Tri-Color Orzo

Major, major YUM. I have been hearing about this recipe for a long time now, but haven't made it. Ebby had it this past weekend for Kaley's graduation and it was SUPER delish. It's my new favorite thing ever!

Tri-Color Orzo
by Giada de Laurentiis


1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces), chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup craisins
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

This ingredient list is the way I did it, so it's a little bit different than Giada's...but this is how Ebby did it and I loved it. It is delicious as a side dish and a great thing to bring to a pot luck. YUM!

Mango Salsa

I love Mango Salsa. I made it last night to go with my chicken so I thought I would come here and remind you all of how much you love it, too! You do love it, right? Don't tell me if you don't...I don't know if we can be friends anymore.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced
1/4 red onion, diced fine
1 jalapeno, diced and semi seeded (I only take about half the seeds out, you need some heat or it's too sweet!)
a small handful cilantro, chopped
A few T. lime juice
Salt & Pepper

That's it! No fats, no oils, no unhealthy crap. Just good for you goodness! If it is too spicy for you, you can temper it with some chopped avocado. I usually eat it with chicken or fish...and that tempers it enough for me. It is so pretty, so yummy and so good for you. I serve it as a side, but you can pile it right on top if you are serving it to someone. It is more attractive this way.

**You can also add come diced cucumber. I didn't because I didn't have any on hand, but it is a common ingredient in Mango Salsa. You could also add diced red bell pepper. This would be a pretty addition. :)

And, coming soon.......good for you (read: low cal) crab cakes with Mustard Sauce. I am making this tonight so I will post the recipe soon. Yummo!

(as you can probably tell, I swiped this image from food network b/c I don't have a picture) :)

The Food You Crave

One of my favorite cookbooks! Not only because I am eating healthy, but because the recipes are very good. All the nutritional info is listed for each recipe, so you know exactly what you're getting calorie and nutrient wise. You can buy it at your local bookstore or at Amazon.

The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

One recipe in particular that I really love out of this cookbook is the Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta. There are many different variations of this recipe out there, but this one uses dill. I love dill, so I doubled it in this recipe and I love the fresh flavor it brings!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 (14.5-ounce) cans of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts, about 12 minutes.

***note*** I couldn't find fresh dill that day so I used about 2 inches of dill from one of those tubes that you find near the spices in the refrigerator section. I would not recommend this over fresh herbs, but I was desperate! (the recipe still turned out fantastic)

Nutrition Facts:

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
Calories 300
Total fat 11g
Saturated fat 4.5g
Monounsaturated fat 4g
Polyunsaturated fat 1.5g
Protein 35g
Carbohydrates 12g
Fiber 2g
Cholesterol 240mg
Sodium 710mg

Not too shabby calorie wise. You get 1.5 cups of this...and that's a great serving size! Serve it with a green vegetable and you are good to go. If you are being extra naughty, you could toast up a thick piece of whole grain bread, veeeery lightly buttered with yogurt butter and then rubbed with a garlic clove (when hot). Serve it along side to sop up the juices of this scrumptious recipe. That would probably add about 150-200 calories, so paired with the shrimp and green veggie, this is a 500 calorie meal.

BON APPETIT!

Tonight's pasta

OK I am ONLY posting this because my children went on and on and on and on about how good it was. It is not gourmet, but it is very healthy and my kids LOVED it. Every one of them. I served it as a side with a grilled chicken breast. Very healthy dinner and very yummy!

