Johnstone's Vin Blanc

Greta 6 months old

2011-11-13T17:50:00.001-05:00

Gifted Tag Christmas

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-26T19:47:00.001-05:00

My Birthing Story

2011-09-27T07:19:00.001-05:00

5/1/11: 5 PM Induction scheduled: Upon arrival my cervix was not dilated; at 740 PM the first misoprostol pill was inserted and contractions started more frequently. (Mom arrived at 8 PM that evening.) The pain for me was worse in my lower abdomen; it felt like severe cramping. After almost four hours my cervix was checked again and I was only dilated to one centimeter and contractions weren't coming steadily enough; so the second misprostol pill was inserted at about 11:30 PM. This pill really got contractions moving for me and I became quite uncomfortable, still the lower abdomen cramping was the worse pain for me (over the pain of my belly tightening).
(Background) Since I was high risk, we were fetal monitoring for 20 minutes every hour and while in bed I was also wearing compression boots on my calves - every 60 seconds or so they would fill with air and release. I was told by being induced it would likely take me 2-3 days until I would be fully dilated and that I should expect a quiet, restful evening. At about 10 PM my Mom went to our house for the evening to sleep.
With contractions/cramping occurring more frequently (pain) and the boots filling with air like crazy I was getting very uncomfortable. I asked my nurse, Lisa Kauffman, (who happened to be my good friend's Laura Nickel's sister) what I would need to do to get all this "stuff" wires, cords, boots, etc off of me. She said if I got up out of bed and moved around I could take them off; so gladly I labored the majority of the time on a birthing ball, leaning over the foot of the bed, with Andy giving me steady, firm pats on the back during each contraction. In pain with lots of moaning and groaning, but not knowing how active I was laboring, I tried to hold off on calling my mom for as long as I could. I was having to go to the bathroom about every 30 minutes, so it seemed, and the final time I got up to go I felt light headed and sweaty (turns out this was me going through “the transition phase”). Finally at 2:30 AM Andy called my Mom to come back to the hospital. She wasn't expecting a call that evening and was questioning whether she should really forfeit her sleep, still not knowing if we had days to go. I asked for the phone and told her, "I'm here to labor and I'm laboring, so it's time to come." She woke up, got herself together and arrived to help comfort me at 3:30 AM.
When she arrived, she wanted to ask me how I was doing, but I was in the middle of a contraction, and signaled I couldn't talk. She asked Andy how I was doing and Andy was unsure of how far along I was. Within 90 seconds I was having my next contraction. Mom took one look at this and told Andy to go get the nurse, “we need someone in here now.”
In the meantime, I told Lisa that if I had my cervix checked again and found out that I was only 2-3 cm dilated I wasn’t sure what I was going to do; that I would need to seriously consider pain medications as I didn't think I could keep feeling this pain and keep up my stamina much longer. Just before 4 AM she called, Duke Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Avinash Patil in to check my cervix; it was very uncomfortable but I crawled back into bed for this, and couldn't have been happier to hear that in less than 4 hours time I was now 8 cm dilated and it was almost time to start pushing. He immediately said, “Let’s get you an epidural.” This caused me turmoil, because I was hoping to deliver without any pain meds and had heard once a woman was 8 cm dilated there was really no point in having one; however, I was in a lot of pain when the cramping/contractions hit and wasn’t sure how much more I could take. After thinking a minute, I agreed to it and told him, “fly like the wind, if we’re going to do it, let’s go”…he never made it back to the room again (so glad for this, as you came very quickly).
At this point Andy also quickly stepped out to call his parents, he told them, “if you want to be here when she’s born – she’s on her way.” (They arrived to the waiting room just after you were born at 4:34 AM.) The three of us (Andy, Mom and me) were now getting very excited and emotional, and I began having a strong urge to push but was told not to until they had confirmed my cervix was 10 cm. The urge was very hard to resist. After the next contraction Lisa checked me again and I was given the go to start the final phase of delivery. Before I knew it 8 additional hospital staff were in the room and I found it to be a very supportive, relaxed environment; not sterile and formal as I would have imagined it to be. Pediatrician Dr. Sarah Germana led the delivery. Lisa continued coaching me, giving me short and specific reminders, such as “during the next contraction, instead of moaning, hold your breath and use all your energy to push – this will be more effective and make the delivery quicker.” Not long after pushing, I felt a warm, water sensation and mentioned this to the staff, they informed me this was my water starting to break and they were going to now assist in releasing the rest of it. A moment later I felt a larger warm gush, it felt nice to have it break and delivery started going even more quickly.
I continued to give 2-3 big pushes during each contraction, holding my breath during each one. I asked if the baby was crowning yet and was told not quite yet but that they could see your hair; this was a very emotional, happy feeling. I knew we were so close then and had a burst of energy to complete the delivery. I continued pushing, giving it my all. Lisa, on my left, who was 37 weeks pregnant, placed my leg on her belly and Mom and Andy, on my right, held up my other leg…the next thing we knew you were born at 4:32 AM!!!! The happiest, most emotional moment of our lives had just occurred!!!
Andy cut the umbilical cord and once you had begun to dry, Dr. Germana placed you, skin to skin, on my chest. You were so beautiful (sweet and warm) with a dark head of hair, we were all very overwhelmed. It was unbelievable that you were finally here and were all ours!
Dr. Germana and her team then delivered my placenta, which went easily and quickly. The surprise came when it took about 45 minutes for them to stitch my perineum back up. I was told there are 3 degrees of tears and mine was a second degree tear and that there were certain areas that were deep. During this time, I held you in my arms, and the nurses gave me lots of praise for being so strong and handling your delivery so well. One of them even joked that she wanted me as her doula one day. I told them I had listened to two audio downloads before coming into the hospital from a website called “Hypnobabies”.
My labor was active from 11:30 PM until delivery at 4:32 AM, about 5 hours. Gretchen Wyatt Johnstone was born at 39 weeks, 1 day at 4:32 AM EST. She weighed 6lbs, 10 oz and was 19 inches long. Daddy age 31, Mommy age 30. We all agree that you are absolutely perfect and the most beautiful baby we’ve ever seen!
Notes from Hypnobabies: Think “birthing waves” not contractions – these are positive pulling, pressure, stretching, pushing sensations – born gently and very easily. Expect a normal, natural and easy delivery. Count backwards during birthing waves and think “peaceful breathing”. Be relaxed, calm, and confident. Think “baby is towards the back, headed down and out”.
My mantra: “Greta is my beautiful, healthy baby that arrived safely, perfectly, and easily in my arms!”

3 month photo shoot

2011-09-27T07:16:00.001-05:00

Newborn Baby Favorites

2011-09-27T07:14:00.001-05:00

Baby

Brookstone Tranquil Moments White Noise Machine, just make sure whatever brand you pick has a continuous option
5-6 newborn gowns, so you won't have to deal with snaps the first few weeks
Bumbo seat
Mustela shampoo for cradle cap
Aquaphor lotion
Bath thermometer
Space Saver High Chair
Summer Infant Slim & Secure Handheld Color Video Monitor
Miracle Blanket for swaddling (2)
Graco Pack 'n Play Portable Playard with Newborn Napper (a bassinet quilted liner and sheets (2) will fit the newborn napper)
Ultimate Crib Sheets (2)
Breathable Bumper
Prince Lionheart Premium Wipes Warmer
Travel System stroller
Safety 1st Cool Touch LED nightlights
tummy time toys some with music

Mommy

Blue Canoe Organic sleep/nursing bra, started using it while pregnant
washable nursing pads
Mustela pump
Leachco Back 'N Belly - Contoured Body Pillow, Ivory
Itzbeen timer for naps and nursing
Boppy pillow (plus an additional regular pillow for proper height)
neck pillow

Cloth Diapering

Planet Wise Diaper Wet Bag
gDiapers Little gPant Diaper Covers
gDiapers Cloth Diaper Inserts
gDiapers Little gPant Pouches
gDiapers Cloth Diaper Liners
Planet Wise or Wahmies washable cloth diaper pail liner
Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail - any bag fits it
Household Essentials Indoor Folding Drying Rack, Chrome
Rockin Green Diaper Wash

Other Tips

pets groomed/nails
baby courses (we did Infant CPR, Birthing, and Breastfeeding)
On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo M.A. and Robert Bucknam M.D. - read during 3rd trimester and highlght/flag pages
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp M.D.
25 Things Every Nursing Mother Needs to Know by Kathleen Huggins, RN, MS and Jan Ellen Brown
Dunstan Baby Language dvd
Amazon Mom
maternity and newborn photo shoot
stocked freezer with easy meals
close friends or church group - meals with leftovers 3-5 nights a week for first 2-3 weeks

Greta’s arrived!!!

2011-06-09T19:37:00.001-05:00

Our precious little “Greta” finally arrived! Gretchen Wyatt Johnstone was born at 4:32 AM on May 2, 2011 weighing 6 lbs, 10 oz and 19 inches long.

I was induced the evening of May 1st at Duke Hospital and was told it could be 2-3 days until she arrived…but after only 5 hours of active laboring (without any pain medications) here she was. She is a sweetheart; a calm little being that completely exhausts us, yet fills us with an enormous amount of joy.

Sesame Chicken

2011-04-17T17:11:00.002-05:00

This was a great Asian chicken dish. I wish I had thought to add some broccoli florets to the pan as I roasted the chicken, I would definitely do this next time. We served this with Lemony Egg Soup, but I wasn’t so fond of it.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, nearly thawed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Rice, for serving
additional marmalade/soy mixture or Hoisin sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes (easiest when not completely thawed). In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, orange marmalade, wine, and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss in the chicken cubes and marinate for at least 10 minutes and up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

In another bowl or plastic bag, mix together the flour and sesame seeds. Drain the chicken cubes and blot any excess liquid, and then toss in the flour to coat lightly. Spread the chicken cubes on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake until the chicken is crispy but not dry, about 20 minutes, turning the cubes halfway through. Serve with rice. Toss with additional sauce of your choice, suggestions above.

