i thought i hated meatloaf

I went for many years thinking that I hated meatloaf. I think it was because I had not tried this meatloaf. What? It doesn't look so great in the picture? Well, funny story about that. I did a sloppy job of taking it out of the pan yesterday, and it was all crumbled on the plate. I decided to take a picture of the leftover loaf instead and forgot. So there you have it - cold, morning-after meatloaf in a Tupperware container. Whatever. It's still GOOD! How good? My brother asked for a meatloaf for his birthday last year. :)

Anyway. This is by no means a healthy recipe. It is the tastiest meatloaf you'll ever try. We don't make it often. If you experiment and find a way to make it tasty and healthier, let me know and you can do a guest posting! :) I have not played around with it - but you should make the original first so you have something to compare to! Yes, I know the obvious choice is to substitute ground chicken/turkey and chicken sausage. I've never tried though!

Of course I got this recipe in my favorite cookbook - "The Bride and Groom's First and Forever Cookbook" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford.

2 teaspoons oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup ketchup, divided
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 pound ground beef
8 oz. ground breakfast sausage
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 and 1/4 teaspoons Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.

While the onion cooks...

Combine the milk and bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. Combine 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce in another small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the beef, sausage, the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, the remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, the egg, seasoning mix, garlic powder and bread crumbs. Add the onion when it's finished - mix (I like to hand mix because it's easier...) until just incorporated.

Transfer to a loaf pan (9-by-5-by-3). Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour of the fat, spread the ketchup mixture over the top, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 in the center. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

If you don't have an instant read thermometer, well... why not? They're cheap. You can buy one at Wal-Mart or Market Basket, and it takes all the guess work out of your cooking. You'll never overcook again. :)

chicken with a few hints

Chicken cordon bleu. Yum-o (as Rachael Ray would say). Basically this was my plan. I bought chicken cutlets, ham, and fontina cheese. We had some puff pastry in the freezer. I was going to grate the fontina, and layer the chicken, ham and cheese inside the puff pastry. A tip about puff pastry. When you use it, make sure to seal it back up nicely before putting it back in the freezer. Freezer burn makes icky pastry. Also. Make sure it defrosts entirely before trying to roll it out or you get broken pastry.

So, I tried to make it in a ramekin. I ended up serving half raw chicken to Dennis and had to put it back on the baking sheet to finish. :( After it was done, it was very good though, so don't let me ruin it for you. In the future, I'd make sure to dry the chicken and ham well - because there was a lot of moisture in the ramekin. Also - follow the tips for puff pastry success, namely the lack of freezer burn and the proper defrosting. Pockets would have been better.

PS - I cleaned the house today! Yay for vacation! All that's left is the upstairs bathroom because I totally hit the wall and could not clean another square inch. It will have to wait until tomorrow!

PPS - I'm taking Grammy to a very special lunch tomorrow... more details to follow! I'm totally excited!

roasted chicken smells like home

There's something about roasted chicken that makes your house smell homey. :)

Last night I made a small roasted chicken and vegetables. It's not that hard to make, and delicious!

First of course you have to clean your little bird. Ours was a little over 4 pounds, so it was pretty tiny. Don't forget to remove the little presents inside the cavity. The key to a crispy outside to your chicken is to dry it after you wash it.

Take 4-6 garlic cloves (depending on size and how much you like garlic) and smash them with either a meat tenderizer or the side of a large knife. Put them in the center of your roasting pan. Put the chicken on top of the garlic.

Stuff the cavity with fresh herbs. This makes the meat soooo tasty! I used sage, thyme, and a lemon half. It's really about what you like, or what you have on hand... and don't be shy about the herbs or you won't notice them. I used a handful of each. (Some markets will sell you "poultry bouquets" of fresh herbs, usually featuring sage, rosemary and thyme.)