1/2 box Whole Wheat Rotini pasta
1 small bag raw broccoli florets, or 1 head broccoli cut into florets (don't use frozen. I don't know why, just don't)
4ish large handfuls spinach leaves
1 container raw, sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 T. yogurt butter
1 ladleful of pasta water

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Pour in half the box of pasta and cook per package directions. When halfway done, pour in the cut up broccoli. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a pan until soft. I sauteed them with nothing at all! The mushrooms will release their liquids when heated, so I didn't see any sense in using olive oil or butter. (Remember, I am watching my calories!) Anyhow, boil broccoli and pasta until done and drain water, reserving at least one cup. After draining, return broccoli and pasta to pot. Pour in a little pasta water so the pasta doesn't scorch, but don't pour it all in. Place back on the burner on low. Stir in spinach a little at a time so it doesn't spill all over the place. As it wilts, continue to add until you have added and wilted it all. Now stir in mushrooms, 1 T. yogurt butter and feta cheese. Stir in enough of the reserved water so it's not dry. Remember though, the water has been salted and the feta is salty....so if you add too much water, your pasta will be very salty...a little goes a long way.

Now serve!! Easy, peasy, eh? There is nothing to it and it really was very good. There is just as much broccoli as there is pasta so it is semi-guilt free. And the best part? The kids will eat it! My 5 year old must have told me 3 times, "Mommy, this pasta is so yummy". Score!

Eggs Benedict

Yum, Yum!! This is what I woke up to on Mother's Day and it was DELISH. Mike made it so I'll tell you how he did it.

Bay's brand (nothing else!) English Muffins, buttered with yogurt butter
Canadian Bacon
Eggs
Hollandaise (he used a McCormick packet and it was actually great)
Cayenne pepper

He boiled water and dropped the eggs in there for a couple minutes. He placed the buttered English Muffins and Canadian bacon slices on a cookie sheet and stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. He made the Hollandaise per the packet directions. Place a slice of heated C. bacon on a piece of English Muffin, the top with a poached egg. Top that with a dollop of Hollandaise and then sprinkle with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper makes it, so don't be shy!

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Although yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, we did NOT have a big Mexican Fiesta for dinner. I know, I know...but I am really trying to use the foods that we have before going to the grocery store. We had some chicken that needed to be used so I made Barefoot Contessa's Tuscan Lemon Chicken. YUM.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken
by Barefoot Contessa

1 (3 & 1/2 pound) chicken, flattened (I just bought a whole cut up chicken)
Kosher salt
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon halved

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side

Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened chicken. Add the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.

When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread most of the coals across half of the grill. Place the chicken on the opposite side of the grill skin side up, and weight it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

I served it with brown rice and a cole slaw that I made. I decided to make this with the stuff I had left over from the teachers luncheon. It didn't really 'go', but it tasted great with it anyway.

I just whisked together the juice of one lime, a small handful of chopped cilantro, 1 mashed avocado, one diced & pickled jalapeno and a spoonful of mayonnaise. I dumped in a bag of cole slaw mix and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I let it rest in the fridge for about 5 hours before dinner. It was great!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano Quesadillas

This is what was for dinner tonight, and as usual it was oh so yummy. I haven't made it in a while, but I shared the recipe with a friend a few days ago and have been daydreaming about it ever since. It is very easy and really, really good. The pumpkin adds a great flavor to it and even people who don't like pumpkin have really loved this soup. This time I *did* take pictures, but it doesn't make up for the lack of pictures at the teachers luncheon. Sorry, Gilly! Just trying to get better.....so here we go. :)

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 pound cubed cooked ham
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Pour 2 cans of the black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, and sherry vinegar. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in the ham, and heat through before serving.

I usually try to make this (well, all soups actually) a day in advance. Soups season as they sit and ALWAYS taste better the next day.

I top it with Pico de Gallo (tomatoes, onion and cilantro) and serve them with Roasted Poblano Quesadillas. They work just perfectly as little 'scoopers' for your soup! Soup always tastes better when it is scooped up with something else, right!?

I know you all know how to roast Poblano peppers, but here's a little refresher course. You can do it in the oven under the broiler, or on the stove top. I prefer the stove so I don't forget about them. With 3 kids it is easy to do that, ya know?

So....turn on burner to high and place Poblano peppers on there.

When you hear them cracking and starting to blacken on the under side, flip them over with tongs. Not your fingers!!

