Asian Inspiration

Yeah yeah. I know. It's been forever since I last blogged. I can't even claim that I've been busy, I'm just going to say that laziness took the front seat. And the fact that I was so super boring that I couldn't even lie my way through a blog. But I'm back, with some very tasty recipes!

Tuesday, I decided that I really wanted some chili-lime chicken. Kaalyn and I, a couple weeks ago, decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and hit up some patios.  We went to O'Sheas, where we weren't even offered menu's despite every customer our server went to after being offered them. So we had our drinks, and then waved them off in search of some delicious appetizers. We went to Moxie's, where the patio had a 20 minute wait and the restaurant was empty. Upon remembering that the last time we were there, we had horrid service and the food was kinda gross, we hopped in the car again to search out the next establishment. Beily's was completely empty during our drive by. In fact, it looked like they didn't even open the patio yet that day.  Boston Pizza... just hells no. Original Joe's is right beside the Boston Pizza, and their patio was full of sun and only half full of people. So we copped a squat, and it was incredibly worth it.  Our server was great, and we had the best chili-lime chicken I've ever had. (Note: don't order the Red Pepper Spinach Dip. It's mostly cheez whiz).

Now we're on to this Tuesday. I reeeally wanted to be able to make the deliciousness that is chili-lime chicken, and I succeeded in that it tasted similar. Mine was made a little more low-fat, but hey. Whatever.

What You'll Need
chicken breasts, cut into strips - I purchased chicken breasts that were already cut into strips (they called them filet's, but Co-op can be weird), and used 8 strips
Cornflake crumbs, or your favourite bread crumbs
Basic spices - I used sea salt, black pepper, and thyme
Crunchy chow mein noodles - approx. 1 cup per serving (or more if you're like me and love chow mein noodles)
Green onion, chopped
Baby spinach - approx. 1 cup per serving
1 bottle of Thai Sweet Chili sauce. There are many brands, and varying levels of heat. Choose what you like.
Lime juice and/or fresh limes. Completely your choice.
Foreman grill - If you don't have one, may I suggest purchasing one? Otherwise, bake the strips in the oven.

1. In a bowl, combine enough Cornflake crumbs to coat your chicken strips with your desired spices.
2. Allow Foreman grill/ oven to preheat.
3. Coat chicken strips with Cornflake crumbs, put on grill/cooking sheet and cook through. (Just remember: because they're cut into strips, they will cook a lot faster than a full breast)
4. Once chicken is cooked, cut into small bite-sized pieces.  I say to do this after they're cooked because it's less gross, and the pieces can be more uniform.  I also find it easier to dice cooked chicken than it is to try to do it with raw.
5.  In a bowl, combine about a 1/4 cup of Thai Sweet Chili sauce with approximately a tablespoon of lime juice (or a single lime, if you're going that way). I say this as approximations because it'll all depend just how much you're cooking, and how much of the sauce you want as extra.
6. Toss chicken and 3/4c. of your chow mein noodles in the sauce.

7. To serve, line up your spinach in a straight line down the centre of your plate. Top with the remaining 1/4c. of chow mein noodles. Place the sauced up noodles and chicken on top of that, and sprinkle with green onions. Buon appetite!





Wednesday (being today), I was in the mood for a rice noodle bowl.  Mind you, I had to prepare ahead of time because the beef needed to marinate, but I definitely could have changed my mind and made the steaks as their normal steak selves.  I went with a teriyaki marinade, found on Allrecipes as the "Easiest Teriyaki Marinade Ever". While I may not think that it's the BEST ever, it certainly was easy. So I let the steaks I picked up (labelled as grilling steaks by Co-op. Man, their labels are weird) marinate overnight, and then went from there.

What You'll Need
small steaks, one per serving

one package rice vermicelli noodles
julienned carrots, cucumbers, or whatever you want to go into the noodle bowl
shredded lettuce - enough to cover the bottom of the bowl/plate you're using to serve
sesame seeds, for garnish
chopped peanuts - the one thing that I didn't have and that totally makes the dish. Sigh.

