Holiday Weekend Wrap Up

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and maybe it’s still the weekend if you have Monday off!

I ended up getting the 4th of July off—my boss had a minor discrepancy as to when the new group of students would be arriving—so that was a good surprise! The weather held out pretty much all weekend as well, which is usually unheard of in MN.

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I started of  the holiday weekend by spending Thursday getting a new tattoo! (Side note: Foot tattoos are the most painful thing ever!)

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Friday it was nice to spend it with my grandparents. They came down to enjoy the lakefront carnival that our town has every year. We played bingo (grandpa won), and just enjoyed the day.

 

It’s been one of the hottest weekends so far this summer, so needless to say, I didn’t feel like eating greasy carnival food in the blazing sun. We decided to go cool off at Applebee’s instead. It was actually my choice to go there because I’ve been dying to try their new Sizzling Entrees. I ordered the Sizzling Steak and Cheese, minus the cheese. And instead of mashed potatoes, I got my standard baked potato.

“ Applebee's classic 9 oz. sirloin with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and red & green peppers, topped with rich Italian cheeses. Served with garlic mashed potatoes.”

Looooved it! When they brought it out, you could hear it sizzling, which definitely means your meal is hot, hot, hot! The steak was pure goodness, and I got the biggest potato I’ve seen yet. It runs at $13.99 a meal, but I actually got two meals out of it, so not too shabby!

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Saturday, mom and dad came down to celebrate with me! We headed back down to the carnival and watched the water ski shows, played more bingo, and just took in all the fun stuff going on.

Mom and I.

Dad and I.

Our town is actually the “birth place” of Paul Bunyan and Babe—this statue of them is a historic landmark, and everyone always has to get a picture by it ha ha!

And I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try the new restaurant that just opened this past week. It’s called the Blue Ox Bar & Grill and it’s kind of cool because it’s in the old train depot, so it’s definitely not your typical dining atmosphere, which makes it fun!

I ordered a sirloin steak again (hey, girl needs her iron!) with sweet potatoes fries and a house salad.

Normally I don’t order fries at restaurants because the grease doesn’t agree with me, but I am really glad I ordered them here, not a tinge of grease any where. The steak was cooked to perfection & I am in love with their house dressing. The amount of food was outrageous, and the price was super low—needless to say, it’s our new go-to spot.

And of course, it’s always necessary to cool off on a hot summer night with some soft-serve vanilla ice cream—yes please!

This week is supposed to be gorgeous—high 80’s and sunny skies. Maybe between work and life in general I will get a chance to hit up the beach—if not I always have these Beach Bash cookies I created to tide me over!

 

Beach Bash Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 1/2 c peanut butter, I used PB & co White Chocolate Wonderful
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c Bisquick baking mix
• 1/2 c +1/4 c tropical granola, I used Enjoy Life Beach Bash granola
• 1/2 c white chocolate chips
• 1/2 c peanuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Place in 1 Tbsp portions on cookie sheet.
• Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges start to brown.

What’s your favorite summertime sweets?!

Indian Feast

I love when the weeks are short—time for the weekend already!

Lately, I’ve been spending time doing prep work for my new job. It’s a dream job really—I have piles upon piles of cookbooks scattered on my living room floor, files for menu planning, and a gigantic grocery list to order from the distributor. I am in charge of menu planning for the summer and I am trying to incorporate a different cuisine every week. So in other words, I am branching out past American recipes and educating myself on all corners of the earth. So much food, so little time!

The basis of this adult camp is to help them learn to teach their language better. They will be coming from everywhere—China, Russia, Taiwan, and Spain. So the culture exposure will be exciting to say the least!

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Anyways, today’s cuisine is Indian. A little bit about it:

• It is characterized by the use of various spices, herbs and other vegetables.
• Each family of Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques.
• The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are masoor (most often red lentil), channa (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram).
• Most Indian curries are cooked in vegetable oil. In North and West India, peanut oil has traditionally been most popular for cooking, while in Eastern India, mustard oil is more commonly used. Coconut oil is used widely along the western coast and South India.
• The most important or frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi, manjal), ginger (adrak, inji), coriander (dhania), and garlic (lassan, poondu).

