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Fruit smoothie

April 3, 2011 by Hannah

Fruit smoothie in blue cup with a straw

Mmmm.

Frozen fruit medley.

Milk.

Vanilla extract.

Sugar.

Mmmm.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments »

Mom’s amazing gingerbread cookies

March 31, 2011 by Hannah

homemade gingerbread cookies with raisins

I have no idea where she got this recipe. All I know is, it was a legend in our family, and I have very fond memories of this special treat. It’s fun, versatile, easy, unique and delicious. Really, it’s that awesome.

My sister-in-law, Rebecca, came over and made these with me tonight, molding them into adorable shapes and popping them in the oven. That, coupled with watching the movie Julie & Julia while the dough was in the refrigerator, made us feel all culinary and inspired and French. We can dream.

Ingredients

It’s actually pretty basic. The only thing you might not have on hand is molasses. It looks like a long list, but it’s mostly just spices.

  • 1 cup butter (I always use unsalted)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed down in the measuring cup)
  • 2/3 cup molasses
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional, but I always use it)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

I also sometimes use raisins on the cookies when I’m molding them into shapes.

Directions

You need to set aside a little time to make these, but it’s mostly just waiting. There’s hardly any busy work. I made a second batch of dough tonight to bring to a friend’s house tomorrow so we can just mold it into shapes and bake it.

  1. Melt the butter, brown sugar and molasses together in a medium saucepan. Stir, and then let cool for at least 10 minutes (If it’s too hot, it will scald the egg).
  2. Combine all remaining dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture, then immediately add it to the flour mixture and stir well. Cover and chill the dough at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  4. Form shapes on ungreased cookie sheets (I always use Airbake cookie sheets, they’re amazing. Its virtually impossible to burn the bottom of your cookies on those.). Make sure they’re not too close together, because they do rise a little. Bake 12-15 minutes at 325°. Remove from pan and let cool (or not…).

They’re awesome with milk, but sadly I didn’t have any in my refrigerator tonight. Thanks for baking with me, Becca!

Melting butter with molasses and brown sugar

 

Dry ingredients in mixing bowl

 

Melted butter, molasses, brown sugar, egg and vanilla

 

Mixing bowl with dry and liquid ingredients

 

Gingerbread cookie dough after refrigerating

 

Cookie dough twist

Becca is neat and organized. Here are her cookies lined up in pretty rows:

Organized cookies

I am random and sporadic. Here are my cookies sprawled all over the cookie sheet:

Random sporadic cookies on cookie sheet

Et voilà!

Homemade braided gingerbread cookie

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

Indian spiced rice

March 21, 2011 by Hannah

Bowl of Indian spiced rice with vegetables

I just love pretty food. This dish was so colorful, and it smelled amazing! The best part – It was really healthy. I found the recipe online, but I was missing a couple spices, so I improvised. It turned out delicious, but I also like a little more kick in my food, so I’ll tell you what I would change for next time too.

Ingredients

Here’s my version. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients: It’s mostly just spices!

  • 1 Tbs olive oil (or thereabouts)
  • 1 cup chopped onion (I used 1 medium onion)
  • 1/2 tsp ginger (powder) – I can’t stand the taste of too much ginger in my food, so I always use it sparingly. If you like ginger, you might want 1 or 2 tsp
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (with one of my favorite kitchen tools ever)
  • 1/2 tsp coriander (the recipe called for ground coriander seed, but I just had the whole seeds. Either is fine.)
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp curry powder (I would use about 3 tsp next time)
  • 1 1/4 cups dry jasmine rice
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dry lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped (this was good, but it kind of tasted like it didn’t belong in the dish. I might leave it out next time.)
  • 1/2 cup green peas (I used frozen)
  • 3 Tbs raisins
  • 1 Tbs butter (optional – I forgot to add it this time, but I’ll try it next time)

I would also add a few teaspoons of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper next time to give it some more kick.

Directions

This is actually pretty quick and easy to make.

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring frequently.
  2. Sprinkle in the ginger, garlic, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, curry powder, and whatever other spices you use. Cook a few more minutes, stirring frequently to evenly distribute the spices.
  3. Pour the rice into the pan and sautée it with the onions and spices for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lentils, salt and water, and stir.
  4. Add the potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Cook 10 more minutes.
  5. Place the bell pepper, peas and raisins into the pan and stir well. Cover the pan and cook 10-20 minutes more, or until the rice and lentils are tender. (This is not a delicate dish. Don’t feel the need to check it every 2 minutes.) Stir in the butter, if you’re using it.

