Friday Bake Day: Cauliflower Mixer

For lack of a better term, mixer was all I could come up with for this recipe. Not a very appealing title for those who don't like veggies but it works.

This recipe has long been stored away in my recipe box. I honestly forgot that I had this one. I was looking to use up ingredients in my cupboard and refrigerator, and this one did the trick. 

I believe the original recipe came from a Real Simple Magazine issue last year. Their recipes some times call for a small amount of something I don't readily have, so I improvise with them. I have improvised wrong (think really onion-y broccoli soup...bad idea) but this time it worked out perfectly.  Originally this recipe was for a Cauliflower stew, with some chickpeas and tomatoes. Since I didn't have those handy I substituted with beans a little extra water. 

So without following the recipe exactly, using what I had lying around and not knowing what to call it, you have Cauliflower Mixer.

Cauliflower Mixer

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

dash of onion power or a small amount of chopped onion (I had onion powder around and use about 1 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/4 teaspoon each of Salt & Pepper

1 can Black Beans (15 oz.), drained

1/2 cup Raisins

1/2 head each of Cauliflower & Brocoli, cored and cut into florets

1 5 oz. package of Baby Spinach (I estimated on this, I only had a little left so I used what I had)

1/2 cup water

Package of grains of your choice (think couscous, quinoa, rice, etc.)

Heat oil, onion, ginger, salt & pepper. Add Cauliflower, Brocoli, Beans and Raisins. Add water (plus more if necessary to make mixture boil and not burn). Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

Reduce heat to simmer. Let mixture thicken and vegetables cook for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rice (or other grain choice) per package directions.

Fold in spinach to cauliflower mixture for 1-2 minutes (until just wilted).

Serve cauliflower mixture with grains.

This combination could be changed out with any seasonal vegetable for a cheap, easy meal. I like that I could make this with ingredients I have on hand without having to slave for hours.

While trying to keep our food budget down, I opt for 1-2 meatless meals a week. I feel the compromise of a few meatless meals is a simple way to not necessary eat less food, just cheaper options. I am not a vegetarian, but after a meal like this I am satisfied and don't feel overly stuffed. 

If you have a picky eater, try to add some cheese on top or nix the spinach. Although spinach is high is so many nutrient categories, including iron, it can be a tough sell with kids & adults.

Happy eating!

 

Tuesday Bake Day:Pear Tart

It's true. This post is making its appearance on Tuesday, not Friday as I have been trying to do. No one to blame but my 3D life!

Moving on...

How about a tart?

I really haven't cooked with pears very often but I am really thankful I did. Pears are juicy, but not too moist. They are easy to cut, pretty to look at and delicious! This tart dessert comes from the Parade Magazine (yes, the one found in the newspaper!) on Sunday. We had a recent influx of pears in our house and I was looking for a way to eat them all up. With only two people in our household, too much of something requires you eat it at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So here I present, my newspaper recipe:

Pear Tart

1/2 Cup Butter, plus some for the pan

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon, divided

1 LB. Pears, cored & sliced 1/2" thick

1 Cup Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup + 2 tablespoons Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter 9" circular pan. Squeeze half of lemon juice on pears.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, mix cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is light & fluffy.

Beat eggs into sugar mixture one at a time. Beat in flour mixture until batter comes together.

Spread batter into pan. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Place pears on top of chilled batter in concentric circles. Squeeze remaining lemon juice onto pears. 

Mix 2 tablespoons & cinnamon together. Sprinkle over pears.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until edges are brown.

Let cool 10 minutes before eating.

This pear tart was really great! I loved the way it smelt while baking and the crust was delicious. I will definitely be making this again soon!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Friday Bake Day: Lenten Edition

In the spirit of Lent, and abstinence of meat on Fridays for some, here is a super simple Salmon Loaf recipe. I love to bake this one and serve over rice for an easy meal.

...and I as was writing this post I saw a recipe in Runners World March 2012 magazine for Mini-Salmon Loaf. Same idea, just "slider" or kid sized!