Indian Style Baked Chicken

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c hot sauce, such as Frank’s Original
• 3/4 c plain yogurt, I used fat-free
• 1/4 c low-fat buttermilk
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 c yellow summer squash sliced, if desired

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients except chicken breast, in a large bowl and stir until well blended. Add chicken, turning to coat well. Pour everything into a gallon zip-loc freezer bag. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, but up to 24 hours is fine.

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray two 8 x 8 glass baking dishes.
• Remove chicken breasts from bag with tongs, leaving some of the marinade on each breast—this will ensure moistness.
• Place sliced squash on the side of breasts, if you choose to use the squash.
• Put 4 breasts in each pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers at 165 F.

 

Bombay Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 c Hunts fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until just beginning to soften, 10-15 mins. Drain.

• Heat oil in a large wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and bay leaf. When seeds start jumping (this surprised me a bit at first haha!), add ginger and onion. Sauté until the onion is deep golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and add turmeric, chili powder, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, taking care not to break the potatoes. Add tomatoes and a little water to release any sticking potatoes, and cook a few minutes more, until potatoes are tender. When ready to serve, top with cilantro.

 Homemade Naan Bread

Serves: 14

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar, I used Splenda 

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour—ended up using about 3 3/4 c

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

1/4 cup butter, melted—I used ICBINB spread

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, prepare a medium-sized skillet. 

Lightly oil skillet.Place dough in skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

*All together now!*

Do you have any great Indian recipes I could consider incorporating into the menu?? Please share!

Thanksgiving Day Replay

How did your Thanksgiving turn out?!

Mine was amazing—the best holiday in a long time for no specific reason, I just really needed some family time! And I put together the whole turkey day meal which was a first. It was a lot of work, but obviously I loved it, or I wouldn’t have volunteered :-) I really feel like the route I want to go career wise is to be a personal chef. I can’t see myself working in a giant restaurant establishment, but I can see myself cooking away 24/7 in someone’s kitchen for their family.  Anyone have any information on becoming/training for a personal chef?

We held Thanksgiving out at my grandparents house with our family. I am so thankful that I have a family even though it’s small. Do you have a big family that get together for holidays?

Like I promised, here’s the pictures and recipes from my Thanksgiving day. I have plenty of leftovers—so stay tuned for a leftover recipe makeover tomorrow!

Wednesday was the day of prep!

 

Like I said before, I decided on this turkey recipe to make. The cranberry relish had to be made and slathered on the turkey a night in advance to marinate. This turkey turned out divine—moist, tender, slightly sweet with a hearty aftertaste. I would make it again in a heartbeat. I also added a lot of rosemary to pump it up as well.

(Grandpa carving the turkey) 

My mom made her stuffing in advance as well. This is her “famous” recipe, so I had to pry a bit to get her to share—thanks mom! Please try it, you’ll love it =)

Mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb wild rice
• 1 lb maple flavored sausage
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large granny smith, chopped
• 1 c apple juice
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1 8 oz can mushrooms
• 8 oz applesauce
• 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
• 2 tsp garlic

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Cook wild rice according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile in another deep skillet add sausage to a pan—crumble and cook until browned. Add all chopped ingredients, garlic, juices, and applesauce to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Get a large roasting pan and pour both pans into one, stirring until thoroughly combined.
• Put in preheated oven for 1 hour covered with foil.

Come Thanksgiving morning, I whipped together these Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins—wowza were they great! Very moist, flavorful, and overall a definite keeper. Making them in muffin cups was a lot easier for cleanup as well.

Of course some kind of squash needs to appear at any shindig I am hosting. I chose to make this I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie, which I ended up added an extra cup of sweet potato puree instead of just the butternut squash. I also added a dusting of brown sugar to the top to give it a finishing crust.

Amazing & barely any leftovers in sight!

My grandpa also made a bread-based stuffing which was amazing, and we had mashed potatoes, garlic bread and tossed salads as well. This was only my first plate ha ha:

And where’s the pie you ask? Member I told you I decided to make this stunning cake instead—well it stole the show and the pie was not missed!

I hope you all enjoyed your day and  had fun looking at mine. From my family to yours—happy holidays!

Getaway and Homebound

Hey all! No I didn’t fall of the edge of the earth—just on a mini-vacation! I decided to take vacation 2 days early for Thanksgiving, which I desperately needed. Nothing a little fun in the cities and finally coming home can’t help! =) It was one of those things where Thanksgiving was planned to be at my new apartment, but I just was feeling so overwhelmed with college and life in general that I really wanted to trek home to be with the family for a week. I have a lot of catching up to do with blogs and such, so I will be commenting soon!

