Great Guest Foodie and how I suck at blogging.

I readily admit that my blogging efforts have been an epic fail of late. The only excuse I can offer is that this term in school has been particularly composition heavy and when writing for school not much else gets written. I have struggled to write as much as a post it note recently! It does not help that, for a variety of reasons, I have felt kind of down in the dumps lately. You would think that cooking would make that all better but ironically the opposite happens. I do not cook when I am blue. Perhaps it is the utter lack of inspiration?

As my ten week term in school draws to a close I can see the light at the end of this term’s tunnel! I am taking next term off to (finally) take the vacation my father got for me on my nn^th  (I am actually 29, forever!) birthday. So a much needed adventure is coming my way and I will be blogging about it as I go. A month or so of touring Europe (mostly Italy, I think) with my best friend Amanda (yes we are both Amanda’s), hopefully a visit or two with some really great friends of mine, culinary explorations abound, and I should be feeling all kinds of perky when I return to the US of A. Words do not even express my excitement when I think of the potential here! I have only been to the United Kingdom in the past and I love, love, loved it! London has to be one of my favorite cities on earth! I cannot wait to see more of the continent and share it with all of you! There is the small matter of surviving without my precious Griffin, but as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Right?

So because of my serious lack of cooking lately I have been collecting recipes from friends and I literally have a file folder bursting at the seams of blogging ideas! The first “guest recipe” comes from my beautiful and great friend J~ and involves one of my favorite (easy) foods to impress with. Scallops! They are rich and buttery and should never, ever be rubbery! Go fresh with scallops avoid the bag of frozen scallops at the local Sam’s Club. Make sure that you rinse them and remove their “necks” (the little piece that makes them uneven circles, it comes off really easily) and always, ALWAYS pat them dry with paper towels before cooking.

The secret to a great seared scallop is to leave them alone! Do not whatsoever touch them until it is time to flip over the scallop. You will know their level of doneness by looking at the side of the scallop, when it is half way opaque then you may flip them. The bottom of the scallop when you flip it over should be this beautiful caramelized crust! It takes about two minutes on each size, but that is dependent on the size of your scallop! Watch them, but as I said avoid the urge to peek the searing process takes time. Also it is very important to make sure your pan is HOT. When I say hot I do not mean you pat your scallops dry and turn on the burner. No! Turn on the burner as you are rinsing the scallops and allow the oil to heat a bit, not smoking, but close. It is the heat that gives you the lovely sear. J~’s recipe is beautiful and would be lovely to really impress or just when you want something different than the usual mid-week ho hum chicken or tuna mac. Everyone does that, don’t feel ashamed. Without further ado J~’s recipe in her own words!

Saucy Seared Scallops:

Ingredients:

For the Tomato-Butter-Leek Sauce:

2 Tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced shallots (my grocery store was out so I used sweet onions)

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 leeks, white part only, sliced

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 

4 small tomatoes, diced

I also added some salt, to taste, but the recipe did not call for it.

For the scallops:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound sea scallops

Seasoned bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest (J~ skipped this, but you could use a splash of lemon juice if you do not feel comfortable with the zester)

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the wine, vinegar, shallots, bay leaf and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until reduced by half.

2. Add the cream and leeks and cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until the leeks are nearly tender.

3. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, and stir until smooth. Add the tomato and cook for one minute. Reduce heat to low to keep sauce warm.

4. Preheat the broiler. 

5. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat (stove top). Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until opaque.

6. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and lemon zest and place under broiler, 4 inches from the heat source for 2-3 minutes, or until the crumbs are lightly browned.

7. Serve scallops with sauce.

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce?