For veggies I peeled two carrots and cut them into 1 inch pieces, two red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces, and pearl onions. You could use a whole onion if you want - just cut it up into pieces - but I saw these and decided to try it. The idea of peeling all those mini onions making you want to cry? Don't be sad! Get a small saucepan and fill it with hot water, then set it to boil. It should heat up while you're cutting the carrots and potatoes. Toss the onions in the boiling water and leave them there for about a minute. Dump them into cold water. Snip the end off, and the squeeze the onion out of the skin. It pops right out.

Melt some butter and brush the bird all over. Use the rest of the butter to toss with the veggies. Spread the veggies around the bird. I sprinkled the bird and veggies with some herbs de provence (thanks, Mom!) , salt and pepper.

The whole thing goes in the oven for 45 minutes. After that, take it out of the oven and tip the bird on the side to pour out any juices from inside the cavity. Move your veggies around - don't worry if a few are stuck, we'll deal with that later - and baste the bird.

Back in the oven for 15 minutes at a time. Baste in between and check the temp. of the thigh. When you've reached 170-175 degrees you're done. Side note, when checking the temp. of a chicken or turkey make sure you're checking in the dark meat - thigh - because it cooks slower than white meat. When you tip your chicken over, the juices should run clear. For my little bird, I only needed 30 more minutes.

Take the bird out of the pan and put it on a plate to rest. Scoop the veggies into a bowl. I used a little white wine to deglaze the roasting pan. I like to carve the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces. I add the chicken to the bowl of veggies, the veggies you were able to scrape off the bottom (they look burnt, but they are not - they are tasty), and some of the wine/juice.

breakfast for dinner

OK, just a quick post. What do you do when you have nothing for dinner? Well, you do breakfast... and you and your husband remember how much you love having breakfast for dinner.

Pictured: OJ in fancy glasses. Pancakes with various toppers, since we were out of syrup - different jams, and of course, honey. Scrambled eggs and cheese with pepperoni mixed in. (We had made pizza recently and they were in the fridge begging to be used.) The bread things sticking out of the bowl are these lite multi-grain pita things we found at the store. They were intended for sandwiches, but I toasted them.

So there you go. Quick. Easy. Delicious.

blue cheese- stuffed chicken with buffalo sauce

Another new favorite from "Cooking Light".

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour 2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
6 tablespoons finely chopped drained bottled roasted red bell peppers
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine blue cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and pepper a small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff cheese mixture evenly into pockets.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a shalow dish, stirrin well with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture, dredge in panko. Repeat for each piece of chicken.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Swirl until butter melts. Arrange chicken in pan and cook for 4 minutes or until browned (don't turn too early or you won't get a crust!!). Turn chicken over and place skillet in oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

While chicken bakes, combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, bell peppers, water, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Cook until butter melts. Remove from heat, stir in hot sauce. Serve sauce with chicken.

Yield: 4 servings. Calories: 392 Fat: 12.9 g. Carb: 18.5 g. Fiber: 1.1 g.

I served it with mashed potatoes. Very easy to make. I boiled some potatoes, mashed them, added milk, butter, and garlic powder. Also pictured are brussel srouts. They were disgusting, mostly because I hate brussel sprouts. Dennis liked them.

risotto = love

I decided that if you make risotto, you must really love cooking. You have to lovingly make it little by little.

I found a great recipe in "Cooking Light" that I want to share. Yes... risotto = love, but don't' let me turn you off from this recipe because I'm making it sound like a lot of work. I didn't slave in the kitchen - I promise. I just had to be available in the kitchen to add the broth. You'll see...

The recipe is for Shiitake and Sweet Pea Risotto - but I used portabello and white button mushrooms. I couldn't find fresh shiitake mushrooms at Market Basket - only dried... and I'm sad to report that the package smelled like stinky feet. I went for a mushroom that didn't stink. (I'll be open minded... maybe the fresh ones aren't gross, but the dried ones WERE!)

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
3/4 cup frozen green peas
6 tablespoons grated parm. cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan - keep warm over low heat. (This is the secret - this is the first time I've successfully made risotto and I think this was part of the reason... heating the broth first!)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add rice and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Add wine - cook for 2 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.

