My Life On A Plate

Photo Stream Update

2012-02-11T07:18:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty quiet lately, but since I'm up early on this cold Saturday morning I'm going to share some photos that have been chilling on my computer since... Christmas.

In December I took Amtrak up to New York with my mom and aunt to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. It wasn't my first trip to NYC, but it was my first time seeing the Rockettes! I loved it.

Of course we had to go around the corner and see the big Christmas tree and ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center... I've seen both before, but I love to go. Plus, it reminds me of the TODAY Show. I'm such a nerd.

Just like last year, E and I took about 100 photos to come up with our final image for our Christmas card (this isn't it, but this is typical of the chaos that ensues when you try to get two dogs to look at the camera).

We spent Christmas Eve enjoying a seafood feast at my mom's house...

And we unexpectedly enjoyed our final Christmas with my mom's beloved dog, Jonesie. She passed away unexpectedly in January. She was truly a member of our family and we miss her so much...

I didn't grow up with family pets, but my mom adopted Jonesie the same day we adopted Zelda. All of our dogs are a huge part of our family and now we understand the pain of losing a pet. She was such a sweet pup and she loved her mama more than anything. I miss my "little sister".

We took some family photos outside on Christmas...

For Christmas 2012, this photo will have another family member... we're expecting our first baby in August!

To tell you I am excited is an understatement. I'm feel excited, blessed, thrilled, anxious... all kinds of good stuff. Of course, this may explain why I haven't been cooking much lately! Food aversions and exhaustion are in full effect. It's all worth it, though. I'm thankful for the prayers from family and friends and we pray for our little one every single day.

And yes, I am going to continue blogging!

How's your weekend? Anyone else have any big changes for 2012?

Sweet Potato Waffles

2012-01-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

I know I say this all the time, but I love a good breakfast. The best weekends are the ones when no one has to work, but we still get up early to spend time with the dogs, listen to music and enjoy a good, hot breakfast. We break out the juice glasses, coffee mugs and placemats. We roast a pan of bacon in the oven. Often we have pancakes, french toast or grits. Sometimes we have waffles. I'm in love with this recipe that I discovered last year. But recently I looked over at a five-pound box of sweet potatoes and got another idea: sweet potato waffles.

Of course, I didn't invent sweet potato waffles, but I've noticed that they are pretty hard to find on a restaurant menu and it's not like you can walk down the aisle of any grocery store and find some "sweet potato waffle mix". So, I took matters into my own hands and made an (easy) adaptation of my favorite waffle recipe.

All I did was stir in a bit of mashed, cooked sweet potato with the wet ingredients and whisk in some spices with the dry ingredients. That's it!

The result? A sweeter, hearty waffle with just enough autumn spice to remind you of your favorite cold weather desserts.

You may be thinking, how am I going to come up with a cup of mashed sweet potato? You can scrub a fresh sweet potato, poke it with holes and microwave it for 5-10 minutes (or until soft). Let it cool a bit, then just scrape out the flesh and proceed with this recipe. Or, you may have leftover sweet potatoes from some other event or holiday. If your leftover potatoes have added sugar, just omit the sugar from this recipe. That's it!

Sweet Potato Waffles
adapted from Waffles of Insane Greatness (found all over the food blogisphere)
yields 3 Belgian waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and syrup, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Add the sweet potato, milks, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes. (I cook bacon, brew coffee, and set the table while the batter sits.)

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Homemade Bagels

2012-01-23T14:42:00.002-05:00

I think bagels may be my favorite breakfast bread. Sure muffins, biscuits, English muffins and raisin toast are great, but I love the chewy texture of a nice, fresh bagel. I never considered making my own bagels until I noticed that a few bloggers (mostly who live outside of "good bagel" territory) had experimented with making bagels at home. There are a few places to purchase bagels in Delaware, but nowhere near as many options as in New Jersey or New York. While grocery store bagels are acceptable, I was looking for that slightly crisp exterior and that dense, chewy interior. Once I figured out that bagels weren't that difficult to make, I decided to give it a try.

I did some research and noticed that some (delicious, I'm sure) bagel recipes called for exotic ingredients like malt syrup and I wasn't in the mood to go to the store on to wait a week for special supplies to arrive from an online store. I opted for a recipe that utilized ingredients that were actually in my pantry.

I opted to start my dough the night before, let it rise in the fridge overnight and continue making my bagels the next morning. This allowed me to actually get the bagels finished before we died of hunger.

After a slow overnight rise in the fridge I had a big, puffy ball of dough...

I deflated the dough and shaped it into 8 equal rounds...

I poked one hole in the center of each ball and stretched it to make sure it would stay open after baking...

My holes closed up a bit after the second rise, but my bagels were still yummy!

I've learned that the step that separates the "real" bagels from the "fake" bagels is boiling bagels in water before baking them. It only takes a few minutes and it really helps you get that nice, shiny, chewy exterior...

Dip the surface of your wet bagels into your desired toppings and set the bagels on a baking sheet... you're ready to bake!

I made all of my bagels plain, but topped some of them with seeds or spices. I ended up with an assortment of plain, sesame seed, and everything bagels. I picked up my Everything Bagel and Bread Topping from King Arthur Flour. You could also make your own by combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, and coarse salt. Next time I'd like to try making some sweet bagels with dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.

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Ready for the oven!

I ended up with 8 delicious, chewy bagels that somehow lost their holes. The lack of holes did not impact the taste one bit! After enjoying one with cream cheese, I got extra greedy and used one to make a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich...

And that, my friends, is how breakfast is done.

You may be wondering why make bagels when you can buy them for less than a dollar each at the store? Because it's easy and you can flavor them any way you'd like. Plus, a lot of people don't live near real bagel shops. I feel your pain... I question the bagel choices in my area, too.

If you're venturing into homemade bread, try making bagels! Don't be intimidated by the two-day process. I broke it down to two days to make it easier to get breakfast on the table.

Homemade Bagels

adapted (slightly) from The Galley Gourmet

yields 8 bagels

2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups warm water

3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Poppy seeds (optional)

Sesame seeds (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the water. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Continue to mix until the dough comes together in a mass, about 4-6 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for another 8-10 minutes until soft and smooth. Put the dough in a bowl sprayed lightly with non-stick baking spray. Cover with a towel or lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.

Gently deflate the dough and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425º F and bring a large pot of water to a boil; then reduce to a simmer.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Press each piece down to get rid of air bubbles. Form into balls and roll the balls between your palm and the work surface, rotating to form a smooth ball. Coat a finger in flour and press it through each ball to form a ring. Twirl the ring around the index of one hand and the thumb of the other, stretching the dough and widening the hole to about 1/3 of the bagel’s diameter. Place the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat and cover with a towel. Let rest for another 10 minutes.

Gently lower the bagels into the water in batches, 2-3 bagels at a time. Boil uncovered for about 1 minute. Turn them over once and boil for another minute. Using a perforated skimmer, remove the bagels from the pot, letting the water drain; return to the baking sheet. (Optional: sprinkle the top of the bagel with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or both). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with butter, cream cheese, jelly, or my favorite way: topped with bacon, egg and cheese!

Blackout

2012-01-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

Have you heard that some of the most popular Internet sites are participating in a blackout today in opposition of SOPA and PIPA, two proposed federal laws that will lead to Internet censorship? Google and Wikipedia some of the sites spreading awareness of this proposed legislation.

What does this mean for you as an American Internet user? The point of this legislation is to prevent piracy, which is a rampant problem on the Internet. I agree that copyrighted material (music, photos, software, etc.) should not be stolen. However, this legislation will hold individual websites accountable when users and readers post or share copyrighted material illegally. It will require site administrators (bloggers, retail businesses, etc.) to censor content if users share copyrighted material. It could censor results in your Google searches. It could impact my ability to search for free recipes online. As an avid blog reader who prides herself in her collection of online recipes, I don't want to support censorship of the Internet.

You can read more about the blackout here.

P.S.

I know I owe you a good recipe! Things have been a bit hectic around our home, but rest assured that I have some photos on my camera waiting to be uploaded and with new food photos come new recipes! If you miss me, why not follow me on Twitter @keeleypowell or on Pinterest?

ShopRite Cans for Fans!

2012-01-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

I have the honor of being a contributor for Potluck, the food blog for ShopRite stores. For those of you who live in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, you've probably shopped at ShopRite and you're familiar with their semi-annual Can Can Sale. Around these parts the commercials with the dancing "Can Can" girls are iconic and I grew up dancing whenever the commercials aired. As an adult I realized that the sale was also a great opportunity to stock up on canned goods, so now I look forward to the big Can Can Sale in January. This year's sale starts tomorrow!

This year, ShopRite is donating one canned good for every "like" they receive on their Facebook page. You can help regional food banks without even stepping away from your computer! Please consider liking ShopRite's Facebook page and if you're in the area, I have some tips on items to consider stocking up on during the Can Can Sale.

The great thing about canned goods is that they are shelf stable for years and they can enhance your home cooking. I'm not a fan of canned soups or similar processed foods, but I love using canned beans and some canned fruits and vegetables (especially the low sugar/low sodium varieties) as ingredients in my recipes. I am taking this opportunity to stock up on the following canned items:

1. Tomatoes (whole, crushed, and diced) - for homemade marinara, chili, salsa, and soup
2. Beans (especially small red, small white, and black) - for chili, dips, and soups
3. Fruits (peaches and cherries) - for cobblers and cake fillings

ShopRite also has specials called "UnCanny Savings" on items that are not sold in cans like laundry detergent, cereal, and refrigerated items during this sale.

If you live in Delaware, ShopRite just opened at new store in Bear, DE in Governor's Square. It's a huge, modern store with plenty of space for all of the shoppers who will rush through the doors to take advantage of the Can Can Sale over the next two weeks. If you're in the area, check it out. If you're in NJ, PA, MD, NY, or CT, there's probably a ShopRite near your home. My husband and I have shopped there since college and it's our favorite place to spend our paychecks. :)

Happy shopping (and saving)!

Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2012-01-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

Head over to Potluck to check out my recipe for Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread. It's not too sweet and loaded with whole wheat, so you don't have to feel guilty after all of your holiday indulgences!

2011 Year in Review: NYC Wine & Food Festival

2012-01-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

Here's my New Year's Resolution: I'm going to stay up do date with my blog posts. I think I'm pretty good about posting semi-regularly, but I seem to have a hard time doing write-ups of major events like vacations and festivals. Maybe I just have too much to say? Maybe it's the large volume of photos? Either way, I'm going to try to be more timely in 2012. With that said...

A few weeks ago I migrated from my (inexpensive) Dell PC laptop to a new MacBook Pro. At first I was so frustrated with the differences between a PC and a Mac (despite the fact that I've had an iPhone for over 6 months) that I was ready to throw the new computer out the window. Then I took my time and actually started to learn my new computer (with the help of some nice people at my local Apple store) and I'm really happy with my purchase. One of the biggest things I've learned so far is how to use iPhoto to organize and edit my pictures. It's a revelation. And with that revelation I've realized that I somehow forgot about lots of my culinary adventures in 2011 and I still have some photos (and video) to share!

I know it may seem irrelevant to post photos from food escapades from the summer and fall in the dead of winter, but I'm just going to call it a year-in-review and go for it. And I'm starting with the New York City Wine and Food Festival back in October 2011.

If you've been reading for a while you may remember that I attended the NYCWFF for the first time in 2010. Both of my trips were sponsored by ShopRite as a perk of writing for their blog, Potluck. (You can read some of my Potluck posts here.)

This year we stayed in the uber-cool, uber-contemporary Dream Downtown Hotel in Manhattan. It was just a hop, skip and a jump from the festival. The rooms were small in size, but big on style.

The bathroom was unlike anything I'd ever seen. All glass walls (frosted), speakers that play ambient music when you close the (glass) door, and stainless steel everything...

Yes, my friends... that photo above is the toilet. It looked like an airplane toilet to us. We got a lot of laughs out of that one.

The lobby was also amazing. From the main lobby you can look up and see guests swimming in the glass-bottom pool on the next level. In October. In New York. Good thing it was warm on October 1st! (The glass circles in the photo below are "windows" to the pool above.)

So yeah, we were feeling all Kardashian-esque in this cool NYC hotel. But that's not even the main part of our trip. I attended two events: The Grand Tasting and Bobby Flay's Burger Bash (in nearby Brooklyn). Both events were great!

At the Grand Tasting we had the opportunity to sample food and drink from what seemed like hundreds of vendors and I spent some time promoting the Potluck blog with ShopRite...

Tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese... cute!

Add caption

After spending an incredible afternoon eating way too much food and sampling way too much alcohol, we took a short break and then headed out to the Blue Moon Burger Bash in Brooklyn. It was a beef-filled, star-studded extravaganza. It was a warm October night and the rain held off until the end of the event. I'm not a big beef-eater, but I had my favorite burger taster with me!

The competitors prepared their burgers fresh on-site for us to taste and vote.

Way too much beef and Blue Moon for one night. If you like beer and burgers, you'd love this!

And as I learned in 2010, no NYC Wine and Food Festival event is complete without a sprinkling of food celebrities!

Jeff Mauro, recent winner of Food Network Star. Have you seen the promo commercial where he's at the Burger Bash?

Bobby Flay and Sunny Andersen! O-M-to the Gee!

Anne Burrell

Adam Richman from Man vs. Food

And the views were beautiful that evening... You can see the smoke from the grills in the air. The smell was intoxicating (in a good way)!

Brooklyn Bridge

Here's my favorite photo from the entire weekend. Bing set up a photo booth at the festival as a promotion, so I took the opportunity to take silly photos with my food blogging friends and of course, my husband, who is always down for a culinary adventure!

October 2011

A much belated thank you to ShopRite who sponsored our trip (and the festival!). I am one of the writers for their blog, Potluck, so please check me out sometime.

Happy New Year! Stay tuned for a few more travel posts and some new recipes!

Breakfast Hoagie

2011-12-26T07:47:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend full of family, fun and good food. Maybe after eating all of that traditional food you're in the mood for something quick, but still indulgent if you have a day off this week.

In the name of all things ridiculous, why would you want to eat a hoagie for breakfast? I thought it sounded crazy, too, but around these parts we have a lovely convenience store/gas station/fast food mart called Wawa. Wawa started selling breakfast hoagies earlier this year. If you've ever lived in the Philadelphia area you'll know that Wawa is legendary for having everything you need to get through your day.

Case in point: We discovered the breakfast hoagie on our way to the beach back in August last year. I pulled in to get gas and a cup of coffee and to make a rest stop. My hubby went up to the deli counter to get us some food. He noticed that they had breakfast hoagies for $2.99. $2.99 for bacon, eggs and cheese made to order on a classic 12-inch hoagie roll? Okay! He ordered one and devoured the entire thing. I got in a bite or two. I'll admit, it was good.

So what if you don't live near a Wawa? What if you live near one, but you don't feel like getting in your car and driving to get a fast food breakfast sandwich? What if you are like me and you like really good quality bacon and the finest American cheese? Well, you'll need to make your own breakfast hoagie!

If you live in a place that doesn't have fresh hoagie rolls ~~I feel sorry for you~~ I hope you can find some type of long roll that's crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Once you have the roll, you're on a roll!

First I cooked up some bacon. I like to roast mine in the oven for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

I turned on the broiler and put the roll under the broiler for a few minutes to toast it up... Then I scrambled up some eggs and started layering everything on the roll...

First eggs, then cheese, then bacon (not eggs on top like I did in this photo... doh!)...

The cheese is like glue for the eggs and the bacon. Pure deliciousness. Of course, this isn't exactly a healthy breakfast, so make this an occasional treat and save it for a morning when you know you're going to have a long day.

And there you have it! A homemade breakfast hoagie. A simple combination of toasted bread, eggs, cheese and bacon that's enough food for two reasonable adults (or one very hungry husband). You don't even need a recipe for this one!

Emile Henry Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

The randomly selected winner of the Emile Henry loaf pan is:

Entry #1 - Kayris

Thank you to everyone who entered and stay tuned for future giveaways. I have other cooking-related prizes for the near future.

Kayris, please email me at keeleycancook (at) gmail.com to set up delivery of your prize.

Beef Enchiladas

2011-12-19T07:25:00.000-05:00

I love Tex-Mex food, or at least the Mid-Atlantic approximation of real Tex-Mex that I get around here. Salsa, tacos, burritos, Chipotle... all of these things make me very, very happy. I've had the pleasure of visiting the great state of Texas twice and I can assure you that the highlight of my visit was the cuisine. While it's not always good for your waistline, Tex-Mex is really tasty and a welcome departure from the typical soups, salads, pastas and pizzas that we serve so much around this house.

I've posted and tried a few enchilada recipes, including these delicious Pork Enchiladas. I like that you can stuff enchiladas with any meat (or even beans and veggies) and that you can go authentic and use corn tortillas or you can break all the rules and use flour tortillas. I recently tried a great recipe from (who else?) my BFF Pioneer Woman and it came out really well.

Her recipe calls for mixing ground beef with onions and green chilies (and I can see myself trying pork or chicken, too)...

Making a red sauce from canned enchilada sauce and chicken broth (again, I'll be borrowing this technique) and thickening it with a little flour...

She adds in some chopped black olives and tops hers with sour cream. I omitted both of these ingredients, but you can put them back in if it works for you.

I think enchiladas are a great vehicle for leftover lean meats like pulled pork, rotisserie chicken or even roast beef.

The Pioneer Woman's recipe made a ton of enchiladas (enough to serve 6 hungry adults). I served mine with Salsa Rice and we had a really good dinner, plus leftovers. I assure you that these enchiladas are better than many I've eaten in restaurants and they are the best that I've made at home. The filling is flavorful and they have the perfect amount of red sauce. I topped mine with fresh cilantro and green onions and it gave them a nice, fresh finish. Even my onion and pepper-hating husband liked these.

These are a bit involved for a weeknight (it took me nearly an hour to get them in the oven), but the leftovers heat up well and that's one of my qualifications for a good weekday meal.

Want the original recipe? I pretty much followed this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

P.S.
There's still time to enter the Emile Henry Giveaway!

Carrot Bread + Emile Henry Giveaway!