Original Recipe

Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers

2011-04-11T17:25:00.001-05:00

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup frozen peas, optional
1 1/2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1 sheet frozen puff pastry or pie crust, thawed
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery with salt and pepper, to taste, until the carrots soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently. Add the flour and cook off the raw flavor, about 1 minute more. Turn up the heat to medium-high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Whisk in the stock and Dijon mustard. Add the peas and chicken and cook on a very low simmer until the sauce thickens up into a gravy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry dough and cut into 4 even squares or triangles if using pie crust. Gently roll out each, increasing the size of the square by about 20 percent. Place them on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture in the center. Fold the squares diagonally to create triangles (or gather the edges into a purse shape as I did). Pinch the edges together to create turnovers (use a little water if needed to bind). Press the edges with a fork to create a decorative border. Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the turnovers with the egg wash. Cut a small slit in the top to allow the steam to escape during baking. Bake the turnovers until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving as the insides will be very hot.

Original Recipe

Triple Chocolate Cookies

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/3 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (2 ounces)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate (2 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped pecans, optional (I added a mix of 1/3 cup pecans and 1/3 cup sweetened, dried cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mash together the butter and sugars with a fork until well combined. Add the oil and egg and beat until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and the pecans and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Original Recipe

Homemade Frosty Paws

2011-04-10T06:42:00.002-05:00

We used to buy these frequently for our dogs, so I was excited to find a homemade version that uses real ingredients and takes just seconds to make. I wasn’t sure what container to put these in and then I remembered I had a silicone cupcake mold, which ended up working perfectly. They popped out super easily and I can just place one in each of their dogs bowls for them to enjoy. Ours dogs love them!

32 oz light vanilla or banana yogurt
1-2 ripe bananas, depending on size
2 tablespoons peanut butter

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend about 1 minute on high. Pour into separate small containers and freeze. Makes about 10-12 small treats for your dog.

Original Recipe

Sausage Gravy & Biscuits (with Oven Home Fries)

2011-03-23T17:43:00.001-05:00

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (used turkey)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet. When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat (id using a lean meat add enough oil to equal 2 Tbsp). Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.) Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over biscuits.

Original Recipe

Kielbasa and Apple Pasta Bake

2011-03-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

1 pound rigatoni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
1 block (10 ounces) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3 cups)
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 package fully-cooked kielbasa (14 ounces), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick coins
3 Fuji apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat oval 10-cup baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In large deep pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook rigatoni until al dente, firm but tender, following package directions. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to boiling, stirring continuously; boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

4. Set aside 1 cup cheese for topping the casserole. Stir the remaining 2 cups of cheese, the hot-pepper sauce and salt into milk mixture until smooth.

5. In pasta cooking pot, toss together pasta, cheese sauce, kielbasa and apples. Spoon into prepared baking dish, mounding slightly. Cover.

6. Bake in 350 degree oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover. Stir rigatoni mixture. Sprinkle top with reserved cheese and the scallions. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Original Recipe

Maternity Photo Shoot

2011-03-19T06:19:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, at 32 weeks pregnant, we had a great time working with Melissa DeVoe for a maternity photo shoot. We met early in the morning (best lighting) at West Point on the Eno in Durham. It was our first time going there; I loved the simplistic beauty of the area. After about 45 minutes, we headed back to our house for some more intimate shots (which ended up being my very favorites).

Melissa well exceeded my expectations, doing such a fabulous job and I highly recommend her. You can view a few of our photos on her blog here. We can't wait to have her back at our house just after our little Greta is born for a newborn photo session!

Peanut-Sesame Noodles

2011-03-15T16:59:00.002-05:00

I wasn’t planning on blogging this one, but the sauce was too good not too! So I took a quick photo (excuse the bad lighting, I was too tired and hungry to spend time on a good one).

I added chopped, cooked broccoli to the mix too. It can be eaten warm (skip the ice bath steps), room temperature, or cold.

1 pound whole wheat pasta
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup chicken broth plus 1/3 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Asian dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons peeled ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal

1. Cook linguine in a large pot of lightly salted water following package directions. Drain, and immediately plunge into an ice water bath. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in medium-size saucepan, combine peanut butter, chicken broth and water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Whisk until combined. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.

3. While sauce simmers, toast sesame seeds in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, shaking pan to keep seeds from burning.

4. Drain noodles, discarding ice cubes. Toss with half of the dressing (about 3/4 cup), and allow to soak in for a few minutes. Add remaining dressing and toasted sesame seeds to noodles and toss until well combined. Top with sliced scallions and serve cold. Best if served on the day it is made.

Recipe courtesy of Parents Magazine

Nursery Complete (almost)

2011-03-13T19:31:00.001-05:00

We’ve continued to work on the nursery little by little and we finally have it almost complete. I say almost because we still need to get a few items - video monitor, Seuss mobile and lamp, and changing pad are the main visual items missing (and a pack n’ play to use in the beginning in our bedroom). I struggled a little with exactly how to arrange the wall decals and framed pictures, but I think I finally got it worked out nicely.

(You can click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Entering the nursery

Back wall

new furniture and Seuss book shelf (the chest has all her clothes with each drawer organized by size and the dresser has cloth diapers and supplies, blankets, swaddle wraps, etc.)

new convertible crib

closet wall

I bought this Irish linen when I traveled to Ireland in 2000 and have been saving it ever since. I decided to hang it on the back of the nursery door and place the small stuffed animals we've been given in it for now. I think the pattern is darling.

Nursery Door (Kristin made this as a baby shower decoration, I placed 3M wall tape on the back and placed it on the nursery door.)

The guest bathroom also got a bit of a Seuss makeover.

Baby Shower: March 12

2011-03-13T19:18:00.002-05:00

My friend Kristin was ultra sweet to throw me a baby shower this weekend. She did such a beautiful job: her home was beautiful, the food was fantastic (gourmet cheeses, Italian meats, antipasto, shrimp dip, individual quiches, artichoke dip, veggie tray, olive tapenade, Asian chicken, nuts, homemade cupcakes, brownie bites, and fresh strawberry daiquiri's), beautiful flowers throughout her house, and even a diaper cake - she was such a fabulous hostess! It was such a nice day and so wonderful to get to share it with my close friends. Here are a few photos from the day and of some of the items I was so fortunate to receive.

Embroidered dress and crochet sandals, ducky rattle and lovie blanket

Dr. Seuss changing pad and diaper kit, plus jammies

Hooded ducky bath towels and an umbrella stroller

Spicy Nacho Bake

2011-02-19T18:48:00.002-05:00

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped, optional
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16 ounces) hot chili beans, drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 package (13 ounces) spicy nacho or regular tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onions and green peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes (mixture will be thin).

In a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, spoon in meat mixture. Top with chips and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Original Recipe

Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup

2011-02-16T19:55:00.001-05:00

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons paprika, preferably Hungarian
2 tablespoons dried dill
4 cups mushroom broth or reduced-sodium beef broth
2 cups low-fat milk
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, 10 to 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are very soft, about 3 minutes more. Add flour, paprika and dill and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add broth, milk and potatoes; cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream and salt.

Original Recipe

28 week ultrasound

2011-02-14T19:49:00.003-05:00

She looks so snuggly in the first photo and as if she's signing "I love you" in the second <3

I had a great ultrasound and doctor apt today; it was a lot of fun to see Gretchen "Greta" after going eight weeks since the last time. She was moving around like crazy and kept putting her hands and feet! in front of her face. She currently weighs 2lbs, 15 oz, at the 72nd growth percentile. We saw these characteristics about her today:

she has a little bit of hair on the back of her head
long femur bones
flexible, with putting her feet up over her head
and has big, bright eyes

Such a little cutie!

I also took the 1-hr glucose test today (tasted like thinned out orange triaminic cough syrup to me - which I always loved as a kid and didn't think was bad at all). The doctors office will call tomorrow only if I there is concern, same with my iron level that was tested too.

I'm told that my next ultrasound will be in 6 weeks, when I'm 34 weeks along.

Shrimp and Pasta with Spinach and Lemony Cream Sauce

2011-02-13T18:08:00.001-05:00

13 oz. whole wheat pasta, of your choice
1 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (36-40 pieces)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp dry white wine
3/4 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions

Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Cook noodles using package directions. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat, spray with vegetable oil . Add shrimp, sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper and cook 5-6 minutes until opaque in center, stirring frequently.
Add wine, sour cream, butter, lemon juice and salt to the shrimp, cook over med low heat for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Add spinach, and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Add pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle green onions and almonds over all.

Original Recipe

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2011-02-12T09:38:00.002-05:00

For the Cookies:

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.

Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, whisking each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Original Recipe

Beef Stroganoff

2011-02-10T18:03:00.002-05:00

At Andy's request...and it was very good!

Serves 2

3/4 pounds beef sirloin fillet
Salt and pepper
12 oz sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/2 pound extra wide egg noodles
Chopped parsley leaves, garnish

In a stock pot, boil water. Once boiling add salt and cook noodles to package directions. Drain.

Slice meat into 1/2-thick by 2 -inch long very thin strips (I had my butcher do this) and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then add the meat, mushrooms, and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove to cutting board and allow to rest.

In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook with flour 1 minute. Whisk in broth. Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper. Add meat, mushrooms and onions to the sauce, along with the noodles; stir to combine.

Original Recipe

Lemon-Artichoke Risotto

2011-02-08T18:58:00.001-05:00

2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1 1/4 cups drained chopped canned artichoke hearts
Grated peel of 1 lemon plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

In a saucepan, bring the broth and 4 cups water to a boil, cover and keep at a simmer.
In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the broth mixture, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Maintaining a low simmer, continue to add the broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the artichoke hearts, lemon peel, lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese, parsley and walnuts.

Original Recipe

Spicy Pigs in Blankets

2011-02-06T17:25:00.001-05:00

Two sheets frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, slightly thawed
12 ounce package andouille sausage, cut into 32 pieces
1 egg, beaten
dipping sauce of choice, we used sweet & sour sauce and yellow mustard

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out pastry sheet a little and cut into 16 triangles.

Working with 1 puff pastry triangle at a time (refrigerate the rest of the pastry until ready to use), arrange a piece of sausage across the base of the triangle and roll up snugly, sealing the pastry with a dab of beaten egg.

Transfer to the prepared pans. Brush the triangles with more beaten egg and bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.

Original Recipe

Penne with Brussels Sprouts and Crisp Bacon

2011-02-02T17:47:00.002-05:00

Check out my new blog header too, I was thrilled at how easy it was to create.

