A dip into my thoughts...

I like rainy days.

I fear ceiling fans.

I lived in Kansas for 2 years.

I am a Wegman-iac.

My favorite number is 6.

I have never seen Star Wars.

I won a prom dress my senior year of high school.

Daisies are my favorite flower.

I met the King playing kickball.

I have a weakness for buffalo chicken anything.

Speaking of buffalo chicken!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 1 brick cream cheese
• 2 pieces cooked shredded chicken
• ½ c Frank’s red hot (or wing sauce for thickness)
• ½ c. blue cheese dressing
• 8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Layer the above in a pan.
2. Cook at 350° for 20 minutes and stir.
3. Tortilla chips, red peppers, and carrots make great accompaniments!

I got beef.

I got beef.  Flank steak to be exact.  And I wanted to grill it.

I made a honey-lime marinade and I wanted to take a bath in it.  I dipped pita chips in it while the king watched, and then when his back was turned, I shamelessly used my fingers to scrape and lick the bowl.  This is probably not queen behavior so shhh don't tell...I wouldn't want to lose my crown.

So try this marinade.  Chicken, pork, veggies, or straight out of the bowl, it is highly recommended.

However, I do not think that I used the marinade to it's full potential.  Our grilled medium-well flank steak came out tough, and we couldn't even taste the heavenly marinade on the finished product!  I felt jipped.  And that is why I've got beef.

I'm still rather new at grilling (2 weeks new in fact).  Did I use the wrong cut of meat?  Was I supposed to baste it on the grill?  Was medium-well too long?  Please help!  If you have any tips for better beef grilling, I'm all ears.

 Honey-Lime Marinade/Dressing
*adapted slightly from flank steak tacos with cilantro

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• A bunch of fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of ancho-chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine lime juice, garlic, and cilantro in a small food processor and pulse until blended.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.
3. Marinate/dress a salad/slurp it out of the bowl!

Dinner Night

Not long after I started dating the King, I met his "dinner night" friends.  Every week there are anywhere from 5-8 of us and we each take turns cooking.  Occasionally, we go out to eat too.  Everyone tends to go all out on their dinner night.  This means I am guaranteed one delicious meal (with side dishes and dessert!) once a week. As if this could not get any better, the company is excellent as well.  We discuss everything from the latest Bachelorette (the guys feign interest in this subject, but typically get involved anyway) to whether or not a top sheet is necessary (NECESSARY!).

It gives me an excuse to set the table like this:

It's more impressive when there is food on the plates and the glasses are filled.  Unfortunately, I was too busy enjoying the company to take a picture of that...

I put on some Mongo Santamaria to set the latin-esque mood and placed a pitcher of this on the table:

That is really a picture of some of the leftover fruit.  Again, I forgot to get a picture of the actual sangria!  So this is my leftover liquor-soaked-fruit in a glass of seltzer water.  Still yummy, even wine-less.  The original wine-filled version was light and fruity.  

While I was busy setting a mood, the King was downstairs firing up the grill.  This meal was extremely well received and looked a little something like this (only a little though, as these are the leftovers):

Here's a close-up:

It's grilled mojo pork tenderloin with salsa verde on a bed of black beans and rice served with grilled veggies on the side.  Salsa verde really MADE this dish.  To end this meal right, I served the rest of my Brownie Chunk and Chocolate Chip Cookies with vanilla ice-cream.

I really enjoyed this meal because it was delicious, AND I didn't spend the whole night in the kitchen!

White Sangria

• 1/3 cup of brandy
• 1/3 cup of peach schnapps
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar
• 2 (750 milliliters) Rioja white wine, chilled
• 1 lemon thinly sliced
• 1 small navel orange, quartered and sliced up
• 1 green apple, quartered and sliced up
• 1 ripe mango, diced
• 1 (12 oz.) bottle of sparkling water

1.  Combine the sugar, brandy, and peach schnapps in a pitcher and stir to mix in the sugar.

2.  Add both bottles of wine and the fruit and chill 2 hours until chilled.

3.  Add the sparkling water just before serving.

Mojo Marinade 

(I put this on the veggies, but it would work to make a pork tenderloin mojo too)

• Pinch of oregano
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 orange
• Soy sauce
• Brown sugar

1.  Mix all ingredients together and marinate away (veggies, pork, fish, etc.!).

For the Love of Vegetables...

I am not the hugest fan of vegetables.  My mom (aka The Queen Mother) can attest to this.  Like any good mom, she served balanced meals with lots of green vegetables.  My brother, sister and I had to eat what was served.  If we did not, we were not allowed to get up from the table and we were most certainly not allowed to have dessert, or even a snack. 