2011-12-16T07:30:00.003-05:00

I am so excited about this post and this giveaway! First, the recipe. Carrot bread? I know, I know... you've heard of carrot cake and you may or may not like it. Well, this is kind of like carrot cake, but not as sweet and it has a perfectly smooth texture, not a chunky or stringy texture that you find in some carrot cakes. Does that make sense? Think pumpkin bread and you're in the ballpark on this one. Hesitant to give it a try? It's worth the extra effort. My coworkers devoured this bread both times I brought it to the office. People have been begging for the recipe. Here it is.

Before you click away and assume that this recipe is way too non-conventional to be good (and easy), let me tell you that if you like the warm, fall-spiced and moist taste of Sweet Potato Pie or Pumpkin Bread, this recipe is right up your alley.

First, you need to puree some carrots. It's the most annoying part of this recipe and you may want to do it the day before you bake the bread because it will take a full hour of cook time, mashing, etc. But, I promise, it's worth it.

You take a 1 pound bag of baby carrots (or 2 bags if you're making 2 or more loaves... you'll want to double this recipe). Put the carrots in a big pot with about 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer on medium/high for 45 minutes or until softened. Then, you need to whip those carrots into a smooth puree. I used an immersion blender. Maybe you have a blender of a food processor that can do the job.

At this point you have some beautiful, orange, smooth puree that you can store in the fridge until you need it (up to 3 days or so).

When it's time to make the bread, you'll be using 1 1/2 cups of puree per loaf. You should be able to get a little more than 1 1/2 cups of puree from one pound of carrots.

I add plenty of wintery spices to this bread and I also use half whole wheat flour. This bread is hearty, not too sweet, and pretty healthy. Make sure you sift your dry ingredients (yes, the wheat flour may separate during sifting, just mix it back in). You don't want any big chunks of baking powder in your bread.

Then you mix together your wet ingredients (butter, sugar, puree, vanilla). Introduce the wet to the dry...

Stir until just combined. Then, the best part... the raisins! I know there are some raisin haters out there, but I love me some raisins, especially golden raisins. If you're a raisin hater you could add some nuts... or if you love both, add both! I like to toss my raisins in a tablespoon of flour before stirring them into the batter. I think it keeps the raisins from sinking to the bottom of your loaf of bread... or at least that's what they say on television.

After the loaf takes a trip to the oven, you get this goodness...

This bread makes me very happy at 7:00 am on a 35 degree morning in traffic on I-95. Oh yeah, it's the good stuff.

Now, you're probably thinking, "Keeley, this bread looks so good, but I don't have a loaf pan!" My dear readers, I have your back. Since it's almost Christmas and all, I have a giveaway. I picked up this lovely Emile Henry Loaf Pan last weekend and I'm going to give it away to one lucky reader:

Sorry for the mediocre photo... it's late!

The rules?

~~Contest is open today (Friday, December 16, 2011) and ends at 11:59 on Monday, December 19th, 2011~~
~~To enter, please leave a comment telling me your favorite type of bread.~~
~~I'm only shipping this prize to the U.S., so please keep this in mind as you enter.~~
~~This giveaway is not sponsored by Emile Henry, it's just me showing love to my readers. Thanks for reading!~~
~~I'll announce the winner on Tuesday. Please email me directly to claim your prize and arrange shipment.~~

This contest ended. A winner was selected for this giveaway on 12/20/11.

Okay, here's the recipe:

Carrot Bread
a Keeley original
yield 1 loaf

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups carrot puree (instructions in this blog post for making puree)
1 T. vanilla flavoring
3/4 c. raisins tossed in 1 T. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until well mixed. Stir in eggs and carrot puree until well mixed.

Make a well in the dry ingredients (flour mixture) and stir in the wet ingredients (carrot mixture). Do not overmix. Gently stir in raisins and pour into prepared loaf pan (batter will be thick). Wrap pan on the counter a few times to even out the mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove bread from pan immediately after baking and place on a cooling rack.

Corn and Cheddar Chowder

2011-12-13T20:33:00.001-05:00

I really like soup, especially thick, hearty, ~~artery clogging~~ filling soups on cold days. In the summer I enjoy lighter, broth-based soups that are loaded with vegetables, but a nice bowl of Roasted Potato and Leek Soup or Chili can really serve as a full meal on a cold winter day. Add a grilled cheese on sourdough and I'm in heaven.

My husband has to drive through rural Southeastern Pennsylvania for his commute, so he passes tons of roadside stands with fresh produce. In the summer he often brings home fresh sweet corn. This year my mom blanched and froze some of this corn, so we have plenty to enjoy during the winter months. Of course, if you didn't go through the trouble of preserving your own corn this summer you can always hit up the frozen food section of your local grocery store. Or, if you're making this soup in the summer, get that corn fresh off the cob! There's nothing like it.

As much as I enjoy hearty soups, I try to lighten the recipe in a way that won't compromise the taste. Whenever a soup calls for half and half (or heavy cream) I like to try to substitute 1% milk for at least half of the dairy. Sometimes the texture isn't as thick, but since I end up reheating soup for lunch it thickens up in the fridge. I also always choose very flavorful cheeses like sharp white cheddar or Parmesan so I can use less cheese and get a big punch of flavor. I also take the opportunity to load my soups up with vegetables like peppers, onions and corn for a chunkier consistency and a larger serving of vegetables. Of course, with all that said, I've been known to brown my vegetables in bacon fat to create the base for my soups. You don't need to go there, but I think a tablespoon of bacon fat really gives you that nice, smoky flavor. If you decide to do so, you can cook your bacon in the morning for breakfast and store the rendered fat in a covered container in your refrigerator. Or, you can just use vegetable oil like a normal person.

This soup starts with browning your chopped onions and peppers in oil (or bacon fat)...

Then stir in corn and chopped bacon...

Stir in some flour...

Then stir in milk (and/or cream)...

Finally, you add your cheese and you're ready to eat. (I use Cabot Sharp White Cheddar... it's my favorite!)

I added some extra bacon on top and I served it with Rosemary Bread. It was heavenly. This bread also makes a fantastic grilled cheese. Your tummy will be full and warm and you won't mind that it's 30 degrees outside.

I believe this soup rivals anything you'd enjoy in a restaurant and if you make it at home you'll have at least six servings. For us, that's one dinner and two lunches. Packing lunch = more money to spend on (or save for) fun stuff.

P.S.
December has been a busy month, but I do have a few more recipes to share before Christmas. I also have a very good giveaway coming up before the holiday. Stay tuned! Hint: It's baking-related.

Corn and Cheddar Chowder
adapted slightly from The Pioneer Woman

6 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 cups of fresh corn (off the cob) or frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cups half and half (or milk, or a mixture)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat. Remove bacon, but keep the drippings in the pot. Drain the bacon and chop it into small pieces. Cook onions for a couple of minutes in the bacon fat. Add half of the bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute (for fresh corn) or up to 10 minutes (for frozen corn).

Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half or milk, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in cheeses. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast

2011-12-05T07:33:00.000-05:00

Before I even get started, let me state that I (generally) don't like beef. I don't eat hamburgers and I prefer to use turkey in my meatballs instead of ground beef. I don't even like steak. It's just the way I am. I can't help it.

With all that said, I really enjoyed this pot roast. And yes, it's a beef pot roast. Special shout out to The Pioneer Woman for putting me on to this recipe. It was easy (although I learned that beef is more expensive than poultry or pork) and my husband thought he had forgotten our anniversary when I put this meal on the table. (He's a meat-eater who got stuck with a white meat-loving spouse.) It was just that good. I've also served this pot roast for company and it went over really well. It made at least eight servings, but I'm sure the leftovers would be delicious on sandwiches.

Four pounds of thick, marbled beef... a rare purchase for me.

It takes about 30 minutes to chop and brown the necessary ingredients, then you place the entire pot in the oven for at least four hours. Your house will smell amazing and you can go on with your day. I like to do this on the weekend when I have work to do and it's great knowing that my dinner is in the oven simmering away. I didn't do this in a slow cooker (the original recipe calls for the oven, so I stuck to the recipe), but maybe you could use the slow cooker and get the same results.

Carrots and onions, ready to be browned in the pot.

Ready for a four hour excursion in my oven... the house already smelled amazing!

There's no need for me to re-print this recipe since I made it exactly as shown on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Red wine is optional and I used it in the recipe. I popped open a nice Cab and then served the rest with dinner. Also, make sure you splurge and use fresh herbs. I really think fresh thyme and rosemary makes a difference in this one.

It felt good to branch out and try a recipe that isn't in my normal repertoire. I also felt great to make this completely from scratch without using any processed ingredients. If you have 30 minutes of hands-on time, plus a few hours at home, you can make this pot roast.

Want the recipe? Get it here.

Serve with mashed potatoes and the vegetables... all is right in the world.

Making the Switch

2011-12-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

So I disappeared for a week... for a good reason! After much consideration I've finally decided to invest in a MacBook Pro, so I'm in the process of learning the difference between my old PC and this new Mac. I'm very excited about my new computer, but it's still very new (I just moved all of my photos over, but they are organized differently). I'll be back with a recipe very, very soon. I just wanted to let you know I'm still here and I'm still cooking. You can blame this on my iPhone. It got me addicted to Apple products!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-23T11:18:00.001-05:00

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? As much as I love to cook and bake, I've never had the pleasure of hosting Thanksgiving at our home. I'm looking forward to being able to host a nice sit-down dinner once we have a home with a dining room, but in the meantime, I'm contributing to two other family feasts.

I'll be making Yeast Rolls, Sweet Potato Pie, and macaroni and cheese (I just realized I need to share a recipe for a classic mac & cheese... coming soon!). Sweet Potato Pie is the single most popular recipe on this blog. I learned this recipe from my grandmom and I made sure I finally wrote it down with exact measurements so I could guarantee that great taste every single year. We used to just estimate the ingredients, but it's been really helpful for me to write it all down. If you've never had a Sweet Potato Pie, give it a try sometime this season!

While sweet potato pie looks like pumpkin pie it's a bit heavier and thicker. I also season mine with less spice than is common in pumpkin pie. I like a fresh, slightly-sweet, slightly-citrusy flavor.

I've also been snacking on one of my favorite winter fruits all week: clementines.

My obsession with all things citrus (especially clementines and pink grapefruits) started in college. I'll be eating many, many clementines this year, especially when you can pick up box for less than $5. They're perfectly sized for a quick snack, seedless and the peels make a great freshener for your garbage disposal.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hope you have safe travels (if you're traveling) and great meals. If I can get my house cleaned up over the weekend I'm looking forward to putting up our Christmas decorations!

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-21T07:25:00.002-05:00

My canning obsession continues, so here's a post for a large batch of cranberry sauce that you can preserve in jars (my favorite method) or cut in half and still have way too much for your average Thanksgiving dinner. I'm a fan of preservation because I take a few hours on a weekend and I have homemade stuff for at least a year. I think this is the easiest canning recipe I've made so far because cranberries don't need to be sliced or peeled.

I made this cranberry sauce during my snowy Halloween weekend canning date with Jennifer. (I also made delicious Ginger Pear Preserves that I've learned are delicious on a cracker with brie, but that's another story.)

Okay, you start with cranberries...

Mix the cranberries with water, sugar and orange zest...

Cook them...

Ladle into jars...

Boil the jars...

And that's it! You have cranberry sauce that will last you until fall/winter 2012 (if you don't eat it all!). Think beyond Thanksgiving for cranberry sauce. I like mine on my Stuffed French Toast. I'll be cracking open my first jar (or two) this week for Thanksgiving dinner (and probably using it as a topping on waffles for breakfast over the weekend!).

(And if you follow the recipe closely, your cranberry sauce won't have little air bubbles like mine!)

I know I keep saying this, but canning is pretty easy. It just takes patience, clean jars, and a few big pots. Every time I open a jar of preserved fruit or vegetables I feel so proud. I know exactly what I'm eating and so far everything I've made myself tastes better than the version from the store. (If you don't know anything about canning, start by checking out this site.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
from Ball (I bought the book... well worth the money)
yield 4 pints or 8 half pint jars (I used half pints)

4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
8 cups fresh cranberries (about 2 lb)
Grated zest of 1 large orange, optional
4 (16 oz) pint or 8 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands
Directions:
1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE sugar and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until all berries burst and liquid begins to sheet from a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in orange zest, if using, during the last few minutes of cooking.
3.) LADLE hot cranberry sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot cranberry sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Half Recipe
Makes about 2 (16 oz) pints or 4 (8 oz) half pints
You will need:

2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
4 cups fresh cranberries (about 1 lb)
Grated zest of 1/2 large orange, optional
2 (16 oz) pint or 4 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands
Directions:
1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE sugar and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until all berries burst and liquid begins to sheet from a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in orange zest, if using, during the last few minutes of cooking.
3.) LADLE hot cranberry sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot cranberry sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Chunky Chili

2011-11-14T07:57:00.002-05:00

I have a confession: Until recently I never successfully made chili from scratch. I tried, but I never got the balance of spices and the consistency right, so I relied on (gasp!) pre-packaged seasoning mixes.

I had a taste for chili this past Sunday, but I wasn't in the mood to go back to the grocery store for a box of pre-packaged chili seasonings, so I decided to make up my own recipe. The funny thing is that this recipe isn't even that complicated, unusual, or elaborate, but it tastes great and it convinced me that I won't be needing my chili training wheels anymore.

Several of the ingredients for this recipe were sitting in cans in my pantry: black beans, small red beans, Ro-Tel, and tomato sauce. Before I go any further, I acknowledge that some people think that chili with beans is just wrong. I respect that opinion, but my family loves beans and I beans are healthy and low-fat, so I added tons of beans. I also went to town on the veggies by adding bell peppers, onions and Ro-Tel (a canned mixture of tomatoes and green chiles that I can't believe I didn't know about until adulthood).

I opted for a mixture of ground turkey and ground beef because I don't really like beef and I knew I could get the beefy taste that most people want with a blend of ground meats simmered in beef stock. The result? This is some good chili! My only complaint is that it could be spicier, but you could remedy that by adding a chopped jalapeno or adding a bit more cayenne pepper. A word of caution: this recipe has enough salty ingredients that I opted not to add any salt. I suggest you prepare the recipe as stated and then add salt to taste, if necessary.

I made a big pot (8-10 servings) on Sunday afternoon, let it simmer until dinnertime, and I plan to enjoy the leftovers for lunch at work. I've also successfully frozen chili in the past, so that's an option, too. I like my chili with tortilla chips or grilled cheese or on nachos. How do you like your chili? Are you a beans or no beans person? Is there a food that you love to eat, but haven't mastered?

Chunky Chili
a Keeley original
8-10 servings

1 large onion, diced
1 fresh bell pepper (I used red, green would work, too), diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 14-ounce can Ro-Tel (original flavor)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can small red or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups low-sodium beef stock
2 Tablespoons corn flour (Masa, look for it in the Hispanic/Latino aisle) dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water

Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large pot or Dutch oven. Heat to medium and saute onions and peppers for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Add in garlic and saute for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add ground turkey and ground beef and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently to break up the meat, for 8-10 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Drain any excess liquid or fat from the pot.

Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon to the meat. Stir to combine.

Add tomato sauce, beef broth, beans, and Ro-Tel to the pot. Stir to combine.

Pour masa mixture into the pot and stir to combine.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasonings and serve hot or refrigerate and reheat later.

Smitten Kitchen Apple Cake

2011-11-09T18:25:00.000-05:00

A little over a year ago a friend introduced me to a great food blog called Smitten Kitchen. Deb, the blogger, shares her culinary creations from her tiny New York City kitchen and I've been trying several of her recipes and I agree with her taste (most of the time!). She even has a cookbook in the making and I'll definitely be buying it.

I noticed her apple cake recipe a while back and I immediately made it for my family. Despite the fact that I made this fall-ish cake in the middle of July, we all loved it and I went ahead and made it again this fall. It has the dense texture of a pound cake but the moist, fruity goodness of chunky fresh apples. I agree with Deb that this cake is "so much better than the sum of its parts". You probably have everything you need to bake this cake in your house right now... so go ahead and bake it! It's good for dessert and I'll admit that I even ate some of the leftover slices with coffee in the morning.

This cake is very sturdy, so you can absolutely make it a day in advance of serving and it would also travel well for say... Thanksgiving (which is two weeks away!).

I didn't make any changes to the original recipe, so if you'd like to try this cake, head on over to Smitten Kitchen for the recipe.

Ginger Pear Preserves

2011-11-03T12:35:00.000-04:00

I thought my adventures in food preservation were over once the cold weather hit, but I realized that fall brings more fruits for preserving. Apples, pears, cranberries and citrus fruits are all in season during the cooler months and make excellent ingredients for jams, chutneys, spreads and preserves.

My friend Jennifer and I spent this past snowy Saturday canning three recipes, including these Ginger Pear Preserves. The finished product is thick and golden with a slightly tart taste from the limes. The combination of ginger and citrus is subtle and refreshing. Plus, preserves are easy to make! You dump the ingredients into a pot, cook them for a specified amount of time, then pour them into prepared jars and process according to the recipe.

My only complaint is that the recipe only yielded 3 half-pint jars. My book cautioned against doubling a recipe (may not cook properly), but this is a really small yield! The preserves were great, though, and I think you'll enjoy them. Since the yield was smaller than expected you could even make this recipe without canning the preserves since you could probably just store in in the fridge and consume it within 30 days.

I'm planning to use the preserves on wheat toast, English muffins or as a filling for some Christmas cookies! If you're new to canning, Ball has some great resources to get you started. (I wasn't paid or perked by Ball, but I do love their recipes and they taught me a lot about canning!)

Ginger Pear Preserves
recipe yield says 7 half-pint jars, but I ended up with half that yield
from Ball

5-1/2 cups finely chopped cored peeled pears (about 8 medium)
Grated zest and juice of 3 limes
2-1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp freshly grated gingerroot
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE pears, lime zest and juice, sugar and gingerroot in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel. If preserves break from spoon in a sheet or flake, it is at the gel stage. Skim off foam. If your mixture has not reached the gel stage, return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 5 minutes. Repeat gel stage test and cooking as needed.
3.) LADLE hot preserves into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

White Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:22:00.001-04:00

In my 31+ years I don't think I've ever seen snow in October, at least not at my house. While "White Halloween" may be an exaggeration, we did get a light dusting of heavy, wet snow this past weekend. Some areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England actually ended up with measurable snow and some schools are closed today. A snow day on Halloween. Crazy... at least for the Mid-Atlantic.

