Spiced Apple Coffee Cake / What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm back! And just in time for the holidays! Actually, I'm just doing a mini-Thanksgiving this year since it'll just be me and Bobby, so no new Thanksgiving Super-Post for you. But I am coming back with a bang, regardless, because today I'm sharing a recipe for the best (and I do mean BEST) spiced-apple coffee cake you will ever taste. But as part of that, I'm going to steal a little blog-thing from my friend, Beth Ann, and do a What I'm Loving Wednesday post because I think they're such a cute idea. And a good way to re-ignite the blog! So here we go.

What I'm Loving

1) Bobby's home! He's been gone for two months doing away rotations in South Carolina and Florida and now he is back home, in the cold, with ME! And Gus and Shadow. No, it did not go quickly, and do not suggest anything otherwise to me. I really did try to cook in his absence...for about a week. And then I gave up and spent the following 7 weeks eating stir-fried veggies, Healthy Pop and apples, cheese and crackers, carrots and celery with hummus, etc. I'm going to have to be very careful not to balloon now that he's back and I'm cooking again. It's Thanksgiving week so I'll be a little lenient on my diet this week, but next week--back to it!


2) These two, for obvious reasons.




3) Baby Lily is going to be born today! Bobby's sweet cousin Katie, and her husband Noah, are at the hospital and in labor right now. They will be the most amazing parents and cannot wait to meet the new addition to the family! The question remains...will she be blonde? or a redhead?

4) Apples. I love fall because I get the best apples. I'm *kind of* an apple snob, and I'm extremely picky...but I can't help it! I'm from Washington! What do you expect? But I love going to Kroger or Whole Foods these days (mostly Kroger, the budget is super-tight right now) and stocking up for the week on Braeburns, Granny Smiths, Fujis, Cameos...the list goes on. I want them cold and crisp. Don't give me a mushy apple. If you do, I'll just feed it to Bobby.

5) Pandora. Obviously not a new thing, but I've got it on almost all the time now. It's great with headphones for work when people are clipping their nails over the cube wall. Dis.Gus.Ting.

6) My Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You ringtone! I don't think this requires explanation. And just the fact that we're entering the Christmas season...just love it! Christmas music, lights, scents, gingerbread! All of it!

7) And finally, the best (seriously best) Spiced Apple Coffee Cake in the world. I got this recipe from one of my cooking technique classes at Williams-Sonoma. So you know it's delicious! When I tried the sample in class, I nearly melted. And at the time, had no one to make it for! So I waited patiently and made it for Bobby on Monday evening so the whole apartment would smell like spiced apples when he came home, and that way he'd have yummy breakfast all week long. I can't stop "trimming the edges" as my dad would say. And do you know why? Because it has the best ingredient in the world. And I'm not talking about butter, Julie Powell. Although butter, real butter, is in there too. The best ingredient in the world, in my opinion, is: Cream Cheese. Have you ever had anything with cream cheese that you didn't swoon over? I didn't think so. It gives it the perfect texture. So I know we're on the tail end of Fall, but please make this ASAP! You won't regret it.

Williams-Sonoma Spiced Apple Coffee Cake

For the cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, 1 lb. total, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped (I used Granny Smiths...yum-o)
2 Tbs. strained fresh orange juice, lemon juice or apple juice (I used lemon, because that's what I had on hand)
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

For the vanilla glaze:

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 Tbs. condensed skim milk, warmed, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or square baking pan. If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, toss the apples with the juice. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sug ar, cardamom and cinnamon. Add to the apples and toss to coat. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions and beat well until smooth. Using a large rubber sp atula, gently fold in the apples just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let co ol for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, the 2 Tbs. milk and the vanilla until smooth and pourable. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more milk, a few drops at a time, if needed.

Flip the cake on a wire rack set to cool. While the cake is warm, drizzle with the glaze. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges or squares to serve.

Delicious! OK here's a photo of our cake (minus one piece...) and a photo from Williams-Sonoma. More recipes coming soon!

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Have you noticed I gravitate toward one-dish-wonders covered in cheese? :)

I'd like to preface this post by saying I won't be cooking much this fall since Bobby will be away (see other blog for details), and cooking for 1 isn't that interesting! There will be a lot of stir-fried veggies, cheese and crackers, and hopefully just a minimal amount of pasta--but really it's the easiest thing to make for one person! I'm completely open to some suggestions though if you've got them!

And if there's interest on the part of the readers, I'm happy to post a few favorite recipes without a photo (because it's unlikely I'll actually make them). For example, I went to my technique class at Williams-Sonoma this morning (my favorite weekend ritual) and today was all about Fall Baking. I picked up some great tips and recipes, but if I were to make a whole apple coffee cake or fruit crisp, I'd just eat it! So leave some comments if you'd like some recipes even without pictures.

But back to the cheesy dinner at hand! This came out of my Cooking Light Cookbook, and definitely got both our approvals for a repeat appearance. 15 minutes prep, and total cooking time of an hour and 5 minutes--estimated 333 calories per serving. Not too shabby.


Chiles Rellenos Casserole

1/2 lb ground chicken
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
16 oz can of fat-free refried beans
(2) 4oz cans of whole green chiles, drained and cut lengthwise into quarters
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
1/3 cup flour
1 1/3 cup skim milk
couple shakes of Tabasco
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 350. Cook the chicken and onion together in a non-stick skillet over med-high heat, until browned. In a large bowl, combine the chicken mixture and the next 5 ingredients. PAM an 11x7 baking dish (you can see I went for my corning ware) and arrange half of the green chile strips in the bottom of the dish. Top the chiles with 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon the chicken mixture onto the cheese and spread gently--leaving a 1/4inch border around the edge of the dish. Cover evenly with the corn. Arrange remaining chile strips over the corn, and top with 1/2 cup cheese. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour and salt--gradually adding milk and Tabasco. Whisk until blended. Stir in eggs and egg whites, and pour whole mixture over the casserole. Bake for 1 hour and let stand 5 minutes.

