Friday, March 20, 2009
Technical Difficulties
I can't seem to get my photos to upload, but I haven't forgotten you! Please check back again soon!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Reconnected
Man. It has been a while. I feel like I was missing a sixth sense or something. Aside from being sick, we have been disconnected from our tv and Internet service since February. Yes, February, as in about a half a month! Wow. Thank goodness for Blackberries! I am sure there is a way to blog from my bberry, but man, I missed a keyboard. Those little letter keys were practically the death of me. Well, as you can see, I did survive. Our Verizon Fios Internet and tv were installed about 15 minutes ago. Hooray! I can't wait to get back to sharing with you. I have a fresh loaf of bread on the counter which was baked last night and a batch of citrus shortbread cooling. Trying to decide whether they want a chocolate icing. I will share the decision with you next time! :)
Talk to you soon!
Meagan
Talk to you soon!
Meagan
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Therapy
I had one of those days. Not one of those days, not the ones where everything goes wrong, not the ones where one big thing goes wrong. No, basically just uneventful. It might have been better if something had gone wrong, because then at least something would have happened! Of course I am kidding, but it was kind of a weird day. On my way home I was not looking forward to cooking given my compromised condition, but luckily I had frozen homemade lasagna in the freezer. That helped.
Combined with sauteed green beans and mushrooms and a spinach salad, it ended up being not as bad of an evening as I thought. I am so glad I didn't give in to the take out that I had been considering. This was so much better and easier. And just the act of doing it made me feel better. Yes, I think cooking is my therapy.
I called it a day with the finger frog... 
And this girl always helps...
Hope you had a good one. If not, try this recipe below to accompany anything you like- as long as it's easy. I promise it'll pick you up!
Combined with sauteed green beans and mushrooms and a spinach salad, it ended up being not as bad of an evening as I thought. I am so glad I didn't give in to the take out that I had been considering. This was so much better and easier. And just the act of doing it made me feel better. Yes, I think cooking is my therapy.
I called it a day with the finger frog... 
And this girl always helps...
Hope you had a good one. If not, try this recipe below to accompany anything you like- as long as it's easy. I promise it'll pick you up!Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms
1 bundle of french trimmed green beans, rinsed and patted dry
1 clove of garlic, crushed with the back of your knife and peeled
pinch salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
olive oil
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add a few swirls of olive oil in the pan. Heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the green beans, mushrooms and garlic and sautee. About 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and toss in pan. Sautee for 5 more minutes, serve immediately.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Plans...
I went to yoga on Sunday night, and one of my favorite parts is the deep relaxation at the end. (Shocking, I know!) It's funny, sometimes I just lay there and feel all the muscles that just worked and how they feel relaxed and tired and I sort of drift off into this relaxed state until... ding! ding! Class is over and it's time to pack up your things. Ahhh. Then, there are other times, when all I think about is what I am going to run home and make for dinner. And dessert. And lunch to take to work on Monday. On and on.
Sunday was one of those nights. I was going to make pizza with this spelt dough that I had tried for the first time. I was going to try new toppings. 
We had just gone to costco and I had a big package of strawberries and spinach just waiting to be made into this wonderful salad that I make all the time, but haven't shared yet on this site.
Sunday was one of those nights. I was going to make pizza with this spelt dough that I had tried for the first time. I was going to try new toppings. 
We had just gone to costco and I had a big package of strawberries and spinach just waiting to be made into this wonderful salad that I make all the time, but haven't shared yet on this site.
I had a tub of greek strained yogurt to make into gelato in my new gelato machine.
Things were promising. Then, when I was cutting the mushrooms for the pizza, somehow my finger got mixed in with what I was doing. Argh. This is like, one of my worst fears. Luckily, I am not badly injured, but the damage was done. Chris was so helpful and got me bandaged and settled down. He helped me finish the pizza, which was already in the works.
We ate dinner together, and I was already feeling a little bit better. However, needless to say, I didn't get around to any more photos. I didn't get around to the salad or the gelato. I didn't get around to my lunch for Monday. So much for my plans. 
So I decided to take this opportunity to share some of my favorite food pictures of my work over the last year, as well as links to where they appeared on my blog, in case this inspires you to try them again or for the first time. I hope you rediscover something that you'll love. I'll get to the rest- you better believe I am making plans for what to make as soon as I am back to my old self!Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Real Deal Gelato
I guess there is no point in having a gelato machine if you don't go all out and make the real deal gelato. I figured Giada's nutella gelato was a good place to start. Basically started with a custard base, then you can add any flavors you like. I decided to make mine half nutella and half pistachio. You start with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups milk and 1 cup of cream over low heat. 
Using room temperature eggs, beat 4 egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar until light in color and thick.
This takes about 5 minutes of beating. To temper the yolks before adding to the milk mixture, add a half-cup of the warm milk to the eggs before adding them to the mixture on the stove.
Cook for about 10 minutes until thickened. Insert a spoon in the mixture and make sure it coats the spoon. After cooking, strain the mixture through a sieve. I divided mine into two bowls to make the two flavors.
For the pistachio flavor, mix 1/4 cup raw pistachios with 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor. Stir this into the gelato base.
For the chocolate-hazlenut flavor, add 1/4 cup nutella to the gelato base and whisk until incorporated.
Cool on the counter for 30 minutes and then chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a skin forming on as it cools. Freeze the chilled custard in the ice cream maker for 30-40 minutes until frozen.