It was crazy to see the trees, just past their peak autumn colors and still holding on to some green summery leaves, covered in snow. I even had to break out the snow brush for my car on Saturday.

I spent most of the snow day with my friend Jennifer and we continued our canning adventures with Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce, Pear Ginger Preserves, and Pear Port Compote. And yes, I'll be sharing the recipes. As an added bonus, all of the ingredients are in season, so if you're ready to give canning a try these are perfect recipes!

For now, here's a preview from our latest canning session...

I can't wait for Thanksgiving! Although, who am I kidding? I don't even eat cranberry sauce with my turkey, I prefer to eat it for breakfast!

Although I didn't make any Halloween-specific recipes this year, click here to link to an oldie, but goodie: Halloween Bark!

Happy Halloween! Are you dressing up for the occasion? How about your kids? Pets?

Apple Pie in a Jar

2011-10-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

Food preservation is my new love. I vaguely remember my grandfather (mom's father) canning applesauce, peaches and other goodies, but that was many, many years ago... long before I was old enough to even use a stove. In the past year I've been hearing some foodie buzz about canning. Then Ball started having commercials about canning. I still thought it was too difficult. I mean, I've cut myself slicing onions and I've stepped on a food processor blade (both situations landed me in the emergency room). Large pots of boiling water and the danger of getting the recipe wrong and dying of food poisoning didn't sound like a good idea.

Then I realized that I love cooking from scratch. I love gardening. As cheesy as it sounds, I'm inspired to cook and bake when I drive through the farms on my way home from work in June, July and August. I'm even inspired by the tiny container garden on my modest deck. I decided to try canning.

My mom thought I was crazy. Canning was a chore in her day, so she couldn't understand why someone would want to spend an entire afternoon processing peaches, tomatoes, apples, pears and peppers when there were perfectly good alternatives in our grocery store. But I was determined... so I picked up this book at Costco. It ended up being the best $12 I spent in 2011.

I started with peaches purchased at a farm in New Jersey. I made peach jam, peach butter, and peach rum sauce. It would have been nice if I had remembered to blog about these recipes while peaches were still in season in the Northern Hemisphere, but life happens. I'll save those stories for 2012.

Then I had a canning date with my friend (and former classmate) Jennifer. We took it to a whole new level with fresh salsa, roasted red pepper spread and the recipe I'm sharing today: Apple Pie in a Jar. And guess what? You can find all of the ingredients to make this right now because apples are in season!

Jennifer stirring the pot.

The recipe comes from Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving, but it's inspired by my summer trip to Vermont. You know, the one that I still haven't blogged about? (I'm on a roll here.) We purchased something called Apple Pie in a Jar at a maple syrup farm and E couldn't stop talking about it. He ate this like jam - straight up or spread on hot toast. Since we paid nearly $10 for an 8 ounce jar I figured I'd attempt to make it on my own. I must say, the results were good!

You start with fresh Granny Smith apples...

Peel, core, dice and throw in a big pot with some lemon juice, lemon zest and apple juice...

While that simmers, chop up some golden raisins. Yes, raisins! I used a food processor because I like making tons of dishes for my husband to wash.

Then you stir in pectin. You can pick up this stuff at a specialty cooking store. Mine came from Kitchen & Company...

The jam really tightens up once you stir in the sugar and boil it for a bit. Then you add the raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg...

At this point things are smelling really good. The only thing stopping you from eating this straight off the spoon is that it would burn the roof of your mouth (possibly landing you in the emergency room....). So instead you ladle it into prepared jars, then you process it (that means submerge the jars in boiling water) for 10 minutes.

Remove the jars, let them cool and you've got Apple Pie in a Jar that is shelf-stable for one year!

Do you think you can do this? I know you can! I highly recommend you read this website to get the basics down and I also recommend you purchase this book before you start.

You can buy the supplies at a cooking specialty store or online. I bought everything at Kitchen & Company and I invested about $35 this year to get started, but from now on I'll only need to buy extra jars (as needed, they are reusable) and new lids (for when I do reuse the jars). Plus, home preserved food makes a fun gift for all of your friends and family who appreciate homemade food!

Here's what I think you need:

A large pot for cooking your recipes
A huge pot for processing your jars (we're talking 12 quarts or more, it doesn't have to be high quality)
Jar funnel (check your cooking specialty store)
Jar-shaped tongs (specialty store)
magnetic lid lifter
Plenty of clean kitchen towels
Jars + lids (I went with half-pint jars, you can do whatever you think is best)
Plastic ladle
Large bowls for prepping ingredients

Apple Pie in a Jar
adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

3/4 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
6 cups peeled, cored, chopped Granny Smith apples
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 package (1.75 oz, or equivalent measure from larger container) regular powdered fruit pectin
8 cups sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not breakfast syrup, real syrup)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Check out the website and book mentioned earlier in this post.

In a large, deep pot (preferably stainless steel), combine apples, lemon zest and juice, and apple juice. Boil gently for 10 minutes, or until apples begin to soften.

Remove from heat and stir in raisins and pectin. Put back on heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add sugar all at once and stir constantly. Bring mixture to a full, rolling boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. (It should boil so hard that you can't stir it down.)

Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Skim foam off the top.

Ladle jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Place lid on jar. Place screw band on jar and tighten until resistance is met (not too tight!).

Place jars back in canner (keep them upright!) and bring water to a boil. Process for 10 minutes once water starts boiling. Cut off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then use jar tongs to remove jars (keep them upright!). Place jars on a kitchen towel to cool.

Allow jars to cool, then store. If any jars have not sealed, place them in the refrigerator and consume within 30 days. Otherwise store jars for up to a year at room temperature.

Philly Food & Drink Writers' Event

2011-10-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

This past weekend my friend (and fellow Potluck blogger), Emily, encouraged me to join her at a special event for Philly food and drink writers and I took her up on the offer. Yes, I'm from Delaware, but my home is a short distance from Philadelphia. I appreciated the opportunity to connect with food writers, photographers and bloggers from our area.

The event was put together through a collaboration among La Phemme Phoodie, Philly Homegrown and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Coorporation (the geniuses behind the Visit Philly campaign) and held at R2L, an upscale restaurant with an impressive (37th floor) view. I felt like I was in the pages of one of my favorite cooking magazines. Our tasting menu included several menu items, all of which were beautifully presented and decadent:

Passed Hors D ‘Oeuvres:
· Steak tartare, potato chip + beef butter
· Lobster mac + cheese
· Truffled Flatbread
· Smoked Salmon, mustard cream cheese, pretzel chips
· Crisp risotto, truffle soy
· Tuna skewers, au poivre

Drinks:
· R2L-EVATION | gin, parfait amour, luxardo, fresh lemon, cherry
· SIDECAR | hennessy vs, pallini limoncello, cointreau, fresh lemon

My favorites? The Lobster Mac and Cheese and the Crisp Risotto. I love cheese. I can't help it.

R2L has a large dining room with beautiful views of Philadelphia...

Interesting and artistic decor like this funky light fixture...

And this awesome work of art made from utensils...

Good food, cool atmosphere and of course, great people!

My friend Emily (check out her blog Cleanliness is Next to Godliness)...

And tons of other food writers/photographers/bloggers who love eating and documenting fabulous food!

We weren't just eating, drinking and socializing. We also had an informative photography lesson from Eric Mencher. After the lesson we practiced on some edible props, generously provided by R2L...

Oh yes, and we did attack the dessert cart. I mean, they gave us permission, so how could I resist?

I'm so glad I broke my normal weekend routine (cooking, baking, blogging, housework) to go out and meet other local food enthusiasts! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this a successful event... I'm still dreaming about that Lobster Mac and Cheese...

If you're ever in Philly, I encourage you to visit R2L. You'll get a great view, great drinks, and a memorable and delicious meal!

What did you do this weekend?

Salsa Rice

2011-10-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Check out my latest blog post on Potluck for a super-easy Salsa Rice. It's a great side dish for your Tex-Mex fare! Think burritos, enchiladas, tacos... Click here to check it out!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

2011-10-10T18:07:00.002-04:00

In my effort to fully embrace autumn, I'm keeping up with my recent trend of preparing seasonally-appropriate recipes. This latest creation is inspired by the October 2011 cover of Bon Apetit magazine:

I saw this beautiful stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped pork loin and I immediately decided I had to have it. I ended up making my own version of this dish that's probably a bit easier than the original. And I'll admit it, it's a pretty impressive dinner!

Before we get started, let's deal with a few things. First, the pork issue. I know some people don't eat pork and I know some people have eaten pork, but don't think they like it. If you're open to the idea of eating pork, but you don't think you like it, may I suggest that you may be the victim of too many over-cooked pork dishes? I've experienced more dry, gray-ish, chewy, poorly seasoned pork than I care to remember. There's a huge difference between lean, juicy, properly cooked, properly seasoned pork and dry, under (or over) seasoned, chewy, fatty pork. I want you to have a positive experience with cooking pork tenderloin (or loin), so I'm offering some suggestions.

First, follow a good recipe and season your meat properly. For me this means using kosher salt and fresh herbs as either a rub or a brine. I've posted several pork recipes that use these techniques and I promise they are all good and they will make you a culinary rock star if you can follow the instructions. Brined Pork Loin is almost guaranteed to be juicy and well-seasoned. Roasted Pork Loin with Herbs and Garlic is a great choice if you don't have time to brine. Stuffed Pork Loin is a great choice once you gain some pork loin confidence. The recipe I'm sharing today falls somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty. It doesn't require any advanced planning, but you have to be skilled enough to wrap pork with pork. It's not difficult at all, but it does require a few extra minutes.

Second, do not overcook your pork. Buy a meat thermometer. You can get one for less than $10 at most stores and it's well worth the investment. Why ruin $15 worth of meat because you couldn't tell the internal temperature? Cook with confidence and use a meat thermometer.

Finally, let the pork rest before serving, but don't let it rest in a hot oven! You definitely want to let pork rest 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving, otherwise you'll lose all of the seasoned juices from the meat. What you don't want to do is put the pork back in a warm oven to "rest" before serving. It will continue to cook and will be in danger of turning gray and chewy... not good.

Okay, on to today's recipe, Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin! I just happened to have 1/4 pound (4 ounces) of proscuitto in my refrigerator. You can probably find this in the deli section of your grocery store. Mine was with the pre-sliced, pre-packaged meats.

I almost always have both pork loin and pork tenderloin in my freezer. I'm obsessed. Plus, there's a big difference between the sale price and the regular price for pork tenderloin, so when it goes on sale, stock up! I chose pork tenderloin for this recipe because it's thinner and smaller (sold in packs of 2, each loin is about 1 pound). It cooks pretty quickly, so the proscuitto doesn't burn while you're waiting for the pork to finish roasting.

The first few steps can be done in advance... maybe the day (or morning) before serving. If you break this recipe down, it's not difficult at all.

Rub the pork with the herbs and spices...

Wrap the pork in prosciutto. Tie the prosciutto to the pork using butcher's twine (this isn't fancy stuff, you can find it at most grocery stores and it costs about $2)...

Place the pork atop an assortment of root vegetables and fall fruits (I used potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pears... carrots and onions would also be great).

Roast the pork until done (about 40 minutes). The vegetables will likely need to roast for closer to an hour, so just remove the pork and let the veggies keep cooking. Everything will be at perfect serving temperature when the vegetables are done.

Serve with a green vegetable, like Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. Invite a few friends over, 'cause this meal will serve 4-6 people. We invited my mom to dinner and enjoyed this fabulous meal with a bottle of apple cranberry wine from Vermont... you know, that trip to Vermont that I still haven't got around to blogging? (Coming soon, I promise!) It was so good that my husband thought he had forgotten an anniversary or my birthday! This is an impressive meal, people!

It goes without saying that I probably wouldn't make this on a weeknight. The hands on prep took me about 45 minutes and the roasting took another hour. However, this meal is really impressive in both taste and presentation, so I highly recommend it for a Sunday dinner or a small dinner party. I also like that it's served family-style, so you just bring this beautiful masterpiece to the table and let people go to town!

I can't think of a better way to use my favorite cut of meat and some fresh herbs that are still alive in my garden. I just made a classic even better... give this one a try!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
by Keeley
serves 4-6

Special equipment: butcher's twine for tying the pork (you can find this at any kitchen supply store and many grocery stores), a large roasting pan (although any broad pan that will allow the veggies to spread out without touching will work)

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond Kosher Salt. If you use another brand, use less salt!)
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
3 Tablespoons chopped rosemary (about 3 sprigs)
2 cloves of minced fresh garlic
extra virgin olive oil
about 1 1/2 pounds root vegetables and fruit for roasting (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, and pears are an excellent combination), chopped into 2" pieces

In a small bowl (or the bowl of a mini food processor) mix garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Rub this spice paste on the pork.

Carefully wrap the pork with the slices of proscuitto. Secure the prosciutto to the pork by tying it with the twine.

Line roasting pan with foil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (if it has a "roast" setting or "convection roast" setting, use it).

Place chopped vegetables on the line roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat with a few tablespoons of olive oil. The vegetables should be spread out enough that they are not crowded on the pan. This will allow them to cook evenly.

Place the prepared pork loin on top of the vegetables. Roast in a preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees (start checking your roast at 30-35 minutes). Do not overcook.

The pork may be cooked before the vegetables are finished roasting. If this is the case, remove the pork from the oven and place it on a cutting board. Continue to cook the vegetables while the pork rests for 15-20 minutes. After the pork rests, gently remove the twine (I used scissors), slice and serve with hot vegetables.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

2011-10-03T19:42:00.001-04:00

Happy fall, y'all! I'm one of those people who mourns the end of summer. I love my garden, sunny days, the beach, long days, hot nights (in our air-conditioned house), barbecues... by the time the first day of fall comes I'm a bit bummed because I know it's a slippery slope into frost, Christmas frenzies, and blizzards. For some reason fall always seems too short and I don't really get into it.

2011 is the first fall in many years that I'm not enrolled in school and I have time to stop and smell the chrysanthemums. I'm celebrating by cooking and baking all things fall. So what if my nights of enjoying bruschetta with home-grown tomatoes and fresh basil are over? And why get sad because darkness falls shortly after I return home from work (or sometimes before I even get home)? It's fall, y'all, so I'm making the most of it starting with one of the most popular fall flavors, pumpkin!

I'm a fan of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I know, I know... I'm on the bandwagon. But it's really good (and I'm looking forward to trying a Salted Caramel Mocha this weekend). I've only had one this year because I like to eat my calories, not drink them (plus I don't pass Starbucks on my way to work... keeping it real). This cake is inspired by the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte... except that it has no coffee. It's super-moist, subtly spiced and topped with a cloud of fresh whipped cream. I considered topping this cake with cream cheese frosting (which would also be fantastic), but instead I went for fresh whipped cream. The pretty fluffy cloud of whipped cream topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon reminded me of a fancy coffee drink, so I went with it.

This cake is a hit at my house. It's still moist (we're headed into day three) and I'll admit that I've eaten it straight up with my coffee for breakfast. This is one of those desserts that can easily be made in advance. I like to whip my fresh whipped cream right before serving, but if you're feeling exceptionally lazy you can use the stuff in a can. It's not the same, but it will do.

Kick off your fall baking season with this cake!

Pumpkin Spice Cake
by Keeley

For cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 small (14 ounce) jar of pumpkin puree
fresh whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper (or coat with flour).

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in pumpkin. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Cut into squares and serve topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cram and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Weekend Plans...

2011-09-29T20:59:00.000-04:00

For the second year in a row I'm off to fabulous NYC for the Food & Wine Festival, courtesy of my BFFs at ShopRite. I'll be at the Grand Tasting and the Blue Moon Burger Bash on Friday, so if you're there, stop by and say hi!

I'll have plenty of photos and videos to share upon my return (and hopefully I'll be on the ball and not take two months to post them... I still haven't finished with my summer travel photos). If you want a little flavor of the festivities, check out my post from the 2010 NYC Food & Wine Festival and the video I posted last year.

I'll be back soon with some fall recipes, some long overdue posts and all the details from the Food &Wine Festival!

Pretzel Crisps Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-29T09:21:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who submitted entries to the Pretzel Crisps giveaway! The randomly selected winner is...

Entry #5: Becky!

Becky will receive two bags of Pretzel Crisps, a Pretzel Crisps shopping bag and a coupon toward her next purchase of Pretzel Crisps. Becky, please email me at keeleycancook (at) gmail.com to claim your prize!

Thanks for reading and participating in the giveaway. I'm planning at least one more giveaway this fall, so stay tuned!

This giveaway is a promotion sponsored by Snack Factory. I received complimentary samples of Pretzel Crisps as part of a Breast Cancer Awareness Promotion. All opinions are my own.

September Highlights

2011-09-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

I shared this post about a month ago with highlights from my first summer with an iPhone. I'm continuing the fun with some highlights from the past few weeks... and a peek into some upcoming recipe posts.

I can't stop taking photos with my phone... I just can't help it!

Apple Pie in a Jar... recipe coming (very) soon! I promise!

Typical Saturday morning (if we're not working)... laptop, coffee, Google Reader

E on the grill during our last barbecue of the summer

Chorizo Burger

Sourdough French Toast with Peach-Maple Syrup

I take photos of wines I enjoy so I'll know what to buy at the store.

Pepperoni Bread

E with our friend's teeny tiny Yorkie

Pumpkin Spice Latte - I couldn't resist.

Saturday night dinner date.

Psst... did you enter the Pretzel Crisps giveaway? The contest is still open until Wednesday night!

Giveaway! - Pretzel Crisps

2011-09-23T15:02:00.001-04:00

image from here

Drumroll, please! For the first time in the history of My Life on a Plate I am doing a giveaway! Today's giveaway is sponsored by Snack Factory. Their latest snack innovation is Pretzel Crisps, thin, crunchy pretzel crackers.