Enjoy!

Salmon Loaf

Recipe from Grandma Nancy (that woman knows a lot of recipes, I know!)

Oven at 350 degrees

1 lb. can salmon, drain (Look in the Canned Tuna section!)

1 can cream of mushroom/celery soup (10 ¾ oz)

1 beaten egg

1 cup dry bread crumbs (Probably won’t use whole cup)

½ cup chopped onions

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients. Depending on how moist/dry you would like the loaf to be, use less bread crumbs the recipe calls for. I like to make it a little more moist so I can reheat the loaf several times without it drying out. Place in greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Mini-Salmon Loafs (adapted from Runner’s World March 2012)

Oven at 375 degrees

2 x 5 oz. wild salmon, drained

1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed for cooking)

1 diced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped dill

Juice from ½ a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

½ cup quick-cook rolled oats

2 large eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Divide among greased muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

New Look!

Back when I started this blog I thought it would be a good way to let family and friends know what was going on in our lives, now that we are hundreds of miles apart. I quickly found that I like writing on this blog more than just what is going on day to day.

So I hope you like the new look and new set up. I am going to focus on three categories: Life, running and cooking.  

Life- I know this a broad category and maybe one day it will get narrowed down but for now I will write about life advice, experiences and the little joys. I want to share with you all the awesome things life has to offer! I am always striving to find true happiness, energy and peace in my life. I hope this blog helps you find what you are looking for too.

Running- Behind my faith and love for my family, running is up there on my list of important things. I love running, exercising and being outside. I hope this category shows you the joy and peace running can give you. Especially as a woman, I hope I can give you practical & useful advice. I am not a running expert, but I hope my passion can give you motivation to run!

Cooking- This category is a work in progress! Since living on my one after college and getting married, I find myself in the kitchen often. I love to bake and cooking has become a great joy. I love to learn new recipes, kitchen tools and cooking styles. I hope this category can give you "I learned it the hard way" advice so you too can learn to like cooking. I am not the best chef, but I find myself reading, learning and using more cooking advice which I want to share. 

My goal is make this blog more focused on a few things, in hopes that I can share my passions with others. 

I hope you find enjoyment and practical advice for you life.  

What would you like to see from me? What kind of things interest you? What do you want more (or less) of? 

 

Friday Bake Day on Sunday: Chicken & Rice

Honestly, weekends fly by. So yes, my weekly commitment to post a recipe on Friday has moved to Sunday this week. This weekend was extra special as my husband received his student doctor white coat. So that is my excuse!

But, I still owe you a recipe...
This recipe always makes me think of long family dinners spent conversing around good food followed by warm coffee. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does.

Chicken & Rice Bake Dinner
Recipe from Grandma Nancy

4 Boneless Chicken Breast-halved
1 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
2 cans (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. salt/pepper
2 cups Rice, uncooked (Brown Rice works too!)
2 cups Broccoli
2 cups Shredded Cheese

1. Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken, cook until chicken is browned
2. Add soup, broth, broccoli, rice, salt & pepper to skillet. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Place all ingredients in oven casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. (Cook longer if using brown rice) 

Ta Da! That easy. 

Now go bake!

Friday Baking Day: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok. I know chocolate chip cookies are like the essential baking recipe that everyone has in their arsenal, but they are my favorite to bake & eat so I thought I would share my version. 

No lying,  chocolate chip cookies are a staple in your diet too. It's ok. 

Grandma Nancy's Chocolate Chip Cookies 

• 2-1-/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I like the dark ones the best!)
• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine flour, baking soda  & salt in a small bowl

3. In other bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter mixture.

4. Gradually add butter mixture to flour mixture. Stir in all chocolate chips.

5. Make spoon size balls and place on un-greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

7. ENJOY! 

I try to always keep chocolate chips in our house, you never know when the mood strikes you to make cookies!

Over the holidays, while our friends were over, the mood struck us to make cookies! Even the boys got in on the fun...

