busy brewing a pot, and enjoying every delicate sip of tea, that should also help keep the Sugar Demon satsified. I enjoy my honey with a tiny 1/4 teaspoon of honey, so there is actually very little sweetness involved, but just enough for me.

And if all else fails, I may just brush my teeth. I really don't care much for mint as a flavoring. So if I feel like indulging, a nice coating of toothpaste ought to keep me out of the cookie jar for at least a little while. So I guess it will be a grand experiment. And of course, if anyone has any tips for fighting the Sugar Demon, please feel free to pass them on. I will try and be back tonight to post a yummy pasta recipe, but if not, stay tuned for Wednesday's Weigh In, where the subject of Exercise may come up.

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza

Tonight was pizza night. Who doesn't love pizza? Everyone in our house loves pizza. Especially homemade. Tonight's toppings included cheese, canadian bacon, pineapple, mushrooms, and onions. The portion for the kids was just the bacon and the pineapple. This is our standard pizza. Usually we'll add red bell pepper, but tonight I was out, so they were left off. Of course, come grill season, the toppings change into something more suitable for the grill. :-) If you are in search of a good pizza dough, you can find the recipe at this post. It is a thicker dough, and one recipe makes enough dough for two large pizzas, or when we're grilling it makes three pizzas.

Short post tonight. Zander went without a nap today, and Abigail is tired, so bedtime will be early, and we can settle in for a night of television viewing. Speaking of, if you haven't watched InJustice yet, you really should. It is a fantastic show, enough drama, enough suspense, and enough heart to keep you coming back for more. Please watch it if you haven't. So many of our favorite shows get cancelled. Apparantly the TV viewers would rather watch another version of CSI or a new reality show than watch something with substance. CBS just cancelled their new show Love Monkey after only 3 episodes. 3 episodes! We liked that one.

Anyway, that's it for tonight. And of you're looking for a great cookie, check out the Butterfinger Mounds on Cookie Madness. Mmmmmm.

A New Talent

Today I determined I was going to learn a new skill. A kitchen skill. Today I turned my attention to a daunting little pastry staple- Pate A Choux. For those who may not entirely be familiar with Pate a choux, it has another term, or discription to be exact. Choux Paste is also known as the shell upon which a decandent cream puff is made. The shell which is filled with mounds of heavenly whipped cream and bought at county fairs across the country. The shell, which when made into a log shape is topped with chocolate and called an eclair. And today I met Pate A Choux head on, ready to be challenged.

My first step was to find a method or a recipe. I turned to the genius minds on FoodTV. Certainly someone like Jacque Torres or Gale Gand would have a foolproof recipe for Choux Paste. I was right. A search on FoodTV's website turned up several recipes, but I immediately became alarmed. Most were labeled as "Expert" recipes. I read through several, and then turned to a trusted friend in the kitchen. The Joy Of Cooking. Ah. Joy. I read the procedure several times to be certain I understood every step, every precise indicator. And then I proceeded. The dough started to come together very quickly. And before I knew it I was beating in eggs one by one, wondering to myself- "When does this get tricky?" The next step was the piping bag, and I carefully plopped 24 little mounds onto my baking sheet, smoothing the tops with a wet finger. Again- "Where is the difficulty here? What am I missing in this expert recipe?"

The baking process was a little more hands on. The first baking is 15 minutes at 400 degrees, to get the little buggers nice and puffy. Then another 15 minutes at 350 to lightly brown the puffs. The interesting step came next. I turned the oven off and pulled the pan out. Next I proceeded to flip each puff over, and using a paring knife, pierced each individual golden puff. Back into the oven for another 10 minutes, and then to the cooling rack. A little bit of chocolate bavarian cream and some powdered sugar, and this is what I ended up with:

I'm still trying to figure out where the difficult part was. These things are incredibly deceptive. They are quite simple to make, provided you have a little time on your hands. These Choux Puffs are perfect. They are perfectly full of air, so they can easily be filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or split in half and filled with ice cream. These are definitely an impressive thing to make, and will get many repeats here. Imagine surprising guests with homemade cream puffs, eclairs, or profiteroles. They will think you slaved all day in the kitchen, and only you and I know better. Anyway, here is the recipe and method I used, courtesy of The Joy of Cooking.

