Recipe Two: He's finally back!

Business trip # 435 (at least that's what it seems like to a stay-at-home fiancee) and he's finally back. This time Dan circumnavigated the globe to bring games to the cold cold people of Kiev. However, if you came over you wouldn't know he's back, because he's in a post-business-trip-sans-ambien sleepytime coma. Ah the life of a stay-at-home-fiance. At least I have time to post recipe number two: Cooking Light's Macaroni and Cheese - revamped to be less fatty. 

I want to be very clear that I am a full-fat cheese eating, butter loving kind of girl, so making this recipe made me cringe a little. And, to be honest, I would highly recommend using real, full fat sharp cheddar instead of the Cooking Light recommended reduced fat cheddar because the latter tastes like plastic - and frankly is made of ingredients similar to those found in plastic. In all circumstances, I fully support the consumption of REAL food. Real sugar (truvia, stevia, equal are NOT real, they are weird chemicals you're putting into your body to fool yourself that you're eating healthily), real cheese, real butter (margarine is NOT real, it is yet another way to pretend you are a low fat eater, but really you're just an eater of science), and, yes, real meat, but I also support those that choose not to consume little furry animals.

Anyway, bottom line, I thought this mac was passable and I was impressed at the creaminess and flavor for it being low fat. Dan thought it was DELICIOUS. So here it is as recipe number two of the teaching-Dan-how-to-cook series.

Note: it makes six servings, so halve the recipe and you’ll still have enough for two hungry people with a side salad or vegetable of choice.

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/4 cups fat-free milk

1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

A sprinkling of cayenne pepper (to taste, I added this, without it the mac is bland)

Pasta prep: Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.

Cheese sauce prep: While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute.

Mix it up: Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.

(totally stole this picture,but that is what it looked like!!)

Let the countdown begin: Recipe One

I'm officially returning to Seattle to finish up a Master's in nursing and leaving a sad fiance behind in San Francisco. He will have a long adjustment period where he realizes he doesn't know where the cutting boards are (in the far drawer near the mudroom), how to get the door buzzer to stop ringing (hit it with a spatula), or that the house doesn't have a "self-cleaning" function (call Rent-a-Wife Cleaning Services, NOT the "concierge" service). The worst of all he will be without his personal dinner chef. And I will miss Saturday morning Dan Scrambles.

For the next few posts I will be teaching Dan, and those of you less inclined to pick up a saute pan, how to cook five basic meals to get you through the long cold winter.

Starting with my favorite go-to meal quinoa with red peppers, onions and your choice of protein. I was almost sure I already posted this recipe, but I don't see it on here, so excuse the re-post if you've seen it already. It's a recipe for four serving, but re-heats perfectly! A little secret: this one is on the box of the Trader Joe's brand white quinoa, thanks TJ's!

Recipe One: Quinoa with veggies and protein

1 cup Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa prepared with chicken stock according to package directions (see below)
2 cups Trader Joe's Chicken Broth
1 1/2 pounds Trader Joe's Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders OR Shrimp OR Tofu OR other protein of choice
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
20 leaves fresh sweet basil, julienne
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa prep: Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer it for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit with the lid on, when ready to mix with the rest of the ingredients, fluff it with a fork and then mix.

Cut chicken (or protein of choice) into one inch pieces. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil. Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, peppers, and saute for one or two more minutes. Add garlic and saute until peppers become slightly limp, but still bright, about one to two minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from heat. (At this point I usually use a big silver bowl and just dump all the ingredients in to make it easier to stir) Add basil and quinoa. Toss until basil wilts and garnish with parmesan cheese.


I also like to add other seasonal veggies such as, my favorite, zucchini. But, I'm sure Dan is so zucchini'd out he'll probably opt out.

Hope you enjoy! Stay tuned for four more easy-to-make recipes for one or more eaters!

Whew!

(wiping sweat off brow)

What a few weeks it's been! I have had the 'rents-in-law in town, future siblings-in law stay-over, family wedding fun, road trips, plane trips with road trips, wedding planning for hours, it goes on and on!

(I actually started this post on November 9th! I promise to be a better blogger from now on!)