1. Marinate your steaks. I can't stress this enough. This way, you get a good flavour base even if you plan on bumping it up a notch while you're cooking.

2. Chop your lettuce and vegetables, placing them in to separate bowls. This way, if you have picky eaters, they can choose what veggies go into their noodle bowl.

3. Slice your steaks as thin as you can. I suck at slicing thin, but it turned out fine enough.
4. Use a non-stick skillet, heating to just under medium heat. Trust me, because of the sugar content of the marinade I used, any higher would have had my touchy smoke detector going ape shit. At the same time, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
5. Place your steak slices on the frying pan, as many as you can fit. I had to do it twice, but that's just how it goes. 
6. Keep an eye on the steak, and when the water is boiling in that pot I told you to set up, dump in your vermicelli noodles. These noodles need a MAXIMUM of 2 minutes to cook.
7. Once the noodles are done, drain and allow to sit in the strainer/colander/sieve/whatever name you've given the large pot-type-deal with holes in it over the empty pot. This way, if any stray noodles decide that they want to make a run for it, you get to laugh in their face because they're in the pot and you can get them. Or at least I do.

8. To serve, place a layer of shredded lettuce on the bottom of the bowl/plate. Top with noodles, and then decoratively (or not, it's up to you) arrange your veggies. Top with steak, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts. I use extra soya sauce when I'm eating, because it gives the vermicelli just a little bit more salt. If you're like Tyler and don't care for sauces, it's perfectly fine to eat without.



I really wish that I had the forethought to pick up some spring rolls (and chopped peanuts >: | ), as that would have made the meal absolutely perfect. As it stands, I'll settle for top notch.

Experimentation Day

Tonight was one of what will be many nights of Tyler working the day shift and thus not being home for supper.  Or I guess he'll be home soonish, as he works until 730. But whatever, he has no say in what supper is.

That being said, I didn't really decide on anything specifically. I took out some ground turkey, thinking of pasta. And then the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want pasta. I was actually contemplating a supper of Cheetos. Instead, I did the right thing and started browning the meat. Then I though "Hmm, I have these Udon noodles in the fridge". And so, an idea was formed.

I have no idea what to call it.

So even though I don't know what I'm calling this dish, nor do I know actual measurements of what I added, I will give you the rundown. 

1 pkg ground turkey - I had ground turkey thigh, but I think they sell ground turkey breast too. 

2-200g pkg Udon noodles - Found in the refrigerated produce section

about a half cup-ish of frozen vegebles. Could probably use fresh too, if you had those (we haven't been grocery shopping oops)

2-3 tbsp Teriyaki sauce

1-2 tbsp Hoisin sauce

1-2 tbsp Soya sauce 

(Obviously, this is to taste. If you're not a saucy person, then don't put as much in)

1-2 tsp lime juice (this is actually pretty crucial to this recipe)

Spices:

Seasoning salt, minced garlic (freeze dried FTW!), chives (again, freeze dried), ground thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

1. Brown your meat. No, that's not a euphemism. Turkey is pretty lean, thus there isn't as much fatty grease to rinse off the meat or the pan. What I did was dump it into a sieve, and then just left the pan as is. Having that little bit of grease on there helps to cook the noodles. 

2. As the meat is, uh, meating in the sieve, throw the noodles into your turkey-grease pan. You basically want them to warm up so that they separate. I'm sure there's a better way to do it, I just followed the directions on the back of the package. Actually that's a lie. I tossed them in the pan, got impatient, so I picked them up with my fingers and broke them apart. There were some small noodles in that there pan.

3. I put the meat into a smaller frying pan (above) so I could spice it. I added seasoning salt, thyme, and maybe a quarter teaspoon of minced garlic. As that was happening, I add the frozen vegetables, another half teaspoon of minced garlic, and a half teaspoon of chives. Kind of just let things chill for a little bit. 

4. After the noodles were warm and floppy, I added the meat to it and then the sauces. Of course, I just threw things in. I didn't measure, I did it all by "Hmm, that looks about right". As per usual, actually. When I'm not following a recipe, I just throw things in for good measure. That's how the lime juice got itself added! 