Depending on how many veggies you add (I always use a little bit more than a recipe calls for), this dish will feed 4-6 people.

Pot of homemade indian spiced lentils and rice with vegetables

 

Homemade Indian rice, lentils and vegetables close-up

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Mexican pizza

March 17, 2011 by Hannah

Mexican pizza casserole homemade

I’ve had a lot of people ask me for easy recipes that you can throw together without a whole lot of effort. I have quite an arsenal of these from my highly creative mother (who fed our family of 6, plus the odd guest or 2). She is a genius at coming up with simple, delicious recipes with random ingredients, and over time many have developed into family favorites. Thus, I have decided to add a new category on my blog just for these. I’ll tag these recipes (and any other ones I come up with along the way) as “Easy meals,” and if you want to look at the whole list of these easy recipes, you can just click on “Easy meals” button at the top of the page. These meals are perfect for:

  • Beginners
  • Anyone who is busy ever.

I think that pretty much covers it.

Ingredients

Now this will be fun… These recipes are in this category partly because you can make them with an assortment of ingredients. Mexican pizza is really quick to whip up if you have some of these ingredients on hand! You don’t need everything I’m listing – this is mostly to give you ideas.

  • Ingredients to make cornbread (or cornbread mix)
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • Black olives, sliced
  • Shredded meat (I used chicken)
  • A handful or two of frozen corn
  • Shredded cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Salsa

You can also add green chiles, bell peppers, or whatever you want.

Directions

This is ridiculously easy, and it tastes delicious!

  1. Prepare 1 batch of cornbread and bake it spread out in the bottom of a large glass casserole dish. Leave the oven on when you take it out.
  2. Heat a small sautée pan while the cornbread is in the oven, and sautée the corn in about 1/2 tsp olive oil until some of the edges are just barely turning brown. I used chipotle-flavored olive oil, and I sprinkled a lot of black pepper on the corn as I cooked it. Set it aside. You can just use plain corn, but this extra step gives it an amazing flavor.
  3. I sautéed a chicken breast (seasoned with Cholula chili-lime seasoning) in a few drops more of the same chipotle olive oil, then I took it out and shredded it with a fork. I put it back in the sautée pan for another minute or so, so the shreds from the inside of the chicken breast can get some seasoning too.
  4. Spread the refried beans evenly across the cornbread “crust.” Sprinkle the tomato, olives, shredded chicken, corn and whatever else on top.
  5. Sprinkle cheese across the top to your desired thickness (or at least to whatever thickness you can get away with..).
  6. Bake it for about 10 minutes, or just until the cheese is fully melted.
  7. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

I grew up eating it, so it’s a comfort food for me too. This is seriously delicious. What would you put on it? I’d love to hear your variations!

Mexican pizza close-up ingredients

 

Mexican casserole side view of cornbread, beans, tomatoes and olives

 

chicken sautéed in olive oil and seasoning

 

Sautéed shredded chicken breast

 

Finished Mexican pizza with melted cheese

Posted in Easy meals, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

White beans and spinach

March 14, 2011 by Hannah

wilted spinach, white beans and tomatoes

This side dish is delicious. Stephen thought it was ok, but I am a sucker for balsamic vinegar, so I loved it! It has a unique taste, so if you’re just beginning to build a relationship with plain vegetable dishes, you might want to wait a while before trying this.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 4 servings. The original recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, where it’s called “White beans & wilted spinach salad.” This dish is served warm, however, in which case I simply cannot file it into the “salad” category of my brain. Hence, the name change.

  • 1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced (use one of my favorite kitchen tools ever – it will change your life)
  • 1 Tbs olive oil (or thereabouts… of course I didn’t measure)
  • 1 can navy beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini)
  • 1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried thyme (I used about 1/2 tsp because I’m not a fan of thyme if it’s too strong)
  • 4 cups fresh spinach, torn (I was lazy and didn’t tear mine)
  • 2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (this didn’t make a huge difference in the flavor… if you have some on hand, use it, but if not, don’t worry about it)
  • 4 tsp balsamic vinaigrette (you can also use red wine vinaigrette)

Directions

This seriously just takes a few minutes to put together.

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender (about 3 minutes).
  2. Stir in the beans.
  3. Drain the tomatoes, reserving 1/3 cup liquid. Stir in the tomatoes, reserved liquid and thyme. Cook and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the spinach and bacon, stirring about 30 seconds to wilt the spinach.
  5. Divide into bowls and drizzle each bowl with 1 tsp vinaigrette (but seriously… who’s going to measure that?). Season with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

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