Due to my disdain for anything green, this resulted in many an argument.  The worst punishment of all time was being banned from watching "Full House" unless I finished my vegetables!  It was torture.  WHAT!?  No Stephanie Tanner?!  What was I going to talk about with my friends the next day?  Certainly not the cold lump of something green on my plate.  Somehow, I survived that ordeal-the scurvy from my lack of vegetable eating, a missed episode chalk full of Tanner family values, and I still love the Queen Mother. 

But here's the shocker...I now actually enjoy eating my vegetables...most of the time.  Especially this dish.  Please ignore that it is contains butter and cheese which are capable of making any dish taste good.  It is still me eating vegetables- a miracle.  As far as I know, it was created by the Queen Mother herself and has quickly found it's way into my heart (and is currently in my belly).  I suggest it also find it's way into your belly.

Here is the line up (the lemons are decoration...and plastic):

Layer all of the ingredients in an oven-proof dish:

 Top with cheese:

 Bake.  And this is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven:

 

The Queen Mother's Zucchini Casserole:

• Zucchini (I went with 3 green, 2 yellow)
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 tomato sliced (I used grape tomatoes because I had them)
• 1/2 stick of butter (cut into tiny pieces)
• Cheese (I like provolone, but really any cheese will do)
• Salt and Pepper

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray your oven-proof dish with non-stick spray.

2.  Layer zucchini, tomatoes, onion, some tiny pats of butter, salt and pepper.  Top it off with some of the cheese.  Continue layering (and remember it will sink down as it cooks so the more layers the better!).

3.  Top with extra cheese and cover the dish in foil.

4.  Cook until the zucchini is tender.  Remove the foil and allow to cook 15 minutes longer to allow the cheese to get nice and crispy.

5.  Enjoy!

Memorial Day Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has become a somewhat unofficial tradition to make chocolate chip cookies for Memorial Day...dating back to when the King and I first started dating.  Today I thought I would sweeten that tradition up:

I added brownie chunks.  GREAT decision.

Try these:  Brownie Chunk and Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Side note:  These pictures were taken in my new, bigger, brighter kitchen.  That move might help explain my extended blogging vacation as well!

Noh-kee

As a speech-language pathologist, and what I consider to be an honorary Italian, I have been working on the pronunciation of this word with the King since I met him 3 years ago:  "gnocchi" (pronounced "noh-kee").

To him it is ga-nah-chi.  Much like other Americans who do not have Italian influence somewhere in their lives.  This hurts my ears.  I'm pretty sure the King knows it. 

And...it turns out I'm not alone!  There is even a facebook group for people that pronounce gnocchi correctly...my heroes.

Gnocchi (noh-kee) are light, fluffy pillows of delicious-ness- typically made of potatoes or ricotta cheese.  The best ones melt in your mouth.

 Noh-kee or ga-nah-chi...this recipe is good.  And healthy.  And quick.  And melty.  And cheesy. 

So however you pronounce it...right or wrong, you need to eat these.

 Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans
*from EatingWell.com

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi, (Trader Joe's is delicious)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups chopped spinach
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

Magic Risotto

One of my favorite shows of all time is by far Gilmore Girls-thank you to my wonderful sister for introducing me to it.

It's fast paced and witty and I have even made the Crouton King a convert.  I am still waiting for a movie to come out and tie up some loose ends for me.  Like does she wind up with Jess or Dean?  And what does it say about me that I mostly root for Dean?

But, anyway, in one episode, Lorelai Gilmore's best friend, Sookie, and the chef at their inn gets a review from a food critic that her "magic risotto" tasted "fine".  This is a slap in the face because Sookie fed this same risotto to her mother on her deathbed and she lived three more years.  It was a miracle!

I made magic risotto tonight.  I am convinced it will add years to my life just like Sookie's.  The effects will not be immediate however.  The reason this risotto was so fantastically magical and will allow me to live on was because I didn't have to stand at the stove and become a slave to a spoon!  It was so freeing!

*Please note some stirring was required, but it was not ad nauseum which tends to be the case when making risotto the regular way.

So you add the key players to the pot and get them going on the stove, and then allow the magic to take place in the oven and it is just as good as typical risotto...if not better because you don't have tennis elbow and can actually lift your fork to your mouth.

Abracadabra.....

 With a little cheese please...

 










"Magic Risotto" or Oven Baked Spinach and Pea Risotto
*From Real Simple Magazine

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 ounces flat-leaf spinach, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce), plus more for serving

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Heat the butter in a medium Dutch oven or ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and rice and bring to a boil.
2. Cover the pot and transfer to oven. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Add the peas, spinach, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pot and stir to combine. If the risotto is too thick, stir in up to ¼ cup hot water. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan before serving.