Might be a lot of ingredients, but it went really quickly. You could also substitute the ground chicken for ground turkey or extra-lean beef depending on your preference. And of course, I probably added more cheese :)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Well, I finally made a cake that didn't fall apart when it came out of the pan! I'm sure the gooey caramel and fruit topping of pineapple upside down cakes had nothing to do with that, and it was all completely and totally my mad baking skillz.

Bobby usually prefers fruit-based desserts over heavy chocolate treats (weirdo), so I thought he'd really like pineapple upside down cake just for that reason. Apparently this kind of cake was a new concept for him and it was hard to tell whether or not he really liked it. Usually when we have desserts lying around, he goes through them pretty quickly--but with this, he only ate it when I served it and took it to him. I happened to really like this recipe and thought it was delicious, so I'm overruling his underwhelming reaction. He does insist he enjoyed it though, but I'm not totally buying it.

This is a pretty quick and easy recipe, but I'll note that the original calls for it to bake in a skillet instead of a cake pan. That's not a technique I've tried before, and putting my non-stick skillets in the oven to bake for a while makes me a little nervous. A Dutch oven is one thing...that's what it's intended for right? But a skillet... So anyway, I used my 9x13 cake pan, which worked fine, but it was a thinner cake, as you can tell from the photo. I think in the future I might use something between a 9x13 and a 9x9.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 can sliced pineapple, undrained
maraschino cherries
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from heat and mix in the brown sugar. Pour mixture into a baking dish and layer pineapple slices on top. Place a maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice. Separate the eggs. In a large bowl or using a mixer, beat the egg yolks until lightly fluffy. Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice, white sugar and vanilla. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Sift baking powder, flour, and salt--combine well. Beat egg whites until stiff then fold into the egg yolk mixture (this was new for me, and I've since learned it's best to have your eggs at room temp for this). Add this mixture on top of the pineapple. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.

Because of the gooey top, you won't want to use a cooling rack for this type of cake--instead wait until it cools 20 minutes or so, then turn upside-down onto a cake. You can tell from my picture that I omitted the cherries because I forgot them!

Caribbean Rice and Beans

Can you tell? It's a new background! I'm still not sure why my other once disappeared, and this one looks similar...but I thought it had a nice "recipe-ish" quality to it.

I did get back into cooking, dieting, and exercise this week! Needless to say I'm tired now :) But I feel much better. I've got lots of new recipes and cookbooks to energize me, not to mention Bobby is done with Honors Surgery and will be at home for the next 4 weeks! He'll be studying for his next set of Boards, but still--he's home!

This dish is from my Cooking Light Cookbook, and I actually found it in the "Meatless Main Dishes" chapter. Don't tell my husband (no meat, no meal). But to stick to his rule, you can tell from the photo that I paired this with flat-iron steak drizzled with Chimichurri sauce (you can get it bottled at Whole Foods, fyi) and served the Caribbean Rice and Beans as a side dish. It still makes enough for a main dish, so you could do that, or have some leftovers for lunch the next day.

As usual I probably put more cheese on than it actually calls for, negating the "Light" part of Cooking Light...but I just can't help it!

Caribbean Rice and Beans

2/3 cup water
2/3 cup uncooked instant rice
1 tsp oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 diced green bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup coarsely chopped tomato
A few shakes of salt, crushed red pepper, and cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
15 oz can black beans, drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook rice according to directions on the box, keep covered in saucepan and set aside. Coat large skillet with PAM or oil and add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes or until tender. Add chopped tomato, salt, crushed red pepper and cumin--then saute about another 2 minutes. Stir in rice, cilantro, and black beans. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with mozzarella and serve.

Depending on how fast you chop, this could take 20 minutes. Then if you'd like to serve as a side, just have your meat grilling at the same time. I think it would also be good to add some fresh corn if it's in season. Very easy, plenty for everyone--so it's great for a weeknight as a main dish or a side!

Mom's Ribs

Well, this is now two summers in a row that I've taken an unintentional blog hiatus. Summer to everyone else seems to be a time of leisure, but for me it ends up being a time of more work, more travel, and less time for anything else. Last summer I didn't blog much because Bobby was doing a mandatory AHEC rotation in Northern Kentucky. I don't actually know what AHEC stands for, but in general it's where they send the students to under-served areas for their rotations. So since I was by myself and didn't cook, I also didn't blog. This summer he has been doing Honors Surgery (translation = working an average of 90 hours per week). If you think that's some sort of hyperbole, then you should start reading my other blog to get your facts straight. Of course that also translates to a 100% share of household things. Couple that with my "long" hours at work this summer, and there just hasn't been time. But blogging, along with a renewed commitment to diet and exercise, are things I hope to pick back up now that summer and surgery are winding down and I'm feeling much more rested.

I'll be honest, I haven't cooked anything for a while, but I'm looking forward to it! So I dug through some pictures to see what I'd made but hadn't posted yet and came across my mother's baby back rib recipe. To be fair, I think she got this from her friend Deborah, but whatever. Ribs are one of those things that are really pretty easy to do, and this recipe make it so simple that it's a shame not to make them more often! You've seen my other baby back rib recipe that used a slow cooker, but this one is totally over the stove top, just in a really large pot.


Baby Back Ribs

2 lbs baby back ribs, cut into 2-3 rib sections with sharp kitchen scissors
6-8 green onions, chopped
2 T sherry
4 T rice vinegar
6 T sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water

Layer rib sections with onions in a large soup pot (about 5 qts). Combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Cover, and cook for 2 hours--but carefully rotate the rib sections often, about every 30 minutes.

When the ribs are tender, remove them. Increase the heat, and cook the sauce down until syrupy. Put the ribs back in the pan to coat, and serve with mashed potatoes.

So good, so easy :) Ribs might seem heavy for summer, but if you eat them on an outdoor patio, they're pretty perfect. Add corn or tomatoes and any meal seems more like summer, right? I warn you that I may go through another blogging dry-spell this Fall when Bobby is away for a while, but I'm officially soliciting recipes for 1 if you've got them to share! Now I have to figure out where my pretty blog background went??!