Baking Boys

Mine is the one in the apron.

Hard at work!

What kind of cookies do you like? What's your favorite cookie recipe? Any guys in your life like to bake?

Friday Bake Day: Homemade Bread

Admittedly, homemade bread is not the easiest recipe ever, but the rewards are worth the time!

And I am not talking about bread machine bread, I mean homemade-in-a-9 x 5 pan-after-kneading-it- for-7-minutes bread. Yum!

Homemade Bread

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 Kosher teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

1. In a bowl big enough to handle 6 cups of flour (when I first started baking this I did not have such a thing!), dissolve yeast in warm water. If you want to heat the water over the stove, just add water to bowl with yeast already in in. Allow yeast and water to mix until whit foam appears (5-7 minutes).
2.  Mix Kosher Salt and vegetable oil into yeast mixture. Mix in flour one cup at a time.
3.  Now the fun part! Knead dough on floured surface until all air pockets are gone (5 or more minutes usually does the trick!). The dough should get smooth and less s"ticky". Add more flour if needed. I have had to add up to a cup more of flour in some dough batches. 
4. Oil large bowl completely. Coat dough with oil in the large bowl. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and place in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size while rising. Make sure you bowl is big enough of you will have dough spilling out every where!  
5. Knead dough one more time, this time making sure to be aggressive! 
6. Split the dough in half. Try to make loaf shape from kneaded bread and place each in 9x5 bread pans. Let dough in pans rise one more time, for 30 minutes
7. Bake at 350 degrees F  for 30 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top.

Adapted from Amish White Bread Recipe on Allrecipes.com (seriously, that website hasn't done me wrong yet!)

Although this is not as healthy as some of the wheat bread recipes out there, I really like this one because the bread is moist even days after baking. 

This is a great bread to enjoy with a bowl of soup or oil dip. My husband and I just enjoyed it with homemade soup for dinner. 

What kind of bread do you make? Is there a special flavor you invented? I have heard some crazy ones, like banana split bread!

Friday: Baking Day

In an effort to increase my readership from 3 loyal (and the best) followers I am going to do a Friday cooking segment each week. I have wanted to do this for a while so I am putting this task on the done list this week.

Short of it being past the holiday season, this post about baking seems fitting. I meant this to be a more timely post but the holidays slipped away. What better way to spend those dreary weekend afternoons than baking (knitting is a close second but I'll get to that later!)? 

One of the many wonderful parts about being married is the double amount of recipes and cooking advice you get. In fact, one of my bridal showers included a recipe card in the invitation so friends & family could pass the good eats along to me! I love having new recipes to try and keep both family's traditions alive. For the holidays I made two different types of cookies, one from my family's stash of recipes and one from my husband's.

From my husband's side I made Jello Cookies. I had never made this kind of cookie before, I even had to make a trip to the local cooking store to buy supplies I didn't own. Below is the recipe I used along with the equipment needed (Note: I used the cookie press written in the instructions. Unfortunately I have yet to experiment without the press so I can't vouch for those cookies!) 

Grandma Norma's Jello Cookies

4 cups sifted flour (ah, for the non-baker normal all purpose flour is fine!)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3 oz. package of jello
1 1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
1 egg

Sift flour with baking soda. Set aside.
Cream Butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar & jello to butter. Mix well. Add egg & vanilla. Gradually add flour/baking soda mix to all ingredients are mixed well.
Push dough through cookie press with desired shaped at the end.
Press cookies directly onto a ungreased baking sheet.
Decorate as desired (even a little jello on top is good when baked!)
Bake at 400 degree Ferienheit for 7-8 minutes or until gold brown on the edges.

From my side of the family I whipped up some sugar Christmas cookies that my grandmother makes. Her cookies are always delicious and no matter the season a beautifully frosted cut out cookie reminds me of childhood. These cookies are easy to make and the dough refrigerates easily. I use the same recipe throughout the year so this is one of my essential cookie recipes.