It was a little melty after just the ice cream freezer, but the second night it was BOSS. (Sorry, momentary channeling Juno moment.) Move over HagenDaaz - your spot in my freezer just got taken! The chocolate is that perfectly dense flavor, even Chris liked it! He's usually not a chocolate ice cream guy despite his tenure at Cold Stone! If you don't think you need an ice cream machine, you might want to rethink that... it's definitely worth it to make it yourself!
Using room temperature eggs, beat 4 egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar until light in color and thick.
This takes about 5 minutes of beating. To temper the yolks before adding to the milk mixture, add a half-cup of the warm milk to the eggs before adding them to the mixture on the stove.
Cook for about 10 minutes until thickened. Insert a spoon in the mixture and make sure it coats the spoon. After cooking, strain the mixture through a sieve. I divided mine into two bowls to make the two flavors.
For the pistachio flavor, mix 1/4 cup raw pistachios with 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor. Stir this into the gelato base.
For the chocolate-hazlenut flavor, add 1/4 cup nutella to the gelato base and whisk until incorporated.
Cool on the counter for 30 minutes and then chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a skin forming on as it cools. Freeze the chilled custard in the ice cream maker for 30-40 minutes until frozen.
It was a little melty after just the ice cream freezer, but the second night it was BOSS. (Sorry, momentary channeling Juno moment.) Move over HagenDaaz - your spot in my freezer just got taken! The chocolate is that perfectly dense flavor, even Chris liked it! He's usually not a chocolate ice cream guy despite his tenure at Cold Stone! If you don't think you need an ice cream machine, you might want to rethink that... it's definitely worth it to make it yourself!Monday, January 19, 2009
Sushi
When your husband calls to tell you that he's eating dinner at work, what's a girl to do but treat herself?! I hardly ever go out to sushi, and I rarely pick up take out on the way home, but for some reason, it just sounded good! I got a shrimp tempura cruch roll and a vegetable roll. The sweet potato was awesome!
Some organic edamame that was in the fridge from costco....
Just a little dinner for one.... Yum!
Totally gringo sushi, I know- but it's what I like! Let me know your favorite little splurge for moments like this!
Some organic edamame that was in the fridge from costco....
Just a little dinner for one.... Yum!
Totally gringo sushi, I know- but it's what I like! Let me know your favorite little splurge for moments like this!Sunday, January 18, 2009
Baked Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
If your New Year's resolutions include eating more healthfully, you have to try quinoa. This tiny grain is packed with protein as well as essential amino acids. This is an easy recipe which you can make without a lot of fussing. Start by sauteing a large onion and a couple cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan that you might use later in your meal for something else. (I hate getting something dirty for only one thing!)
While that is on the stove, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve for a minute or two. Quinoa has a bitter outer coating which will dissolve once rinsed, so don't skip this step. It is fine if the quiona is a little damp when you get ready to cook it. I used about a cup and a half of quinoa, and once rinsed, spread it over the bottom of the dish which has been drizzled with a little bit of oil.
The onions should be done at this point, so spread those over the top of the quinoa.
Top with vegetables of your choice, a favorite of mine includes zucchini and tomatoes, but since those are not loved by my husband, I went for crimini mushrooms. Feel free to improvise here! You can leave this in the fridge until you are ready to bake if you'd like. Once you are ready, add 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
After cooking covered for 30 minutes, top with cheese of your choice and bake for a remaining 15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is browned.
I used mozzarella and Parmesan. Goat cheese, feta, or Gruyere would be good options too.
I served the quinoa with one of my new favorite recipes found here:http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/01/melissa-clarks-roasted-broccoli-with-shrimp.html
Roasted broccoli is one of my favorite preparations, and adding the shrimp couldn't be easier. This was one of those "A ha!" recipes for me. All the ingredients were in my fridge and cupboards, but I never thought to combine them in just this way. Sprinkle the broccoli with olive oil, ground cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes. In the meantime toss raw shrimp in olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper and add them for the last 8-10 minutes of baking until just cooked and firm. 
Everything was fantastic, and together with the quinoa, it was a perfect healthy weekend meal.
While that is on the stove, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve for a minute or two. Quinoa has a bitter outer coating which will dissolve once rinsed, so don't skip this step. It is fine if the quiona is a little damp when you get ready to cook it. I used about a cup and a half of quinoa, and once rinsed, spread it over the bottom of the dish which has been drizzled with a little bit of oil.The onions should be done at this point, so spread those over the top of the quinoa.
Top with vegetables of your choice, a favorite of mine includes zucchini and tomatoes, but since those are not loved by my husband, I went for crimini mushrooms. Feel free to improvise here! You can leave this in the fridge until you are ready to bake if you'd like. Once you are ready, add 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.After cooking covered for 30 minutes, top with cheese of your choice and bake for a remaining 15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is browned.I used mozzarella and Parmesan. Goat cheese, feta, or Gruyere would be good options too. I served the quinoa with one of my new favorite recipes found here:http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/01/melissa-clarks-roasted-broccoli-with-shrimp.htmlRoasted broccoli is one of my favorite preparations, and adding the shrimp couldn't be easier. This was one of those "A ha!" recipes for me. All the ingredients were in my fridge and cupboards, but I never thought to combine them in just this way. Sprinkle the broccoli with olive oil, ground cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes. In the meantime toss raw shrimp in olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper and add them for the last 8-10 minutes of baking until just cooked and firm. Everything was fantastic, and together with the quinoa, it was a perfect healthy weekend meal.
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