Cooking for the in-laws can be a scary thing. You, obviously, want them to like what you make, and you would be absolutely horrified if they got sick from something you fed them - there's so much at stake! The dinner was planned for the Tuesday before Amy and Greg's BIG DAY, so we battled it out for the perfect time to meet up. This person was flying in at this time, this other person need to pick up x, y and z, someone else had something else to do...it was going to be difficult to keep a hot meal from getting icky, so I turned to my trusty crockpot.

Since the in-laws are from the Midwest I knew something hearty and simple would be best, and since it was October and the chilly San Francisco nights continued through our "summer," I knew something warm and toasty was in order. Chili in the crockpot it was!

The chili was a big hit, it was easy to make, it stayed warm in the crockpot for each incoming guest and it was delicious! In fact, not to toot my own horn or anything, they all came back the next day for leftovers! YAY! Feeding-the-future-parents-in-law SUCCESS!!

I served it with cornbread (Marie Callender's mix is the best), honey butter, and my favorite Autumn Salad.

Amazing Autumn Salad With Pumpkin seeds and Cranberries

(From Cooking Light)

Prep: 10 minutes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
One 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup salted pumpkin seed kernels, roasted
2 ounces thinly sliced Manchego cheese

Instructions:
1. Whisk together first 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl until smooth. Add the vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, and olive oil, whisking until well-combined.

2. Combine the spinach, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette, and toss until well-coated. Divide the salad evenly among 4 plates. Arrange the Manchego slices evenly over each salad; serve immediately. (Serving size: about 1 cups salad)

**The salad dressing is a little watery, but coats the spinach well. If you like thicker dressing add less water.

Weeknight Slow Cooker Chili

(America's Test Kitchen)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 chopped onions

1 chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

salt

6 minced cloves of garlic

2 lb 85% lean ground beef

1-28 oz can tomato puree

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes

2-15 oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed (I added 2 cans of white kidney beans to this, half of the can with juice, half of the cans rinsed. If you like super thick chili, pour all of the the can-juice out)

Saute the onions, red pepper and oil in a large pan. When the onions are translucent, add the spices and saute for another 3 minutes or so. Then add the beef and start to break it up. Cook until there are no red beefy parts left. Transfer it all to the crockpot and pour in the rest of the ingredients, but NOT the beans. 

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Wait until the last hour of cooking to add the beans.

(I think my iPod photography is getting worse!)

Last night Dan called me Bridezilla

Mean. I am the very opposite of bridezilla. Yes, I have a Pinterest board. Yes, thanks to Mrs. Shoemaker, I have 85 million blogs that I'm following for wedding ideas. Yes, I've researched every venue on the west coast to see if they perhaps have an old barn on their property they forgot about. But, no, I am not a bridezilla.

Definition of bridezilla (there are many)

"One ridiculous spoiled b&%$* that thinks she is the center of the universe, just because her 'show' (the wedding) is 18 months from now. Everyone else in the world has to drop everything and come running in this prime-donna's mind."

"noun. Formed from blending of the words bride and Godzilla (Japanese movie monster). Used to describe a woman whose behavior becomes outrageously bad in the course of planning for her wedding."

"Bridezillas are a new breed of soon-to-wed women who abuse the idea that weddings are their 'day.' They terrorize their bridal party and family members, make greedy demands and break all rules of etiquette, to insure that they are the single most important person on the planet from the time they are engaged to the time they are married."

And, just in case there was any question of my bridezilla-ness I braved the wilds of the Mission (cat calls, dog-doo splattered sidewalks and all) to get fresh veggies and make a delicious thai-style autumn meal. And, the best part of all, summer has arrived in San Francisco!!! So we finally ate dinner outside and enjoyed our beautiful new deck.

A note on recipes: I found it interesting that the reviews on this recipe (from epi app on the iPhone) said it was too bland. Who actually follows the recipe?! I don't think I've ever followed a recipe just as it's written in my whole life, so when I post a recipe, it's heavily adjusted to make it more tasty and I encourage you to alter it to fit your needs. I put all my changed in parentheses and bold so you can tell what I did. Original recipe follows. Feel free to post your additions/alterations!