Grandma Nancy's Sugar Cookies

Cookies: 1 cup butter, softened but not melted
1 1/2 powder sugar 
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking sode
1/4 teaspoon salt


Mix all ingredients together until soft dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for 3 hours or until ready to make cookies. The dough should be a tough ball that is not sticky (I recommend letting the dough sit over night to ensure ease of cut outs!)
Roll out dough with floured rolling pin on a floured surface. 
Makes about 2 dozen cookies depending on cut out size.
This dough is great for cut outs!


Frosting: 1 stick margarine, softened
2 lbs. confectioners sugar (you can add as much or as little as you want. This is the base for the frosting so it really depends on how much frosting you need. I start with about 1/2 of the 2 lb. bag to start with.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk to texture & taste
food coloring if desired

Mix all ingredients except milk. Add milk to create texture of frosting you desire. Add food coloring if desired. This frosting makes enough for about 24 cookies. The frosting can be frozen for future baking as well!

Thanks & Giving

So nothing like a blur of a week. I swear that I sat down but I sure don’t feel that way.

I am not hung over on turkey, but lacking in sleep. Even after a 2 hour nap yesterday I am still exhausted. In light of that, my post for the last 7 days has been lacking.

I will do a quick summary and then start new with pictures from today.

In the last week I wore:

• flare jeans (multiple times!)
• black t-shirt with black sweater
• white t-shirt with orange sweater
• gray sweater with white long sleeve t-shirt
• blue t-shirt with black sweater
• pink sweater with black shirt and black skirt
• striped black & white shirt
• white sweater, black shirt and skirt 
• and a purple sweater.

I wore a few of the t-shirts with a combination of sweaters in the last week. I can’t even remember all the combinations (due lack of picture taking!) but I didn’t stray from the 30, I promise! 

I spent a lot less time thinking about what I wanted to wear and more time with my family this week. And I like that.

Today’s outfit included one my favorite accessories, leg warmers! What better way to make sure your legs are toasty warm inside those boots?

My lack of writing made this blog seem lackluster but I did make it through the biggest meal I have ever made! There were a few tears while sitting around the table with family. It was an awesome weekend. I am very proud of myself and hope I get the opportunity to make that kind of meal again. I loved having everyone around while baking up a storm (homemade cheesecake, anyone?).

It also so happened that there was a 5k and 10k at the State Park this weekend. why not add 6 miles to the cooking! Results? Ok! Click here! There are four of us to find, go!

Even after all that rushing around we still managed to put up our very first Christmas tree. I am very sentimental and it meant so much to me to have our first tree as a married couple. Could I be any cheesier? 

So in spite of of my lack of pictures of outfits this week here is my offering:

Have a great week! I'll write again soon!

The Albano's First Christmas tree!

Take Care

Talk about a lame weekend. I spent most of my lovely weekend held up on the couch with the worst cold. Fever, shivers, runny nose and body aches. It was a well spent two days lounging around as I feel better today but I hate losing a weekend to a sickness. I was able to catch up on sleep and my television episodes, so I will count that as progress. 

It was another beautiful weekend in Pennsylvania. The temperature felt cool but you could be outside without a coat or sweatshirt. My husband and I took a scenic bike ride around the state park near us. It was beautiful to see the leaves starting to change. It really makes it that much more beautiful to see reds and oranges on the trees. We felt pretty darn sick after that ride, but it was nice to be outside. We got some apple cider and donuts on the way home from one of the local markets. Another great thing about fall, all that warm apple cider. I am all about fall!

Although Mondays seem to drag on and on sometimes (case of the Mondays anyone?), today I am looking forward to our first ever dinner party in Pennsylvania! My husband has a few lab partners from his medical school that want to meet me. I thought it would be nice to cook them a meal this week. I know they had a big test today and making a full meal is probably not on top of their to-do list. I am happy that my husband is making friends and enjoying his time at school. When he first started school I know he missed his college friends, who had been there for four years. I am sure he was reluctant to find new friends as he didn't want to replace any of his old ones, even though that would never happen. Its good to feel like you have someone to talk to at your work/school. Days can get lonely if you never talk! I can't wait to have people over that are my age! I have yet to make a friend who is my age. I try, I really do, I just have not found anyone yet. Hopefully this will be my chance!

