Seriously yum.

Seriously Literate-Winter '12

2012-02-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), Mindy Kaling
Oh, Mindy. I would love for you to hang out with me. A goofy, funny light read by one of my fave funny girls. Similar to the Tiny Fey memoir, but more relatable, seeing that Mindy and I are the same age. Girl cracks me up. Which was necessary, seeing of the the darker stuff I've been reading lately.

Haunted, Chuck Palahniuk
I'm not going to mince words here. This book is majorly fucked up. Though if you've read Chuck before (Fight Club, Choke), you could have probably already guessed that. It's about a group of people who answer an ad to figuratively vanish, leaving their lives behind to take part in a 90 day writer's retreat. While telling the story of the retreat itself, every other chapter is an "autobiography" from one of the participants, explaining what was so messed up about their life that they wanted to just disappear like that.

Doesn't sound so bad, does it? Well, eventually they start dying. Still not convinced? Well, *spoiler alert* then they start eating each other. So, you know. It was a delightful read. Evening reads plus a hormonal preggo brain made for some awesome dreams that week. Homeboy can write. Just know you're in for quite a gory ride.

The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
I'm totally an anti-war person. I hate the idea of it, I hate the blood and the violence and the death and the destruction. I don't do movies or documentaries about it, I don't do books about it, and I don't debate about it. (Am I making my point? I hate war.)

So of course, this book was about war. I put off reading it, even though it was highly recommended, but then after renewing it three times, I figured I needed to either read it or send it back...so I read it. And it pleasantly surprised me. It's about a group of young men during Vietnam...their friendships, their returns, and the murders they witnessed or took part in. The author describes himself as a bleeding-heart, so in all honesty, I'm sure that slant may have made a difference in the way it was written and in my ability to enjoy it. It wasn't uplifting, but it wasn't ugly, either. It was "honest," (It's fiction, but based on real events in part) and it was, really, quite engrossing. Sad and even sweet at times.

Damned, Chuck Palahniuk
Well, this one wasn't the ball of disgust that Haunted was, but it was of course no ray of sunshine, either. I kinda dug it, though. It was about the 13 year neglectedold daughter of massively famous parents (think Brangelina) who had died and is in hell, which is where the entire story takes place. Since there's no time in hell, I can imagine that the story takes place over years and years, but he zips through what can only be incredibly long situations (such as when she forges an army and gains power by taking down demons and true monsters like Hitler left and right-in stilettos, natch) within a short chapter at a time. It can be pretty funny, really. Disturbing, but funny if you're into the dark side of things.

The Particular Sadness of Lemoncake, Aimee Bender
Annnnd another one I read twice without remembering. Seriously, my brain. I don't know if I was attempting to read it drunk the first time, but I only remembered like, every other chapter. Very confusing.

The main character is a young girl who discovers she can taste the emotions, feelings, and situations of the person who made the food she eats, to the point where eating becomes nearly unbearable. (Her mother's well hidden misery gives way to the book's title, for example.) It's quite an interesting concept. I liked it. And reminds me to try and be in a good mood when I cook.

American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld
I really liked this one. It's very long, but I never felt like it dragged. The story focuses on a young woman who finds herself in love with a man she never expected. She's a thoughtful, educated librarian, and he's the crass, rough and tumble heir to a conservative legacy who is pushed into politics. Eventually, he becomes president, and she's forced to juggle her more liberal leanings with her need to stay silent in public for the sake of her husband.

Sound familiar? It should. The book makes no attempt to disguise that it's loosely based on Laura Bush. I don't know much about the real Mrs. Bush, and have never really cared to, seeing how much I dislike her husband, but this makes me think that maybe she's worth learning more about. The character was fascinating and complex and sympathetic. Really liked the novel a lot.

Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen
A typical Allen story. Sweet, charming and light. People fight falling in love, there's "magic" and mystery in the air, etc. etc. Nothing groundbreaking here, but I don't expect there to be with her. I just like the easy, sweet reads.

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
So here's the deal. Hubs bought me a Kindle for Christmas, and I'm...struggling with it. When I was dependent on the library, I had a fire under my ass to get books read. Now that I'm back to my own devices (no pun intended), I'm not reading nearly as much or as often. Which is a little bothersome. No wonder I work in an industry with deadlines. I'd never get anything done otherwise. (BTW, thanks Mom. I know this is your genetic half.)

So. That said. I think I would have liked this book more had I read it more quickly. My brain is distracted enough these days, and dragging it out over a month or so meant I kept forgetting what was happening, who the characters were, all of that. But it really was a cool story-two illusionists/magicians/whatever you want to call them are chosen (by their twisted parents/adoptive 'masters') at a young age to compete against each other-problem is, they don't know it. Even bigger problem, they eventually fall in love. And all of this takes place within the tents of an incredible circus that almost mystically travels the globe, appearing only at night.

And this circus sounds amazing. And I really dislike the circus. But that's a whole other PETA-related thing we won't get into. There's already talk about making this one into a movie, but it would take a badass director with some insane vision to pull it off. I vote Baz Luhrman. (But I always vote for Baz.)

And now the eternal question...
I've got a couple on my Kindle ready to go right now-The Wedding Gift and Black Ice...does anyone have any short stories or easy reads they could recommend? I think my reading time is about to become even more rare very quickly and I need something light I can jump in and out of.

Dumb things not to say to your 9.5 months pregnant wife, Vol. 1

2012-02-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

After warning him that two largely pregnant women might not be his best audience for incessant bitching about how 'gross' Christina Aguilera is:

"But there's a difference between choosing to be fat and having to be."

Real Simple, indeed.

2012-02-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you don't know this about me, but I'm kind of...lazy. (I'm also sarcastic. Just a little.) If there's a hard way and an easy way, hello...I'm going easy. I mean, I'm obviously willing to make an effort—this is a cooking blog, after all, not a 'Where Did Pam Drive Through Tonight' blog—but I'm the kind of girl who is just as happy with a 90% as with a 103%. They're both A's, people. And I got a lot of them. (Plus, without slaving over unnecessary extra credit assignments, I saved myself some drinkin' time.) Just sayin'.

So there I was, checking out at the grocery store, when this caught my eye:

Um, YUM. AND it's from a CROCK-POT? Sign.me.up. Needless to say, the magazine came home with me.

Me: (As I toss it on the table triumphantly) This? This is happening.
Hubby: Uhhhh, yeah it is.

The husband is always down for country food. He would eat biscuits and gravy every weekend if ~~I agreed to make them~~ he could. So anything resembling pot pie is going to be well received. And it was. And I'm happy to say that I was able to simplify an already simple recipe. Winners all around.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom "Potpie"
1 package brown mushrooms, stems trimmed, cleaned and halved
One handful of small baby carrots
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1/3 cup white flour
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
About 1.5 lbs (three 8oz or four 6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package crescent rolls (regular or the circular kind)
16oz bag of mixed frozen veggies (peas, green beans, carrots)
1/3 cup cream

Set up your crock pot. Combine mushrooms, baby carrots, onion, flour, thyme, bay leaf, about 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle chicken with more salt and lots of fresh pepper, and place on top. Cover and cook for as long as you've got, 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 on high.

When eating time approaches, cook rolls according to package directions until golden. About 15-20 minutes before the crock pot will turn off, stir in the frozen veggies, cream, another 1/2 to 1 tsp salt, and break chicken up with a fork a bit (it should pull apart pretty easily). Cover and let finish cooking.

Serve in a bowl with a roll on top.

If Mary Poppins made Asian food, it would be a little like this.

2012-02-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm going to go ahead and thank Sam again for a quick and easy dinner base. Stuff in a wok takes a little bit of time to prep, but this doesn't really have that many ingredients, and it came together really easily.

Since both of these use similar ingredients, I did all the prep work ahead of time, arranged all my little prep bowls in two areas, and actually cooked them both at the same time. I felt a little like Mary Poppins; organized and efficient and a little bit of a rock star. And I am totally going to pretend that I didn't mix up the garlic/ginger bowls in the midst of my awesomeness. (I intended for the rice to have less ginger than the wraps...but it worked, so whatever.)

Oh, and if you just want to mix any leftover chicken mixture into the rice for lunch the next day, it makes a great chicken fried rice.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Peanut Oil (or canola)
2 garlic cloves, minced
About 1 inch fresh peeled ginger, minced
12oz chicken breast pieces, cut into thin strips
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and sliced again
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (I like Lee Kum Kee brand)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
One bunch green onion, sliced thinly (trim off a lot of the dark green tops first)
About 8 butter lettuce leaves, washed

Heat a bit of oil over medium high heat in large saute pan. When hot, add chicken and stir fry about 3 minutes until mostly white. Add garlic and ginger and keep cooking until chicken is done. Stir in half of the green onion, soy sauce and hoisin. Turn off heat and cover.

Serve in lettuce leaves like a taco. Top with more green onion and sriracha if you like hot sauce. So. Freaking. Good.

Fried Rice
2 cups broth (chicken, etc.)
1 cup white rice
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
About 1.5 inch piece of peeled ginger, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped carrot
a couple green onion stalks, chopped
small handful of cilantro, chopped
3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or you can substitute in some fish sauce)

Bring broth to a boil, then add rice. Cover, reduce to very low, and cook about 15 minutes or until done. Remove from heat, uncover, and fluff with a fork. Let cool for 20 minutes or more. (It can be cold, actually, if you want to do this ahead of time.)

In large wok or saute pan, heat oil over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook about a minute, stir frying the whole time. Add egg, and let sit just a minute to cook, then scramble. Keep moving everything around the whole time. When egg is cooked, add carrot and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir-fry another 4-5 minutes, then add rice and heat another minute or two. Add in rest of soy sauce, and cook another minute or until hot and well combined. Mix in green onion and cilantro.

This baby is confused.

2012-02-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

Apparently E thinks his/her mother likes to bake. Cause this baby wants cookies. And despite my best attempts to get out of it, here I am, again, "baking."

Seriously. Best attempts.

I have no oven.
I have no butter.
I have no white sugar.
I have a half cup of brown sugar.

And yet here. I. am. I found a sugar-free recipe that seemed too easy and interesting to pass over, so I gave it a shot and played with it a bit. It recommended you use a stand-up mixer, but I just used a hand mixer. I'm sure you could use a spoon, but that really sounds like more hell than its worth.

It's just a sugar cookie, but with more of a honey taste (obviously). Not over-sweet. A little dense. But not bad. Next time maybe I'll try almond extract. Oh, and without any raw egg, these make great prego cookies, cause you can gorge on the dough (which I liked better than the cookies themselves). Extra points there.

The Despite My Best Effort Not To Cookie
1.5 cups flour
3/4 cup margarine (Country Crock)
1/4 cup honey (orange blossom)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon (a good shake or two)

Mix flour and margarine until well blended (see photo).

Slowly incorporate honey, vanilla and cinnamon. When well mixed, dust your hands with hands with flour and shape dough into a ball, drop onto flour-dusted board.

Knead just a bit until very smooth and not sticky, then roll out and cut with a cookie cutter. Or a shot glass, if you don't own that sort of thing (raises hand).

Bake at 325 for about 10-12 minutes until til golden brown. Remove and cool.

Note: I did about a dozen like this, then added a handful of white chocolate chips and worked them into the dough. Then made balls with the rest of the dough and flattened with my hand instead of rolling out. I don't particularly like white chocolate to begin with, but they didn't really add anything and actually made the honey taste stronger. Though I did like the way they caramelized and added a burnt sugar taste. So overall not the best idea; I was just playing around. I just wanted to explain why you see some weird cookies in the pic.

About 2 dozen small cookies, 56ish calories each.

It's totally a girl. Unless it's a boy.

2012-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

It's rather impossible to believe, but this kid is 37 weeks—full term—as of today. Little E is coming whether we're ready or not, so the only real question that remains is...girl? Or boy?

I totally don't believe in the whole old wifey sex predictions business. (Side note. Do we still not know the difference between sex and gender? It's 2012. The baby is a male or female. We did not find out the baby's sex. Please stop calling these gender predictions.) Cause guess what? This is allll 50/50 here. And 100% the hubby's ~~fault~~ doing. Which is awesome, by the way. I love placing blame.

However, that's not to say it's not fun to pretend...I just love when people are so adamant about it. Once someone decides what you're having, based on whatever, you are HAVING IT.

I constantly have someone look at me, pause, and make a "It is TOTALLY a (fill in the blank)" declaration. Seriously, it cracks me up. And I am totally guilty of this one, myself. (My track record on this one is excellent, by the way. I called the Parallel having a girl from cross country. And last week, another girlfriend had the boy I knew she'd be having. That is two for two on the "hunch," people. I should charge for this gift.)

So. In honor of all of you who care enough to have made your best guesses, or who still need to, here's a quick rundown on the most popular reasons why it's...one or the other.

Survey Says:
Low and in front= Boy
High and wide=Girl
I'm carrying high and in mostly in front, so, um...my ass is definitely wider. So let's count that?
Score one for: Girl

Survey Says:
Heartbeat 140 or lower= Boy
Heartbeat 140 or higher=Girl
This one has pretty consistently been around 150, and sometimes as high as 175.
Score one for: Girl

Survey Says:
"Normal" morning sickness=Boy
Excessive morning sickness=Girl
I had next to none at all, and I'm sorry to rub that in—so many of my friends have had hellish times with this. (...I'm not, actually, it was fantastic.)
Score one for: Boy

Survey Says:
Leg hair grows faster=Boy
Leg hair grows normally=Girl
Seriously, this part has been mind-boggling. I'm normally a shave every/every-other-day girl, and I've been able to push it for 4 or 5 days lately. It's just not growing. Not normal, however.
Score one for: Girl?

Survey Says:
Acne,"being robbed of beauty"=Girl
Normal or glowing skin=Boy
First of all, let me just roll my eyes at this whole "robbing of beauty" bit. Screw you, I'm tired. The acne, however, has come and gone more than normal. On the other hand, I've been getting a lot of the 'glowing' comments lately. So I'd have to say...
Score one for: Toss-up

Survey Says:
Craving salty snacks=Boy
Craving sweet stuff=Girl
I'm normally all about the salt, but I've definitely had a sweet tooth, especially during the second trimester.
Score one for: Girl

Survey Says:
The father has more brothers=Boy
The father has more sisters=Girl
Hubby comes from quite the mixed family-two half brothers by his mom and a half brother and sister by his dad.
Score one for: Boy

Survey Says:
Dry, chapped hands=Boy
Softer than normal hands=Girl
Um, it's winter and I have dry skin. But since my hands are dry (especially my cuticles, someone needs a mani...), we'll go with it.
Score one for: Boy

Survey Says:
If you crave the heels of the bread=Boy
If you like the middle=Girl
I love this one. All I know is that if I have two slices left in a loaf and one is the heel, I'm toasting them both with some peanut butter. And I'm enjoying the heel one more. But I wouldn't eat it just because unless it was the last slice.
Score one for: Toss-up

Final Score:
Girl: 4
Boy: 3

Other "considerations," with which you should do with as you please:

Chinese Calendar says Girl.

In our birthing class, we were the only couple who did not know the sex. The other five couples were having boys.

Every single one of my cousins, on both sides of the family, have had boys first.

All of hubby's coworkers have had boys (five for five so far), even if the Chinese calendar said girl. None of them found out the sex beforehand.

As for my own hunch? I honestly have no idea. The first trimester I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a girl, but that's faded into more of a daily guessing game. Some days I get the boy vibe, some days it's more girly. Though that often just depends on which of our names (we have names!!) I'm liking more that particular day.

And there you have it, folks. So what's it going to be?

No, seriously, I need an oven.

2012-01-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

There's a fun new game in my house, and it's called "Let's see how comfortable I can get in the crib before Pam comes and kicks me out." Factor in how long it takes me to get off the couch every time I hear the crackle of aluminum foil (Note to interweb advice-givers: aluminum foil does not keep cats off of surfaces. At least, not these cats. Not even a little bit.), and it keeps me fairly busy.

Yes, I can keep the door closed. But a perpetually closed door just seems to make the baby's room that much more intriguing, and I'm trying to adjust them gradually...learned behavior...reinforcement, blah, blah, blah. Wish me luck.

Yes, my life is so hard. I know. Unfortunately, I currently have people in my life who have actual problems. And I love said people dearly, and am really bummed out that I'm not able to leave town to see them right now. So last night I decided to put together a little Chemo Care Package. Some fun scarves, some new music, and some homemade ginger cookies. Ginger helps with nausea...I have no idea if cookies do the same. I hope they do. (And if not, that at least they cheer you up, Doc. I love you, and I Hate cancer. Capital H. No one, least of all you, deserves this shit.)

So between the cat-wrangling and baking 5 cookies at a time in my toaster oven, it was an interesting night filled with a soundtrack of aluminum crinkling and timers dinging. And cookies being eaten. I may have eaten a few cookies. Or three. Cause they're pretty damn good. And the baby wanted them. (And they're only 102 calories each!)

Ginger Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 slightly full tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup margarine (I used Country Crock with Calcium)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp orange juice (or you can just use water)
1/4 cup molasses

Combine dry ingredients (flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt). In a large bowl, mix together margarine and sugar until completely combined and a little fluffy. Beat in the egg, then add the juice and molasses.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients (About a third at a time) until completely combined. Put dough in the refrigerator for about a half hour. (Otherwise it will be crazy sticky when you try and form balls.)

Heat oven to 350.
Shape dough into balls a little bigger than an inch across. (If it's still sticky, try dropping them in a bit of sugar before you rolls them in your hands.) Place on cookie sheet with about 2 inches in between each. Flatten each cookie gently with your hand or a spatula. Cook for about 9 minutes, the let cool a couple of minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Makes about 24-25 cookies.

I feel like "Easy" and "Fast" should be the same thing.

2012-01-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

Being the size of a house right now, and without the energy to make much more than salads these days, I've been looking for quick and easy dinner ideas.

(And this would be y'alls cue to send me quick and easy dinner ideas.)

I'm bored with Cooking Light recipes. Allrecipes.com is fabulous, but impossible to browse unless you have some inkling about what you want. So I went back to Sam for some help.

He promised these eggrolls would be easy and tasty. Both are true. But easy does not necessarily equal fast. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, if I hadn't also been juggling making cookies and cooking everything in a toaster oven, I could have had these done in one pass. Also, chopping pre-cooked shrimp, sauteeing for less than five minutes, prepping the rolls for another 5 minutes, and baking for 15ish minutes certainly sounds like it's fast. Sooo, how about Ms. Whineypants over here just shuts up and gives you the recipe already.

Served with Sam's Baked Scallops. Something went terribly wrong with my panko and they ended up with total mush around them, but they still tasted good. Add some sriracha to the sauce, it's worth it.

Shrimp Eggrolls
peanut oil
1 bag mixed cabbage for coleslaw (usually white, red and carrots)
8oz cooked shrimp, chopped
1/4 cup of stir fry sauce (We used Saigon Sizzle)
Sriracha (optional)
10 spring roll/eggroll wrappers (from the refrigerated section)
Spray oil
Sesame seeds
Soy sauce (low sodium)

Heat a bit of peanut oil in a wok or large skillet/saute pan. Add cabbage mix, and saute for a couple of minutes until it starts to soften just a bit. Add shrimp, and saute another minute or two. Stir in sauce and a good squirt of sriracha (if you like spicy). Remove pan from heat and let sit 5-10 minutes until cool enough to handle.

Spray a baking sheet with spray oil and heat the oven to 375.

Take an eggroll wrapper and place it with a corner facing you. Add a scoop of filling-2 tbsp or so-and spread it out a bit widthwise. Fold the right and left corners a bit over the filling, then roll up the whole thing away from you. Use a bit of water to wet the wrapper to close it and place on the baking sheet. (You'll get the hang of it. You'll no doubt have extra wrappers if you need to start over a couple of times.)

Spray each roll with cooking spray and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cook about 8-10 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-8 minutes or until they begin to brown.

For dipping sauce, mix another tbsp of stirfry sauce with 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Add a bit of sriracha or rice vinegar, depending on your mood/taste.

About 75 calories each.

Cambodian Curry

2012-01-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

I know that I'm a fortunate girl to know the founders of The Pepper Project personally. Not only are Tom and Cris both wonderfully talented people, but their generosity astounds me. (So go buy something. 100% of the profits go back to various artists and causes in Cambodia. One Hundred percent. That's called working for free. Well, that's what I call it. Tom and Cris call it donating their time for something they believe in, but they are obviously better people than I am.)

Tom—the chef half of the couple—knows I love to experiment with ethnic dishes, so it's not unusual for him to return from one of his trips abroad with a little something extra tucked into his bag for me—fish sauce, pho stock (A pho-kit, if you will. Ahem.), sea salt or spices. A couple months ago, he grabbed me some Cambodian curry powder, which is amazing. I've used it in place of Indian curry powder, which worked excellently, and last night I tried it in an actual Cambodian recipe, which was similar in flavor to a Thai curry.

My point is that you probably can't get your hands on this stuff (but if you can, do it!), and so feel free to substitute Thai curry powder or paste in this recipe.

Cambodian Chicken & Veggie Curry
Peanut oil (or canola)
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into smallish chunks
2 tbsp curry powder
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 in thick
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 in thick
One medium brown onion, peeled, ends removed, and quartered
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 can light coconut milk
Small eggplant
Cooked white rice, to serve

Wash the eggplant and halve it lengthwise. Slice into pieces (about 2 cups worth) about 1/4 in thick and place on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit about 15 minutes as you chop the other vegetables, etc. Rinse well. (This step cuts the bitter flavor of the eggplant, if you were wondering.)

Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Add another 1/2 tbsp of oil and curry powder. Stir-fry about a minute, then stir in fish sauce and sugar. Add carrots, potato and onion, and toss well. Stir-fry about 10 minutes, stirring often, then add coconut milk and about 1/4 cup water. Bring to a slight boil, then add eggplant, combining well. Continue stir-frying, stirring often, until potatoes are tender, another 5 minutes or so.

Serve over hot rice.

About 1055 calories (not including rice):
211/5 servings
264/4 servings
352/3 servings

Did you have a Shake-and-Bake childhood?

2012-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

I totally did. There was a lot of shakin' and bakin' happening in my mama's kitchen. And it was always chicken..but I'm having a hard time remembering what the sides were. Probably broccoli, green beans or lima beans (which my sister always promptly fed to the dog)? Those were kind of staples growing up.

But I digress. Let me introduce you to a whole new way of looking at coated, baked meat. I used pork, but chicken would work just as well. It totally reminded me of the old-school in-a-box variety, but better ("waaay better," according to the hubs).

Went well with Stanky Brussels and a salad.

Oven "Fried" Pork Chops
4 6oz boneless pork chops, pounded with flat sided mallet
1/4 cup flour
large pinch salt
1/4 cup brown mustard
water
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
About a tsp smoked paprika
About 1/8 tsp white pepper
1 packet onion soup mix (Lipton, etc.)
Spray butter
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange 3 shallow dishes on the counter. In the first dish, combine flour and salt. In the second, combine mustard and a couple tablespoons of water. In the third, combine the panko, paprika, pepper and onion mix.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

One chop at a time, dredge both sides of pork in flour. Dip in mustard, coating both sides, then place chop on panko mixture, turning over gently to cover both sides completely. Place on foil and repeat with all chops. You'll have some flour and panko mix left over. Spray the chops with spray butter (a few good squirts each).

Bake at 400 about 7 minutes, then flip and cook another 7 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Roughly 350 calories each.

Musings of the Fat and Sober, Vol. 4

2012-01-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Cross posted today at Salt and Nectar.

Well, I am officially in the home stretch. 35 weeks down, which means this kid can safely arrive in as few as 2 weeks (and in less than 6, if it knows what's good for it.) It also means that this is my last Fat & Sober post, so I'm feeling a little nostalgic.

Here are some things I will not miss:
1. Needing two hands and the support of a wall to put on my underwear, pants, or anything else going on the lower half of my body.
2. The double bathroom trips. I'm already one with a small bladder, so I'm used to frequent potty breaks. But what is with the mandatory second trip 5 minutes later? Every. Freaking. Time.
3. Non-underwire bras. The baby hates underwire (as in, jab, jab, jab, jab all the live long day), so for the sake of my rib cage, I switched to the less supportive non-underwire route. I have a feeling this will not be the last concession I make for this child.

I felt this was an opportune time to point out that for the first time in my life, I now look down and see something other than my boobs. It's kind of exciting. And I obviously mean my belly. Ramona is always there.

4. Fetus-safe eating. I would like my first meal post birth to be spicy tuna rolls, a turkey sandwich, and a dirty gin martini. I will have a bottle of Shiraz for dessert. Whoever brings me this meal wins.
5. Posterior Pelvic Pain. It would be swell if my left ass cheek didn't hurt every time I do anything other than sit still or lie flat on my back. Speaking of…
6. Sleeping on my sides. See also: numb shoulders, ankle cramps, and sore hips.
7. The taste of Tums.
8. Flossing my teeth and spitting out enough blood to make it look like I just lost a fight to a hockey player.
9. The gas. Seriously. Like we need another excuse to be compared to blimps.
10. The (unsolicited) opinions; even the genuinely helpful ones. They just get old.

Oh, you have a name suggestion? I'll bet it's what we'll pick, then. I should have an epidural? I already decided I don't want one...Yes, I'm totally serious. I need a bassinet? But we have a crib, like, 10 feet from our bedroom. No, we're definitely not co-sleeping. We already co-sleep with the cats, and that's precisely why we know we don't want to.

Wait, seriously, mom? I shouldn't listen to rap because babies in utero don't like it? I just...I just don't have words sometimes. I know you all love us and are very well intentioned here, but Hubby and I are in agreement on our decisions, and he's the only other one who legitimately gets a say here. Even about Jay-Z (who, obviously, will also not be consulted for baby name opinions.)

And the things I will:
1. Feeling it move inside me. Even the karate kicks when I'm trying to fall asleep. Seriously. It's amazing.
2. Not having to suck in my stomach for photos.
3. Ummm.

Let's circle back to this whole naming issue. I've decided this is definitely one part of having a baby that would be easier if I were single. (It would also be helpful if all of my favorite girl names weren't currently in the top 10 baby names this year. I refuse to have my child known as Olivia H. or Ava#4 her whole life.) After many lists, much discussion, a lot of "ew, realllly's?" and about 3 mind-changes, we've come to an agreement on a girl's name. It's a good adult name, easily shortened to make an adorable kid-friendly name, and the middle name is in honor of Hubby's maternal grandmother. Done and done.

But as we were ~~stupidly~~ gung-ho on not finding out the sex, we've also got to decide on a boy's name. And this is proving to be impossible. We had decided on one, much to my mother's chagrin...

Mama: Any decisions on names?
Me: I think we're going with Ezra Jack.
Mama: (Loooong, painful pause.) Can I call him Jack?
Me: Noo, but you can call him Ezra.
Mama: But...what will you call him when he's little?
Me: We were thinking...Ezra?

And then my FIL convinced the hubby that we needed David as a middle name (blah, blah, family tradition). Ezra, which Hubby loves, is one thing. Ezra David, however, is another...we are not bible people. Like, at all. And now we're back at square one. At least we have a middle name?

I'm not that old, right? I mean, 19 year old moms get joint pain, too, right? Right??

As I was bitching to the hubby about how annoying it is to have to slow down and do everything old lady style, he gave me a shrug and, without even looking up from his Words with Friends game, said, "It's ok. You're not in a hurry."

...Oh. I guess...I'm not...am I? Huh. I mean, why should I be in a hurry to get out of bed at 2am? Why do I need to literally hop out of my car when I'm just going to the grocery store? Does taking the stairs two at a time really make a difference when I'm heading into work? There's one flight. And this is why this man balances me. He can state the obvious and completely floor me with his brilliance. (Plus, I'm biased and a little bit stupid right now.)

That said, my chiropractor rules. I spent almost three weeks in agony, hardly able to walk, with a shooting pain in my butt every time I took a step, twisted, sat down, or generally used my pelvic/hip joint for anything. In other words, it was constant. And the only thing nearly as annoying as the pain was the involuntary grunting. Sitting down—ooof. Turning over in bed—hrrrrughhh. Every step—mmph. Seriously, it was annoying even me.

My doctor basically told me to get over it-it was common, and while, yes, it sucks, it will go away and nothing will help it. So I tried my chiropractor, and boom. I'm walking again, which I pointed out gleefully to the hubby last night. His response? "You're a lot quieter, too!"

But pain, annoyances, sacrifices and grossness aside, I know I've had it pretty darn easy. Pregnancy is not fun, and so many of my friends and family members have had it a whole lot worse. And all of them would do it again (or already did it again.) It's 40 weeks of our lives. It's an experience I'm glad I've had. I'm sure in 4 weeks I'll be to the JUSTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTTTTTT stage, but for now, I'm ready for this baby to come when it's ready. Even if I'm still not sure I'll ever be.

So wish me luck! The Sarahs have asked me to share my ~~sleep-deprived,~~ ~~clueless~~ good, bad, and ugly experiences as a first time mom, so you'll be hearing from me soon. Until then, thanks for all the support, comments, and for listening to me bitch the last nine months.

XOXO, Pammy

Don't try and trick me with your bubbles, cider...you're still not champagne.

2012-01-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Even though I allow myself to have some alcohol these days, I really don't want it. I'd say realistically, I've had maybe one glass of wine every week or two on average. Even during the holidays. Though I did discover that sparkling cider is far tastier with a splash of champagne on top.

That said, I have had a lot of excess sparkling cider around, and this was a great way to use some of it up. The chicken was good, but the rice was amazing.

Plus it gave me an excuse to use some of the many, many, many pecans we have gathering in the backyard right now. Too bad shelling the little suckers takes so long...otherwise we'd have some mad pie going on right now.

Cider Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter Pecan Risotto
1 tsp light butter
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup cider
2 cups chicken broth (plus additional)
2 tbsp light butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp light butter
4 chicken breast fillets, pounded thin
Salt and pepper
Chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider (sparkling or regular)
1 tsp dijon mustard

For the chicken:
Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium high. Brown chicken about 3 minutes, flip, brown another 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook until done, 2 or more minutes depending on thickness, adding a splash of chicken broth if chicken starts to stick.

Remove chicken. Add cider and mustard, combining well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Add chicken back to pan and cover until ready to serve. Pour cider sauce over chicken to serve.

For risotto:
Melt 1 tsp butter in large saute pan, and add rice. Saute over medium about 2 minutes. Add a half cup of cider, and let cook down, stirring often. When liquid is absorbed, repeat with remaining 2 cups of broth, half cup at a time. When broth is gone, taste the rice—if it's still a bit hard, repeat with another half cup of broth.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a small pan. Let cook down until it just begins to brown, a minute or two. Add pecans, and toss well. Let cook another minute or two, then stir pecan mixture into rice.

How's that resolution going?

2012-01-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Cross posted at Salt & Nectar today.

To be perfectly honest, I don't make resolutions. I'm a stubborn Taurus and don't like being told what to do (or when to do it.) But whether or not you agree, I know how many people struggle with changing their eating habits this time of year. I'm not a dietician, and I'm definitely not a fitness guru. But I have learned some things over the years about making meals easier, healthier, and more interesting, and the Sarahs asked if I'd share some pointers.

Honestly, the easiest and most effective way to eat more healthful food is to cook it yourself. That way, you control everything from the ingredients to the portion size. So go buy yourself a cute apron, wash your hands, and let's do this.

For all of you "I hate cooking"/"I'm a bad cook"/"I have no idea where to start" non-cooks:

First of all, stop being afraid of the kitchen. For a lot of people, cooking is really intimidating—but it doesn't have to be, I promise. It also doesn't have to be time-consuming. I know a lot of people see cooking as a chore, but I really enjoy it. I see it as a way to get to eat exactly what I want while feeding the people I love. And take it from me—you don't have to be a world class chef to put something awesome on the table.

I think the best way to start is with a great cookbook. When I was in college, my mom bought me a chicken cookbook with 200+ recipes from different cooking styles and regions. I swear it changed my life. Go to a bookstore and browse the cooking section-flip through any that look interesting and see what you think. If you like soup, get a soup book. If you're into Italian, pick up a basic Italian one. Celebrity chef books can be great for beginners, too. Just be sure you see some recipes that sound fantastic but look doable.

Oh, and get your hands on a copy of The Joy of Cooking. It's got everything you will ever need to know in the kitchen, from what temperature you bake a potato at to the best way to cook an omelet. (Or you can always consult Google. Don't underestimate the power of the internet when it comes to cooking.)

Basically, just dive in. Start with the easy stuff, and always read the directions before you start. And remember: cooking is not an exact science. If you take a bite (always taste while you cook!!!) and you think it would be better with some pepper, add some pepper! If it's a stir fry that looks great except for those carrots you just can't stand, don't use them! Once you get more comfortable in the kitchen, you'll start realizing what flavors go well together, and which you prefer, and you can start experimenting more and following recipes less exactly.

Feeling pretty confident in the kitchen, but tend to get bored with your standard repertoire?

Make an effort to try new ingredients. Take a walk through the produce department and make a list of items you've never used. Never tried sweet potatoes? Break out a cookbook or fire up Google/online cooking sites and search "sweet potato recipes." Pick a couple recipes that look good (and are very different-you may end up not liking sweet potatoes as a sweet mash, but may love them with some salt and cumin as fries) and/or have good reviews and give it a shot.

Sit down and plan some meals-variety is key. On most Mondays, I sit down during my lunch break and decide what I'm going to make for dinner that week. If I get stuck coming up with ideas, I start surfing cooking sites to see if anything strikes my fancy. Once I've got a meal or two down, I switch it up for the other nights. If it's red meat for Monday night, I search for a vegetarian recipe to try on Tuesday. Maybe something with pork on Wednesday, chicken something on Thursday, and some sort of pasta on Friday...I find when I keep it interesting, cooking stays more fun. It also keeps your family on their toes. No one likes eating spaghetti every single Tuesday night.

Keep in mind that reusing ingredients can be really helpful when meal planning. Basil, for example, is often used in Italian dishes and in Thai dishes, so you won't waste the extra if you use it on two different nights.

I also really like to use one or two main ingredients within a full meal to tie it all together. If you stuff a chicken breast with herbed goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, serve it with a salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and balsamic. It's easy and you'll save money.

Just remember: keep it simple, and don't be afraid to try new things. You'll no doubt have some meals that go straight in the garbage, but you'll more often have some that become automatic favorites—make sure to always, always write those down.

Happy New Year!

Things I learned in Birthing Class.

2012-01-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

When you're pregnant, the doc typically recommends you take an eight hour birthing class (broken up in several sessions, usually) at the hospital you're scheduled to give birth in. It's not mandatory, but for me it was a no-brainer. I like to be prepared, people. First step, however, was convincing Hubby that we even needed to go.

Saturday:
Hubby: Wait, so when is that baby class thing again?
Me: Birthing class. Tuesday at 6.
Hubby: Crap...that's the same time as our holiday party...
Me: (Not taking the bait) Aw, that sucks. But...why would they do it on a Tuesday anyway?
Hubby: I dunno...ummm...soo, we can't really miss one? Do we even need to go? We know what happens. You have the baby. Whatever.
Me: (Sorts emotions into place) Yes, babe. We have to go. It's the first class. There are only four, and we have to pay and everything. And we don't know what happens. I need more information...I don't know what to expec—
Hubby: Wait, wait, wait. We have to pay? What kind of bullshit—
Me: Oh, stop. Yes, it's 50 bucks.
Hubby: Fif-wha-come onnn.
Me: (Death stare.)
Hubby: Alright, alright. (mutters) Fifty dollars. I could teach this class for free.

Tuesday afternoon:
Hubby: So, I was talking to Fahzzy. He and L didn't go to birthing classes.
Me: (waiting to see where he's actually planning on going with this.) No?
Hubby: He said he wishes they had, though. She was in labor for 30 something hours, and he kept freaking out. So, you know.

I do, babe.

So. A few fun things we I learned.

The instructor may have you practice deep breathing methods by first watching a clock for 30 seconds, then watching some video of clouds and baby feet and ocean waves for 30 seconds. When she asks the class which made the time pass more quickly, the correct answer is not, "the clock." This answer results in shocked silence and apparently gives you the distinction of being the "only one in the history of the class" to feel this way. Hubby has now, however, offered to help me out Flava Flav style during my labor.

I've also been informed by the instructor that she will remember me forever. "If not by name, by the fact that you're the clock couple."

Having a baby is like having a poo. No, really, the instructor said this. In those words, because she is a quirky Brit and says fantastic things like that all day long. What she meant is that your body just instinctively knows how to push, but I will forever think twice about using the term poo-baby from here on out. (You know what a poo-baby is...when you have to go...excessively...you get it, I know you do.)

I will forever be scarred by the wall-sized projection of a drawing depicting an episiotomy. She promised (PROMISED!) the doctors don't want to do these and so won't unless absolutely necessary, as they don't particularly like performing extra procedures (stitches, in this case). So all I can do is believe her.

Oh my god, the image is ingrained. Make it stop.

The idea of an epidural that I was tossing around? I don't want it. I am still open to it if medically necessary, but I'm now even more gung-ho about trying this thing naturally. If I succumb to the pain issue, I'd rather cave and receive another option, like a 'numbing' agent, rather than the whole shebang of the epidural. I know myself, and whether I will actually want to get out of bed and move around or not, the fact that I physically wouldn't be able to will seriously upset me. I'm already off my anxiety meds for the sake of this kid...the last thing I need is a panic attack during my labor.

Speaking of panicking, I'm ACTUALLY HAVING A BABY.

But eight hours of class later, Hubby told me how much he enjoyed the class. I think we're both feeling much more prepared and aware of what to expect, how long I can labor at home before having to drive to the hospital, and how he ~~can~~ will support me while I push a CHILD out of my body. (BTW, when are they going to invent a way to do that laparoscopically? That's got to happen eventually, right?) I was pretty disturbed that our class only had five couples in it when it's only offered twice a month, because I'd recommend it to anyone having a baby.

Yes, you have to watch some videos showing more of complete strangers than you're really comfortable with, and you may be struck a few hours in with the notion that ohmygodthisisreallyhappening, but it's also fascinating and informative and honest. If you're ever on the fence, go. And tell that baby daddy of yours to shut it and just go. Cause really, we all know this is all their fault.

There's a baby in there. It's not just steak, I swear.

2012-01-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

It's really not fair to be pregnant over the holidays. I feel like all I've done lately is eat, and I'm getting weighed—by a doctor, no less—every two weeks. It's just not right. When I cook, I can at least control some of the potential damage, but it's still hard. Especially when the hubby requests New Year's Eve dinners that are "like we went to a steak house without having to actually going to one." Right.

He specifically requested creamed spinach, which I'd never made before, surprisingly...I love that stuff. We're not the only ones, right? It's delicious. And so is this recipe. Thanks to Anne Burrell for providing the base. Thanks to me for making it way less fattening. (Without the cheese—which I did not miss at all—and with light milk and butter, you can cut out 230 calories and 23 grams of fat.)

By the way, no judging the ginormous potato and piece of steak on the plate. I feel the need to point out that I ate less than half of each. I needed to save room for a berry tartlet. Priorities, you know.

Creamed Spinach
Olive oil
Cooking Spray
2 pounds washed baby spinach (bagged is easiest)
One large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons light butter (butter/canola mix)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup 1% milk
About 1/8 tsp nutmeg
sea salt

Coat a stock pot with spray and heat over medium. Add spinach and cover, stirring and tossing often until mostly wilted, then remove spinach to a colander to drain. You may need to do one pound at a time for space reasons.

Add a splash (about 2 tsp) of olive oil to the pot. Add shallot and saute about 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add butter and allow to melt. Using a whisk, stir in flour. Cook, moving around constantly, 4-5 minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk and nutmeg. Stir frequently, allowing milk to come to a boil, then reduce heat immediately to low and continue whisking about 5 minutes or until thick. Add salt to taste, around 1/2 tsp or so. Stir in spinach. Serve hot.

652 calories total
8 servings/81.5 calories
6 servings/109 calories
4 servings/163 calories

Blah, blah, I've been MIA, blah.

2011-12-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

So, as it turns out, being 8 months pregnant makes me grumpy. And tired. And not particularly in a mood to cook—and even less of a mood to be in front of a computer. Not when I could be ~~eating cookies and watching Bones~~ lying in bed with a book.

And that is why I've been quiet. I do have a couple of good ones I've been meaning to post, though, so let's do this.

I can't believe we're already basically done with the holidays...this time of year always seems to just fly by, especially when traveling is involved. This year we did Hannukah at the in-laws in Sacramento for 3 days, then the following weekend drove to my parents' house and hung out there a couple days, turned around on Christmas day and came home to do Christmas afternoon with just the two of us (for the very last time, which is so weird), then had Christmas dinner at my Father in Law's house. (Have I ever mentioned I owe that man? A single guy who can cook up a storm...he did me a favor passing that skill on to his son, even if I don't let him use it nearly enough.)

At my parent's, however, I was in charge of Christmas Eve dinner. Hubby's mom sent us home with a 5lb prime rib roast, so we took that with us, ignoring the fact that neither of us had ever actually cooked a prime rib before. Turns out, it's pretty damn easy—you coat the whole thing down with a simple rub, and bake it. Remember that prime rib is supposed to be served rare, but you can always put individual slices back into the broiler for a couple minutes if people complain or aren't supposed to eat rare meat due to their current status as human incubators. (Grrr. I'm ready for a real steak, damnit. With a bottle of Zin. A bottle.)

Don't be nervous about the coffee grounds being bitter, either. It all melds really well. Great with roasted tomato salad (we used gorgonzola since the moms doesn't like goat) and smashed potatoes (with gorgonzola instead of cheddar to tie it all together).

You can rub the roast up to a day in advance and refrigerate, but let the meat come to room temperature before you put it in the oven-this should take 1/2 hour to an hour. (Not sure how big a roast you need? Count on roughly 1 lb per person. Bones have weight, too, so you won't actually be eating 16 oz each.)

Earthy Prime Rib
5-7 pound prime rib roast
2 tbsp ground coffee
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tbsp chili powder
Horseradish to serve

Heat oven to 450. Combine coffee and spices in small bowl. Rub all over rib roast, putting extra on the fattiest part of the meat. Arrange meat rib-side down in a greased roasting pan.

Cook at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and cook an additional 1 to 1.5 hours. (Adjust depending on size of roast-cook 14-16 minutes per pound). Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

After it has rested, brush off as much of the rub as you easily can-especially any big clumps. Turn roast on its side and cut off the bone section in one fell swoop. The turn cut side down and slice into 1/2 in slices.

Serve with horseradish.

Sam the Cooking Guy

2011-12-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

There are a ton of things I loved about living in San Diego...my friends, the weather, the smell...it also gave me my love for Thai food, fish tacos, and cooking in general, seeing that SD was where I first had my own kitchen (and boys to impress, natch.)