I never get this right and end up flipping them and twisting them every which way to get them to blacken. No worries though, they will blacken after a while! When they are uniformly black on all sides, place them in a sealed Ziploc bag to steam.

After they steam for about 10 minutes, they will be ready to peel. Take them out of the bag, onto a cutting board. Peel the skin off. It should come off very easily at this point! After you peel them, take the stem out, seed them, and slice them into long pieces.

(Yes, that's my wine in the background. I have 3 kids, remember? ;))

After the peppers are ready, it's time to make your Quesadillas. I used 4 large tortillas for 3 peppers. Melt butter (I always use this Yogurt Butter. It is yummy and tastes great. I use it for EVERYTHING actually....well besides baking.) Anyway, after butter is melted, brush onto one side of tortilla with a brush.

Place butter side down in a medium skillet and sprinkle shredded Cheese on one half of tortilla. Top cheese with prepared Poblano peppers and fold in half. Cook until light brown and flip over. Place in a warm oven and prepare the other tortillas.

Serve quartered Quesadillas with soup. Then profusely thank yourself for making this recipe.

I promise you, your taste buds will thank you! This is delish, and perfect for a rainy day. Which we had here today in Texas. It's one of the only good things about rain...the food that goes along with it. :)

Oh, and one more thing. As you are cleaning your dishes, make sure and do this to the Cinnamon Rolls that you made. (Right!?? You did make them.)

It's only fair that if you are stuck cleaning the dishes after slaving away in the kitchen (ok, not really, this is super easy, but that's beside the point), that you should get to eat the middle of the Cinnamon Roll pan. It is so the best part. :)

(Oh and one more thing. This picture makes them look flat as a Flounder. I promise, they are not flat as a Flounder...it's just the angle! ;)

WOW.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.

She warns on her website that these things may happen if you make them:

A warning. If you follow these instructions and wind up delivering these cinnamon rolls to your friends, be prepared for any of the following to occur:

1. They’ll call you after they’ve taken the first bite and profess their eternal love for every ounce of your body, even your toe jam and love handles.
2. They’ll pass out after the first bite, hit their head on the kitchen counter, sustain a concussion, and sue you for damages, despite the fact that the one bite they tasted of your cinnamon roll was the single most profound culinary experience in their miserable little life.
3. They’ll call you and ask for the recipe, saying, "HOW did you make those?"
4. They’ll call you and propose marriage.
5. They’ll hug the cinnamon roll pan, get maple frosting all over their clothes, and send you the bill for the dry cleaning.

This may very well be true!! These Cinnamon Rolls are amazing. They are a 'little' bit of trouble, and a MESS, but honestly worth it. On a rainy day when you have nothing else to do, it is so fun to make these!!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
*the way I did it with the ingredients I had, not exactly as it appears on her website* (but I did use her picture below!)

1 quart of whole milk (I didn't have that so I used 2 c. skim + 2 c. fat free half & half)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast (I used rapid rise)
8 + 1 c. all-purpose flour
1 heaping t. baking powder
1 scant t. baking soda
1 heaping T. salt
2 c. melted butter
2 c. sugar
Generous sprinkling Cinnamon

Maple Frosting:
1 big bag powdered sugar
2 t. maple flavoring
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. brewed coffee
pinch of salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a large pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool for 45 minutes - 1 hour. When mixture is lukewarm to warm (not hot!) sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it; overnight or even a day or two if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and punch it down if it starts to rise out of the pan.

Sprinkle surface VERY generously with flour. And make sure your surface are is big! . Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangle shape. Drizzle 1 c. melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 c. sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seams to seal it. Spray seven round pans with Pam or another baking spray (I actually only needed 5 pans). Begin cutting rolls approximately 1 inch thick and lay them in prepared pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 20-30 minutes and then bake at 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes, or until light golden brown.

For the frosting, mix all ingredients together and stir well until smooth. It should be thick, but somewhat pourable. If it is too thick, a little more milk will thin it a little bit. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and make sure and use all of it!

