An Apple a Day Monday: V

Last year, through the month of November, I did a Fall cooking series called An Apple a Day Monday. I was lucky to have an available and very productive apple tree nearby last year, which facilitated dishes like Apple Bundt Cake, Apple Crisp, Apple Cider and Apple Bran Flax Muffins. This year I am not as lucky to have the apples, but have been experimenting with some other items instead.

This weekend, my Mom was in town and we had a great time exploring the area and shopping and eating! On Saturday night, Broski came over with the lady friend and they all had a chance to try my Screamin' Hot Habanero Sauce that I made out of the peppers that they gave me. Remember the one that gets rid of your socks? They both loved it and wanted the recipe (Mom is not as fond of hot stuff), so I decided to share it with you too, in case you feel like making some of your own. I got my peppers from the garden, but they are pretty cheap at the market, especially if you have a Latino market nearby. They always have the best peppers!

It's a great addition to any dish and I like it because it doesn't taste of vinegar; it mostly just tastes of pepper /  heat! And a little dab'll do ya! The problem with my cooking sometimes is that I just toss stuff in, so you may need to tweak this a little to make it to YOUR liking, just like I did. The recipe was inspired by this.

Screamin' Hot Habanero Sauce

2 cups of hot peppers (I used Serrano and Habanero)
1 tbsp salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup vinegar (I used Champagne, but you could use red wine, apple cider or white vinegar)
1 tsp garlic salt

First, cut the stems off the peppers. I put gloves on to do this just in case. I would hate to touch my eye afterward or something silly like that. Then blanch them in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove them and run them under cold water (see how to blanch here).

Place them in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend. Voila. Now you have sauce. This will keep in the fridge for about a year. A spoon full in any dish gives your dish a nice kick, or you can do like we do, and just spoon it on your meal, one plate at a time!

The original recipe suggested removing the seeds, but I did not. If you want it to not be as hot, you may want to remove the seeds. If you want it more vinegary, you may want to add more than I did, but I prefer it not as vinegary.

Do you like spicy things? What dish do you use peppers in? Have you ever made your own hot sauce? 

Food Firsts (3)

Happy Memorial Day! Did you know that yesterday was also the 75th birthday for the Golden Gate Bridge? I did not attend, but there was quite the hoopla in the city, culminating in fireworks set to music, courtesy of KFOG (a great radio station). Did you know that you can download the KFOG app and listen anytime, anywhere!? You should check it out. My favorite is the acoustical sunrise.

My computer is still broken, which means I cannot upload any photos AND I tend to save future posts as word docs, which I now cannot access. So, in lieu of an interesting and funny post, I am going to share a couple of the recipes that I made over the weekend. Both of these were adapted from this site. If you get a chance you should go over and check it out. Laura is a mother, a runner and a darn good cook! If we lived closer together I know we would be good friends and probably even running buddies, although she is a little faster than I am!


Garbanzo Brownies:

These were very good and did not taste like beans at all! I actually ate half of the batter as I was making them, so you may want to double the recipe so you can have extra for snacking while cooking!

- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup flax
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp nut butter 
- 3.5 oz 80% (or 70 or 60) dark chocolate bar (I like this one)
- 1 tsp vanilla

Split the chocolate bar in half. Melt half of the chocolate and chop the other half into small pieces (you can also use chocolate chips). Add the melted part to the rest of the ingredients and blend all ingredients  thoroughly in a food processor. I had to also add a little bit of water to the mix to make it a bit more creamy. You don't want it too thin though!

Spread the mix in a greased 9x9 baking pan. Top with remaining chocolate (chips/chunks). Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. The brownies come out dark and moist and for me, just sweet enough. If you have a sweet tooth, you may want to follow Laura's recipe more closely, as it calls for 2 tbsp of maple syrup as well. I cut mine into 16 pieces and they came out to a little less than 100 calories each.