12 ounces uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
3 cups trimmed, halved Brussels sprouts (about 1 pound)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 bacon slices
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Gouda
1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using two separate sheet pans place bacon strips on one and Brussels sprouts on another. Season sprouts with a drizzling of EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast until crisp, 15-20 minutes. Crumble bacon; set aside.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Combine pasta and Brussels sprouts; cover mixture, and keep warm.

Combine milk, flour, and broth, stirring well with a whisk. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk until well blended. Cook for 6 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Pour sauce over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. Top with nuts, bacon, and pepper; serve immediately.

Original Recipe

Roasted Apples and Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash and apples on a large sheet pan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until beginning to caramelize. Serve immediately.

Recipe Inspiration

Spanish-Style Everything Rice

2011-01-31T19:31:00.001-05:00

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
A generous pinch saffron threads, about 24
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta or broken pieces of thin spaghetti
1 cup long-grain rice
A small handful golden raisins
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound Spanish chorizo, diced
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup large Spanish, pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked sweet paprika, a palmful
2 pinches cinnamon
1/2 cup green peas, optional
About 1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry-roasted Marcona almonds or toasted sliced almonds

In a saucepot, melt butter over medium heat. Add pasta and toast until deep golden brown and very nutty in aroma. Add rice, stir, add saffron stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook rice 16-18 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, place raisins in a small dish and cover with very hot water to reconstitute – use just enough water to cover raisins. Heat a tablespoon EVOO over medium-high heat in a large skillet. To hot oil, add chorizo and brown at edges. Once rendered, remove to a plate to keep the chorizo from drying out. Return pan to heat and to the hot drippings add bell pepper, onions, garlic, olives, and season with salt, pepper, paprika and cinnamon, toss and cook to tender crisp, 5 minutes. Add chorizo back to pan with peas and heat through. Stir in raisins and deglaze the pan with sherry.

Fluff rice and fold into chorizo, peppers and onions. Top with parsley and almonds and serve straight from skillet at table into shallow bowls.

Original Recipe

Revolutions’ Hearty Winter Cooking Class

2011-01-17T07:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I had a great time attending one of Revolutions’ Chop Shop classes called Hearty Winter Cooking. After we, the class participants, spent 4-5 quick hours in the restaurant kitchen (wine included), the whole class sat down to enjoy the prepared meal with the chefs. Everything tasted so fantastic, here’s what we prepared:

Simmering pears and apples in a sugar, white wine, vanilla bean syrup (later lemon zest and grated ginger were added).

Puff pastry shells for apple and pear tarte tatin. We used dried beans inside molds to shape the puff pastry. Flour, cornstarch, nutmeg and sugar mixture were added to each fruit filling before going into the puff pastry rings (once baked).

Vanilla bean whipping cream for semifreddo, melted gelatin sheet was added later.

Justin made a piping bag for melted hazelnut chocolate.

We then started making lamb sausage, for the meat needed to be grinded.

Then pressed into the casings. Finally, the sausages were browned and added to the sautéed fennel and onions.

Pierogies stuffed with chive mashed potatoes and warm slaw and served with sour cream and pickled red onions (apple cider vinegar, sugar, whole black/red pepper, coriander, bay, cinnamon).

Slow roasted guinea fowls

Chocolate hazelnut semifreddo and tarte tatins (topped with sugar/butter crumble mixture and a sprinkle of brown sugar).

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2011-01-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago I saw Kelsey Nixon make her own vanilla extract on her show “Kelsey’s Essentials” and I loved the idea. It took me awhile to make it over to the liquor store, but I finally did and with what I purchased was able to make two 16oz jars worth of vanilla extract. For the vanilla beans, I ordered them online in bulk and (wow) they are so plump and fragrant.

16 oz vodka, 80 proof (40% alcohol)
5 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

Place in 16oz air tight jar. Allow to sit for 6-8 weeks in a dark place, gently shake once or twice a week.

If you start to run low, top the jar off with more vodka and shake again. Also, whenever you use a vanilla bean in other recipes toss it into the jar after you’ve used it. This will continue to “feed” your vanilla extract and it should keep for years.

Recipe Source

Nursery Furniture

2011-01-04T17:30:00.004-05:00

After reading several articles recently, including this one by Sara Snow, I really wanted to get a jump start on “airing out” our baby furniture and that meant not waiting until the last month or two to have it in place. I had read 6 months was best, while unfortunately we won't be getting quite that, I am happy that at least we will have a good solid 3-4 months.

So recently Andy and I went nursery furniture shopping. The chain baby stores had some pretty nice looking stuff, but I really wanted to purchase as high quality items that we could afford and if at all possible support a local business. After a couple days of thinking, I recalled that we had an unfinished furniture shop in town, Rockwood Furniture. Thankfully, this was our one and only stop as we found items that we absolutely love and can’t wait to have delivered.

We chose a really nice, beautiful set of pine furniture (crib, dresser and chest) and our having it stained in Black Cherry. We should receive it in about 4-5 weeks.

Convertible Crib

Chest

Dresser

First Nursery Update

2011-01-04T17:18:00.004-05:00

Once home, unpacked and slightly rested I started in on completely clearing the closet of non-baby items. Then the sorting, washing, organizing, and putting away of the baby items we had received began. Along with the baby shower, we were also given a lot of nice things from both of our sisters. So much that we were only able to fit about 1/3 of it in our car; looking forward to when Andy’s parents visit in a couple months and bring along the rest of the stuff!

Bookshelf and stuffed animal shelf

Once we get our nursery furniture we will move all the clothes over, but this way we can better take inventory of what we have.

Newborn diaper stuff (other sizes and extra wipes are in the bathroom) and dresses/jackets from 3-9 months

basket of socks, bin of 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and 12-18 months - the last bin is all the washed cloth diaper stuff

(other side of closet) top is misc stuff and a basket of hats, (left to right) crib stuff, burp clothes, receiving blankets, swaddling blankets, larger baby blankets, and baby sling. Diaper bags are to the left of the shelves.

box of kitchen items (bibs, bottles, etc) and bobby pillow

Lastly, I organized and labeled all our ultrasound pics into a little album

Baby Shower: Dec 23rd

2011-01-04T17:09:00.005-05:00

Since this was our only trip back to KY (our home state) while pregnant, two of my wonderful friends were gracious enough to plan and host an AWESOME shower for me - THANK YOU!!!! It was definitely one of the highlights of our Christmas visit. (20.5 weeks pregnant)

With my beautiful hosts: Brittany and Kelly

I adore all things Dr. Seuss, this is going to be our nursery theme too!

Appetizer and Dessert spread (veggie pizza, sausage wontons, cucumber sandwiches, cheese ball, bacon wrapped weenies, meatballs, reuben dip, plus sweets)

Here’s a sampling of the fabulous gifts we were so thankful to have received.

handmade baby throw from Carrie

adorable little baby girl clothes from Andy’s mom

Dr. Seuss baby quilt made by my Mom, I'm told this is the first of TWO :)

Cute knitted baby hat from my sister and a locally made baby bag

High chair from Kelly & Britt

Haystacks (Butterscotch Noodles)

2010-12-19T08:10:00.002-05:00

These are a Christmas cookie classic for us, I can remember making them as far back as middle school with either my mom or grandmother. They are very simple to make, but continue to be one of our favorites, along with “White Chocolate Treats”.

1 12oz. package butterscotch morsels
2 cups chow mein noodles
1 cup spanish peanuts

Melt butterscotch morsels in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, then 30 second intervals until just melted. Stir in noodles and peanuts.

Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper, let stand until thick, 20 to 30 minutes.

Yields 3-4 dozen

Chocolate Peppermint Cake Balls

2010-12-19T08:09:00.002-05:00

Similar in appearance to Brownie Lollipops, however I enjoyed the peppermint aspect of these. Next go around I think the brownie base would be perfect paired with the mint flavoring.

1 box (18.25 ounces) devil’s food cake mix
3 eggs
1⅓ cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons pure peppermint extract, divided
1 container (16 ounces) prepared fudge frosting
1 package (about 24 ounces) chocolate almond bark

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.

In a large bowl, stir cake mix with eggs, water, oil and 11/2 teaspoons peppermint extract until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 33-38 minutes.

Cool slightly and crumble while warm into a large bowl; stir in the frosting until well blended.

With a small cookie scoop, form balls (smooth with hands if desired) and place on wax paper. Chill 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer. Insert candy cane ends or lollipop sticks, if desired.

In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate bark in the microwave set on HIGH for 90 seconds. Stir and heat at 30-second intervals until melted; stir in remaining extract until smooth.

With a fork, dip balls into chocolate, shaking gently to let excess dip off. Return to wax paper and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Let sit at room temperature until coating hardens. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 36-42 cake balls.

Recipe courtesy of Bliss Tree

Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints

2010-12-19T08:07:00.001-05:00

These are a bit time consuming, but are my all time favorite Christmas cookie!! Don’t tell, but underneath the raspberry jam is a dollop of chocolate.

1/4 Basic Sugar-Cookie Dough, premade and chilled
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces walnuts, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam, warmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Allow your disc(s) of dough to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Place walnuts in a shallow dish. Form dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in nuts, coating completely.
Place balls on parchment- lined baking sheets. Use your thumb to make an indentation in center of each ball. Chill 20 minutes.
Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching positions of sheets halfway through, until firm to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a small teaspoon or the handle of a wooden spoon, press indentation of each cookie to redefine shape. Allow to completely cool on wire racks.
Melt chocolate and fill each with about 1/4 teaspoon. All chocolate to completely set. Cover each chocolate portion with raspberry jam, so the chocolate becomes a hidden surprise. Store in airtight containers at room temperature, up to 5 days.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

Holiday Brie en Croute

2010-12-18T21:37:00.003-05:00

Tonight we hosted 10 church friends at our 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. Along with lots of cookies (recipes to come), I also prepared a few appetizers: holiday brie en croute, mexican dip, spicy sausage balls served with apple cider punch, wine or beer.

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1/2 cup apricot preserves or seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup dried cranberry
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
1 (13- to 16-ounce) Brie cheese round
crackers

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Spread the preserves on the pastry to within 2 inches of the edge. Sprinkle with the cranberries and almonds. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes. Serve with the crackers.