I've been a pretzel lover for as long as I've had teeth, so I've been buying Pretzel Crisps for the past few years. We like to dip them in flavored cream cheese or peanut butter, but they come in a lot of flavors that can stand alone: Original, Everything, Garlic Parmesan, Buffalo Wing, Sesame, Jalapeno Jack and Chipotle Cheddar.

image from here

Snack Factory sent me samples of several flavors of these crisps and I appreciate the opportunity to try out different varieties since in the past I had only purchased the Original flavor. I'm in love with the Everything flavor crisps and I've also enjoyed topping the Sesame with chunks of cheese... it's a perfect after-work snack!

Pretzel Crisps are a nice alternative to higher-calorie potato chips (not that I'm hating on potato chips, but everything in moderation). I appreciate keeping a crispy, lower calorie snack around the house or in my office for those times when I get weak and want something salty and crispy.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In support of this cause, SnackFactory changed the packaging on 14-ounce Pretzel Crisps packages to includethe iconic pink ribbon and Snack Factory will also be donating a minimum of$100,000 to the Susan G. Koman Foundation. In addition, local marketteams of Snack Factory representatives will compete against each other to raisemoney for the cause.

Wondering how you can get your own Pretzel Crisps? They're sold at grocery stores and big box stores in many locations. One lucky reader will get a bag for free just by leaving a comment on this post. Please leave a comment with your name and I will randomly select a winner. Want to enter more than once? Here are your options (leave a separate comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment (including your name) on this blog post.
2. Follow me on Twitter: @KeeleyPowell
3. "Like" My Life on a Plate on Facebook: facebook.com/mylifeonaplate

~~The winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 28th 2011. Please contact me via email to claim your prize.~~
This contest ended. Thanks for playing!
This giveaway is a promotion sponsored by Snack Factory. I received complimentary samples of Pretzel Crisps as part of a Breast Cancer Awareness Promotion. All opinions are my own.

Foodies Can Coupon and Menu Plan!

2011-09-19T08:02:00.001-04:00

It's a new season, so I'm mixing things up. Today I'm sharing my first guest post! Today's guest writer is the lovely TiAnna Mae of The Fab Life... For Free. Please check out her blog!

Do you want to do a feature for My Life on a Plate? Of course you do! Email me at keeleycancook (at) gmail (dot) com.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Foodies CAN Coupon and Menu Plan!

I get it, I get it! You’re a foodie, you enjoy exotic flavors, you want foods that thrill your taste buds, you want organic items, and you really don’t care how much you spend. I’m a foodie too, but I also enjoy doing other things with my cash like: traveling, movies, taking care of my son, and saving for the future. In this post, I’m going to give you a few quick tips on how to enjoy all the foods that you like while saving money doing it.

Great adventures start with a plan….a loose idea at least. Create a dinner menu plan. You can even create one for breakfast and lunch if you choose, however, dinner is the most important meal to plan. Usually it’s the time of day where you have the least amount of time and your whole family will partake of the meal (at some point at least). I would recommend setting a dinner menu plan in at least one week increments. As a foodie, you may change your mind or get a taste for something different, so you don’t want to plan too far in advance. Make sure to schedule things that you love eating all the time, as well as, new recipes that you come across. Try your best to plan your menu around the sales and coupons that you find, which is how you can achieve maximum savings.

Let me see your thumb! As a foodie, we enjoy fresh produce and bold flavors, so starting a vegetable and/or herb garden is a great idea. Herbs can be grown in small pots placed on your countertop, as long as it can get direct sunlight. Vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash can be easy to grow and so rewarding to eat. Let’s not even get on the savings benefit. If you don’t want to try your hand at gardening, then definitely check out your local farmer’s market where you can get fresh chemical free produce for a lot cheaper than at the grocery store. You can usually find other specialty food items at a Farmer’s Market.

Got Meat? Coupons for meat are hard to come by, so the best way to save is to search the sale ads for your grocer and plan to stock up around holidays. There are always great deals on angus beef, pork ribs, T-bone steaks, etc. leading up to those “cook-out” holidays like: Memorial Day and Labor Day. You can also find great deals on Cornish hens, turkey products, and ham around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have a deep freezer, you can store your extra meats there, and if not, only buy what your freezer can hold. There will be another sale.

All seasonings are created equal…in my opinion. Smoked paprika is smoked paprika…it doesn’t matter the brand. Grab the cheapest one your little eyes can find. Farmer’s Markets are also great for finding deals on seasoning, and this is also where a fresh herb garden will come in handy. This may be breaking a foodie golden rule, but if you’re following a recipe that calls for a “non-essential” seasoning, don’t be afraid to leave it out if you don’t have it on the shelf. By non-essential, I mean something that if it were missing, the dish would taste fine, the same even. For example, using regular black pepper, when the recipe called for fresh ground pepper. Sure the flavor will be bolder if you use the fresh ground pepper, but it won’t make it taste nasty if you don’t use it.

Everyone likes a great deal. Foodie or not, everyone enjoys saving money. Coupons are great for specialty items that rarely go on sale. You can always find coupons for Almond Milk, Newman’s Salad Dressing, pumpernickel bread, Magnum ice cream bars, and other very luxe foodie-like treats. If there’s a coupon for it, you can find it at Coupon Diva and also check the manufacturer’s website. Lastly, a Google search can even turn up coupons for those expensive specialty items.

Try these tips to see if you can save a little extra change to do other things that are equally as important, such as, paying bills!

Cedar Plank Salmon with Fresh Lemon Pepper

2011-09-06T12:05:00.000-04:00

I enjoy salmon. Raw, grilled, whatever. I didn't grow up eating salmon because my mom didn't like it. Mom may not have enjoyed salmon in the past, but this simple recipe converted her.

The inspiration was a dinner we enjoyed with at a friend's home earlier this summer. After our friend explained all of the advantages of wild-caught Pacific salmon (and I had an opportunity to taste the fantastic meal served at their home) I decided to try to create something similar on my own grill. I'm not a fishmonger and I'm still learning how to work with seafood, but even I was able to handle this recipe. I picked up a 1-pound salmon filet and a stack of cedar planks (you can find the planks at kitchen stores or in the seafood department of your grocery store). I soaked the plank, seasoned the salmon, and lit the charcoal grill.

(Scared of the grill? Check out this tutorial.)

The seasoning is extremely simple. It's the zest of one lemon plus some Kosher salt and pepper. That's it. You can squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the salmon before serving.

In just 15 minutes you have moist, flaky, smoky, lemony salmon. Salmon so fresh and tasty that even my mom would eat it. It's restaurant-quality and it will impress all your friends. And even though it costs a few dollars more than Atlantic farm-raised salmon, the taste and quality is much better, so go ahead and splurge... it's still more affordable than going out to dinner!

Cedar Plank Salmon with Fresh Lemon Pepper
from Keeley's kitchen
serves 3-4

1 pound fresh, wild-caught Pacific salmon
1 lemon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
special equipment: one cedar plank, soaked according to package directions and a grill

Soak cedar plank according to package directions. (I soak mine for at least an hour before cooking). Preheat your grill. (If using charcoal, set up an indirect-heat situation, if using propane, use medium heat.)

Zest the lemon. Mix lemon zest with salt and pepper. Rub seasoning mixture on salmon.

When the grill is ready, place the salmon on the cedar plank. Place the plank on the grill and cover the grill. Cook until fish flakes when poked with a fork (about 15 minutes). Do not overcook.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Squeeze lemon juice over salmon, if desired.

Barbecue Sauce, Pioneer Woman-Style

2011-09-02T08:17:00.003-04:00

In honor of Labor Day Weekend here's something new to try on the grill!

By now I think you know I grew up in a barbecue-loving family and that love carried right into adulthood. E and I fire up the grill year-round. Sometimes we put barbecue sauce on our meats, sometimes we don't. Depends on the mood, really. We have a family recipe for sauce and it's a tomatoey, vinegary sauce, not a sweet smoky sauce. I saw this post on The Pioneer Woman Cooks and I decided to give it a try. She always makes everything look so good (and so easy!).

I'll leave the details to my BFF (in my head), Ree, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. This sauce came together in minutes and we opted to grill our chicken rather than cook it in the oven. After one bite of this chicken we were all licking our fingers. It's sweet, spicy, and smoky all at the same time. The recipe made more than enough sauce, so we stored the leftovers in the fridge and used them a few days later for Barbecue Chicken Pizza.

If you like barbecue sauce, you'll love this. I made a few alterations to the original recipe to suit our tastes. As long as you have a well-stocked pantry, you should be able to make this anytime. It elevates on-sale chicken to a whole new level.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend! What are your plans? I can tell you one thing... I'll be grilling!

Barbecue Sauce
adapted (slightly) from The Pioneer Woman
makes about 2 cups

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 whole Onion, Diced
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Tablespoons Apple CiderVinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Molasses
4 Tablespoons Chopped Chipotles in Adobo Sauce

Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for five minutes, stirring.

Reduce heat to low. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Taste after simmering and adjust seasonings to suit your tastes.

My Life on an iPhone

2011-08-31T06:06:00.000-04:00

Am I the only person who has jumping for joy when Verizon finally got the iPhone? E and I usually purchase the same phone, but after my car accident I needed a new phone, so we negotiated a double upgrade and each of us ended up with an iPhone. At least something good came out of a scary and inconvenient situation - I really like this phone.

Most of the time I take photos with my "real" camera, but sometimes I don't want to walk around looking like a tourist with the real deal around my neck. Or I'm lazy. Or it's hot and I don't want to carry anything extra. On these days, I love using my mobile phone as a camera and my iPhone is the best camera phone I've owned.

I could go on and on (and on) about apps, but the Instagram app is one of my favorites. Basically you can snap a quick photo, edit it on the spot and with two clicks share it on Facebook, Twitter or email (among other places). It also saves a copy that you can use wherever else you'd like. The photos come out square like old school Polaroids.

I'm realizing that (no surprise) I take a lot of photos of food! Here are some of my favorites from this summer (with a few non-Instagram iPhone photos thrown in, too)...

View from our hotel room in Montreal...

Shrimp and Grits at The Stone Balloon Winehouse for E's birthday...

Chicken Kebabs with Rosemary and Red Pepper Couscous...

The Blue Parrot Bar & Grille for mom's birthday...

Jambalaya at The Blue Parrot... yes, that's a crawfish. It tasted like shrimp to me.

Sushi (Sweet Potato Roll, Tuna Roll, Salmon Roll, and Philadelphia Roll) at Saketumi.

Ingredients for a good batch of fresh salsa (I swapped out canned tomatoes for fresh - it's summer!)...

Bruschetta... another summer favorite!

I'm loving being able to take halfway-decent photos on the go. Sure, it's not DLSR, but the Instagram app is always with me, so I have yet another way to document the culinary milestones of everyday life.

Do you use the camera on your mobile phone? Do you snap photos of your food before you eat it? Are you sad that the summer growing season is coming to an end (at least around here) and that you won't have anymore fresh basil, tomatoes or watermelon?

I still have more summer travel and summer produce recipes to share! Stay tuned!

Peach Bread

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you have a rare earthquake, a tornado warning and a hurricane in the same week? If you're me, you buy ten pounds of peaches and spend the weekend making peach jam, peach butter, peach rum sauce and peach bread... and you still have peaches left over. You do all of this because your mom insists that after this crazy weather ends there will be no more peaches left on the trees in the Philadelphia area. And she's probably right. So you have a peach festival in your tiny kitchen while the storm roars outside... until you lose electricity.

It would be perfectly fine with me if I didn't see another fresh peach until 2012. My kitchen table was covered in them, then my refrigerator was full of them, and then my mom and I spent hours peeling them.

I will tell you all about my adventures in food preserving soon, but for now, let's start with something easy... peach bread.

It's late-August and I think you can still get your hands on some fresh peaches. If not, you can use frozen, thawed peaches (or even fresh nectarines) to make this bread any time of year.

This bread tasted like a peach cobbler. It's not terribly healthy, but it's not really that bad for you either. I used some whole-wheat flour and I also replaced some of the typical oil with applesauce. I made it yesterday and there are just two slices left... and it's calling my name.

Peach Bread
by Keeley
makes 1 loaf

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup fresh,peeled diced peaches (about 1 large peach)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In a second bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add vanilla, vegetable oil, and unsweetened applesauce and whisk until combined.

Wet ingredients into dry ingredients. The mixture will be thick and stiff. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for one hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

International Road Trip Part 2

2011-08-25T12:01:00.000-04:00

I'll start the story of our recent International Road Trip with our first stop: Montreal. Montreal is a major city in the province of Quebec and it's located about 8.5 hours north of our home in Delaware. We left home around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and arrived at our hotel around 3:30 p.m. The road trip was pretty uneventful (New Jersey... New York...), except for the border crossing into Canada. The border patrol had never seen our particular variety of Delaware license plate (I don't think Canadians get to choose their plates) and we had an interesting conversation at the border. Otherwise, all went well.

Recommendation: If you are driving your car over an international border, make sure you have your permanent and current registration and tags on your car.

As soon as we crossed the border we saw some hilarious signs reminding us that 100 kilometers per hour does not equal 100 miles per hour. Just in case we didn't pay attention in school! Actually, we did have to make a conscious effort to use the kilometer section of a speedometer in the car... we just opted to cruise comfortably below the speed limit.

As far as money, we carried major credit/debit cards (I prefer American Express, but it's not accepted everywhere, so have a Visa and/or Mastercard on hand). We also exchanged about $100 for Canadian cash...

Canadians have $2 coins. We couldn't get used to handing a bartender or server a coin as a tip... different! We also noticed that servers bring the credit card machine to your table when you use a card to pay your tab at a restaurant.

A friend recommended that we stay at Hotel de Paris. Our "Executive" room was $125 per night, plus tax, which is a good rate for Montreal. My friend described the hotel as European-style and I agree. The rooms are a modest size (similar to a master bedroom in a private home) and the hotel is really a large house. Think of it as a series of suites with private bathrooms. We had a window air conditioning unit (it really wasn't hot, so that was fine). Our room had a semi-private balcony. It was functional and for less than $400 for the duration of our stay, I can't complain.

Hotel Positives

Location - within walking distance of the Latin Quarter area (lots of restaurants) and the Metro station
Continental breakfast included
Updated bathrooms
Friendly staff

Hotel Negatives

On-street parking-street signs in French, difficult to understand parking rules (we found out at the end of our stay that there was limited garage parking for $15/night)
No elevators (but the building only has three floors)

We started each day with the complimentary continental breakfast:

The coffee was good, the muffins were great. It was enough to get us started each day.

And now, the fun part... speaking French!

Although most Canadians speak English, Quebec is a French-speaking province, so French is the first language. I've been to other provinces in Canada, but this was my first trip to Quebec. I knew that French was the dominant language, but I was still surprised that everything really was in French. I'm such an American, I know.

I speak Spanish, but I've had little exposure to the French language, so this was quite the adventure. Fortunately my husband took four years of French in high school and he downloaded an iPhone app with common French phrases. We were in business!

I recommend that you at least try to speak French when you meet people in Quebec. For me my "trying" was limited to simply saying "bonjour!" and smiling. Many people heard our accent (even when E did speak French) and would switch over to English. All signage and most restaurant menus were in French. Believe it or not, I figured it out most of the time. Maybe it's because French and Spanish are both romance languages, but I did not feel overwhelmed by the language difference at all. We encountered some people who did not speak English (well), but we worked it out. Sometimes we'd attempt to order food in French and they would send over an English-speaking cashier to finish taking our order. It worked. For the most part, people were happy to see us and willing to help us understand. If anything, this experience motivated me to learn more French.

We took the Metro everywhere. If you go to Montreal, just do yourself a favor and buy a train pass. E took a photo of the subway map with his iPhone so we'd a way to discretely reference the train map. It worked like a charm! It was really easy to get around using the train.

If we weren't riding the train, we were walking. We must have walked five miles per day. Make sure you pack comfortable shoes! We didn't mind walking at all, especially since it was a comfortable 70 degrees (Fahrenheit). Speaking of temperatures, Canadians are like (most of) the rest of the world and they measure temperature in Celsius.

My first impressions? I can't believe we're only a one-day drive from home! People here really do speak French! The city has a European flavor. Oh, and where can I get some poutine?

What is poutine? That will have to wait for my next post!

New Address!

2011-08-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

My Life on a Plate has a new home! Starting today you can go to www.keeleypowell.com for all things delicious.

P.S.
If you use Google Reader or have my old URL bookmarked, no worries. The old address forwards to the new location.

Blueberry Compote

2011-08-22T05:55:00.000-04:00

Mmm... breakfast! If I had a plate like this waiting for me every Monday morning I'd always be in a good mood. I know a lot of you have tried the recipe I posted earlier this year for Waffles of Insane Greatness. Well, if you think that's good, take it to the next level with this easy fresh fruit compote. Oh, and it's good on Buttermilk Pancakes, too. Since blueberries may not be plentiful at this point in August, keep in mind that this recipe is also great with other berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries... Hop on over to Potluck and check out my latest post for the recipe. Your tummy will thank you!

I'm especially grateful for this recipe because E and I just went to a coffee shop (casual, not table service) that was selling fruit-topped Belgian waffles for $10! I mean, really? You could feed four people with $10 worth of breakfast ingredients... but I digress.

When I finally stop playing Angry Birds and Words With Friends on my iPhone I'll continue the story of our International Road Trip. Let me just say, the iPhone is worth all of the hype. I'm just glad I bought it after I finished my doctoral degree or I would have never got any schoolwork completed.

I'm working with a few people on guest posts and I wanted to throw this out there: If you'd like to do a guest post on this blog, please email me at keeleycancook@gmail.com. Maybe you'd like to share your favorite recipe, grocery shopping tips, or some helpful diet and nutrition info? Whatever it is, let me know.

Also, if you have any requests or feedback, email me! I cook new stuff every week (I just don't always blog about it) and I'd love to take some requests!

P.S.
I finally got on Twitter, so if you'd like to have more (semi) regular updates from me, please follow me @KeeleyPowell.