5. Let everything kind of sit and soak up the sauce. Allow them to become deliciously tasty friends. When you deem it done, sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

6. Serve it. Yeah, I don't have anything witty for that. 

I was apprehensive, if I'm being honest. Extremely apprehensive. I've had failures before and they were absolutely gross. Either I've gotten to be a better cook, or I've just gotten better at learning what goes together. Whatever it was, it was lip smackingly delicious. In an Italian way. Only with an Asian recipe.

Post-Easter Eatocolypse

As it's Easter Monday right now, at least in Canada, I figured I can put forth the recipes used for the Easter meals that I took part in. Well, my family ate them too.

We decided to go non-traditional this year. Friday was lunch with the in-laws, and we had barbecue. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and a buttload of salads. I contributed BLT Pasta Salad and a 5-Layer Taco Dip. Both were a rousing success, even with the alterations that I made and the fact that I didn't do a taste test before serving them. I'm  horrible that way, in that I kind of just serve things blind. Especially at family gatherings. Maybe my subconscious thinks that because there are so many people and so many different options, if one isn't so good it'll just be overlooked? Who knows.  Unfortunately, I was more focused on getting everything together and visiting with family to take pictures, but both of these recipes turned out picturesque. And delicious...esque.

BLT Pasta Salad - The way that I made it.
1 (16 oz) package seashell pasta. I ended up using an entire box, as the shells didn't want to be in a package
1 pound sliced bacon - We Canadians don't believe in this form of measure. So, again, 1 package of bacon
1 (475 mL) bottle Ranch salad dressing - Definitely used Kraft Bacon Ranch, as was suggested in the comments. 
4 green onions, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1. Using that Foreman grill that everyone should have by now, cook the bacon.  As your batches are ready, let them de-grease on paper towel.  I lined a cookie sheet with a double layer of paper-towel and it worked great.
2. As the bacon's going, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. I like to dump in about a quarter teaspoon of sea salt - unground. Maybe even less. Either way, throw some salt in there. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until JUST al dente, so make sure that you're checking. I do the chewing test, because it's just easiest.
3. In a large bowl, combine the dressing, green onion, and tomatoes. Mix in with the cooled pasta, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  Crumble bacon over the top just before serving.

Now, many comments on the AllRecipes site said that there wasn't enough dressing and that they felt the need to add more. I have no idea how much fricken Ranch dressing they bought, as one bottle is a cup and a half (what the recipe calls for). So, if you're noticing that the pasta absorbed all the dressing when you let it sit, feel free to add some more to make it your desired consistency.

The salad was a pretty big hit, but then again it made a pretty big batch.  I also added in some freeze-dried dill, and that made it much better. My brother-in-law's girlfriend, who absolutely HATES anything will dill in it, LOVED the salad. I don't think she knew there was dill in there, to which I chuckle evilly, Mr. Burns style.

5-Layer Taco Dip
Four score and seven moons ago, I belonged to LA Weightloss. Their program worked while I was on it, but once I stopped following their extremely strict rules and coming in to get weighed like 3 times a week, I gained it back with vengeance. But that is beside the point. I bought their recipe book, in hopes of being able to stick to everything. To my surprise, their recipes were are pretty good! Downside is that sometimes they're a bit bland, but now that I don't have to follow their rules, I just add spices willy nilly! So here is my doctored up version of their 5-layer dip.

8 green onions, chopped
4 tsp oil
2 cups cooked kidney beans - I used one can
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
sour cream

1. I had never cooked kidney beans before, I usually just added them to tacos or whatever, so I got to enjoy figuring it out. Why don't they put the instructions on the cans? Anyway, I just put them in a pot and let them warm up until I thought I could mash them.
2. Mash your beans, some of the onions, and oil to make a paste. To make this a taco-licious dip, add cumin and garlic salt. Maybe about a quarter teaspoon of each, or to taste.
3. Spread bean paste on the bottom of a square dish. I used a Pyrex 8x8 glass one.
4. Layers are as follows:
Bean paste
Sour cream
Salsa
Tomatoes
Cheese
Green onions
5. Serve with taco chips, crackers, pita bread, whatever you feel like! It's just a tasty tasty dish.

