John's pie

Friday night, John and I were wandering through Byerly's, trying to figure out what we were going to make for dinner. (We settled on bruschetta and quiche, not necessarily related, but both tasty! And no photos, sorry!) John noticed that Friday is "pie day" at Byerly's, and half-pies were on sale. I managed to convince John NOT to buy a grocery store pie, in favor of homemade pie the following day. :)

Here's John's pie:

I used my great-grandma's recipe for piecrust, using a little bit more butter than shortening, and it turned out FABULOUSLY. Granny Smith apple filling, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Mmmmm. Must have been good, as there is only ONE piece left. And I made the pie on Saturday morning! :) Do you think I have enough willpower to save the last piece for the next time I see John? I'm not sure . . . !

And a couple more meals from the weekend --

Chili!

We went ice skating on Saturday evening, and chili was the perfect post-skate, warming dinner. I have really been digging my "basic" recipe of late, containing little more than onion, garlic, bell pepper, minced mushrooms, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth (or water,) and hot sauce. Plenty of toppings this time, including pepper jack, cilantro, green onions, and sour cream. (Chips and guac on the side, not pictured!)

And Pad Thai!

I augmented the recipe for "Brooklyn Pad Thai" from Vegan with a Vengeance by adding some shredded cabbage (and cutting back a wee bit on the noodles,) a couple scrambled eggs, and extra peanuts. Spicy-sweet-salty-tangy and delicious! I love Thai food.

MORE tea.

Anyone who knows me well knows I need more tea like I need a hole in the head.

But, I just couldn't help myself . . .



I took it upon myself to try all three teas immediately, so I could provide you with a review. You know, taking one for the team and all. :)

Coconut Cocoa: This tea has a strong coconut flavor, with a subtle chocolatey-ness hiding in the background. I like this one quite a bit, but I would expect that if you weren't a huge fan of coconut, this wouldn't be a hit with you.

Red Velvet Chocolate: This is my least favorite of the three. Don't get me wrong -- it's a nice, quality, vanilla-y rooibos. But this fancy canister of tea doesn't taste much different than the ordinary vanilla rooibos I have on hand. A subtle chocolate aroma, but no detectable chocolate flavor, in my opinion. Bummer.

Peppermint Chocolate: This is excellent! Kind of tastes like an Andes mint, but not sweet, obviously. I might try this one again later with a bit of sugar, to see if it gets even better. :) P.S. This cup of tea was excellent with a teensie handful of white chocolate chips on the side . . . :)

My co-op doesn't seem to carry the Strawberry or Banana Chocolate teas . . . anyone out there tried either? Both sound amazing to me!

Do you impulse buy tea? Any other silly grocery impulse buys you care to confess?

on a Tuesday . . .

. . . I received an email from John, stating that he was going to be in my neighborhood working all day, and did I want to get together around 5? Of course!

But wait . . . what's for dinner? I had plenty of leftovers, but not enough of any one thing for the two of us. Popping over to Target during my break for a few items was really the only option, right? I was pleasantly surprised that Target carries organic, whole-wheat pasta!

Bow ties with homemade mushroom marinara, and a "clean out the crisper" salad on the side:


And mixed berry crumble with a drizzle of heavy cream for dessert:

That bag of frozen berries has been lurking in my freezer positively for-EVER. It was great to use them up in something so delicious! John had two helpings; and I quote, "it's healthy, right? There's fruit!"

Weekend in food!

Meals from the weekend - whole wheat pancakes and breakfast sausages,

burritos,

and Smoky Split Pea Soup with Cheese Muffins.

YUM!

Friday night pizza!

Team effort on dinner last night - I made the "veggie supreme," John made a much more creative pizza with caramelized onions, artichokes, apple, and Brie.
Leftover pizza for breakfast? Indeed. :)

one cannot live on eggs alone

I'm back! After a couple of long bus rides, (and a lot of nose-blowing . . . traveling with a massive head cold isn't much fun, let me tell you,) and some quality time spent with grandpa in the middle, it's good to be home. :)

John picked me up from the bus on Monday afternoon; by dinnertime, we were both massively hungry, but I was so sick and tired and cranky that I couldn't come up with anything that possibly resembled dinner. And I needed to hit the store . . . desperately. John's suggestion? "I'll make eggs."

There we go. Dinner/breakfast is served. :)

And, since one cannot live on eggs alone . . .

"French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme," from Veganomicon:

I stuck pretty tight to the recipe this time around, although I didn't use all French green lentils, as I wanted to use up the mixture of lentils I had on hand. So . . . the soup has a blend of green, brown, and red lentils -- and what an amazing soup this turned out to be! I also cut back on the salt a bit, as I thought it would probably be too salty as writ. (I think I was right, at least for my palate!)