International Road Trip - Part One

2011-08-17T20:55:00.000-04:00

I just put 1500 miles on my brand new car. That's like driving halfway across the U.S. It's like driving most of the east cost. It's equivalent to about a month of my normal commute. It was worth it (especially considering that E did most of the driving).

Two weeks ago we hit the road at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday and drove to Montreal. We stayed in Canada for three nights, then spent two nights at a bed and breakfast in Vermont on our way home. It was a great choice for a summer road trip and I highly recommend this little Canada/New England loop for any of my Northeast/Mid-Atlantic friends who want an out-of-the ordinary road trip experience.

How in the world did we decide to go to a French-speaking province in Canada and then re-enter the U.S. in a very rural New England state? Well... I like Canada. It's the only country that we can reasonably drive to (about 8 hours to the border) and it's a bit cooler than the mid-Atlantic region during the peak summer heat. People rave about the French-influenced culture, cuisine and of course, the novelty of the French language in Quebec, so we figured this was a cheapie way to get a little European flavor in our lives. As far as Vermont, I had never even visited New England until I was in my 20's (despite the fact that we are less than 6 hours away) and I had never been to Vermont. Back in April I connected with some nice folks from Cabot and I was encouraged to take a trip up to Liberty Hill Farm in Vermont. We decided to do a two-for-one and we mapped out a Canada/New England loop and hit the road.

The trip was a fantastic blur of rich meals, walking for miles, speaking pathetic broken French, helping with farm chores and of course plenty of good cheese. More details coming soon... this road trip definitely can't be described in one blog post!

Have any of you ever stayed at a bed and breakfast? Do you enjoy road trips? We tend to stick to a ten-hour limit before we insist on taking an airplane. Anyone else thinking of moving to Canada? Is it just me, or are people really, really nice up there?

Rosemary and Red Pepper Couscous

2011-08-15T06:51:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me for not posting often this summer. I appreciate every single reader and comment, but lately I've been out living life and forgetting to come back and write about it. There must be something about being in a car accident that really makes you appreciate those you love, because my husband and I have maximized every single day this summer. We've spent so much time hanging out with friends and family and traveling that I started to get concerned that this would turn into a travel blog, so here's a recipe to break things up before I start talking about our most recent road trip.

Couscous. It's kind of like pasta, but kind of like rice. It's a quick-cooking starchy side that I think will please most people. A few weeks ago I got my hands on some Israeli couscous, which is larger than regular couscous. It's about the size of small pearls as opposed to traditional couscous which is like large grains of sand. You can prepare this recipe with either type of couscous.

I got the idea for this recipe while watering my tiny garden on our deck. My red pepper plant hasn't yielded much this year. I don't know if it's the heat or the fact that I've sometimes neglected to fertilize it, but I'm only on my second pepper this season. I have plenty of herbs, though, so I opted to use fresh rosemary in this recipe.

I love the smell of rosemary and the red pepper adds a subtle sweetness. My husband doesn't like any type of peppers, but he happily ate this side dish and even packed the leftovers for work the next day. My favorite part is that it smells fresh and gourmet, but it cooks fast and can be served hot, room temperature or even cold.

Rosemary and Red Pepper Couscous
a Keeley original
serves 4

1 1/2 cups couscous (I used Israeli, you can use regular couscous)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced fresh red pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute red pepper in butter until slightly softened, about three minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and saute for another minute.

Add dry couscous to the pan. Saute until golden brown, about three minutes.

Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about ten minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

Cruising - The Chef's Table

2011-08-09T12:01:00.001-04:00

I've been gone for a week and I have TONS of stories and recipes to share, but first I want to finish my series of posts about cruising to the Bahamas...

I saved the best for last. This is my fourth and final post about our cruise to the Bahamas. (Check out the rest of this series here, here and here.)

It's already established that my I love to cook, I love to cruise and I appreciate and enjoy great food. Since I'm a major cruise enthusiast, I joined Cruise Critic, a website just for cruise lovers like me. You can thoroughly research any ship, cruise line or excursion with the help of this site. I'm a researcher, so I read as much as possible about our trip before we left home. In my research I learned about a new opportunity offered on all Carnival cruise ships: The Chef's Table.

Like the steakhouse, The Chef's Table is an upgraded dining experience. For $75 (per person) we had the opportunity to enjoy a seven course meal hosted by the head chef on the Carnival Pride. The experience lasted nearly four hours. It began with drinks and appetizers in the ship's galley (kitchen) during the dinner hour followed by seven courses served in a private dining room. We enjoyed this special experience with just five other couples. It was really special and we agree that it's the best meal we've eaten in 2011. When I thought of a Carnival cruise, I pictured a family cruise with typical food and a casual atmosphere... this dining experience exceeded my expectations. I couldn't believe I was on a Carnival ship!

I couldn't take any photos of during our galley tour, but we met in one of the lounges on the ship and we were taken behind the scenes to see the cooks and servers preparing meals for the dinner rush. We had sparkling wine and several appetizers while we met different members of the chef's team. After the tour and appetizers we moved on to our dinner table...

Our "private dining room" was actually the dance floor in the night club! Other ships choose different venues for The Chef's Table, but it's always some special alternate place on the ship. I loved the way the floor glowed throughout the meal. It was really interesting and special to have a sophisticated meal in a place that's usually full of people and loud music.

Details, details! I loved the place cards! Even our servers knew our names from the moment we walked in the room.

You'll notice that I'm not in any of these pictures. I was too busy trying to be discrete with my photography to ask anyone to take a photo of me. Just know that I looked very nice in a black maxi dress and sandals and that I had a great time.

Once we were seated we started with salmon tartare...

Yes, I ate raw salmon and banana puree. Together. And it was good... seriously.

Next we had a roasted red pepper soup with corn. First they bring out a bowl with the roasted corn...

Then they top it with the roasted red pepper soup...

Next we had shrimp fritters...

Who doesn't like fried shrimp?

We also had salmon topped with a lobster froth...

I may be forgetting a few courses... just know that it was a lot of different dishes!

Filet mignon, cooked to order, of course...

And just when you thought it couldn't get any more indulgent... dessert!

A raspberry sorbet topped with a strip of chewy coconut candy... a vanilla cake encased in a cage made of sugar. (These aren't the technical names for the dishes, it's just how I remember them.)

So that sums up our four-hour (!) dinner experience. We also received a group photo of the table with the chef and a cookbook. If you have an adventurous palate I think it's well worth the price. It was definitely a highlight of our vacation.

Has anyone else ever indulged in a ridiculously elaborate dining experience? What's the best meal you've had in 2011?

Cruising - David's Steakhouse

2011-07-27T04:32:00.004-04:00

Always bring a point and shoot if you are asking someone to take your photo - DSLRs can be difficult for snapshots!

A bit more about one of my favorite topics this summer - cruising! First I explained why we love cruising, then I gave you the rundown of what we did on our week at sea. Now I'd like to share one of the highlights of cruises - the dining!

The stereotype about cruises is that people over-indulge at 24-hour buffets on the Lido Deck, gorge themselves at a midnight chocolate buffet and gain ten pounds on a 7-night cruise. While all of this is possible, that's not how we approach cruise cuisine and I doubt that most cruisers just cruise to eat. I'll admit that my husband ate his fair share of cheeseburgers on the Lido Deck (who can resist a constant supply of freshly grilled burgers and hot fries right next to the pool?). I'll also admit that on more than one occasion I indulged in two breakfasts (one via room service and the second on my way to the pool), but for the most part, we saved our calories for the good stuff - dinner!

(Oh, and it goes without saying that all diets went out the door on this cruise, which is why I gained a few pounds on this trip... it was worth it. I recommend the Lose It! app for iPhone/Android for post-vacation calorie watching.)

Some cruisers are perfectly happy eating every single meal at the buffet onboard. I will say that the buffet food was better than I anticipated and that we generally ate lunch at the buffet for convenience (it's right next to the pools). However, we actually like to dress up and enjoy a sit-down dinner, so we dined in the main dining room or one of the specialty restaurants every night.

The main dining room is included in your cruise fare on Carnival. The selection changes every night and the menu includes at least four courses: appetizer, soup/salad, entree and dessert. You can order whatever you like, as much as you like. The food is not cooked to order, but it is acceptable. It reminds me of the quality of food you'd have at a conference or a wedding reception. Good, but not cooked to order.

We enjoyed dinner in the main dining room for five out of seven nights, but we made special arrangements to have dinner on two other nights. Halfway through our cruise we made a reservation at David's Steakhouse (almost every mass-market cruise has at least one upscale dining option with a cover charge). We felt the $30 per person was well worth it, since we'd pay that in gratuity alone for this meal on land. We like to dine leisurely and we really appreciated that the experience lasted over two hours. Heavenly!

We enjoyed a cooked-to order four course meal that also included a few surprises, compliments of the chef. We brought our own wine (which is permitted) and paid the $15 corking fee - it's well worth the corking fee to bring your own wine on a cruise.

I started with the Lobster Bisque...

There were nice chunks of lobster floating in the middle of this soup. It was topped with crunchy, fresh bread. My stomach is growling just describing this soup.

E had the Ahi Tartare...

E thought the tartare portion was a bit excessive. I ate a few bites to help him out.

Then the chef sent us this delightful bite of salmon with a cheesy sauce...

Cheese and raw salmon? Sounds crazy, tasted yummy. I was skeptical, but it was really good.

I enjoyed a Beefsteak Tomato Salad...

I normally don't like gorgonzola cheese, but it worked in this appetizer. It had quite a bite, but it was tasty. The arugula was awesome, too... gave it a nice, peppery bite. It was like a twist on a caprese salad.

I chose the Lobster Tail as my entree (I'm not big on beef and we were at a steakhouse)...

The difference between this lobster tail and the variety served in the main dining room is that it's cooked to order and it's a larger tail. The dining room lobster tail is cooked in mass quantities and doesn't have the same tender, buttery texture as this just-for-Keeley cooked to order version. Basically it's another reason that it's worth the price to dine at the steakhouse.

E had the filet (if you know my husband, this is not a surprise)...

We ended the meal with two outrageous desserts. I chose this Chocolate Sampler. And no, I couldn't even finish it!

The sampler had little cups for each dessert: Chocolate Cake, Banana Panacotta, Tiramisu (my favorite!) and Chocolate Marquise.

If you're cruising, I highly recommend checking out the specialty restaurants onboard. Some people think it's a cheesy upsell, but it was definitely one of the best meals of our cruise (and we knew this, since we did it back in 2009). If you think this meal looks good, wait until I show you the meal we enjoyed at the end of our cruise!

Does anyone else out there plan your vacation around special dining experiences? Am I the only one who gains a few pounds on vacation and then spends half the summer trying to lose them? I don't know about you, but I really do think it's all worth it.

Spicy Salsa Wings

2011-07-25T15:23:00.000-04:00

Mmm... chicken wings! Check out my recipe for Spicy Salsa Wings over on Potluck. You can grill these wings outdoors (my favorite method) or bake them in the oven.

More Fun at Sea

2011-07-20T12:01:00.000-04:00

I've shared why my husband and I love cruising. Here are some highlights of our most recent cruise. It was a 7-night cruise on the Carnival Pride. We departed from Baltimore and made stops in Cape Canaveral (Central Florida) as well as Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. This wasn't our first visit to any of the ports and it was our second time on this cruise ship, so we took the opportunity to just relax and see the highlights.

One of the best things about cruising is the sunrises. We normally get up at 5:15 a.m. for work (and I can't reset my internal clock for vacation), so naturally I had to step outside on the balcony during our first morning at sea to catch a glimpse of the sun on the horizon...

Sunrise

We don't get unobstructed views like this at home. It's really exceptional and sunrise on a cruise is such a quiet, special time.

On a cruise you have access to some type of food 24 hours a day. While there is a huge breakfast buffet on the Lido Deck as well as breakfast served in the main dining room every day, we always order room service when we're at sea... because we can!

On Carnival ships room service breakfast = continental breakfast, but that's fine by us. Especially considering that we enjoyed our coffee, fruit and muffins before heading up to the Lido Deck to eat a "real" meal. Yes, way too many calories were consumed on this vacation. If you cruise, I recommend that you take the stairs as much as possible while onboard! You'll need the exercise.

We were at sea for two full days before we reached our first port in Florida. The weather was perfect and we spent a whole lot of time doing absolutely nothing...

Doesn't he look happy and relaxed?

We'll admit that we're pretty laid back on cruises. We spent our sea days reading, sleeping, sitting in the hot tub and drinking wine. If you're more energetic there's plenty of other things to do. But we're lazy on vacation.

We went to a wine tasting on our first day at sea ($15 per person upcharge). Oh, and the photo has a red tint because the wine tasting took place in David's Steakhouse, which is located in the funnel of the ship. The glass over the restaurant is tinted red to match the exterior of the funnel.

The wine tasting included six wines and small bites of food to accompany each wine. It was a nice way to chill out on a Monday afternoon and we met some cool people. We're avid wine drinkers, so we didn't really learn anything, but it's always fun to taste wine and eat food with good company.

Sushi was available on most nights...

A sushi cart was set up in one of the lounges and they had a rotating menu of three rolls. We hit up the sushi bar before dinner and enjoyed a few bites and a drink from the bar. It was a nice pre-dinner pick me up.

One of the cutest (and silliest) parts of the cruise is the towel animal phenomenon...

Every night we'd return to our cabin to find a new creature. It always makes me smile and it's one of those things that makes cruising different from a land-based vacation.

Speaking of returning to your cabin, they clean your room at least twice a day, sometimes more often! You wake up, shower, go walk around the ship and when you come back your room is clean! Then, you take an afternoon nap, get dressed, go to the pool and your room is cleaned AGAIN! After dinner you return to chocolates on your pillow and a cute towel animal.

In Florida we rented a car and visited family. In the Bahamas we spent both days on the beach. No running around, not fancy excursions, just a nice, relaxing beach day... with blue water!

In Nassau we paid to access the private beach at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort (about 20 minutes from the port by public bus). It's $25 per person for a day pass. For this price you get beach chairs, umbrellas, towels and flotation devices to use in the ocean or the pool. There are lifeguards, it wasn't crowded and there's also several restaurants on the property. There's a swim up bar, at least two pools and a hot tub. It was a great day and I'd do it again.

In Freeport we went to another private resort beach, but somehow we managed to get in for free. I guess they liked us!

The surf was a bit rougher on the day we were in Freeport, so we didn't spend much time in the ocean. Instead we layed under a palm tree and ended up getting sunburned - boo!

E had to get a taste of Kalik, one of the Bahamian beers. We can buy it back home, but it's difficult to find.

As much as I love the sunrises on cruises, the sunsets are something special, too...

That's how we spend seven days doing (almost) nothing. I know that not everyone likes cruises, but it really works for us. I'll share some of our favorite meals (my favorite memory) from our cruise in my next post!

Cruising - The Basics

2011-07-18T12:01:00.000-04:00

So, my laptop is still down, but I'm sharing my hubby's computer so I can get back to blogging. I thought it was broken beyond repair, but apparently it was just the hard drive. I guess I'll have to wait to get that MacBook Pro I've been dreaming about...

A lot of my photos are sitting on my memory card waiting to get transferred when my computer is up and running, but never fear, I have culinary stories to share in the meantime!

E and I recently went on a cruise to the Bahamas. We're huge fans of cruising for several reasons:

1. It's (almost) all-inclusive. Your food, lodging, transportation and entertainment are included. You only pay extra for gratuity, alcohol, excursions and any other optional luxuries.
2. You don't have to drive! Your cruise ship is your floating hotel. For two long-distance commuters, this is a match made in heaven.
3. You get to disconnect completely. Your mobile phone will not work at sea. You won't be able to check your email.
4. The scenery. I love blue water. With our balcony cabin we get our own private ocean-front room for an entire week. Paradise.
5. Low-stress. No worries about where you'll be eating dinner. There are plenty of places to eat around the clock and plenty of choices. There's always something to do, whether you're a night owl or an early riser. You don't have to do much planning beyond booking your trip.

Freeport, Bahamas

We went on our first cruise back in 2006 (Royal Caribbean, Empress of the Seas to Bermuda). Our second cruise was in 2009 (Carnival Pride, Bahamas) and we repeated that same itenerary in 2011. Why did we repeat the same cruise? Convenience and cost.

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, you have a choice between flying to Florida or the West Coast for your cruise or just leaving from a "home port". Home ports are cruise ports within driving distance. We have home ports in New Jersey, New York and Baltimore, all within three hours of our home in Delaware. We opted for Baltimore because it's the closest and most affordable, plain and simple. As a matter of fact, we've chosen home ports for all three of our cruises.

Relaxing on a hammock on Embarkation Day... in the Baltimore Harbor!

As much as I love to cook, I think cruises can also be a great vacation for food enthusiasts. While I'll admit that I missed my kitchen by the end of our trip, it was great to have people wait on us all week. Room service? Included. Fancy, colorful cocktails? Available 24/7 at prices no higher than your favorite bar at home. Upscale dinner at an elegant steakhouse? On this cruise, a reasonable upcharge of $30 per person (gratuity included).

The best part about dining on a cruise is the variety. E loved eating hamburgers from the grill on the Lido deck every.single.day. I preferred to switch it up every meal. Once our dinner server learned that I liked the cheese plate as an appetizer, he had one waiting for me every night before dinner. Want to eat breakfast twice in one day? Go on a cruise. Want to eat light, healthy food and run laps around the deck while at sea? You can do that on a cruise, too.

A bad day on a cruise is still better than a good day at work!

I'll share more info about this specific cruise in my next post. Does anyone have any fun vacations planned? Any other cruise enthusiasts? We still have one more little (road) trip planned for this summer!

Delays

2011-07-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! My laptop hard drive died on the Fourth of July and I haven't been able to repair or replace it yet. I had all of my documents and photos backed up on an external drive, but I lost all of my music! I'm working on recovering everything and getting back up to speed with my blogging. Bear with me!

ShopRite + Phillies = Hunger Relief

2011-07-07T10:07:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia-area readers, here's a link for an opportunity for you to give back to our community. If you'll be in the area, please consider bringing a canned food donation to this event.