So that was Friday's menu.

Saturday, we went to my parent's place for taco supper. Yes, that's right, we had tacos for Easter dinner. And now you're all jealous.

Again, I consulted the LA Lite cook book because I knew that they had a section dedicated to making your own spice mixes. The husband and I enjoy making things with ground chicken or turkey in place of ground beef, which therefore requires more spices.

So without further ado, here is the LA Lite Taco Seasoning, with some of my own additions :)
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Okay, so first things first... I continually forget to purchase onion powder. Why would I purchase it when the husband hates onions? So I always omit that. Secondly, I use garlic salt in place of garlic powder, because I usually only have the salt on hand. I also usually double it to 1 tsp. Thirdly, I add in crushed red pepper flakes. Adds a bit more heat, but in a tasty way. Combine it all together and store it in an air-tight container, or an old spice shaker like I do. If you make it as a single batch, it only makes a small bottle. Double batch, makes the bigger bottle.

And because every meal deserves dessert, and even though I didn't bring these to any gathering, I'm going to give you the best Rice Krispie-type square known to man. I bring you... well shit, there isn't an actual name coined for them. So I just labeled them as

Delicious Peanut Butter Squares
1 300g package butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups mini coloured marshmallows
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal or similar

1. Melt chips and peanut butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix fast. Hint : add marshmallows last so they maintain their shape :D
3. Pack into a greased 8 x 8 pan, allow to set in the fridge.

Two tips: I tend to allow the squares to remain in the fridge for the rest of their life before they're killed by chewing and swallowing. This way, they maintain their molecular integrity or something like that.
Secondly, if you have the option to use Kraft Whipped peanut butter, DO IT. That stuff is a freaking God-send to bakers. It doesn't stick to your measuring cups or spatulas, therefore allowing you to actually have the entire 1/2 cup in the mix.

That's all that I'm going to offer up today. I'm not going to guarantee any recipes for tomorrow, but maybe I'll sneak a couple in!

Ooh Yeah

I am apparently really awesome at updating blogs. In case it isn't apparent, sarcasm is the special ingredient of the day.

I'm going to dedicate today to red things. Namely, tomato sauce and Red Velvet cake. 

I don't have any pictures of the tomato sauce, but I have plenty of the cake!

I really like to make my own pasta sauce. Biggest reason is Tyler's general dislike of tomato sauce, and secondly because I'm not a huge fan of chunky sauces. So this way it's made exactly how we like it :)

Paige's Tomato Sauce
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can garlic tomato paste
2 tsp minced garlic - I like to use the freeze-dried stuff. Freeze-dried spices are my new favourite thing.
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp basil
2 tsp freeze-dried oregano
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
sprinkle of thyme
sprinkle of celery salt
sprinkle of cinnamon
4 bay leaves

1. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Allow to warm up slightly before adding the spices in whatever order you see fit.
2. Add the bay leaves last, making sure that you remember where they are or that you choose big enough ones to be spotted easily.
3. Allow to simmer for as long as you need it to (for example, if you're making the meat and pasta as the sauce is going). Remove bay leaves and add about a quarter cup of water. This makes it more of a pasta sauce consistency. If you want to have the leftovers as a pizza sauce, omit the water in the batch and just add it to whatever you're going to use.
4. Add to whatever meat you want, or go meatless. I've also done little fun things every so often, for example adding a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. That made it definitely interesting.

Red Velvet Cake

Okay. This cake had always intrigued me. I saw it once on Throwdown with Bobby Flay
I was so intrigued by it that I decided to make Nick this cake for his birthday. I searched AllRecipes and tried to find the correct recipe, because I thought I remembered that on Throwdown they mentioned that a Red Velvet cake SHOULDN'T have a cream cheese icing. And, well, Nick hates cream cheese icing. So I sought out a recipe without. Turns out, that recipe was really weird so I went with the McCormick spice brand sponsored one.