There are obviously a million special memories to savor from any big city you live in for any extended period of time. One of my most favoritest things, however, was Sam the Cooking Guy. (Favoritest is totally a word today.)

This is Sam. Back then, he was just a local dude who liked to cook, and someone brilliant decided he was rad enough to put on local television. I. Love. Sam. Hubby and I both absolutely adored his show, and it was one of those quirky things we had in common back in our dating days. His food is generally pretty simple, but it's always packed with flavor, and he honestly looked like he was just having a good time cooking. In his own kitchen-dog running through the shot and all. Sometimes he even burned shit. It was awesome.

Last year I discovered that Discovery Health had picked up his show for a bit, and I was beyond stoked. It wasn't quite as fun as the original, being "real tv," but that happens. Now it looks like you can still catch him on certain local channels, but not here, so I have no idea what it's like these days. Check it out and let me know??

Anyway, I forget about Sam...and then for some reason he'll pop into my head. Last week that happened, and I immediately started craving his Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad. Hubby swears I had never made it for him before, but that can't be true...but the fact is, I need to make it more often. It's fabulous.

While I was at it, I also tried his Pasta with Artichokes. All I can say is yum.

Add a roasted head of garlic and a loaf of french bread to all of that, and it was quite the garlicy feast. Sam, you never let me down. And am just now realizing I should have asked for one of his cookbooks for Christmas.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad
(adjusted to serve 2)
1 package cherry tomatoes (I used yellow ones this time)
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
A few cups of mixed greens or romaine
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I actually used white kampot pepper)

Cut tomatoes in half or fourths, depending on how big they are. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, a tsp or two of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic. Cook at 400 for about 25 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and starting to brown.

Arrange greens in bowl, top with tomatoes, and sprinkle on goat cheese. Top with a bit more olive oil and balsamic (less than a tbsp or so, depending on your taste) and finish with more pepper.

Oh, and if you need more of a reason to jump on the Samwagon, there's always this:

Free food and fame? I'm in.

2011-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the hubby proposed that I become a professional food critic and take us on jaunts around the world, Anthony Bourdain style, ordering plate after plate of whatever looks tasty, all on someone else's dime.

Let me just say that I am all for this idea. However, I pointed out that not only would I first have to become famous, I'd also need a reason for people to respect my opinion about what makes great food...namely, I'd need to be a professional chef first.

Cooking is what it is for me. It's a little bit fun, it's a little bit experimental, it's a little bit relaxing. Some days it works out better than I had hoped. Other days, I sit chewing, wondering what exactly I did to fuck it up.

Cause yeah, I eat it. Even if it's not the best. Usually. How else would I figure out what was missing/went wrong/I like?

Take my spinach and pork lasagna, for example.

We're trying to save money by not eating out at lunch, so I have been deliberately making things that will produce mass leftovers. However, this round was a bit...dry. And needed salt. Had I used more sauce (and salt), though, I think it would have been great. Still totally edible, but not a total winner as is. (I can post the should-be recipe if anyone wants it, just let me know) I've now eaten it 4 times, and there are 2 more servings left, so I'm guessing I'll be working on it all week. Alone, because Hubby has no imagination when it comes to Italian food and can't just pretend it has extra sauce on it and just eat it anyway.

Maybe he's the one that needs to be the professional critic. Or chef, while we're wishing things. Just sayin.

Vietnamese Pork Salad

2011-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, I promised easy this week, but I actually made this last week, so no calling me a liar. The recipe was described as pork bun, but this is actually more like the other Thai/Vietnamese salads I make and less...bun-ish. I know only those of you who are familiar with Bun can make any sort of sense of that, but oh, well.

It really is pretty easy, though. Cutting the veggies is the hardest part of this-once that's done and prepped it all comes together really quickly. Oh, and the longer you marinate the pork, the better. Overnight, ideally, but an hour will work in a pinch.

Vietnamese Pork Salad
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
A little less than 1/3 cup lime juice
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz rice sticks
Romaine lettuce
Half an english cucumber, peeled and match-stick cut
About 20 baby carrots, match-stick cut
About a cup of bean sprouts
handful fresh mint, chopped
about 20 basil leaves, chopped
about a tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dry roasted chopped peanuts
Pork:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 4oz boneless pork chops

To marinate the pork, combine soy sauce, hoisin, honey, chili paste, garlic and chops in a large zip lock bag or covered bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring water to a boil in small sauce pan. Add sugar, and stir till dissolved. Turn off heat and stir in lime, fish sauce, chile paste and garlic.

While that cools, cover rice sticks with boiling water and let sit 10-30 minutes or until they are soft to the bite. Drain and let cool.

Remove pork from marinade and then grill over high heat about 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

On plate, spread desired amount of romaine lettuce. Arrange noodles, veggies and herbs on top, then top with pork slices. Serve 1/4 cup or so of fish sauce mixture alongside each plate to use as dressing.

375 cals/4 servings
500 cals/3 servings

Some days the grocery store hates me.

2011-12-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

I planned ahead and did my shopping for four dinners at once this week, planning to make some gooey spinach and cheese stuffed shells the first night. But then I got home and realized I hadn't bought shells. Or sauce....or cheese. I stomped around for a minute, pouting, until I realized I had three other perfectly good options; Hubby opted for this one, a super easy and filling pasta based soup I dressed up just a bit. I wanted to use refrigerated tortellini, but there was a reduced fat ravioli option, so that won out.

I also intended on making Pepper Garlic Flatbread to go with it, but the dough somehow didn't make it from the grocery conveyor belt to my house. I have a feeling the woman in line behind me now has no idea what she's going to do with refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough. Some days the grocery store hates me, what can I say.

I didn't get any, but the hubby swears it was also delicious as lunch leftovers. Double score.

Cheese Ravioli Soup
1 package fresh light 4 cheese ravioli or similar (tortellini, etc.)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp butter
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1/4 cup chopped basil, plus extra for garnish
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
Asiago or parmesan to top
Fresh ground pepper to top (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm. In large soup pot, saute garlic in butter about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and tomato and bring to a boil. Add pasta, then remove from heat and stir in basil. Top with 1 tbsp cheese, pepper and fresh basil.

235/4 servings
313/3 servings
470/2 servings

I need easy right now.

2011-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

I'm tired, I'm lazy, and my freakin' belly hurts when I'm on my feet too long. Round Ligament pain. It's awesome.

Plus, I'm gaining weight right now just looking at food. I've been trying to do yoga more regularly, which really does seem to help me sleep better, but it's not exactly burning a ton of calories. I was walking a half hour after work, which felt great, but then we had the shift to winter that seriously happens overnight around here, and I'm a big pansy about working out outside when my nose is cold. (It hurts, ok?) My point is, I'm not burning as many calories as I should be, and while I'm "supposed" to be gaining weight right now, I'm trying not to over do it.

So back to depending on Cooking Light, where I can generally find recipes that are short on ingredients and prep time, and long on possibilities (I never seem to use their "as written" directions.) Oh, and their portion sizes are totally decent, so I've been better about having my one helping and then getting to give the eyeball to the hubby when he goes back for more.

This week we're doing easy. There will be some chopping, of course, but I'll keep it to a minimum, I promise. Oh, and if I haven't recommended the Garlic Zoom before, stick it in your own stocking this year. It's probably my most used kitchen tool, and makes anything with garlic a breeze. No knives, no mess.

First up—Thai Beef Stir-fry, which was delicious. I bought pre-sliced meat and frozen beans, which sped this up quite a bit. Flavors were great-tasted pretty hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant to me. Didn't take much time, either, just make sure and have everything ready to go as soon as you get the wok (or big fry pan) heated up.

Thai Beef Stir-fry
1/2 tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili paste
about a 1 inch section ginger, minced
1 tbsp lemongrass (from a tube)
zest from one lime (quarter the lime as garnish/to top)
cooking spray
1 lb stir fry beef steak (or flank steak, sliced thinly)
1 package frozen cut green beans
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp cider vinegar
About a cup basil leaves, whole
Cooked jasmine or white rice, to serve

In small bowl, combine salt, garlic, chili, ginger, lemongrass and zest. In another small bowl, combine sugar, fish sauce and vinegar, stirring til sugar is dissolved.

In hot wok, coat with cooking spray, then add paste and stir fry quickly, about 30 seconds. Add beef, and continue stir frying another two minutes or so. Add beans and about a tsp water, and cook about 3-4 minutes, moving everything the whole time until beans are hot. Pour in fish sauce mixture, and cook another minute or until meat is cooked (Mine came out medium, so it may take longer if you want it more cooked). Turn off heat and stir in basil leaves until they begin to wilt. Serve over hot rice with lime wedges and sriracha to taste.

Per serving (add another 150 for 3/4 cup rice):
258/4 servings
345/3 servings

That's it, no more turkey.

2011-11-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

Literally, every piece of tupperware we own is currently in our fridge, and somehow there's still nothing I want to eat. Probably because I need green things at this point, not meat. Or pie. Seriously, I sauteed up brussel sprouts and baby tomatoes and called that dinner last night. (Actually, it was delicious. A little light butter with microwave steamed brussels, halved cherry tomatoes, then topped with a bit of parm, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), salt and pepper. 10 minutes total.)

With two turkeys, two racks of ribs and 10 people, I'm actually surprised we didn't have more meat left over. I'm totally sick of turkey at this point, but I feel bad just trashing it, so I'm trying my best to use it up. But I'm also trying not to cook too much, seeing that my fridge is FULL and cooking is starting to make me tired...I'm apparently a bit of a frenetic cook—I work fast and multi-task, and I just don't have the energy I had 28 weeks ago.

Speaking of 28 weeks, I finally feel like I look pregnant. Or else I just ate way too much pie this weekend. (Shaking fist at my mother for bringing—and leaving—a ginormous, delicious Costco apple pie.) Which makes me scared to see how enormous I am by the time Christmas rolls around. If I don't post any photos, it's because my face has caught up with my ass and I'm refusing to have it documented. Just a heads up.

Anyway, we had some broccoli in the fridge, so I decided to do something easy with it. It's similar to chicken divan, but easier, quicker, and heavier on the broc. Not much prepping here, and even though it looks and seems a little down-homey and rich (just enough to spread out Thanksgiving a little more?) it's really not. I based it off a vegetarian Cooking Light recipe, but got rid of the mayo and threw in some turkey for some extra protein. And because it has to be used somehow.

Broccoli Casserole
12 oz bag of steam-able broccoli (or 3/4 lb loose broccoli florets)
1 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp flour
good pinch each salt and pepper
1/3 cup sharp cheddar
2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
2 shallots, chopped
1 can sliced water chestnuts
about a cup shredded cooked turkey or chicken
bread crumbs

Cook broccoli. In saute pan, combine milk, flour, salt and pepper, and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese and cream cheese, whisking til smooth. Stir in shallot.

In medium casserole dish, layer broccoli, shredded turkey, and water chestnuts. Pour cheese sauce evenly across the top. Sprinkle top evenly with breadcrumbs. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes.

Roughly 850 calories total. (213 for 1/4 casserole)

Are you still full?

2011-11-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

So, did everyone have a fantastic turkey day? Hopefully, you're like me, and got to spend it with friends and family, gorging yourself on a completely inappropriate amount of food and sugar over the course of four days. And are now dying for something different, like Vietnamese food and chocolate popsicles. Or...you're not pregnant, and are just fine reheating comfort food for another week. Either way, cheers.

We hosted again this year, but my father-in-law was incredible and did the bulk of the cooking at his house before hauling it over. Which meant all I was responsible for was cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and I threw in a quinoa salad for something different. (Plus I based it off a recipe from a kosher recipe collection, so I figured it was a shout-out to the hubby's mom and step-dad, who we don't get to see until Hanukkah this year.)

I did a little twist on the mashed potatoes, which was using roughly peeled yukon gold potatoes (6 lbs), and once cooked til soft in salted water, I drained them, added 1 cup 1% milk, salt, pepper, and a container of chive flavored cream cheese. And they were fantastic—I didn't miss the butter at all.

But I really loved the quinoa dish. Ill definitely be making it again, and I won't be waiting for a special occasion—it has a great mix of sweet and citrus and grain with some great textures all thrown in together. It was also good the next day over some mixed greens and leftover turkey breast.

Oh, and by the way...remember the episode of Friends where Joey borrows Phoebe's maternity pants to wear for Thanksgiving? Brilliance. These waistband-less dreams are a fat kid's best friend. And I promise I won't bust them out again next year. But I'm definitely going to be wishing I did.

Cranberry Pistachio Quinoa Salad
1 3/4 c uncooked quinoa
olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cups water
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from one lemon
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint

Rinse and drain quinoa. In large sauce pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat, and add shalllots. Cook about 3 minutes, then stir in water, wine and salt. Bring to a boil.

Add quinoa, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

In small bowl, combine 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. When quinoa is cool, add olive oil mixture and toss well. Gently stir in cranberries, pistachios, parsley and mint. Chill until ready to eat. Good room temperature or cold.

Mexican rice, chipotle style

2011-11-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Oh, good god, there is still so. much. chipotle. in my fridge. I have been searching for ideas, making up my own recipes, and doing everything I can to not just chuck the leftovers, and still. It's like I haven't even made a dent.

This was an easy one—I figured I'd just try substituting chipotle for chili powder in Mexican rice, and...I have no idea what I was just talking about. I'm flipping channels as I write, and the Duggar family makes me lose my appetite. And now they're invading other countries, which is sure to do wonders for our reputation. These people are so...weird. I mean, the whole treating the vagina like a clown car aside, they're just weird people. And seriously, Michelle. If you would just agree get your hair done by a professional, I'd pay for it. And Jim Bob, just...shhhh. Just shhhh. Stop telling everyone they "drive on the wrong side of the road." It's England. They drive on that side. It's their right side. Just. Shut. Up.

Anyway, rice. This got really spicy really quickly, but a squeeze of lime and a dollop of greek yogurt evened it out and gave it an interesting creamy texture.

Served with sauteed chicken breasts seasoned with salt, garlic powder, lots of fresh white pepper and oregano.

Chipotle Rice
Olive oil
1 small brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper, minced
About 1 tsp cumin
good pinch each salt and pepper
1 cup rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, mostly drained
lime juice (opt.)
Greek yogurt (opt.)

In large saute pan or soup pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute about 3 minutes. Stir in chipotle, cumin, salt and pepper and then add rice, continuing to saute another few minutes.

Add broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Seriously Literate-Fall '11

2011-11-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've been reading like crazy, and it got a little away from me. And so here's my latest list...the annotated reviews. As always, taking all suggestions! Whatcha got for me this month?

Belly Laughs, Jenny McCarthy
Thank you for being pregnant, Jenny. And thanks for being you-not afraid to talk about poop, gas, and all the other grossness that comes along with pregnancy that no one else wants to talk about. (Note: I, however, don't do anything disgusting. My pregnancy is magical. Also, I am a liar.) Frank and hilarious.

The Liars Club, Mary Carr
Um, I already read this. And reviewed it. And then read it again accidentally, apparently. Moving on.

Runaway, Alice Munro
Not a fan. If a book or story can give off a "color", these short stories were beige. Maybe a dusty rose. Just really...muted. I don't know how else to explain them—they were sad and melancholy and not exciting at all. I'm sure that was purposeful, but they didn't do anything for me.

Saving Fish from Drowning, Amy Tan
Loved, loved. Such an interesting premise. A woman dies just before a trip abroad (one she has planned to lead), and her ghost tells the story of the strange happenings that occur to her tour group—a group of people who, to the rest of the world, simply vanish into thin air.

Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
Kitchy fun. Loved it til the end, then I was just pissed off-I felt like a disappointed parent or something. Fictional or not, these people make some damn bad choices. Tsk, tsk.

The Poet, Michael Connelly
Fantastic crime drama about a serial killer and one of the victims' brothers, a crime journalist who does some massive investigating of his own, eventually entangling him with the FBI investigation. Very interesting, super creepy, good twists, fast paced. Good stuff.

The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
Such a pretty little package of a story. It's long, and it jumps from generation to generation with each chapter—which can get a little confusing at first—but by the end, everything makes sense. Every base is covered, every storyline is tied up, every question answered. And for that, I was grateful. It was beautiful.

Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
My coworker B laughed at me when I told her I like to read about Asian families. Granted, it was an unexpected response. But it's true. And this was no different. It's a classic, as you probably already know, about a young woman learning about her mother posthumously. Really good. If you haven't already read it, you should.

House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus, III
Oh, my god, this book is so good. I don't know what I thought it was going to be about, but this was not it. It's quite literally about a house...a house and a huge misunderstanding/mistake, which intertwines three people as they try and fix it in their own ways. It's heartbreaking. Caution: hormonal people will cry.

The Paris Wife, Paula McClain
Focuses on Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley, the "older woman" (she's in her late 20s) he marries in his very early 20s. It follows the course of their whirlwind courtship, their marriage, most of which takes place in Europe-including, yes, Paris—and its inevitable demise. Very good.

Chipotle Peach Salsa

2011-11-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Fresh & Easy is still awesome, by the way. It's been awhile since it's been said, so I figured it was owed. Especially since they have expanded their gluten free section and their annoying protesters are generally gone by 4:45pm.

That out of the way, one of my favorite things there is their Smoky Peach Salsa. Seriously awesome. I like it with their lime flavored chips, but someone finds them "too limey" and so I don't buy them. And that is totally irrelevant information. Even though he's wrong. They're perfect.

Aaaand the point: here's a damn good homemade substitute. Even without lime chips. (pouts)

Chipotle Peach Salsa
1 can sliced peaches, drained and rinsed then chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
Small handful chopped cilantro (about 3 tbsp)
1 chipotle pepper, minced
About 1/2 tsp adobo sauce
Juice from one lime
About 1/2 tsp ginger
dash of salt

Combine ingredients, let chill half hour or so to meld flavors. Serve with chips or even over chicken or pork chops.

-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

And I don't even like chipotle that much...

2011-11-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

To clarify, I'm talking smoked jalapenos. Not the restaurant. The restaurant is always a good idea. Just throwing that out there.

I know I've griped before about the stupidity of oversized chipotle/adobo sauce packaging, but it's happening again. Seriously, who made the inane decision to put a dozen chipotle peppers and sauce in a can when you need, like, a TEASPOON per dish? Bobby Flay's kitchen aside, who uses more than that? (I have a similar beef with tomato paste, but that's a bitch for another day.)

Anyway, hubby wanted to invent a Southwestern burger, which means we're stuck with the vast majority of a large can (it was all we had, and I'm pretty sure all they sell) after this meal. I'm planning a chipotle-centric menu for the next few days—If you have any great suggestions, let me know.

Chipotle Turkey Burgers
Burgers:
Ground turkey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1/4 onion, grated
Fresh pepper
salt
Chipotle Mayo:
About 1/2 tsp adobo sauce
2 tbsp light mayo
big pinch garlic powder
Chipotle Ketchup:
About 1/2 tsp adobo sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
pinch garlic powder
big pinch cumin powder
Burger Toppings:
Arugula
whole canned green chiles, split open flat
sliced pepper jack cheese
sliced onion
buns

In large bowl, combine burger ingredients well (use your hands). Mold into four patties and refrigerate while you prep the sauces.

So, yeah, prep the sauces. Mix them in small bowls. Cover. Chill.

Heat skillet over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Cook patties about 5 minutes. Flip, and add chiles to skillet to heat. When the second side is almost done, add slice of cheese and cover. Now's the time to toast the buns, if you want.

When cheese is melted, smear one side of bun with mayo and one with ketchup, and place cheesy patty on bun. Top with chile, arugula and onion.

Serve with sweet potato fries and more chipotle ketchup.

Musings of the Fat and Sober, Vol. 3

2011-11-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

Cross posted at Salt & Nectar today.

I would like to open this edition of preggo bitching with an apology. To every pregnant woman to whom I have ever used the phrase, "Honey, you're not fat, you're pregnant!" I offer my sincere apologies. While I completely meant it when it was said, I now see your point. Because while, yes, I am pregnant, I am also fat(ter). Abdomen gain? Mostly baby. Boob gain? Toss up. But thigh gain? Ass? Arms? Fat. Fat. Faaaat.

And please don't start in with me here about how they are all interconnected. Blah, blah, blah. I'm pregnant and I'm fat. Yes, there is no escaping it, but that doesn't make it untrue. I'm still not big enough to be obvious, so I know people often assume I'm just getting pudgy. You're welcome to ignore me when I bitch that I'm fat. And you are even more welcome to tell me I look great. But only if you mean it.

This is my trick. I wear stripes because it actually makes me look pregnant, even though we all know they do nothing flattering for the figure. Hence why it's best to ignore me when I say I look fat. This is preggo logic, people.

I am so over old wives tales and half-facts. Oh, you've heard I shouldn't get massages? Can't have my hair done? Should get rid of my cats? I have one thing to say: I am the research queen, damnit, so if you've heard this "fact," I guarantee I have also heard it. If I'm doing it anyway, it means I have considered it, debunked it (or determined what about it is unsafe/should be avoided), and moved on. Also, it is none of your effing business, especially when we don't know each other. But thanks for looking out. Really. XO.

Oh, and old wives tales go the other way, too, btw. Cocoa butter, shea, etc. etc. don't help stretch marks. You get them or you don't. It's a medical, genetic-based fact. That's not to say I'm not rubbing it on every morning anyway (I'm dry, ok?), but it's still just a story. Just like me having acne doesn't make it a girl. Even though everyone other than my grocery store checker has decided that it does.