What's my connection? I'm a ShopRite customer and I also write for ShopRite's blog, Potluck. Oh yes, and you know we love the Phillies.

Here is the official press release. Hope that you can attend!:

Tailgate Party with ShopRite and the Phillies!

Join the ShopRite Potluck blogger team as they tailgate with ShopRite and the Phillies this Sunday, July 10th from 11 AM - 3 PM. Aside from a great game (Phillies v. Braves) and an excuse to hang with the Phanatic and Phillies legend Greg Luzinski -- both scheduled to appear! -- this event is also a food drive to benefit Philabundance, the Delaware Valley's largest hunger relief organization. So, come on down, learn to Can Can with your favorite Potluck blogger and the Phillies Ball Girls. Don't forget your canned food donation. Just look for the ShopRite Can Can 40th Anniversary truck, featuring the iconic Can Can dancers, located on Citizens Bank Way -- see you at the ball game!

Additional highlights of the day’s events:

LIVE 98.1 WOGL broadcast with The Breakfast Club hosts Valerie Knight and Frank Lewis;

A chance to win tickets to ShopRite Day at the Phillies on Sunday, August 28;

Food sampling and giveaways, while supplies last;

An appearance by the Phillies Phanatic*;

And… a special visit by Phillies legend Greg Luzinski*.

The event is open to the public; game tickets are not required to access the ShopRite Partners In Caring food drive on Citizens Bank Way.

ShopRite is a proud sponsor of the Phillies and a longtime friend to Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organization in the Delaware Valley. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite donates more than $2 million annually to food banks, such as Philabundance, throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

ShopRite is also one of the many Phillies partners taking part in the Phans Feeding Families month- long initiative, aimed to help raise money and collect food to feed the 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley that are at risk of hunger each year. For more information, please visit www.phillies.com/feeding families.

“Fighting hunger lies at the very heart of the ShopRite Partners In Caring program and we have enjoyed a long partnership with Philabundance, helping them to feed those in need throughout the Philadelphia region,” said Chris Magyarits, spokeswoman for ShopRite Partners In Caring. “Extending that partnership to include the Phillies with this event is a fun way to engage our customers in the cause and to bring awareness to the issue of hunger to the Philadelphia community.”

“ShopRite has long been a supporter of helping to feed those in need," said David Buck, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Advertising Sales, The Phillies. “We're proud to partner with them in this unique food drive, which is among the many outreach efforts included in the month-long Phans Feeding Families initiative.”

“Grocery bills tend to go up during summer months when the children are home, which poses a challenge for many families,” said Marianne Lynch, Director of Development for Philabundance.

“ShopRite Partners In Caring’s tailgate and food drive come at a critical time and will benefit the many families struggling right now in the Delaware Valley.”

*scheduled to appear
About ShopRite

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative, based in Keasbey, NJ and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With more than 230 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than five million customers each week. A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated more than $24 million to 1,700 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999. As a title sponsor of the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic, ShopRite has raised more than $23 million for local schools, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.

About Philabundance

Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services to close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties, who serve approximately 65,000 people per week at an aggregate cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2010, Philabundance distributed 21 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900.

Brined Pork Loin

2011-07-01T09:00:00.001-04:00

I really thought I knew how to cook a pork loin. I wrote this recipe a few years ago and I was so excited to share it on my blog. While that original recipe is really good, I will admit that when you know better, you do better, so I'm proud to say that I'm a brining convert.

It all started when Pioneer Woman posted this recipe for brined turkey last Thanksgiving. I forwarded it to my mom and asked if she'd consider brining the Thanksgiving turkey. Long story short: mom brined the turkey, it was beyond delicious and now mom and I are both big fans of PW.

My new mantra on pork loin is if you have the time, then brine. You can absolutely get moist, flavorful pork (or turkey) without brining, but with a little advance planning you can pretty much guarantee that your meat will come out perfectly.

So, what is brining? It's soaking raw meet in a sweet salty solution for a day (or a few days) prior to cooking. The meat doesn't end up salty, but it does get flavorful throughout and stays moist after cooking. Brining gives you a lot more leeway when cooking foods like turkey breast or pork chops, which tend to dry out if you cook them a few minutes too long.

My first reaction to brining was that it must be really difficult. First of all, who in the world would use all that salt and sugar on meat? Also, how am I going to cool this hot brine down in time to pour it on my food? It's just too much.

I was wrong, it was easy. Trust me.

First you dump your salt, sugar and other flavorings in a pot. For this brine I used whole coriander seed (picked it up at the farmers market for a few dollars - you can find it at any well-stocked grocery store), whole black peppercorns, garlic cloves and an orange. Yes, I know, that's quite a combination!

Then I poured in a quart of water and brought the whole mixture to a boil.

Once the salt and sugar dissolved, I removed it from the heat and cooled the whole mixture down with about four cups of ice. Then I put a big zip-top bag in a bowl (just in case it decided to rupture and cause a salty waterfall in my fridge), put the pork in the zip-top bag and poured the brine into the bag.

I put the whole bowl in the fridge and went on with my life. I worked a few days. I ate at Chick-fil-a. Bought some cds at Target. I almost forgot that I had dinner marinating in my fridge.

After a day or two, I pulled the pork out of the brine. I grabbed some fresh rosemary from my garden, chopped it up and rubbed it on the pork.

I drizzled a little olive oil on the pork, then roasted it (fat side up, so all the goodness could saturate the meat) for about 45 minutes...

Let it rest a few minutes before you slice it, or the juices may run all over the place.

But, when it's ready to slice...

Slice it thinly. Or thick. I like thin slices for sandwiches and thicker slices for eating straight up. We enjoyed our pork loin with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, then put the leftovers on jalapeno cheddar bread for sandwiches for lunch. Yeah... it was good.

Now, a few words of warning. You should probably give the meat a quick rinse after brining, just to make sure it doesn't come out too salty. Also, if you're using previously frozen meat (boneless skinless chicken comes to mine) please, please double check to make sure it wasn't already brined before it was frozen (read the package). 'Cause you may end up brining some already brined chicken. And that would be salty... not that I did that or anything.

So, if you're short on time and you want to serve pork loin, go for Roasted Pork Loin with Herbs and Garlic because you don't have to marinade it in advance. If you are planning ahead (maybe you are using a menu plan for the week), then try the brine!

Oh, and I know some people don't like to use their ovens in the heat of July, so try this one on the grill, too! Just sear it over high heat first, then move it to the medium heat on your grill. Cook it covered until the internal temperature is around 160 degrees. The recipe below is for the traditional roasted version that you can cook any day.

Brined Pork Loin
a Keeley original
serves 6

One, 3-pound pork loin
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt (I use Diamond brand - It's like $1 a box, buy it.)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 orange, sliced
1 Tablespoon coriander seeds (optional)
2 Tablespoons black peppercorns
4 cups water
4 cups ice
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Day one

Preheat a medium pot to medium-high heat.

Toast coriander seeds (if using) in the dry pot for about 30-90 seconds, or until fragrant. Add brown sugar, salt, garlic cloves, orange peppercorns and water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved, then cut off the heat. Pour ice into the brine and stir until dissolved. Brine should be lukewarm or cool.

Place the pork loin in a large zip-top bag and place the bag in a bowl. Pour the brine over the pork. Put the pork in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, up to 36 hours.

Day two (or three, or four)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove pork from brine. Discard brine and quickly rinse pork.

Place pork on a roasting pan (preferably on a roasting rack), fat side up. Rub olive oil and rosemary on all sides of the pork.

Roast pork (fat side up) for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and internal temperature reads about 160 degrees.

Let pork rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and seving.

Chorizo Burgers

2011-06-29T15:48:00.000-04:00

I'm not a fan of beef hamburgers. I know they are the quintessential all-American food, but I just don't care for beef. Sure, I'll eat it if it's the only thing served at a party, but I prefer pork, chicken or seafood over beef every day.

We love to barbecue at our house and E normally makes a few hamburgers for the beef eaters who come to dinner. We always end up with more hamburger rolls than burgers, so I wondered if there was a burger I could make that I would eat. I remembered eating a chicken burger that was a spicy blend of sausage and chicken a few years ago, so I decided to try to make my own version.

I used fresh Mexican chorizo (Primio brand). Chorizo comes in two styles: fresh and smoked. The smoked variety is firm and doesn't need to be cooked. The fresh variety is soft like uncooked Italian sausage. The fresh was the best choice for this burger because the spicy, fatty sausage blends well with the lean chicken. The result is a spicy, sausage-like burger that's not to greasy and it's lightened up by the chicken.

I make my burgers about 3/4 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter with a sight indent in the middle. The indentation keeps the burgers wide and flat when the middle puffs up during the grilling process.

These burgers only take a few minutes to form and you can park them in the fridge until you're ready to grill them. I even made extra burgers and froze them for future barbecues.

Chorizo Burgers
a Keeley original
makes 4 burgers

1/2 pound Mexican fresh chorizo, casing removed
1/2 pound ground chicken
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients by hand. Divide mixture into four equal portions and form into burger patties.

Grill over medium-high heat for about four minutes per side, or until burgers are cooked through.

Serve on a fresh roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion or other toppings of your choice.

Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizza

2011-06-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

I'm going to go ahead and declare pizza as my favorite food... or at least my favorite food of 2011. To me, it's the ultimate comfort food. A pizza can be traditional or it can be a surprisingly good creative variety, like this one.

E and I love to grill, so I can't believe it took us until this year to try grilled pizza. As much as I loved using my pizza stone in the oven all winter, I can't believe the difference a hot grill makes. Our pizza crust is perfectly crisp and bubbly on the outside and chewy on the inside. Think Bertucci's or California Pizza Kitchen, except you get to make it at home and top it any way you like!

I love my Emile Henry pizza stone, but I'm sure any stone will work (or even a grill-safe pan). We love the smoky flavor of grilling on charcoal, but you can do this on a gas grill, too. If you're new to charcoal, check out my tutorial on how to build a fire.

If you think the combination of barbecue sauce and cheese is weird, please trust me... it works! The crust and the sauce almost become one and the smokiness from the grill, the smoked gouda, and the grilled chicken really take this pizza over the top. Plus, there's the subtle onion flavor from the fresh chives at the end.

I'm getting hungry just writing about this. This is definitely a good pizza. Try this after a long day at work (it's cooked in less than 10 minutes, minus the time spent to build the fire) or when you are entertaining friends. Why not have a grilled pizza party? I should do that sometime!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
a Keeley original
serves 2-4

prepared pizza dough (1 pound, or 1/3 of this recipe)
1 cup chopped, cooked grilled chicken breast
3/4 cup smoked gouda cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)

Place a pizza stone over medium/high heat and preheat for 15 minutes.

While the stone is heating, coat a pizza peel (or the backside of a baking sheet) with flour or cornmeal. Place the dough on the pizza peel and stretch it to a thin circle, about 14" in diameter.

Carefully slide dough from the pizza peel onto the preheated pizza stone. The flour (or cornmeal) should make this transfer easy.

Cook the dough for 2-3 minutes, using a spatula to check the bottom side for doneness at regular intervals. Once the bottom side is lightly browned and the top has big air bubbles, flip the dough.

Working quickly, top the pizza with barbecue sauce, cheese, and chicken. Cover the grill and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Remove pizza from the pizza stone and place on a cooling rack. Top with chives. Slice and serve.

Mocha Whipped Frosting

2011-06-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I needed a dessert for a dinner date. I knew that the dessert needed to be able to travel and I also knew that I didn't want something too heavy since it's been impossibly hot and humid this week.

I decided to make a layered chocolate cake. For years I struggled to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe. Some were too fake (tasted like straight up from the box cake), some were too dry, and some weren't chocolately enough. Earlier this spring I found success with Kahlua Chocolate Cake and I decided to try this recipe as a layer cake.

It worked! The next dilemma was the frosting. I do not like traditional thick, sugary icing. I prefer whipped toppings that aren't too sweet. I already knew that I was serving a very rich cake, so I wanted a light, creamy icing that complimented the dark chocolate flavor of the cake.

I spent some time surfing the web and watching The Food Network and I came up with this recipe that yields a light, fluffy whipped chocolate icing that's definitely not too sweet. The cream cheese acts as a stabilizer, so the icing doesn't melt at room temperature (although I'd still store this cake in the fridge in between servings).

I had to stop myself from eating spoonfuls of this frosting straight from the bowl. It's that good. As an added bonus, this entire recipe, including the cake, is easy. I baked the cake the night before (two 9" cake pans for this recipe, baked for 40 minutes) and whipped up the frosting the next day. I stored the completed cake in the fridge for a few hours before dinner.

I'm definitely not a master cake decorator, so just know that this icing is thick enough to make pretty swirls and designs if you are so inclined. Honestly, regardless of how it looks, this icing (and cake) were good.

You can use this frosting anywhere you like. You can use it for your favorite cake recipe, cupcakes, or you can be like me and just eat it straight up with a spoon.

Mocha Whipped Frosting
a Keeley original
makes enough to cover a 2-layer cake

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon instant espresso (or instant coffee)
1 Tablespoon Kahlua (or other coffee liquor)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chill a large bowl in the refrigerator before adding ingredients.

Combine all ingredients in large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and whip (using the whip attachment of a stand mixer, if using) on low speed for two minutes, then high speed for three minutes or until icing forms stiff peaks. Refrigerate for later use or frost cake immediately.

Let frosted cake sit in the refrigerator a few hours prior to serving.

Growth

2011-06-10T15:45:00.000-04:00

I'm back.

I took an unexpected hiatus from blogging this spring. I had the misfortune of experiencing a severe car accident in late April. I was on my way home from work and in the blink of an eye I almost lost my life.

Without dwelling on the details, I'd call this life-changing, to say the least. The "problems" that I stressed about before the accident are clearly in perspective now. Health, safety and family come first.

Anyway, all drama aside, I'm still dealing with some injuries, but I am back in the kitchen and I'm returning to my job. I haven't done much cooking over the past six weeks and I haven't been in the mood to take many photos, but my mom and husband took great care of me. Now that I'm getting back to normal E and I just made our weekend grocery run and I'm looking forward to cooking on the grill.

I managed to plant my culinary garden back in April. I wrote about it in this post.

April to Early May:

Today, June 10th:

My garden exploded!

I have a crazy amount of sage... and it's a perennial, so I've had this same plant for 3 years.

Strawberries! Unfortunately, the goldfinches love them. Any tips on how to keep them away?

I can't believe my tomatoes are already this big.

Zucchini blossoms... this is my first time growing zucchini.

My plants are flourishing. My veggies (and fruits) are growing and I am healing. Life is good.

I can't wait to share some new recipes. I have a lot of cooking to do now that I'm finished my Ed.D.! I've never appreciated my life as much as I do now.

Why I Don't Cook At Home

2011-05-25T20:26:00.000-04:00

Actually, you all know I love to cook at home, which is why I have this blog. However, I ran across this cartoon on theoatmeal.com that pretty much summed up the frustrations we all have when we spend a ton of cash on exotic ingredients to make a less-than-satisfactory meal...

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cook_home

2011 Garden Tour

2011-05-20T10:03:00.001-04:00

cilantro, tarragon, arugula, thyme, chives, basil

I live in a small townhome. I don't have a huge yard... actually, I almost don't have a yard at all. When I step out onto our deck (which covers our entire backyard) I don't get much privacy. We can always smell what our neighbors are cooking and we have to close the windows when having private conversations on warm evenings. It's cozy.

Despite our space challenges, I've always had a garden. We bought this home six years ago and I always find a way to plant tons of edibles on our 15 by 15 deck. It's a pain that I have to go in the house and out the front door and around to the back door to turn on the hose (our deck doesn't have access to the yard), but I do it. All for the love of food.

If you have a sunny space, you can have a garden. Mine exists entirely in containers. One day when we have a larger, more private yard I will plant more items directly in the ground. But for our tiny family, this works.

Strawberries - trying something new this year.

The great thing about my deck being completely enclosed is that I have fewer predators after my vegetables and fruits. Some people have to deter deer, groundhogs, foxes, raccoons, and other critters, but I pretty much only need to worry about birds and insects.

I typically plant several varieties of peppers (this year it's jalapeno, cubanelle, and red bell), tomatoes (cherry and patio this year), every herb I use, and a few experimental items (strawberries and zucchini). I've learned that some items are perennials (come back every year), so I always smile to see my sage and thyme pop up to greet me in mid-April. I'm hoping that my strawberries do well and that they return next year.

I probably invested $75-100 on pots, soil, fertilizer, shovels, gloves, and plants back in 2006. I pretty much reuse the same stuff every year and just make one trip to the home improvement store in mid-spring to pick up new plants. I'm rewarded with more vegetables than I can eat and a vast selection of fresh herbs for every meal.

My plants look tiny now, but in 45-60 days they will be ten times their original size and I'll be starting to see the fruits of my labor. Anybody else out there have a garden? Is anyone lucky enough to have a real yard to plant stuff directly in the ground?

P.S. My neighborhood has a deed restriction against vegetable gardens, but mine is in the backyard and no one seems to care. I keep my vegetables so neat that they look better than my neighbor's front yards.

Mexican Roadside Chicken

2011-05-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

I was looking for tips on how to grill pizza on charcoal (which is a life-changing experience that deserves its own future blog post) when I came across Meatwave, a blog devoted to one of my favorite activities: grilling! He's got some great photos and so far I've enjoyed trying out a few of his recipes, including this one.

Admittedly, there's nothing that screams "Mexican" about this chicken to me. But don't take my word for it because I've never been to Mexico. What I will say is that this chicken turns an awesome reddish orange color when it grills and that it's super juicy... even the white meat is tender. The combination of the wet rub and the charcoal grill gives the chicken a smoky flavor without adding extra spice and heat. We enjoyed this chicken, even though E thought it was improved by the addition of some Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce. I agreed and I was happy to shake a few drops of the sauce on my chicken, as well as the accompanying rice and beans.

This chicken does not need to marinade for a long time. It's one of those great last-minute recipes. ShopRite had chicken 40% off and I had this meal on the grill 45 minutes after returning from the store. This chicken is a nice option for entertaining on the grill. It's juicy and while flavorful, it's non-offensive. Plus, the bright orange-red color is really appetizing.