Stir in 1/2 cup broth. Cook for 2 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining both - 1/2 cup at a time - stirring frequently. Do this for each portion, making sure it is fully absorbed before adding the next. (About 20 minutes).

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme. Saute for 1 minute and set aside.

Stir mushrooms, remaining teaspoon thyme, peas, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper into risotto. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

While the broth was simmering I chopped the onion, garlic and thyme (oh - I actually grate my garlic into the mixture because I don't like chunks of garlic in the risotto, and because it is easier!) and sliced the mushrooms. While the risotto cooks, I sauteed the mushrooms.

I served this with a side salad. Here are the nutrition stats...

Yield - 4 servings, 1 and 1/4 cups each. Calories: 324 Fat: 10g Protein: 11.7g Fiber 4.5g

bacon and butternut pasta

We had a great meal from "Cooking Light" a couple of weeks ago - I took pictures and everything... and forgot to post it! So, better late than never!

This is a nice, inexpensive meal, using some things you probably have in your kitchen already, and a few low price items - BAM you have a great meal!

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
2 bacon slices
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (I used a half squash that has already been peeled and packaged)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Bring water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes (pasta should still be a little firm). Drain in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1/3 cup cooking liquid.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Add butter to drippings in pan and cook for 30 seconds or until butter melts. Increase heat to medium-high. Add squash and saute for 7 minutes or until almost tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, pasta, reserved cooking liquid, and cheese. Cook for 2 minutes or until pasta is al dente, stirring frequently.

Sprinkle with bacon and onions.

Yield: 4 (1 cup) servings. Calories: 385 Fat: 14.1g Fiber: 4.7g

Note - This could be made healthier by using whole wheat pasta!

I paired this with a spinach salad with sliced apple on top. I made a dressing - also from "Cooking Light".

Dressing:
Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk.

Toss with 4-5 cups fresh spinach and top with a cored apple (I used a granny smith), cored and thinly sliced.

French Onion Soup - more filling than you'd think!

We've made french onion soup twice lately, and I have to share the recipe because it's easy and delicious. Also, it's more filling than you'd think! The first time I told Dennis we were having soup for dinner with nothing else, he was a little skeptical. But this soup is a real meal. Trust me.

By the way - this is yet another standby recipe I got from my "Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. You need this book. Everything in it is a perfect 10.

12 french baguette slices cut on the diagonal (each 1 inch thick)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups sliced yellow onion (about 1 large)
1/8 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup cream sherry, such as Harvey's Bristol Cream
3 cans (10.5 oz. each) prepared french onion soup
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups (4 oz.) grated gruyere or other swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake, turning once, until lightly toasted on both sides, 10-12 minutes. Set aside. Turn the oven to broil.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and season with pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3-5 minutes. Add the canned french onion soup, water, and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Ladle 1 1/2 cups of soup into each of four 2-cup ovenproof bowls. Top each with 3 pieces of toasted bread (or less, depending on the size of the baguette) and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 3-4 minutes.

I love this recipe.

Days 39-41 - mmm, dumplings!

Work-wise, an easy week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my long days at work - and we had early dismissal both days! Yesterday it was because of staff development, and today it was because of snow - which we didn't really get.

I came home and picked up a few things around the house. Practiced, read, and cooked! I found a great recipe on "A Splash of This - A Dash of That", a great cooking blog! Dinner tonight was their latest recipe, chicken and dumplings. It was delicious, and very easy to make. I'll let them tell you how to do it, and just feature the finished product (see photo!). :)

A Guest Posting

Kate has really done a great job with her blog, and it's time that I finally come through on my promise to add a guest-posting. I agreed to do it weeks ago but, until tonight, I hadn't yet run out of excuses to sit down and write something.

I don't really have anything to say, but Kate suggested that I should write about the pasta sauce I made this evening. I did it a little different than usual, but I think it came out pretty good.