Deluxe Guacamole

Like many good cooking ideas, this one came from Whole Foods. A few months ago on a whim I picked up a container of fresh guacamole at Whole Foods (in the produce section). It was outstanding! It became a regular item in our fridge as the weather kept getting warmer. And then after a few $6-8 containers, it occurred to me to flip it over to read the ingredients, since (duh!) I could probably make it cheaper! Especially since it was made at Whole Foods, there was unlikely to be any ingredients with more syllables than "avocado". So I scribbled them down and began a guacamole adventure of sorts that has lasted most of the summer! I've been picking up fresh avocados from Kroger or Whole Foods every Sunday and mixing and matching different ingredient ideas. Since all guacamole really comes down to a ripe avocado (and not over-doing the onion), they've all been pretty good.

This past weekend, I made the "deluxe" version. It's a kitchen-sink approach to guacamole--everything that *might* go in, did. It was fantastic! You can use all of these ingredients, or just the ones you have in the fridge, and you'll get a delicious result. Serve with Restaurant Style Tositos and an ice-cold adult beverage of your choice. I love summer!


Anne's Deluxe Guacamole

4 ripe avocados (have some give, but not mushy), pits removed
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/4 yellow onion, diced (you'd think purple onion would be better because it has that tang, but yellow is much preferred if you're not a big onion fan but like a little flavor)
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced into very small pieces
2 medium-sized cloves of garlic, crushed
1 handful fresh cilantro (can substitute 1-2 tsp dried)
4-6 shakes of the Tabasco bottle
5-7 shakes of salt
2 Tbs lime juice

I recommend putting the avocados in a medium-large mixing bowl first, and mashing them with a fork. Then add all remaining ingredients and blend well with the same fork or a spoon. If you have leftovers, be sure to put them in an air-tight Tupperware container. All guacamole turns a little brownish overnight, but give it a good stir the next day and the green will come back quickly. It's still good--if not better!--the next day.

Dios mio, is it Friday yet? Also, if you're looking for more I Married a Doctor posts, I promise I didn't abandon my 2nd blog, I just prefer to write them on weekends and have been a bit occupied lately! Looking forward to a quiet weekend...

Cheesy Rice and Bean Strata

You know, for some reason I always thought "Strata" meant eggs. But I guess that's a frittata? So if you know what constitutes a strata let me know. I didn't exactly follow this recipe on this one, and it turned out delicious, and probably would have been delicious even if I had. But the main lesson I learned was: 5 cups of rice is a LOT of rice. I also learned that when you have something that calls for 5 cups of rice (and probably 5 cups of anything!) you should *always* use the dish the recipe tells you to for cooking. But it called for spinach and I forgot it at the store...so I thought since I wasn't going to use spinach that I would use a dish smaller than my 9x13 Pyrex for baking. Turns out 5 cups of rice probably doesn't fit in anything except the largest baking dish possible. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I might even take it one step further to my 9x13 Le Cruset.

So since I left out the spinach, I thought I'd throw in some fresh sweet corn because we had a few leftover cobs that wouldn't last through the week otherwise--and this time of year I just can't bear to waste good sweet corn. So to get the corn off the cob and into a casserole, you want to boil it on high for 5-8 minutes, and once it gets cool you can stand it up vertically and cut down the cob with a sharp knife. Needless to say this Cooking Light recipe made a ton! We had plenty of leftovers for the week! I also wonder if it's really "Cooking Light" if you double the cheese...hmm :) It's a great vegetarian recipe that you could easily add a lb of ground beef or turkey to if you have a "no meat, no meal" eater. But it makes enough to fill anyone up, I promise. Oh! I also have to mention that a year and a half later I started using my rice cooker! I absolutely love it and cannot believe I've been making it stove-top for so long.


Cheesy Rice and Bean Strata

2 Tbs EVOO
2 cups chopped red/purple onion (I probably did 1 cup)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 10oz package of fresh spinach (we accidentally omitted)
2 19oz cans of kidney beans, drained
16oz jar of picante sauce
12 tomato slices
5 cups cooked basmati rice
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup jack cheese, shredded
Optional 1 cup sweet corn off the cob
1-2 cups Quick Mole Marinara sauce (read on...)
Optionally top w/ sour cream and green onions

Preheat to 350 and prepare your rice. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high. Add in onion, cumin, and garlic--saute for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute another minute until the spinach wilts--then remove from heat. Combine beans and picante sauce in a large mixing bowl. PAM your baking dish and spread half of the bean mixture in the bottom. Top the mixture with 3 cups of cooked rice, and top with tomato slices. Layer on spinach mixture, remaining 2 cups of rice, and then second half of the bean mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

While that's baking, grate the cheese and cover. Then in a medium saucepan make the Mole Marinara. I completely admit I read this sauce recipe and thought it wasn't going to be worth it! But it added a great flavor to the strata and I'd make more next time. After 30 minutes in the oven, uncover the strata and top generously with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Mole Marinara

2 Tbs EVOO
3 Tbs minced Anaheim chile
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
Half jar of your favorite marinara (I used Paul Newman's Shock-a-something or other)
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp dried cilantro

Combine and heat on medium while strata bakes.

Barbecued Flank Steak w/ Chutney-Bourbon Glaze

Oh my that's a title! I love it when things sound super-fancy but really take no work at all. This was absolutely delicious, and we were heartbroken when we couldn't finish it all! The only downside was I tried a new recipe for stuffed tomatoes (shown) with ricotta, lemon zest, and garlic...which sound fantastic, but were incredibly disappointing. No thanks to Rachel Ray on that one. But the flank steak comes out of my Cooking Light Cookbook, and was great for a warm evening during the week. Could also be good for a nice Father's Day meal! Flank steak is also difficult to photograph...so it may not look as appetizing as I swear it is.