Recipe courtesy of Pepperidge Farms

The pups getting ready for the festivities…

Kelly’s Peanut Butter Fudge

2010-12-05T13:46:00.002-05:00

My best friend Kelly Winebarger shared this recipe with me back in high school and it’s been my go to fudge recipe ever since. I haven’t made it in a couple years, but so glad my pregnancy cravings pulled this one back up to my memory. (She also has a wonderful peanut butter pie recipe that I will have to share sometime too.)

2 cups sugar
1/2 c milk
1 1/3 c peanut butter (used natural)
1 7oz jar marshmallow crème

In a saucepan, bring sugar and milk to a boil; boil for 3 minutes.
Add peanut butter and marshmallow crème, mix well.
Quickly pour into a buttered 8-in square pan; chill until set. Cut into squares

Yields 3-4 dozen

I’m pretty pleased with myself for getting back into cooking this week. Earlier in the week I made us two nights worth of taco salads (romaine, ground chorizo, tomatoes, avocados, and corn chips); Friday night a made a homemade pizza (chicken sausage, green onions, green olives, mozzarella and goat cheese); Saturday morning two dozen hanky panky on split English muffins, peanut butter fudge; and finally this morning banana flax pancakes and gingerbread cookies!!

I also happened to be at the grocery store at just the right time yesterday morning and the florist gave me this free bouquet of flowers, as they were deemed no longer sellable – but they are gorgeous and smell wonderful!

Finally, we got an 1 inch of snow in North Carolina yesterday afternoon, during the UK game. It was beautiful to watch come down and we got to enjoy it all evening.

It's a...

2010-11-29T20:12:00.005-05:00

sweet little baby girl!! I can hardly believe it and was almost in tears of joy this afternoon after our ultrasound. It was a little mentally exhausting though, our little girl was all balled up for most of the 90 minutes that it took to do the anatomy scan and we almost didn't get a good look at the sex, thank goodness for the last few minutes and our techs determination.

(Feet and legs are up in the air)

During the ultrasound the tech had the chair going up and down, she was tapping on my stomach, and even asked me to take a break to get up and walk around twice...all in an attempt to get the baby to move positions. She apparently was quite cozy with her hands over her face and feet tucked closely to her belly.

We are so happy with our little one, Andy is already joking that he's wrapped around her little finger... <3

Our Family's Growing

2010-11-06T13:27:00.006-05:00

Since I'm going on my 14th week, we thought it was an appropriate time to share our exciting news - I'm pregnant!! Thankfully, I have overall been feeling really great, besides the whole exhaustion thing. In the evenings after work, instead of cooking, I would come home, curl up in bed, and enjoy a nice nap with the dogs. Mainly we've been having quick easy meals, frozen foods from Trader Joe's, or the Foster's Family Dinners that I mentioned in my last post...you can imagine that these meals weren't all that blog worthy and thus the lack of posting.

This pregnancy didn't come easy for us, we'd been trying to conceive for just over 2 1/2 years when we finally got our good news. We went to a lot of doctor appointments, we each underwent a lot of testing, we had a lot of stress, and I shed a lot of tears. However, we also had a wonderful team of doctors at Duke Fertility Clinic and right as we were seriously considering IVF (we'd already taken the meds course and I had a Hysteroscopy performed) we asked if we could try the minimal stimulation procedure one last time (a series of oral meds and shots)...and that's when it happened for us!! WE WERE SO EXCITED!! I am considered a high risk pregnancy and am being closely monitored at Duke Medicine due to having antiphospholipid syndrome, a coagulation disorder that can cause blood clots and other pregnancy complications. I am currently on two syringes of Lovenox a day. The pregnancy is going great...we can't wait to welcome our little one into our lives at the end of April.

Our 12 week, 3D ultrasound - our baby is just 2inches long at this point.

Prepared Family Dinners

2010-10-26T15:27:00.001-05:00

Several months ago I heard about Foster's Market "Family Dinners". They have different sized shares, but for my husband and I (a couples share) it is $100 for 5 made-from-scratch meals where all we need to do is reheat them. It also comes along with a large salad, some type of bread, and dessert (rotates weekly to go along with the menu). Plus, they have a daily vegetarian offering, kids items, and a couple other entrées available to add on. I placed my order last Friday for the following and picked it up Monday evening. (I meant to take a photo of it all packaged up so neatly, but came home and on auto-pilot immediately started putting it all away - next time).

Beef Lasagna
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Risotto
Rosemary Port Roasted Pork Loin
Bulgur Wheat and Grilled Vegetable Casserole with Chevre
Penne Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Spinach, Onions and Capers with a Balsamic Red Wine Sauce
Garden Salad with Buttermilk Ranch
Baguette
Assorted Fresh Baked Cookies

Since I do cook 2-3 times a week, I plan to freeze the beef lasagna and rosemary port pork loin for sometime next week, use the bulgur wheat with grilled veggies as a lunch item, and have the chicken & mushroom risotto and penne pasta with garden salad as dinner items this week. I am also already thinking ahead and planning to order in advance several items for us to take along for our upcoming beach trip.

Sweet & Spicy Sesame Nuts

2010-10-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

1 pound nuts, of your choice (about 4 cups)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sesame seeds (4 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large, wide saucepan, combine the walnuts, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Add the sesame seeds, cayenne and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the water is nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the walnuts are golden brown and sandy, about 4 minutes longer.
Immediately pour the walnuts onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the nuts are deeply golden and covered with a sandy coating. Let the walnuts cool completely. Break any large clusters apart; transfer to a bowl to serve.

Recipe Source

Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Soup

2010-10-02T20:34:00.001-05:00

7 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, cut into large pieces (about 1½ inches)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15.5 oz.) cans black beans (preferably low-sodium), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss tomatoes, onion, and garlic with oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in large bowl, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast until garlic cloves have softened, edges of onions are browned, and tomatoes have collapsed, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once after first 20 minutes.

2. Transfer roasted vegetable mixture to 4-qt. saucepan. Add broth, beans, cumin, chili powder, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and blend until smooth with immersion blender or in batches in regular blender. Stir in hot sauce. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with dollop of sour cream.

Original Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2010-10-01T17:18:00.001-05:00

If you still need a pumpkin fix try this too!!

1 c. strongly brewed coffee
3/4 c. milk
1 T. vanilla creamer
2 T. canned pumpkin
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
sugar to taste

Brew your coffee using 1 T. of ground coffee for each 6 oz. of water.

Combine remaining ingredients in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Heat milk/pumpkin/spice mixture until it is very hot, about a minute and a half in the microwave or a few minutes on the stove top.

Pour mixture into a high speed blender. Blend on high until mixture is fully incorporated and frothy.

Pour frothy pumpkin milk into a large coffee cup. Pour freshly brewed coffee into pumpkin milk and gently stir.

Original Recipe

Pumpkin, White Chocolate Chip, and Walnut Cookies

2010-10-01T17:16:00.002-05:00

Very yummy!!

1 cup of all-purpose white flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of butter, softened (I used 1/2 c butter, 1/2 cup canola oil)
½ cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of packed brown sugar
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups (12 oz package) of white chocolate morsels
2/3 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts, toasted

Combine the flour, spices, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside. Beat the butter and sugars in a large mixer until creamy. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla until well mixed. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 11-14 minutes. Let the cookies stand for 2 minutes. Remove them from the baking sheets and let cool completely on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen.

Recipe given to me by Liz Mockbee

Basic Chai Tea

2010-09-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

In the colder months, I like having special hot drink mixes on hand, normally it’s hot chocolate but currently I’m finding this chai tea blend quite nice.

3/4 cup dry black tea
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
milk
agave or honey

Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Put in a bag or other container to store.
Use 1 teaspoon tea mix per 3/4 cup water (or so, depending on your preference).
Fill glass about 2/3 full with tea, 1/3 with milk, and add a bit of sweetener.

Original Recipe

Cookie Dough "Sarahbars"

2010-09-11T12:13:00.001-05:00

I’ve been a huge fan of Larabars for the last few years, this homemade version will knock your socks off at how good they are. With so few ingredients it is surprisingly amazing at how flavorful they are…and they really do taste similar to cookie dough batter.

1 c. raw almonds
2/3 c. pitted dates
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. sea salt
1/8 c. organic chocolate chips

Grind almonds in a food processor or high speed blender until the texture of wet sand. Remove from blender and set aside.

Add dates, vanilla and salt to blender and blend until very finally chopped. Loosen the date mixture and add almonds back to blender along with chocolate chips and pulse just until a “dough” starts to come together.

Pour mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper and press into a large square. Refrigerate for at least an hour, then cut into eight pieces.

Original Recipe

Mango Chutney, Prosciutto and Paneer "Pizza"

2010-09-11T12:08:00.001-05:00

Loved using naan as a pizza crust base, it heated nicely in the oven and even got a little crunchy on the edges. It made for a great individual sized portions. The prosciutto and mango chutney sauce were a nice treat too.

1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons sweet mango chutney
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled paneer cheese
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 large green onion, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
A glug extra-virgin olive oil
4 frozen naan bread (recommended: Trader Joe's)
4 slices prosciutto, torn

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine the tomato paste, mango chutney, minced garlic, and water over medium heat, until well combined. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes and then remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, paneer, red pepper flakes, cilantro, green onion, ground cumin and extra-virgin olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add more red pepper flakes if you like it spicy!

Arrange the naans on a cookie sheet. Divide the tomato-mango chutney sauce evenly among the naans, spreading to coat the top. Evenly divide the cheese mixture among the naans. Throw in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisped around the edges.

Meanwhile, tear the prosciutto into small pieces. When the pizzas are ready, top them with the fresh prosciutto. Cut each naan into 4, and serve!

Original Recipe

The pups love the fall-like weather we’ve been having. We catch them sun bathing every time we let them out in the backyard.

Zucchini Lasagna

2010-09-11T12:02:00.001-05:00

We had this earlier in the week and were both very pleased with the dish. A great vegetable and grain alternative to lasagna.

Serves 4-6

2 large zucchini, cut into 12 thin, 1/4 in. thick slices
salt
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. minced onion
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. organic cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar organic marinara sauce
1 c. organic mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

To prepare zucchini, cut a strip off of one side to make a flat base. Then, thinly slice zucchini into “noodles.” You’ll want 12 noodles in total. Place noodles in a colander and sprinkle with salt, layering between paper towels. Let this sit and absorb moisture while preparing the quinoa.

