Caramelized Onions and Fusilli

As tasty and satisfying as this meal came out, it was born in disaster...

It all began at Jamba Juice on 5th Avenue on Tuesday, March 29th. Despite working so close, a half hour break still doesn't leave much of a window to order lunch, wait for it and make it back to work in time -- nevermind actually sitting down and eating it. But I tried. I got to work at 7 a.m. (yes, I had to get up before 6!) and was already looking forward to 12:00 because I had already decided to try out the oatmeal at Jamba Juice. I organized all the bread and filled baskets and blah blah, let's fast forward to 12. I rushed downstairs to grab my coat and purse, fumbled with the lock on my locker and the frustration started to build. Forgetting to clock out, I made it outside. I power walked across the street to Jamba Juice and at about 12:08 I found myself in front of the menu, confronted with too many choices, as usual.

"I'll have an oatmeal with fresh bananas and a 16 Orange Carrot Karma."

"We're out of carrots."

"Uhhhhh...." My eyes robot-scanned the menu again and fixed onto the all fruit choices. "Mega Mango, then," I sighed with disappointment.

I waited in line with the suits for the guy behind the blender to call my name. Finally. I sat down with about 10 minutes to have my lunch. I opened my newest issue of Cooking Light anyway to find something for dinner -- something I could make without shopping again. I pretty much decided on the first recipe I found: Fusilli with Caramelized Spring Onions and White Wine.

With dinner hastily decided, I shoved the last bite of (wonderful) oatmeal into my mouth and left with my Mango in hand. I had about 3 minutes to get back to work. With my eyes on the approaching walk signal, my pace quickened on the sidewalk. Then the disaster happened. My Jamba Juice slipped out of my hand and splattered onto the sidewalk. For a split second I contemplated picking it up and saving it to transfer to another cup. But in that split second it continued to pool all over the pavement. I looked up, devastated. An older woman saw my pain and sympathized with my loss, "Oh! I'm so sorry!!"

My sadness quickly transformed to rage. I stormed back to work and fumed about my wasted $4 and my lost nutrients in the form of deliciousness. And what does this loss have to do with my fusilli and caramelized onions, you might ask? Everything. I was looking forward to cooking it and taking photos and taking my time -- a leisurely and enjoyable cooking night. But my Jamba Juice frustration still lingered when I began cooking and as soon as I began I found myself rushing and overly frustrated.

BUT nevertheless, it came out delicious and I will give you the rundown of my recipe. I made some changes from the original.

What You'll Need:

• bread crumbs 
• I made my own with leftover slices of Otto bread from work. Toasted, pulverized & mixed with a little olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and crushed red pepper. Then toasted in the oven for a few minutes.

• garlic: chopped or minced
• onions, thinly sliced (about 1 and a half... I didn't have spring onions -- just regular yellow)
• white wine
• chicken broth
• parmesan rind
• peas
• bacon
• whole wheat fusilli
• quinoa

Put it All Together:

• Caramelize your onions. Ideally, do it nice and slow and low with butter. This equals perfection. I didn't have the time or the patience for this so I used some water and then a little olive oil and sauteed until soft and browned.
• Add a couple cloves of garlic and the wine. Heat it up to cook off the alcohol. Add parmesan rind for flavor (don't eat it!). 
• Add chicken broth and reduce.
• Throw in your frozen peas to heat them all the way through.
• Mix in about a quarter to a third of your prepared quinoa (1 cup uncooked) and most of your pasta (from 1 box). Toss it all together.
• Serve with bread crumbs, grated parmesan and crumbled bacon on top.

And hopefully you can do it all with less frustrations than me.

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Oatmeal - Sunflower - Flax Seed Bread

...Yeah. I know, right?

You know I've been working at the bakery in Eataly so you know it's inevitable that I continue trying out breads. We all knew it would happen. Unfortunately, this time, I didn't have any better yeast to use or different flour or anything. Some day I'll be able to go buy the fancy, expensive stuff... hopefully. But, for now, I'm still using Fleischman's and Trader Joe's flour (which I like).

Now for this bread I looked online at a few different recipes and ended up combining a couple recipes and keeping in mind Eataly's bakery habits and actually wrote my own recipe. Eataly doesn't use any dairy in their breads -- no butter, but olive oil instead. They also don't use any sugar, but I used some honey because it's needed. (Something about using levito madre for a basic sourdough and no need for sugar... I'm not really sure how it works at all.)