Barbecued Flank Steak with Chutney-Bourbon Glaze

1 lb flank steak
1/3 cup peach or mango chutney
1/3 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbs bourbon (or apple juice if you feel boring)
1 1/2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Tabasco 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Prepare your grill (we don't have an outdoor grill, but this worked just fine on the Forman). Add all ingredients into a large ziploc bag to marinate. Keep in the refridgerator for at least 15 minutes (I think we marinated for about an hour). Remove and place steak on grill, reserving marinade. Pour remaining marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, and remove from heat to thicken. Grill steak about 8 minutes per side or until it's cooked to your liking. Cut flank steak strips on a diagonal and serve drizzled with the glaze.

It was a great combination of flavors--I'd recommend some fresh sweet corn on the side :-) I also just learned how to boil sweet corn: remove husks and wash. Place corn cobs in large pot of water with 1/4 c sugar and bring to a boil. Boil approx 8-10 minutes and remove. Summer food is the best! :)

Summer picks

Make no mistake about it--Summer is my favorite season! The only downside is that sometimes, it's just too hot to eat. So while I cook a little less, I do have a few simple things I seem to be growing quite attached to as we hit the mid 90s...

1. Greek Yogurt

I eat a lot of yogurt, usually Yoplait Light. I got really curious about Greek yogurt a few weeks ago because I kept hearing about all the great health benefits. So I looked it up and sure enough it has nearly double the protein as regular yogurt, while staying relatively close in fat in calories. You can easily get fat free, and only about 10 additional calories--but the trade off for double the protein is completely worth it. If you like thicker yogurt, and I do, definitely give it a try. But keep in mind, not all Greek yogurt is created equal when it comes to taste! Believe me, I've tried all kinds. There are not as many flavors as you find with other yogurts....no Blueberry Pie or any of those other flavors that annoying woman on the Yoplait commercials goes on and on about. But so far both Yoplait and Dannon make plain, vanilla honey, strawberry and blueberry flavors. At Whole Foods I saw another brand with caramel. If you want to try out Greek yogurt, please please please get the Dannon! I was so disappointed going through the Yoplait, but I wasn't ready to give up. The Dannon flavors are by far the best. In the mornings I like to empty the container into a cereal bowl and add fresh berries and that new low-fat Special K Granola. I love parfaits...but just remember the ones you make yourself will always be better! Also worth noting that when I would eat the 100 calorie Yoplait, I'd be starving by lunch. With Greek yogurt, I stay full all morning. So that's huge for me. Also avoid the plain. It's a great substitute for sour cream...but it's a great substitute for a reason...

2. Veggie Sandwiches

Obviously I'm no vegetarian. I often tease Bobby that he wouldn't have even dated me if I had been...which he doesn't find funny one bit! But I've liked veggie sandwiches since high school. They remind me of Kate :) They're great because they're obviously pretty low in fat and calories, and you can always make something different. So I've been giving myself a few extra minutes in the morning to plan for additional slicing time. With extra-fiber whole grain bread (about 60-70 calories per slice), I'll add 2 Tbs of reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese to one side. Then top with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper (switch up the color for new flavors), and sprouts. For extra flavor, I've discovered that adding whole fresh basil leaves is great. If you're not a cream cheese person, you can add Dijon mustard and/or another slice of cheese like Havarti or provolone.

3. Gigantic bowls of fruit salad

This is not a new thing in my kitchen! Every Sunday during the summer time, Bobby and I raid the produce section and bring home anything and everything that's fresh. I wash the berries, he chops the melons, pineapples, and kiwis, and we throw everything into a HUGE bowl. The biggest one we have clean at the time usually. It usually lasts 3-5 days depending on the quantity, and we eat it as snacks, desserts, or side dishes all week long. No need to add poppy-seed dressing (gag me!) because a good mix will have tons of flavor and that's just a filler. The only thing to note about gigantic fruit salads is that you don't want to add bananas (they turn brown) or cherries (pits!). We keep those around all summer too, but eat them separately. But otherwise: watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are our favorites!

4. Smoothie King

With as much fruit and yogurt I keep around, you'd think I'd be all about making fresh smoothies. And I do recommend it if you can. But I'm lazy and don't like cleaning my blender that often! So I hit up Smoothie King whenever possible :)

5. Banana Coladas

Bobby and I discovered the magic of banana coladas on our honeymoon in Antigua. We now make them whenever we can find coconut milk, and bring them to the pool in freezer cups. I'm not really sure if that's allowed, but the lifeguard hasn't turned us away yet. To make a banana colada add ice, dark rum, coconut milk, fresh ripe bananas (read: brown), and powdered sugar. You may want more/less sugar depending on your preferences.

Other non-food related things I'm into right now: Yoga, spray tanning, and sundresses. I'm also starting a new blog that I wish I would have started three years ago about our whole med school...med world, really...experience. The link is over on the right column. I haven't started it yet, but I will this weekend. Just something to share our experiences, help me process things, and try to show others what our life is like as we wrap med school and enter residency in the year to come. Because if one more person thinks I'm exaggerating when I say 80hrs a week, I might hit them. 80 hours if we're LUCKY! See...I need an outlet HA!

Blog Invasion!

So Anne left town and I'm left to fend for myself. Not being the planner in the household, I decided to open up the fridge and see what I could throw together. It was a long week for both of us, resulting in many failed dinner plans. My solution? Take everything out of the veggie drawer and chop it to bits. Grab the chicken tenderloins and chop those up too. Throw them all in the wok with Tabasco and crushed red pepper. Mix it all and you have: Kitchen Sink Stir Fry

--Bobby

Banana Pudding Squares

And so ends my epic battle of conquering banana pudding! OK so maybe it wasn't epic, but it was a few years in the making. Let's just say I started with banana soup in '07, and have since found what I believe will become Bobby and I's preferred banana pudding recipe going forward. Of course, I did actually mess this one up too--but it tasted amazing anyway :) Kraftfoods.com emailed this to me a little while ago and I bookmarked it. I had planned to may keylime pie for Memorial Day, but Kroger apparently has discontinued the sale of keylime juice?? Add that to the growing list of things I'll have to get from Whole Foods. So I went with banana pudding squares as a backup, and it worked out fabulously!











