Cheese makes it better.

Original Recipe day! YAY!

So it was the end of the month and I had pretty much depleted our budget for groceries this month. So I started thinking about what we had in the pantry as well as the fridge. and this is what I came up this....

“It really got my goat” Pasta

Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup red onion, finely chopped

½ cup mushrooms , finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup pesto

1 cup spinach

Chicken: (Leave out and double Vegetables for Vegetarian version) 

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 

Salt and Pepper to flavor

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pasta:

2 cups uncooked pasta, whole grain

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Well Salted Water

Garnish:

4 oz goat cheese

Method:

Put 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft. Add wine and cook until sauce is reduced by half, or about 5 minutes. Add pesto then stir until warm.  Take off heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil into a pan, salt and pepper chicken, then add to pan, cooking thoroughly until chicken is browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and shred with 2 forks. Wilt spinach in the pan the chicken was cooked in. Add shredded chicken to spinach to keep warm.

Heat a pot with boiling salt water with a dash of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook until soft (depending on pasta 10 – 20 minutes). Once pasta is drained, toss with shredded chicken and spinach in pesto sauce. Crumble goat cheese in while tossing. Goat cheese should melt slightly. 

So when I made this i didn't end up shredding the chick and instead just put it on top.

I later spiced up some leftovers with some tomatoes and sausage (from the jambalaya).

Both versions of this.....SPECTACULAR.

While the Pesto bumps it up a bit, the goat cheese puts it at a whole other level. This was good as left overs as well as fresh and the thin whole grain pasta was very nice, though I'd love to make this is a penne.

Also, during let's not spend money the last week of this month week, I was blessed with a few bunches of flowers from a wedding that occurred at our church. Having never really had the chance to play with floral arrangement (save for Best friend's wedding with dried flowers) I was very pleasantly surprise with how my arrangement turned out. 

Until the next meal...

**Today's title comes from Bertolt Brecht: Life is great. Cheese makes it better.**

BFMH: Breakfast Bruchetta

This breakfast was a solid choice. It worked out especially well as I attempted my first loaves of bread ever (Irish Soda to go with the Stew from earlier this week) and the one left over loaf was on it's way out. Plus I made Chicken Cordon Bleu (you will see it later) so I have a great selection of Prosciutto and Swiss available to me.

What We Need To Eat Before It Goes Bad Breakfast Bruchetta
Ingredients
Pretty much anything you might want on a breakfast sandwich really I used the following:
Bread: Lightly Molasses Irish Soda
Protein: Prosciutto and Eggs+Milk for Scrambling
Cheese: Lacey Swiss
Veggie: tomatoes, onion, green pepper (You could add any number of things here, I just did what I had)
Spice: Garlic (Fresh), Basil (Dried, but fresh would have been excellent), Oregano (Dried), Fresh ground pepper, Salt, and Extra virgin Olive Oil
Method
Preheat oven to 275 degrees

Slice the bread to make little plates for all the yummies. Then apply prosciutto and cheese and set aside on a baking sheet.

In a saute pan, saute the veggie and spice all together over medium high heat until soft.

Crack eggs and add a splash of milk in a separate bowl and beat with a fork until well combined.

Scoot veggies and spice to one side of pan and add egg.
All the egg to cook a little and then stir and combine veggie with egg to make a nice scramble.

When eggs are cooked soft, remove from heat and scoop on to bread plates.
Put bread and yummies in the oven for 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and bread to toast a bit.

Remove from oven and plate and enjoy.

Husband really enjoyed this dish as did I. I think for a brunch I could cut a French baguette a bit more bite size and it would work wonderfully. Now comes the job of learning to make my own French bread!

I admit I was drinking a Guinness...

I have been down in the dumps lately. I am not sure why. Perhaps it is because the brothers (and families) are both back at their respective homes. Maybe it could be because there are a lot of changes at work that are stressing my heart. Possibly I am just in a funk that I need to pull myself out of because I miss my Husband who is working a lot this week. Whatever the case may be, I find silence while cooking has been helping. I am in control of my ingredients and technique and when there is flour on my hands, there is a smile in my heart.

Another this that has helped perk me up a bit was the “rain”. We finally had a little rain (more of a sprinkle) out here in sunny downtown Burbank and bot do we need it. I have already seen a few, albeit small, wild fires springing up. This summer and fall will be a tough and dangerous one.

Yet with this rain came a “cold” snap. I know what you are thinking…”Cat, come over to NYC and you you’ll see cold!” or “Seriously, CE, look at your life. Try Chicago/Milwaukee/any place other than SoCal and then you can talk!”

