Easter Leftovers

It's springtime ya'll! And these past two weekends were the perfect spring weekends.  Last weekend was enjoyed in Richmond hanging with friends at new breweries, and celebrating Easter with the Goldsmith family. This past weekend, the Laible clan was in town so we decided to spend the day wandering Mt. Vernon. It was my first time visiting the estate and I was more than impressed. The beautiful views of the Potomac were breathe taking and the rich history was an educational treat.

The kitchens in historic homes always fascinate me. The fact that the cooks could feed an entire estate worth of family members and workers with just a big fireplace, some basic utensils, no refrigeration, and a smokehouse astounds me. I mean really a few dull knives, a few pieces of pottery, and an open fire was all they needed. It made me reassess all the kitchen gadgets that clutter my drawers and cabinets. Do I really need them all?? Probably not!

For Lent, I decided to give up chocolate. That was not an easy feat for me, but I made it through the forty days! This year, I made my annual Chocolate Babka a la SmittenKitchen and I think it may be getting better with each passing year. My awesome Aunt Beth placed a delicious chocolate bunny at each table setting for Easter breakfast and I was saving mine for something special. I had picked up some hard to find peanut butter chips at Trader Joe's the week before and decided what would be more delicious then peanut butter chip and chocolate chunk cookies! So bye bye bunny it was.

Peanut Butter Chip and Chocolate Chunk Cookies (makes about 24 cookies)
(adapted from the Trader Joe's recipe)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (unbleached)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup no stir almond butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. peanut butter chips
1 small dark chocolate bunny, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, almond butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer (or standing mixer) cream butters and sugars together until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and milk and combine. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined (do not over mix). Fold in peanut butter chips and chopped chocolate.  Form dough into balls (about 2 Tbsp. worth of dough). Bake for 8-10 minutes (for me it was about 9:30). They should just be set and slightly golden brown around the edges.

These cookies come out slightly chewy with a nice little crunch on the bottom. The combo of peanut butter and chocolate, I mean really do I need to say more! These would be perfect to bring along to a cookout or even just to keep in the cookie jar at home. Just beware they will go fast!

I'm so happy I have been able to be with family and friends these last two weekends and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. It reminds me that the people closest to me are the most important thing in the world. There is a comfort to spending time with the people who know you best. During this time of year I can't help but feel hopeful for what's to come in the next few months. Looking at all of the new flowers and blossoming trees reminds me that there is always a time to change and improve!

Sliders

If you follow me on Instagram you had a little sneak peek at this week's post. OK, so maybe I posted the pic last week and maybe I promised you a post last week. But alas, life happened. And I have to say it's been a busy life I've lead these last few weeks. Today was a much needed day off that was preempted with an impromptu snow day, woohoo! So a four day weekend was exactly what the doctor ordered. With that said, I'm backing up my promise to share this awesome recipe. 

Recently, I have decided to slowly introduce red meat back into my diet. It has been about 15 years since I've regularly eaten red meat. I do not count the occasional Big Mac enjoyed throughout my college years. I have a weakness for the secret sauce! It was not an easy decision to enter this particular food product back into my diet. I have educated myself on what the beef industry does to our planet and to our bodies. I didn't want to be placing something toxic in my body. I'm trying to detoxify here people. But I did know, that my body was craving red meat and there was a reason for it. 

This lead me to a pact that if I was going to eat red meat, I better know the source and know that it is grass fed. I myself do not claim to be an expert in nutrition, but being in the health and wellness business it is my job to be educated. So if you're interested in why I made this decision, here are some great resources on why grass fed is better: Chris Kresser, NPR, Food Revolution 

So as I introduce this real food back into my diet, I want to think of ways to highlight the meat and what better way than a good ole' American Hamburger. Keeping the portion size right I made sliders. Take note, grass fed beef will cook faster so be sure to watch closely to achieve desired temperature. It is slightly chewier than your corn fed beef so you do not want to over cook. 

