food

It’s hard to believe that Turkey Day is upon us once again!  I hope you will be enjoying time off with family and friends.  Here are a few great recipes that will be part of our family dinner this year. A couple I’ve made before with great results & a new appetizer. 

1. Roasted Turkey recipe. We’ve been using this recipe for the last 3 years and it never disappoints! Forget the whole turkey and just use fresh turkey breast. This option is quick, easy and very juicy. Carving a whole turkey is so over-rated!

2. Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce. I made this dessert for a dinner party back in February and it was a big hit.  It’s so easy and the best part is, it can be made a day ahead of time.  I’m always up for a time saver!

3. Sausage stuffed mushrooms. A new recipe for this year. I saw it being made on an episode of The Barefoot Contessa and it looks really good.  I haven’t made a turkey day app so this will be a nice change.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes?

Most nights after working a long day its a challenge to think of something to make for dinner that I haven’t already made a million times!  It’s not that hard when you pre-plan meals but as a good friend says “after work its all about ATC (ass to couch) time.”  So, this week I made an effort and hit the grocery store before heading home. Aha, pre-planning…see! Anyway, I came across this recipe on the Real Simple website and since it’s semi-homemade I thought I would give it a try.

Smoky Chicken Corn Cakes.  Image via Real Simple

All it requires is a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, some fresh produce and batter for the corn cakes.  Hell, I can do that!  It’s the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce that give the chicken a nice smoky flavor.  Granted, my version didn’t look nearly as pretty at theirs but they never do!  That maybe because they don’t always use actual food.  Like that sour cream in the first photo that could in fact be Elmers glue you never know.

Anyway, it took me about 35 minutes or so to make and I highly reccomend it!  The best part is there are plenty of leftovers so nothing will get in the way of ATC to watch the Top Chef premiere and Top Chef Masters tonight. 

I’m starting to wonder if the Top Chef Masters final, final round is really tonight!  For the past two weeks I thought the same thing.  Maybe its just me but they’ve been dragging it along.  Producers, please, give out the $100,000 grand prize already! Gaw!

This week I was on a mission to make ice cream. It all started when I bought a ridiculous amount of bing cherries at Whole Foods.  I usually don’t buy produce from them because it can be expensive but they had a special on these tasty looking numbers!

The bag weighed in at 4 lbs!  That’s when I thought to myself “What the hell am I going to do with 4 lbs of cherries!” Maybe I could make jam or even a pie but with the ninety degree weather outside ice cream seem more appropriate.

Off I went to Target for an ice cream maker and cherry pitter.  So, this bag of cherries that was such a deal turned into a $40 project!  Ha, classic!

Rival Gel Canister Ice Cream Maker - 1 qt.

The process was pretty simple but pitting the cherries was a little messy, well a lot messy.  By the time I had pitted 12 oz of them it looked like a small massacre had occurred in the kitchen.  I somehow managed to get cherry juice all over the counter, the kitchen wall, and even the framed artwork.  Oops!

The ice cream maker requires that the cylinder base by placed in the freezer overnight so after 24 hours I made a simple custard (1 pint of cream, 5 eggs yolks and 5 oz of sugar) cooked on low to 185 degrees, added the puréed cherries and chilled.  I fired up the machine, pouring in the custard and let it churn away for around thirty minutes.  Once it thickened up I added some chocolate chips at the end and VIOLA!

Straight from the machine it had the consistency of soft-serve so I stuck it in the freezer to harden.  All in all a very tasty treat!  Next up, coffee gelato!  Yum!

Lately, after a long week I like to get up on Saturday morning and make waffles.  Jason isn’t a big breakfast person mainly because he doesn’t like eggs but if I put a big plate of steamed batter, butter and syrup in front of him it will be gone in seconds!

He’s been working a lot of overtime lately so I knew this would be a nice treat.  I don’t want to even think of the calories on this plate but it does bring new meaning to “pile it on!”