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 (1 oz) bottle red food colouring
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Mix in sour cream, milk, food colouring, and vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Pour into cake pan OR spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, 2/3 cups full*.
3. For cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For a cake, it was like 40 minutes. Allow cakes and cupcakes to cool completely before icing.

* This recipe makes a buttload of batter.  I mean I made a double layer cake AND a dozen cupcakes. Full sized ones, even.

The icing I made was some sort of cooked icing that REALLY didn't turn out. I mean really. And I followed the directions to a T. So here's the recipe that I followed

1 cup milk
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the milk and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely. Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, then stir in cooled milk and flour mixture. Beat until icing reaches spreading consistency.

I beat the crap out of that icing. I mean, I've got a professional grade KitchenAid mixer, and I let it fly. And it just didn't taste good. SO, I added icing sugar and vanilla until it got to the taste and consistency that I wanted it at. I'm going to say 2 cups of icing sugar and about another teaspoon of vanilla. Maybe I added some almond too? Either way, I really wish that I had been measuring and remembering what I added because it was the most delicious icing ever. AND it had the best spreading consistency! I was so super proud of myself that I thought "Man, all those cooking shows have really paid off" despite the fact that I hadn't watched any in months. Residual knowledge? Who knows.

Either way, the cake was delicious and everyone said so. Nick, the pickiest person of all time (not for food, but just for life in general) even enjoyed it. So Paige won.

Today is Brought To You ...

By the letter "Fat". In the height of post-Christmas fatness, I'm going to make things even worse because, let's face it, the most delicious things are typically the most fattening. Which is awful.

First dish I share today is that of vodka sauce. The recipe that I use is Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce, as found on the All-Recipes. They have many variations of the recipe, but this is the one I like the most.

I like the way that the italian sausage is set off by the tomato sauce with red pepper flakes and the slight, and I mean very slight, tang of vodka.



Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

1 pound uncooked penne pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (I've also substituted garlic powder or garlic salt... about a 1/2 tsp either way)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vodka
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage (I use one pack of ground sausage)

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to line up my ingredients first. Mostly for ease of having everything on hand, but I also like to take pictures of it. I'm special. Okay, when I give you this recipe, I'm going to tell you what I do, as opposed to what the recipe calls for. For example, I never use the olive oil. Sausage is oily enough, and if you use a non-stick skillet you can get away with it. Or if it's going to stick, just use a bit of cooking spray to get it done.

1. In a deep skillet, brown the sausage. Once it's cooked through, drain and rinse. Put back into the skillet.

2. Season with the garlic and salt, sometimes I throw some seasoning salt in there. Pour in the can of tomatoes, and add the red pepper flakes. As you're letting it simmer, cook your pasta until al dente. I definitely like to wait until the sauce is simmering before I start cooking my pasta, although if you look at the recipe they tell you to start the pasta first and then do your sauce. Which is stupid, because once the sauce is done your pasta would be ice cold. I digress. 

3. After it's simmered for a bit, pour in your vodka, and then add your cream and reduce the heat. Allow the sauce to thicken, stirring gently and occasionally. Once the sauce has reached YOUR desired thickness (I like to say your desired because some people like runny sauces, some people like thicker sauces), then toss with the pasta. Arrange pasta on a plate and sprinkle/garnish with parsley. The parsley is literally just a garnish, it doesn't add anything.  And then eat it with your face hole!

The dessert I am going to feature today is one I found on the Chipits website called Double Chocolate Mint Bars. At first, I was curious about them. I thought "These are too rich to make" etc etc. And then I was attempting to study for an exam and decided that baking was a better idea than studying for the exam. How can I describe these bars? Brownies with fudge on top. With Peppermint. The recipe gives both the Metric and Imperial measurements, so I'm just going to leave it as is.