I started with peeled garlic cloves. Quite a few, actually. I think there were probably 10 or so. I find that grated garlic distributes flavor even better than minced, and it's a lot easier. I grated them with a small fine grater, and set the resulting mush off to the side.

Then for no particular reason, I decided it would be an interesting idea to grate the onion too.

Well, onions are a lot wetter than I thought. I ended up with a little pile of onion-mush to match my garlic-mush, but there was also a fair amount of onion... uhh, juice, that I drained off and got rid of. I probably should have just diced up the onion like a normal person.

I browned a pound of lean ground beef and 8 sweet Italian sausages, and set all the meat aside. I heated some olive oil in a medium sized pot, and fried up my grated aromatics over medium-high heat for just a few minutes. Then I added two 24 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, a 6 oz can of tomato paste and reintroduced the meat.

I gave the whole mess a stir, and added 3 bay leaves, some basil, oregano, fresh ground black pepper, salt and crushed red pepper flakes. I'd tell you how much of each, but I never measure. I brought the sauce to a low boil, and then reduced the heat to low and let it simmer mostly covered (I set the lid just a little crooked to let out steam) for about an hour - stirring every 15 minutes or so.

We enjoyed our meat sauce over ziti with lines.

Days 33-36 - I need vacation...

As a teacher, I've found that February vacation is always so needed. One more week...

In the meantime, a few things to report.

Most exciting is that tomorrow morning our granite breakfast bar is getting installed! YAY! I plan on having morning coffee at it by 10am. Pictures to come!

Cleaning-wise, nothing much going on. I am embarrassed to admit that I left a pile of (clean) laundry on the couch all week. I meant to fold it after work on Monday, and it never happened. I barely used the living room all week.

Another long week for both Dennis and I. I made a quick and easy dinner tonight.

I got pound or so of chicken cutlets, a jar of tomato sauce (I used Classico fire roasted tomato and garlic), sliced provolone cheese, and pasta.

Beat an egg in a bowl, and put some bread crumbs in another. Dredge the chicken first in the egg, then in the bread crumbs. Heat some olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on both sides.

Pour the tomato sauce in a baking dish. Put the browned chicken cutlets on top of the tomato sauce and top with the provolone. Bake until golden brown and bubbly.

I used some sundried tomato and basil pasta I got for Christmas. Yum, and easy.

Well, it's Friday night, and you know what that means... that's right, the weekend agenda.

1. The usual - dust, floors, laundry, iron.
2. Enjoy my new breakfast bar!

Days 30, 31, and 32

OK. We fell off the wagon a little this weekend. Not a lot, just a little bit. Not to make excuses, but it wasn't entirely our fault. I'll admit, I started it. I was so incredibly exhausted on Friday night! I cooked some supper, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. I staggered into the sunroom to tell Dennis "Time for bed." and left the kitchen a slight mess.

During the night, we lost power. This presents some problems for the average NH resident, mainly because no power = no water, and no heat. We decided the house was freezing and went out for breakfast. When we got home, the power was still out. By the time it finally came on I had about 35 minutes to shower and get myself out the door for my work commitment. I left Dennis with a job. Clean the kitchen, and bathrooms. After I left - you guessed it - power went out again. This put a little bit of a strain on our cleaning plans... water is more important than you may think!

Anyways, we ended up getting the cleaning done on Sunday. No problem. While I was at orchestra rehearsal, Dennis was supposed to grocery shop. Well, apparently our grocery store closes early on Sundays. He could have gone to another one, and spent an extra $40, but he wisely picked up a salad for me to take to work on Monday and came home.

Long story longer, I had to grocery shop after work today. Blah. I hate doing that.

Bright side? I made a great dinner! (Forgot to take a picture... I'll take a picture of the leftovers!!)

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy - source, Cooking Light

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions - omit salt and fat. Drain.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add steak and saute 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan, cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.

Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan and cook until warmed thoroughly, about 1-2 minutes.

Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.

Yields 4 servings.