Weigh In Wednesday

Well, today is the day I promised to talk a little about weight loss and dieting and my personal goals on this. I admit though that I am not entirely sure where I should start. I could go on and on about any of those subjects, but I will try to not ramble on so much. Let's start with my personal goals.

As we all know, every person's body is different. One person's 125 is very different than another persons when it comes to weight and weight loss. But according to the chart in my doctor's office (you know the one, the one with the BMI and how much you should weigh if you are healthy) I am only about5 pounds overweight before I reach "healthy weight" status. That's a great start. But realistically I wear a size 12 jean, and I would like to fit into a 10 again. I know darn well that five pounds is not going to give me a new pants size, so my first goal is 12 pounds. Monday this week I dug out the bathroom scale and stepped on it. I haven't done that in a very long time, and surprisingly enough I was 6 pounds lighter than where I thought I was in the first place. So that was very exciting. And as for a timeline... that's a hard one to say. Common sense tells me that if I was hard core dieting and exercising, 2 pounds a week wouldn't be unheard of. But since I don't intend on hard core dieting, or having time to do a lot of exercise, I will realistically say that I would like to drop a size by June 1st. That will get me into many pairs of fun shorts for the warm weather season.

So how do I plan to do it? That is a loaded question. I don't believe in diets. I believe in diet. I think that for many people diets are the answer to a short term weight loss goal- but they are not the answer to long term weight loss and maintaining it. So many people lose weight while on Weight Watchers, or following one of the many diets (Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Sonoma, etc.) , but they don't keep it off. They don't maintain the healthy eating habits. I beleve the key is moderation. The last thing I want is to deprive myself of anything I want. And I also have a family to think about. Diets are certainly not healthy for children, and cooking more than one meal at a time is just crazy. So my main focus is going to be on portion control. That is where I think I suffer the most. Instead of eating that entire chicken breast, I am going to eat half, and save the other half for lunch the next day. I am also going to try and incorporate more whole grains. They are more nutritive and more satisfying than their white counterparts. That does not mean there won't be white bread and white rice. It just means that I will eat a little less of those.

In the past I have really only "dieted" twice. And I use the term dieted very loosely. Inspired by women on the CLBB that I frequent, I spent six weeks without sugar, two years in a row. That was so difficult for me. I am a sweet freak. My sweet tooth is really huge, and I am always craving cookies and cakes. The first time I did six weeks it was unbearable, but I really liked the way I felt. I had more energy from day to day, and I didn't have those ups and downs I usually experience throughout the course of a normal day. The second time I did the six weeks, it was because I felt the need after a holiday season of cookies and candymaking. It was definitely easier the second time, but it wasn't a lifestyle worth maintaining to me. I love cake. I love pie, and by golly, I want them from time to time. What I can change is frequency. The last few weeks have found me actually tossing out cakes and brownies because I knew I would sit and eat them all if given the opportunity. That is a huge step for me.

(I know it, I am rambling. I promise to stop soon.) What it all ultimately comes down to is calories. Plain and simple. If I take in less calories than I expend, I will lose weight. That means that if I really want to have that scoop of ice cream at night, I must give up the brownies at lunch time. I need to trade off. Do I really need all that sugar in my oatmeal? Maybe a nice dollop of applesauce will work, and then I can help myself to a chocolate chip cookie in the early afternoon. One resource I find invaluable at times like this is www.fitday.com. Fitday allows you to input the foods you consume throughout the day and helps you keep track of what you are eating. They also have output options, where you put in your daily activities and exercise and they show you how much you are using. So if you are looking to trim your own waistline, I highly recommend Fitday.

Okay, enough for today. I'm sure next week Wednesday I will come up with something new and profound to discuss. And I'm afriad there isn't much of a dinner report tonight. I am making chicken parmesan and gemelli with red sauce tonight, so it's nothing exciting that I haven't discussed before. Tomorrow though, I am thinking about tackling a form of pastry. So stay tuned for that cream-filled fun.

Dismal Dinner

So sorry, I don't have the previously promised dinenr post. I made a maple-mustard pork tenderloin that really was a bit of a bummer. And my thoughts earlier about getting Abigail to eat a good dinner were well-foiled this evening by her expression of distaste at everything on her plate. And this was after I offered her a piece of candy and she looked at me in horror- "Mommy, I can't eat that! It's bad for my teeth!" Ah well. It will be a learning process.