***This seems like a lot of trouble, and it IS more trouble than buying them and baking them at home....but it is DEFINITELY worth it! Give it a try...you won't be sorry!

Yesterday's Lunch

....was great. Super duper great. I think everyone had a great time, the food was good (or so they said), and the company was fabulous. I am ashamed to say that AGAIN I forgot to take pictures. It is so hard when you are trying to get everything out and pretty....to remember to stop and take pictures. Hopefully I will do a good enough job of describing and you can picture it in your head! :)

On the menu was:

Marinated Cheese that Terri brought for Hors devours. Yummy! Oh, and lots and lots of wine. :)

For lunch we had Pan Sauteed Chicken with Avocado, Soy, Ginger and Lime served over a small bed of brown rice and Edamame on the side. For dessert was Lemon Curd Cheesecake.

The chicken recipe was similar to the one I posted a while ago, but last time I followed the recipe and used Seared Tuna Steaks. I was afraid people wouldn't be fond of Seared Tuna, so I subbed chicken. Because I did this, the cooking process was a little different. Here's how I did it. :)

Pan-Seared Chicken with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime
Serves 4

I bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, sliced and seeded
4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 limes, juiced
8 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 chicken breasts, pounded to ¼ inch and dredged in flour
4 ripe avocados, halved, peeled, pitted, and cubed

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken in the hot oil and sear for about 5 minutes on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes more, or until the chicken is done. Serve the chicken with the cubed avocado and a bit more cilantro sauce drizzled over the plate.

**serving suggestion**

Serve atop a bed of brown rice that has been lightly buttered and seasoned with salt and pepper. Serve with Edamame beans. To prepare Edamame, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Pour frozen, shelled Edamame beans and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until done. Drain and toss with soy sauce and kosher salt.

And now for the best part of the meal....the dessert! :) I got this recipe from Epicurious, but made so many changes to it that I am not even going to link it. Here's how I did it!

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

For lemon curd
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For crust
• 2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (5 oz)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick, less 1 T. unsalted butter, melted
For filling
• 3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan

Make lemon curd:
Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 6 minutes.
Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve, then cover surface with Saran Wrap. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Make and bake crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side. Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, and then press onto bottom and up side of springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in springform pan on a rack.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until combined.
Pour two thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife. (Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs getting into filling.) Repeat with remaining filling and curd. Bake cheesecake about 45 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in another 15 minutes more. (Center of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer springform pan to a rack and immediately run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool completely, about 2 hours, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of springform pan before serving.

Notes:
•Lemon curd can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
•Crust (without filling) can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
•Cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Cheesecake must be completely chilled before covering to prevent condensation on its surface.



This cake is VERY VERY yummy! Has a softer consistency than many Cheesecakes, namely a traditional New York Cheesecake, but is just perfect! Mike said it reminded him of Key Lime Pie, but to me it was MUCH better since it was 'Cheesecakey'...if that makes sense.

I posted the little jars I made for the teachers earlier in the week. I filled them with lemon curd and placed them in little gift bags that I made. I made sure and put a little tag in the bag that said

"Use lemon curd as a filling for tarts or meringues,
As a topping on ice cream or pound cake,
Or as a delicious spread between cake layers.
It also makes a refreshing change from jam on toast, English muffins or scones."

I was afraid people wouldn't know what to do with it! I also put my 'business card' in there. Yes, ha ha, I know...but I figured I want to get into catering so I would love it if someone needed me for a party! I got the cards made a while ago just for fun, so I figured, why not slip one in there. :)

All in all I think the teachers had a great time. There are 10 of them and there was lots of talking and laughing at the table. More importantly (for me), things got quiet when the food arrived, which is always a good sign for the cook! :) They loved looking around the house at all of my pictures of the kids and generally had a good time getting away from the school and enjoying the afternoon with their friends and colleagues.

So until the Christmas luncheon......I'm done! :)