Calories: 344, Fat 12.5g, Protein 273g, Carb 28.7g, Fiber 1.7g, Cholesterol 95mg, Iron, 4.3mg, Sodium 538mg

It was delicious! A new favorite!

How did your weekend shake out? Did you let your house get away from you a bit? Did you get back on the wagon like me? :)

Day 25 - it's only Monday?

I can't believe it's only Monday. It seemed like today went on forever!

Now that I'm home, however, I'm getting a little cooking done. Hopefully I can relieve my stress in the kitchen!

Tonight's dinner? Asian Spinach Salad with Hoisin-Glazed Salmon - another gem from the "Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford". I did cheat a little bit. I guess I didn't read the recipe carefully and I didn't buy hoisin sauce. Instead I found an asian sesame ginger teriaki sauce in the cupboard. I used that instead.

Dressing:
1 and 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 table spoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
Dash of chili oil or chili sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salad:
6 cups baby spinach
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, chilled and drained
1/4 cup chopped green onion, both white and green parts
1/4 cup torn fresh mint
2 skinless salmon fillets (6 oz. each)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/3 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce, and vegetable oil in a jar. Cover tightly and shake until the dressing is thoroughly blended.

Combine spinach, mandarin oranges, green onions and mint in a large bowl.

Put the salmon in the center of the foil. Spread the top of each fillet with 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce and wrap the foil loosley around the salmon, creating a sealed package. Cook until the salmon is just opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.

Toss the salad with enough dressing to coat, divide between 2 bowls/plates. Top each with a salmon fillet and garnish with the peanuts and chow mein noodles. Serve immediately.

I thought it was great! Dennis isn't a huge salmon fan, nor a big sesame fan (the dressing has a definate sesame flavor) but he said he liked it. Another hit from our Bride & Groom book!

Day 18 - a cave fiesta!

My day off! It's always nice to be home - I'm glad to say I got a little relaxing done and a lot of work! As I said yesterday, I wanted to save my cleaning for today. So, after breakfast I dove right in. I decided that since I had cooking plans for the afternoon I needed to reorganize my refrigerator and freezer.

Let's go step by step...

First, I emptied the contents of my refrigerator onto the counter. Yes, at some point I thought to myself "What am I doing?!" But it turned out alright!

Next step? Organize the inside. The shelves are organized by category and the door is organized by how often the items get used. Hopefully it will make things a lot easier to find!

After my fun in the kitchen, I tackled the rest of the house - mainly the living room. I wanted to do a little something different over my mantle, and clean up some stuff that was still kicking around the pellet stove area. I found a little Valentine's Day wall hanging, and put some candle holders and pictures up.

Next - it was time to cook!

I wanted to get a minestrone soup made for me to take to lunch this week. I halved the recipe from last time and after it cooled a bit, separated it out in between 4 plastic containers. Off to a great start!

Next, I made some Fiesta Rice. Since it is Tex-Mex week around here - it's delicious and makes a lot so I can use it throughout the week. I made a chipotle bean burrito filling, and for dinner tonight we had the fiesta rice and the burrito. It was delicious! The bean filling was super easy to make and I found it in my new "Cooking Light" magazine!

To make the burrito filling...

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add a minced garlic clove and cook for 1 minute.

Add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder and stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add 1/3 cup water, 1 (15 oz.) can of drained black beans, and 1 (15 oz.) can of drained kidney beans. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons fresh refrigerated salsa. Mash the beans with a fork to desired consistency.

I got fat-free tortillas and made burritos with a little reduced fat cheese, chopped tomato, lettuce and sour cream. It was very easy - and even Dennis commented that it was "a lot of food!"

Back to work tomorrow...

Day 13 - while waiting for the pellet man...

So the pellet man has been here for a little over two hours. The stove's not working yet, but I'm still hopeful.

While home with the pellet man I was able to get some cooking done - so I have two yummy recipes to share!

Tonight I'm making Minestrone Soup (source: Elodia Rigante's Italian Immigrant Cooking) and am very excited about it. The recipe calls for a half pound of pancetta - which I am not using... it's just too fattening. If you're in the mood to splurge though, you should add it with the veggies... I'll bet it's fabulous!