You have to sympathize a little with me here. I KNOW that 50 degrees isn’t cold. It is sweater weather at most, but considering it has already slip up to the low 90s this year, the 50s does seem nice and brisk. So with this “chilly” weather,  I decided to take advantage and make something I have always enjoyed when visiting either The Field with Leah and Cindy or Dublin Square with Husband and Comic-Con Aaron: Guinness Stew.

Here is the recipe I went with for Slow Cooker Guinness Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter

2 pounds well marbled chuck beef roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (I used 1 1/2 pounds angus stewing beef)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups chopped onion

2 celery stalks, chopped (I totally forgot to add these)

2 Tbsp tomato paste (I used the whole small can)

1 pint (16 ounces) Guinness (Some cooks have a strong opinion about extra stout vs draught. I used draught and it turned out great)

3 cups beef broth (I used chicken because that is what I had)

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup of mushrooms, stemmed and large caps cut

1 ½ pounds of potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (Or you can opt for some parsnips and/or young turnips)

2 teaspoons dried thyme ( put mine in my tea steeper and through it in the crockpot)

Salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

METHOD

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in the butter, starting with the fattiest pieces of meat, fat side down in the pan. This will allow some beef fat to render out. Work in batches as to not crowd the pan.  Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the beef as it browns. Once browned on all sides, transfer the beef pieces into the slow cooker.

Add the onions and celery (If you remember) to the pan in which you just browned the beef. Sauté the onions and celery until they begin to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for a minute or two, then add a little of the Guinness, enough to make it easier for you to scrape up any browned bits (the real flavor adders) at the bottom of the pan. Transfer the celery and onions into the slow cooker.

 Add the rest of the Guinness, the beef (or chicken) broth, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes (or other root veg), and thyme (satchel) to the slow cooker. Add two teaspoons of salt. Cover and cook on "high" for 4 hours, or, for the best results, "low" for 8 hours. When done, add more salt to taste. If you want, sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve.

This must be cooked for as long as possible. Husband and I had some after it cooked on high for 4 hours, and maybe it is my crockpot, but the taters and carrots weren’t cooked till soft and the meat was a bit tough. I then left it on low for 8 hours. I scooped the veggies and meat and such into one container and the liquid and juices into another. When dinner time rolled around, I added a ¼ cup of flour to the juices and stirring constantly with a whisk, I brought it to a simmer and allowed it to thicken and the flour to cook a bit. I then poured the liquid of the stew over the veggies and meat, served the amount Husband and I wanted to eat that night, reheated it stove top. BINGO like a Nun on a Wednesday night!

The extra time made everything soft and fall aparty. While the juices didn’t NEED to be thickened, I like a thicker stew so I went for it.Husband was thrilled, I felt like I had regained a little control on my life and I am hoping to escape this funk of the last 2 weeks soon. I feel like a rope has finally been thrown down to my little hole. See you all on the outside.

Until the next meal... 

**Today's title comes from the legendary Kinky Friedman: I admit I was drinking a Guinness... but I did not swallow.**

Thirsty Thursday: Charles Shaw Chardonnay Tasting

2 buck chuck chardonnay, here we go.....

WINE NAME	Charles Shaw		WINE TYPE	Chardonnay
VINTAGE	2011		PRODUCER	Not sure
GRAPES	Chardonnay		REGION	California
PURCHASED	Trader Joe’s		PRICE	$2.99
Companions	Husband		Food	None
SIGHT					NOTES	PTS
Clarity	Cloudy (less)	Hazy	Clear	Brilliant (more)		1/5
Depth of Color	Watery/Thin (less)	Pale	Med/Deep	Dark/Rich (more)		1/5
Color	WHITE - Yellow Gold Brown	Green Tinge Pale Yellow	RED - Purple Red/Purple	Red Red-Brown
Viscosity – liquid	Thin	Normal	Heavy	Syrupy		3/5
SMELL
Aroma	Herbal Nutty	Fruit Mineral	Spice Earthy	Floral Icky		3/5
Bouquet	Dumb/Pale/Closed	Simple/Pleasant	Deep/ Dark	Powerful/Dynamic		2/5
Smell Intensity	Light (less)	Mild	Prevalent	Pronounced (more)		3/5
TASTE
Acidity (like a lemon)	Flat No Bite	Fresh Crisp	Tart Tangy	Sour Vinegar		4/10
Sweetness	Dry	Off-Dry	Semi-Sweet	Very Sweet		5/5
TASTE Descriptors Balanced Chewy Concentrated Crispy(good acid) Deep/Complex Delicate Dull Firm (big tannins) Flabby(no acidity) Harsh Hint Intense Intriguing Jammy (fruit,lack of tannins) Piercing Simple Soft Structured	FRUITY Berrylike Blackberry Black Currant Blueberry Raspberry Strawberry Cherry – Black/Red Plum – Prune Gooseberries Citrus Grapefruit Lemon/Lime Stone/Tropical Apple Apricot Mango Melon Peach Pear Pineapple	FLOWERY Violet Rose Orange Blossom Jasmine Lily Geranium Orchid HERBAL Hay Mint Rosemary Thyme SPICY Black Pepper Licorice Cinnamon Clove	NUTTY Almond Coffee Hazelnut Walnut EARTHY Dry leaves Cut grass Moldy Mushroom ICKY Barnyard Dirty Diaper Boiled Egg Gas Alcohol Flinty Vinegar	OTHER Buttery Oaky Mineral Vanilla Cedar Tobacco Chocolate Leather Butterscotch Olive Bitter Hot - alcohol Sour Sharp Sugary Salty Velvety		5/10
Complexity	Simple	Interesting	Exciting	Dynamic		3/5
Balance	Unbalanced	Good	Very Well	Perfect		2/10
Body	Light	Medium	Heavy	Huge		5/5
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Finish	None	Short	Medium	Long (10 secs +)	Finish is Hot	1/5
Drinkability	Never Again	Maybe	Yes	Can’t wait		4/10
Value	Waste of money	Eh…	Decent	I love a value!		8/10
Overall	This is for when money is a concern.					50 /100