So it was a rather uneventful day. I went to a Pampered Chef party tonight- they're getting a little old. I have most everything that I want from Pampered Chef, so they best come out with something new soon. I do like their Simple Additions dishes though, they are very clean looking, and I love dishes, so I can continue to collect those.

And this evening I think we determined that we are going to stay home for Easter this year. We were kind of waiting to see how our finances turned out before making any decisions about vacations, but we were thinking about going to North Carolina. Andy's brother and sister-in-law live in the Durham area, and we were serioulsy thinking about travelling there for Easter. However, reality has decided that instead we really do need to purchase a truck for Andy to get back and forth to work, so we will likely stay home this year. It will work out for the best though, this year Abigail only has two days off of school for Easter break, so next year will be a whole week off. We can surely make a vacation of it next year. Nothing like going South. We've never been to North Carolina, so hopefully things will work out for next year. Thanks John and Jen for inviting us though.

So that's it for tonight. The Amazing Race is on as I write this, so I must get back to my TV viewing. I'm so psyched for The Race to be back, and in it's original format. Some of th eteams are already annoying though, so hopefully they go soom. :-)

Have you seen this blog?

If you haven't, you surely need to. The Vegan Lunchbox is amazing. I cannot believe the things she packs for her son every day for school. And the amazing part? He EATS it. He DEVOURS it. Incredible. When I look at her blog, I think that I must be doing something wrong. I'm not talking about Veganism or Vegetarianism, I'm talking about the variety of foods her son will happily eat. And about the creative way she packs his lunch every day. I no longer pack a lunch for Abigail, she desperately wanted hot lunch, so she gets that now, but I can certainly try some new things on the weekends, and for dinner in general. Last night was a step I think. I don't think Abigail would have even wanted to taste the salisbury steaks last night if she hadn't helped make them, and she ate a lot!

I have this feeling that with her diet I need to strike now while the iron is hot. All the discussion at school over the last week about healthy eating and teeth really does have her paying attention to what she eats. Usually after school she has a healthy snack. And after her healthy snack she may have a small treat (usually a granola bar or fruit snacks). But yesterday she had her healthy snack (veggies and dip) and then asked for yogurt with graham cracker sticks for dipping. That request was accompanied by "Is it a healthy snack?" Wow. So while her awareness of healthy foods is at a hightened level, I am going to sweep in and change some things up on her. She's been eating waffles for breakfast. I am not complaining about the frozen waffle. She is not a big breakfast person, and if she will down two Eggo's before going to school, I at least know she is not sitting in class starving. But what I can change is the syrup on top. Tomorrow I am going to offer her applesauce as a topping, or some frozen berries pureed. We'll see what she chooses.

And tonights dinner of crockpot chicken stew has also changed I'm afraid. I know she won't eat that. So I am going to come up with something different. All I know for sure is that it will involve sweet potatoes of some kind. And since accoridng to Andy I have nothing better to do, I can surely spend my days dreaming up things for my children to eat. Because Zander loves doing what his sister does. And if she will eat that pile of brown rice on her plate, it must be good, so he will eat it too.

And with that, I will sign off and go eat my daily dose of bon-bons, because that is, after all, what stay-at-home moms do all day. ;-) I will be back later with a dinner report if I get a chance.

Kid Approved and Andy Approved

Today when Abigail came home from school, she walked in, and looked a little sad. I asked her how her day was, and she burst into instant tears. It took a few sobs before she could get out what had happened, but I had to laugh when she finally got it out. "Mrs. Schulz told me I can't have Coke anymore. Or lots of things I like to eat." LOL! They are studying teeth this week in school, and they were told today that those things are bad for their teeth. Now Abigail and Zander are not soda kids, it is a special treat for them. If they have it once a week that would be saying they have it a lot. So Abigail and I sat down and I had to explain the difference between someone who drinks a lot of soda, and Abigail who only has it every once in a while. I think she understood, but I decided that she needed to help me with tonight's dinner.

Together we prepared a recipe from Eating Well magazine. A magazine I am getting to really enjoy. It is very informative, and I enjoy reading it. But this was my first recipe attempt from them. Asian "Salisbury" Steaks were very simple to make. Abigail had a good time helping me mix everything together, although she didn't want to help make the patties, she is so funny about getting her hands dirty. I made some brown rice and California Vegetables to complement the dish. It was an instant hit. Abigail enjoyed it, Zander seemed to enjoy it, and Andy gave it an enthusiastic make again. So we will definitely make again.