I put on some music and cut up my veggies. I bagged them so when I get home from teaching private lessons tonight I just have to cook it up - no prep work! Yay! This is an organizational tip I can share with you. Prep in advance. Devote some time on the weekend and cut up and measure everything you'll need that week. Then when your busy work week comes around, you just have to grab the appropriate bag. It helps you have a delicious home cooked meal every night. And if you're like me - and plan leftovers down to the mouthful - you'll be cutting time and money! So anyway... I went from a pile of lovely veggies (top) to this (bottom).

Here's what's in the soup...

1 cup diced onion
1/8 cup minced garlic
1/8 cup olive oil (seems like a lot - but it's spread out over many servings!)
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup cut green beans
1 cup diced zucchini
3 large potatoes, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 cups chopped tomatoes with their juice
8 cups chicken stock (I use broth because it's in lower fat)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 cup precooked (canned) red kidney beans
1/2 pound small pasta
1/2 pound pancetta (optional)
salt and pepper

Heat the oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.

Add the rest of the veggies and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the broth, water, sage, basil, parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. (If you don't like the parsley in the soup, you can give the soup the parsley flavor by tying the parsley sprigs and cooking - then discard after the soup's done.)

Add the beans and pasta and cook another 10 minutes.


To go with this I tried a Weight Watchers recipe for cheddar sage scones. When you think "scone" you think "sweet" but these are not. Savory - perfect to have with soup!

1 and 2/3 cup AP flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
3 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sage and red pepper in a mixer. (Or large bowl). Add the butter and pulse the mixer until mixture is a coarse meal. (Or use two knives).

Stir in cheese. Add milk and egg and stir until just moist - don't overstir!

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times until incorporated.

Put on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pat into a circle until about 7 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges but do not cut all the way through the dough.

Bake for about 17-19 minutes or until golden brown and delicious! Cut through the dough to seperate wedges and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

The resulting meal is wonderful! Enjoy!

I'm glad I had to stay home with the pellet man. Maybe I should just quit my job and cook all day! This life suits me! (Just kidding...)

Day 11 - Not bad for a Monday...

A pretty typical Monday. Nothing too exciting.

I think I'm starting to establish a routine around here. Even if it's just picking up the clutter. After coming home to a clean house I relaxed a little before dinner... which was pretty nice. I made a baked mac and cheese with broccoli. This was a weight watchers recipe - slightly modified.

Basically...

Cook about 3/4 lb. of pasta - add a 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli right before the pasta is finished cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a small sauce pan and then add 1/3 cup breadcrumbs and 1 TBS of parm. cheese and brown for about two minutes. Set aside.

Whisk 2 and 1/2 cups of milk with 1/3 cup flour in a medium saucepan. Add a small diced onion. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes until thickened. Add a cup of shredded low-fat sharp cheddar, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 2 TBS parm cheese, a dash of hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Mix and then spoon over the pasta/broccoli mixture and stir. Put in a 2 quart dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with the bread crumb mixture and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Yum!

Unloading the dishwasher and swiffering the floors before bed! We have a tidy cave!

Day 8 - Wine and Weekend Planning

Am I the only one who feels like this was the looooongest week ever?

Well, I have to admit I'm feeling a little proud right now. It's Friday night, and I'm sitting in the living room. It's clean. The house has not gone completely over the edge with clutter and this weekend will be actual cleaning instead of just picking up a weeks worth of shit.

Any major accomplishments this week? A lot of work stuff. Our concert was a lot of work, and I'm glad to say that amidst all the stress I kept things together and organized around here. In fact, I think it helped me be calm about all the work stress... if that makes any sense?

I have a load of laundry going - and that will be all for tonight because I'm out of detergent. D'oh. Homemade pizza in the oven and a glass of Merlot next to me on the couch. I'm planning an evening of reading and relaxation... and I can't wait!