Combine quinoa, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, onion and oregano in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat, simmering for 20 minutes. When quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, fold in cream cheese and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour enough of marinara in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish to cover the bottom. Using a clean dry towel, blot remaining moisture and salt from zucchini and layer 4 noodles across the sauce. Put a layer of quinoa across the zucchini, and cover with another 1/3 c. of marinara sauce.

Repeat with another layer of quinoa, sauce and zucchini. Top the final layer of zucchini with remaining sauce and 1/2 c. of cheese, if using.

Bake lasagna for 30 minutes, until heated through and zucchini is tender.

Original Recipe

Creamy Lemon Pasta

2010-09-01T16:42:00.002-05:00

Love, loved, loved this – hummus, lemon, and whole wheat pasta – yes, please!!!

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (or other noodles of your choice, i.e. zucchini pasta, kelp noodles, etc.)
1/2 c. hummus, prepared or homemade
1 lemon, juiced + 1 T. lemon zest
2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. chopped basil

Prepare noodles and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine hummus, lemon juice, soy sauce and nutritional yeast.

Add pasta, lemon zest and basil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Original Recipe

11th Annual Paperhand Puppet Intervention

2010-08-29T10:46:00.001-05:00

Friday night a friend and I went to Chapel Hill to see “Islands Unknown” put on by the Paperhand Puppet Intervention – it was fantastic and was even better than expected.

Here are some photos of the life size puppets, masks, and shadow puppetry.

“The Library”

“Animal Island”

“Mustache Island” I thought this was the funniest act.

“Wilderness Island”

“The City with No Past”

“Islands of Trash”

“The Storyteller”

New Tabs

2010-08-24T16:13:00.001-05:00

In addition to the “About Me” tab I also created two additional this week, you’ll now find a “Best Dishes” and “Tips” at the top of my page.

Here’s a preview of the “Best Dishes” tab:

Croque Monsieurs with Asparagus Tips

Vegan Bean Burger

Slow Cooker French Beef Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork w/ Mango Barbecue Sauce

Reuben Dogs*

Tomato & Goat Cheese Pizza

2010-08-23T17:22:00.001-05:00

Nom, nom, nom – this is one incredible pizza that really highlights garden fresh cherry or grape tomatoes. I found this to be pretty irresistible!

1 round pizza dough
1 Tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 tsp grainy mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, cut into thin slivers
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 lb grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 ounces fresh goat cheese. crumbled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface; transfer to a baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Spread mixture evenly over dough.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and place sliced onions in the pan with salt and pepper. Cook 8 minutes until onions are soft. Arrange onions evenly over dough. Top with tomatoes, reseason. Bake until dough is golden brown and crisp, 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Top with goat cheese and herbs before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food

Menu Plan Monday: Aug 23

2010-08-22T13:16:00.002-05:00

Monday: Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart (using pizza dough)

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: Bean Burritos and Mixed Berry Cobbler

Thursday: Fullsteam Brewery

Friday: “Islands Unknown” by Paperhand Puppet Intervention

Saturday: Potato & Chive Pancake

Sunday: Pizza and Cookie Dough Sarahbars

Thyme Pasta Frittata

2010-08-22T13:12:00.002-05:00

A beautiful pasta frittata full of fresh herbs, cheese, and lemon zest. If you pre-cook the pasta and shred the cheese the day before the rest is super quick work. I enjoyed a wedge with green grapes this afternoon.

6 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup grated Parmesan
3 cups cooked and cooled penne pasta
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Stir in the cheese, pasta, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a spatula, slide the frittata onto a dinner plate. Carefully invert the frittata back into the skillet and continue to cook until firm, 5 to 6 minutes

Garnish with the remaining thyme. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Giadia at Home

Yesterday, Andy and I headed over to Scratch Bakery where we were meeting Sarah, Josh, and Lacey for lunch. I ordered the lardo pizza with fresh ricotta, hot peppers, & mint and Andy the pimento cheese sandwich. Both were delicious and you can really taste the difference with the quality, local ingredients Phoebe Lawless uses.

White Turkey Chili

2010-08-19T17:30:00.001-05:00

This was really awesome.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 medium poblano peppers (about 4 ounces each), seeded and white ribs removed, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more to taste
1 pound ground white meat turkey
2 (15.5-ounce) cans white beans such as cannelini, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
Salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, and poblanos; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink about 2 minutes. Add the white beans, broth and oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.

Add the hominy and salt and more cayenne pepper, to taste, and continue cooking, partially covered, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into individual bowls and top each serving with cilantro.

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger

Local items this week:

Peaches and Eggs from the Farmer’s Market
Pork Shoulder and Cherry Tomatoes from our CSA

Shrimp Fra Diavlo (plus a Banana Tree!!)

2010-08-17T18:14:00.005-05:00

This was good but not great, it might just be because it was HOT today and this didn’t seem to be what my body was craving. Andy said he enjoyed it though, smart guy :P

3/4 pound whole wheat pasta of choice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves (3 ounces), coarsely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente and according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and spinach and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the drained cooked pasta to the sauce and toss well until combined.

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger

The pups however didn't mind the heat a bit, they thoroughly enjoyed sunbathing this afternoon.

Look what I found, a BANANA TREE!! Snikroc Farm, where I picked blueberries a few weeks back, announced that they had banana trees available for $15, plus you get a free banana split at their softserv stand. Though our yard is small, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to own one. These were grown in their greenhouse this summer and I expected them to be 2-3 feet tall. Imagine my surprise when I saw that they were taller than me!!

How fun is that!?! I’ll be reading all about banana trees now and was told that they should produce fruit next summer! It seems like the most important things are to keep them in the sun and well-watered in the summer and mulch them with a thick layer to keep them warm in the winter.

Menu Plan Monday: Aug 16

2010-08-14T17:22:00.002-05:00

Monday: leftovers

Tuesday: Shrimp Fra Diavlo

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: White Turkey Chili

Friday: American Tobacco Campus’ Music on the Lawn, Thad Cockrell

Saturday: Southern Eggs, Sausage, & Grits

Sunday: Thyme Pasta Frittata

Local Tomato, Basil, & Smoked Mozzarella Panini

2010-08-14T17:21:00.005-05:00

local crusty bread slices (pain de campagne)
local tomato slices
garden basil chiffonade
fresh mozzarella slices (smoked or regular)
salt and pepper

Heat a grill pan or panini press over medium heat. Prepare sandwich with above ingredients, to taste. Brush outsides of sandwich lightly with EVOO.

Grill 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat, rest 1 minute and slice diagonally.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

2010-08-14T09:42:00.001-05:00

This weekend is all about body restoration and healing. I’m keeping my cooking plan light & healthy with items such as Greek yogurt, berries, green smoothies, and bright colorful salads such as this one.

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 3 cans)
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 lime, juiced
salt & pepper

Toss together, chill, and eat! This can also be served at room temperature.

Along with several at home restorative yoga sessions planned for this weekend, I found that a dose of silliness does so much for the soul and simply makes me happy. While making the above salad I danced barefooted in my pj’s to a little Debbie Gibson, Journey, Paula Abdul and Meat Loaf, among others. It brought me right back to the 80’s when I was a little girl dancing in my bedroom. Fun!

Chicken Paella with Sausage and Olives

2010-08-11T17:16:00.001-05:00

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 oz chorizo sausage, casing removed, chopped
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green olives
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of ground turmeric
small pinch of saffron threads

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or a medium-large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add chicken pieces and cook until browned on all sides (not necessarily cooked through), about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken and chorizo to a plate.

2. Add remaining oil to pan. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about one minute. Return chicken and chorizo to the pot and add broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric, and saffron. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger

Fig and Peach Cobbler

2010-08-10T15:57:00.001-05:00

This turned out to be such a great pairing.

2 cups fresh figs, halved
2 peaches, chopped
3 Tbsp butter
cobbler batter

Slice fruit.

Melt butter in a 2 qt baking dish. Prepare cobbler batter and pour over melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Franks & Beans

2010-08-09T18:17:00.001-05:00

A much healthier version of Andy’s ultimate comfort food, he happily approved.

4 cups cooked pinto beans or 2 cans, drained
4 large cloves garlic
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
One 12-ounce package nitrate-free turkey hot dogs, such as Applegate Farms, sliced
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup tomato sauce

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey hot dogs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the garlic, chile powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and 1 cup water. Add the beans to the mixture, stir and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Menu Plan Monday: August 9

2010-08-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

Monday: Franks & Beans (Andy’s favorite childhood dish)

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: Chicken Paella with Sausage & Olives

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Sunday: Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Panini

Figs in a Blanket

2010-08-08T10:59:00.001-05:00

These are a delicious little appetizer or afternoon snack.

10 black mission figs, halved
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 ounces soft cheese (goat, brie, or blue), crumbled
One sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Rinse the figs and slice them in half, lengthwise. Drizzle a little balsamic on each and roast for 7 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Unfold the pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out 40 rounds; place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Top each pastry round with a fig half and a dollop of cheese. Fold the edges of the round over the fig and gently pinch together.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush with the egg wash and bake until puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Smoked Mozzarella Chapata

2010-08-07T17:03:00.001-05:00

Yummy!

1 loaf crusty bread, split in half lengthwise
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, halved
2 small ripe tomatoes, halved
smoked mozzarella, sliced (optional)
Salt and pepper
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling

Preheat broiler.

Rub the bread with the cut garlic and the ripe tomatoes; top with cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pop the bread under the broiler, until golden brown and toasted. Cut into portions and drizzle with EVOO.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Dim Sum @ Hong Kong’s

2010-08-07T15:23:00.001-05:00

Dim sum is the term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate.

We had a delicious dim sum meal at Hong Kong (Guess Rd) in Durham this morning. I can’t recall the name of most of this, but it was a fun experience. They bring out cart after cart of small plates of food and you take your pick and pay for only the items you select. It’s fun to go with others so that you can sample and share a lot of items.

Wontons, Steamed Pork and Steamed Shrimp

Spring Rolls, Pork Rolls, and Spicy Calamari

BBQ Pork and Sticky Rice with Shrimp and Chicken

We all loved it!