Banana Pudding Squares

1 box Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers
1/4 cup or a half stick of margarine, melted
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tub of fat free or sugar free Cool Whip
3 bananas, sliced
2 packages of instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
3 cups cold skim milk
1 square of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, grated/"zested"

OK this is a modified version because I added an additional layer of NILLA wafers. Start out by separating out 40-45 NILLA wafers and crushing them very finely. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter to the crumbs and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and refrigerate. The Kraft recipe doesn't specify how long, but I'd give it at least 30 minutes. This is where I got impatient and went "wrong". In another mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1 and a half cups of the Cool Whip and whisk until blended. Spread this mixture evenly over the NILLA crumb bottom. This is where mine went in a different direction. My crumb-crust didn't set and I gave up and mixed the crumbs with the cream cheese mix. Then I firmly re-pressed the mixture into the bottom of the pan. So if you can get it into two distinct layers, great. If not...mix it, repress, and move on! Then add one layer of banana slices. In the mixing bowl used for the cream cheese mix, add the two packages of instant pudding and 3 cups of milk. Whisk quickly for 2 minutes and pour over bananas. Top with additional layer of NILLA wafers (my addition) and refrigerate until ready to serve. Right before serving, spread remaining Cool Whip over the wafers evenly. Use a lemon zester or other fine grating tool and grate the chocolate square into shavings over the top of the Cool Whip. Serve in squares.

Mine doesn't look quite as pretty as the picture on Kraftfoods.com, but it was absolutely delicious. This topped the Memorial Day meal of burgers, my first (failed) attempt at homemade baked beans, broccoli casserole, and watermelon. Needless to say we are stuffed and will be rolling ourselves back to work in the morning.

We did have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend that was absolutely perfect. On Friday we walked to Mexican food...then on Saturday we started the day by going to yoga, then followed it with a trip to Whole Foods for sushi, then to the pool with a pitcher of banana coladas for a few hours, before I surprised Bobby with massage appointments in Westport Village, and then we walked to Napa River Grill. It was perfect. Then on Sunday, Bobby played 18 holes with some of the med school guys while I went for a run...and today we hit the gym early and then spent the afternoon at the pool again with banana coladas before dinner. We don't get a lot of vacation with Bobby's schedule, so to have a full 3 day weekend together was great...even if it was a "staycation" :) So tomorrow begins June, and Bobby will wrap up Peds and his 3rd year in the next few weeks, and I'll be diving into Intern-a-palooza 2010. But definitely looking forward to another long weekend next weekend in Seattle!

Linguine w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes

I'm a huge pasta lover. My blog probably doesn't even convey how much I love pasta and all of it's carbo-loaded goodness. And that's because since I love it so much, I have to be sparing about the frequency with which I consume it! But it occurred to me earlier this year that I was trying so hard to avoid pasta in our weekly menus, that it rarely, if ever, made an appearance. I'd make spaghetti in the Winter now and then, or smoked-salmon fettuccine for special occasions, but for the most part I left it out of my weekly plans. Which, I'm sure, any nutritionist would praise! But like all things yummy and gluttonous, pasta is fine in moderation. So with moderation in mind, I'm re-integrating an occasional pasta into our dinner repertoire. Not every week...but every other week or so. In my rediscovery of pasta dinners, I'm amazed at how quickly they're prepared! This one is 15 minutes or so, and very fresh tasting--perfect for a quick summer weeknight! Courtesy of Southern Living.

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 16oz package of linguine
1 7oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup EVOO
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbs thin fresh basil strips

Drain the tomatoes and reserve 2 Tbs of the oil in the jar. Cut the tomatoes into thin strips. I discovered Bobby doesn't like the texture of sun-dried tomatoes, and if that's the case for you, I recommend dicing them instead so there's less surface area to feel the texture. Prepare the pasta according to directions, and while it's boiling... Heat the pine nuts in a large nonstick skillet over med-low heat and stir often about 5 minutes or until fragrant. No oil or butter needed. Remove them from the skillet, and increase the heat to medium and saute the garlic in the reserved oil from the tomatoes and the EVOO--just about a minute until you can smell the garlic (sorry Dad) Stir in the tomato strips and remove from heat. In a large pasta bowl, toss the pasta, the tomato/oil mixture, feta, and basil. Top each serving with pine nuts and freshly ground pepper.

As you can see from my picture, there's broccoli in my version and that's just because I had some leftover that I didn't want to waste. So with that in mind, you could up your veggie intake by adding broccoli or asparagus to your boiling pasta just as it's about to finish. And of course, you could always add grilled chicken (but despite Bobby's stringent "No Meat, No Meal" rule, he ate every bite and didn't even comment on the vegetarian nature of dinner!) I fixed this the evening before Bobby went on-call, expecting to have leftovers...but I didn't have any!

In other unrelated news, we had a wonderful weekend with Bobby's parents, who came to Louisville to see Wicked for Jan's birthday. Although Bobby and I had seen it during it's first Louisville tour, the performance was breathtaking, and even better a second time! We are so fortunate to have seen so many wonderful Broadway national tours while in Louisville (Phantom, Mamma Mia, Cirque Dreams, Wicked x 2, and next year Les Mis 25th Anniversary!!! I'm doing a little happy dance).

Mexican Skillet

So the thing about Mexican food, is that nothing else can look so unattractive and yet taste SO good! But it's not exactly a pretty cuisine. Especially when you're basically doing nothing but throwing your favorite ingredients into one skillet and mixing them together. Delicious and quick, but not exactly up for an Anne Gibbons "Photo Finish" of sorts. But this was too easy and too reliable not to share, even without a picture! Thank you Southern Living.

Mexican Skillet

1lb ground beef (get 4% if you can)
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 package of Uncle Ben's instant Spanish Style rice
1-2 cups salsa
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs cilantro
add cheese, guacamole, or sour cream to top (you know we topped with cheese...)