I started off my vacation this past Friday by making a pit stop in Minneapolis to see the Macy’s Christmas display which I always see on the news around the holidays, and so this was the perfect opportunity to get there. If you are ever in the area from November 21-December 30th, head downtown to check it out—it’s free and of course there’s Mrs. Claus baked goodies—can you say the cutest gingerbread men ever??

Then I headed up north and spent a whole day with my grandpa and grandma which I haven't done in a long time. If you’re ever in the Hibbing area, definitely put Zimmy’s on your list of restaurants to try out. It’s dedicated to Bob Dylan since that is his old stomping grounds—great food and such a fun musical atmosphere. I ordered a California veggie burger with a side of tomato basil soup. I usually eat soy burgers, so a veggie burger was a nice change—not dry, but instead surprisingly flavorful and juicy! I had a hard time choosing between the veggie or the black bean burger, but I was satisfied with my final decision.

And two of my favorite people in the whole world:

Then I came home to this:

One happy bulldog!

Since I am driving back home this Friday, I won’t be able to hit up the Black Friday sales—so instead I decided to do a pre-Black Friday! I got so many new clothes, boots, and Christmas decorations, I don’t even need Black Friday now! Do you head out early like crazy?!

And since I shopped like crazy, I needed to fuel up at the good ol’ Old Country Buffett. The highlight was my favorite grilled walleye, grilled veggies, mashed potatoes, and tomato basil soup—yum!

And now I am sitting down after a long day of Thanksgiving prep! Wowee—I will sure be ready to eat tomorrow! Here’s the dinner agenda:

• Roasted Turkey Breast with Spiced Cranberry Glaze
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie
• Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins
• My Mom’s Famous Stuffing (recipe soon!)
• The best mashed potatoes
• Pumpkin Angel Food Cake w/Cinnamon-Cream Filling (voted over pumpkin cheesecake!!)

Plus more sides and such—all pictures and recipes will be up soon! Can’t wait to see how all of you enjoy your day.

 I hope you all are having a beyond wonderful start to the holiday season & remember all things you are thankful for in your life. Oh and of course…don’t eat too much turkey!! =)

Midweek Mexican

Hello Amigos!

Stopping by with a little south-of-the-border flare today! I love Mexican food—quesadillas, burritos, and salsa. Here’s some tips for eating healthier at your favorite Mexican restaurant:

• Choose soft shells vs. crunchy—they are baked and not fried.
• Go all out with salsa.
• Black beans are an excellent choice for most any dieter. They are low-fat, high in protein and provide plenty of fiber.

• Refried beans may sound like a good choice, but they are often prepared with lard and Mexican cheese blends, or even bacon, which really ups the fat and calorie content of what could be a healthy side.

• Con queso dips and nacho cheese are tempting toppers for chips, but they're both extremely rich and high in fat and calories.

• Switch to bean burritos instead of beef or cheese burritos and you'll be saying adios to lots of extra calories.

• Some better choices are: chicken fajitas, bean burritos, a sautéed chicken dish with peppers and onions (hold the cheese!), or a soft taco.

• Some popular dishes to avoid include: nachos, chimichangas, chalupas, taquitos, and chile relleno.

What are your healthy Mexican eating tips?

Since you don’t always have to go out to get a southern sizzle, I like eating Mexican homemade at times, even though I have not once ounce of Mexican in me..pasta+bread=Italian is all me! :-)

Vegetarian Tacos

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• One 8’-12’ whole wheat tortilla
• 1/4 c Boca soy crumbles, or other meatless crumbles of your choice
• 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 tbsp FF sour cream
• 1/2 of a Roma tomato, chopped and seeded
• Handful of shredded lettuce
• 2 Tbsp black beans
• 1/4 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Add a dash of taco sauce to finish it up, my favorite below

Directions:

1. Mix taco seasoning with thawed Boca crumbles.
2. Pretty easy if you’ve ever eaten a taco—get out your tortilla, put lettuce, cheese and all the rest of the layers, topping it off with sour cream. Roll up that taco and chow!

Now if you want to eat a few tacos, instead of and extremely heavy side and dessert, a spicy Mexican soup can pair wonderfully with tacos—I am extremely happy with this soup recipe I came up with—enjoy!