I was due another baking project -- Apple-Molasses Spice Cake:

I cannot say enough good things about this cake . . . moist, flavorful, intensely-spiced, warm, and just plain cozy. A perfect "ordinary" dessert, in my opinion!

Last, rice bowls with peanut sauce:

This is one of those amazingly-tasty, super-healthy dinners that come together in seconds if all of the ingredients are prepped ahead of time. I cooked up a bunch of brown rice, fried up some tofu, prepped a bunch of veggies, and made a batch of peanut sauce from Vegan with a Vengeance. Ta-da! Pile it all in a bowl, re-warm (or not, if that's your thing,) and dig in. Mmmmmmm. Peanut sauce is the BEST.

On the road again

I'm headed out of town this holiday weekend via the Megabus again, to visit family in the Madison area. Before dropping me off at the bus this morning, John made breakfast. More ridiculous eggs! Note that I burned the bagels; John folded the napkins. :)

cookie girl

It was my turn to take treats to church choir rehearsal this past Wednesday; thankfully, we don't have to "feed" 50 people on our own -- one always has a "treat buddy." The goal for "treats" is to have a somewhat healthy snack, and a somewhat junky snack. :) You like how we think? I emailed my treat buddy over the weekend and said, "I'm planning on baking cookies -- you ok with covering the healthy option?"

I'm always the cookie girl. I think I've earned myself a reputation.



I ended up clearing a few holiday baking leftovers from my cupboards, and ended up with knock-your-socks-off oatmeal cookies. Here's my basic recipe, which I feel, is the BEST oatmeal cookie in the WORLD. And I'm not exaggerating.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (depends on whether you used salted butter)
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups mix-ins

375 for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

Sometimes, short, simple, and sweet is the way to go, would you agree? Take a basic base and add incredible stuff, (I used the scraps and crumbles from my holiday toffee, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and unsweetened coconut this time,) and you get . . . heaven.

I think I need a cookie for breakfast today. ;)

"don't take any of the brown ones"

Dinner last night was a team effort -- John came over after finishing a job on my side of town, (he lives in St. Paul,) and we made:

Black Bean and Chipotle Soup

(Topped with cilantro, diced avocado, and sour cream,)

And Buttermilk Cornbread:

(Note that I was worried about the 2/3 cup sugar called for in this recipe . . . but it wasn't too much, surprisingly. Balanced out the tanginess of the buttermilk nicely! Mmm.)

I made the cornbread, John chopped all of the veggies for the soup, and then we had to "hurry up and wait," as is the norm with soup. As we were dishing up our bowls and I was digging into the avocado, John said, "don't take any of the brown ones!" (It wasn't the best avocado; tasty, but visually a little unappealing.) I looked at him strangely and he continued, "don't you have to take a picture? Only take the pretty pieces." Well, okay then! :)

So let's see, here . . . he's a vegetarian, he does dishes, AND he's supportive of my slightly odd pre-meal photo-taking/post-meal blogging? I think he's a keeper. ;)

Ridiculous Eggs

I've been hinting at something . . . and here it is: I've found myself someone to cook breakfast for. :) Er, should I say, he cooks breakfast for me? John doesn't do much cooking to speak of these days, but he is a vegetarian, (which, oddly, is pleasantly refreshing -- I never thought it was a big deal, but it kind of is, I'm starting to realize), appreciates amazing and healthy food, and is awesome at making a few key things; eggs are one of his specialties. John makes what I have come to think of as "Ridiculous Eggs," not ridiculous in the "causing or worthy of ridicule" definition of the word, but rather, ridiculous in their absurd excess.

See?

Saturday morning's breakfast: Ridiculous Eggs with onion, garlic, shallot, spinach, feta, and tomato. Pumpernickel toast with homemade strawberry jam on the side.

And, Sunday morning's breakfast:

More Ridiculous Eggs, this time with onion, spinach, tomato, avocado, parsley, cream cheese, mozzarella, and cumin. Mmm. I am pro-cumin in eggs, let me tell you! More toast with homemade strawberry jam on the side, but this jam was made by John's three-year-old cousin. I think she might have something on me in the jam-making department!

Even though part of me would like to try to eat eggs three meals a day, I know it would be a bad idea, ultimately. :) Dinners from the weekend:

Masaman curry, with tofu, red bell pepper, sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions, all over short-grain brown rice.

