Winter Weekends

I decided to keep Friday night quiet since I had a heck of a long week (please refer to Thundersnow for the worst of it). So after having a wonderful talk with my beautiful friend Wendy, I decided to pour a glass of wine and do a little cooking and baking. On the menu for dinner was a simple pantry inspired dinner. 

Pasta with a spicy mushroom tomato sauce: (2 servings)

Whole Wheat Spaghetti

1 can whole tomatoes

1/2 package sliced white mushrooms

1 small onion chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

sprinkle of crushed red pepper

1 can Cannellini Beans (or other white bean)

Salt and Pepper

Cook pasta as directed on packaging Sautee onions in butter and olive oil for about 3 minutes, add mushrooms, continue to cook for another 3 minutes then add tomatoes, crushed pepper, and S+P. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then add beans. Add pasta and toss....delicious and quick and hearty! 

Onto to the chocolate!!! I had a craving for chocolate, no surprise there, and what happened to be on the cover of my new Bon Appetit?? Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts, sign me up...I love to bake and might even go out on a limb here and say I prefer baking to cooking. But I think that it might just be the Goldsmith sweet tooth that has me saying that. I love to read Bon Appetit (and Gourmet magazine before it went under) but the recipes always seem a little bit challenging or maybe a little to exotic for me to try. Take for instance brown butter. This is a very common cooking term, used in many many recipes out there. Brown butter is just another way to add depth of flavor to what you are cooking. You wouldn't think that this little term would scare me away from a recipe, but you would be wrong. I have avoided any and all recipes with brown butter included in the title. I was afraid to try it because very simply I was afraid to burn the butter instead of brown it...I was afraid to fail. But this is a new year,  and a time to try new things. So I dove head first into the recipe. I already had all of the ingredients in my pantry (it really was a night of pantry cooking). I read through the recipe carefully, making sure I didn't miss a thing. I started with the browned butter, 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter cooked over medium heat for about 5 minutes. I watched intently as the butter began to foam and bubble. The grip on my spoonula was vice like. I was determined not to let this butter burn. I adjusted the flame a few times throughout the 5 minutes trying to gauge the correct temperature. As the little bits of brown began to form I immediately turned the heat off and continued to stir. I added the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, water, and salt and VOILA I did not burn the butter, success!! I went ahead and finished adding the rest of the ingredients and popped the brownies into the oven. I left the kitchen came over to my computer to respond to an email and after what I thought was about 10 minutes (I never actually looked at the clock) I realized I never set the timer!! Oh no I was not going to let these brownies go to waste. So I ran to the kitchen swung open the oven door to find the brownies were still safe. You better believe I was keeping a close eye on them for the duration of their baking. Once the toothpick came out clean I knew that I had least gotten them out of the oven safely without over cooking. Now just what would they taste like? Would the browned butter really make a difference?

 I waited about 10 minutes, that was all my patience would allow. I cut into the warm, gooey chocolate, took a bite and mmmm a little taste of browned butter heaven. I could've eaten half of the pan but I stopped at two small pieces :) The rest are for my weekend buddies Sarah and Emily who I will be joining for a 2 hour Zumbathon later today to burn off these little critters! You can find the recipe here: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/02/cocoa_brownies_with_browned_butter_and_walnuts

Thundersnow!

So yesterday on my way home from work I was caught up in a little thing called Thundersnow. Never heard of it?? Well, neither had I. Apparently, it is a thunderstorm with snow. My 12 mile commute turned into a snow laden 6 hour drive from hell. I left DC at 5:30 pm to make my way towards my home for a drive that usually takes 25 minutes. Little did I know so was every federal employee in the vicinity. I literally inched my way home in slushy, wet, slippery snow. Praying every minute just to get home safe. With the few bursts of lightening to brighten the sky, I could of sworn I was an extra in an apocalyptic movie as I pass by abandoned cars.
And what does my commute from hell do to me?? It makes me darn hungry and cranky. With only 5 little Dove chocolates at my disposal (I swear I usually have more random snacks hidden in my car usually) I was starving. In cold weather I crave soup. I love nothing more than cooking a homemade comforting soup. And this one was waiting patiently at home for me.

 This soup was inspired by Sweet Velvet a delicious soup that I ate while in CT for my girls weekend. This was my attempt at a recreation:

Sweet Potato Jalapeno Corn Soup
3-4 medium sweet potatoes
1 bag frozen sweet corn kernals
2 Tbsp. jarred Jalapenos
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
32 oz. low sodium chicken broth (you can use vegetable or any other you have on hand)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot saute onions in olive oil for 3-4 minutes or until slightly translucent. Add sweet potatoes and broth and bring to boil. Once boiling lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Add 3/4 of the bag of corn and 1 tbsp. jalapenos. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth (you can also use a blender or food processor). Add cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper, the rest of the corn kernals and jalapenos for texture. Put the soup on low and heat another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. The soup will be spicier the longer you let it sit. Feel free to adjust jalapenos to your taste preference.