Apple Oat Cookies:

These don't use any flour either and are very fun and nutty. In fact, I may have eaten them for breakfast a time or two. Laura's original recipe called for carrots, rolled oats and oat bran, but I had flax, no carrots, and steel cut oats. They turned out fine.

- 3 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1 cup steel cut (or rolled) oats
- 1 cup flax meal
- 1 apple, shredded
- pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or equivalent)
- 1/2 cup raisins (or dried fruit)
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup applesauce (I cut up one apple and stewed it in a pan with 1/4 cup water and a dash of cinnamon)

Mix all ingredients together and place in spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. I found it helped to kind of smash the cookies down a little so they are flat. That way the middle gets thoroughly cooked. Otherwise a few in my first batch were a little moist on the inside. Also, they don't rise/spread, so you can pack them in on the cookie sheet. This recipe made about 40 small cookies.

I hope you are all enjoying your day off! Tomorrow, I have big news to share!

Have you ever tried bean brownies? Are you off of work today? What fun things did you do this weekend?

What a Week

It's been a while since I've done a Week in Review post! I love doing them, since it's a great way for me to remember what I did throughout the week. I am surprised at how putting it together on a list makes me seem so much more productive sometimes! Not that I am not, but it just reminds me of what I DID do, rather than making me worry about what I did not.

Last Sunday, I went with a friend for a run and then brunch. The place we went to for brunch had really great food and bottomless mimosas, made with fresh fruit juice. The waiter comes around with a pitcher and in order to try the next kind (there were about 20) you have to down the one you have. Sure, the glasses are only 6 oz, but they add up!

 What started out as an innocent Sunday morning brunch....

See those teeny, tiny glasses? 

...ended up as Dance Party USA. 

Hey. There was Madonna.

And 2 Live Crew.

It rained a lot this week. 

View from the back porch.

The sun did peek out from time to time, enough so I could catch up on my

reading,

coffee drinking,

and sunshine loving.

That coffee cup holds about a third of the pot. 

I love it.

I also learned that "Cher" hair is back in style. 

Um, ladies, I have had that hair for the last 30 years. 

Well I guess you have to be "in style" once every 30 years.

Note the insert. 

It says "Don't go overboard.  Leave a little body. Poker straight hair is not always flattering"

Yeah. Like I said. 30 years.

I made a couple of care packages for my loved ones.

And this is why I believe in Karma...

The VERY SAME DAY...I received two blog prizes in the mail! 

A Nature Box that I won from Carrie. 

And Profoot insoles that I won from Marcia.

Heads up people. Do you love boxes?

Or organizing? 

Or organizing with boxes? 

Target special = $1 each! 

This weekend I went running, went grocery shopping and cooked up a storm.

Two kinds of chili.

And a pan of brownies. 

I did not eat this entire thing by myself. 

Only the entire edge part. 

The middle got cut out and made into...

 

These! Brownie Balls! 

Not quite the same as the cake pops I made last time, but close.

 

I had to try one. It was pretty darn good. Except that I really didn't need it. 

After I licked the batter spoon. 

And the bowl. 

And ate all the edges of the brownies. 

And all the leftover melting chocolates.

I feel sick. 

How was your week? Have you ever had bottomless mimosas? Be honest, how much of the brownie pan can you eat in one sitting?

When Life Hands You Lemons

Lately, my lemon tree has been full. I have plenty of lemons. Life has given me lots of lemons.

I mean this both literally and figuratively.

Figuratively, and I have talked about this before, the job situation is getting a little out of hand. Usually, my job is temporary, and I am used to that. Like I said, I am similar to a freelancer. I work several months of of the year, and during that time, I have to save up for the dry months. However, generally there is a good mix of "wet" and "dry" months, and so I can not only make ends meet pretty easily, but I also keep from going completely crazy with boredom or a lack of productivity.

Right now, I am in a drought. I am California;  I need rain or my crops are going to die.