P.S. I tried to use a Wok for this because I like any excuse to use my Wok, but in order to get everything to cook evenly I switched to a large, 3 inch deep sauté pan.

Butternut Squash with Coconut, Lime and Cilantro Sauce & Brown Rice
Yield: Serves 6 (really, it served two with leftovers for 1.5!)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped onion
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces, about 4 cups (mine were wimpy squashes, only had about 2.5 cups)
1 cup canned vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1 ½ tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili (I used a whole one; it was 3 stars spicy for me)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup canned light unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (use 3 or 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (no way José, use like 3 teaspoons and I only had green curry paste, so that’s what I used)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

I also added: 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and about 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, one large red bell pepper in long strips, and two heads of broccoli separated into smaller little trees.

Preparation
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add squash, bell peppers and broccoli; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth, jalapeño and garlic; bring to boil. Cover; cook until squash is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice and curry paste (and fish sauce, ginger and soy sauce). Simmer uncovered until squash is tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook brown rice. Serve the butternut squash mixture and sauce over the rice.

* I served this with a side of cucumber spears to cut the heat while eating. Yum.

Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-and-Noodles-with-Coconut-Lime-and-Cilantro-Sauce-5340

Red galoshes, orange clogs, brown oars, and a little something yellow like the sun

Pouring rains and knee-deep water in the streets of New York couldn't keep us from the culinary adventure of our lives! (Sorry no recipes this time, just mouth-watering restaurant recommendations!)

Thursday night in New York City we sneaked into the last available table at Del Posto, a famous and uber-fancy Mario Batali restaurant that begs an outfit better than what I wore on the plane and a wallet thick with Benjamin's. Complete with perfect mixed drinks, a pedestal for my purse, enough place settings to feed a wedding party, a lemon slice tucked into a starched napkin to freshen our fingertips and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles to take home in a gold box (the truffles made it 1/2 a block), Del Posto was a food experience where eating was only half of it. I've never imagined having someone visit my table to describe the entire menu in images and flavors (in case you're not a visual learner) and help you choose the best FIVE courses of your life. WOW.

Friday we found ourselves surrounded by friends in a giant squared-off booth at WD-50, a playful deconstructed take on the every day dishes of yesteryear. Let's just say the naked eye would have trouble figuring out that the "eggs benedict" contained eggs or hollandaise, but it was all there...just packaged differently. Not only a delightful meal, but also a never-ending conversation piece: each time the next course came all of our eyes lit up in anticipation of what steak and mashers or fried chicken would actually look like. And you may be thinking that is the end of this review, but no, guess who was sitting at the next table over?! No guesses? MARIO BATALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I almost died, fell over, screamed (I did screech a little), and hyperventilated when I got up to use the ladies and found Mario just chillin' with his chef friends at the next table over. I could walk right by Justin Bieber without even knowing it was him or see a movie and never recall the title or the actors, but chefs, I can name them all! And let's just say the reservation we wanted at Babbo (Batali's Greenwich Village shrine to olive oil and perfectly prepared pasta) and couldn't get because of the month-long wait list was CALLED IN BY MARIO BATALI HIMSELF.

So at this point, I'm thinking, hands-down best weekend of my life, let's just pack up and fly home because it can't get any better than this.

HA!

Dan was adamant that rowing boats in Central Park was in our future. I love rowing in circles in green algae-overgrown lakes as much as the next girl, but the impending downpour forecast made me picture us bilge pumping our way out of a too-small for two people row boat with algae and lake creatures crawling up our legs. Saturday's weather held out and even taunted us with little tiny sun breaklets peaking through the thick cloud cover. After a peddi-cab ride through the park and a jolting shove off the dock, we rowed our silver metal boat around the lake spotting turtles and birds. And then it happened. Literally in the blink of an eye, one tick of a clock, one rain drop clearing the algae-ridden surface of the water, I became a FIANCEE.

And there you have it, I wore red galoshes all over the rainy streets of New York, Mario really does wear orange clogs, Dan rowed us around with brown oars to the most beautiful engagement ever, and today and forever I'll wear a yellow diamond.