This recipe is made for a charcoal grill. If you're intimidated by the thought of cooking with fire, please check out this tutorial that E and I did last year. Otherwise, you can always use your gas grill or even cook indoors.

Mexican Roadside Chicken
serves 4
adapted (barely) by me, via Meatwave who adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

1 1/2 teaspoons ground chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons Kosher salt

olive oil, for drizzling

1 lime

1 large chicken, about 3 lbs, butterflied

An equal amount of bone-in chicken pieces (I used 2 breasts and 3 drumsticks)

Light your grill. (Please read this post for tips for working with charcoal.) While the charcoal is lighting, mix chile powder, oregano, cinnamon, garlic, vinegar, orange juice, and salt together in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a large zip-top storage bag and pour marinade over chicken. Set aside.

When the charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash, pour coals out and arrange them on one side of the charcoal grate, keeping the other side empty. Remove chicken from bag and drizzle lightly with olive oil on both sides. Place the chicken over the cool side of the grill, skin side down. Save any leftover marinade. Flip the chicken over and pour remaining marinade over chicken. Cover the grill and cook at 350 degrees until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze fresh lime juice over chicken before serving.

Don't have a grill? Try roasting this chicken in your oven at 400 degrees until the breast reaches 165 degrees. It won't have that smoky flavor, but it will still be good.

Pork Enchiladas

2011-05-16T09:05:00.001-04:00

Last week I shared an easy way to get a whole lotta juicy, flavored pork on your table with very little effort. I mentioned that you can make multiple meals off one huge pork shoulder, so here's a great alternative to the barbecued pork sandwiches from the last post: Pork Enchiladas.

I always feel like a culinary genius when I figure out how to morph one meal into two, especially when the two meals are so different that it's hard to believe that they came from the same cut of meat. As an added bonus, both the Barbecued Pork Sandwiches and these Pork Enchiladas heat up very well if you have leftovers, so you can pack them for lunch the next day at work.

These enchiladas feature my new BFF, Ro-Tel. I didn't know anything about these canned tomatoes with green chiles, but once I "discovered" them, my world was changed! I used them to make some salsa for Potluck and I've since decided that it's the only salsa recipe I need in my life. This time I stirred some Ro-Tel into these enchiladas and I got a whole lot of Tex-Mex flavor with very little effort and few added calories - perfect for a weeknight.

I like to use corn tortillas for my enchiladas, but they are a bit more difficult to work with than flour, plus E prefers flour tortillas. I ended up making half corn, half flour. Do what you've gotta do to please your family.

Obviously this recipe isn't authentic Tex-Mex cuisine. I am from Delaware, after all. The ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store, even if you live in a small town. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Pork Enchiladas
a Keeley original
makes 4 servings

3 cups cooked pulled pork from this recipe
1 can Ro-Tel (I use Original flavor)
1 small onion, diced
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons ground cumin
salt, to taste
28 ounces enchilada sauce (canned or homemade)
8 tortillas (corn or flour)
2 cups shredded cheese (I use a blend of cheddar and mozzarella)
chopped green onions or cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil to medium heat in a pan. Saute onions until soft, about 4 minutes. Add pork, Ro-Tel, cumin, and salt to the pan. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings and adjust salt if necessary.

Microwave tortillas until they are soft and pliable (about 30-60 seconds in the microwave). (Corn tortillas are notoriously difficult to roll. I recommend microwaving them in small batches of 2-3 between damp paper towels for 30-60 seconds.)

Pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce into a shallow pie plate or similar dish. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

For each enchilada, dip the tortilla in the shallow plate of enchilada sauce, covering the entire tortilla with sauce. Roll 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling into each tortilla, then place the enchilada snugly into the baking dish. Repeat until you use all of the filling (or until you run out of tortillas).

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over prepared enchiladas. Top evenly with cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are lightly browned. Garnish with green onions and/or cilantro, if desired. Serve hot.

Pork Shoulder (or A Shortcut for Two Weeknight Dinners)

2011-05-11T15:18:00.001-04:00

This is a pork shoulder. Actually, it's half of a pork shoulder, specifically the "butt" end, although it's not a pig's behind, so don't worry.

That not exactly a convincing argument for this cut of meat, is it?

Please take my word for it, pork shoulder is really, really good. Yes, I know that fat layer looks excessive and scary, but you don't eat the fatty parts. Yes, I know it's huge and tough, but you cook it low and slow and it falls off the bone.

I've already shared a few recipes that utilize pork shoulder: Carnitas, Carolina Chopped Barbecue, and probably another that I can't remember. As much as I love pork, I never cooked this cut of meat until about two years ago. I grew up eating tons of barbecue with my pop pop, including chopped barbecue, but I didn't attempt it myself until recently. Now that I've had over a year's experience with pork shoulder, I have some tips and I'm ready to fully endorse it as a great weeknight meal.

First, don't buy a whole pork shoulder. My grocery store (local readers know I love ShopRite), sells it cut in half and I buy the nice, rounded "butt" end and I prefer cuts that are 4 to 6 pounds, max. Four to six pounds will feed 8 adults, or it will allow me to have a nice amount of leftovers for a second meal and lunches at work for a day or two. I can buy a half pork shoulder for $5-8 at my store.

Second, cook it in a Crock Pot or a pressure cooker. You can cook it for hours in your oven, but I haven't tried it. If you have, let me know how that works out. You'll need to cook it in your Crock Pot all day (I let it go on low for 10 hours while I'm at work) or you can get it on the table in less than 90 minutes if you use your pressure cooker. Either way works fine.

Finally, save the leftovers. I immediately pull all the meat off the bone, remove and discard the fat and put the pork in a recipe. However, if you have way more than you need, pop it in the fridge for up to three days, or even freeze it. I just wrap it tight and park it in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Next time you want pulled pork, you have a shortcut.

I like to season my pork with a healthy dose of dry rub up to three days before I actually cook it. I'm sure you could season it at the last minute, but I like to let the flavor get in the meat.

I use a spice rub from use real butter. It's a combination of cumin, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. It's a little sweet, a little hot, and a little smoky and it's not too salty. It's a great base flavor whether you're going to use your pork for barbecue sandwiches or a Mexican-inspired dish. Jump over to use real butter to get Jen's dry rub recipe, if you're interested. Perhaps you have your own dry rub. Whatever you do, just season your pork in advance.

(Pssst... if you don't eat or like pork, try this same recipe with the same quantity of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.)

(I also LOVE Jen's vinegar-based sauce for Carolina-style barbecue sandwiches, but E prefers traditional barbecue sauce. Go figure. Try both on your pork and tell me what you think.)

I always brown my pork shoulder before I put it in the Crock Pot or pressure cooker. I like getting a crispy crust and I think it sears in the juicy flavor. Oddly enough, most of the time I prepare this dish you'll find me standing in the kitchen in my robe at 5:45 a.m. trying to get dinner in the pot before I get dressed for work. It's not unusual to smell seared pork and spices in our kitchen before sunrise.

All you need to do is put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan (preferably not non-stick) and take a few minutes to brown the pork on all sides...

Nothing like the smoky smell of pork at 6:00 a.m.

Then you just put the pork (fat side up) in the Crock Pot with about 3/4 cup of water (or chicken broth), set the timer for 10 hours on low and just go on with your day. Sometimes my day is longer than 10 hours. That's okay, your Crock Pot will keep your food safe and warm for up to 12 hours.

When I get home, I pull the fatty layer off the top of the cooked pork, remove the center bone, and begin pulling the meat. The pork is so soft that it's very simple to pull. I remove all fat from the pork and it's ready for dinner...

The crazy thing is that you can buy this meat already cooked for about $6 a pound in some stores. That's at least three times what it cost you to do it yourself... crazy.

We opted to have pulled pork sandwiches on the first night. Just separate the amount of meat that you'll need for your sandwiches and put the rest of the cooked meat in the fridge for your next meal. I like mine on a soft bun in a vinegary sauce (I use potato hamburger rolls) and topped with red onion. E likes a traditional, thick, sweet barbecue sauce. Whatever floats your boat.

With less than 15 minutes of effort, dinner is served. Plus, I have another recipe coming soon for the leftovers!

Mini Breakfast Quiche

2011-05-02T07:44:00.000-04:00

Check out my recipe for Mini Breakfast Quiche over on Potluck. And don't limit this dish to breakfast... change up the fillings and have it for lunch or dinner!

Read more here.

Soul Sweet 'Taters

2011-04-27T06:22:00.001-04:00

Welcome to mom's table. Make yourself a plate.

Okay, I know Thanksgiving is seven months away, but bear with me on this one. ShopRite had sweet potatoes on sale for $2.99 for a 5 lb. box, so I had to do something with them. I made two Sweet Potato Pies for Easter and then I decided to try The Pioneer Woman's Soul Sweet 'Taters. (I'm spending way too much time on this woman's blog, I can't help it!)

The sweet potato mixture comes together in less than five minutes.

I made this as a side dish for Easter and I know that it's probably too heavy for your spring and summer menus, but please keep it in mind for when the weather turns cold again, because it will. I think this side dish knocks any other sweet potatoes out of the park. Yes, it's as sweet as dessert, but it's also nutty and crunchy and it's a great compliment to all those savory dishes on your plate at a family gathering. The next time you go to a cool weather potluck, try this one. You can assemble it in advance and bake it right before serving.

The topping is sweet, crunchy, brown and a little bit sticky.

Soul Sweet 'Taters
from The Pioneer Woman
serves (at least) 10

4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans (walnuts or almonds work fine - I used almonds)
½ cups Flour
¾ stick Butter

Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl. You could also microwave your potatoes like I did in my Sweet Potato Pie recipe, or you could pressure cook them for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of (regular grandulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want it to be perfectly smooth.

Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup nuts, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. If you desire a crunchier, browner topping, put the dish under the broiler for 1-3 minutes before serving.

The Bread

2011-04-25T12:03:00.001-04:00

I've had the most relaxing Easter weekend. I'm fortunate enough to have off work on Good Friday and I spent the day at the beach with my husband. Then, I had dinner with my brothers and father on Saturday. I got plenty of sleep and I tried several new recipes. Although Saturday was cool and rainy, Easter Sunday was warm and sunny. I even worked out twice ~~and I'm so sore that I can't laugh without hurting~~. Oh yes, it was a fantastic weekend!

I cruised the Interwebs for several recipes this weekend and I stumbled across this recipe on my "BFF" The Pioneer Woman's blog. My mom was cooking our favorite turkey and we were discussing whether we should have rolls with dinner. I had just made a batch of Hot Cross Buns and I did not feel like making a batch of rolls, so I opted for a loaf of bread. I considered doing my usual No-Knead Bread, but then I decided to try something new.

mixing

The Pioneer Woman calls this simply, "The Bread". It's very similar in technique to my No-Knead Bread, except that it doesn't need to rise overnight, which makes it perfect for a last minute decision. If you wake up on a weekend morning feeling overly ambitious and decide you want fresh bread for lunch, make this loaf. While the appearance is similar to No-Knead Bread, it has a chewier, finer texture with very few holes and tunnels. It's also not as crusty as No-Knead, so I saved a few pieces to eat with leftover turkey as a sandwich for lunch at work.

I opted to use fresh rosemary in this loaf, but you could also use chives or thyme. I kept it simple and resisted the urge to add fresh garlic, but I'm sure you could spice this one up. This bread is made with tons of melted butter (yum!) and plenty of salt and fresh herbs, so I didn't feel the need to slather it with butter before enjoying.

rising

My loaf didn't rise as high as Pioneer Woman's, but it still tasted great. This isn't an everyday bread (due to the high amount of delicious white flour and butter), but it's a great occasional treat. We opted to serve this with dinner on Easter Sunday. It would also be fantastic at a wine and cheese, a picnic, or any other place you want to enjoy a moist, warm loaf of fragrant bread with good friends.

ready for the oven

The Pioneer Woman has great step-by-step instructions for this recipe, so please cruise over to her site to see the details. If you've never made bread, I think you can handle this recipe.

Note: This recipe calls for Instant Yeast which is different from Active Yeast, but you can still pick it up in the baking aisle of most stores. If you have to use regular Active Yeast, just dissolve the yeast in the water before adding it to the dough and you should be fine. This recipe is baked in a Dutch oven. I have one and I haven't tried baking it without one, but you could try it in another large pot or dish that has a lid.

The Bread
from The Pioneer Woman
serves 6

20 ounces, weight Bread Flour (all Purpose Is Okay, Too) - About 4 Cups
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1 stick butter, melted with chopped herbs (I used rosemary)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active or instant yeast (if active, sprinkle yeast over water before mixing it in)

olive oil, for drizzling

additional salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook (it can be done by hand…it just takes longer).

I mixed them together for about 10 minutes or so until I could successfully achieve a windowpane with the dough. (This is where you can pull off a small chunk of the dough you’re kneading and stretch it gently to see if it is somewhat translucent. If you can do this without it tearing, it’s ready.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

After the dough is risen, it should be kneaded for a minute or two so that the yeast can redistribute. Form it into a dome and place in a covered cast iron pan after coating it with olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Cut a large ‘X’ into the surface of the bread dough so it can bloom! (At this point you can bake the dough immediately and it will be fine. Next time I'm going to let mine rise for another hour so I get a larger, fluffier loaf.)

Bake on the center rack of your over for 30 minutes with the lid on, them remove the lid to finish it off for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Kahlua Chocolate Cake

2011-04-20T07:06:00.001-04:00

If you like chocolate, please stop what you are doing and make this cake. Seriously.

A few weeks ago my Aunt Catherine contacted me because she tasted a Kahlua Chocolate Cake and the woman who make the cake wouldn't give her the recipe. She asked if I had any experience with this cake and I did what any creative home cook does - I did some Internet research. I landed on this recipe on a blog called Baked Bree (I'm a new follower - she has some great stuff!). Kahlua is a coffee-flavored liquor, but don't be turned off if you don't like coffee or liquor - this cake just tastes like deep, dark chocolate. I no longer hate on boxed cake mixes ever since I made the Chocolate Pistachio Cake, so I went full speed ahead with this recipe.

I had it ready for the oven in the amount of time it took for my oven to preheat. I savored my first slice while it was still semi-warm and the chips were oozing with chocolately goodness. Yes, it was really good. So good that I made sure I microwaved each slice as I enjoyed it as a leftover. And yes, I ate more than a few slices over the course of the week. I ended up having to give the rest of this cake away to save myself from myself. Yeah, it's like that.

Kahlua Chocolate Cake
from Baked Bree

for the cake:
1 box chocolate cake mix (without pudding)
1 box (3.75 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup Kahlua
1 cup chocolate chips

for the Kahlua glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons Kahlua

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Combine all ingredients for the cake except chocolate chips and mix with an electric mixer until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour mix into Bundt pan and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

for the glaze:
Whisk together powdered sugar and Kahlua, adding enough Kaluha to allow the glaze to drizzle over the cake. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Passionfruit Rum Punch

2011-04-18T07:59:00.002-04:00

Good cocktails can cost an arm and a leg at the bar, not to mention the safety risk of consuming too much alcohol and then having to get home safely. I've learned to make drinks like White Sangria to safely and affordably enjoy my own happy hour at home.

I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit and I bookmarked it immediately. I was attracted to this recipe because it looked tropical and reminded me of cruising the blue waters of the Carribean, which beats sitting in Delaware on a cool, rainy Saturday. This drink is perfectly balanced, so you won't taste the alcohol. Beware, this is a strong, fruity punch and it will knock you down if you don't sip slowly. As an added bonus, it only cost me about $8 to make four drinks compared to the $32 plus tip (for four drinks) that you would pay at a bar. If you want to prepare a non-alcoholic version, try swapping out sparkling water (citrus-flavored or plain) for the rum. Otherwise, drink up and enjoy! I've made this twice over the past two weeks and it will be a standard party drink from now on.

Passionfruit Rum Punch
adapted (barely) from Bon Appetit
serves 4

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 4-5 limes)
1 can frozen passionfruit concentrate (I found Goya in the frozen section at ShopRite)
2 cups white rum (about half of a 750ml bottle)
1 cup water
1 lime, sliced, for garnish
ice (preferably crushed)

In a two quart pitcher, mix lime juice, passionfruit concentrate, white rum, and water. Pour over ice and garnish with lime.

The 10th Anniversary of my 21st Birthday!

2011-04-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

Flowers hand-delivered by my dad

On Saturday, April 2nd I celebrated the tenth anniversary of my 21st birthday, also known as my 31st birthday! I'm really loving being in my 30s. I enjoy and appreciate every birthday, but there's definitely a sense of confidence and self-assurance in my 30s that I didn't always feel in my 20s. I may not have the "perfect" body or the biggest house or the largest paycheck, but I'm surrounded by a loving family. We've been through a lot together, which is why I'm so happy that this birthday celebration was just family.

My mom and I went outlet shopping in Rehoboth Beach. I picked up a few new items to add to my spring wardrobe, including my first pair of Cole Haan shoes...

This is the second year in a row that we've opted for a family lunch at a restaurant instead of a birthday dinner. I'm loving the lunch idea because it leaves my birthday evening free to enjoy a special dinner with my husband. This year we took advantage of Restaurant Week in Wilmington and headed to The Green Room at the Hotel DuPont. It's a fancy, old-fashioned dining room at one of the swankiest hotels in Delaware (of course, this is Delaware, the second smallest state in the country, so it's swanky to us). I felt like Michelle Obama!

My mom, brother, aunt, and husband joined me for a gourmet birthday lunch. We enjoyed shrimp ceviche, a deconstructed salad with a citrus dressing, salmon and risotto, and my mom had a panini with broccoli rabe.

For dessert we shared raspberry creme brulee and chocolate cake...

And since it's the Green Room, I didn't need to worry about anyone disturbing the peace by singing Happy Birthday. It was an relaxing and classy birthday lunch.

I spent the afternoon watching the Travel Channel on my mom's couch with a heated blanket and then I took a nap at home before heading to dinner with E. Just the two of us... perfect.