I did change the recipe up a bit form the original, but not too much. The magazine suggested serving it on a bed of sauteed watercress. That is just odd, so I eliminated that, and for the sauce I omitted a Japanese rice wine and used chicken stock instead. I was impressed at how much flavor was in this entree. There really wasn't much to it. So I am thrilled that it was a winner. Other than the rice, this was thrown together and on the table in about 20 minutes, so it is definitely a quick busy night meal. If you would like to see the original recipe, you can check it out on Eating Well's website. I have my version posted on the Recipe Trove, and you can find that one there.

Random Thoughts Today

I'm sure I will be back later to post something yummy. I just felt like posting on this fine Monday morning. I'm in a very peculiar place today, and it feels good. I am in the wierd position of not having any obligations to anyone other than myself and my kids. I am not in the middle of planning a big holiday event, I am not planning to cater a wedding for 100 people, I'm not beholden to anyone for my time. It's a place I haven't been for awhile. For anyone who was interested, a few weeks ago I was in a serious dilemma over whether or not to accept a job offer. Be assured averyone, I am not taking the job. I don't know why I would be doing it, and I don't want to spend time away from my kids. This last week I also did something unexpected. I officially resigned from my Assistant position for the High School musical. So they are going to have to find a new seamstress and set dresser. And I feel REALLY good about that decision. Andy still might be involved, but I won't be. No more stress for me. The only obligation I have right now is to church. And that's a little obligation. I can handle cleaning a building at my leisure for a few hours a week. So what am I to do with myself?

Well, other than the obvious of spending as much quality time with my kids as possible, and playing in the kitchen, I'm just not sure what is going to occupy my time for the next several weeks. I have several ideas floating around inside my head, I'm just not sure if the timing is right for some of them. So it will be a fun few weeks. I will likely focus a little more on my blogging. I really enjoy the daily conversations with myself, but there is so much more I could do with my blog. You may see a few changes coming up. One for sure change is that I am going to participate in a weekly event called "Weigh In Wednesday." Weigh In Wednesday is really a day of the week set aside for reflection. Like most people, I feel I could stand to lose a few pounds. Childbearing has not been as kind to me as I would have liked, and I would like to shrink a pants size or two. Wednesday will be the day that I discuss my diet and excercise (or lack thereof) and check in to see how I am doing on my goals. This Wednesday will be my first post on that subject, and I will share my personal goals, my plan, and my point of view on dieting in general.

Another goal is to do better in my weekly menu planning. Things have been a little hectic around here, and my planning has not gone so well. Careful tracking of expenses the last two months shows that we are spending way too much on our food budget. By being more careful with my menu planning, I can easily trim that down, and I intend to do that. Without getting into the dollar figures, looking at our grocery bill for January, you would think that we had been dining daily on filet mignon, fresh seafood, and rack of lamb. :-o Hopefully tightening my fist will not result in too much dissatisfaction around here. Because it would be nice to be able to occassionally dine on the aforementioned filet mignon, fresh seafood, and rack of lamb.

So to start of this week, I will share our likely menu plan for the week. I really do have it easy. Abigail likes frozen waffles for breakfast before school. Zander likes cereal. Check. Abigail has school lunch, Zander really just picks at fruit, cheese, and sausage. Andy likes luncheon meat and cheese sandwiches. Check. So my big menu plan is strictly the dinner hour every week. I'm sure if I set some kind of order to lunch time, it would help budget wise, but I prefer to focus my energy ont he family meal of the day. Here is this week as it stands right now:

Monday: Asian Salisbury Steaks, Brown Rice, and Chopped Salad

Tuesday: Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew, Corn, and Applesauce

Wednesday: Mustard Maple Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Red Potatoes, Broccoli and Tomatoes

Thursday: Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake, Mixed Vegetables, Pineapple

Friday: Homemade Pizza Night

Saturday: Out to dinner

Celery and The VRC

When I saw this week that Alysha had chosen Mardi Gras as the theme for this weeks VRC (Virtual Recipe Club), I knew what I had to submit. The idea was to contribute something that was from the city of New Orleans. There are so many things to choose from. Beignets, Okra, and Gumbo immediately come to mind. But wait! I do posesss in my repertoire an authentic award winning Muffuletta Burger, perhaps that would be my choice this week. Oh no. This week I chose to submit the recipe that Andy requests the most, yet seldom receives. There is nothing on the planet like Jambalaya. Such a simple dish, but so complex in flavor. It us comforting and warming, and perfect for a night at home. And on the bonus side, it really is a dish to use up those odds and ends laying around. For me, this was a no-brainer. I still have celery, tomatoes, and peppers screaming to be used. And fortunately, our butcher was running a special on authentic Lousiana Style Andouille Sausage. Seriously, the food of the Gods. When I informed Andy I was making this without shrimp tonight, he looked so crestfallen, I had to acquiesce and run to pick some up. So here we have it, Jambalaya in all its glory and splendor.