So far this week I’ve been busy testing out different recipes as we’re having a small dinner party on Saturday night. We’ve had friends over before but I found myself in the kitchen most of the time. That’s no fun!  So, this time I’m decided to test out a few recipes that are simple, tasty but that can be done in advance.

Monday night I tested the Tuscan Beef Stew with Polenta

for the main course.  I would say it was a nice meal for the two of us.  It did take about 2 and 1/2 hours to simmer which made the beef nice and tender but in the end…it’s just beef stew…boring!  I’m still working on the main course.

In the meantime, I tried a recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon-Pecan Caramel sauce.  I know this looks like one hot mess but it was really tasty!  I ended up using rum instead of bourbon based on the many reviews online and it tasted delicious.  It’s really easy to make and big enough to serve a large group or party.  It can be served warm or at room temperature which means I can make it ahead of time.  Bingo!  This one’s a keeper!  I hope it goes over well.

What are your favorite wintertime dishes?

Oh no they didn’t!

I’ve never cooked tomatillos until yesterday.  I really like these little green gems and especially since they’re naturally gift-wrapped! Well, the technical term is husk but whatever I think they look cool!

The Roasted Tomatillo Salsa recipe is from the Mexican Everyday cookbook which I picked up in Dec. ‘07 after Claire and I spotted the creator and PBS celebrity chef, Rick Bayless, at his Frontera Grill in Chicago. I didn’t immediately recognize him but I just knew that the well-dressed gentleman with the perfectly groomed goatee in the Macy’s food court taste-testing salsa wasn’t the manager.

What I love about this book is that the recipes are simple yet spicy. So, if you’re on a budget but still want to try some of his creations head to FronteraKitchens.com for free recipes.  You won’t be disappointed!

Last Saturday my good friend Elizabeth arranged “Tea Service for Two” at the London Tea Room. It was an ideal place to relax and exchange gifts after a stroll down Washington Ave. We had our choice of tea, traditional cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam with a cupcake to finish it all off. It was a real treat! Thanks E!

There were a few cute stores but for the most part Washington Ave. has become a ghost town.  It was fun to see some of the old buildings that still remain having been turned into lofts. One building that caught my attention was the old Bee Hat Company.  It dates back to 1899. Back in the day this was a busy factory in the garment district and one very cool feature are these terra cotta lion heads that, according to Architectural Ruminations, “originally connected to the building’s rooftop drainage gutter system”  but have since been hooked up to the steam lines.  It’s an interesting sight to see on a cold December day.

Everyone is ballin’ on a budget  these days and with the Holidays coming up there will be lots of parties where some sort of baked goods are on the to-do list.  That’s why I keep a few boxes of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread and Muffin mix ($2.99) on hand.  I know its baking from a box but when there’s not enough time to get ready, let alone bake something, this stuff rocks! 

The bread takes about 45 minutes to bake but the muffins only take 15-20 minutes.  For extra flavor, throw in some dried cranberries or walnuts.   A free added bonus is the tasty pumpkin spice aroma that fills the house!Beach Kings buy

After two weeks on the new workout plan and diet I’m down 4 lbs and 3% body fat!  I have come to realize that my arms are in the worst shape!  This morning I did 2 set (15 reps per set) of Bent-Over Barbell Rows with 30 lbs!  That’s right…after eight weeks you’ll find me at…..THE GUNS SHOW!!!  Anywho…my arms were burning but this morning my clothes are fitting differently and my muscles have a good workout ache.

I know its hard to always measure out food but for $6 this Walgreens diet scale was well worth it!  It has become my new best friend, sorry E!  I don’t use it all the time but its really helpful when weighing a standard 4 oz portion of meat like chicken or salmon.

I’m packing more lunches and snacks to help avoid making bad food choices.  For example, tonight is bowling night and to be prepared I packed a light dinner of egg salad, raspberries, and string cheese.

That should help me avoid the standard issue nachos and cheese (Pantone 138). I’ll still enjoy a beer or 2 depending on how many gutter balls I make!