Speaking of, no, we are not finding out the sex. No, I don't care what it is. I really, honestly don't. I promise. And I find it a little disturbing that you think I should be hoping for one over the other. Talk about your kid entering the world with a 50% chance of already disappointing you. They have their whole lives to do that.

I am crazy jealous of my cats. Not only do they just get to lounge around all day, they get to be comfortable while doing it. (Especially Ramona. She's got this on lock.)

See, I am a back sleeper. When that fails, I'm a stomach sleeper. Seeing that I can't do either anymore basically means sleeping is no longer fun. Well, I can lay on my stomach, but if you've ever tried to lie on a soccer ball, you know why this isn't happening. Back sleeping is out per doc's orders. Something about the weight of my engorged uterus and cutting off circulation to myself and the baby...I wasn't really listening; I was busy catching up on sleep with my eyes open. I have more and more in common with my Greta everyday.

Seriously, she sat like this without moving for like 5 minutes. She is amazing. And now I am done with my cats for this edition.

So I'm stuck on my sides. Which I hate. My shoulders fall asleep more easily than I do, and pregnancy hip pain has commenced in full effect, so my body pillow and I (see below) spend a lot of time flipping during the night. And when I'm not super gracefully using my entire body weight to attempt to turn over in one swift action, (side note: SO glad we sprung for the King bed last year. And that he can sleep through anything.) I'm getting up to pee. Every. Two. Hours. My under-eye circles have never looked so good, let me tell you.

In awesome news, however, my knees no longer hurt. I can sit on the toilet without whimpering again! (Yay!) I can do lunges again! (Yay? And also, "again?")

What is with the blood coming out of my nose? I'm not 8, and I don't play soccer. That's who gets nosebleeds, right? I feel like every nosebleed depicted on tv is an 8 year old in cleats. And I never played, which I'm certain is why I never have had one. Anyway, blood streaming out of nose at 6:30am is strange enough. Explaining to my husband that it's perfectly normal is even stranger.

And now, a few words of advice:

Rethink the Brazilian wax. The first few preg-waxes (ew, that's a terrible word) weren't bad—no worse than usual, which I normally handle like a champ. I'd been warned that it would be more painful "during this special time," so I'd left the salon all high and mighty. Hurt?? Ha! Not me! Best pregnancy ever! And then 19 weeks hit, and oh. my. god. I was ~~squealing~~ wincing so much my waxer (of two years) actually giggled at me. And then told me I was crazy, confessing that she never had the guts to do it while she was pregnant. NOW she tells me...

You know that show you love that makes you cry? Stop watching it. Mine happens to be Grey's Anatomy-I'm currently trying to catch up on last season, so I've been watching several at a time on Netflix. Hubby doesn't understand why "that stupid show is even still on," which meant he was more than happy to oblige when I told him to put me on Grey's restriction. (Of course, he came home the next night to find me crying into the couch pillow again.) Seriously, though. The baby needs fluids. Sobbing inconsolably about how Mandy Moore diiiiiiiieeed just means you're tempting dehydration.

Buy the body pillow. And get a cute cover for it, while you're at it. It's going to be your best (and most intimate, it works best all tucked in between your legs) friend for months, so you may as well treat it as such. I haven't caved and sprung for an expensive one yet—I'm thinking the Snoogle—but I feel the time is fast approaching. These hips are seriously hurting.

No joke—it's enormous, and a little like having a threesome every night. (I guess?) I feel like I should name it, or at least buy it breakfast in the morning.

What about you all? Any nighttime pregnancy remedies/pillow brands, etc. you want to throw my way? My sanity thanks you in advance.

More pumpkin. Yay!

2011-11-04T17:55:00.001-07:00

I'm going over to my girlfriend's house this evening for a pajama and movie night...normally this group likes to drink, but at least three of us are currently knocked up, so we're going to do the next best thing-snacks.

I volunteered to bring caramel corn, which didn't turn out exactly as planned...but I am now bringing my new specialty, Creme Brûlée Corn.

There is a reason I hate my oven. And this is why. Luckily, I love burnt sugar.

In case the other ladies don't, however, I decided to bring a back up...and all I had in the house on hand was stuff for pumpkin muffins. Made in the toaster oven, thankyouverymuch. And quite delicious. Look at me baking. This is sooo the kid's fault.

Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 14oz can organic pumpkin
2 cups flour (I mixed white and wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
A little more than 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
Hershey chocolate rectangles (opt.)

In large bowl, mix sugar, oil, water and pumpkin. In small bowl, mix flour and other dry ingredients and spices.

Add dry ingredients into pumpkin mix, and mix gently until just combined.

Fill lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Insert one chocolate piece in the middle of each muffin, if using. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins.

-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

African Potato Peanut Stew

2011-11-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's been under 80 degrees for like 4 days in a row, so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's finally fall around here. (Please? I have a growing stomach to cover, and sweaters help a ton.) We'll see how it goes, but in the meantime, I'm still going to make cool-weather food and try and coax it along.

This stew is fairly simple, really, with a medium amount of prep, so it was good on a week night. The original recipe calls for it to cook for over an hour, but I checked it after 40 minutes and the potatoes were perfectly cooked...I think I may have chopped them smaller than intended, but the bite size pieces make more sense. So just check it along the way...when they're done, you're done. Easy as that.

Hubby commented that lamb would be a good addition, so if you want to meatify this, go ahead and throw some bite sized chunks of lamb or beef in after the garlic and brown for a couple of minutes before continuing. I did use chicken broth instead of veggie broth, but other than that, I thought it was great as a vegetarian dish. Oh, and you can use all peanuts for this (use up to a cup), I just ran out and liked the addition of the almonds.

I love how colorful it is once you get over it and just stir in the topping. Which you should do, by the way.

African Peanut Stew
1 cup 0% greek yogurt
1/4 cup minced chives
splash of olive oil
half a yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 shallot, sliced (optional)
half a large bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, halved
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp salt
1 minced red chile or 1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 lbs peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (I sliced about 1/2 in thick widthwise, then quartered those)
3/4 lb baby red potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
2.5 cups fat-free broth
28oz can diced tomatoes

Combine yogurt and chives, chill.

Heat oil in dutch oven or stock pot over medium high. Add onion, shallot and bell pepper, saute 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, saute until fragrant, less than a minute. Add peanuts, salt and chile. After a couple of minutes (stirring often), add potatoes, broth and tomato.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover. After about 35 minutes, test every 10 minutes or so to see if the potatoes are soft. When they are, turn off heat and let sit 5-10 minutes.

Top with a dollop of yogurt mix to serve. (Serves 6, roughly 350 cals per serving)

Trick or Cat Treats

2011-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is photoshopped, btw. I did not put makeup on my cat. But holy crap, I wish I had thought of that earlier.

Our little masked avenger and her wingcat are getting more love than the candy tonight. (And kids are apparently fine with totally looking around into our house, which I'm ignoring for the moment) So far, we've heard:

Is that a halloween kitty? (Yes. Why not.)
Oooh! You have cats? (Again, yes.)
That's a big 'ol cat! (And again...)
How many cats do you have? (Two. You're looking at them both because both want desperately to run out between my legs right now, so please take your kit kat and go, little ladybug.)
Can I pet her?? (After I let her pet Ramona, the 5 year old asked if she could take her trick or treating with her. That was my favorite.)

Happy Halloween!

Olive Oil Cookies

2011-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

I know, olive oil...cookies? It just sounds so wrong. But one of the Iron Chefs busted out some olive oil cake the other night, and I was intrigued enough to look it up. And all over the internet there are recipes, and there are ravings. Enough to, again, intrigue me.

When I found a New York Times recipe for these cookies, the mix of wine, sugar, rosemary and pepper was just too weird to pass up. Plus, I knew the Pepper Project would love anything that showcased kampot pepper, so I wanted to review it for them. And so, with the visiting Russian as my Sous Chef (who is down for anything involving wine), it was time to bake.

Don't go into these expecting "cookies," and you won't be disappointed. They're more scone-like, actually...sweeter than a biscuit, and not as crumbly or dry. The pepper gave an awesome spiciness every now and then, and the rosemary gives it an earthy, unusual flavor. I like them. The main problem is I don't know when I would make them, since they seem to go best with wine. Maybe as a savory dessert? An afternoon tea alternative? Cause I'm sure you guys are all about the afternoon tea...

Olive Oil Cookies
2.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
small pinch of salt
heaping 1/8 tsp fresh ground kampot (or black) pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil (virgin or extra-virgin)
3/4 cup red wine

Heat oven to 375. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, rosemary and sugar. In medium small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and wine. Stir the oil mixture into dry ingredients, mixing lightly just until combined.

Spray or grease cooking sheet with olive oil. Drop batter by teaspoon onto sheet. Again, I don't recommend using a toaster oven for cookies, but some of us do what we have to. They really don't spread much, so you can fit quite a few on a tiny sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove to a rack to cool.

Something fishy.

2011-10-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Fish tacos, to me, are not fried. They're light, they're fresh, and they're simple. And because I'm not really in the mood to write right now, that's all I'm going to say about that.

These turned out great. Super easy, too, especially if you buy pre-shredded cabbage. Use good tortillas, too. I'm super into the Tortilla Factory handmade style tortillas right now. They're nice and thick and don't break when you fold them.

Fish Tacos
2 6oz Mahi Mahi filets (I used defrosted frozen ones and it was fine)
garlic powder
S&P
Cumin
1/3 cup 0% greek yogurt
Juice from half a lime (save lime)
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Shredded cabbage
8 Corn tortillas

Combine yogurt, lime, green onion, and 1 tbsp cilantro. Add a good pinch of cumin, mix well.

Rub fish with the lime half, and sprinkle well with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Flake into large chunks.

Warm tortillas, and fill with cabbage, fish, and yogurt sauce. Top with remaining cilantro and Tapatio or other hot sauce, if you want.

Serves 4. Good with refried black beans (spiced with a bit of hot sauce before heating).

Man-made meatballs

2011-10-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Meatballs should taste like meat. Or so says Esquire magazine, anyway. And that said, their Eat Like a Man recipe this month does not disappoint. Hubby was reading the latest issue in bed the other night, and it was all he could do to not get up and start cooking right that second. (Which I would have been ok with. Spaghetti and meatballs are always welcome right now.)

The two days we ended up waiting were well worth it, however. It was absolutely fantastic—totally restaurant quality, totally time consuming, and totally appreciated. All I had to do was run to the store for him, eat and do some dishes (and not even that many! He cleaned as he went! He's learning!!). Well, and not think about how many calories are in these suckers. Bacon and olive oil are kind of in excess here...

There were some changes, of course...veal is not allowed in our house (yep, I pull that card), so that went out the window. We also wanted to use pancetta, but it was $6 per 3oz, and bacon was $6 for 16oz. So, yeah. Oh, and we did half in the toaster oven and half on the stovetop...the stovetop set ended up having a thicker sauce, but that seemed to be the only real difference.

So here you go. The man's awesome, total fat-kid, meat-heavy meatballs and sauce. It makes a ton. Make it on a night you have a handful of hungry dudes to feed.

Basic Tomato Sauce (also from Esquire)
4 28oz cans good quality whole tomatoes
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil
a few basil leaves

Pour tomatoes and their juice in a huge bowl and squish/crush tomatoes by hand (or use a potato masher, if that's more your bag)

Heat about a half cup olive oil in large-enough sauce pan, and add garlic. Let cook until they sizzle but don't brown, a couple of minutes. Add about a third of the tomatoes at a time, letting them come to a simmer before adding more.

Lower heat, tear some basil leaves (4 or 5 big ones), and throw them in. Cook at a low simmer for about 45 minutes.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef (85 percent lean/15 percent fat)
1 lb ground pork (as lean as you can get)
About 2/3 a package of thick-sliced smoky bacon, finely minced
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried rosemary

Combine above ingredients and mix well with your hands. Just do it.

1/3 cup bread crumbs (we used seasoned)
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 heaping tsp coarse sea salt
1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Slowly add milk to bread crumbs, stirring until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Add S&P, and add to the meat mixture, mixing well. It'll be super sticky at this point-it's ok. Refrigerate the meat mixture for about 30 minutes.

canola oil for browning
your tomato sauce (above), kept warm over low heat
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape meatballs into roughly 2 inch balls, shaping with your hands. In a large skillet, heat about a quarter-inch canola oil until very hot. Working in batches, brown all sides of each meatball ( a couple minutes a 'side').

As they finish, transfer browned meatballs to a deep, ovenproof dish. Cover meatballs with tomato sauce. (Totally submerged, if possible) Bake until done, an hour or more. They should feel firm to the touch.

If you're going the stove top route, place browned meatballs in large skillet or dutch oven—two if necessary, you don't want to overcrowd them—and cover with the sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook, partially covered, about an hour.

Serve alone or over a bit of pasta.

The crust is the worst part of the pie.

2011-10-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

That's my opinion, anyway. It's so...crusty. And burned, half the time. And full of calories, which generally means it's just a waste of my time.

Word on the street is that I'm hosting Thanksgiving again this year, so I was digging around online for recipes and got sidetracked thinking about pumpkin. From there, my brain turned to pie, which made me think of how much I dislike crust, and ta-da...the search for crustless pie was on. This was a mix of a couple of them, plus some ideas of my own.

I'd call this more custard-like, actually-its nice and thick, but it's not as sweet as you may expect. If you prefer a sweet version, maybe use pumpkin pie puree, or use white sugar. Or serve with ice cream. Being less sweet has a bonus, however—it's low-cal. 1/8 of a pie is less than 170 cals.

Oh, and before you give me too much credit for "baking" again, this hardly counts...it all got mixed at once in one bowl, and I cooked it in the toaster oven.

As for reviews, my guinea pigs were my coworkers...B and I both thought it could have used a bit more sugar (though the low-fat whip helped), but Bossman raved...I thought maybe he was just being overly nice, but as I was heading out for the day, he asked me to leave it there so he could have more. I figured it was probably too much pumpkin for hubby (who hasn't tried it yet) anyway, so I told him to have at it.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
15oz pumpkin puree
12oz can of 2% evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup quick oats (like Quaker)
2 tbsp brown sugar

In large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs and evaporated milk. Add in 1/2 cup sugar, flour, spices, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Mix well. In small bowl, mix together oats and brown sugar.

Pour into a greased pie pan. Sprinkle with oat mix. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Check half way through-if it's getting too brown, cover lightly with aluminum foil for the remainder of the time.

Cool completely before serving.

Somebody order me a pizza.

2011-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Eternal hunger
+Home alone
+A fridge full of randomness
=Dinners like this

Random, but tasty. It was even in courses, which is multi-purposeful in my mind. I can make dinner last for an hour, and I get to eat more. Win-win.

Appetizer? Check.

Frozen veggie spring rolls with sweet chili sauce mixed with a bit of Sriracha.

Salad...yep.

Apple Blue Cheese Salad. In other words, romaine with leftover chicken salad sandwich mix (sans chicken)—diced apple, celery and onion—and light blue cheese crumbles with balsamic vinegar. Chives on top.

And then there was risotto.

Mmm. You know I love risotto. This one was easy:

Saute two chopped shallots in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes, then add a cup of arborio rice. Saute another minute or two, stirring constantly. Add a cup of white wine, and let cook down, stirring often, until wine is absorbed. Stir in a pinch each (1/8 tsp or so) of tarragon, dill and fresh pepper.

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and let cook down, stirring often. When liquid is absorbed, repeat with another 1/2 cup of broth. Repeat twice, using a total of two cups. Taste the rice, it should be just a bit chewy but soft. If rice is still hard, add another 1/4 cup or so and cook down. When done, serve with a sprinkle of parm.

Oh, and of course there was dessert.

Dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch totally counts as dessert. Don't judge.

Or you can just be lazy and open a bottle of Barilla.

2011-10-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of meat sauce. You saute up some ground meat, add a bottle of marinara, and boom. Meat sauce.

Orrrr you can spend an extra 10 minutes and do it from "scratch." I'm pretty sure I'm in competition for The Laziest Preggo on the Planet this week, but I still peeled myself off the couch and away from the TiVo long enough to chop a couple things.*

*I totally cheated and used the Chop Wizard. Much like the infomercials, it is ridiculous. It is also awesome, and luckily I have a mother who enjoys buying me As Seen on TV products. Also, for the sake of full disclosure, I am being overly dramatic and totally worked out for half an hour after work, so I'm not quite as lazy as I complain that I am.

I even made a salad. Although, by "making a salad," I really mean taking the walnut and raspberry leftover salad from the night before and adding an extra handful of greens.

It's a little sad how much the small things impress me right now. Anyway, here is Giada's Bolognese, modified just a bit. (And see? When you make it from scratch, you can give it a fancy name like Bolognese, which sounds so much more legit than "meat sauce," yeah?)

Easy Bolognese
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot (or handful of baby carrots) chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 package (around 20oz) lean ground pork (or beef or turkey)
1/2 cup red wine
Large can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
Small handful chopped basil
Small handful chopped Italian parsley (opt.)
S & P
Shredded Romano or Parmesan

Heat a pour of oil (1-2 tbsp) over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery and onion, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add meat, and continue cooking until cooked through, about 8 minutes, moving often and breaking up into small pieces.

Stir in red wine and cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil and parsley, if using. Combine well, adding a bit more wine if it seems really thick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes or until sauce has thickened back up. Add a good pinch each of salt and fresh pepper, tasting to make sure the salt is right.

Serve over hot cooked pasta and top with shredded cheese.

Let's just make a week out of it.

2011-10-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

Since all I want lately is pasta, and I'm basically cooking for myself this week, I decided to just quit the front and let myself eat it every night. I'm starting with Ravioli with Sage-Butter and Walnuts, trying Giada's Bolognese next, and will round out the plan with butternut squash filled raviolis in some sort of sauce (a light alfredo?? Taking all suggestions.)

Served this with a side salad—mixed greens, raspberries, chives, toasted walnuts and balsamic dressing. Hubby asked if the secret ingredient for the night was walnuts...I guess kinda, though to be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan, and could have done without across the board. Plus, I probably should have chopped them more—or something. There were a lot left over on my plate at the end.

Ravioli with Sage-Butter and Walnuts
1 package refrigerated cheese ravioli
4 tbsp butter (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves (or about 1 tsp dried)
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. The timing is kind of weird here, so read through the rest before you continue...done? Ok, once the water boils, cook ravioli according to package directions.

While the water's boiling on one burner, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the sage and walnuts. Cook for about 3 minutes, til the butter begins to brown. Take about a cup of the boiling pasta water and carefully add it to the butter, raise heat to high, and let boil about 2 minutes.

While that cooks, combine the vinegar, honey and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and let boil about 4 minutes. It should thicken quite a bit. Turn off heat and cover.

Drain the ravioli once it's done, and add to the butter mixture, mixing gently to coat. Remove from the heat, toss with the parmesan and season with salt. Check the balsamic glaze—if it's thickened too much and seems to be almost solid, return to low heat until it becomes syrupy again. Divide the ravioli among plates and drizzle with the balsamic syrup and a pinch of sea salt.

This is happiness.

2011-10-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

I love me some Italian Wedding Soup. Like, to pieces. Not only does it make me happy, it's also awesome for preggo sickies like me who can't take Nyquil and therefore are stuck with a cold for a week and a half and need to live off of soup and OJ. This makes about 6-8 servings, which has lasted me about a week.

I know I've posted this before, but I changed up the recipe enough to warrant a Round 2. This time I based it off of a Giada recipe and went with ground pork (which actually has less calories than the turkey) and went with mustard greens instead of spinach. Totally enriches the flavor...Hubby says we're adding it to the menu (of our imaginary restaurant).

Italian Wedding Soup
Half a small onion, grated
Handful of chopped basil
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 package ground pork (97-3% or so)
Large pinch ground black pepper

14 cups chicken broth
About 8 oz mustard greens, chopped and rinsed well under hot water (or use spinach, curly endive, or escarole)
1/2 cup orzo pasta (or other small shape)
1 egg
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

In large bowl, combine onion though pork, and sprinkle with pepper. Use your (clean) hands to combine well. Pull off a small chunk and roll into a ball with your hands. Aim for about an inch or so across. Place on a cookie sheet and continue with remainder of pork mix. You should end up with roughly 12-14 meatballs, but more or less is fine.

Bring broth to a boil in a large stock pot. In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium high, coat with cooking spray, and place a half dozen (or however will fit comfortably without touching) in pan. Let that side brown about 2 minutes, then turn over and brown another side about 2 minutes. Remove back to cookie sheet and brown remaining balls.

When broth is boiling, add the meatballs one at a time. Reduce to a simmer, and cook about 4 minutes. Add greens and orzo, stirring very gently, then cook another 8 minutes. Combine an egg and 2 tsp parmesan in a small bowl, and whisk with a fork. While soup is still simmering, stir gently while adding egg mixture very slowly. The egg should cook immediately, making strands throughout the soup (just like egg drop soup).

Serve hot with fresh parmesan and fresh pepper on top to taste.

Pass me the bottle.

2011-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Guest posting over at Salt & Nectar today! They let the lush talk about drinking while pregnant. Uh-oh...

Well, this was not what we expected.

2011-09-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Before yesterday, this was exactly how much I knew about chicken tetrazzini. Which, really, was plenty, because it's been an ongoing joke in our house for no particular reason other that it's just fun to say.

Is it southern? Is it pasta? Is it a casserole? Why is it named after an opera singer? I just don't know.

But what I do know is that this is some cheesy, delicious, keep-a-man goodness. Hubby took a bite, looked at me, and said exactly what I was thinking, "Well, I had no idea what to expect, but this was not it. Thumbs up."