1 3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) cocoa
1/3 cup (75 mL) packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) salt
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) butter or margarine, divided
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) mint extract, divided
1 package (350 g) CHIPITS® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (2 cups/500 mL)
1 can (300 mL) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1. Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan.
2. In large bowl, mix together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in 3/4 cup (175 mL) of the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Beat in eggs and 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) of the mint extract. Spread mixture into pan.
4. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. In saucepan over low heat, melt remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter with chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) mint extract. Spread over baked layer. Let stand 20 minutes or until slightly set.
6. Drizzle VANILLA GLAZE over top. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Cut into bars. ** I absolutely SUCK at glazes. If you go to the website and look at the picture they have, it looks pretty and delicious and yummy. Mine looks like I just dumped some runny white icing all over it.
Makes about 24 bars.
VANILLA GLAZE: Stir together 3/4 cup (175 mL) icing sugar, 5 teaspoons (25 mL) milk and 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) vanilla. Makes about 1/3 cup (75 mL) glaze.

And there we have it. A fatty fat meal for post Christmas. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually post something that's good for you as well as good in your mouth. 

Double Entry!

Awesome, right? I felt that what better way to show that I am committed to updating this blog on a semi-regular basis than to update it twice in one night? You might say that maybe I should get some sleep and THEN write another entry. But then I just call you ridiculous and laugh in your face.

This entry will be dedicated to recipes that I didn't change. Or alter. Or the alterations are so minor that they don't even matter.

The first one I am going to share is the Bruschetta recipe from the 100 Best Appetizer Recipes cook book I received from my sister-in-law, Amanda. I definitely think that anyone who wants a good cook book that is dedicated solely to appetizers should pick this one up. There are many mouthwatering convections innit.

Bruschetta

2 Italian rolls (I used a baguette)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped, fresh basil
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. Toast your bread (can slice into individual pieces first OR do the whole loaf and then cut pieces off from there. I’ve seen it both ways)

2. In a pan, mix all stuff together. Spoon onto bread.(Use a slotted spoon to make things not soggy)

3. Broil for as short a time as you can or burning will ensue. And seriously, burning will happen. I put a mild damper on a family dinner that way.

The next recipe comes from the ridiculous kitchen of the sisters Janet and Greta Podleski. They are the Eat, Shrink, & Be Merry ladies from Food Network. The cook book that I have is called Crazy Plates, and it's pretty awesome. I keep meaning to pick up the other ones, but then when I get to the book store or Amazon I find a billion other things that I want. 

Onward ho!

I tried many recipes from this book, but I'm going to give you

" Bean Me Up, Scotty", which is a delicious black bean taco soup. Some have also called it tortilla soup. This recipe doesn't call for tortillas, so that name confuses me. And also makes me want nachos.

The description on the recipe for this soup is as follows:

Captain's log: it's the most enterprising combination of ingredients on the planet. Soup that boldly goes where no soup has gone before.

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup each chopped onions, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped carrots (make yourself a mirepoix)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

3 cups low-fat beef broth

1 cup topmato sauce

2 cans (19 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro

1 tbsp each lemon juice and brown sugar

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp each chili powder, ground cumin, and Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 tbsp low-fat sour cream

Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, red pepper, carrots, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.

2. Add all remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Working in batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to pot.

4. Top each bowl of soup with a tablespoon of sour cream. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Side note about this recipe: you are so stupid-full off of one ladle & a half bowl. I mean "I just ate 5 tacos and some chips" kind of full. And do NOT over do it with the soup, or you won't want to eat it again. And that's just sad. Like, sad-panda sad.

Happy January!

If there is one resolution I can follow through with, it would be to actually post to this blog. And to make delicious food at home. Today I followed through for the first time in the new year. I decided to make some yummy lasagna and pumpkin pies for dessert.

 This was only the second time in my entire cooking life that I decided to tackle the awesomeness that is lasagna. You might be saying to yourself "It's noodles, sauce, and cheese. How hard can it be?" And that's when I want you to tell yourself that you're a silly goose and that it is actually quite difficult. Or at least time intensive, which isn't always awesome. However, it freezes well and the leftovers are just as good.

I have become known for my pumpkin pies. It's one of my favourite pies, and therefore I deemed it necessary to become awesome at it. I love apple pie, too, but I still suck at that one. I'll get better, I promise. And I know that I'll have a ton of taste testers along the way.