The biggest problem I had with this bread was how flat it came out. I think that after it rose the second time I let it sit for too long while I was cooking, so with all the heat on and near the stove, it just kind of deflated and spread out. I should also invest in some kind of a bread loaf pan so I can get a good shape and then I can use the bread for sandwiches.

What You'll Need:

• 1 package of yeast + 3/4 cup of warm water
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 cups flour (about that, maybe more or less depending on the stickiness of your dough)

Put it All Together:

• Combine oats, oil, salt and honey.
• Add boiling water and let stand. (At least 20-30 minutes. You want the oats to get soft. I sped this up a little by giving the mixture a couple quick stirs with my immersion blender after about 15 minutes. Not to completely blend it, but to make it less thick.)
• Dissolve yeast in the warm water.
• Add yeast to oat mixture.
• Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time.
• Turn out and knead on a floured surface. Knead flax seeds and sunflower seeds into the dough at this point. Whatever works is fine -- sprinkle them on your surface and just knead as normal or make a little pocket, filling with seeds and continue to knead.
• Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it rise somewhere warm for about an hour. 
• Once it's gotten to about twice its size, punch it down and form the dough into whatever shape you want. Place in a loaf pan or on a cookie sheet (or a pizza stone is better, which I learned from the head baker at Eataly), cover again and let it rise for about 40 minutes. 
• Bake at 375... basically until it looks done. At least 20 minutes. 
• Out of the oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with oats. (And more seeds too, if you want.)

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Lentil Soup

Now, let's be honest: We've all got a relative (...relatives) who can't cook. I've got one. Well... actually... it's not that she can't cook, but that she doesn't really like cooking as much as me or most of my family. Oddly enough, one of my favorite foods that I always remember looking forward to when I was little was made by her. Lentil soup. She made the best lentil soup. (I also remember at their house they'd always have orange-pineapple-banana juice -- or whatever delicious combination it was -- and dark German bread.)

Obviously this means that lentil soup will now be one of my staples. It's delicious, it's easy and it's healthy. Lentils are really good for you. I made it at my dad's last winter and it came out pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I made it recently and it wasn't quite as fantastic, but it was still really good. It's all about feeling out the right ratios and experimenting with the flavors you like, right? Right. So here are the basics...

What You'll Need:

• olive oil
• onions
• carrots
• thyme
• marjoram (don't skip this one, you need this for the soup's unique flavor)
• cumin
• parsley
• big can of diced tomatoes
• chicken broth
• lentils (about a cup and half-ish)
• and cheddar!

Put it All Together (So Easy):

• Soak lentils for about 20 minutes and then drain.
• Sautee diced carrots and onion.
• Add all other ingredients (except cheese) and simmer until lentils are soft.

Flavors will work differently if you add seasonings in the beginning of cooking vs. at the end. I wasn't thinking and just added everything all at once, which was fine. It's not so important when you're dealing with dried herbs, but if they were fresh I'd toss 'em in towards the end to retain the fresh flavor. (I probably used almost a teaspoon of each.)

Serve with shredded cheddar on top -- trust me, it makes it!! -- and some fresh bread. Or maybe dark German bread. ;) Delicious, comforting, filling and healthy. Can't be beat.

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The Other (Delicious) White Meat

Whenever I get my Rachael Ray magazine I do the initial, first flip-through. Where I mostly look at titles and photos and read a few of the non-food related articles. Then comes the second scan. This is when I check out ingredients and how long meals take and actually read the recipes I'm interested in. I found one in the Weekly Menu Planning section of April's issue: Herb-Crusted Pork Chops with Broccoli & Onions.

I made a few amendments to the recipe, making the pork chops pretty amazing. I used the idea of toasted bread crumbs and baking in the oven, but took it a little further...

What You'll Need:

• Fat free half & half
• 1 egg
• Brown mustard
• Honey
• Pork chops
• Panko bread crumbs
• Parsley, garlic powder, thyme
• Cheese powder from a macaroni & cheese box (my secret ingredient!)