A simple, yet delicious, pasta and salad dinner:

I sauteed a bunch of garlic in a bunch of olive oil, added some dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichokes, and tossed the lot with hot pasta, parsley, parmesan, and goat cheese. This was kind of made up on the spot, and pretty damn awesome. Definitely worth repeating again in the future. :)

And, a giant salad for Sunday night:

Mixed greens topped with apples, fennel, walnuts, buttermilk blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. A wedge of Wedge focaccia on the side. A delicious and reasonably healthy way to end the weekend!

And, don't forget dessert . . .

Lemon bars! We managed to take down the entire pan over the course of the weekend . . . ha!

the last

Here are the remaining two meals from my vacation that I haven't yet blogged about:

Curried tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, and an artichoke:


And . . . biscuits and gravy!

We whipped up a quick batch of buttermilk biscuits this morning, made the tempeh sausage crumbles from Vegan with a Vengeance, and folded them into a vegetarian version of "creamy gravy," from The Betty Crocker Cookbook. Holy hell, this was an awesome breakfast. I had to have some fruit on the side, though, as I couldn't justify a breakfast comprised entirely of fat, white flour, and protein. :) (And a walk around the lake to follow definitely helped!)

Let me just say . . . having someone to cook breakfast with is AWESOME. Especially when he does the dishes. :)

As I look at the last remaining minutes of my vacation, I wonder . . . where did the time go? I feel like I've been away from work for a LONG time, yet I'm somehow not quite ready to head back, you know? :) Time to start mentally preparing myself . . . 5:30 AM is going to come REALLY early tomorrow morning! Sigh. (But I am looking forward to seeing the kids!)

Happy New Year!

My New Year's Eve was filled with good food & good company ... and nothing else! Sometimes it's just good to take it easy at (someone else's) home, would you agree?

Feast your eyes on our feast: wild rice soup and popovers:

day trip!

Nothing terribly exciting to report on my end . . . let's just say vacation agrees with me! :)

A few photos from a day trip I took to Great River Bluffs State Park on Thursday:







It was a cold, somewhat windy, kind of gray day, but we still had a bunch of fun! Moderately tough terrain, gorgeous views, good food (soup and sandwich picnic, packed by yours truly,) and great company made for the highlight of my vacation!

(And yes, if you are wondering, this "friend" is an important one . . . but I'm not ready to blow his cover just yet. The same mystery friend/helper in the kitchen that I've eluded to a few times over the past month. He'll get introduced soon enough!)

Reuben? Rachel?

Dinner last night:

I'm back on my tempeh reuben kick -- Wedge pumpernickel bread, Annie's thousand island dressing, Bubbies sauerkraut, organic sliced swiss, and "Seasoned Tempeh" from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing and sliced apple on the side. Damn, I love that slaw recipe!

Here was a question asked of me during dinner last night that I don't have the answer to: what's the difference between a Reuben and a Rachel? Anyone out there know? Do comment, please!

Christmas Dinner

It was a good Christmas this year -- church on the Eve was as beautiful and magical as ever, I enjoyed gorgeous weather, good food, and a great movie with my friend Ann during the day, made the family phone calls, and then pulled a kick-ass dinner out of my freezer and knocked the day out of the park:



SPINACH PIE
(loosely based on The Cheese Factory Restaurant Cookbook's recipe for "Spanikopita"):
Yield: one 9X13 pan, 6 or so servings

INGREDIENTS, FILLING:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
zest of one lemon
1 pound feta, crumbled
3 pounds cooked/chopped spinach, thawed if frozen and squeezed dry
2 cups chopped onion and 1 minced clove garlic, sauteed in a drizzle of olive oil until soft

DIRECTIONS, FILLING:
Lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in the cream, nutmeg, basil, oregano, dill, salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon zest. Fold in the cheese, spinach, and onion/garlic mixture until well-blended.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
1 pound filo, thawed completely (you won't use quite the entire package)
1 stick butter, melted

ASSEMBLY:
1. Cut the filo to fit the size of your 9X13 baking dish. Reserve the scraps for another use, or just toss them. Spray a kitchen towel with water and use to cover the filo while you are working. Continue to mist the towel as needed to keep the dough from drying out during the assembly process.
2. Brush the inside of your baking dish well with butter, Add two filo, brushing the top sheet with butter. Continue layering filo, buttering every-other, until you have about a dozen sheets in the pan. You can lay the sheets flat in the bottom, or build up the sides making sort of a "crust." Either system works well -- just whatever you prefer.
3. Add the filling to the baking dish, spreading evenly.
4. Continue layering filo on top of the filling, brushing each sheet of dough with butter this time. until you use up all of the dough. Cut the pie into squares -- either a 3X3 grid or a 3X4 grid, depending on how large of servings you want.
5. At this point you can cover the pie with foil and freeze until you are ready to bake it, or stick the thing directly in a preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered. Bake until deep golden brown, about 40 minutes for a fresh pie, or much longer -- about an hour and a half? -- if you are baking from frozen. (Put the frozen pie in a cold oven and turn the heat on so you don't crack your baking dish! Cover a frozen pie for about the first hour, and then uncover for the last 30 minutes or so, so the whole thing doesn't dry out during the long bake.) Allow the pie to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before re-cutting the squares and serving!