Dessert: Sesame Balls (with a sweet bean paste) and an Almond Cookie

The Ultimate Pizza: Fig & Goat Cheese with Red Onion Balsamic Jam

2010-08-06T19:32:00.001-05:00

I’ve been dreaming up this flavor combination for several weeks as I awaited fig season. I’m very proud of my beloved fig tree, which produced a total of 10 darling, delicious, figs in it’s first season.

pizza dough
10 fresh figs, halved or quartered
4 oz goat cheese
4 slices bacon
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Set dough ball and cheese out to rest at room temperature. In a medium skillet cook bacon, drain, cool and crumble. Remove some of the grease and cook the red onion in the bacon grease, towards the end add the garlic. Remove and set aside. Pour the balsamic in the empty pan and reduce by half over low heat until thick and syrupy. Add the onions back to the pan and stir together.

Preheat oven to 450. Roll out the pizza dough with oiled hands. Top the pizza with onions, figs, bacon, and small dollops of goat cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

We paired this with a bottle of Jasmine Rose wine that our friends gave us from Chrisman Mill Winery in Nicholasville, KY.

My tree is of the conadria variety, the lime green fig with a soft pink interior, the darkest fig pictures is a black mission, and the light brown is the brown turkey variety that my coworker shared with me from his tree.

My fig crop

This week at the farmer’s market I picked up more local peaches (a weekly staple currently), a loaf of pain de campagne, and a bouquet of celosias.

Weekly CSA basket

1 lb red tomatoes
2 lbs roma tomatoes
1 lb cucumbers
3 - green bell peppers
1 watermelon

Vegan Bean Burger

2010-07-31T18:20:00.003-05:00

It’s been a really lovely, restorative weekend for us. We’ve gotten some nice time to ourselves and cooler, cloudy weather to go with it. To top it off Andy’s all time favorite movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (and actress) is showing at The Carolina Theatre this week and I had a couple free vouchers to the theatre…so we had the perfect date. We purchased a couple local beers and sat up in the balcony, which we had all to ourselves. I discovered I’m pretty fond of George Peppard.

Lunch was a new burger recipe that I’ve been wanting to try, I was highly pleased with them. Since I didn’t have black beans on hand I used pinto beans, they were quite good, and also threw in a handful of fresh parsley to the mix. I served them on a whole wheat English muffin topped with local cheese and a couple garden tomato slices. I couldn’t put the sandwich down, delish!

Makes 6 burgers

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup dry rolled oats
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Add the oats and pepitas to your food processor and grind until coarsely chopped (they will still be a little chunky). Let it run for roughly 10 seconds. Grate the carrots, and then add to your mixture in the food processor. Add 3/4 of the beans, all spices, and the olive oil. Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whir and mix it all together.

Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and then fold in the rest of the whole, reserved beans. Wet your hands and then form into 6 medium sized patties. Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or into a baking pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle. If you want to grill these, pre-bake them for 30 minutes at 300, and then throw them on the grill to reheat and get a little extra browning.

Recipe courtesy of The Front Burner

Breakfast was a version of this Grilled Portobello Benedict, all scrambled up with sliced mushrooms, basil, and parmesan plus fruit on the side.

Fearrington Village

2010-07-30T06:06:00.005-05:00

As you've probably seen from the lack of week night meals and postings, I've been quite busy this month. I was in desperate need of a slow, relaxed night out with friends. Thankfully, we had an evening planned with E & L to do just that...and boy did it feel nice to be at Fearrington Village. The evening was (I'll be bold to say) magical - lot's of laughing, great food and drinks.

We arrived early for a cocktail, I ordered a Kir Royale and enjoyed the light snacks we were presented with: sugared mixed nuts, baked cheese crackers and olives.

We were served an amuse bouche, marinated asparagus with fennel jam.

First course: Better Boy Tomato Gazpacho Soup with Herb Goat Cheese, Red Pepper, Cucumber, Olive Oil, Crouton

Main Course: Seared Skate with Local Crushed Fingerling Potatoes & Crab Remoulade, Spinach, Summer Squash, Baby Roma Tomatoes

Dessert: Hot Chocolate Soufflé: Hot Chocolate Sauce, Whipped Cream

Andy's cheese plate: Selection of Local and Regional Artisan Cheeses & Chutney

The meal was concluded with a sweet little cookie tray.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of July 26

2010-07-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

Monday: Summer Pasta Salad (Everyday Food, Issue 74)

Tuesday: leftovers, Yoga @ Duke

Wednesday: leftovers, Massage Night

Thursday: Dinner @ Fearrington Village

Friday: Vegan Bean Burgers and Roasted Green Beans

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Lunch @ Alivia’s Bistro

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork w/ Mango Barbeque Sauce

2010-07-25T17:13:00.001-05:00

2 mangos
1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups water
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
2 teaspoons honey
2 (12 ounce) bottles barbeque sauce

Peel the mangos and remove the pits. Place the pits into a slow cooker, then roughly chop the mango and set aside. Place the pork shoulder into the slow cooker, and season with the black pepper, kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon chipotle powder; pour in the balsamic vinegar and water.

Cover, and cook on Low 5 to 8 hours until the meat is very tender. Once done, drain the pork, discarding the cooking liquid and mango pits, and shred with two forks.

While the pork is cooking, puree the chopped mango in a blender until smooth, then pour into a saucepan along with the honey, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring frequently until the mango has reduced and darkened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the barbeque sauce, and remove from the heat.

Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir in the mango barbeque sauce. Cover, and cook on High 1 to 2 hours until the pork absorbs the barbeque sauce.

Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Zucchini Fritters

5 tablespoons Bisquick
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
2 Eggs, Beaten
2 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Zucchini, Grated

Blend the Bisquick, parmesan, salt, pepper. Add eggs. Mix zucchini into batter. Grease hot pan or griddle with butter. Pour batter into pan and fry 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm, a delicious way of serving zucchini.

Recipe courtesy of CDKitchen

I’m also sneaking in a few pictures of our pizza night…

Blueberry Sauce

2010-07-25T17:08:00.001-05:00

This sauce went so nicely with our cheesecake.

2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (added zest too)

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until blueberries have broken down and juice has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

I had the best little chef in the making around to help me all weekend :)

Family Weekend

2010-07-24T16:35:00.003-05:00

It is scalding HOT in the Triangle this weekend!! The thermometer below reads 100.1 degrees this afternoon and the weather channel is reporting that it currently feels like 111 degrees outside. Whoa!!!!

Friday morning, we enjoyed my homemade cranberry cinnamon rolls, which were everything I hoped they would be.

Then we headed out mid morning (with semi pleasant weather, partly sunny with a slight breeze) to pick blueberries. We drove just 3 miles down the road to a nice patch and picked 4 lbs (at just $2.00 lb)!! This was our first time and we were all happy to learn how easy they are to harvest (no thorns, back bending, or stained hands).

We all enjoyed a small taste to ensure their quality ;p and wow they sweet. (Aaron, 8 yrs and Colton, 6 yrs)

Mid afternoon, after a Grilled Cheese, Bacon Avocado Sandwich and Gazpacho we stopped into some cute shops on 9th St and then headed out to a Durham Bulls Baseball Club game.

Sara and me

Andy handled the heat very well and kept us laughing all night :D

Colton enjoyed the play area, while Aaron didn’t miss a minute of the game.

Beautiful, but way too hot of a night at about 8 PM we started to get some relief.

Today, Saturday, was the Durham Farmers' Market, The Scrap Exchange, Local Yogurt, and Wine Authorities :D

But first we enjoyed a nice morning pajama chat and

Brown Butter Banana Muffins for breakfast with homemade Strawberry Marmalade and Apricot Preserves.

After our shopping fun, we came back to a cheese plate (with peppers, tomatoes, hummus, and blueberries too).

Colton

Sara and Mom

Andy and me

We’re working on Mango BBQ Shredded Pork and Zucchini Fritters now and plan to take a late evening walk around the WaDu Trail...and a bit late there will be cheesecake with blueberry sauce.

Wonderful Rain

2010-07-18T16:24:00.001-05:00

The Bull City just got her second thunderstorm of the weekend, so nice to have these late afternoon storms coming through to cool things down and nourish the ground.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-18T10:41:00.004-05:00

Monday: Dinner @ Beyu Caffe

Tuesday: Yoga @ Duke

Wednesday: Jury Duty…a first for me

Thursday: Gazpacho and Grilled Sharp Cheddar & Avocado Sandwich

Mom, Sara, Aaron, and Colton arrive!!

Friday: Work Family Fun Night @ the Durham Bulls

Saturday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork w/ Mango Barbeque Sauce and Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

Sunday: Southern Eggs, Sausage, & Grits

We finally got a nice rain yesterday, the boys and I sat the front door and watched it pour.

Homemade Yogurt

2010-07-18T10:34:00.002-05:00

While I was home, my mom shared a yogurt starter with me. A co-worker of hers, from India, had given it to her and told her how simple it was to make. It really is quite amazing and makes me wander why more of us in America aren’t making this for ourselves verses purchasing it.

Instructions to make 1 quart

1 quart of milk (any kind, even soy milk) I use local 1% milk
1-2 Tbsp natural plain yogurt, live/active cultures, to use as starter (Since I was given a starter I haven’t tried using a small amount of good quality store-bought yogurt, but I’ve read several recipes that say this works, so if you want to make your own give this a try.)

Bring milk to a boil or foamy stage (180 degrees).
Pour into bowl and let cool to 110 degrees (can use ice bath).
While cooling remove yogurt starter from refrigerator and sit on counter.
When milk has reached 110 degrees, stir in the yogurt starter.
Cover and set away from drafts in warm place for 7-8 hours.

Note: Save 1/4 cup as a starter and repeat recipe every 4-5 days. Once starter has been removed for your next batch, you can strain the yogurt in a paper towel layered colander to obtain a thicker consistency.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

2010-07-17T11:05:00.001-05:00

I’ve always wanted to make cinnamon rolls using my own dough, but always seemed to have trouble finding the right time to do it. I loved this blog post that showed exactly how to make them ahead and refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to use. I chose to use the freezer method with these and will serve them fresh and hot next weekend when our company arrives :)

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour (add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:
2 tablespoons softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup dried cranberries, optional

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle.

