Recipes

This week’s Epic Fail Friday topic was brought to you entirely by me.

On Wednesday night I tried to make this:

Find it here!

Looks good, doesn’t it? I thought the thyme sprig with speared blackberry was an especially thoughtful garnish. I already had blackberries on hand, so on my weekly grocery run I picked up a bundle of fresh thyme and a cheap bottle of triple sec and I made my own simple syrup at home. You see, this is the kind of recipe I’m drawn to trying because it looks like fun. The picture is downright pretty and the combination of the ingredients is simultaneously elegant and weird enough that I feel compelled to taste it. I’ve certainly never thought of blackberry and thyme as complimentary flavors, but throw in a little lime and some triple sec and sure, why not? I’m all about trying new things and I love using herbs in my cooking.

I should preface this tale by making it very clear that I’m not a bartender. I can cook like a champ and I can bake pretty well too, but I’ve never been a natural at making drinks. In fact, nearly every time, from college onward, that I have attempted a mixed drink, cocktail or other icy beverage concoction including smoothies that require ice and a blender, it inevitably turns out disastrously. I have a literal laundry list of pretty little alcoholic drinks I have tried to make and failed at. The problem is that in theory whipping these things together is so easy. So if I can quickly, accurately, and tastily craft far more complex dishes, why can’t I master this? A few ingredients, a handful of ice, and a minute in the blender is all it takes. What’s so difficult about pulling this off? Never the one to just gracefully accept my weakness and let it go, I decided to give it a whirl thinking that this time will be different. And it all went great until the end. Though it is fair to say that when the recipe calls for three sprigs of thyme, use three or even four if you relish a stronger hint of thyme, but six may have been overkill. I’m a recipe tweaker. I like to make my mark on recipes with a unique change or two to really make it my own, but in the future I think I’ll stick to tweaking less potent ingredients. Trial and error my friends.

I’d pureed the blackberries and thyme until it reached a delicious and vibrantly purple consistency, and then mixed in the correct measurements of rum, simple syrup, triple sec, lime and sparkling water. I dumped it all back in the food processor (because mine is supposed to be able to chop ice and I didn’t want to pull out the big blender for two tiny little drinks), dropped in a handful of ice, closed the lid securely, locked it, held my hand over it, and hit “high” on the food processor. Looking back, it may have been a touch full, but whatever, right? It’ll be fine. And then it all went to hell.

Blackberry juice (blackberries that stain, might I add) exploded out of the food processor. There was blackberry drink slush oozing down the sides of the food processor, and splatters of it decorating the cabinets, the counters, the walls, the floor, the socks on Ted’s feet, my white tank top, and the basil plant. The kitchen looked like a crime scene. The sink was full of deep purple debris, my white tank top became tie-dye, the tan dish towel morphed into the purple dish towel, and the floor was a sticky mess. The ice remained unchopped. Of course.

I stood there totally dumbfounded while Ted calmly carried the remains of my precious blackberry thyme margaritas over to the sink and tried, unsuccessfully, to chop the rest of the ice and salvage what was left. They tasted merely okay, so I don’t think I’ll be making them again, in part because this particular patch of blackberries wasn’t very sweet or flavorful, but it also might have tasted a little less bitter had I not decided to get my money’s worth out of that $1.99 bundle of thyme. I think I’ll refrain from tempting fate and trying to sharpen my mad mixed drink skills for at least the next month or so. That’s what trained bartenders are for. My talents, clearly, lie elsewhere.

And I never did get to use the delicate little thyme sprig and speared blackberry garnish that I admired so.

Epic fail.

Or, as Ted said,

“That wasn’t an epic fail. That was a royal epic fail.”

Last night I made this recipe for dinner and i served it with these. Holy. Smokes. That’s some good eatin’! I would suggest you cook these up immediately! Both are easy and quick to whip up and I found that I had almost all of the ingredients on hand already.

What a fresh way to get your fish and veggies in! The only changes I made were to add a healthy handful of chopped green onions to the salmon burger mix, cook the burgers on a skillet with a bit of spray oil like Pam instead of vegetable oil, and to use Sandwich Thins instead of burger buns.

It’s safe to say this stuff blew. my. mind. Who would have thought adding a dash of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and fresh cilantro to low-fat mayo could yield such incredible results!? This is good stuff. It complimented the salmon burgers perfectly and was also really flavorful as a dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries! I’d totally recommend this low-fat mayo for nearly everything requiring mayo. You don’t need a lot to get a mouthful of flavor!