Hope you had a fantastic holiday!
(P.S. I got to have lefse for dessert, too!)

Merry, merry.

Whew, it's been a year for me -- I had appropriately named 2011 "the year that doesn't quit." As I'm preparing to stay up super-late for Christmas Eve service tonight, (on very little sleep, and a teensie little nap, thank you very much,) all sorts of thoughts are swirling around in my head. Mostly, what a year it's been! As I learned in yoga class, the universe never hands you anything you can't handle -- I knew that all along, but it was hard to see while in the thick of things, you know? Life is reasonably calm and relatively stable nowadays, things are clipping along nicely, and I'm looking forward to being off work until JANUARY 3RD! Wahoo!

I wish you a merry, merry whatever -- Christmas, Santa, New Year, Hanukkah, Solstice, time away from the grind to relax with important people. And I leave you with some shots from a hike I took with a friend yesterday at Afton State Park. Unseasonably warm, gorgeously sunny winter days make for great hiking, and even better pictures:










I'll be back soon with food -- I plan to feed myself well and often during my vacation! I can't wait. :)

Sunday dinner

After a busy weekend in the kitchen baking cookies, I had assumed the last thing I wanted to do was mess things up again by making a huge meal . . . but I was wrong. :) I decided I was due a healthy, slightly indulgent, comforting bowl of delicious food for dinner! I had picked up the ingredients for "Mushroom Potato Stroganoff" from The Cheese Factory Restaurant -- and I roasted up nearly two pounds of brussels sprouts on the side. (Every once in a while I get to tag along to Costco with my friend Courtney, and massive amounts of produce always result! Woo!) I decided to mound everything into one of my giant Asian soup bowls and curl up on the couch with a movie:

Yum.

I also grabbed the hugest box of spinach and a giant block of feta when trolling Costco . . . and I have a box of filo in my freezer. Spinach pie, anyone???? :)

the cookies.

I really tried to exercise considerable restraint when planning my Christmas cookie baking marathon this year -- I limited myself to two candies, two bars, and three cookies. A feat, if you ask me! I started baking on Friday night, and finished up early this morning. I took breaks to sleep and eat, obviously, and also squeezed in a run yesterday morning, a short nap yesterday afternoon, and dinner out last night. I packed up piles of cookies for church choir friends this morning, and plan on taking a big tray of cookies to work sometime this week -- hopefully I won't have TOO many leftovers! :)

Without further ado, here's what I made this year:

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels:

I didn't add quite enough coarse salt to the tops of the caramels! Oh, the horror! Don't worry . . . they are still fantastic. :) Just not sweet-salty enough!

Glazed Lemon Cookies:

SO easy, and so delicious! A simple slice-and-bake butter cookie, dunked in a super-lemony glaze. I added yellow sprinkles. It's Christmas, you know! Christmas calls for extra sprinkles, if you ask me. ;)

Triple-Ginger Cookies, from Fine Cooking:

These are super-spicy and deeply molasses-y, but I baked them a minute or so too long . . . I love nothing more than a soft ginger cookie, and these are not. Alas! I'll note in the recipe to pull them out of the oven a couple of minutes early in the future, but for now, I dunk them in my tea. :)

White Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies:

OH. HELL. YES. I did a little happy dance when I tried a bite of these last night! The brownie layer is perfectly dense, gooey, and chocolatey, yet sturdy enough to stand up to being covered in white chocolate and crushed candy canes. MMM!

English Toffee:

I make toffee every year, since I find it dead easy and everyone seems to go apeshit over it. I followed a recipe from Fine Cooking this year, and determined that the yield is a little too large for my 8-inch silicone pan, which I use for candy-making. No real complaints, it's just extra-thick!

Apricot and Coconut Bars:

These were on my to-try list last year, but got the axe . . . I'm so glad I decided to try these this year! I actually received a phone call from a church choir friend about an hour after church today, singing the praises of these bars. I love them lots, too!

And lastly, Sugar Cookies with frosting and sprinkles:

I was pleasantly surprised by an offer of help with the cookie-baking this year, and found that these roll-outs went much faster with two people! I really like this recipe from Real Simple -- the dough is basic yet flavorful on its own, soft yet sturdy enough to allow for plenty of decorations, and the yield is just right -- not too many, not too few!

Happy sugar time! Wee!