Chicken Tetrazzini
2 tsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
large pinch fresh ground pepper
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup vermouth
1/4 cup flour
1 and 1/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated parmesan
4 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 box vermicelli or thin spagetti noodles (8 oz)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked (375 for 25 min. or so)

Break pasta in half. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta about 4-5 minutes. When done, drain. Chop the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot (make sure it's big...a stock pot or dutch oven will work well). Add onion, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper. After about a minute, add mushrooms and peas, and stir fry everything for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add vermouth and cook about a minute.

Add flour a bit at a time, stirring constantly. It's going to get crazy thick and will seem impossible, but keep whisking and stirring and try and get out all the lumps. After a couple of minutes, add broth slowly, stirring constantly. It should still be really thick, so bring to a boil then reduce to low and still stir often, making sure the lumps are gone, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add in cream cheese and parm cheese, stirring gently until melted.

Rinse drained pasta, and add to mixture. Add in chicken, and stir everything until combined. It will take awhile...make sure all is coated and evenly mixed.

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray, and pour in the mixture. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

When I am hungry, your job is to feed me.

2011-09-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

So I've stopped being hungry alllll the time, which is good, except that my brain is still used to eating every 2 hours and I find myself fighting myself from eating when I'm not the least bit hungry. (Because I'm not eating, say, an apple. I'm eating entire boxes of Hot Tamales. The baby likes cinnamon, damnit.)

When I AM hungry, however, it means I need to eat. And I need to eat now. (Some of my girlfriends have referred to this pregnancy side effect as 'being so hungry I would eat my own arm.')

I refer to this as pure hunger insanity. Case Study time:

Last night, around 6:30pm. At 5:30, Hubby had asked if I was ready for dinner. I replied, "yes." He laughed and replied that he had actually said, "What time will you be ready for dinner?" Either way, he got the point. Or so I thought.

Hubby: Ok, so what do you want to eat?
Pammy: I don't know. Food. I'm hungry. I told you an hour ago I was hungry. But I don't want Red Lobster. All I will eat there are the biscuits.
H: (Pouts, as he has been talking about Endless Shrimp for 3 days) Fine. I'll go with Scott...so what DO you want.
P: Siiiigh. Basque? I want bread. Somewhere with bread. Benjy's? BJ's? I'm into B words today. Pick one. Feed me.

I finish putting makeup on. Hubby goes into the bedroom, comes out in sweat shorts.

P: ...Or you could get dressed because I AM HUNGRY.
H: Whaaat. You don't look good either, what if we just get drive through?
P: ......I don't LOOK GOOD? What the...?
H: Siigh. You know what I mean.

I do. I've got a cold and am currently kind of a snot monster. Hence why I put on extra mascara and concealer, but WHATEVER.

P: What kind of drive through?
H: Leo's? (One of those awesomely ridiculous burger/greek/mexican/etc. places)
P: Whatever. Just.feed.me.
H: You want to eat there?
P: Oh, god no. They play religious music in there. Drive through takes forever, but at least I don't have to hear Jesus Effing Loves Me while I eat.
H: Fair enough.

At Leo's, which has the largest drive through menu ever, btw.

P: Ok, I want mushrooms. And taquitos. And a green salad.
H: AND mushrooms?
P: YES, AND mushrooms…oh, fuck, just get me a chicken salad.
H: You don't want taqu—
P: IT'S FINE JUST ORDER.

He orders, remembering, as always, that I don't want croutons or cheese. Which reminds me that I want some damn bread and therefore kind of DO want croutons, but I decide to shut up about it. We pull forward.

P: Oh, crap, they have taco salads. I want that. Do you think we can change it?
H: Really?
P: Yes, really. I didn't SEE it before.

We pull up to the window, where we wait. And wait, way too long to change the order.

P: Gah. So much for my taco salad. This is dumb. And I still want bread.
Most Patient Husband Ever: They have toast, want me to ask for toast?
P: I don't want it toasted.
H: Just bread.
P: Just bread. Maybe they have dinner rolls?
H: Good call, they have to. I'll ask.

And then we wait some more.
Guy comes to the window, Hubby asks if they have dinner rolls.

Guy: How many do you want?
H: Babe?
P: Two.
H: Two.
Guy: Ok, I'll charge you 50 cents, cool?
H: Yep, great.

I do a happy little bread dance in my seat.
And then we wait. Some more.

Guy comes to the window with rolls, and my heart leaps.

Guy: You want these now or in the bag?
H: No, in the bag is fine.

Window closes, he disappears again.
I stare at my husband, mouth dropped. He stares back as it slowly occurs to him why I'm giving him the deathstare.

P: Are you.Fucking.KIDDING ME? Did that JUST HAPPEN??
H: What…but…seriously?
P: OH MY GOD!!

And then the tears come. I fight them off, but they are definitely there.
(He is trying SO hard not to laugh at me at this point, which reminds me that I made a good marital decision after all.)

And so we wait. I pout and make little whining comments about how close the bread is to me and I can seeeee it from my seat and what is taking soooo long and OMG if they forget to put my bread in the bag I will cut someone, and he acts like I'm not being a complete psychopath.

And then there is food.

P: Bag. Give.

The dinner roll"s", by the way, are just one small roll cut into two pieces. And toasted.

H: Those look good.
P: Do you want a bite?
H: No, babe, you eat it.
P: You can have a bite…baaaabe! Not THAT big a bite! (as I literally pull it OUT of his mouth to control his portion size.)

We pull onto the street as I finish chewing the second one.

H: Did you just…?
P: Um, yeah, they're gone. They were tiny. I told you I wanted bread, damnit.

Starbucks Homeboy, I hate you

2011-09-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

After two days in bed with a cold, I finally got my ass up and out of bed this morning and decided to celebrate Friday (and "Fall," even though it's a hundred and effing TWO here today) with a pumpkin spice latte.

And then I had encounter #2 with judgey Starbucks guy.

If you missed encounter #1, here it is:
Pammy: Can I get a decaf skinny cinnamon dolce latte?
18 year old (overweight, btw) Vons/Starbucks employee: Why decaf?
Pammy: ...I don't think you're supposed to ask me that.
18yo: Well, it's better than asking if you're pregnant.
Pammy: (blank stare)...well. My doc told me decaf.
18yo: They actually just mean, like, soda and stuff.
Pammy: I'm pretty sure that's not true.
18yo: No, it is. Coffee's fine.
Pammy: Actually, no, fresh brewed coffee is the worst. It has the highest caffeine count. Espresso is a little better, but still.
18yo: But decaf is full of chemicals.
Pammy: And if you give me my decaf now, I can HAVE a soda later.
18yo: ok. $4.20

I haven't seen Mr. I'm A Nutritionist Dontcha Know for awhile now, so I foolishly thought I was safe. No such luck. Yet while I immediately recognized him, apparently he didn't remember me. And so here we went again.

Pammy: Can I get a nonfat decaf Pumpkin Spice?
18yo: Why are you ordering decaf?
Pammy: (stunned. STUNNED.)...Because I like decaf.
18yo: Is that the real reason?
Pammy: (SERIOUSLY FLABERGHASTED)
18yo: What's the real reason?
Pammy: (through clenched teeth) Because I only have so. much. caffeine a day. And this. is. not. one. of. those. times.
18yo: (gives me an "I don't believe you" look) Mm. Most people order it when they're nursing.
Pammy: Hmm. (pays, fuming, without even looking at the smirking POS.)

Did someone tell these people to chit-chat with the customers? If so, let me educate you on idle conversation:
"Can you believe it's supposed to be in the hundreds today?"
"Happy first day of Fall!"
"Looking forward to the weekend?"

It is not, however, questioning my order. It is not trying to convince me to order something else. It is NOT making a face when you dislike my order. And it most definitely is not asking personal questions that are none.of.your.effing.business.

Seriously? A) I do not need to defend my orders. B) Just f&*^ing MAKE MY DRINK. and C) It's none of your goddamn business, and I am not here to educate you on the ins and outs of pregnancy and what is and is not "allowed." It's effing 7:30am. I am not in the mood or mindset to do so. I just want my coffee, which I will now enjoy a little bit less.

Oh, and Vons' Starbucks? I am through. with. you.

Oh, and the Parm won.

2011-09-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Shocking, I know.

But I did stuff the chicken with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, sprinkled them with salt and Italian bread crumbs, then cooked them for 8 min a side in a bit of chicken broth and a dash of balsamic. Covered with marinara (with a dash of balsamic in there, as well) and a few more slices of cheese and basil strips, then covered and let steam over low about 5 minutes til sauce was hot and cheese was melted.

And then served, obviously, over pasta.

Lemon Basil Chicken

2011-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it started off as a chicken dish.

I know the whole carb overload has been out of control lately, but I swear, it never sounds bad. (As I'm writing this I'm rethinking my dinner plan for mozzarella and basil stuffed chicken and rice-a-roni and thinking chicken parm over pasta could be better...hmmm) So I was on a search for a chicken dish that could stand alone. Of course, then I saw the photo here and decided the only thing better with a side of pasta would be to make the whole damn thing a pasta dish.

It's just pointless, I swear.But it was a good call on my end. Quite yummy and different.

Jesus Christ, a trailer for Dolphin Tale just made me bawl. BabyH is messing up more than my taste buds, let me tell you. Anybody watch the new Office? Big Pregs=me (but not so...big). I love that commercial.

Lemon Basil Chicken and Aioli with Linguini
handful chopped basil
3 green onions, chopped
zest from one lemon
juice from half a lemon
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp vermouth
good pinch fresh black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
olive oil
Chicken broth as needed

handful chopped basil
1 green onion, chopped
3 tbsp light mayo
juice from half a lemon
2 tsp dijon mustard
small pinch salt
dash olive oil

Package refrigerated linguine (Buitoni or similar)

In large bowl or dish, combine basil, green onion, zest, juice, vinegar, vermouth (or white wine) and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Bring a medium large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

As water boils for pasta, heat a splash of oil over high heat in large saute pan. Add chicken (and marinade) and cook 8 minutes a side or until done. If pan gets dry, add a splash of chicken broth now and then.

In the meantime, combine remaining ingredients in small bowl to make aioli.

When chicken is cooked, remove from pan and keep warm. When pasta is cooked, remove from water with tongs and add to the saute pan the chicken was in. Add about a tbsp
of the aioli, and toss the pasta to coat. If it's really dry, add a bit more chicken broth.

Serve chicken over a bed a pasta, and top everything with a spoonful of aioli.

Musings of the Fat and Sober, Vol. 2

2011-09-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Cross posted today at Salt & Nectar.

Well, almost halfway through the second trimester, and things are as fun as always. Pregnancy, I've decided, is boring. At least at this point, when I still don't look pregnant (and instead just look a little "thick," as my mom so sweetly pointed out), and I don't feel any movement or any other proof that something is actually happening in there. Boring.

Plus it's football season, and the deal with Hubby has always been that I will watch football with him if I can also eat and drink. AND being the key word, here. I am not a football girl. And so I spend the game with my nose in my computer, catching up on Netflix. Sober. In other words, boring.

But there are, of course, other joys.

I've got preggo brain. Already. Words and thoughts just escape my brain without warning. I'll give my Art Director info on a project, say, about a print ad, and end up trailing off about the color of pocket folders. I don't know if it was me finally hearing myself or her utter silence on the other end of the phone, but that was a fun one to recover from. Luckily, she's a mom. Her condolence was that it'll get worse, not better...

But it's not just words—I'm calling hotels to confirm reservations and am being told I never made them. Putting milk away in cabinets. I was washing some pillowcases the other day, and when I went to go transfer them to the dryer, I noticed my half-full cup of detergent still sitting there, completely unused. Oops. (Let's keep that example between us, shall we? Hubby does the laundry because "I do it wrong." Sometimes I do it anyway to be nice and to prove otherwise. So, yeah. Shh.)

I want dessert, at all hours of the day. I ate the largest frosted cookie ever the other day. At 10:30am. I'm pretty sure it was the most sugar my body has processed at one time in the past 16 years. It was ridiculous.

And it was delicious. And I will eat the other one in my fridge in the very near future. (But not right now; I'm working on a bowl of sugar-free Pistachio pudding right now—and by bowl, I mean the one the pudding was made in. And I'm not sharing, so don't ask.) And don't get me started on ice cream. Luckily there are a million 'lower cal' varieties out there, but they are still completely unnecessary calories. And it's confusing, because I'm not a huge nut fan, I don't like the taste of butter, and I don't really care about ice cream. But get between me and some butter pecan and I will cut you.

What happened to being a horny, glowing preggo? I was kind of looking forward to that, I won't lie. But glowing? Amorous? Um, my jeans are currently being "buttoned" via rubber band. I'm exhausted, bloated, and broken out. This is not exactly prime sexy-time. I was bra-shopping the other day, and started crying in the middle of the department store because I couldn't find any bras that would fit the girls and look cute. I just needed something a little sexy (a little would have gone a long way, trust me), and instead my options were nude, thick strapped, "full-figured" boulder holders.

Eff it, I'm just going to switch to sport bras soon and call it a day. At least they come in colors.

(Whispers)"Soooo...I'm knocked up." I find myself struggling with how to tell people, especially acquaintances. When the hostess at my usual pho restaurant asked how I was and commented that she hadn't seen me in awhile, I heard myself say, "Yeah, I know. I got myself pregnant and my tastes seem to have changed a bit..."

I got myself pregnant?? WTF does that even mean? And this is so not an isolated incident. "I'm knocked up," "Well, turns out I'm pregnant..." and other similar "excuses" have all left my mouth. I mean, we've already established that I'm not an "I can't wait until I'm pregnant!!" person, but to make it sound like it's some sort of trouble I got myself into like a derelict teenage runaway? What is that?

My husband is fantastic. Well, obviously, seeing that I married him, but he has become so...not concerned, exactly...I don't know the word. I can't EVER remember the right word, damnit. So examples, it is. Six months ago, had he walked into the room to find me sprawled on the couch and glassy eyed, his first reaction would be to reposition my half-full martini glass in order to keep me from kicking it over when I readjusted myself. Now, he walks in, kisses me on the forehead, and asks if I feel ok.

Swoon.

He's just been very sweet and protective while still remembering that his wife is a bullheaded Taurus who can do it her damn self. He knows I'll ask for help if I need it, and even when I won't, he understands that if a giant box of cat litter has been in the back of my car for a week straight, he should just carry it inside.

So far there's only been one serious exception to his fabulousness, which I must point out because I'm kind of a jerk. I wanted Thai food one day, and he talked me into Vietnamese instead. Seriously. I'm eventually going to get past this, but I pouted about this for a week and still want some Pad Kee Mow, damnit. Being finicky about food is really the only thing he hasn't been cutting me any slack on. (Except when I just want mac and cheese for dinner—he doesn't bitch when I'm doing the cooking-just when I want to go out) But I guess that's what I get for marrying a fellow food-lover.

But the most painful part of this whole ordeal so far has quite literally been the (knee) pain. I was born with old-lady knees...they just ache. Sometimes it's the right, less often it's just the left, and usually it's both. No, I didn't hurt them as a kid. No, physical therapy didn't help. No, it doesn't seem to matter how much I weigh. Yes, I've had them x-rayed (Nope, nothing "wrong" with them)...I was just born with bad knees. But the achiness, stiffness, and general shooting pain has just magnified over the past few months. Stairs hurt. Yoga hurts. Sitting on a toilet...O.M.G. This "chore" is usually manageable, but having my knees hurt this much means it's been pure agony...to the point where I've had to stifle yelps of pain when I sit down or stand up in order to not be the freak screaming in the bathroom.

Since we're already on this lovely path, let's just keep going, shall we? I'm 5'10, so long legs teamed with sore knees has always made the whole public bathroom ordeal a bit...tricky. Am I not being ~~gross~~ clear enough? Here it is: I'm a terrible squatter. I'll spare you too much detail here, but let's just say I'm a huge fan of toilet seat covers and lots of toilet paper hand wraps.

So I will also spare you a play by play of a recent concert experience involving pregnant Pammy's overactive bladder, this female bathroom skill deficiency, and excessively disgusting porta-potties. Shudder.

Speaking of bathroom issues, apparently I now need 35g+ of fiber a day to survive. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I don't believe in "seasonal"

2011-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, Pumpkin Spice Lattes may be in the air, but Fall apparently is not. Did you know canned pumpkin is "seasonal?" Unacceptable. Like no one wants pumpkin flavored food any other time of the year? I call this a major grocery store fail, Vons.

I probably should have just gone to Trader Joes. But it's far. (It's not, but I'm lazy) And so I settled on pumpkin pie mix. It was still good, but it made it a bit sweeter than I would have preferred...more "gourmet" tasting than I was expecting. The sweet and spicy was a nice combo, though, if you can get past the idea of sweet and spicy pasta. Which I could. I'll be trying this again with regular pumpkin at some point to compare. Or better yet, if you can find regular pumpkin, you should try it and give me a review.

Very fall-ish. Even if this is the summer that just. won't. die.

Pumpkin Blue Cheese Pasta
One shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chile, minced (or less, to taste)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp thyme
1 package sliced portabella mushrooms
3/4 cup pumpkin pie mix
1/2 cup reduced fat blue cheese
S&P
Two servings corkscrew pasta, cooked al dente
parsley, parmesan and sea salt (to taste) to serve

Coat pan with cooking spray and heat to medium. Saute shallot, garlic and chile for a minute or two. Add 1/2 a cup of chicken broth, thyme and mushrooms, and saute until mushrooms are soft.

Stir in pumpkin, remaining broth and cheese, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Let cook down 5 minutes or so, then stir in pasta. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 5 minutes or until thickened a bit. Stir again before serving. Sprinkle with parsley, cheese, and salt as desired.

875 calories total

I lied!!!

2011-09-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, not only did I not lose my Pad Kee Mow recipe, I typed it up and calculated the calories for it. I don't remember doing any of this, but that must have meant I was debating how much of it I could get away with eating in one sitting.

I also don't remember how much of it I did eat, but let's pretend it was a ladylike portion, shall we?

Anyway, Pad Kee Mow is also known as Drunken Noodles, which is obviously the best. name. ever. I've never actually eaten them whilst intoxicated, but apparently that's the thing to do in Thailand, where street vendors sell these deliciously spicy noodles out of food carts at all hours of the day.

The best Drunken Noodles I've ever had are from a little place in San Diego called Saffron, which also, btw, has the best chicken and veggie egg rolls on the planet. I'm hoping to sneak away and grab some next weekend while we're down there...but we're traveling with some non-experimental eaters, so wish me luck. Hopefully I'll be able to blame the fetus-it shouldn't be that much of a stretch, because I crave noodles and Thai constantly these days, and if you add the proximity of Saffron to the mix, my poor body will be going crazy. Mmmm. Now I want egg rolls.

My version adds mushrooms and uses regular rice noodles, instead of the wide flat noodles that are damn near impossible to find.

Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles)
5 oz rice noodles
Canola or peanut oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
2 green onions, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
8 oz chicken breast, sliced
About 30 basil leaves, sliced
Can straw mushrooms, drained

4 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp chili paste

Soak noodles in hot water for about 20 minutes until flexible and a little soft.

Stir fry in 2 tsp oil about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and stir fry another few minutes until just soft. Remove noodles. Heat 1 tsp oil and stir fry onions, garlic and bell pepper for about 3 minutes. Add chicken and stir fry another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add mushrooms and basil.

Combine oyster sauce through chili paste, and add mixture to chicken. Let sauce cook down a bit while stir frying constantly. Add noodles back in, and toss well, cooking another 2 minutes or so.

Serve hot.

1128 total calories
4 servings: 282
3 servings: 377
2 servings: 564

Digging in the Thai pantry

2011-09-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

I know I mentioned I was going to post a recipe for the Pad Kee Mow I made last week, but somebody ~~threw away~~ somehow lost the piece of paper I wrote it down on.

By somebody, yes, I mean me. Preggo brain. I blame the fetus.

I also blame it for my laziness—I wanted to make Pad Thai, but I would have had to drive an extra block and a half to the grocery store for lime, tofu, cilantro and bean sprouts. So instead, I went the easy route and just used what I had with a Pad Thai-esque sauce.

Makes two big servings, even for a preggo home alone and willing to eat all of everything in front of her. (I didn't even eat half, and trust me, I tried. Had I not eaten half a box of Wheat Thins earlier, I may have succeeded.)

Easy Thai Noodles
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peanut oil
one shallot, minced
red chile, minced
8oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thinly
one egg
two servings rice noodles
green onion, sliced

Soak rice noodles in hot water until flexible but not completely soft (10-25 minutes, depending on the brand). Drain.

Mix fish sauce, sugar and vinegar in small bowl.

Heat oil in wok over high. Add shallots and chile and stir fry about 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir fry until completely white. Push chicken aside and crack in the egg. Let cook and then scramble until cooked completely. Stir into chicken. Add noodles and sauce.

Push mixture around until combined. Let sauce cook down until no longer wet, tossing fairly frequently.

Sprinkle with green onion and peanuts. Serve with Sriracha to taste.

It's only right to labor for Labor Day.

2011-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Wasn't I just talking about dishes? It's only 10:45 in the morning, and I have already done dishes three times. Which can only mean that we're about to do some eating today. (Well, and that we didn't finish them from dinner last night-but that was only the first round.)

Luckily, Ramona was there to help.

That's where she has to be when dishes are being done. It's really convenient and helpful, as you can imagine.

But while she wasn't underfoot, I chopped and stirred and cooked and boiled. And with quite the results, I'm hoping.