Sweet potato fries are always a bit of a battle because they soften as they cook and, short of frying them (which would take away any potential health benefits), they’re a difficult beast to make crispy like regular fries. I think next time I won’t spray them with cooking spray and see if that crisps them up a little. I love sweet potato fries because they’re a fresh flavor and fairly healthy. Especially when you use only a minimal amount of olive oil and lots of potent spices like coriander, cumin and oregano instead of the brown sugar that most sweet potato fries are seasoned with. The honey lime dipping sauce was really refreshing and its cool temperature paired nicely with the hot fries. Though I think I actually prefer the cilantro mayo as a fry dip over the honey lime, which I was not expecting.

I also learned that the 32nd annual Taste of Cincinnati is next weekend! I’m so excited! Ever since I heard about it last year, I’ve been looking forward to this year’s. I’m glad I saw the ad for it last night because I would have been really bummed to have found out about it after it happened. Essentially a bunch of great restaurants in Cincinnati take over downtown for a weekend with food booths and offer samples of their most spectacular dishes (from appetizers to desserts!) for the general public to taste and vote on. We’re talking baklava, lamb burgers, lobster ravioli, noodles, spinach and artichoke rangoons, lettuce wraps, cheesecake, crepes, fried pickles, gyros, corn on the cob, bread pudding, bisques, funnel cakes, mac n’cheese, Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, BBQ, crab cakes, ribs, sushi rolls, vegetarian dishes, duck sliders, tiramisu, bratwurst, and more.

I have one thing to say about that.

YUM.

Today I replanted some herbs, Ted is working on road cases and I’m keeping him company. In a rare change of events I have four days in a row off and Ted has two. We’re taking advantage of the time together to get things done and have a little fun. We’re hoping to mow the lawn, pull out the grill for a mini-cookout, and take our bikes to the bike trail if we have time. Happy weekend!

Around here we’re pretty big falmons (falmons = fans of salmon). Once a month or so I stock up on dirt cheap Manager’s Special salmon (read: salmon fillets with a “use by tomorrow” date) and freeze it. We eat salmon once or twice a week, often for about $1.50 per person (which in salmon world is pretty flopping awesome – haha, get it?). We love salmon, but eating it the same way every time could get old after a while. Recently I tried a new salmon recipe and it was really tasty. So, for you fellow falmons out there, I’d like to share a few of my favorite (and fairly healthy for the most part!) salmon jazzer-uppers with you. You could probably substitute in another similar fish of your choice if you wish. You can thank me later. I’m not crafty enough to think up these creations all on my lonesome. So I’ll give credit where credit is due – to the blog Annie’s Eats (which always features incredible looking recipes – you really should check it out!) and our good friends over at AllRecipes.com. I’ve obviously tweaked them all a touch, but they’re still quite tasty and worth a try if you like fish. If not, you may be bored for the next 10 minutes. In which case, tune in in a day or two for a non-seafood related topic of discussion.