In a large skillet combine the onion and ground beef, and cook over med-high until meat is fully browned. Add 1-2 cups of salsa depending on your preference for spice, the black beans, lime juice, and cilantro--mix well over medium heat while preparing rice. I used the 90 second microwavable rice, because it was Monday and the fewer dirty dishes the better! Add rice, stir well, and remove from heat. Top with cheese or other desired topping and serve immediately!

And plenty of leftovers for those on-call nights! Can't eat brie and a baguette all the time... :)

Stuffed Shells

Count on me to make heavy Italian dishes in 80 degree weather :) I can't help it! I love cheese, I love pasta...I won't live without either! The first time you make stuffed shells, it goes pretty slowly because you want to be careful and not break the shells and you're trying to stuff the right amount, etc. But the more times I make this dish, the quicker it goes by. So once upon a time I only made them on weekends, but now I can do this pretty quickly on a weeknight, as long as I remember to thaw the spinach. This is a vegetarian recipe, but I've seen some variations where you can add sausage. Also important to note that this makes more than can fit in one 9x13 pan! So have your 9x9 ready to go as a back-up pan for leftovers (can freeze or eat later in the week). And even then, you might still have extras!



Stuffed Shells

1 box jumbo pasta shells
15oz part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella (one bag of the 2% stuff works)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
10oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I use a little more)
Pinch of ground nutmeg (I use a little more)
26oz jar of your favorite sauce (I use Paul Newman's Marinara)

Preheat oven to 375. PAM your 9x13 baking dish. Cook pasta shells according to package label directions; drain and set aside to cool. While pasta cooks, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and nutmeg. Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce over bottom of baking dish. Stuff shells with cheese-and-spinach mixture and place in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, until bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

Enough to eat for a week! In keeping with my love of cheese, Bobby is on call tonight and I plan devour a wedge of brie for dinner :)

Cube Steak with Mushroom-Sherry Sauce

Oh look! a blog-post! Bet you thought they went away :0) I've actually just been repeating a lot of tried and true recipes this spring, and between busy days at work and Bobby's spreadsheets most of the time I just wasn't up to more computer time! Generation Y probably would disown me for that though. If only there was an iPhone app for residencies! But for those interested in more than just recipes, Bobby has officially decided on General Surgery (which I may have posted previously, but just in case!) and is in the process of applying for two away-rotations this Fall. An away rotation, or "visiting student clerkship" is where a 4th yr med student can spend 4 weeks at another hospital to get exposure to different environments. This is also considered a 4 week interview a lot of times. And the great news is that we're FINALLY completing and submitting the applications! So after much (MUCH) researching and spreadsheets and CV edits and personal statement drafts, it's almost complete! If all goes according to plan, Bobby will be gone for 8 weeks this Fall. I will be extremely lonely so consider that an open invitation for anyone who's out there. Kinda funny when your ideal scenario involves an absentee spouse for 8 weeks :o)

But back to beef. This I pulled out of a Healthy Eating magazine the girls at work gave me! It's super quick and has about 275 calories for just the cube steak and sauce. Cube steak is often a "step-child" cut, but for a quick night it was great. You can see from the picture that we added some mashed potatoes (instant because I was lazy) and a basic green salad.

Cube Steak with Mushroom-Sherry Sauce

2-4 4oz cube steaks
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 green onion, diced
1 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
2 Tbs reduced-fat sour cream
a few Tbs of olive oil
salt and pepper

Sprinkle steaks with pinches of salt and pepper. Heat about a Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to cook, turning once until browned and cooked through (3-4 minutes on each side). Transfer steaks to a warm plate and cover. Add another Tbs or two to the skillet, and toss in the mushrooms and green onion with sprinkled pepper. Stir until mushrooms brown (3-5 minutes). Sprinkle mushrooms with flour and stir to coat for about 1 minute. Add thyme, sherry, and broth--then bring to a boil. Boil until sauce thickens a little bit (it'll coat the back of a wooden spoon when ready) and usually about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Add steaks back to the skillet and toss to coat.

The sauce was very good over the mashed potatoes as well! Bobby was a huge fan and so was I. We'll definitely be repeating this one again on busy weeknights. I actually didn't cook the steaks long enough at first because the original recipe calls for 2 minutes on either side. I don't believe in "medium" cube steak...so we microwaved them for 3 more minutes til they cooked through! Also, if you're curious--our preferred instant mashed potatoes are Idahoan brand. If you skip back through old blogs I've got a quick recipe for real mashed potatoes for two...but sometimes I just don't have the arm muscle! Also recommend Kraft's Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Italian Vinaigrette for light salads.

Orange Pound Cake

Alright I don't have a picture for this one because it (like most of my cake failures) fell out of the pan into pieces. However, those pieces were quite yummy and stayed moist and fluffy all week! This was my first try--of what I assume will be quite a few--of my new Cake Mix Doctor book. Courtesy of a boss who is bound to have Individualization up there somewhere. Half the people on my floor swear by the book so I'm looking forward to getting more adventurous. I thought Orange Pound Cake was an easy place to start, and it was. But since it fell out of the pan, I'll have to think of something to get my baking confidence back!

Orange Pound Cake

1 package yellow cake mix w/pudding (Pillsbury--and I used Reduced Sugar, worked well)
1 cup fresh orange juice (I used the new low sugar Tropicana)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda...do you sense the low-sugar theme yet?)
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Glaze

My glaze didn't turn out very well...I think the actual recipe calls for too much OJ. So pour a little bit of OJ into your mixing bowl, along with about a Tbs of orange zest (optional). Then add at least 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar and stir until blended. If too runny, add more sugar until you reach a good "glaze" consistency. I soaked my cake on accident and it was basically like pouring OJ all over the cake. Still tasty though :o)

Preheat oven to 350. Place all cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on LOW for one minute. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase speed to MED for 2 more minutes until batter is thick and well blended. Spray a bundt pan with PAM and lightly flour the interior. Add batter and bake for 45 minutes.