This wine is not very good. 'nuf said with no surprise.

I use to drink it all the time, but now that I have tried with a critical eye, it is only for when I need to stay with in budget I think. I wouldn't serve it to guests anymore, but I would cook with it and drink it when we are on hard times.From now on, Blue Fin at the least for $3.99.

Have a little faith, and if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas.

If you have been keep up, you will notice that I got to have a brunch party last weekend. I had been planning on serving Mimosas (duh!), but wanted to jazz it up a bit. Thanks to Tyler Florence I found something that would add a little bit of special and a lot of style.

Orange Cream Mimosa

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (5 to 6 oranges)
1 orange, zested
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup superfine sugar
1 bottle sparkling wine or champagne
1 carton of Oj in addition
Method
Put orange juice, zest, half-and-half, and sugar into a blender and process until the sugar has dissolved, about 30 seconds. Pour this mixture into a shallow pan and freeze until hard, 4 hours or overnight.
Remove the frozen orange mixture from the freezer and let it sit to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.
Pop out of molds into punch bowl of champagne and additional Oj, or put a small scoop in glass and top with champagne.

I recently inherited a lovely selection of single serving Jell-o molds that were my Grandmother's. Unfortunately, I don't really like Jell-o. So instead, I used it at molds for the sorbet!




















As I decided to do a punch bowl mimosa versus a pour your own, I was able to use the sorbets as ice cubes in the mimosa bowl instead of a pour over. I think the pour over would be very nice and as the "ice cubes" melted, the mimosa kept getting a little thicker.

Until the next drink...

**Today's title comes from Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf: Here's my advice. Have a little faith, and if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas.**

An April Fool's 8 Week Check In

So today is April Fool's Day. I never was big on this "holiday". Mainly because it is a balancing act. If it is funny to the prankster, will it be funny to the prankee? More often than not it is an excuse to be mean. Though I HAVE thought about painting my Husband's bar of soap with clear nail polish, I took into account that he has been working 10-14 hour days for the last 3 weeks. Extra frustration is not the way to show my love for him.

So instead I figured I would use this day for a check in.

Running: Not at the best but I am consistently running under 15 minutes per mile so my focus on distance is even more important. I need to get out and just try to run at my current speed for 6 miles. In turn, it is time to work on my eating habits in relationship to my running (and now spin). I don't want to peeter out to early or anything like that. So research time! HUZZAH!

Weight: I have gained any pounds I have lost back. This morning I was extremely bummed out about this. Like negative Nellie thoughts seeping into my brain thoughts.Which doesn't help anyone, especially me. I haven't been focused on what I have been putting into my body so that is definitely a deciding factor in my body's current state. So I am going to start counting calories again. Nothing Nazi ish like in college when I got sick, but some sort of structure to my intake.

Money: Last month was great/rough. Husband and I drove about twice as much as we normally do since we were traveling to see Bro Bro and his family. Plus, our entertainment budget went through the roof thanks to that as well as our grocery budget as I was buying stuff to make cookies etc for my family.

Groupon: Best thing I could have ever done. 24 classes at the BAC and I have been introduced to SPIN. Life literally changed. I have never sweated as much as in that class and so I know my heart rate is up and I think I love it. Now if I can start going 3 times a week, think about that would do for my heart and stamina?

So there is the check in. Open and honest. I have remember to not be depressed about my set backs, but the trudge on with fervent and sustainable desire to change my body and my mind for the long term.