• Maple Salmon – stir together 1/4 cup of sugar-free maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of lite soy sauce, 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic, a sprinkle of ground black pepper, and a blob of ginger paste (I told you I use ginger like a madwoman). Pour the marinade over a fillet of salmon, wrap salmon and marinade in tinfoil and set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Transfer to a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your salmon). Great with green beans and rice.
• Firecracker Salmon – mix a bit of vegetable oil or peanut oil, lite soy sauce, balsalmic vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, fresh minced garlic, ginger paste (you can’t escape!), sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste into a marinade. Marinade and refrigerate overnight and cook on the grill or in the oven. I’d serve this with a bowl of black beans, fresh corn on the cob and a few avocado slices.
• Lemon Dill Salmon – sprinkle raw salmon with garlic salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and fresh dill a more traditional salmon. Since this is so simple, I would think nearly any side would work well – mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, etc.
• Strawberry Salmon – in a bowl combine fresh diced strawberries, some green onion and parsley, a dash of red wine vinegar, a bit of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a bit of honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Use to top cooked salmon after cooking and before serving. This would be awesome with a fresh spinach salad topped with some fruit and nuts and a side of grilled asparagus.
• Candied Salmon – mix a bit of brown sugar with a little oil and a dab of Dijon mustard. Spread over salmon along with some chopped candied pecans and cook in the oven – or on a cedar plank if you have one. Mmm. A set of cedar planks is most definitely on my to-acquire list! Candied salmon is always a good compliment to lemon wild rice pilaf and carrots, peas or broccoli.
• Tropical Salmon – top salmon with thin slices of brie cheese and small pieces of fresh mango before cooking. Great served with brown rice and a veggie like broccoli!
• Crusted Salmon – combine panko bread crumbs, fresh parsley, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and a touch of olive oil. Mix in a bowl until evenly coated. Brush each raw salmon fillet with a bit of mustard and salt and pepper to give the bread crumbs something to stick to. Press panko mixture onto each fillet and cook each fillet in vegetable oil, panko side down, in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes to brown. Finish baking in oven.
• Creamy Dill Salmon – mix lite sour cream, low fat mayo, some finely chopped onion, lemon juice, a touch of horseradish (if you dare), dill weed, garlic salt, and salt and pepper to season. You can sprinkle pre-cooked salmon with some fresh squeezed lemon and garlic salt, then top with creamy dill sauce and bake.
• Phyllo Wrapped Salmon – brush phyllo dough with melted butter and layer together to create a thicker crust. Top seasoned salmon with some goat cheese and wrap with phyllo dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set, then bake.
• Salmon Burgers – for this one you combine freshly diced red pepper, panko bread crumbs, fresh minced garlic, skinned and chopped salmon fillets, one beaten egg white, a bit of lite soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a little salt. Use a bit of vegetable oil to grill the mixture above into salmon patties. Combine garlic, low fat mayo, cilantro, a dash of cayenne pepper and lemon juice to make a cilantro mayo sauce. Add a bun, lettuce, onion, and tomato to complete. I’d serve with baked sweet potato fries with a light honey lime dip!

The Dining:

I went on a cooking spree yesterday. Apparently I was feeling ambitious. I unintentionally spent 3.5 hours making my own salsa, Mexican rice, guacamole and taquitos. I also bought the makings for killer mint mojitos to wash it all down, but my energy and time limit on patience waned. That must mean that Friday night I’m in for a tasty treat.

Everything was really delicious, but in the future I’d probably skip out on the rice. Who knew rice could be so time consuming? I have enough leftover rice and salsa for another 4 meals and a freezer aching to be filled, and the taquitos are easy to make, so next time we’re in the mood for Mexican cuisine my effort should be significantly less substantial. Starting today I am working the next 9 days straight without a day off (welcome to Ted’s world) and I’m being a big old baby about it. So this is the last of the extravagant meals for few weeks. I’ll be sticking to delightful yet simple fare, like baked salmon with strawberry salsa and drizzled asparagus for the time being until my life calms down a little.

In other news I’ve been up to the same old same old. Still job hunting like a beast. Still agonizing over a honeymoon itinerary and making decisions.

Now onto the whining:

I’m terrible at making decisions. But when you’re spending a hefty chunk of hard-earned and well-saved money on something, you want it to be awesome, am I right? Especially when it comes to something special like a honeymoon. We want relaxation, luxury, adventure, time together, and lots of fun. Now, I know we can’t have it all, and I know that you can’t really plan for the perfect vacation because no matter where you choose to splurge, you could have an incredible time or a crummy time – that’s just the way the dice fall. But I’m of the sound resolve that with enough research and planning, it doesn’t hurt to be as prepared as possible now so we can just sit back, relax and enjoy later. So I research, then doubt, then research some more, then double back, then discover something new, then find us caught between multiple options without an obvious winner and a budget that I am quickly learning feels pretty inadequate for what we have in mind…and no end in sight. I wish there was a clear “best choice” and, oh yeah, another $1,000 would help tremendously. I’m thinking I should just turn this over to Ted and say “surprise me!” He’s smart, decisive, and has a nose for good fun. I’m clearly too analytical and indecisive for an undertaking this extreme.

In the meanwhile, all is well. Hope things are happy in your little corner of the globe. If you’re feeling up to a little adventure, drop by and visit….we’ve got a guest room and leftovers!

I have a love/hate relationship with Kroger. Sometimes I’m really impressed with what they have to offer – totally free pasta, steep discounts on manager’s special filets of sell-by-today seafood or soda, four 12-can packs for $11 (that’s like $0.23 a can people!). And sometimes I leave totally stupefied by the absurdity of the things I have seen. Case in point – stickers. Kroger gets some sick, misguided satisfaction from their environmentally-friendly policy of planting a giant sticker that reads “Less plastic? Fantastic! Thanks! You saved a plastic bag!” on all large or bulky items you carry-out of the store as-is instead of having it placed in a plastic bag…….um, does any one else see the irony here?