Black Bean Taco Stoup

(It’s somewhat like soup, but somewhat like stew, hence the “stoup”)

Serves:4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed in 1’ cubes
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 14.5 oz can Italian stewed tomatoes
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 7 oz black beans, rinsed from the can
• 2 Tbsp mild salsa
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tsp basil

Directions:

• Sauté onion in a sprayed stock pot on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add bell peppers and sweet potato, reducing heat to low-med and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and stir.
• Turn heat to low and add in all the rest of the ingredients except the beans, stirring after each addition.
• Simmer for 30 minutes then stir in beans.
• Serve with a dollop of FF sour cream if you wish!

And to round off this Mexican meal, head on over to the lovely Kelly and her blog to get the recipe for some Mini Cinnamon Horchata Cupcakes…adios!

 

Daily Giveaways

**Anoooother chocolate-covered giveaway for the chocolate monster within!**

**Gourmet popcorn flavors up for grabs here!**

**Crackers with a hefty dose of Omega' 3’s—two chances to get your hands on some here!**

Semi-Fine Dining

Well, Sunday is here and that means Monday tomorrow, but hopefully you all had a super weekend! We had Friday off of school for homecoming and such, so I was not complaining of a 3 day weekend =) So what did I do with 3 days? Homework, cleaned, shopped, and cooked a meal for my dad and I! He hasn’t seen my apartment since it was all boxes because he’s a over-the-road trucker, so our schedules usually conflict. This weekend my mom was gone, so it was perfect!

Not seeing my dad for 3 months was extremely crazy—he makes me laugh, and I needed a dose of dad humor and of course a big hug! I already knew what was on the menu for us—he and I are huge seafood fans (my mom doesn’t like it), so here’s our menu! It turned out fabulous!

Dad & Daughter Menu

• Crab Stuffed Chicken (recipe here)
• Homemade Roasted Garlic Wheat Bread (recipe below)
• Sliced Garden Tomatoes
• Brown Sugar Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Fennel (recipe below)

My dad was so excited—check out when I delivered his plate to him! (don’t mind the hat hair ha ha)

Love him!

With a look at this, could you blame him for his excitement?

Brown Sugar Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Fennel

(This was so flavorful, and perfect as a side dish for any fall meal!)

Serves:4

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Peel sweet potatoes and carrots in to your desired size/shape.
• Slice fennel bulb and cut into four sections.
• Toss all veggies with oil and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper.
• Take a casserole dish or roasting pan and spread veggies in a single layer.
• Cover pan with tinfoil and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15-20 mins. Roast until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender and fennel starts to brown.

Roasted Garlic Wheat Bread (bread machine)

Makes 2 pound loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 c water
• 1/2 sour cream
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 c bread flour
• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:

• Place ingredients in bread machine in above order.
• Choose wheat bread cycle if available, otherwise just the standard.

If you do not have a bread machine, you could easily make this my prepping yeast, mixing, and letting rise, then baking. I would suggest following another similar oven-baked bread recipe for a basic time guideline.

I’ve Got the Solution!

Well guys, I have a problem. I guess maybe it isn’t that bad of a problem—it’s an overabundance of garden zucchini. My grandpa is a big-time gardener and they sent me a huge load of zucchini, so of course now I need to find delicious ways to use it! I made some roasted zucchini fries yesterday, cut it up for salads, and can you guess what’s next? Something baked of course! This is an original recipe of mine, so please link back if you happen to use it! =)

Do you have any favorite recipes using zucchini?

Zucchini Snack Cake

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 c packed light brown sugar (I used Splenda brown sugar blend)
• 6 tbsp light vegetable oil spread (such as I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, which is what I used)
• 1/2 c egg whites (approx. 3 eggs)
• 1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C of pureed zucchini
• 1/4 C of sweet potato baby food

Topping:

• 1 1/2 C thawed frozen light whipped topping (such as Cool Whip Lite)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Optional- 1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (I added this after the pictures!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 8” square baking pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, soda and salt; reserve.
• On medium-high speed, beat sugar and butter spread until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Stir in zucchini and jarred baby food.
• Transfer to pan, bake 30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from pan; cool. Spread with topping, sprinkle cinnamon and chocolate chips if desired.

 

Tip of the day:

Make sure all your baking flours are stored in an air tight container so they don’t get stale-like. Here’s how I store mine—simple yet effective!