I was thoroughly comforted by this yummy soup! Although I'm not sure it is an exact replica of the one I enjoyed in CT. I might make a few adjustments next time, such as adding 1-2 tbsp. sugar or adding lime juice and cilantro as a garnish.

Hopefully I will never again be stuck in a Thundersnow in my car :)

2011 here we go...

So I usually forgo the traditional New Year's resolution. I seem to have issues with committing to a single resolution and sticking to it. However, this year I have resolved to refocus and reflect on my life. As an outlet I thought I would try at least one new recipe each week and write about it. I started with a little hand written journal, but as I started to tell people of my little adventure I was convinced to start a blog.

I did not know where to start with a blog, so what did I do but google it! Google did not fail me so here I am....

Week 1-Up first was a Spinach, Mushroom, Potato Pancake crusted Quiche courtesy of Everyday Rachel Ray. I have made quiche many a times. It is quick and an easy way to use up those extra eggs laying around the house and whatever else I may have on hand. I made a few adjustments to make the recipe lighter (using skim milk instead of 2%, reduced fat swiss, and loading up with extra spinach). The result a delightful salty, savory dish. Way to go recipe #1!! This year is starting off right!

Next up...Yet another Rachel recipe. Butternut Squash, Red Onion, and Radicchio Pizza!! OK, I was really excited for this one. It was a recipe that was not quite out of my comfort zone but was a definite change of pace. I have yet to meet a pizza I did not like, so I thought I would give it a go. I love love love butternut squash but I have never once used radicchio while cooking. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration as I do like radicchio in my pre-packaged salad mixes. This was a hearty vegetable filled pizza with just enough garlic to add pizazz. Let's just say I ate it for the rest of the week and never once felt disappointment in my leftovers.

Still on week 1 and onto my third new recipe, Peanut Butter Pie courtesy of Sandra Lee (do you see a FoodNetwork theme starting here). Very easy recipe with great results. I made this for a small dinner party with close friends. I made healthy adjustments once again (1/3 less fat cream cheese, Fat Free whipped topping, natural PB) and it did not upset the outcome. Peanut Butter + chocolate, enough said! I will be using this one again.
Same dinner party--Shrimp Scampi. My friend Kristen swears I have made shrimp scampi for her before, but I'm not convinced. I have eaten scampi many a times but I do not recall ever making it from scratch. I used a simple recipe (whole wheat pasta, shrimp, olive oil, garlic, parsely, shallots, lemon zest/juice, white wine and S+P). I thought it needed something a little more. I would probably add just a little butter next time and let the flavors develop into the pasta before adding the shrimp. I want to go another round with scampi.

Week 2- Creamy Shrimp and Tomato Soup---my first beautiful disaster. With all of my good intentions of creating my recipes healthier sometimes it just is not the way to go. I was following a recipe (one found on yet another handy google search) and decided to use Fat Free half and half instead of the regular half and half. In my mind I knew that this option was not a smart decision. I had a feeling that it would not properly set the soup. And oh was I right....lesson learned listen to your gut when cooking!!!!! This soup could have been great, if I had just done it the way it was supposed to be done. The flavors developed but the texture never did. Leaving me with a separated cream and tomato soup with little shrimps bobbing about it. I pledge never again to use fat free half and half while creating soups!

Week 3--- JMU Girls Weekend!! Bring on a weekend full of wine, food, and good friends. I traveled up to the little town of Madison, CT to spend the weekend with my best friends from college. In hopes to save some money we decided to stay at my friend Kate's parents new house (they had yet to move in) and camp out! Another attempt to save some money was cooking in one evening. It was so great to enjoy some wine and cook dinner all together. Kristen had the idea to make shrimp risotto! With no recipe we winged it. I had made risotto a few times before so I had a good idea of where to start. It was fun sharing my little knowledge of risotto with the girls. I made the first batch with shallots, garlic, butter, white wine, peas, shrimp, vegetable broth and parmesean. I wouldn't usually use vegetable broth but we had a vegetarian in the house so I gave it a try. While, I did enjoy the outcome I would have preferred the chicken broth it has a lighter taste and coloring. The broth we used had a rich brown color which I felt was off putting for risotto. The second batch Kristen took over and showed us her stuff! With little left to wash out of the bowl I think it was a success.

I'm looking forward to a new year, new recipes, new tastes, and a new outlook on life! Bring it on 2011.