Luckily, this means I have free time to do what I have always wanted to do. I can learn French; I can knit a sweater; I can go see the Grand Canyon. However, this also means I need to keep saving up, because who knows when that rainy day will come. So I am improvising. The local library has a Spanish conversation class once a month in the evenings. I signed up. I have a long list of books on my To Read list. I am getting to know my neighborhood and the surrounding running trails. I am cooking. I love to cook and often don't make time for it. I am spending time with friends and family. It's good, in a way.

I ALSO actually have a lemon tree. And it has a boatload of lemons. I could make lemonade, but instead, I make hummus!! Have you ever made your own hummus? It's so easy!

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 - 1/2 cup bean water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 - 4 lemons, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp tahini
salt to taste

In food processor, mix all ingredients and blend until smooth. You want the hummus to be a little bit on the thinner side, as it will thicken a little in the fridge once everything melds together. Start off with the oil and lemon juice, then add 1/4 cup water and see how it looks/tastes before adding the other 1/4 cup of water. When I say bean water, I mean the juice in the can, or if you cook your beans from dry, whatever water is in the cook pot.

Note, if you don't have tahini, it will still taste good, but I do like it better with the tahini. You should be able to find it at Trader Joes, or Whole Foods, although I bought mine at Safeway.

So, I am off to use my lemons of life! Any suggestions, literally or figuratively?

Have you ever made your own hummus? Have you ever been in a life drought and not known when the rains would come?

The Best Lasagna Ever

Have you heard of the Pioneer Woman? I am sure you have, but if not, you can find her blog HERE. She makes a lot of down home things and sometimes even healthy things.  I have made a few of her recipes and they always turn out great. One of my favorites is the “Best Lasagna Ever”. 

The Best Lasagna Ever (**modified by me a tad)

Layer 1

10 oz lasagna noodles

Layer 2

3 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup parmesan (**I used shredded, she calls for grated)

2 tlsp Italian seasoning**

Salt

Layer 3

1.5 lb ground beef

1 lb hot breakfast sausage

2 cloves garlic

2 cans (12 oz) whole tomatoes

2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste

Salt

Italian seasoning**

**2 cups chopped zucchini, celery, bell pepper or other veggies

Layer 4

1 lb mozzarella**

Brown the hamburger and sausage with the garlic. Once it’s done, drain off half the fat and add the rest of layer three to the pot. Let that simmer for about 45 minutes. While it’s cooking, mix together layer two and cook the lasagna noodles. Once everything is done, layer (in a 9x13 pan or similar) in order: 3 or 4 noodles, cottage cheese, meat, then add mozzarella. I usually make two pans at a time and can get two layers out of each. Instead of mozzarella on the very top layer, put parmesan on top (after the meat layer). Cook for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I usually make two pans at a time and cook one right away and put the other in the freezer, where it will keep for a long time and you can make it whenever you want! If you are cooking from frozen, I found it best to leave it out all day and then cook it for about an hour and a half, but it depends on your oven strength (mine is weak).  You can also make it and then keep it in the fridge for a couple days before baking.

**Modifications:  I did use actual shredded parmesan, even though she says you can use Kraft. I also used real buffalo mozzarella, even though her photo shows the harder kind of mozzarella (like string cheese).  I also added veggies, which is not in her recipe, but I like to sneak them in when I can. For Italian seasoning, she uses separate ingredients of basil, parsley etc. But I found it easier to just use Italian Seasoning!

 If you are interested in calories, if you make this into 12 servings, it’s approximately 450-500 calories per serving. So it’s not necessarily low fat, but it sure is good! I use two pans and can get about 9-12 servings per pan, so that cuts it down a little. Except for the fact that I just eat TWO servings instead!

What is your favorite Lasagna recipe? Have you tried any of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes? Do you modify recipes or stick to the schedule?

Cookie Monsters

Last weekend I got together with the girls and we had a cookie decorating party. The original idea was that we would have our friend C and her two kids over, so that we could have a fun time with them, but they were not available. This did not deter us; we decided to have the party without them. 