After the dough cycle is finished, on a floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with the butter, sugar mixture, and cranberries.

Roll up and using a greased serrated knife, cut into 12-15 rolls. (Stop here is you’re refrigerating them for the morning or freezing them for later, see below.) If baking now, place them in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

Refrigerator Method: If you have some time in the evening, go ahead and mix up a batch of dough. Give it a rise, roll them out, cut, then stick your rolls in the refrigerator covered with a lightweight towel. They will slowly rise through the night. In the morning, set them in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour to finish rising, and bake.

Freezer Method: Mix your dough at any time. Once you’ve cut your rolls, lay them in a pan and freeze them immediately. Once frozen, bag your rolls and stick them back in the freezer. To bake, simply place the desired number of frozen rolls on a pan and set out overnight on the counter, covered with a lightweight towel. They’ll be ready for the oven in the morning!

Chef’s Treat: Cut the two ends off which don’t have much filling and drizzle them with agave or honey. Bake them separately, pull hot out of the oven and spread with peanut butter.

Recipe adapted from here and here

Brown Butter Banana Muffins

2010-07-17T10:52:00.001-05:00

These smell delicious and from the crumbs I’ve tasted I have a feeling they are. I’ve cooled them and placed them in the freezer for next weekend when my mom, sister and nephews will be visiting.

1 stick unsalted butter
4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup raw agave syrup or honey
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids have turned a nutty golden brown.

While the butter is browning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners.

Peel the bananas and add to a large bowl. Add the agave syrup and mash the bananas with a fork until very liquefied but still a little lumpy.

To the brown butter, add about 1 cup of the mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for a few more minutes until a darker golden color is achieved. Add to the remaining mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine, then whisk in the egg. Fold in the flour, in 2 batches, with a rubber spatula, until just combined; do not over mix. With an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter among the muffin tin cups. (Fill them pretty full, as these don’t have much rise at all.)

Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of 5 Ingredient Fix

My lawn boy in his new hat :P

Our guardian toad that keeps watch over our lawn and gardens…

Finley, basically begging for treats…his mission in life.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, Thyme Pizza

2010-07-16T17:08:00.004-05:00

To us, homemade pizza and a glass of wine equals the perfect way to relax on a Friday night. Here’s a nice take on a inexpensive, yet classy combination.

1 round of pizza dough
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced (about five cups)
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large, heavy bottomed dutch oven. Add in the onions, sprinkle them with salt, and toss to coat. After about a minute, when the onions begin to sweat, turn the heat down to medium low. Partially cover the pan and let the onions cook, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft and caramel in color (about 40 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8- by 16-inch rectangle. Carefully transfer it to a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To assemble the tart, sprinkle the onions and thyme in an even layer over the crust. Top the onions with the cheese. Return the crust to the oven and bake until it is heated through and the edges are a deep golden brown (10 to 15 minutes).

Served with a crisp white Esporao, Reserva Branco 2008 (Alentejo, Portugal) Thanks to our awesome Wine Authorities guys!

Remember our trip to Tater Knob pottery last week? Here’s the cute set off colorful bowls I purchased for us.

Instead of getting a matching set, I decided to mix match them up ;)

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

2010-07-12T15:31:00.002-05:00

These were a huge hit with our families over vacation and were worth every decadent bite.

1 devil’s food cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped peanut butter cups (plus more for garnishing – I used 2 bags)
8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line with wax paper and coat paper.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides after 1 minute. Fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.

Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely.

Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil and then pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth.

Spread frosting on each cupcake evenly with a spatula. Allow frosting to set for a minute and gently press remaining chopped peanut butter cup pieces all over each top. Place in refrigerator for about an hour to set. Remove and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

Canning: Zesty Salsa & Strawberry-Lemon Marmalade

2010-07-12T15:30:00.004-05:00

My mom and grandma spent one afternoon while in KY teaching my sister and I how to can :)

Sara and I prepping the vegetables for our salsa recipe.

I brought my CSA peppers and tomatoes with me to use, only the best!

Sterilizing the jars, lids, and rings

After filling and lidding the jars, we dropped them back into the water bath. It was a lot of steps, but overall easier than I expected. I think the main take away is to just be organized with your recipe ingredients and canning supplies.

Zesty Salsa, from Ball Blue Book

10 C chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
5 c chopped and seeded long green peppers (We use Anaheim) (about 2 pounds)
5 c chopped onions (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups chopped and seeded hot peppers (we used jalapeno) (about 1 pound)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional, but we use it)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot, adding the hot pepper sauce, if desired. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Strawberry-Lemon Marmalade, from Ball Blue Book

1/4 cup thinly slice lemon peel (about 2 large)
4 cups crushed strawberries (about 4 1-lb containers)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1.75-oz pkg Ball® Original Fruit Pectin
6 cups sugar
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

Combine lemon peel and water to cover in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes, until peel is softened. Drain and discard liquid. Return peel to pan.

Add strawberries and lemon juice to peel and mix well. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Local Adventures in Kentucky

2010-07-12T15:12:00.002-05:00

In between visiting family and friends, my sister and I had a little time for a few local adventures. We loved these places so much we’re thinking they should become a tradition.

Ruth Hunt Candy Factory, Mt Sterling KY, since 1921 and official candy makers of Churchill Downs and The Kentucky Derby

I was so enthralled with all the candies inside, I didn’t take one photo. Here’s the goodies we purchased.

I read about Wine + Market, Lexington KY, in Food & Wine magazine, we had a nice lunch here and took a chilled bottle back to enjoy.

Gorgeous breads throughout the store

Long list of sandwich options

Me and Lori in the wine section

Finally we took a gorgeous drive out in rural Madison County…

to Tater Knob Pottery, Berea KY – my favorite stop of our trip.

I picked up several small bowls and will take a photo of them for an upcoming post.

Vacation Highlights: Friends

2010-07-12T14:55:00.002-05:00

We are very thankful for our numerous, wonderful friends back home.

Didn’t think we’d get to see our buds Kelly & Jarred, as they were headed south the same time we headed north, but we thankfully got to squeeze in a short time together.

Me and Kelly (my best friend since high school)

Andy and Jarred (Kelly's husband)

Girls Night at Koto Japanese Bistro:

Dusty (high school friend) and Sara

Becky (let's see...piano teacher, church friend, mentor, first boss) and Me

Me and Tracy (friend for the last 10 years)

Group photo: Sara, Mom, Becky, Me, Tracy, & Dusty

Me and Lori (church friend since high school) @ Wine + Market

And we were thrilled to run into our Durham “Kentucky” friends Kristin, Laurence and Ellie! They were in town visiting family as well.

Vacation Highlights: Family

2010-07-12T14:47:00.001-05:00

There were several components to my vacation that made it a success: family, friends, a few local adventures, and of course cooking.

My sister, Sara, and me at the Lexington 4th of July festivities

Colton and Aaron, two awesome nephews

Enjoying a dessert at Gigi’s Cupcakes

Sara and Mom

Sara, Grandma, Mom, and Me

Me, Andy and new nephew Walter

Fisher family: Aunt Linda, Dad, step-mom Conna, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Ellen, brother Robby, Great Aunt Mary and Uncle LeRoy, Sara, sister-in-law Kelly, Me, Colton and Aaron

Jungle Jim’s grocery store

Me and Dad

Pit stop at IKEA on our way home!

Menu Plan Monday – Week of July 12th

2010-07-11T13:23:00.002-05:00

Monday: Black Bean Burgers and Baked Beans

Tuesday: Yoga@Duke, packed meals to-go

Wednesday: Panzanella Chicken Sausage

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Ravioli Toss

Saturday: Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Tart

Sunday: Pre-cooking & Freezing items for company next weekend

Buffalo-Style Turkey Burgers

2010-06-28T17:36:00.001-05:00

A turkey burger smothered in hot sauce and topped with melted cheese, yum!! Since we still had corn muffins we ate the burgers without a bun. For our vegetable side, I roasted green beans and peanuts together until browned and then topped with the juice of half a lime and a drizzle of low-sodium soy sauce – loved them!

2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, optional
4 deli-sliced cheddar cheese
4 sandwich-size English muffins, toasted
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup pickle relish

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the skillet.

Mix the turkey, dill and poultry seasoning into the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until firm, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then stir in the hot sauce. Add the patties back to the skillet, turning to coat in the sauce. Top each with some of the blue cheese and a slice of cheddar. Tent with foil, turn off the heat and let stand until the cheese is melted.

Top each muffin bottom with some lettuce, a patty, some relish and a muffin top.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

2010-06-27T12:51:00.003-05:00

Really, really good quick and easy little cookies.

Makes approximately 25 cookies, 65 calories each

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts, optional (chose to leave them out)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until batter is blended evenly.

Use a tablespoon scoop to portion cookies on a greased baking sheet, approximately 1-2 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool on wire rack.

Recipe courtesy of Carrots n’ Cake

Durham Dining: Fish Shack

2010-06-27T12:41:00.001-05:00

Always so much fun when we’re able to get together with Kristin & Laurence. We met over at the Fish Shack for dinner last night, a recently opened new spot that Andy and I had yet to try. It was exactly what a fish shack should be - the food options were plentiful but not overwhelming, the ordering was easy and our order was ready quickly.

I ordered the rock shrimp basket with coleslaw and fries, I never order fries and figured why not give into my craving.

I also requested corn tortillas and fresh salsa on the side so that I could make myself shrimp tacos, since that wasn’t an option on the menu. This method worked out great. I topped a couple shrimp tacos with the salsa and enjoyed one with coleslaw.

Our orders also came with hushpuppies :)

After our seafood feast, we headed over to Local Yogurt, for the best dessert in town. I ordered a small with half plain, half peanut butter and topped with bananas, blueberries, and dark chocolate curls. Yummmmm!

We finished up the night back at our friends house where we had a nice evening playing a couple rounds of hearts…followed by a late night cheese course: blue cheese, fig goat cheese, & fresh raspberries…

Corn Muffins with Honey Butter

2010-06-26T12:33:00.001-05:00

I met Kelly this morning for a quick spin through the farmers market where I picked up another pint of blueberries (they are SO good in muesli). I also have local peaches that I purchased at the Wednesday market, they are so perfect right now.