Sliders with Sautéed Mushrooms, Onions, a Pomegranate Reduction and Bleu Cheese

(makes 6 sliders)

1 pound grass fed ground beef

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 large onion, sliced thinly

1 package sliced white button mushrooms

1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 

Crumbled Blue Cheese to top sliders 

Small French Rolls, split and slightly toasted 

Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and thyme. Form into six small meatball sized balls. Grill on grill pan for about 3-4 minutes each side. On second side, uses panini press to press into burgers. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in a separate sauté pan, add mushrooms and onions and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until vegetables develop a deep brown caramelized color. Remove vegetables from sauté pan. In the same pan, add 1 Tbsp. butter, pomegranate molasses, and vinegar cook for 2-3 minutes stirring consistently until mixture reduces by half. Assemble sliders with burger, mushrooms/onions, bleu cheese and top with pomegranate reduction. Enjoy! 

If you're gluten free eliminate the rolls and serve over a bed of lettuce. If you notice I drizzled a bit of the reduction over my salad and it was scrumptious. Well it's back to work tomorrow!! Until next time... 

Easiest Soup Ever 1,2,3 GO!

Happy Snow Day to all you east coasters! We have a beautiful blanket of snow here in Virginia. And what does that mean for me? SNOW DAY! A few inches of snow mean an unexpected and much welcome day off. I'm excited to have the extra day to plan for my weekend visitor, yay Tara! I will be researching what's going on in the area to entertain my guest for the next few days. Any ideas?? Let me know!

So, what defines a snow day more than a warm and comforting soup for lunch?! Nothing. This will literally be the easiest soup you ever throw together. You can thank me later. It's warm and comforting and I guarantee almost everyone will love it. It is slightly reminiscent of early spring. While I enjoy the view of the crisp white snow, I will dream
of early spring when the crocuses start to pop up from the frozen ground.

Easy Pea Soup
3 boxes of frozen peas
4 scallions, white part only minced
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 15 oz. can of low sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups water
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and add scallions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add peas, broth, and water. Allow to come to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly. Then with an immersion blender, blend until desired consistency is reached. You may need to add a little water if you prefer a thinner soup. Finish with a little french sea salt and serve with warm cheesy toast. Savor the easiest soup you'll ever make.

Feel free to substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. A nice addition would be a few sprigs of mint to really kick up the feel of spring. I hope you all stay safe and enjoy the beautiful winter day. After digging my car out of the snow, I will be curling up later with a warm cup of tea and cheering on Team USA. I'm loving the Olympics!

Cherry Cheese Danishes

It's February, which means most people have abandoned their new year's resolutions and Valentine's Day is around the corner. I talked a lot about my goals and wishes for the new year in my last post but I didn't lay them out. One of my goals is to whittle down my credit card debt. And so far, I have been sticking to my guns. Part of that means I need to be much more frugal with my entertainment and food budget. You would really be surprised how much one person can spend on food in a month. Seriously, it's a lot! So I'm trying to be creative with the contents of my pantry and really try to use as much of it as I can. As I survey the contents, what is staring straight back at me but a can of light cherry pie filling. Now why may you ask is that in my pantry?? I'm not particularly fond of cherry pie and it's not an ingredient I use often. I had purchased it to use in my grandmother's holiday squares recipe but opted for a can of blueberry pie filling instead. So what to do with the filling?? After a few minutes on Pinterest the idea of a cherry cheese danish came to mind. This is a super easy and semi-homemade recipe.  

 With very little effort you will have the perfect Valentine's Day good morning treat.

Cherry Cheese Danishes

1 tube crescent rolls

1/2 block (4 oz.) of softened light cream cheese

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon juice 

1/2 can light cherry pie filling (reduced sugar) 

egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp. water for brushing) 

Preheat oven to 375 degree oven or follow directions on tube of rolls. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet unroll and separate crescent rolls. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Using a small spatula, spread cheese mixture evenly over the crescent rolls until completely used up. At the wide end of the roll, place about 1 heaping tsp. of cherry filling. Continue with the rest of the rolls. Holding the wide end of the roll, take the narrow end over top the filling and around. Note: this will not seal the filling in, you will still see some cherry filling on each side. Brush assembled danishes with egg wash. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until danishes are golden brown. 