In attendance was my friend N and her mom, me and my mom and our friend C.  We were assisted by little C, who is about 18 months old and actually decorated cookies better than I did, I think. Excuse the lighting, the low winter sun was shining right in the window and made it really hard to get a good photo.

Everyone brought snack foods to eat while we were hard at work; as hard as I tried to eat only carrots and hummus, I think I may have snuck in a lot of cookies along the way too. I mean, you have to try each type of cookie with each type of frosting! Right? 

My friend made two kinds of cookies: sugar and gingerbread, and three kinds of frosting: maple, orange and butter cream. 

We had several shapes, such as a bone, a star, a Santa, a couple of men, a heart, a tree and a bell.

We used food coloring and sprinkles to create our masterpieces.

We had a great time, all of us adult girls, decorating cookies badly. 

Have you ever had a cookie decorating party? Do you think you could do a better job decorating (meaning if you have preschool skills or higher) than we did? 

Note:  I just realized that my posts from the last few days were not showing up in Reader! After much detective work, I went to a site that I already followed and signed in, and VOILA, they were back. What the heck, google.

Curry Me Green

Have I mentioned I like food? At home I cook as much as I can and I definitely miss that while I am abroad. I miss being able to just open the fridge and get out a snack, instead of having to go out and "forage" for food, to work for it. I miss having cheese at the ready and eating hunks of it out of the fridge without a cracker, whenever I want. I miss coffee, endless amounts of it with fresh milk.

However, even though there is no cheese here, there are so many other great foods in Asia! Below is a photo one of the great Thai foods, Green Curry with Chicken. I could eat this, and Pad Thai, every day. I found a great recipe here, where there are also many other great Thai recipes.

This Thai Green Curry Chicken recipe features chunks of tender chicken simmered in a homemade green curry sauce along with healthy vegetables (zucchini and red bell pepper). The result is a gourmet-style Thai green curry that is very aromatic and beautiful to serve (great for entertaining!). The key to good green curry is in not only using the right ingredients, but knowing when to add them. Because this curry is made the same as in Thailand (on your stovetop), I recommend using only smaller pieces or cuts of chicken, allowing for faster cooking and the freshest possible taste. ENJOY!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• GREEN CURRY PASTE:
• 4 small green Thai chilies, OR substitute 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers
• 1/4 cup shallot OR purple onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
• 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced thinly OR 3 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 to 1 tsp. shrimp paste
• 1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (can be purchased at some supermarkets, OR at Asian food stores)
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• CURRY INGREDIENTS:
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (can be purchased frozen at most Asian food stores)
• 2 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
• 1 to 1.5 lbs. (about 0.7 kg) boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into chunks
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise several times, then cut into chunks
• Generous handful of fresh basil

Preparation:

For lemongrass tips, see: Buying and Preparing Fresh Lemongrass.

1. Place all the "green curry paste" ingredients together in a food processor, and process to a paste. If necessary, add a few Tbsp. of the coconut milk to help blend ingredients. Set aside.
2. Prepare the lime leaves by tearing the leaf away from either side of the stem. Discard the central stem. Then, using scissors, cut leaves into thin strips. Set aside.
3. Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste.
4. Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add 3/4 of the coconut milk, reserving 2-3 Tbsp. per serving portion for later.
5. Add the chicken, stirring to incorporate. When the curry sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, until you get a nice simmer.
6. Cover and allow to simmer 3-5 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the red bell pepper and zucchini, plus the strips of lime leaf, stirring well to incorporate. Simmer another 2-3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened but still firm and colorful.
8. Do a taste-test for salt, adding 1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce if not salty enough. If you'd prefer a sweeter curry, add a little more sugar. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour, plus bitter (the bitter is found in the fresh basil garnish).
9. Serve this curry in bowls with rice served separately, allowing guests to add their own. Top each portion with fresh basil, then drizzle over 2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk, and ENJOY!