We walked over to Scratch Bakery, we were still a bit early but there was lots of seating outside so we sat in the shade for about 10 minutes. Soon enough the bakery was open and we were overwhelmed with options. We each decided to get a Sticky Peanut Bun with iced coffee, I also picked up a few Pigs in a Blanket to go for Andy (though Kelly and I did split one, how could we resist!?) The sticky buns were still warm from the oven, I enjoyed every slow bite of it.

For lunch today I roasted some of my CSA wax & green beans along with chickpeas. I just tossed them in a little olive oil, s&p, and chili powder then baked at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Along with the beans we had corn muffins with honey butter…my favorite! (I used to eat honey butter and toast all the time as a kid for a snack.)

Delicious, simple meal!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for muffin tins and serving
1 1/2 cups cornmeal, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Honey, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter until smooth; batter should be loose and pourable. If not, whisk in additional 1/4 cup buttermilk.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tin and transfer to oven. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Place softened butter on a small plate and drizzle with honey, stir; serve with warm muffins.

From The Martha Stewart Show, May 2010

Foster's Salsa

2010-06-25T19:41:00.001-05:00

“Fresh, homemade salsa is infinitely better than packaged salsa. This recipe is quick and easy, and keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.” – Foster’s Market, Durham NC

This was my first attempt at making homemade salsa with purely fresh ingredients and we were very pleased with it. This makes a mild batch, Andy would like for me to add some more heat next time, I‘m thinking two more jalapenos and perhaps a few shakes of hot sauce would make a nice medium style salsa.

Makes about 3 cups

5 tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1/2 red bell pepper or Anaheim peppers, core, seeded and chopped
1/2 red or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped or 1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are combined but still chunky. Adjust seasonings, depending on how hot you like your salsa.

Recipe courtesy of Foster’s Market

I served the salsa as part of a “Taco Bowl”, ground beef, taco seasoning, black beans, olives, cooked together. In a large bowl, top romaine or spinach leaves with meat mixture, salsa, and plain Greek yogurt.

Dessert tonight was tart frozen yogurt drizzled with peanut sauce (1 Tbsp each pb & milk warmed in the microwave for 20 seconds, stir) and mini chocolate chips.

Seared Salmon Fillets with Bulgur

2010-06-24T17:35:00.003-05:00

Very nicely balanced and delicious dinner tonight.

Serves 2

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for cooking if needed
1/2 cups bulgur
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 skinless salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
Lemon wedges (optional), for serving

In a medium pot, heat teaspoon oil over medium-high. Add bulgur and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cups water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until water is absorbed, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff bulgur with a fork and stir in scallion.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining a teaspoons oil over medium-high. Pat salmon fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, add fillets to skillet. Cook until salmon is opaque throughout, about 3 minutes per side, flipping once. Divide bulgur among plates and top with fish. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Topped with leftover chipotle cherry sauce

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

Brinkley's Farm Spring CSA - Week 9

Homemade salsa is in my future, first attempt this weekend!

6 anahiem peppers $1.50
2 lbs red potatoes $2.00
2 lbs red tomatoes $4.00
1 lb roma tomatoes $2.00
1/2 lb green beans $1.25
1/2 lb yellow wax beans $1.25

I'll leave you tonight with a couple fun videos:

My favorite Wine Authorities guys on NBC17
Our local Only Burger truck on VendrTV

I'll take a breakfast burger with prosecco, please!

Chipotle Cherry Glazed Pork Chops

2010-06-23T17:12:00.001-05:00

Really loved this sauce.

2 boneless pork chops
2 teaspoons grilling blend
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups fresh dark sweet cherries
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded chipotle with 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cherries, vinegar, chipotle, sugar, thyme and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper to saucepan; cook for 20-30 minutes or until thickened.

Preheat grill pan. Sprinkle both sides of the chops with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Place on grill pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Serve pork with cherry glaze.

The boys were so cute this past weekend, here’s one more photo I was able to capture.

Menu Plan Monday: June 21-27

2010-06-20T13:32:00.008-05:00

Monday: Trader Joe's trip & 60-minute massage, packed meals to-go (Muesli, Gazpacho, Quinoa Salad, hard boiled egg, cherries, & crackers)

Tuesday: Yoga@Duke, packed meals to-go as above

Wednesday: Chipotle Cherry Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Asparagus

Thursday: Seared Salmon with Bulgur & Roasted Asparagus; Brinkley's Farm CSA pick-up

Friday: Homemade Salsa & Taco Bowls

Saturday: Wax Beans, Chickpeas, and Spinach (Everyday Food, Issue 74) & Corn Muffins with Honey Butter

Sunday: Khicheri (Creamy Lentil and Rice Indian Dish)

Sweet Corn and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

2010-06-20T13:26:00.001-05:00

Last night, my friend Megan posted a Quinoa with Sweet Corn dish that was just the inspiration I needed for all the ears of corn and chickpeas that we prepped yesterday. My first thought was to keep it simple with corn, chickpeas, and sun dried tomatoes…but as I prepared the dish, more ingredients jumped out at me. Along came a few items from our garden: a couple jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil and parsley.

I found organic red quinoa at Trader Joe’s last month, it was too intriguing to pass up.

Makes ~5 cups

Quinoa Mix:

1 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups water
1 cup chickpeas
2 ears corn kernels, kernels removed and cobs discarded
1 large jalapeño, minced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 sun-dried tomatoes, minced, optional
1/2 cup parsley & basil mix, roughly chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil or oil from sun-dried tomato jar
1.5 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Rinse and prepare quinoa according to package directions. Prepare dressing mixture, shake or whisk together and pour over the warm quinoa. Add in remaining ingredients and herbs. Refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to marry.

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A little music inspiration: along with The Kickin’ Grass Band, I’ve also really been enjoying the music of Thad Cockrell this weekend. He’ll be at the American Tobacco Campus later this summer and I can’t wait to go and enjoy.

Farm Blogs: I’ve been making my way through this listing of 30 Outstanding Farm Blogs, I’m interested in checking these three out further:

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Doggy-sunbathing…Finley is always the ‘Regal Beagle” and little Wilson is under the edge of the table.

Cucumbers in Vinegar

2010-06-20T10:24:00.001-05:00

Super crisp and so refreshing

2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon chopped dill, optional

Mix together the vinegar and sugar. Slice cucumbers into a shallow dish, pour sweet vinegar mixture on top, plus dill, if you’d like. Cover with several ice cubes (the ice will crisp the cucumbers) and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so.

Family recipe from Grandma (Ginny) Fisher

Blueberry-Orange Daiquiri

2010-06-19T17:58:00.004-05:00

Such a beautiful way to relax on a hot North Carolina day…

1 cup frozen blueberries
3 ounces light rum
1/2 orange juice
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup superfine sugar

In a blender, combine all ingredients and process for about 30 seconds. Pour into a chilled glasses.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

A few other highlights of our day:

After hitting up Southpointe Mall’s Sunglass Hut for Andy and Williams-Sonoma for me to pick up a 3 piece stainless steel colander set with an old gift card…we had Gazpacho for lunch…only Andy informs me he’s officially decided he doesn’t like gazpaho…but if I call it salsa…it stands a chance…quirky :P

Finley’s cuteness

Wilson’s cuteness

along with an ice cube “treat”

a little floor lounging…

Dinner local burgers mixed with shredded cheese

Roasted CSA beans and tomatoes (fresh green beans our way > than frozen, both of us were amazed at how good this was). Baked at 425 degrees with s &p, EVOO until the skins begin to caramelize.

evening movie entertainment to come!

Firecrackers & Vanilla Cherry Ice Cream

2010-06-19T09:51:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning with a longing to be in the kitchen - it’s peaceful, cool, and quiet at that time of day. The best time of day. 3.5 hours later I had…

7 cups of my favorite gazpacho to serve for lunch w/ diced avocado (and shrimp if I had any),

8 cups of cooked chickpeas,

10 ears of shucked corn, thanks to Andy + a beautifully manicured lawn,

(We even saw a red cardinal perched on our fence, he left before I could grab a photo, but a few moments later he swooped back through the yard.)

source

3 jars of Firecrackers (aka pickled green beans),

Makes 1 quart (I doubled the recipe to get 1 quart & 2 pints)

1/2 pound green beans, mini carrots, cauliflower, or beets
2 springs thyme
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes

Place vegetables in a spring-top glass jar. Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar, onion powder, mustard seeds, salt, and chili flakes to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Boil for 4 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots, filling the jar to the top. Allow the vegetables to completely cool before sealing. Refrigerate for 2 days up to 2 months.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown

and a quart of Vanilla Cherry (Chocolate Chip) Ice Cream!

Makes 1 quart

3 cups heavy cream, or 2 cups heavy cream + 1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, optional
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cherries (stones removed)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips, optional

1. In the medium sauce pan, pour 1 cup of the cream and add the sugar and salt. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pan and add the pod. Stir the mixture over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extra and the rest of the cream or cream + milk.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly in a covered plastic container. Remove the vanilla bean before churning, just rinse it and reserve for another use. Follow the manufacturers directions for your ice cream freezer. (Cuisinart: Turn machine on, pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, 25-30 minutes. Add cherries and chocolate, if using, during the last 5 minutes of mixing.)

Recipe courtesy of Andrea’s Recipes

Kickin’ Grass

2010-06-18T19:41:00.003-05:00

This evening we decided we were up for a fun evening out on the town. We headed over to the American Tobacco Campus for free “Music on the Lawn “ to hear The Kickin’ Grass Band!

They were awesome, I really loved the bluegrass music, especially “Run Away” and “Change Your Mind” (songs two and three at the above link). It was a beautiful, mellow evening outdoors in the shade.

We packed some beers to go and on the way there we stopped by Big Cheese Pizza, a new pizza place that sells $5 large pepperoni or cheese pizzas. 1 minute and 5 bucks later I was walking out with a hot cheese pizza; the service was fantastic and they were super friendly too. The pamphlet says the cheese is hand grated and they make their pizza dough daily.

We liked the crust, it was a cross between hand tossed and thin which works well for us because Andy tends to like the thicker and I like thin. By no means is this gourmet, but it was definitely worth the price and I am happy to have their store conveniently located to us.