I hope you all are off to enjoy the Superbowl! Go Seahawks!! Don't forget to follow my blog if you like what you see! 

Happy New Year..Shake, Shake, Shake!

So I'm a little late to the game here, but Happy New Year! Is it just me, or are you really excited for 2014? I have this wonderful feeling that 2014 will be filled with adventures, new realizations of who I am, and a year of friendship, happiness and fun. Wow, do I sound optimistic! I have been thinking about my goals and aspirations for this year. What do I want to accomplish? Who do I want to be? As I near the age of 30 I am constantly trying to understand if I have become the woman I had always imagined I would be. Am I kind? Am I caring? Am I the type of friend that would drop everything in a minute to be with a friend in need? Am I spontaneous? Am I a good example for others? Do I make a difference in this world if even on the smallest scale? If I were to look back on my life would I have any regrets? These are the questions that keep me up at night, plus a thousand more! And honestly, I don't think I can answer these questions every day with a true yes. But there are other days where I can say for sure I am happy with the person I have morphed into over these 28 years on earth. That being said, I want this year to be a fresh start, a fresh outlook, a fresh everything.

Happy Days wine tasting in Loudon County

My good friend Kristen sent me a link a little over two weeks ago. It was a 100 day challenge. And she challenged me to join in on the fun. The purpose is to take a picture each day for 100 days of something that has made you happy. How great is that?!! You can check it out here: 100happydays

A good book definitely makes me happy: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight! 

I am on Day 17, and it has made me appreciate the small things in my life that really make me happy. The challenge has made me look forward to finding that perfect picture to capture my feeling of joy. It has had a truly positive affect on my mood. It isn't a competition about who can get the best picture or who is the happiest person in the world. It is about being thankful for what we do have and keeping the focus on positive instead of the negative. They say that 71% of people fail at completing the 100 days. This girl, hopefully, will not be one of them.

And this mornings sunrise gave life to this good morning shake! 

Speaking of happy, this good morning shake definitely amps the happy! It is fruity, nutritious, satisfying, and so so easy. The perfect way to start the day. It's packed with electrolytes from the coconut water, heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the flaxseed, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, and manganese from the fruits! It only comes in at about 150 calories, so pair it with a slice of whole grain bread slathered with almond butter and you have a complete and delicious breakfast.

Mixed Fruit Good Morning Shake Shake Shake
1 small ripe banana (I like using really ripe almost brown bananas for lots of flavor!)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
3-4 small frozen strawberries
Handful of fresh blackberries (you can totally use frozen)
2 Tbsp. ground golden flaxseed
1/2 cup-3/4 cup Coconut Water (depending on how thick you like your shakes)
juice from half a large lemon

Blend all ingredients together with an immersion blender or regular blender. Enjoy with your favorite straw!

Here is to a happy 2014! Can't wait to share more delicious recipes with you all. Love to all!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Autumn, fall, automne, otoño. However you say it, it is my favorite time of year. The crisp air, changing colors, cinnamon, apples, pumpkins, and the smell of campfires are just a few reasons why I love the season. Oh and soup. Lots and lots of soup. From butternut squash to curried cauliflower, this time of year I'm a soup fiend. Just today, I fired up a lentil and spinach soup to pack up for my weekly lunches. But that is to share another time. 

Winter squash is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with in the fall. There are so many ways to prepare it. Spaghetti squash is one very versatile varietal of the squash family that I absolutely LOVE. In this recipe, I use it as a base layer in a scrumptious casserole bake. I pair it with smoky cumin chicken thighs, turkey bacon, spinach, topped off with a slight kick from the crushed red pepper. This yields a 9x13 pan and fed me for lunch for the entire week (and surprisingly enough I didn't get sick of it!). It is not calorie dense so use it as a side or double the portion of chicken to make it more of a main dish. A great vegetarian option, substitute the bacon and chicken for cumin roasted chickpeas. Kale would also work well if you don't have spinach on hand. 