Hubby asked for muffins, which means I need to stop baking...it's giving him ideas.

But add in some scrambled eggs (with red onion, tomato and jack cheese), and you've got quite a Sunday morning breakfast.

I also have a BBQ this afternoon, so I offered to bring potato salad-I'm supposed to avoid mayo-based salads that aren't 100% refrigerated (blah, blah salmonella), so I made my mayo-free version (just added a bit of dried thyme this time, which was a good call).

Plus, I love the rainbow of veggies in this one. A lot of chopping, yes, but so pretty and so good.

And with that, I'm getting out of the kitchen and into the pool.

Happy long weekend! Eat well!

Seriously Literate-Summer '11.1

2011-09-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, time for me to take some more recommendations...what are your book clubs reading these days? Sobriety means more time for books, (and better reading comprehension) so keep them coming! Here's what I've knocked out in the past month or so...

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
Ok, FINALLY a series that everyone and their grandma raves about that's actually worth reading. Because, see, I fell for that crap with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I refuse (REFUSE) to read most popular "young adult fiction." (Twilight, anyone?) But I loved these books…I seriously gobbled up the first one, careened through the second (which admittedly was my least favorite of the three), and couldn't read the third book fast enough. If they pull this off well, The Hunger Games will make for some breathtaking movies. I would kill to work on the production/costume design team. Pun not intended...

Basically, in the future, our mostly poverty-stricken nation has been divided into 12 districts, and each year, a girl and boy are drawn by lottery to represent their district in what is known as the Hunger Games...the winner—the last one of the 24 still alive after a battle to the death—is guaranteed a safe, well-fed future for their family. At least, that's whats supposed to happen, but what happens at the end of this years' Hunger Games changes all that, and the winner ends up an unwilling symbol-then unwilling soldier-for the country's unrest and resulting mutiny. I hate books about war and all that crap, so it's really not that kind of story, if that's how I'm making it sound.

It's really hard to give a summation of a multiple book series without throwing out too many spoilers, so I'm just going to leave it at that. Truly disturbing concept, completely surprising, and massively engrossing. The main character is so layered and real...I loved her. Read it.

Zorro, Isabel Allende
This book is really, really long. If you read it, don't make my mistake and start it after the first two Hunger Games books, because you will be in agony trying to finish it so you can zip through the rest of that series. (I don't do the whole two books at once thing, and I don't stop books halfway through, as frustrated as I may be with them. It's rude.)

It took me a little bit to settle into it, but once I did, I was hooked, even when it started careening left and right and continent to continent and going on and ON about whatever events Zorro was participating in at the time. None of it is boring, and it's not really unnecessary, it was just really detailed...I was kind of surprised it didn't detail him sleeping more often. (Though I'm sure that would have been told well, too)

I didn't know going into this that Zorro is like Robin Hood..one of those characters that authors have taken over history and invented their own stories about. I should have, I guess, but whatever. This particular version tells of his youth and how he eventually begins developing his legendary persona. It's really good...just really long, like I said.

BossyPants, Tina Fey
Oh, Tina, Tina. I want you to adopt me and let me live with you. She's so smart and sarcastic and weird...kind of like my little sister, who is also fantastically entertaining.

I had this idea that she would be focusing more on parenting, so I was surprised that that subject only came up in the last few chapters. Instead, it was more of an autobiography, taking us through how she got where she is, but strewn throughout with completely ridiculous anecdotes and hopefully totally made up side stories.

If you like Tina Fey, and you think 30 Rock is a completely under-appreciated, brilliant half hour of television, you'll of course love this book. If you don't...we're probably not that close anyway. Maybe you'll like the next one...

Cutting For Stone, Abraham Verghese
This is the story of twin boys (told by one of their POVs) raised by a gynecologist and a surgeon at a missionary hospital in Ethiopia. Their genetics and surroundings pretty much ensure their career paths, not surprisingly, but most of the book is really about the heartbreaking/heartwarming aspects of life that happen to their extended, makeshift family in the meantime.

Verghese was actually a physician before he began (also) writing, which means you get a lot of technical details (one of my girlfriends commented that this novel had her reaching for the dictionary more than any other book in recent memory), but with every procedure or screening he discusses, the focus is on the doctor-patient relationship, not the clinical aspect (which meant I skipped over a lot of those scary medical words). I wish he were my physician. If his bedside manner is similar to the way he writes it should be, I'm sure he's extraordinary.

The Taken, Inger Ash Wolfe
This is the second in the Hazel Micallef series…I read the first one a couple months ago and loved it, and this was no different. Detective Inspector Micallef is an awesome character, and this novel is peppered with great supporting characters, which helps makes this generally fast paced mystery super engrossing.

Since this is (hopefully) going to be an ongoing series, I'm not going to review them as I read them—I'll just say that if you're into crime/thrillers/CSI-type stuff, but want more than what you'd normally get from, say, Patterson or Koontz, I say go for it.

Sandwich of the day: Chicken Salad

2011-09-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I loved when we had baked chicken for dinner; it always meant I was getting a chicken salad sandwich for lunch the next day.

I looooove me some chicken salad. I have definitely been known to eat it straight out of the bowl, sans bread, especially when I was anti-sandwich for so long. (Even besides/before the whole gluten thing, I went a long time without eating them. They're weird. I can't explain this one. I was fine with them as a kid...I must have had some sort of traumatic sandwich experience that I've blocked out.)

But it is also damn good on some wheat bread. Things have changed, and it is completely out of my control. I want sandwiches. And I want them all the time. So tonight we're going back to school, so to speak, and doing it mom-style (with just a little twist).

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
(Makes several sandwiches, plus enough for leftovers)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 medium celery stalks, trimmed and diced
1 green apple, cored and diced
About 1/4 a red onion, diced
About 3-4 tbsp light mayo
Dash of garam masala or curry powder
Splash of lemon juice
Wheat bread
Whole leaf Romaine lettuce

Cook chicken at 375 for 30 minutes. Chop into bite sized pieces and let cool. Mix in celery, apple, onion and mayo. Stir in lemon and curry, if using. If it seems dry, add a bit of mayo (I don't like a lot of mayo, so you may need more).

Make a sandwich. I just used a tiny spread of mayo and a big piece of romaine, but Hubby also toasted his bread and added tomato slices.

Hiding veggies like I'm Jessica Seinfeld

2011-08-31T19:49:00.001-07:00

Dishes are for suckers.

Especially when you don't have a dishwasher. (Or when you feel guilty making your handsome dish washer hang out in the kitchen all night). So I like to do what I can to make dish doing a little easier…I clean as I go, I re-use dishes when I can, and as you know, I swear by the all-wondrous immersion blender. (Ever cleaned a blender? Totally worth the 30 bucks to never have to clean one again.)

When I found this recipe, I had to roll my eyes at all of reviewers bitching about the number of dishes it makes. So screw that. Their way: six pots/pans/bowls. My way: two dish meal, kids. It's like magic.

Speaking of magic, this Mac & Cheese is so totally healthy food in disguise (well, kinda. It's still cheese and carbs. Over it.) That awesome cheddary color is all butternut squash, but the flavor is all cheese. I'm guessing this is the kind of thing I'll have to feed the kids someday when they turn against me and refuse to eat anything but Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets...fitting, since that's all I want these days. I've resisted the mcnuggets so far, but I had to cave for the pasta.

We actually had broccoli on the side, but we both ended up mixing it in to the pasta as we ate. Feel free to skip the broc if one veggie is enough for you (one veggie should never be enough, btw) or go ahead and add in a cup or so of lightly steamed, bite-size pieces before cooking. Or have it on the side...it's a good addition, either way.

Veggie Mac & Cheese
olive oil (1 tsp or so)
1 shallot, peeled and diced
12 oz package cubed butternut squash
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup 1% milk
salt (about 1/2 tsp)
pepper (about 1/4 tsp)
Fat free greek yogurt (2-3 tbsp)
1 cup shredded fontina (Dutch)
1/2 cup shredded romano cheese (divided)
2 cups cavatappi pasta
Italian breadcrumbs
Heat oven to 375

Boil water for pasta in large sauce pan, and then cook for about 5 minutes (about half the time it says on the package). Drain.

Rinse pan, then heat oil and shallot over medium high, and cook about 2 minutes. Add squash, milk and broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low about 10 minutes or until squash is soft.

Blend squash mix with an immersion blender (or transfer all to a blender then transfer back to pan when smooth), then stir in yogurt, salt and pepper. Stir in fontina and 1/4 cup roman until mostly melted, then add pasta and mix gently.

Coat a medium baking pan with cooking spray and pour in pasta mix. Sprinkle remaining romano cheese and breadcrumbs lightly across top.

Cook for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

No, really...I'm melting.

2011-08-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Note: The following recipe (Garlic and Mushroom Chicken) likely works better when cooked in a reasonably tempered kitchen. Not for any particular reason—it's not any more heat inducing than any other stove-top meal, but our house is ridiculous right now, and any amount of heat I add just isn't helping.

Blah, blah, blah, it's hot, I know. There are also earthquakes and hurricanes and basically, Mother Nature is pissed off about something (My guess? Their last names rhyme with Hawkmann and Berry) and we all have to suffer for it somehow.

But seriously, have I mentioned our Master Cool only works when it's under 101 out? Any hotter than that and it just kind of says, "fuck it, y'all are on your own." Not that I blame it…I wouldn't want to work that hard in this heat either.

So Hubby wins the Brilliant Award tonight for digging in the even hotter garage to find a free-standing a/c unit that I didn't know/forgot we had. It currently says my kitchen is 81 degrees, which is 10 degrees cooler than it was an hour and a half ago. Even the cats are happily sprawled out in there.

Garlic and Mushroom Chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 shallots, peeled and sliced
About 20 peeled garlic cloves
chicken broth (1/2 cup)
vermouth (1/2 cup)
thyme (1/2 tsp or so)
tarragon (1/4 tsp or so)
Package sliced brown mushrooms

Brown chicken in olive oil over high heat about 2 minutes a side. Remove from pan. Add garlic cloves and let sauté a couple of minutes, moving the pan around frequently so they don't burn. Add shallots, cook about a minute, then add about 1/4 cup vermouth, tarragon and thyme. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 5 minutes, moving pan around occasionally. Add about 1/4 cup of broth as wine cooks down.

Add chicken back on top of garlic mixture. Dump mushrooms on top, and pour another 1/4 cup of vermouth over them. As they cook down, stir them in and around the chicken. Cook about 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove the chicken and keep it warm, then add another good splash of chicken broth, raise heat to high, cover, and let the rest of it keep on cooking down for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is almost gone and the garlic is soft. Add the chicken back in to reheat just a bit at the very end.

I added about a tablespoon of fat-free half and half before serving, but that was totally just cause I had some. Not necessary, but good.

I love Rice-a-Roni.

2011-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've been totally swamped with life this week, but I realized it's been too long since my last post, so here's the quick and easy Asian feast I made myself (Hubby's off doing his football thing...yes, already) tonight. I'll post the actual cooking I did this week (Pad Kee Mow! Crab Quiche!) later.

Now, excuse me as I get back to ~~watching my new Gossip Girl DVD from Netflix~~ really important things. It's Friday night, and my day was ridiculous. I need a break.

I completely eyeballed the ingredients, so I'd suggest you do the same. It can't hurt. Served with Rice-a-Roni Fried Rice. Uh, huh. Classy. But soooo easy.

Quick Chicken Stir-Fry
Cooking Spray
1 chicken breast, sliced
garlic powder
half a lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
good pinch brown sugar
1/2 tp chili paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
squirt sriracha, to taste
package frozen baby corn, carrots, and peas

Spray a saute pan with cooking spray, heat over medium high. Add chicken breast slices and sprinkle with garlic powder. While it cooks, combine lime through oyster sauce in a small bowl. When chicken is white and cooked through, reduce heat to medium and add sauce and bag of veggies. Stir, then cover and let steam about 5 minutes or until veggies are just hot. Add sriracha to taste.

Shut up, I'm being domestic!!

2011-08-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hubby got home from work this evening right as I was mixing batter for zucchini bread. He kissed me hello, then immediately made a face as he glanced at the bowl.

"Um, what...That looks...pukey."

Hello to you, too. And guess what? Youuuu don't have to eat any. (Of course, 40 minutes later I got an, "ok, that smells really good." Too late, my love. All mine.)

Have I mentioned I want carbs? Even if it means I have to bake (gah!) Man, all I can do is thank my dermatologist for recommending Cera-ve to me, cause it has saved my life. My ring fingers are monumentally itchy these days, but the rest of me is doing shockingly well. I am, however, still trying to be conscious of the health factor, and am trying to eat whole-grain versions of things when I can. Low-fat doesn't hurt, either, so I decided to experiment a bit and see what I could do with what seemed like a rather generic zucchini bread recipe.

I substituted most of the white flour with whole grain, and substituted oil with applesauce, which cuts 850 calories and 112 grams of fat from the loaf.* I didn't mess with the sugar, because it needed to be edible.

Verdict? It tastes healthy. But not in a bad way. Moist and wheaty and yummy. And don't worry, dear Kris...the baby is getting plenty of fat. I think. But now you've got me all paranoid about it...

Oh, and preggo brain over here measured in 1 tsp of baking soda instead of baking powder before I realized I was an idiot, so I ended up using 1 tsp of each (soda and powder) instead of the recommended amounts. It didn't affect the taste, but it did make the thing a little...heavy...and didn't rise like it probably should have.

I so love having the baby to blame for my dumbassness. I'm totally using this to my full advantage for the next 6 months. And probably longer. Best. Mom. Ever.

Health(ier) Zucchini Bread
1/2 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 zucchini, grated

Preheat oven to 350
In medium bowl, combine flours through salt. In Large bowl, combine applesauce, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Add in flour mixture, and combines gently until just mixed (don't over stir it)

Coat a bread pan with cooking spray (or butter it). Spoon in batter. Cook 55 minutes (Or between 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. If you're not sure it's done, insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean and not sticky, it's done.) Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and place on a wire rack until cool.

*The original version says 1/10 of a loaf is a portion and has 253 cals/13g fat. I'm saying that's ridiculous on all counts, and for a far more realistic 1/8 of a loaf portion, my version has 210 cals/2g fat. Or eat the whole damn thing for 1680 calories and 15g of fat. You're welcome.

The great bagel debate

2011-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Does a whole wheat bagel still qualify as a bagel?

Apparently this is debatable...

I say: Well obviously. I mean, hello. It's a bagel. It may not be shiny, but it's chewy, you toast it, you schmear it, you eat it. Bagel.

Hubby says: No. Just because it is round and has a hole in the middle, it doesn't make it a bagel. (He was, however, unable to expand on this argument, so I am sure he would appreciate any support you guys want to throw his way.)

Even though he's wrong. And I think was mostly irritated I only bought fat-free cream cheese. For my whole wheat bagels. (I had to promise to buy him plain shiny ones and chive cream cheese next time.)

Thoughts? Arguments? I want to hear from you New Yorkers. You guys know bagels.

Best Yet Chicken Curry

2011-08-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

You know what's amazing? I prepped everything for dinner last night (chopped potatoes, onion, garlic and ginger then measured out all the spices) and then settled in the living room to get some work done before I started cooking...and I kept getting enticed by some serious aromas wafting my way. It smelled amazing, and nothing was even cooking...No wonder my house always ~~reeks~~ smells like spice for 2 days after we make curry.

I've posted some curry recipes before, but Hubby told me this was my best yet (of all time! Hooray!) and so I felt I owed y'all the recipe. I'm calling this Indian curry, but I actually used Cambodian curry powder, as it was all we have right now. I'm really not 100% sure what the differences between the two are...I do know that the Cambodian stuff is a tad sweeter and often is used in coconut based curries, much like Thai curry, but it worked just fine for this dish, and I wouldn't worry about the difference too much. Use what you've got or can find.

Oh, and Hubby is convinced that if we keep feeding me spicy food, the kid will end up a fan, so it's been a bit of a trend lately. (I even added garlic pickle to mine to amp it up, but that's totally me.) This one is spicy, so adjust the cayenne accordingly, or top with some extra yogurt and lime at the end if it's too hot.

Chicken Indian Curry
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, peeled and chopped small
4 garlic cloves, minced
about 1 inch of ginger root, peeled and minced
1 heaping tbsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 heaping tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne (less or none if you prefer less heat)
1 tsp garam masala (see note below)
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 a 15oz can diced tomatoes
3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped about 3/4in thick
1/2 cup greek or plain yogurt
handful cilantro, chopped
chopped green onion
lime wedges
Hot cooked basmati rice to serve

NOTE: If you don't have garam masala and don't want to buy it, you can either make your own or just use a bit more cumin and 1/2 tsp all spice.

Heat olive oil over high heat in large stock pot. Sprinkle chicken with salt, then add to pot and cook about 3 minutes a side or until browned. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic and ginger, and saute about 3 minutes. In small bowl, combine all the spices (curry through masala) and about 1 tsp salt and add a splash of broth, mixing to make a thick paste. Add paste to onion saute, and continue cooking another 2 minutes.

Add chicken (and any juices that have joined it), tomatoes, potatoes, and the rest of the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked (taste one).

Turn off heat and stir in yogurt and a tbsp or so of chopped cilantro. Add salt as needed.

Serve over rice with lime (the juice will cut the heat), and top with a sprinkle of green onion and cilantro.

I'm not really a baby person...

2011-08-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

The two lovely Sarahs at Salt & Nectar were sweet enough to ask me to guest post for them today, so check me out:

I'm not really a "baby person". But I'm having one anyway.

If you're new to Salt & Nectar, I love it because it's always an honest, well-written, funny and sweet look into the throes of motherhood and beyond for two lawyers who each moved cross country to start new chapters in their lives. I was following well before Baby H was on the horizon, so I promise it's not a sappy look at mommyhood or anything like that (they asked ME to write for them, after all!)

Truly an honor, ladies! Thanks!

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

2011-08-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love Bobby Flay. He comes across as such a weird mix of smart, funny, cocky, and nice guy...but more importantly, the man can cook. Having eaten at his Mesa Grill restaurant twice, I can personally attest to this, but besides that, I don't think I've ever watched a Throwdown and not cursed technology for not yet inventing taste-o-vision.

In all honestly, however, Tex-mex is not my favorite genre, because it always seems to revolve around chipotle, which can be a really strong, super spicy flavor, so I try not to use it very often. It had been a while, though, so when I found this recipe for Black Bean Chili, I decided to trust Bobby and go for it. His version calls for beef chunks and beer, but this way worked just fine. Great with cornbread, but remember...low fat cornbread only sounds like a great idea. In practice, it's only ok. Even if you can eat more of it.

Careful with this one...it's got some heat, which is why I put the chile as optional.

Turkey & Black Bean Chili
olive oil
1 pkg ground turkey
salt and pepper
half an onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile, minced (optional)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp chipotle peppers/sauce (from can)
1.5 tbsp honey
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans black beans, drained
Juice from one lime

To top:
finely chopped onion
shredded cheese (monterey jack or cheddar)
Cumin Crema (1 tsp cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper mixed with 1/2 cup greek yogurt or creme fraiche)

Combine cumin, chili powder, drained tomatoes, chipotle and honey in blender (or bowl, if you have an immersion blender. Have you bought one yet?)

Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper, heat a splash of oil over medium high, then add turkey and stir fry until cooked through, 5 minutes or so. Transfer meat to a big bowl. Add a bit more oil to the pot, and saute onion about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chile, if using. Cook another minute or two, then stir in tomato puree, broth and add meat back in. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat back to low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans and cook another 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in lime. Taste and add a little bit salt, if needed, and a bit more honey if it's too spicy.

The original recipe serves this with the cumin crema and homemade guac, but it's good with cheese and/or onion, too. Or regular sour cream. It's chili...do it how you like it.

Seriously Literate-Summer '11.0

2011-08-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a couple beach days and flying round trip across the country lets you accomplish, reading wise...I've been a reading machine the past month, so I'll spare you any long drawn out reviews (or, will try, anyway) and just post my basic impressions. If you want to chat/more info, you know where to find me.

Testimony, Anita Shreve
Well, I finally read my last Shreve novel. Not because I've read them all, just because I'm a) over it, and b) this one I really disliked. Way too confusing to read (each chapter changes tone, POV, and narrator. Weird.) and I just didn't like the story very much, which is about a teenage orgy that gets videotaped and leaked throughout a private boarding school campus, and then the mess/general life-fuckery that follows. (Is that a word? It's going to be my new favorite.) It got all kinds of rave reviews elsewhere, so I was actually looking forward to it, too. Eh. Oh, well.

Girl in Translation, Jean Kwok
Quick fact: Burbank is one of a long list of airports who have bookstores with a Read and Return program—you buy, you read, and you sell it back at a participating airport for 50% of the price. Which would have been even cooler had I not immediately lost my receipt after I bought this, but good to know all the same.

This is a semi-autobiographical story of a young girl who immigrates to America with her mother and is forced to spend her days struggling at school to fit in and gain her footing (she's incredibly bright, but the language barrier proves to be a constant battle for her), her evenings working in a sweatshop, and her nights attempting to survive in horrible sub-human living conditions. It's not an earth shatteringly new concept or story, but it was interesting to see the world we're used to from the other side...I liked it.

Sarah's Key, Tatiana DeRosnay
You know how you sometimes read a book knowing it's going to be sad...knowing what has to happen...and still get sucker punched into shedding a tear when it does? Sigh. I'm such a baby. And this one gut punched me twice-once in a sad way, once in a happy way, even though I knew both were coming.