We had dinner at The Blue Parrot Grille in Wilmington. It's a New Orleans-themed bar and restaurant in the city. It was our first visit ever and we enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. I haven't traveled to New Orleans yet, but the ambiance in this restaurant seemed authentic. There was live music, New Orleans-style drinks (I had a Hurricane), plenty of seafood, and lots of blackened and spicy menu choices.

E and I shared the Mississippi Delta Nachos (topped with shrimp, crabmeat, red beans, jalapenos and cheese) and I had the blackened tilapia for dinner. I loved the nachos, but the tilapia was almost too spicy for my taste, especially after 8:00 p.m. I'm gettin' old, you know.

Overall I had a fantastic birthday weekend (followed by flowers and singing at work the following week). I tried two new restaurants and had plenty of time to relax. E bought me a pressure cooker and I've been experimenting with it, so stay tuned for some new recipes and a full review.

Anyone else out there celebrating a birthday soon?

Under Pressure

2011-04-05T20:56:00.001-04:00

My birthday was last Saturday. I had a fantastic weekend of family, shopping and great meals. Believe it or not, my favorite gift was this pressure cooker, which is a gift from my awesome husband. It may not seem romantic, but I'm so happy.

I've been considering adding a pressure cooker to my kitchen since Christmas, but I wasn't sure how to use one or if it was worth the investment. After doing some research I decided to go ahead and experiment with pressure cooking. I opted for a stand-alone model, which is safer than the stove top version. I'm looking forward to making beans in minutes, not hours and to cooking a pork shoulder in under an hour, instead of all day in my slow cooker.

I'll do a full birthday review later this week and I'll also give you the lowdown on my pressure cooking experience as soon as I use it. Am I the only person who gets excited about new kitchen toys?

P.S. Want your very own pressure cooker? Here's a link to mine:

White Pizza with Bacon

2011-04-01T06:06:00.001-04:00

I've officially declared pizza as my single favorite food. If it made sense health-wise, I'd eat it at least three times a week. Thick crust, thin crust, homemade, pizza parlor, NY-style, Chicago-style... I just love the endless variations of chewy dough topped with cheese, sauce, veggies and sometimes meat.

I've recently made some modifications to my BFF (in my head) Pioneer Woman's Pizza Dough recipe. I think I'm becoming a homemade pizza expert. I made a batch of dough at least once every ten days.

My latest creation is this White Pizza with Bacon that I wrote for ShopRite's Potluck blog. If you don't like bacon, just leave it out. I promise that the pizza will be just as delicious. This recipe calls for a flavored oil sold exclusively at ShopRite, but you could absolutely flavor your own oil with parsley, thyme and garlic to make this pizza if you don't live near a ShopRite.

This pizza was so good that we ate it twice in one week. Give me this pizza with a salad and a glass of wine and I'm one happy woman. 'Nuff said.

Pizza is also a great option for No Fast Food Fridays. That's right... first there was the Meatless Monday movement and now we have No Fast Food Fridays. I don't mind forgoing takeout when homemade pizza is this easy and tastes just as good.

Get the recipe HERE.

Candied Pecans

2011-03-30T07:59:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I couldn't stop thinking about the Harvest Salad that I enjoyed during our anniversary trip to Seneca Lake earlier this month. The salad had tart dried cranberries, finely grated sharp cheddar, crisp apples, warm grilled chicken, and candied walnuts. It was incredibly delicious and I can't get it off my mind.

My mission is to create this salad, or a close approximation, at home. I knew I needed to get my hands on some candied nuts. Yes, I can buy them in the grocery store, but they are unnecessarily expensive and I have tons of nuts in my freezer. I did a little research and I struck gold with this recipe from Epicurious.com.

These nuts are shiny, crispy, and not too sweet. The glaze enhances the nuts, but it doesn't overpower them. The best part is that you don't need a candy thermometer or any special equipment. I mixed these up in less than ten minutes and placed them in the oven while I took an afternoon shower. By the time I stepped out of the shower E told me that the whole house smelled like Christmas. That's a nice way to describe these nuts. Roasted, sweet, spicy nuts. I may not be able to save them for my salad!

You can (and should) try this recipe with other nuts. I can't wait to do almonds and walnuts.

Candied Pecans
from Epicurious.com

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups pecans or other nuts

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly butter parchment or spray it with non-stick spray.

Stir together butter, sugar, corn syrup, spices, and salt in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Spread nuts in 1 layer on lined baking sheet, separating any clumps. Bake, stirring nuts once with a heatproof rubber (silicone) spatula halfway through baking (keep nuts in 1 layer), until golden and bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 45 minutes, then break into small clusters with your hands.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

2011-03-28T07:59:00.000-04:00

My husband loves Chicken Parmesan. The only Italian dish that he may love more is Fettuccine Alfredo. Neither of these dishes is health food. In the past I've chosen to lightly fry my chicken and top it with fresh mozzarella. I'm not going to lie, I prefer my chicken fried. This version, however, is a nice alternative and it is 85% as good as the traditional preparation. Since it's almost as good, easier to clean up, and a bit healthier, I'll make my Chicken Parmesan this way from now on. At least most of the time.

I chose to make my own marinara sauce, but you could absolutely use a jarred sauce to save time. I prepped the pasta while the chicken was baking and I had the entire meal on the table in about 40 minutes. This makes enough for six adults. I made the full portion and then packed some for lunch the following day.

I should have reserved some sauce to top the chicken before serving, so my written recipe reflects that improvement. I love topping my pasta with fresh basil, but basil isn't in season in my area yet. If you can't find fresh basil (or don't want to spend $5 in the grocery store for it), leave it out. I can't wait to start my summer garden so I have an endless supply of fresh basil.

Keep a close eye on the chicken. If you overcook it you'll be stuck with dry chicken and you'll wish you had fried it. If you get the chicken just right, it will have a juicy interior and a crisp exterior.

Don't be deterred by the long recipe. A lot of the time for this recipe is hands-off. Once you try this, you'll be able to make it even faster the second time.

Baked Chicken Parmesan
by Keeley

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups of dried breadcrumbs (I used a combination of panko and Italian flavored)
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
about 1 quart of fresh marinara or 1 jar of store-bought pasta sauce
3/4 pound short, sturdy pasta (rotini, rigatoni, mezzi rigatoni, etc.)
1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, for serving (optional)
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack in the baking sheet. This will allow the chicken to bake up crisp and not get soggy on the bottom. Spray the rack with non-stick spray.

Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Use three shallow dishes (I used pie pans) to create your assembly line for chicken. The first dish should include the flour, seasoned with garlic powder and about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. The second dish should include the eggs, beaten. The third dish should include the bread crumbs.

Prepare the chicken by dredging it in flour on both sides, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Place prepared chicken on the baking rack. Repeat with all six pieces of chicken. Bake chicken for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown.

While chicken is baking, boil pasta to an al dente texture. Drain pasta and return to the pot you used to boil it. Stir most of the sauce into the pasta, reserving about 1 cup to top the cooked chicken, if desired. Pour pasta and sauce mixture into a 9 by 13 baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.

When chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the oven and set aside. Switch oven to broiler mode and put the pasta on the top rack. Broil until cheese is bubbling and starting to turn brown, about 3 minutes.

Top chicken with reserved marinara sauce. Top pasta with chopped basil. Serve chicken with pasta on the side. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Food Budgeting: Where Do You Shop?

2011-03-21T07:59:00.000-04:00

Back in February I posted Food Budgeting: Building Your Supply. In January I shared Food Budgeting: Menu Planning. Now that we've addressed planning your meals and what you need to have on hand to minimize extra trips to the store, let's talk about the fun part - shopping!

Believe it or not, I love to grocery shop. I don't even mind when the stores are crowded. I always shop with a list and I enjoy picking out produce, comparing prices on items, and planning what meals we'll enjoy as a result of a shopping expedition. My husband and I have been shopping together since we dated in college. We buy most of our groceries from three places: ShopRite (regional grocery chain), Costco, and the local farmer's market (indoor, open year-round).

Although I find Extreme Couponing on TLC very entertaining, I seldom use coupons. In my experience, coupons are typically for processed items like cereal, frozen desserts, boxed mixes, and cosmetics. I find very few coupons for fresh produce, raw meat, and pantry staples like flour. The one exception is that sometimes ShopRite or Costco offer coupons that are only valid in their stores (store coupons, not manufacturer's coupons). If these coupons are for items that I typically buy (milk, chicken, eggs, pork chops), I may use them.

I limit my shopping to a few stores because I feel comfortable with the layout and the stock of the stores. I know who has the best price on a gallon of 1% milk (Costco, usually), where to buy unusual produce in small quantities (farmer's market), and where to buy laundry detergent (ShopRite, $1.99). Since I'm only shopping for two and I'm a very active home cook, I buy whatever we want to eat, I just make sure we pay a great price. If we want sea scallops or New York strip, we buy it. We'd rather eat it at home than pay the huge markup to eat it at a restaurant.

I average less than $50 a week on food for two adults, including the ~~occasional~~ regular bottle of wine or takeout pizza. We pack our breakfast and lunch on weekdays and I cook dinner at least five nights a week, on average. It's important for us to keep our food budget under control because other aspects of our household budget (like fuel, tolls, and mobile phone bills) are higher than most families due to our long commutes and long work hours.

The biggest money drain is last-minute purchases. Make a list (preferably based on a weekly meal plan) and stick to it. As much as I enjoy shopping for food, I only hit the stores once a week. If I don't have a food item and it's not critical, I substitute another item until our next shopping day.

Where do you buy your food? Do you use coupons? How many of you end up making multiple trips to the store for forgotten items?

Roasted Potato and Leek Soup

2011-03-19T18:34:00.003-04:00

I've been m.i.a for a few days, but I have good reasons. I'm trying to finish writing my doctoral thesis and I'm spending every spare moment with my laptop. Okay, not every spare moment, but it feels like it. I think I'll be getting my life back in the next 30 days and I'm looking forward to planting my vegetable garden and working on the design of this blog.

In spite of the fact that I haven't been writing as frequently, I have been cooking! I've been taking my own advice and making a menu plan every week. For the most part we stick to it and I really think that planning our meals has helped our grocery budget. We even cook large batches of steel cut oatmeal and pack it for breakfast in the office. If I could just get myself back into the gym I'd be saving money and losing weight at the same time!

I woke up at 7:00 this morning prepared to another marathon writing and editing session, but I just didn't feel like it. I decided to take a break and work on our menu plan for next week. I like to look through my cookbooks and bookmarked recipes for inspirations and today I pulled out Ina Garten's Back to Basics. I knew I had a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes in the pantry, so I decided to try her Roasted Potato and Leek Soup. I didn't have any leeks, so I put them on my shopping list and headed to the farmer's market.

Click below to read more...

I haven't cooked much with leeks, but I do enjoy them. They remind me of oversized green onions, but they aren't as strong in flavor as a typical onion. I picked up three big leeks for less than $4 at my farmer's market. I had everything else I needed for this recipe on hand.

If you've never cooked with leeks, no worries. They typically are filled with sand and dirt particles, so you just need to make sure you clean them thoroughly. The easiest way to clean them is to cut them up and soak them in cold water. The dirt just falls to the bottom of your bowl. It's like magic.

First you start with a whole leek.

This recipe just uses the white and light green parts, so you just chop off the root end and the leafy dark green tops. I threw those parts away.

Then I sliced the leek lengthwise...

Then I sliced the leeks into little half moon shapes, separated them, and put them in a big bowl of cold water...

I let the leeks soak while I prepared the potatoes. They probably only soaked for 10-15 minutes. I swished them around to make sure they looked clean, then I used my hands to skim them out of the water. You don't want to dump the dirt from the bottom of the bowl on your clean leeks.

Next, I spread the potatoes and leeks in a roasting pan and coated them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I roasted them for about 30 minutes, then removed the pan from the oven and stirred in some arugula. Arugula is another "new" ingredient in this house. It's a type of green lettuce and it has a slight peppery flavor. You can find it with all of the bagged salads in the grocery store. I'm going to see if I can grow my own this year.

Next, you return the pan to the oven for about 5 more minutes. The arugula will wilt and everything will smell very good.

Next, you move the pan to the stove. You'll need to use two burners for this part. You'll mix in some white wine and chicken stock over medium heat. Scrape the bottom so all of the carmelized bits end up in your soup.

Finally you'll puree the soup (in batches) in your food processor or blender. You'll need to return the puree to a pot and mix in enough chicken stock to make it a thick soup consistency. You'll also stir in some heavy cream.

The original recipe called for more cream, but I didn't feel it was necessary.

This soup reminds me of a baked potato or cream of potato soup, but the wine, leeks, and arugula add a little extra flavor. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch. This soup is creamy and it's so much easier to roast the potatoes than to boil them. I'd order this in a restaurant.

Try topping this soup with bacon, Parmesan cheese, or both. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers in my lunch. It's a great cold weather dinner, but I'd eat it any time of year.

Don't be intimidated by all of the steps. I had this soup ready to serve in one hour and most of the time was hands off. It did create a lot of dishes, but it was worth it! Plus, you can make this soup in advance and just reheat it before serving. Enjoy!

Roasted Potato and Leek Soup
makes 8 servings
from Back to Basics by Ina Garten, modified by Keeley

2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 pieces
4 cups of sliced, clean leeks, white and light green parts only (about 4 leeks)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
3 cups lightly packed arugula
1/2 cup dry white wine
5-6 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, combine potatoes, leeks, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally during roasting.

Add arugula to the pan and return to oven for 3-5 minutes, or until arugula is wilted.

Place pan over 2 eyes of the stove. Over medium heat, mix in white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Scrape bottom of pan to mix in any browned bits.

In batches, add potato and leek mixture to a food processor or blender. Mix with enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Pour each batch into a large pot or Dutch oven.

Once all of the soup is pureed, add mix in enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Stir in heavy cream.

Serve hot, topped with Parmesan or bacon, if desired.

Seneca Lake Pt. 2 - Wine Tasting

2011-03-13T17:39:00.001-04:00

Do you like wine? Have you ever done a wine tasting?

I know that not everyone likes or drinks wine, and I'll admit that it's an acquired taste. In the past five years I've gone from the woman who always orders or purchases that reliable White Zinfandel (and there's nothing wrong with that) to a foodie who purchases new wines and dreams of ways to pair them with food. I'm by no means an expert, but my palate has expanded over the past few years and I always appreciate an opportunity to try before I buy.

Wine tasting is supposed to be fun, but the fun all depends on your attitude and the knowledge and personality of the person serving the wine. Oh, and the wine itself. Of course.

In many areas you can taste wine at a local liquor store. I've also been to wine tastings in people's homes and more recently I've had the opportunity to actually visit real wineries. Last year my mom and I visited the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail in Pennsylvania and this year E and I spent out anniversary in the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is famous for its wines.

Click below to read more...

The first and most important rule of wine tasting is not to overindulge. It's very easy to accidentally drink too much. All of those little sips add up quickly. We always make sure that we have a designated driver (or limit our own consumption) and we also start off with a full stomach. There should also be a "dump bucket" on the bar for you to pour out wines that you don't like or that you can't drink. Don't be embarrassed, it's not rude to pour it out after you've tasted it.

Seneca Lake has over 30 wineries, breweries, and distilleries within a one-hour loop. That's a lot of wine, a lot of country roads, and a lot of opportunities to drink and spend money. E and I purchased a Polar Passport, which pre-paid our tasting fees at most of the wineries. It was $12 per person. Most wineries in the Finger Lakes have tasting fees (ranging from $2-$4 per person) and many will credit those fees toward a purchase. In our area, liquor stores do not charge for wine tastings. We've encountered higher tasting fees (up to $12 per person) in other areas, like Virginia.

With 30+ wineries we had some decisions to make. Fortunately, it was not difficult to decide where to go. A snowstorm on our first night in town dropped over a foot of snow around the lake and many of the smaller wineries didn't have the equipment to plow their parking lots immediately after the storm. Other wineries are not open on weekdays or Mondays in the off-season. Some wineries didn't offer wines that appealed to us. Your best bet is to do your research before you even approach a place to taste. If you know you prefer dry red wine, look for a place that has plenty. If you know you want beer, skip the wineries.

The tasting room at Hazlitt

The actual person serving the wine is another factor in your tasting experience. Unfortunately, not all wineries are staffed with friendly and knowledgeable people who enjoy wine. We loved the retired teacher who served us at Hazlitt (tasting bar above), but we'll admit there were a few wineries that had less-than-enthusiastic staff. I don't like to be rushed and I want to establish a rapport with the server during the tasting. I taste because I want to learn and when I walk into a winery I'm likely to buy something if I like it. Bad service can ruin the whole experience.

The gentleman at Hazlitt told us the story about the "grape weasel"...

The Grape Weasel

So, this grape weasel is an imaginary creature made by a creative taxidermist. It's actually a deer's bottom with marble eyes, a walnut nose, and toothpick teeth. Strange, but intriguing.

Oh, and Hazlitt (and several others) had fantastic staff! If you're in a wine region and you find a person you like, ask him or her what other wineries you should visit. We got our best tips that way.

E is likes wine, but he loves craft beer. Fortunately there were a few breweries on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail...

Wagner Valley has a winery and a brewery

E contemplating the choices at Wagner Valley

War Horse Brewing Co.

Ultimately, we purchased several cases of wine and beer, so we'll be enjoying a taste of the Finger Lakes well into the summer season. The Finger Lakes are known for their Riesling wines, so I purchased several. I also purchased a case of a not-too-sweet apple wine from Hazlitt called Spyder Bite. I'm looking forward to drinking some now and enjoying some warm with mulling spices this fall... if there's any left!

The only real negative is that New York sales tax combined with county taxes added a lot of extra dollars to our purchases. We come from sales-tax-free Delaware, so it was difficult for us to pay 12% and more in sales tax for our purchases without flinching. Thankfully, the wine and beer prices were reasonable, so we didn't go broke.

The best thing about the Finger Lakes is that there are several wine trails among a few different lakes, so there's always something new to see. This will be a repeat trip for us. Seneca lake is about four hours from Philadelphia, so if you're in the mid-Atlantic, I recommend the Finger Lakes as a fun foodie destination.