Where oh where do I begin!? First of all, it is highly unlikely that anyone shopping at Kroger is thinking, “Whoa, Nelly! Let me get this straight: If I opt not to use a landfill-clogging plastic bag (that I always put in the plastic bag recycle bin anyway) for this economy-sized package of Soft N’ Fluffy toilet paper that doesn’t even fit in a plastic bag, I get, gasp!, a sticker!? YES!! This totally awesome sticker is so worth saving a plastic bag!” Like everybody else in this world, I too love stickers, but really and truly Kroger, nobody is that excited about your stickers that they’re willing to give up a plastic bag if they need one. The sticker does not entice me to use or not to use a plastic bag.

Secondly, can we take a moment to discuss the utter and complete waste of time, money, and materials that goes into these stickers? I’m nearly positive that the cost of their existence far exceeds any potential benefit they may provide to the environment. For example, today I purchased eight boxes of soda and two cartons of milk. If you’re counting, that’s ten stickers they gave me. TEN. One (or, you know, none) would have been a sufficient “thank you!” The bagger actually wasted about two minutes of her time carefully placing a sticker on every single box of soda and gallon of milk I bought. You know what I’m going to do with those stickers? That’s right! Open trash can, insert sticker. I honestly would not be in the least bit offended if I didn’t receive a single sticker on my bulk items.  At ten stickers a person, they must hand out millions every day! Millions of stickers that cost money (and, um, plastic) to produce. Millions of stickers – with plastic backings – that will end up in landfill. And all of this to promote saving plastic! I am in awe of the brilliance at work here. But on the plus side I saved $33.37 and ten plastic bags by shopping at Kroger today! Sheer. Excellence.

As previously promised I have a delicious recipe to share with you today! I yanked it out of a magazine some time ago and, in true Lara fashion, have added my own personal touches and edits to it. This is a recipe for Chinese chicken (I’m pretty sure it’s sponsored by Kraft & Jell-O – so I in no way take credit for it). It’s easy to make, fairly healthy, and every time we make it we’re always impressed by how potent the flavors are for so few ingredients. I brought leftovers of it to work yesterday and every single person who walked into the room took one sniff and promptly declared “Something smells amazing! What is that!?” So I thought I’d share the goodness.

Source

Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

1. The chicken: Using the steaming method, bake about 1 lb. of fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs if you prefer dark meat) in the oven. I lay them all out on a piece of tinfoil, tightly seal the tinfoil together to create a steamer bag, and throw them in the oven on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. It comes out perfectly. Once done, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. The rice: I use Basmati Jasmine rice. You shouldn’t have a problem finding it at any local grocery store. It’s a white rice that’s often used in Thai and Indian dishes. It’s really mild rice that’s an excellent base for soaking in flavors like ginger, garlic, lemon and smoked mushrooms if you like to add a little more flavor to your dishes. Anyhow, I simmer 1 cup of the rice in 1.5 cups of salty water on the stove for 20 minutes and set it aside to keep warm.
3. The sauce: In a small bowl mix together one small 4-oz. package of sugar-free lemon jello mix and 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch. Heat up 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Add the dry lemon jello and cornstarch mix to the broth and stir. Add 2 Tbsp. of Kraft’s light zesty Italian dressing and three cloves of minced fresh garlic to the broth. Stir well. If you want to get all fancy (and you do) you can even add a teaspoon of ground ginger paste for extra oomph.
4. The veggies: Cut up two large handfuls of fresh sugar snap peas, one red bell pepper, and 1/2 a can of full baby corns into pieces. On medium-high heat, cook the veggies in a skillet on the stove for about 8 minutes in a little bit of spray oil, stirring constantly.
5. Put it all together: Add the chicken and the sauce to the skillet of vegetables. Reduce heat to medium and stir together for about 5 minutes. Serve over the Jasmine rice.

This recipe is seriously delicious. There’s so few ingredients and it’s so simple to make – but the result is so tasty! If you’re keeping with the no meat during Fridays in Lent you can substitute the chicken for shrimp and I’m sure it would be just as delicious. Someone out there please try this and tell me about it so all my typing wasn’t in vain!

And finally, if you’re not over the whole reading thing yet, I have Day 3 of the photo blog challenge for you….tomorrow. Have a great Monday!