I am making goulosh, bread, pumpkin bread and apple pie. Can you tell I am excited? 

I will let you know how it goes!

Have a non-Monday Monday!


-EAA

time travel

this is a positive turn around. i have starting to think ahead about what i am going to blog about before i start typing. i might actually write more than twice in two years. 

before i go and talk about myself, a shout out to our wedding photographer. Caryn Ashley Photography did our engagement and wedding photos. She was wonderful to work with and extremely professional. I would highly recommend her if you are in the Michigan area and looking for a wedding, senior or family photographer. Check out her website at: http://carynashleyphotography.com/


a lot of my thoughts this week have been about music. i love music. all kinds of music. i listen when i am cleaning, cooking, writing this blog, reading, while on the phone and running. I like the beat of some songs, others remind me of my husband, and some are just feel good tunes. in high school we had to make a life CD filled with songs that meant something to us. i loved the project, and I am sure if i dug it out of the "erika's box of life" it would remind me of my high school self.  in honor of that project and my thoughts of music, here's a short list of my favorites (with Youtube videos of course!).

• Toto's Rosana: I used to have a Billboard 1982 cd that I stole from my parents. this was by far my first memory of a song i liked
• Jay Sean's Down: I think this has the highest played rating on my itunes. best song to sing along to i think.
• The Proclaimers, I'm Gonna Be: reminds my of my husband. he dances a little whenever this song is on. at our wedding people went crazy about this song!

• Ben Folds' Luckiest : this song reminds me how wonderful my life is. no matter the day

and that really is the short list! I could go on for a while. a lot of the music i like changes with my mood or time in my life but there are always classics that i come back to. a good song can always make me run faster, smile bigger or give an extra hug. What are your favorites? and why? what makes music meaningful to you?

only a WEEK until the half-marathon. i went to the course on saturday and ran part of the loop backwards so I could get a good feel for the course. can you tell that I ran in college? I know the course well as I have run almost all of my long runs there since we moved to Erie, but I just wanted to make sure. I am getting nervous but i know those nerves will help me go faster. just have to keep it in for 5 miles before I start racing, that will be the tough part. 

it's a friday night tradition in our house to watch a movie or tv shows on friday after work/school. this week was a few episodes of Lost, yes the ABC show that probably no one watched. we have all six seasons. i am on season 5. almost done. i never watched the show when it was on cable, but my husband is getting me caught up. funny thing about the show is that i don't think it makes sense but its addicting! I have to watch the next episode so i know what is going on or who dies. argh. i did not think i would be interested in the show, but here i am almost done with the entire series. and i can't believe it last siz seasons. really. some of the story lines are a bit far fetched. my husband had a roommate in college who used to make fun of him for watching it. he told us that he read that the writers only wrote a few episodes because they thought the show would flop. and i can see why. i will have to finish the series now though, i need to know what happens to the island! 


I have had a lot more time to cook since getting married, perhaps that is how it works. less things to plan, make and coordinate after work. more time to prepare wonderful meals! I recently made a delicious bacon meatloaf. It went over ok with my husband, a few too man onion bits perhaps. i thought it was great. i have been baking a lot of sweets lately too. brownies, cookies, cakes, etc.. i even grill!

I never really learned a lot of basic cooking techniques growing up but i have a new appreciation for good cooking. It relaxes me a lot after a long day. I feel good making a meal and then getting to enjoy the results. I am glad that I have taken an interest in it, it was on my mental list of things to be better at as I got older. I always envisioned myself as a better cook and its good to realize a wish like that. I feel accomplished in some arena that i once only thought about. i have always been a thinker about what i could do better, or start to do. it seems like the older I get the more obtainable this wishes are. that is one of the great parts of growing up.


Alright, sunday at 10:55 pm, I have seen enough of you.


EAA