Anyway!



Of course the pumpkin pies should be made first. They take a shorter time to bake than the lasagna, and they can cool and be put back into the oven after the lasagna is done.

Paige's Perfectly Awesome Pumpkin Pie (I originally said Perfect, but it can be screwed up quite easily)
1 large can of pureed pumpkin (NOT pie filling. The ED Smith pumpkin is what I tend to use)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (300mL , and I use the reduced fat or whatever it is)
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
sprinkling of ground cloves (I am going to say it equals 1/4 teaspoon)
2 9" deep dish pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Lightly beat the eggs. Add remaining ingredients, save the condensed milk.
3. Gently fold in the condensed milk.
4. Pour mixture into the two pie crusts (which you either have set onto a cookie sheet or have taken out of their foil and placed into pie plates like I did), and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.



When I did this , having put them into pie plates instead of just leaving in their foil and placing on cookie sheets, I had to add about another 10 minutes to baking.

Part two of my cooking extravaganza was the lasagna. Now, I had made lasagna from scratch only once before (as aforementioned), and I'm going to be straight up... I made it the night before, as I was going to get completely licked that night and knew I wouldn't be able to handle making it the day of. And both mine and Tyler's families were going to meet for the first time, so it was pretty important. The next day, I was so hungover that it actually qualified as alcohol poisoning, and I was off work for an entire week and on some pretty strong antibiotics.

Why did I feel the need for that back story, we'll never know. Maybe it's to say that where everyone else said that my lasagna the first time was good, I don't remember it's taste because I couldn't eat much. Sure, we'll go with that.

Not so much for this time around. I was the first one to take a bite and I went "Hells yes, this is awesome" and dug on in. I have no modesty when it comes to cooking, nor do I think I SHOULD have modesty when it comes to cooking. I'm looking to impress myself and Tyler first, others later. Others this time around being Emma and Riley.

Om Nom Nom Lasagna

16 - 17 oven ready lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef (I also wanted 1 pound of mild Italian sausage, but Loblaw's doesn't carry it)
2 cups (500g) cottage cheese OR Ricotta cheese. Depends how fancy you want to go
1 pack of Kraft Italiano Cheese blend
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar tomato sauce (= 3 cups)*
couple shakes of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Brown the beef. Drain, rinse, and season.
3. Heat sauce and water. Add Worcestershire and beef, allow to simmer and gently boil for as long as you want.
4. In a medium sized bowl, combine cottage cheese, 2 cups Italiano cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan
5. Spray a 9x13 pan (if you have a relatively rectangular one, use that. The rounded Pyrex ones make it difficult for noodle placement). Layer your goods as follows
- thin layer sauce
- noodles
- cheese mix
- sauce
- noodles
- cheese mix
- sauce
- noodles
- sauce
- remaining bag of Italian cheese and that last 1/4 cup of parmesan. If you have any additional mozza cheese, that can be added too.
6. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, depending on your oven and the crispiness of cheese you're looking to acquire.

Okay, so, I had some leftover green onions and about half a tomato from tacos the night before. I thought "Why not use these?" so I saute'd until they were soft and then added the sauce and stuff. It totally was an awesome addition.

* I make my own sauce using crushed tomatoes, garlic tomato paste, and a veritable cornucopia of spices. Seriously, it's a crazy amount. I'll write down what I do next time, but for now I say either use your own recipe for tomato sauce or purchase some of the pre-made stuff. The Tomato & Pesto stuff (the jar that mine was in) is really good, and basic sauces like Prego or Ragu are alright as well. By far the best no-name sauce was the Blue Menu President's Choice stuff for kids. It had enough zing and was smooth enough that Tyler was satisfied.

Food was delicious, hangouts were fun, and all in all it was a great meal. We now have leftovers of lasagna and a whole pie in the freezer, ready for random "Oh hey we have pie!" times. Which will probably be me tomorrow after my first workout of the new year. Yeah, that resolution is going to actually happen. It'll have to, with all the tasty food I'll be concocting.