I slacked on posting a blog yesterday – a rarity apparently when your parents call to check in on you because its been a day and a half since your last post. However, it was Friday and I wasn’t about to intrude on an impromptu date night with my husband to type a blog about Chinese food and ribbon cutting ceremonies that could easily wait until today. It was well worth my absence.

Thursday night’s fried rice and crab rangoon experiment turned out to be pretty pleasing! I have a few minor tweaks in mind for the next time I make homemade Chinese takeout, mostly to enhance texture, but for a first-time attempt it was surprisingly delicious.

The fried rice was simple. I used brown minute rice, bits of sliced pork, scrambled egg, chicken broth, soy sauce, and diced veggies (carrots, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, green onion, and bamboo). In the future I’ll add in peas and baby corn as well. The rangoons were slightly more work, but still easy enough. I combined low fat cream cheese, crab meat, minced onion, a tiny bit of milk and light mayo, garlic salt, and green onions in a small bowl. I dropped a small scoop of the filling into square wonton wrappers, sealed them with water and threw them in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes. Aside from being baked instead of fried, they tasted quite similar to the ones you get at Chinese restaurants!

On Friday morning I got to watch a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Cincinnati mayor, an obnoxious pair of massive gold scissors, every media & television outlet in a 100 mile radius, and the lead researcher/archeologist/underwater explorer for the recent Cleopatra findings yesterday morning at work to usher in the grand opening of Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. Cincinnati is the 2nd of only 5 U.S. cities to have this National Geographic special exhibit, so it’s a big deal and it was pretty sweet. After work I headed over to the CCM Starbucks on the UC campus to enjoy my relaxing weekly treat of a chai latte while I immersed myself in an enjoyable memoir for several hours and waited for Ted to finish work for the day. Ted introduced me to a member of the theatre faculty who hails from San Antonio. We had a great conversation about the area and it was so nice to talk to someone from home and have them understand all the streets, highways, traffic patterns, surrounding cities and weather! After that Ted & I went out for a beer and dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. We finished off the night at home, cuddled up on the couch watching an action movie. It was an excellent night of talking, hanging out and enjoying each other’s company – especially since Ted’s work schedule has been so crazy lately.

I had a great, busy day at work again today while Ted got a lot done on his first day off in a long time! We had coupons to use up before the end of February, so after I finished work we met for Skyline Chili (a local Cincinnati favorite – Greek chili with spices like nutmeg and cinnamon) and Baskin Robbins ice cream this afternoon (another great date! Reminds me so much of our life in Lansing when we were dating!). Then Ted ran off to work for the night and I went home to fetch more memoirs from the library (I’m addicted), grab a few basics from Kroger, and read myself to sleep.

I took this picture of an amazing sunset we had the other night. I’m adoring the glorious warm, breezy weather and the great sunsets that come with it!

Also, my wonderful mother sent me pictures of Sancho. Lest you think this blog is really about anything other than my handsome fur-angel (silly you), let me set the record straight: my blog is subject to constant Sancho appearances, simply because there is no such thing as too much Sancho.

Happy weekend!

While my husband is outside at 9:30 pm shoveling mountains of snow off our ridiculously long driveway, I figured I’d do something helpful too….like blog. In all honesty I do feel bad that he’s out there doing manual labor while I’m inside sitting on my butt, but that’s the downside of only having one shovel. Maybe I’ll surprise him and pick up a second one sometime this week so I can help too.

If I’m particularly proud of a meal I’ve cooked, I’ll take a picture to remember it by. I have no idea why I do this since a) I’m fickle and only remember to take pictures sometimes so I often miss photo ops. of really awesome meals, and b) there is no redeeming purpose to useless photographs of food you can’t taste or smell and could easily recreate should the urge arise, but I do it anyway. I’d feel dumb deleting all these pictures without even doing anything with them since I clearly wasted the time to take the pictures in the first place, so like any normal person I’m choosing to unload them on my personal blog before trashing the digital evidence – it’s way less insulting to my ego that way. So, in case you were curious (you’re not), here’s a very small sampling of the homemade meals we eat in this house when I have a say in the matter (and I do because I do the cooking). Thanks for humoring my little photo release project and pretending you have nothing better to do all day than think about what your Cincy neighbors eat for dinner (doubtful). The only forgiving feature of this post is that you now have a small menu off of which to base meal requests for when you come to visit. And contrary to practically every picture, no, green beans are not the only vegetable I know how to cook. With that disclaimer out of the way, let the feast begin!