This particular recipe hails from that oh-so famous King of Cajun cuisine, Emeril Lagasse. Regardless of what you may think of his show and his increasingly annoying schtick, the man knows his stuff. Now I will say that the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of his Original Essence. I have tried to make this jambalaya with other seasonings, and they just don't cut it. I don't use his Essence much anymore myself, but this recipe alone is worth the 3 bucks for the bottle. Put it in your freezer and pull it out just for this recipe. Trust me on this. The only change I have made to his recipe, is that the one I originally pulled off of Emeril:Live called for Chorizo sausage. A good sausage, in and of itself. But andouille is soooo wonderful if it is made right. It just tastes like Louisiana. It has so much flavor packed into one tiny sausage, and it finishes with that cajun heat that makes every bite even better than the last. So you could use chorizo if you can't find andouille.

Tonight to accompany, I also tried my hand at finishing off my celery challenge with a recipe found here. Celery and Apple Salad is a great way to use up some celery lurking around. All the flavors mingle together perfectly, and this is good enough to be company worthy. The only change I made was that I didn't have any walnuts, so I added a handful of craisins instead. And although the craisins are a tasty addition, I can taste the walnuts when I taste the salad, and next time they will be added. And there will be a next time. Thanks Alanna!

And now for something new. Today I spent some time creating a new blog to post just my recipes for easy searching. If you look over on the sidebar, you will see a link to Treasure Trove. That is where I will be posting my recipes from now on. Eventually I hope to go back and put all of my recipes from Tummy Treasure on there, but that is a daunting project, so I will just go forward for now. I will post a link for each recipe for all of you for easy look-up. Hopefully everything will work out okay. And please let me know if it doesn't!

Tonight's recipe: Jambalaya

Tagged with:VRC:Mardi Gras,jambalaya

Such High Hopes

I really had high hopes for this dish. One of my favorite FoodTV chefs to watch is Mario Batali, and this was my first attempt at cooking out of his new book, Molto Italiano. While it certainly won't be the last recipe out of the book, it was a disappointing start. Stuffed Celery or Sedani Ripieni is prepared in a simple Roman manner. The celery is first blanched and then two pieces of celery hold a meatball in between them. This assembly is fried and then braised to completion in a simple tomato sauce. It was a little time consuming to make, although there are certainly steps that could be done ahead. But for the time it took, it just didn't have the Wow factor I so desperately wanted out of the dish. The preparation was unique, and it really smelled good cooking. Then came the tasting.

That first bite I made sure I had some of everything on my fork. A piece of celery, the meatball, the breading, and tomato sauce. I popped it in my mouth and waited to be wowed. It just wasn't there. There was a serious lack of depth to the meatball itself, and that translated to the celery that surrounded it. What it did have was a freshness. You could taste each individual element, and the tomato sauce was bright and refreshing. If I were to make this again, first of all, I would cook the celery in a broth or stock for added flavor. Then I would add garlic and basil to the meatball, as well as seasoning to the dredging flour. I think all those elements could be tinkered with. I'm not entirely sure I'll pull this recipe out again, but it certainly gets points for uniqueness, and it used a whole bunch of celery- so I'm down to 2 left, and one more dish for my challenge- watch for that tomorrow night. Until then, I will leave you with the recipe for Stuffed Celery courtesy of Mario Batali. I served it with cheese tortellini to soak up some of the excess sauce and a simple chopped salad. Overall, it was a nice dinner, and the celery was surprisingly filling. If you look closely in the picture you can see the meatball being flanked by the two pieces of celery.

Stuffed Celery

makes 4 servings

1 bunch celery hearts

1 slice day old bread, soaked in 1/4 cup milk and squeezed dry.

1 pound lean ground beef

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 3 TBS olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped ripe tomatoes

1. Separate the celery stalks and remove the stringy fibers with a peelr or paring knife. Cut into thirty-two 2 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Put the celery in a medium saucepan, add 1 teaspoon salt and water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool.