Spaghetti Squash Bake
1 large Spaghetti Squash
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. butter 
5 thin turkey bacon slices
1/2 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper
1-15 oz. can of low sodium diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 
1/4 tsp/-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
1 bay leaf 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half and drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt. Roast the squash cut side up in the oven fro 25-30 minutes or until tender and easy to shred with a fork. While the squash is roasting, crisp the bacon in a skillet for about 3-4 minutes each side then set aside. In a large skillet, heat butter. Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and cumin on each side then add to the skillet. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes each side. Once cooked, remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate (reserving juices and butter in the pan). In the same pan, add tomatoes, bay leaf, spinach, and red pepper. Combine all ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes until flavors combine. Prepare a 9x13 pan greasing with butter. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. 

Using a fork scrape the spaghetti squash away from the skin so that it shreds. Press squash into the 9x13 pan creating the first layer of the bake. Remove bay leaf from tomato/spinach mixture. Layer half of the tomato mixture over the squash. Cut chicken and bacon into cubes/pieces. Layer all of the chicken and bacon on top of the tomato, then finish with the rest of the tomato/spinach mixture. Bake the entire casserole for about 20-25 minutes or until set and piping hot. 

I'm hoping to take full advantage of the beautiful weather and get back into the running groove. With 4.5 miles down yesterday, I feel like a running streak is about to begin. I love this time of year to run, not as much sweating and clean pollen free air! Now I just need some sunny skies and it will be damn near perfect. 

I hope you give this recipe a try, it is tasty and so easy to throw together. Alright all, I'm going to skim through my many cookbooks and internet recipes for some upcoming posts. Suggestions always welcome! 

Writer's Block

I'm having what one might call culinary writer's block. I just can't seem to come up with the perfect recipe to share with my loyal followers (all 12 of you!). I have been inspired this past week or so to create something new and out of the box. Although, most people would not describe me as an out of the box kind of gal. I tend to lean more towards the understated classic. I don't really like to stand out in the crowd or be ever too trendy. I like tradition. I live by it. I am that 28 year old who still believes that Sunday church should be followed by a deliciously slowly cooked Sunday meal to be shared with friends and family. Do I do this as often as I would like? No. Last weekend, I celebrated my 28th year on this earth. My sister made the trip from NY to spend the weekend with me. We traveled to the renowned restaurant Volt in Frederick, MD. The restaurant is owned by Brian Voltaggio who graced my TV screen on Top Chef and Top Chef Master's. To put it lightly, I'm a huge fan. Like seriously, I dream about the food this man comes up with. When I learned that one of the dishes he created on Top Chef Master's, Calamari Bolognese, was still on the menu I was exhilarated. My sister luckily shares my affinity for fine dining and culinary geniuses so we made a trip of it. The meal was an experience to say the least. The combinations were something that would never pass through my mind but so perfectly melded together to form a dance on my taste buds. Each bite that passed over my fork was savored and enjoyed. The ambiance was that of sophistication and I finely felt almost like a grown-up (almost). It was the perfect way to spend my birthday.

MEYER LEMON aerated white chocolate, pudding of ruby grapefruit, sorbet of celery hearts and leaves, coriander blooms, crisp cardamom and bitter cocoa--Volt Restaurant, Frederick, MD

The culinary experiences kept coming. Just this weekend with my best friend and her mother in tow, we descended upon Rustico for brunch. Rustico is nice little restaurant in the heart of Ballston. I've been there for both brunch and dinner in the past, always walking away satisfied. The menu features some culinary twists that can still please the masses. One of the most interesting dishes that we tried, was the fried deviled eggs. Ummm, can I just say hells yah! They were crisp and light on the outside and creamy goodness on the inside. I also delighted in a butternut squash and frisee salad. The butternut squash was finely julienned and blanched to perfection, served with tart cranberries, pepitas and a light vinaigrette.
Needless to say, as of late I have been surrounded by delightful culinary experiences. This has lead to my ever so lengthy culinary writer's block. How can I possibly create a recipe that could even come close to standing up to these ingenious concoctions?  For now, I will just share my experiences with you until I can find something worthy of these pages. With a plethora of fall ingredients I'm sure I will come up with something soon. I have a stack on Bon Appetit magazines that are just waiting for me to dive into. Here's to wishing there is inspiration within those pages. Until next time, Cheers!