This is not a good way to begin this review. So now, I will just say that I really enjoyed this novel. It tells two stories simultaneously-one of a Polish girl living in 1940's Paris, whose family is swept off to a concentration camp, and one of an American journalist living in 2000's Paris, who is assigned to write about the sweep 60 years later. Their stories become intertwined, family secrets are exposed, and lives are irreparably changed. Historically fascinating, incredibly sad, and hard to put down...I read this one between Buffalo and Las Vegas in one swoop.

I Know this Much is True, Wally Lamb
First thing out of Hubby's mouth when he saw this cover was, "(sneer) What's that about? Baaaabies?" Yes, darling. Just because I'm knocked up, I now read books about babies. What? No. It IS however, about twins—one of whom has schizophrenia, and the other who has to deal with the repercussions of his twin's turbulent actions. If you've read anything else by Wally Lamb, you know he doesn't mess around...he digs in deep and tells some effed up stories. But as dark and uncomfortable as they can be, they still seem...real. Thumbs up. Totally satisfying ending, even if it wasn't all puppies and rainbows.

The Calling, Inger Ash Wolfe
Ok, what is it with authors and pseudonyms? Just use your real name! Are you ashamed? Did you lose a bet? Trying to dodge your taxes? I don't get it. Cause Mr./Ms. Wolfe, all I know is that you're a Canuck (well, presumably anyway, your books take place in Canada), and a "well known North American novelist." And, damn it, I want to read more of your stuff, which is difficult when you play so coy.

Sigh.

This book reminded me why I love forensic crime dramas on TNT and devoured Patricia Cornwell novels back in the day...psychopaths can be fascinating. I'll be reading more of the mysterious Wolfe's novels, I guarantee that.

The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
I'd actually love to hear from those of you who read this, because I'm assuming some/most/all of you know more about the bible stories that this is based off of than I do, and I wonder how that changes the reading of this novel. My personal opinion was that, not knowing these stories at all,I had no idea what would happen, who these people were, and why/if they were important in the biblical sense. It also meant I spent a lot of time flipping to the front of the book to the family tree the author so kindly provides for people like me (and maybe like you, I don't know.)

Based solely on what it was, this is the story of the lone daughter in a family of a dozen siblings, her four mothers (sister-wives, in the most literal sense), their husband (Jacob), and her life both with and without this 'tribal' family. The detail is beautiful, even when telling of horrible happenings, and it's pretty easy to get pulled into the world that's being described. It's basically just her life's story. I was expecting something different, but it was good.

I also read the Hunger Games, but I'll spare you and leave that for August, when I'll read the rest of the trilogy. In the meantime, just go get it and read it. You'll devour it. I've also got another Inger Ash Wolfe mystery, Cutting for Stone, and Zorro. And hopefully Matt Taibbi's The Great Derangement, but we own that one, so it keeps getting pushed back for library books.

Happy Reading!

Ridiculous things preggos do, Vol. 1

2011-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not a superstitious person. When we found out we were pregnant, the first thing hubby did was run back inside the bar and tell his boys (Um, yes, I told him in a bar parking lot. I figured if Pam and Jim could get engaged at a gas station, it wasn't the worst thing to have to do). Which was fine with me; boys don't typically sit around gossiping about who's expecting next and when...but I still made sure they all knew we were keeping it quiet.

We decided to wait until 9 weeks to tell our parents (after our first official doctor's appointment...uh, yeah, that didn't go so well. There was one mom in particular—cough,ma,cough—who was not so happy about the fact that I didn't call her the second I peed on the stick), and then gradually let people know as we crept to that all-important end of the first trimester.

In the meantime, however, I've been keeping track of some of the weirder things this whole experience has caused my body and brain to go through. You experienced mommies are either giggling at my naivete here or nodding in agreement...those of you who have The Great Hormone Shift ahead of you, however...heh. Just. You. Wait. It's been pretty easy, really...as long as I keep saltines and Wint-o-Green life savers around, I've kept any nausea in check, and the only other things that have been tormenting me are the acne (what, am I 14 again?) and the massively sore boobs. Don't hug me, btw. I'll cry.

So here are a few other gems I noted in my first trimester...

I am thirsty all. the. time. Every time I get up (usually to pee), I find myself in the fridge looking longingly at the Sierra Nevada and the three bottles of white wine I bought ONE WEEK before the booze-ban began, and annoyingly reaching for whatever cold, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverage is in front of me instead, forgetting every time that I already HAVE a drink waiting for me.

Yep. All full.

I cannot make a decision. I generally know what I want for dinner well in advance. Today, around 2pm, I decided I wanted macaroni salad. Went to the store, boiled eggs and pasta, chopped tomatoes, celery and onion, mixed, and promptly decided I'd rather have Cream of Mushroom soup. From a can. It's 104 degrees outside.

Oh, and then I burned it. And ate it anyway.

Hormones. One afternoon I burst into tears because hubby was being an annoying back-seat driver (ok, he said one small yet unnecessary thing). Burst. Into. Tears. He soon after texted me to apologize "for being a dick," and I apologized for being a hormonal wreck. My husband is not a dick. I however, am a hormonal wreck. Siiigh.

Cravings. I want carbs, and I want them all. the. time. Bagel for breakfast? Check. Sandwich for lunch? Yep. Pasta for dinner? Um, definitely. It's so bad I told Hubby that the freaking Olive Garden sounded great. Even saying it made me shutter, and writing it is no better. I hate the O.G...As the great Anthony Bourdain recently put it, "I can't drive past a Chili's or an Olive Garden and not boil with rage."

I am with you. It's just wrong. But I would still give anything for some salad and breadsticks right now. Like, a barrel of them. And then I want to stop at the Tutti Frutti afterward and serve myself a gigantor Banana fro-yo with raspberries. I need this to happen.

And last, but not least, Booze. I like to drink. This is not new information...I'm quite vocal about this fact. This is also why the couples we regularly hang out knew we were expecting before we even had to tell them..."Pam. Why aren't you drinking...Oh, crap, you're knocked up!"

Sigh. Yep. Guilty.

Yes, I miss my booze. I've given up on the idea of vodka and gin martinis (I just realized last night that by not drinking, I'm saving hundreds—hundreds!—of olives from a sad and lonely death via consumption) and I'm not wanting beer in particular, but wine—particularly when I'm craving steak—that I miss. Enough so that I committed the ultimate boozer sin...I bought some non-alcoholic stuff to try.

I'd looked this brand up before I plunked down the cash for it (it's like six bucks, not the point), cause I was afraid it was just going to be bottled grape juice, which would be a complete waste of my time, money, and taste buds.

Verdict? It might be passable if you're used to $3.00 Merlot.

Otherwise, skip it. I'm just happy to have made it to the second trimester...cause damnit, I'm ready to have a glass of wine. You wanna argue with a pregnant lady about that? Bring it. I've got stats, damnit. And they are in my favor, and in favor of some Pinot Noir. Which (a littttle bit of) will go just wonderfully with my Chicken Parmesan tonight, thankyouverymuch.

Let's just hope Hubby agrees. He's been on board so far, as in, "Damnit, Pam, you can make it 3 more weeks!" everytime I whine, But I just want a litttttle glass...it's done developing!!! His reasoning is that our baby is "special" and therefore takes longer to be perfected. I think that's obviously some sort of jab at my family's genetics, but I'm a little hormonally oversensitive right now...

I don't bake. But I'm making an exception.

2011-08-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

But only until February 20th or so.

Thanks to the handful of you that knew and didn't spill the beans. :) I'll pay you back by letting you babysit someday. Mwah!

Note: Substitutions don't always work as planned.

2011-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

I think my mouth is still on fire from this one.

While on my marathon Cooking Light recipe search this week, I found this recipe for spicy salmon that looked like a winner...It calls for 2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce, which we don't have…so I figured I'd just use 2 tbsp fresh chili paste (Sambal Oelek) mixed with 2 minced garlic cloves. Um, no. I'm pretty sure that was a dumb assumption on my part. I know CL recipes, and they tend to lean on the bland side, so I can only assume their version is not supposed to be so. ridiculously. spicy. Eh. You live and learn. Substitutions don't always work.

The flavor was delicious, yes, but so incredibly en fuego that I ended up having to scrape most of it off before I could eat. (I can handle heat, too, so this amused Hubby to no end...he totally iron-stomached it.) So if you do need to go this route and substitute, just brush the glaze on ONCE, not twice, or just use garlic plus one tbsp chili paste instead of two.

I served with CL's recommended Sugar Snap Peas.These were meh. Fine, not OMG Best Peas Ever!, but easy, especially when you buy the steam-in-the-bag peas. (Which admittedly may have had something to do with their meh-ness, but come on. So much easier.)

I also threw together some couscous at the last minute-1/2 cup couscous, 1/2 cup hot water, which I covered and let sit about 4 minutes, then stirred in about a tsp of butter, a tsp or so of orange zest and a squeeze of orange juice, a sprinkle of chopped green onion I had been saving to top the salmon with, and salt and pepper.

Chili Garlic Salmon
2 6-8oz salmon fillets
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
one green onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp marmalade
Squeeze of orange juice (about 1/8 of the orange I used for the zest)
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Rinse salmon and pat dry. Cover broiler pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Arrange salmon, skin side down. Turn on broiler (Or you can grill this, if you prefer)

Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl. Brush about half the mix over salmon. Broil for 5 minutes, then brush on remaining mixture. Broil another 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve hot.

Shredded lettuce does not a salad make.

2011-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

I love Taco Salad, but restaurants almost always mess it up for me. I hate the giant fried shell thing they always insist on using as a "bowl" (Just use a bowl!!), or the meat is too greasy, the beans are too lardy, it's caked with guac and sour cream, or they forget that the base to taco salad should be lettuce. A handful of shredded, limp lettuce like you normally get is not gonna cut it, I'm sorry.

And so, as with so many other dishes I'd rather just do my damn self, I'm generally better off making it at home. I found this recipe on Cooking Light while I was trolling around for shrimp tacos (I got a little sidetracked), and used it for my base, as usual switching things up a lot..mostly out of necessity, since I wanted to use up some ground turkey, only had icky brown cilantro (yet 3 bunches of parsley...?), and was almost completely out of cumin.

This isn't exact... you're making a salad, so top with as much or as little as you want of these toppings. For two of us, we used about a 1/4 of a small onion, two small tomatoes, half an avocado, a handful each of chips (small for me, big for him), a spoonful each of yogurt, and about 1/3 cup cheese. And we had quite a bit of meat/bean mix left over. I'm planning on trying the leftover dressing on spinach tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping well...that stuff is awesome. I'm sure it would be good with the cilantro, as the original recipe calls for, but I didn't miss it at all.

Turkey & Black Bean Taco Salad
Splash of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
About 1/2 tsp cumin
About 1 tsp Tapatio hot sauce (optional)
About 10oz ground turkey (half a package)
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained
Bagged romaine lettuce
juice from 1/4 lime
thin red onion slices
tomato slices
avocado slices
reduced fat tortilla chips
0% greek yogurt or sour cream
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Dressing:
About 1/4 cup tomato slices or chunks
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
zest from one lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In small food processor or blender, mix all dressing ingredients on high until smooth.

Over medium heat, saute garlic, oil, cumin and chili powder. Add meat, stir until crumbly and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add beans, hot sauce, and lime juice, then saute another minute or two or until beans are hot.

Arrange as much lettuce as you like on a plate, then top with a scoop of bean mix and drizzle with dressing. Top with any or all of the onion, tomato, avocado, chips, cheese and/or yogurt (and more Tapatio, natch).

Pasta with Chicken and Brie

2011-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

My darling friend Kate has up and left us "temporarily" for the German countryside. Actually, is it countryside? I really don't know, but it sounds far more pleasant that way...I really need to pay better attention. Miss and love you!

It seems, however, that she's been busy entertaining herself in my favorite way—with food—which results in her posting pictures of deliciousness on her facebook and making me hungry at really strange hours of the day. I stole this Real Simple recommendation from her, and adapted it to make it, well, meatier. Fantastic. Thumbs up from both the hubby and me.

Penne with Chicken and Brie
About 12 oz whole wheat penne (3/4 a box)
salt
freshly ground pepper
cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4 inch thick medallions
1 tsp butter
1 package sliced brown mushrooms
1/3 cup vermouth or white wine
2-3 cups baby spinach
8 oz Brie (rind sliced off), cut into small chunks

Cook pasta in large pot with salted, boiling water (add 1/2 tsp or so before you boil it) for about 8-9 minutes or until al dente (almost cooked). Drain pasta when finished and return to pot.

In the meantime, heat large saute pan over medium high, coat with spray, and cook garlic for about a minute. Add chicken slices, and sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Saute, flipping chicken over as needed, until completely white and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. (When pasta is done and drained, you can just throw the chicken in the pot with it and cover.) Return pan to fire, and add butter, mushrooms and wine. Saute for about 3 minutes or until soft, then add spinach, and continue sauteing until wilted.

Combine pasta, chicken and mushroom mix (including any leftover liquids) in the large pot, and return to very low heat. Stir in brie, and combine gently until brie is melted completely (should take a few minutes).

Calamari problem solved.

2011-08-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Thai Taste on Panama and Stine,
Your service kinda sucks. But your giant, panko breaded, sweet chili sauce sided calamari rings totally win.
That is all.
Love, Pammy

Look at me baking.

2011-08-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Toaster ovens are not the same as ovens. They don't cook as evenly, the food is generally too close to the heat source, and they're damn small. But when your regular oven doesn't work...well, you use what you've got, even if it means cooking 5 batches of cookies cause you can only fit 6 on a sheet at a time.

I was craving macaroons...and I needed to use the rest of the coconut in the fridge before it went bad. If coconut goes bad...actually, I have no idea. But it must. Anyway, turns out the toaster oven worked just fine, even if it did take 3 times as long as it needed to. (Using the convection setting is much more effective than the toaster setting, btw. In general, I mean...cookies, it/I can handle. Toast, not so much.)

Oh, and if you have a low-fat recipe for macaroons, send it my way, wouldya? These get compliments galore, but they are not good for my ass.

Chewy Coconut Macaroons

1 egg white, beaten with a whisk until foamy
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract (use two tsp of vanilla if you don't have almond)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (if they have fat-free, use it)
1 14oz bag shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients in large bowl (I beat the egg in it and then added everything to it).

Heat oven to 350.

Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Using a spoon or your hands, make balls about 1 inch across or so, and drop onto sheet. Cook each batch 15-20 minutes or til they turn golden brown. Remove immediately from sheet using a spatula and transfer to a cooling rack. They'll be soft, so don't worry too much if they don't stay together perfectly. Let cool. Makes about 30 cookies.

Take that, Trisha.

2011-07-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've been working on not eating anything fried over the past couple months. It's not good for me, it really doesn't make things taste better (with the exception of calamari), and I for some reason always dwell on some comment somewhere by Trista Sutter about how there is never a reason to eat fried food and for some sad reason, it now shames me when I do. (I am also shamed that I know who Trista Sutter is, though in my defense, I googled Trisha Sutter when trying to find a link for this rant)

Anyway, Hubby started ~~pestering~~ asking for my favorite version of Coconut Shrimp recently, and it literally wasn't until we sat down and I started shoveling them in my mouth that I realized, Hey jackass...have we forgotten the concept of FRIED??

Oops. Whatever. Once in a while won't kill you. My new rule is no ordering anything fried. Except calamari. Cause there's no way I'm attempting that one at home.

As for the shrimp, buy large ones, and if you can, have the butcher de-vein and butterfly them. Otherwise, make sure you at least de-vein them yourself. It's gross, but less gross than eating shrimp poop. I don't care of it's plankton. It's still poop. And it doesn't make it better to call it a vein, thankyouverymuch.

If you don't know how to do this...ugh. How do I explain this one easily...how about I let someone else do it for me. (Thank you Umamimart!!)

Read the ingredients through before you start-since you have to dip the shrimp in several things, I'm posting each step's ingredients separately...it should make prepping for this one a little easier, hopefully.

Coconut Shrimp
SHALLOW BOWL ONE
About 1/4 cup flour (rice flour works better than white, but whichever you've got)

BOWL TWO (combine the following)
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup flour (see flour note above)
2/3 cup beer (one with some taste is better than, say, Coor's Light.)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

SHALLOW BOWL THREE
2 cups flaked coconut (should be in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips)

24 large, prepped (deveined/shelled) raw shrimp
3 cups canola oil
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tbsp horseradish (add more to taste)
2 tsp mustard

Tip: Use one hand for the dipping. If you use two you will make a horrid mess, get coconut all over the place, and be annoyed at the world. Trust me on this one.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or aluminum foil.

Hold a shrimp by the tail, dip it in flour to coat, and gently shake off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter, and allow the excess to drip off. Gently roll shrimp in coconut, covering both sides, and place on the baking sheet. When all the shrimp are dipped, place baking sheet in the fridge for an hour or so. (The freezer for 15 min. will work if you're in a pinch)

To make the dipping sauce, combine marmalade, horseradish and mustard. It's not exact, so use more of less of each if you want.

In large, deep saute or other pan, heat oil over high heat. To test whether it's hot enough (at least 350 degrees), drop in a piece of coconut. If it sizzles immediately and soon turns golden brown, you're good to go.

Add shrimp about 6 at a time (or less, depending on the size of your pan). Cook, turning once with tongs, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve hot with sauce.

Don't piss me off. I do it well enough on my own.

2011-07-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am not what you might call 'graceful.' In the past six months or so, I've punctured my scalp on the medicine cabinet, had X-rays taken after landing chin first in a midnight fall, fallen teeth-first into my towel rack, and stubbed more toes than I can possibly remember. Within the first three months at my agency, I ended up at Urgent Care twice with Exacto blade-inflicted wounds (one resulting in a now permanently numb fingertip and a note in my medical file immortalizing my "self-inflicted stab wound"). I'm like a walking worker's comp suit.

Tonight was, of course, no different. Granted, it was only me slamming the back of my head on the bottom of the freezer door as I was digging around the fridge for the asparagus, but the resulting headache, mixed with Ramona's fondness for bitching nonstop at the back door about the sad state of her spoiled indoor cat life (You wanna live outside, Cat? Really? Really??) just pissed me off tonight.

Apparently, Hubby had somehow foreseen this evening's events, and requested pasta with Arrabiata ("Angry" in Italian) sauce. Luckily for him, he didn't piss me off, Arrabiata sauce is easy (even though it's made basically from scratch), and I really needed some recipes this week that will help use up the red Fresno chiles that are growing like crazy right now before that starts annoying me too. (They're right next to our tomatoes, which are NOT producing, but that's a complaint for another day)

If you don't have fresh chiles, and don't feel like buying them (why?) then just use a tsp or so of dried red chile flakes. Or enough to make the sauce angry. And if you want, just buy a can of crushed tomatoes. Hubby had the gall to ask why I hadn't done just that as he watched me stick my (clean) hand in the can to squeeze the whole tomatoes, but dammit it was fun and made me feel better.

Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce
Olive oil (less than a tbsp)
3 large garlic cloves, smashed (I used the back of a wooden spoon)
One brown onion, diced
2 red chiles, finely chopped
Half a carrot, shredded with a cheese grater (or about 6 baby carrots, but a regular one would have been easier and saved my fingers)
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2-3 tsp fresh)
1 large can whole tomatoes
salt to taste
1 package fresh linguine or other pasta
Freshly shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, to top

In large stock pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, and stir often for about a minute. Add onion and chiles, and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and thyme, and cook another 3 minutes or so.

Open the can of tomatoes and pour the liquid into the onion mixture. Make sure your hands are clean, then stick one in the can and get to squeezing. They should be soft enough to kind of explode on impact, so just squeeze until you don't feel any big chunks left. Add tomatoes to sauce, stir, and bring to a boil.

Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about a half hour or until it's thickened up and doesn't seem very liquidy (wet?). You can cook it longer if you want; it's going to be edible right away, so don't worry too much about the timing here. Add a bit of salt to taste—probably about 1/2 tsp or so.

When it's just about done, bring a large pot of water (add a good pinch of salt) to a boil, then cook the pasta 2-4 minutes or according to the package's directions. Drain, but don't rinse, then add the pasta to the sauce. Toss pasta and sauce gently, then serve with a sprinkle of cheese on top. And some parsley if you want to be fancy.

(I served with trimmed asparagus that was coated with cooking spray, drizzled with balsamic and sea salt, then roasted in the oven about 12 minutes at 400)

I will try harder to be more helpful.

2011-07-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

I love Google analytics. Not only can I see which of my posts have been most popular and which make you turn and run screaming, I can also see what Google search phrases take people to my blog. Apparently, a whole lot of peeps are searching for Jamie Oliver's gumbo (and so I hope my version didn't disappoint). Also, people (yes, more than one) wander over to Yum after searching

I dropped a knife on my foot

Well, then. I mean, we all need ways to distract ourselves while waiting for the ambulance to show up. Dinner planning would probably be on my list, too. So I hope I was able to help. And that you got to keep all your toes.

XXO.

It's falafel...sort of?

2011-07-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

I guess you can call this a Mexican version of falafel...cause I have no idea what else to call it. To be honest, I was pretty skeptical while making it...the "avocado spread" was a little weird (needed some heat and did not need the sour cream—or greek yogurt, in my case-I've adjusted for this recipe), the patties were super sticky and needed to cook way longer than the recipe called for, and I didn't have any greens...but really, it tasted pretty good.

So, you know, follow theirs, follow mine, don't follow at all. Up to you.