By the way - this pizza is very easy to make and it's our Friday night standby.

We've been buying the frozen dough lately but if you want to make your own dough it's easy.

1 3/4 cups of four
1 packet of instant yeast
3/4 cup water @110 degrees
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper (and sometimes I throw in some dried herbs to keep things fun)

Bring the dough together and let it sit for a few minutes while the oven preheats to 500 degrees. We use a pizza stone (they're fabulous!). If you're using one, make sure it's in the oven while it preheats!

Spread the pizza with canned sauce - or use my favorite, stewed tomatoes that have been drained and broken up.

Cover with Mozzarella cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious! Go nuts with any toppings you like - I've used caramelized onions and butternut squash chunks in the fall, or fresh mozzarella and fresh basil in the summertime.

Yum!!

Weekend is here, which means there are things to do around here!

1. Make grocery list and go shopping
2. While out, pick up a plastic bin to put the Christmas decorations in
3. Put away Christmas (not the snowmen stuff... those stay out until March)
4. Finish laundry
5. Pay bills for the week
6. Clean bathrooms
7. Clean kitchen/dining
8. Change sheets
9. Dust the house
10. Steam mop the floors
11. Polyurethane (is that spelled right?!) the new piece of wood between the hallway and the dining room
12. Vacuum sun room
13. Go to the dump
14. Replace the starter and distribution fan in the pellet stove. (This is a Dennis project!)
15. We're going to Jared and Katie's (my brother and his wife) on Saturday night, so make something to bring over after we decide on a "menu".
16. Practice the viola

It looks a little overwhelming right now, but I don't think it will be too bad. We actually don't have a lot of Christmas stuff. It's mainly the tree and lights.

Day 2 - Planning the Weekend

There's **snow** falling from the sky in New Hampshire this morning. I feel glad that I get to write to you from my dining room table - the room is still under construction, but all tools and such have been organized in the corner.

Before I share my weekend plans, I want to share a great recipe with you! My brother and sister-in-law called yesterday and invited us over to watch a movie, and we couldn't go because I was already knee deep in my cooking project. The recipe is for lentil soup, it's delicious, it makes a TON, and it takes forever. :)

Here you go...

1 pound lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large celery stalks, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 pound pancetta or ham, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sweet basil
1 teaspoon sage
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups precooked pasta (small like orzo or pastini)
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Romano cheese

Cover the lentils with a few inches of water and soak overnight, discarding any that float to the top. The following day, rinse the lentils and put them in a large pot, covering them again with 2-3 inces of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 hour. (**I'm going to try not soaking the lentils next time to get a thicker soup**)

Add the olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, pancetta or ham, garlic, basil, sage, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, adding more water if you need to.

When the lentils are soft and the soup is thick, stir in the chicken broth. Continue to simmer to another 30 minutes or so, adding more water/broth to achieve the consistency you prefer. (**I did not precook my pasta - since I wanted a thicker soup, I added uncooked pasta at this point**)

When the soup is the proper consistency, add the pasta and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowls with grated cheese on the side. (Recipe from "Elodia Rigante's Italian Immigrant Cooking")

It was delicious. While the soup was cooking, I cleaned the bedroom. Removed all junk that we don't use, organized my drawers, polished the furniture and floors. It was so nice waking up in there this morning! Also - for the record - I hate this wallpaper. It's not high on the to-do list though, we decided to tackle downstairs first.

My dresser - don't mind the gym bag in the corner. It's got a couple of things I need to remember to bring to work on Monday. :)


The bed - Tommy says "Hi."


The nightstand and my husband's dresser. A pile of viola music on the chair... I can live with that - it keeps me on task with my practicing.


The sweater chest.

So... the weekend agenda you ask?
* Make salad for my in-law's New Year's party this afternoon.
* Put away laundry.
* Iron.
* Make shopping list and grocery shop.
* Clean upstairs bathroom - the last room to get a good cleaning to start 2010.
* Probably get some cooking done for the week - it's going to be a busy one.

What's your weekend agenda??