The Joy of Cooking

I got home on Monday night. By Tuesday at noon I had made an apple cake, almond cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I hadn't realize how much I missed doing domestic things! And it's the kitchen I missed most of all. I like to cook; I like to putter around getting things ready; I don't even mind doing the dishes. And no, we don't have a dish washer. Well we do actually and it's name is...Me.

I've been extremely busy since I've been back. Aside from cooking the above mentioned items I also made a successful chicken pie (with crust! I'm a little surprised and proud it turned out okay), helped build a lumber rack (yes my dad put me right to work), sheetrocked the garage (another one in dads to do list), gone through my mail (ug 6 months worth of junk) and tried to get some organizing done of things long since forgotten.

It's nice to wear clothes that haven't been worn for the last six months, to sleep in the same bed for several nights in a row and to putt around getting organized rather than stuffing your clothes back into your pack, putting on the same dirty holey outfit and climbing on a smelly tiny bus.

It's nice to be able to bake cookies even though I don't even want to eat them instead if trying to figure out if I am going to eat at that chutney restaurant or make a pb&j sandwich.

It's nice to sit on the couch in a warm room watching The Great Race for the hundreth time, the whole family shouting "push the button Max!" along with Jack Lemmon (if you haven't seen it, it's an oldie but goodie. It's very silly).

It's nice to have my computer and my big camera (I really missed the big lug), to take a million photos of a bug without making anyone wait for me and  to sort my photos right away.

It's nice to visit with friends who I haven't seen in so long and to hug their new babies and to laugh with them and to feel like I never left.

It's nice to be able to pick up the phone and call people whenever I want and we can talk for a minute or an hour or forever.

It's really nice to be home.

There is a Top Chef in All of Us

You may not think it to look at me, but I love to cook. I sometimes flip open a cook book and make whatever it is on that page. More often than not though, I just make my own stuff up. Whatever veggies or whatever I have laying around in the house get put into a pot/oven or pan and voila! In mere minutes (or hours) you have an original dish. My favorite thing to do is to bake.

Second to that is soup making...One big pot of soup is economical and easy and it will last for days... My cooking may be slightly original, but my made up names are not so exciting. I have "green soup with carrots", "green soup with beans", "brown soup with broccoli" (that one was a mistake), "yellow soup with peas", "pea soup with carrots"...you get the point.

Oh wait I almost got carried away for a moment. Today I am not here to talk about my many interesting colors of soup; I want to talk about the fact that tomorrow is the Top Chef finale. Yes, I am addicted. Luckily they have Bravo at the gym, or I may not go to the gym as often as I should. My relationship with Top Chef first started when I was temporarily unemployed and residing with my brother and his roommates in San Francisco. They (lucky them!) have TIVO, or something along the same lines. I had absolutely no interest in most reality shows until my brother's roommate, Pam, would come home from work late at night and put on a TIVOed episode of Top Chef from time to time. And, since it was TIVOed, I, who had never seen the show before, could go back in time and catch up on the whole season at the same time (I happened to be there during the middle of the season).

It is great! There is the annoying guy you have to hate, the gay guy, the good looking guy, the tough girl, the lesbian, the fat guy, the skinny guy. Of course, just as you get to know and like the character, they get kicked off...It is torture! It is great. I am hooked for good. The ironic thing is, even though I can't taste the food, which would be a good reason to base my descision on who should get kicked off, I still have an opinion about who should leave (based on...attitude, looks, absolutely nothing concrete.)

So, here is the dirt. They are down to three people. Hung, the annoyingly cocky Vietnamese guy. Casey, the Jennifer Anniston look alike, the "I never had formal training" down home chef from Texas. And Dale, who is from Chicago and has been down on his luck and it hoping this Challenge will be the boost he needs. So, who do we want to win? For me, anyone but Hung. He is so full of himself, sure of himself and it not even close to being a team player like the others.

Who is going to win? Only time will tell.