3. Place the soaked bread in a medium bowl. Add the beef, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, amd 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and mix well to combine. Shape into 16 small balls.

4. Put 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl. Place 1 meatball between 2 pieces of celery and press so that they hold together. Roll in the flour and lay on a tray. Repeat with the remaining celery and meatballs.

5. In a small bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs with a pinch of salt. Put the remaining 1/2 cup flour in another small bowl. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Dip each piece of celery in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drop off, then dredge in the flour and place in the hot oil. Fry, turning occassionally, until golden on all sides.

6. Transfer the celery to a large skillet that holds it in a single layer. Add the garlic, tomatoes, remaining 3 TBS olive oil, remaining TBS of parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Place over medium heat and cook, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

I'm editing to add that I figured out how to fix the celery so that it would be great. I plan to make this again, only instead of making the meatball mixture for the center, I plan to use Italian sausage. I think it would be great then. So it's just a thought.

Tagged with Celery, Mario Batali

The Invention of Deconstruction

Recently, there was a fad. To my knowledge, it is in the process of fading, but still a presence nontheless. That fad has simply been known as Deconstruction. The basics of deconstruction are this: you take a recipe we all know and love, take the individual components apart and serve separately. For example, a deconstructed ice cream sundae. A shot glass of hot fudge, a bowl of maraschino cherries, a hill of chopped peanuts, and a healthy dollop of whipped cream surround a plain scoop of vanilla ice cream. And if you order this out, the deconstructed option almost always costs more than its fully constructed counterpart. A unique twist on plating to be sure, but not exactly my cup of tea. But where exactly did this originate? Food writers will likely say that the trend started in a tapas bar in Spain, or in a chic restaurant in Chicago. Perhaps the names Adrian Ferra or El Bulli will come up in a conversation on the origination of deconstruction. But who REALLY started it?

I am here today to tell you that the trend of deconstruction did not, in fact, come from the brain of a foodie genius. But rather, from a two year old child. This morning Zander requested one of his usuals, and I just gave it to him, but then I re-thought what I was giving him. I am certain that somewhere a chef was serving his 2 year old child a dish like chicken casserole, loaded with good stuff. And that child proceeded to take it apart and eat each component separately. And then that chef looked at that child, and thought of a way to make money. Deconstruction was born.

So what exactly inspired this mornings post, this mornings moment of revelation? Why it could only be the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich, deconstructed, of course.

Zander frequently eats like this. He is a good eater, he just prefers his meals in their individual parts. Abigail is somewhat the same way. Casseroles don't fly at my house. Soups are iffy. Most often, Zander will be seen picking out individual pieces of meat, veggies, noodles, or spoons of broth. But never all at once. Pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream must not be piled all together. The strawberries get eaten first, and if they are on top of the pancakes, it makes them yucky. And the whipped cream is an event and a rarity all by itself, why cloud that by adding a bit of strawberry or a crumb of pancake. The only food I can think of that doesn't get deconstructed first is salad. And even that...they may not take the individual pieces out, but there is a pecking order. The cucumbers get eaten first, followed by tomatoes, then the lettuce. Any remaining veggies will be picked off after that. The PB&J is eaten by Zander with a spoon. First a spoon of peanut butter, then a spoon of jelly, and then the slice of bread. occasionally he will request one of the two to be smeared on the bread, creating what he calls "A Folder" folded only into a triangle. But most often, it's individual. Gotta love that. My son is a genius.

More Wedding Pictures

Here comes the bride...No, actually, she walked in to the theme from braveheart. Here are a few more pictures from the wedding. This one is of actual people, not just the food. :-)

A Pair of Princesses here. I know who my favorite one is...

Here is the rest of the wedding party.

And here is my family! (Minus the kids) The back row from left to right is Andy, Ben, Cody, Caleb, and John(who will be family soon). The front row is me, Belle, Rachel, Jenn, and Lizzie. Whew. Ben, Caleb, Rachel, and Liz are my siblings, yeah, it was crazy growing up. It's extra crazy that my baby sisters have found luv. Just crazy!!! Maybe we'll hear the pitter-patter of little feet from all of them at once? That would be fun. Abigail, Zander, and Kara want more cousins!!Lol.