Put it All Together:

• Whisk together the half & half and egg first. Then squirt in the mustard and honey and whisk together as best you can. The honey might be a little tricky because it's going into cold liquid, but you should be able to get it to spread out enough.
• Put your pork chops in a shallow dish, give them a few stabs with a fork and S&P them. Pour honey mustard mixture over them, making sure they're mostly covered. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge.
• Now, I did this about 3 hours before dinner. You could definitely do it the night before and it would be even better!
• When you're ready, preheat the oven to 425 and heat up a little olive oil in a skillet and add panko bread crumbs. Stir them around a lot while they're in the pan so they all get a chance to get toasty brown. 
• Move the bread crumbs to a shallow dish to cool. Then add about 2/3 of a cheese packet from a mac & cheese box, a few good shakes of garlic powder, just a little parsley and thyme and pepper.
• Get your pork chops out, smoosh them and slide them around a little in their egg mixture before coating them in the bread crumbs. (Sprinkle some extra on top.)
• Place coated chops on a greased rack (I just used the rack from the toaster oven) on top of a cookie sheet lined with foil -- just to make your clean-up easier. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

They will be tender and moist from soaking in the egg and half & half and they'll be crunchy and tasty from the bread crumb mixture! I served them with broccoli and red onion, like the Rachael Ray recipe called for -- with the addition of sliced tomatoes on top -- and quinoa (prepared with chicken broth and a small splash of olive oil).


Broccoli & Red Onion: Heat up some olive oil, soften sliced onion a little. Add broccoli with S&P and toss as much as you can. Add a little water on the bottom for broccoli to steam, cover & cook until tender (but still a little crunch).

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Meet Boris

Originally I was 110% against the presence of Boris in my kitchen -- even during Halloween. But he is The Boyfriend's favorite seasonal decoration, so up he went. Then November came... Then tinsel and candy canes hung from Boris's spindly gams. And now, there he is, letting the springtime air come through the window. And you know what? I love that guy. 

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Sometimes I Need Easy

This dinner isn't exactly "blog-worthy," but I figured I'd share it anyway... I mean, it's all part of the eating/cooking/food adventure, right?

And sometimes dinner needs to be this easy:

...End Scene...

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A Beast of a Cookie

When I saw the recipe for Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies a while back, I knew I'd be making them... I just needed an excuse. And I think a birthday care package for a best friend is the perfect one.

The best caption to the original recipe for these cookies I saw was, "Because sometimes you just need a cookie inside your cookie." And it's true. I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it my own and, of course, didn't really measure out the differences... But since it's baking I'll try my best to record my steps. (Oh and the original maker of these cookies said she got 2 dozen cookies... I only managed to get about 14. Sized for giants.)

What You'll Need*:

• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips. I prefer Nestle, but really any will do.
• The recipe for chocolate chip cookies on the back of said package and all ingredients listed there. With the addition of cocoa powder.
• A bunch of Oreos. I used reduced fat, but... come on... like it matters.

 *Note: I originally wanted to use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips because I looovvve peanut butter and Oreos, but they didn't have any at my grocery store. Sad.

Put it All Together:

• Follow directions on the back of the chocolate chip bag making the following amendments:
• Use 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white sugar
• Add about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to dry ingredients

• Put batter in the fridge for about 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 350.  

• Take a bunch of Oreos out of their package (You don't want to be reaching in there with batter all over your hands.)

• Now basically what you're going to do is wrap an Oreo cookie with your cookie batter.
• It works best if you cover the bottom first, then the top, sealing the sides up. As you do this you will realize just how beastly huge these cookies are going to be. 

• Bake for about 20 minutes... or until they look done. 

I think sending these cookies out as a birthday present will more than make up for the fact that the package will be over a week late! You're welcome, Melanie. ;D

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A Ready-For-Spring Dinner

We've recently been having some spurts of "warm" weather, which just makes me itch for spring. Don't get me wrong, I love the winter. And the snow. And the cold. I really do... But I am ready for it to be over. Usually by the middle of February it can't leave faster. And so far we've made it about halfway through March with no snow! My spring fever has started to effect my dinner planning... Like this one, made of 3 separate parts that were delicious together...

 Part 1: Cheesy Bread! (Don't worry, the rest of the meal is healthy!!)

• Cut off a few slices of Italian bread. (I used the classic rustic -- from Eataly, of course.)
• Put a little margarine on top with garlic powder and pepper and then stick them in the toaster oven. (Make sure you put the bread on tin foil because after the cheese gets added it can get messy.)
• When the garlic bread is just about finished, add chopped/shredded cheese on top. I used sharp cheddar and a garlic-basil cheddar (amazing). Toast until the cheese is good and bubbly.

Part 2: Chicken Sausages

• Cook up some Al Fresco chicken sausages... I used roasted red pepper & asiago cheese, which were delicious.

Part 3: Vegetables

• I had some leftover green beans (with garlic, balsamic vinegar & olive oil) and combined them with pretty much all the other veggies I had: tomatoes, red onion, orange pepper and some sauteed zucchini. (Super easy: chop the zucchini, heat olive oil in a pan, add zucchini and some garlic and S&P, cook until a little browned/soft.)
• Toss all the veggies together in a bowl with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I served them as is, at room temperature, but they'd be equally delicious hot or cold.