Now my book says to remove it from the oven and place on a wire baking rack to cool for 20 minutes before trying to remove from the pan. Then using a knife or spatula to run down the sides before turning it over onto a plate. Just make sure you run the knife down the outside ring AND the inside ring. I think this is where I went wrong. Invert the cake onto the wire rack and let cool for 30 more minutes before adding the glaze.

Spicy Pork-and-Orange Chopped Salad

Hi :-) OK well first things first: My birthday cake was delicious, just in case you missed that on Facebook. Please see the posted pictures for the cake in all it's chocolaty glory. I won't be sharing the recipe though, sorry! I did not use Naynie or Mom's frosting because I didn't have a double boiler, but my mom found me a fantastic Italian Chocolate Creme frosting that was delicious! So perhaps we just all make it with our own frosting? It was divine!

The end of March was not conducive to a lot of new recipes, and we mostly ate pizza. But last week as we got back on the healthy food bandwagon, we tried this new one from Southern Living, and I highly recommend it! Quick and healthy for a weeknight dinner. It is a bit spicy--which we loved--but if it's not your thing I can tell you how to reduce the spice.

Spicy Pork-and-Orange Chopped Salad

1lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2in pieces
2tsp to a whole packet of Szechwan seasoning blend (less for less spice, more for more spice!)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 navel oranges
1/2 c bottled low-fat Sesame Ginger dressing (eyeball it)
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1 romaine lettuce heart (we actually used a half-head of green leaf lettuce)
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix (about half a bag)
1/2 cup wasabi-and-soy flavored almonds (I couldn't find them and used plain--they worked)

After cutting the pork into pieces, place all pieces in a plastic bag with the Szechwan seasoning--shake to coat. Then saute pork in hot olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat, about 8-10 minutes or until done. I always cut the thickest piece in half to determine if it's fully cooked. Peel the oranges and cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Pour dressing into the bottom of the salad bowl, then stir in oranges, cilantro, and cucumber and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add lettuce, coleslaw mix, and finally the pork. Toss very gently and garnish with the almonds. Garnish with more oranges or cilantro as needed.

This really is a great new recipe for spring. We always struggle with dinner salads because so many end up covered in cheese or chips or Caesar dressing and negate the health-factor of having a dinner salad to begin with. But this one is light, fresh, and still filling. A big thumbs up from us and definitely work a try! Happy Easter to everyone and let's all look forward to some warmer weather and spring/summer menus :-)

Lemon Bars

Obviously after the red velvet cake fiasco, I've been feeling a little glum about my baking skills. So I signed up for a series of free baking classes at Williams-Sonoma and plan to combat this insecurity by increasing my baking frequency. Good for my coworkers, bad for my waistline. Heading to the gym when this post is finished, in fact.

I was skimming my Southern Living yesterday morning and saw this recipe. I thought that was a good place to get back on the horse, so to speak, and since we were having salmon with steamed green beans and white wine for dinner--lemon bars sounded like the perfect dessert. I was thrilled these turned out so well! I used Sugar in the Raw, which is kind of brownish instead of white, so they aren't as yellow as they may have been otherwise. But taste delicious. Bobby said he'd never had lemon bars that didn't come out of a box before. I didn't know they came in a box...? But I thought it was pretty funny when he was like "They're good! how do you get them to taste like lemons?" to which my response was "Umm...I used lemons?"

Lemon Bars

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I just squeezed the whole lemon, not sure how much that amounted to)
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 Pyrex with heavy duty foil or parchment paper and PAM it. Mom, is parchment paper like wax paper? They talked a lot about it at Williams Sonoma this morning, but I was afraid to ask questions. Make sure the foil extends over the ends of the dish to lift it out later.

Stir together 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork. I didn't have the former, so I tried using a dinner fork, but that sucked. So I just used a whisk from my old stand mixer (pre-KitchenAid), and that got the job done. Once it's crumbly, press firmly into the bottom of the dish and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs until they're smooth, and then whisk in the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Lastly, add the additional 4th of a cup of flour and the baking powder. When the crust is brown, pour mixture evenly over the top, and then bake another 25 minutes.

Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes, and then use the sides of the foil to lift. Gently pull the foil away from the sides of the bars. Sprinkle the tops with additional powdered sugar and cut evenly.

SO good! Between these and my cookie class I'm feeling a little better. Bring on Naynie's cake at the end of the week!

Also--had a really good panini this week: Sourdough bread with bacon, white cheddar cheese, and Granny Smith apple slices. Very tasty.

Layered Enchilada Bake

Let's be honest...if it's covered in cheese, it gets two thumbs up from me. I've been using this particular recipe for probably about a year, and it will be one I continue to swear by. Originally emailed to me from KraftFoods.com, it's definitely a weeknight keeper! It calls for ground beef, but you can probably tell in the picture that I usually use ground turkey for this. Again, if you cover it in cheese, you may just want to cut some calories where you can, right?


Layered Enchilada Bake

1lb ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups of your favorite salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4cup Italian Dressing
2 Tbs taco seasoning (I just use the whole package...)
6 flour tortillas, 8"
1 cup sour cream
1-2 cups shredded cheddar

In a large skillet brown the meat with the onion. Once browned, add the two cups of salsa, black beans, dressing, and taco seasoning. Line the inside of your 9x13 Pyrex with foil and PAM it. Place three tortillas in a row (will be overlap) on the bottom of the dish, and top with half of the meat/bean mixture. Place a "dollop" of sour cream in the middle of each tortilla. I'm going to use this platform to speak out against fat free sour cream. Do NOT ever try to cook with it. I cannot stress this enough. It's not even really sour cream. Just don't use it. Anyway... spread the sour cream out with a butter knife or small spatula, and cover with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers and cover with foil. Bake on 400 for 30 minutes and then remove top foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes. If you're feeling fancy you can top it with shredded lettuce or diced tomatoes. But usually by the time it's done Bobby's already hovering with his fork. You can also make ahead and refrigerate overnight or freeze it. Great for leftovers or lunch the next day!

Also, if you want to see a video-demo, go to http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/layered-enchilada-bake-107317.aspx.