Pinto Falafel & Avocado Pita Sandwich
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup crushed low-fat tortilla chips
2 tbsp or so coarsely chopped red onion
very small handful cilantro
about 1/4 tsp cumin
1 large egg white
small squeeze of lime juice

1 peeled avocado, mashed
2 tbsp chopped tomato (or about 5 chopped cherry tomatoes)
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp 0% greek yogurt (optional)
squeeze of lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch of fresh black pepper
dash of hot sauce (Tabasco works)

Canola oil
Whole wheat pitas, cut in half crosswise
Thin red onion slices, separated into rings

In food processor or blender, combine first 8 ingredients (beans through lime). Pulse until blended. (I have a mini food processor, and everything fit perfectly in it, though I had to add the beans a bit at a time.) If you don't have a blender, just cut everything really small and then mash it all up with a fork.

In large skillet, heat a bit of canola oil over medium high. When oil sizzles (test it by throwing in a drop of water-it should go crazy), take a smallish handful of bean mixture (1/4 cup or so), shape it into a patty-like shape, and fry it about 4 minutes a side or until dark golden brown on both sides and they stick together.

While they cook, combine the avocado ingredients. Open the pita and spoon in some avocado, top with a cooked patty or two, and arrange a couple onion slices (and green stuff if you've got it. I think even lettuce would work).

I have no idea what they really eat in Cambodia.

2011-07-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

As you know, I love me some Cambodian Kampot pepper...and I'm always intrigued by the recipes that Pepper Project posts on their Facebook page. So when I saw one for black bean and corn salad, which reminded me of a similar salad I've made and loved, I jumped on it. Plus, the parents were in town for the evening, and I wanted to try something good yet reasonably safe...my parents claim to be adventurous, but then I'll discover that my mom doesn't like fish. Or goat cheese. Or cucumber. Sooo...

I changed this up a bit from their recommended recipe (which they don't have posted for me to link to) and it was delicious and super easy. My mom went home ready to make it the very next day. The flank steak was easy, too. I rubbed the herbs and spices on the night before, let it set in tupperware over night, then handed over to Hubby, since he's the grillmeister.

Cambodian Bean & Corn Salad
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
About 3/4 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
About 1 tsp. kampot pepper (or just use freshly-ground black pepper)
About 1/2 to 1 tsp. cumin
Small handful chopped cilantro (less than 1/4 cup)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Dash olive oil (less than a tsp.)
About 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice from half a lime
Dash of salt to taste

Combine all, serve. I think you can handle that.

Pepper-Garlic Flank Steak
1 tbsp canola oil
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh, chopped oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp kampot pepper
About 1 tsp salt (I actually used about 1 tsp+ course grain sea salt for the rub, and then lightly sprinkled regular salt on right before grilling, so adjust accordingly)
Flank steak (I think mine was around 20oz)

Combine oil through salt. Rub mix all over steak, place in tupperware or large ziploc, refrigerate as long as possible (at least a few hours). Spray grill with cooking spray, and cook over high about 3-4 minutes a side or until cooked as you like. Slice thinly widthwise (across the grain) to serve.

Back in the saddle.

2011-07-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of amazed that today is only the 20th...I've been to New York and back, spent two days at the beach, wasted a week being sick, read about a million books, and watched far too many Lifetime movies to admit. The only thing I haven't done enough of is cook. And so here we are again.

How was New York? Fantastic. I don't really feel like it was New York as much as it was Hanging Out at the Parallel's House, but that was the whole reason I went. I even brought some Buffalo home with me...the world's most adorable child sweetly gave me her baby cold (how does something that has only been on this planet for 4 weeks have access to germs I haven't yet encountered?), which would have been fine with me, except for the fact that it was the gift that kept on giving, day after long, sneezy day. (Hubby says thanks for his share, as well.)

And so, rather than cooking, I spent last week eating meals that were more dorm-style than anything else.

Mac & Cheese out of a box is totally a meal. Especially the Three-cheese kind. But it's not exactly creative. This week, I'm making up for it. My plan is for Thai, Cambodian, falafel, and tropical chicken. In that order...and I'm excited, cause if everything is as good as Thai night, we're eating well this week.

This one takes a ton of basil; it's hard to give it an exact amount. I used one of the large containers from the grocery store, then just cleaned and stripped the leaves from the stems. You can chop them if you want, but they work fine if you leave them whole, too. I'd guesstimate I used about 3 to four cups of whole leaves.

Basil Pork
2 tbsp canola oil
6 cloves minced garlic
2 minced chiles (more or less according to your taste)
1 lb ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey)
5 tbsp fish sauce
Large package basil, washed picked from the stems (a good few cups worth)
Half a cucumber, peeled and sliced
Half a lime, quartered
Cooked rice, to serve
Cooked spring rolls (whatever frozen ones look good)

Heat oil over medium high, cook garlic and chiles a couple minutes. Add pork and cook until it turns completely white and not at all pink, about 8 minutes. Add fish sauce, then stir in basil leaves. Turn off heat. Serve over hot rice with slices of lime, cucumber, spring rolls, and dipping sauces (below).

Dipping sauces
Spicy-Sour
Combine:
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 shallot, minced
1 chile pepper
juice of 1/2 lime

Spicy-Sweet
Combine:
1 tsp chili paste
pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp water
And microwave 30 seconds at a time until dissolved

If he can't handle turning on the oven, he's basically worthless.

2011-07-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving the hubby all by his lonesome next week, as I'm off to Buffalo to play with the parallel and her brand new bubba for a few days. Um, and according to the forecast, just in time.

I really don't worry about him when I'm out of town...he's a big boy—he knows his way around a kitchen. And if he's lazy, I know he'll be just fine with a bowl of frosted mini-wheats for dinner. But since he's going to have to deal with all the cat-related fun I normally take care of, I figured I'd be Nice Wife and make him something that he can just pop in the oven one night and pick at for a few days. Or take with to a 4th of July potluck. Or give to the cats...Whatever, I don't care, as long as it gets eaten.

Plus it was good practice-I'm planning on making a few dude-friendly freeze-and-bake meals for my girl and her hubby...with a 4 week old, I'm guessing they aren't doing a whole lot of cooking. I'm not going to attempt Italian in their kitchen, but the hubby will let me get away with not-quite-authentic here.

Cheese, Basil and Sausage Stuffed Shells
Dash of olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pre-cooked Italian-seasoned chicken sausage link, diced (use 2 if you want it meatier)
1 regular sized container of low-fat ricotta
2 cups shredded mixed Italian cheese (2% or part skim if possible)
1 egg
salt & pepper
dash of nutmeg
small handful chopped parsley
large handful chopped basil (about 1/4 cup or so)
Package of large pasta shells (or manicotti shells, either will work), cooked according to package directions
1 bottle of marinara

Preheat oven to 375.

While your pasta cooks (if you haven't done that yet), saute the onion, garlic and sausage in a little bit of oil for about 5 minutes or until the onion is a little transparent. Let cool. In large bowl, combine ricotta, 1.5 cups of shredded cheese, egg, nutmeg, a good pinch each of salt and pepper, parsley and basil. Stir in onion mixture.

Coat a large baking pan with cooking spray. Spread about a half cup of marinara across the bottom. When pasta is done, drain well, and fill each shell with a big spoonful of cheese mix, and place each stuffed shell cheese side up in cooking pan. When you've used up all the mixture (or you run out of room—either way, you may have a handful of shells left over), pour over remaining pasta sauce, spreading gently with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.

Cover loosely with foil, and bake about 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes or until cheese and melted and sauce is bubbly.

Easy Rosemary Lemon Chicken

2011-06-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

I really have been trying to cook this week, but with schedules and the heat and laziness all setting in, our dinners have looked more like this than actual food:

Um, yeah, that would be frozen potstickers in pho broth.

So it was a little sad how excited I got about making an "actual" dinner, even if it wasn't anything earth shattering. But it was easy and it was tasty, so if you're in the same I don't wannnnna cook spot, you may want to keep something like this in mind. Cause really, it doesn't have to be fancy to be good, as much as the Martha Stewart in me wants to disagree.

Lemon Pepper Rosemary Chicken
two large boneless skinless chicken breasts
zest of one lemon (keep the lemon)
about a tsp olive oil
big pinch fresh pepper (red kampot is pretty!)
2 minced garlic cloves
tsp or so of rosemary
salt

Mix the zest, oil, pepper, garlic and rosemary in a small bowl.

Slice deep "pockets" down the long side of the chicken, and spread the lemon mix inside each breast. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Slice the lemon into thin slices.

Over medium high heat, coat a large saute pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and top with several lemon slices. Let brown about 3 minutes, then move the slices aside and flip the chicken. Brown other side another few minutes, then reduce heat a bit to medium. Do whatever with the lemon slices…put them back on top of the chicken as it cooks, or next to it, take it out, whatever you want (but they get pretty tasty if they cook with the chicken the whole time). But keep an eye out-the lemon juice caramelizes a bit and will burn, so if it looks like it needs a little water, add some. I ended up adding about a 1/4 cup after about 10 minutes, then covering partially with a lid and cooking another 5 minutes. (Total of about 20 minutes cooking time)

Served with baked sweet potatoes (pierce with fork, then cook at 400 for 40-50 minutes or until soft…length of time depends on size of potatoes) and spinach steamed in the same pan the chicken cooked in-just added a bit more water, added spinach, then covered over medium-low heat until wilted.

I'm so in love with my new office.

2011-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dali Decals, my 'fishbowl office' just got a whole lot fishier. Swoon.
Now I'm thinking I need a gigantor ocean print in the middle of the wall...

I apparently have no idea what season it is.

2011-06-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

How did summer just HIT? Holy crap, it's beautiful, then the next day it's warm, then the next day it's so hot all I want to do is stand in my sprinklers (Um, I actually did that today. And it was all I had hoped it would be). It was over 100 again today, which means I am hot. and sweaty. and miserable. It's like, salad and popsicle weather-something light and cold and easy to make. So what did my brain become utterly fixated on for dinner? Soup, of course. And I'm not talking, like, broth. I'm talking full on, hearty, cheesy broccoli ridiculousness.

At least it was easy to make, which was especially nice since I'd never attempted broccoli soup before. And it's low fat, compared to what it could have been. Plus, I got to use my red Kampot pepper for the first time. Look how gorgeous this stuff is!! I'm sure white pepper would have been a better fit, since it's spicier, but this stuff is damn purdy, and that counts for something in my world.

So here you go. Pump up the a/c and then get cooking. Or save it til you actually need to be warmed up...in the meantime, I'm off to take another cold shower.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup
cooking spray
one medium onion, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 baby carrots, thinly sliced
medium sized broccoli head, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces (including the stalk part)
3.5 cups broth (I used beef, but only because I was out of chicken)
2.5 cups 1% milk
a little less than 1/2 cup flour
8oz shredded 2% cheddar
1/2 tsp fresh pepper
couple dashes Tabasco
salt to taste (only if needed)

Heat stockpot over medium high, coat with cooking spray. Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add broth and broccoli and carrots, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Pour milk in medium bowl, and whisk in the flour. Add slowly to broth mixture, and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. The soup should thicken just a bit. If you've got an immersion blender, stick it in for a minute, but not enough to blend it completely smooth-you want some broccoli chunks in there still. (Or maybe you don't, in which case, blend away.) Otherwise, you can blend it in batches in a blender, or leave it chunky, either way.

Over very low heat, stir in cheese and pepper until all is melted. Serve hot.

About 1460 total calories per recipe. (If 4 servings, 365 cals each, if 6 servings, 244 cals each)

On the off chance you've been wondering about the kits...

2011-06-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

The spoiled little fatties have been making themselves comfortable, as usual. At least they (Greta) are getting better at tolerating each other (Ramona), even if it requires some sort of buffer between them...

It may take awhile, but ask and eventually you shall receive.

2011-06-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of my girls asked for this recipe, like, a million years ago, and I haven't gotten around to making it again until now. So, Laura, I'm sorry. But here you go.

While you may recognize this as Tom Ka Gai at your local Thai haunt, it's known as Kobe Soup around the Pammy H. house. We were eating this soup while watching the Laker game in which our boy dropped a ridiculous 81 points on the poor Raptors...we felt it was deserving of a name change in his honor. Cause come on, whether you're Laker/Kobe fan or not (we are both, stop hating), that's some impressive shit.

Whatever you want to call it, this is a surprisingly easy and delicious soup. I happened to make it with just tofu this time, but it's better with chicken or a combination of the two...and I'm just now realizing we have chicken, and so now I'm kicking myself. Oh well.

Kobe Soup
1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
(or 1 package extra firm tofu, cubed, or a mixture of the two)
2 cans light coconut milk (I like the Thai Kitchen brand)
Cooking spray
2 cups chicken broth (or water)
2 tbsp minced ginger (or 1 tbsp powdered/dried)
1 tbsp or so chopped lemon grass (optional)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
about a 1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp Sriracha (or 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne)
One can straw mushrooms, drained
Thinly sliced green onion and chopped cilantro, to serve

Heat a large soup or stock pot over medium high, coat with cooking spray. Add chicken, and cook a couple minutes until it turns white (do the same thing if you're using tofu, but it obviously won't turn white). If you're using fresh ginger or lemongrass, go ahead and throw it in now so the chicken gets a little of the flavor.

Add broth and coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in remaining ingredients (besides the cilantro and green onion), and let simmer about 15 minutes.

Top with the green stuff, and that's it!

Just squash it.

2011-06-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Is it just us, or do we all have people throwing excess squash at us right now? Don't get me wrong...as opposed to the six bags of grapefruit we got this spring from our neighbors—there is only so much acid this tummy can take, people!—I am NOT complaining; I will always take veggies off your hands. (Hear that, Char? Where's my okra??)

Hubby's aunt brought over a bag of mixed summer squash last weekend, and as thrilled as I was, I really wanted to find a new way to cook them besides steaming. I assume this is a common 'problem,' as I found this little gem on Cooking Light under the topic "Help! I'm drowning in zucchini!" Heh. I actually used a variety of squash for this, including yellow and green patty-pan, yellow squash, and zucchini. I love basil, so I ended up using more than they recommended, and a bit more feta, as well. Whatever, it's low fat...just be careful which brand of feta you go with. I used Athenos, which was really good, but I've used other brands, and their low-fat versions are just plain gross. When it comes to cheese, if in doubt, go full-fat. Cause trust me, nobody wants to eat gross cheese. (In case you weren't sure.)

If you're not used to cooking with leeks, here are a couple quick tips: Make sure and wash it well, which is sometimes easier to do after you've sliced it (rinse well in a colander), since dirt gets way down in the crevices. You can also go ahead and use some of the dark part...there's no reason to just use the white base. Keep in mind that they're basically just enormous green onions.

Sauteed Summer Squash with Basil and Feta
4 cups squash, cut into large bite-sized chunks or slices
2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
A little less than 1 tbsp canola oil
Salt
Pepper (I used white Kampot pepper, which gives a little kick)
About a 1/4 cup fat-free feta
handful of thinly sliced basil (1/4 cup or so)

In large saute pan, heat oil a minute or two until very hot. Add squash and leeks, and stir-fry about 5 minutes or until tender (bite one if you need to!). Turn off heat, and season with a large pinch each of pepper and salt to taste. Add basil and toss gently. Top with feta to serve.

Super easy, and went well with Spicy Turkey Meatloaf for a low-cal dinner.

I have no more excuses.

2011-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've been busy.
I've been up-to-here in work and free-lance.
I dealt with turning 30 (Which wasn't a big deal til, like, the day of, but still).
I've been re-watching the entire series of My So-Called Life on Netflix On-Demand (even a better deal now that I cut us down to only 2 DVDs at a time...sigh. Who am I kidding...I've been watching this for the same reason at 30 that I did at 13...as Hubby says, "Oh, there's your Jared Leto..." And, BTW....he's 40 this year. Just saying.*)
I've been admiring (and driving) my new grown-up car.
I had a graduation party to put together for the hubby.
And I find myself more often dealing with one awesome (yet FAT and who sometimes claws the sofa) cat and one increasingly difficult adolescent (who yowls and mews every second she's not getting her way) cat.

What I haven't been doing? Cooking...well, I've been cooking, but I haven't been cooking anything new. Which gets rather boring. And so it's time to start. While I'm at it, I'm going to start writing. And, as I proved earlier, I am going to start reading.

Or I'm at least going to try my damndest...cause I just remembered we just got a new thing to distract me with.

Crap.

*I'm writing this while watching the episode when Rayanne sleeps with Jordan. Ab-solute. heart. break. Also, Rickie's semi-homelessness=*tear*...And NO wonder I've been trying to figure out who Meredith Gray's dad is all this time...Sharon's mom turns out to be the creepiest mom ever on Big Love...And I still love the Krakow-fro. Siiigh, I love this show.

Seriously Literate, June'11

2011-06-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I still read...and I'm trying to get back to reading regularly. Like writing, it seems to be something I'm struggling with lately. (Oh, you HAVEN'T noticed I haven't posted in two months? You're sweet. And a liar. But thanks all the same.)

But it's summer, and summer is perfect reading time. I like having a book to take with me outside, to lie on the couch with, and to take to the gym. But since soooooommmmeone forgot to return a book on time and therefore wasn't allowed to borrow any more til the fine was paid (Um, oops...though I paid it under protest...it was NOT a week late. It was like, two days. Come on.), I haven't been at the library until recently. I will also apologize in advance that ONCE AGAIN, I read an Anita Shreve and a Sarah Addison Allen novel...I'm a little short on recommendations lately, so I'm happy to take any and all suggestions! In the meantime...enjoy.

A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
This book was actually a highly thoughtful gift from the Boss Lady—I love that a memoir about learning to cook while discovering one's lost culture made her think of me. And it was so good. Written by an ex-fashion writer from New York (and Singapore before that), Cheryl comes to realize she not only cannot cook (a shame on its own!), but cannot cook the Singaporean dishes she grew up on and misses in her life in the US.

After realizing the best way to learn is by experience, she sets off on a roughly year-long journey back and forth between her homeland and home, learning from the best—family, chefs, and friends. It's funny, clever, and sweet. I also love that the book has a collection of the recipes she attempts to master...I'm hoping to try one or two when I get the book back from Boss Lady (it seemed the least I could do was loan it to her when I finished!)

A Change in Altitude, Anita Shreve
Finally, a story by Shreve set somewhere other than the North East coast! It's funny, because I was just reading some reviews about this novel on Amazon, and it's very split...I'm wondering if that shift is part of the reason. For me, I found it refreshing. Set in Kenya several decades ago, the story revolves around a young married couple—the husband Patrick has signed on to a Doctors Without Borders-like program, and the wife Margaret, a photographer, has come along for the bumpy ride.

Of course, through a series of events, including a beyond-disasterous (non-spoiler:someone dies) hike to the top of Mount Kenya, their marriage is tested, strained, and irrevocably changed. Some of you may find Margaret's actions and feelings bordering on the inappropriate, but I found them frighteningly honest and even understandable, especially as her marriage grows more and more unlike what it once was.

It's not an uplifting story, which isn't exactly surprisingly for Shreve, but it's an interesting one.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
Allen's stories are just. so. cute. As usual, this one takes place in a small town full of 'unexplained' going-ons...wallpaper that changes according to the tenant's mood, lights that dance through the forest at night...it's fantastical without being what I consider "fantasy"—there are no demons, trolls, or spells in this world; it's got just enough magic to make it a fairytale without being completely out there.

I didn't like it as much as I loved Garden Spells, but it was delightful all the same. If you're looking for an easy, sweet way to immerse yourself into a summer book, I definitely recommend.

Boooring...

2011-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

That was the fear anyway...Hubby's dealing with some health issues that require a bland diet for a couple of weeks. This may be good news for any of you tired of spice, red meat, citrus/acid, high fiber/no fiber, dairy, or anything else I normally cook with. But lucky you, cause I'm gonna cook all the braised chicken and rice you/we can stand.

Basically, I've been handed a challenge I didn't ask for and am going to do my best. Cause my baby's gotta eat, and I'm damn sure not cooking two meals a night, and even he can't eat chicken noodle soup every day.

So here we go. This should be interesting. Today we went with Braised Chicken with Apples, Shallots and Sage, adapted from some recipe I found on my Epicurious app while getting my hair cut (There's hardly ever a bad time to multi-task, in my opinion.)

Pretty easy, pretty "bland," and yet, pretty darn tasty. Can't argue with that. The risotto was my favorite part, especially since I had no idea if apple would work with rice...it worked. I recommend having both together.

Braised Chicken with Apples, Shallots and Sage
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
S&P
Cooking Spray
2 medium Gala or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 shallots, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp light butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp sage

Set aside about 1/2 a sliced shallot and 1/2 a chopped apple for the rice.

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Coat pan with spray and heat over high. Add chicken and brown about 2 minutes a side. Remove to a plate.

With heat at medium high, add apple and shallot and saute about 5 minutes or until apple starts to brown. Add butter, sugar, broth and sage. Bring to a boil for about a minute, then add chicken back in and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about a half hour, adding more broth if necessary, til chicken is soft enough to be cut with a fork.

Apple Shallot Risotto
Leftover shallot and apple (see above)
splash olive oil
1/2 cup arborio rice
2 cups broth (or so)

Heat oil over medium high. Add shallots and apple. Let carmelize down a bit. In other words, ignore it until it starts to brown/burn just a bit. Then stir, reduce heat a bit, and stir in rice and cook another 30 seconds or so.

Add about a 1/2 cup of broth and let cook down until liquid is all absorbed. Repeat, adding about a 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is tender to the bite. Add a bit of salt to taste.