Sorry 'Bout That

So sorry if you tuned in here to find out what happened to my celery last night. As it turned out, I spent yet another day with Zander not feeling well, and we spent the day watching Thomas the Tank Engine ALL DAY. So Andy brought home some Buffalo Wild Wings and we had a take-out night last night.

Can't say that I'll make any promises to get on that celery project today either though. My thoughtful son shared with me, and I'm not feeling so hot right now. It is a long time until dinner time, but right now I'm thinking it will likely be a soup night. And it won't be celery soup, that's for sure. If I get a chance I will be back later, if not, well, this will have to hold you over.

How's that for a real princess?

Delicious Leftovers

Tonight my attention shifted away from the celery momentarily to focus on the dozens of cherry tomatoes I have sitting around. I chose a very simple recipe from Vegetarian Express by Nava Atlas. It's really more procedure than recipe, but Parmesan Broiled Cherry Tomatoes turned out very tasty. I sliced the tomatoes in half and laid them cut side up in a baking dish. A sprinkle of salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil provided the base for a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I broiled until the cheese was toasty.

The result was a delicious side dish that both Andy and I enjoyed. We may have this again later this week as we continue to pick away at the mounds of food sitting around the house. I served them alongside simply baked chicken breasts and roasted broccoli. A simple supper, but a grand one after days of mac-n-cheese and McDonald's. Tomorrow night I will return to the world of celery. Hopefully it will turn out better than today's lunch.

Okay folks, trying something new here, please accept my apologies as I try and work out a few things over the next few days- just trying to keep up with the technology. :-)

Tagged withCherry Tomatoes

Imagine that...It tastes like...Celery.

Well, the first attempt at celery was not a home run. Today I turned to a cookbook called 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles. The few recipes I have made out of this book have been pretty good, so I turned to the soup chapter. Bell Pepper-Celery Soup looked simple enough to make for a quick lunch, and sounded intriguing to me. So I quickly chopped up my veggies and got my soup simmering. When it was ready I added a few shavings of Dubliner Cheese and some fresh parsley, and dug in my spoon. It tasted like celery. With a touch of heat from the jalapeno. But mostly, celery. I think I also made an error in using my food processor instead of the immersion blender, as the veggies were not pureed completely, rather they still had some texture. It was just odd. I do think it would make a good palate cleanser for a multi-course meal. But other than that, it really didn't rattle my bones. And since it only used a few stalks of celery anyway, it really was a bit of a bummer. If someone would like to see the recipe, I will be happy to post it for you, just let me know. But basically it is bell pepper, celery, onions, jalapeno, veggie stock, and seasoning.

Hopefully tomorrow's celery journey will prove more fruitful as I turn to one of my favorite food icons, Mario Batali for inspiration. Come back tomorrow for the results of that. Today I get to check soup off of my celery list. I still have a main course and a salad up my sleeve, and possibly more after that, depending how tomorrow goes. Mom has graciously accepted my offer of some produce, so I will have a little help with consumption. On tap for tonight will be a unique use for some of the many cherry tomatoes. If I get a chance, I will be back tonight to share the simple treatment.

Time for a challenge!

So life resumed normalcy today. Almost. It mostly was a lazy day for all of us. Every once in a while Andy or I would head into the kitchen or garage and clean a little something up. But mostly it's just been a relaxing day. As we were taking inventory of the leftover things from the wedding, it occurred to me that it's been a while since I did an Iron Chef Challenge. I did a couple of them before Thnaksgiving, but never got back to it. So this week's challenge is Battle Celery.

I use celery a lot. But it is never the star. This week I plan to change that, as I have four bunches sitting in my basement fridge. It will be an additional bonus if I can include some of the 6 pounds of cherry tomatoes as well. Or possibly some of the 5 jars of banana pepper rings. Or the #10 can of black olives. Or some of the 2 jumbo packages of broccoli flowerets. Yeah. I have a lot of miscellaneous leftovers, and I don't want them to go to waste.
So this week will be a challenge for me, I think. As well as for Andy. When I casually mentioned that I should do an Iron Chef Celery, he didn't look particularily thrilled. So tonight I will spend some time perusing soem cookbooks, magazines, and web pages, looking for inspiration. I am betting that if nothing else Alanna at A Veggie Venture will have something for me to draw from. Hopefully you will hear from me tomorrow in the first installment of battle celery. My goal is to make a minimum of 3 dishes that feature celery. So we'll see...