Anne's Breakfast Casserole

I don't make up a lot of recipes. I may fudge things from time to time, but there's very few instances where I just kind of wing the whole thing and say a little prayer. Luckily, something wonderful happened this time! So I'm claiming this recipe as mine, all mine. And I must say, it turned out beautifully! Bobby ate two platefuls and I had leftovers the next day and even my cube-mate thought it looked and smelled delicious :-) But since Bobby's schedule is a little odd, I figured what a good thing to have on hand, because you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner just depending on when he's home. You could also make this a quiche of sorts, but I don't have a pie plate, so it's a casserole.
Anne's Breakfast Casserole

1 package Simply Potatoes Southwest-style shredded hash-browns
1/3 cup butter, melted
1.5-2 cups diced ham
1 cup shredded jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
lots of pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425. PAM the bottom of your pyrex or casserole dish, and melt the butter in the mircowave. Blend the whole package of potatoes with the melted butter either in a mixing bowl or carefully in your casserole dish. Use a spatula to press potatoes firmly into the dish to create a solid bottom layer. Top potatoes evenly with shredded jack and cheddar cheeses, and then top evenly with diced ham. In a small mixing bowl, beat 5 eggs with cream and add pepper. Pour evenly over the ham. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Cool for just a minute or two and then serve.

In other interesting life news the SUN has come out! Spring is actually going to happen and it's very exciting. All members of the Gibbons household are extremely pleased (although Bobby doesn't see a lot of daylight these days, so he may not know yet...) I also made Ghiradelli Double Chocolate brownies this weekend, and would like to stress their superiority over all other brownie mixes. HANDS DOWN. I also made a yummy little appetizer (thanks Cooking Light Cookbook) of small cheese tortellini, cucumber chuncks, and red bell peppers cut into bite-sized squares tossed with a little bit of Italian Vinaigrette dressing (to prevent the cheap taste that some Italian dressings, particularly Kraft's, can have). Put one of each on a toothpick and served chilled. Could also supersize this appetizer by adding a square of hard salami, grape tomato, kalamata olive, and/or square of feta on a kebab skewer. But I was short on time and couldn't find skewers.

Sticky Slow-cooker Drumsticks

So I may have forgotten to take a picture of this one, but it's really good! Now the recipe specifically said drumsticks, and I did some drumsticks and some breasts...and the drumsticks were by far better. The breast meat got very dry in the slowcooker--but maybe if you wanted to try bone-in breasts instead of boneless? That might be better. Otherwise I'd stick with drumsticks and maybe some wings if you wanted to branch out. But really, this took me about 20 minutes in the morning and it was delicious! Pair it with some sticky rice and sauteed bell peppers, and you're good to go! Maybe snow peas... Anyway, thank you AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner iPhone App! Because yes, there's an app for that.

Sticky Slow-cooker Drumsticks

2-4 lbs chicken drumsticks, skin removed (use really good kitchen scissors)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced (my garlic actually went bad so I substituted for ~2tsp of garlic powder)
8oz can of tomato sauce

This is a recipe you will definitely want to use slow-cooker liners for. Again, these are made by Reynolds, and they're with the Reynolds wrap and Ziploc bags. So PAM the crock pot, place the liner in, and PAM the liner. Otherwise the brown sugar will make your crock pot a mess that will need to soak--and who has sink space for that? Place all drumsticks into the slow cooker, spread them around. Then in a medium mixing bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce, and garlic. Pour the sauce evenly over your drumsticks and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

The soy sauce makes it a little salty, so you may want to add more sugar for balance. But it's really good, and the meat falls right off the bone. I'm expanding my chicken horizons...

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

OK so by now you should all know that we can officially file Bobby's red velvet birthday cake under "Things That Didn't Work." I leave out one little thing because I'm being NICE, and it turns to a brick. Not to mention the frosting was like painting a red brick with straight butter. Mmmm Mmmm Good, right? Bobby ate the obligatory "I love it honey!" piece and we tossed the rest. And to think, I got my beautiful cake plate dirty for nothing!

But the evening was redeemed with my (mother's) smoked salmon fettuccine. So simple, and so reliable! And I may have grown up eating my dad's freshly smoked salmon, but you really can get some good pieces at the grocery store--especially for pasta! If you're not a smoked salmon aficionado, make sure you go to the seafood section and usually under the fresh fish display they will have packaged smoked salmon fillets. Make sure you get a fillet, and not thin slices--because those are called lox and they go on your bagel, not in your pasta. Bobby has brought them to me many-a-time only to be sent away.

Bobby's Birthday Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

2-3 smoked salmon fillets
1 box of bow-tie pasta (it has a great way of holding bits of salmon)
1/2 cup diced onions
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4th cup butter
2 cups heavy cream1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Tabasco, salt & pepper to taste

Flake the smoked salmon into bite-sized chunks with your fingers or a fork. In a large skillet, saute the onion in butter for about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese cubes and stir into the onions until melted. Add cream and a few dashes of Tabasco to the skillet and keep warm over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, boil pasta and drain once cooked.

My mother heats a large pasta bowl in the oven and then moves the pasta over and prepares the rest in the bowl. I'm not too sure my pasta bowl can go in the oven, so I pour the pasta into the skillet with the cream sauce to finish the prep. Combine pasta and sauce, add smoked salmon and stir well. Serve immediately and top each bowl with a few pinches of Parmesan cheese, and add salt/pepper (esp. pepper) to taste.


It's a pretty quick and easy dish, but smoked salmon isn't in the budget every week--and neither is cream sauce! Different kind of budget though haha :-) So it's great for special occasions. We also rounded out Bobby's birthday with the conclusion of Bobby's OBGYN rotation and a *successful* final exam for him, followed by the BEST meal ever at Palermo Viejo on Bardstown. There was provaleta, empanadas, steak, more pasta, pancakes de dulce de leche, homemade banana icecream, and of course a great bottle of Cabernet. He is officially over the 20-something hill and older than me for 4 whole weeks! See you at the other end of Pisces my love...