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Sage & Basil Bread

Since working at the bakery at Eataly I've been wanting to embark on all kinds of bread adventures. This is the first, pretty basic, step. This bread recipe would work just as well turned into rolls (or whatever shape you like) or with a sweet, cinnamony center. 

 What You'll Need:

• 1 package yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• few tablespoons of butter
• basil, sage, salt

Put it All Together:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water, about 10 minutes.
• Mix dissolved yeast, sugar, salt, oil and 1 cup of flour together. (I used my Kitchen Aid with the bread hook attachment.)
• *Note: When you add flour, sift it in instead of just dumping it. It helps to aerate it and be less dense.
• Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time making sure it's mixed well after each addition.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes. 
• Put the dough into a greased bowl, turning it to coat. (I just used cooking spray.) Cover with damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
• Make herbed butter by mixing a few tablespoons of butter (room temperature) with sage, fresh basil and a little salt. 
• After the dough has risen to about twice its size, remove from the bowl and smoosh it down into a relatively flat shape. Slather the herbed butter in the middle and then fold the dough over. I ended up making it into a circular, wheel shape because it was easier and just sort of happened.
• Put the dough onto a greased cookie sheet, cover and let it rise for about another 40 minutes.
• Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes. (Some butter will leak out, but don't worry.)

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Pasta e Fagioli

This is one of my favorite Italian dishes... It's got everything delicious: beans, garlic, bacon, onion, pasta -- It's really hard to go wrong. Unless you're my grandmother. She takes this dish in a completely different direction. She uses Boston baked beans and some kind of tomato sauce... very strange. But this recipe is not red: I don't believe in red pasta e fagioli.

What You'll Need:

• quarter package bacon, chopped
• diced onion
• chopped carrots
• chopped garlic
• chopped celery
• olive oil/butter
• red kidney beans
• cannelini beans
• chicken broth
• sage
• basil
• bay leaves
• elbow macaroni 

Put it All Together:

• Heat a skillet and add bacon first. Cook it for just a minute or two, to give it a head start. Then add some olive oil and a little bit of butter, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Allow vegetables to soften.
• Sprinkle a bunch of sage over veggies, black pepper, 2 bay leaves and a few basil leaves torn up.
• Take about a half cup of red kidney beans and half a cup of cannelini beans and puree them -- this will make the "soup" thicker. (I used an immersion blender because it's all I have and it's super easy.) Add chicken broth, beans and bean... mush. Bring it all to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

• Add about 1/3 to a half box of elbow macaroni and cook until they reach desired tenderness. (I like more pasta and cooked really well... makes it less soupy and more dense.)
• Serve with grated cheese on top.

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Another Tasty Pizza

Since I had to work on Sunday until 7:00, putting me home around 7:45 and the Oscars were on at 8:30, my window was fairly small for dinner preparation. So while I was on my way home, the boyfriend got the pizza dough ready (another Pillsbury can -- what can ya do?) and the toppings. When I got in we assembled and stuck in the oven and timing with the beginning of the Oscars was just right.

Our Toppings:

• Spinach (tossed in a little olive oil before going on)
• A mozzarella/cheddar shredded cheese blend
• Chopped ham steak
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Some more of that cheese
• Sprinkling of crushed red pepper

 YUM.

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Healthy Brownies Turned Naughty

My following brownie recipe (yes, it includes measurements!) is adapted from this clone recipe of No Pudge brownies (which I've actually never tried). I originally wanted to make s'mores brownies, but I had a strange adventure with graham cracker products and somehow ended up leaving the store with a box of crackers I mistook for grahams. So the grahams got substituted for peanuts and the rocky road brownie was born in my kitchen:

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
• 2-3 tablespoons fat free half & half (this I didn't measure -- just splashed it in because the batter was wwaayyy too thick)
• 1 block of unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped/shaved
• Fluff (about half a jar)
• Peanuts (I dipped into the cocktail peanuts jar, but toasted or dry roasted would be great)
• 1 bar of chocolate of your choice -- this was my choice

Put it All Together:

• Mix dry ingredients.
• Stir in yogurt, half & half and baking chocolate.
• Spread half the batter into small greased baking dish.
• Spread Fluff over batter and sprinkle peanuts over it.
• Spread the last of the batter on top. (It's okay if Fluff and peanuts show through!! Better, actually.)
• Break up your chocolate bar and place sporadically on top.
• Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. 
• Try to let them cool for at least 10 minutes before you dig in. 

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