Being a foodie queen you would think I would be totally open to all foods. I have to admit that I have a few things I refuse to eat. Most of these foods I have at least tried but some I cannot get beyond the mere appearance of the food. For example, raw oysters look like snot to me and I cannot bring myself to try it; despite all the encouragement in the world from friends and family. As the wonderfully precocious and adorable child I was growing up I was a pretty finicky eater. I had rules about my foods. The first was that anything red in color must be hot and therefore not something I wanted to eat. (This included tomatoes and strawberries.) Anyone who attempted to tell me otherwise was immediately written off as completely moronic in my mind. Until I reached kindergarten I had no idea that cookies were anything other than Saltines. (Somehow my mother maintains to this day that this was a good thing she did for me… I blame her for my sweet tooth.) The second rule I established very early was that if my father said something was not hot (spice wise) you by no means are to believe him. Jalapeños are not pickles and you should never take a “pickle” from any of the pepper bellies in my family. Just saying. Eventually I tried red foods, and realized I was just being silly. Mentally I apologized to all the morons. I still have a list of things I cannot eat. Mushrooms… I think it is a texture thing for me; I dislike rubber. I do not like sweet potatoes… ever. There is no reason in my mind to eat raisins which I inherited from my mother who called them “flies” as she was growing up. Until a couple years ago I had never tried blueberries. I can think of no reason for this except they looked odd to me. There was no pre-existing rule stating I could not eat blue foods. (Blue is my favorite color)
Blueberries are fascinating little bundles of health. They are one of the few fruits native to the Americas and have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans for everything from food to dyes to medicines. The Calyx of the berry, the little burst open portions at the bottom of the berry forms a perfect five pointed star. The American Indians called them star berries; and told stories that the Great Spirit sent them to feed the children in times of famine. Blueberries play a fascinating role in the Native American’s lives and were often central to their diets. When the colonists came they too were taught the virtues of the berries by the Indians that helped them. To this day America is the top blueberry producer in the world. Blueberries are available year round due to crops grown in the Southern Hemisphere; however they are freshest and best during our summer months.
Just one cup of blueberries contains 80 calories and is a great source of dietary fiber. These little wonders contain about 25 percent of your daily dose of Vitamin C in one serving! They are simply chock full of antioxidants which as you may know fight free radicals in your body. Those free radicals cause all kinds of issues not to mention early signs of aging. Interestingly enough blueberries are one of the few naturally blue fruits in the world.
I love blueberries now! They are just amazing. I put them on everything and eat them raw like Skittles. When I came across this recipe though, I was concerned… Heated blueberry sauce? The idea made me think of that horrible glop you find at the IHOP. I just did not believe this would work out. My family was skeptical and sort of wary looking as I presented the beautifully plated food in front of them. That being said, I surprised myself and renewed my faith in blueberries! I can take no credit for this recipe as I pulled it directly from a Weight Watchers magazine. I only made a couple of tweaks here and there, but not enough to call it my own. This recipe was too good to not share though and because I love y’all I will pass it along. It is a bit fancy for every day, but sure to impress when you are having guests over or just want to do something totally different. I realize chicken can get boring!
Chicken with Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients:
· 1 tablespoon butter, divided
· ¾ lb. chicken cutlets (about four cutlets) I used the extra thin sliced cutlets because I like at least feeling like I am getting more even if I am not.
· ½ teaspoon salt
· ¼ teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
· ½ cup (2 oz.) shredded Fontina cheese. I used Mozzarella, as I had no Fontina on hand.
· 3 tablespoons apple juice
· 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
· ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
· 1 cup fresh blueberries, I tossed in a little extra.
· 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
How to:
1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. (Never forget to pat your meat with paper towels, it helps the cooking process) Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with cheese. Keep warm.
2. Combine apple juice, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl (I just did this in my sauce pan, why dirty up more dishes); stir well with a whisk. Add apple juice mixture to sauce pan (or in my case leave in sauce pan). Simmer one minute. Add blueberries and thyme; simmer two minutes. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons of butter. Spoon blueberry sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings (about one chicken cutlet, or in my extra thin cutlets case two, and 2 tablespoons sauce.
**Weight Watchers points value of 5**
Ginger Green Beans
Ingredients:
· 1 12 oz. package of pre-trimmed green beans (I used French style beans)
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 2 teaspoons grated, peeled, fresh ginger. (I could not find any at the store, odd I know, so I used my powdered ginger and added 2 extra teaspoons and got a good flavor.)
· Salt and Pepper to taste
How To:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450˚.
2. Combine green beans, olive oil, ginger, salt, and pepper on a foil lined roasting pan or baking sheet. Toss well to coat.
3. Spread beans into single layer. Bake about 10 minutes or until crisp but tender.
Yield: 4 servings
**Weight Watchers points value of 1**

As always enjoy!  Let me know how yours turns out!  Be creative and trust your instincts!  

Sources: 
"Five Ingredient 15 minute Recipes" from Weight Watchers
http://www.blueberry.org/blueberries.htm 
http://www.blueberrycouncil.com/nutrition.php

Soul Baring and Salmon Cakes

When I started this blog I didn’t intend to only give you food, but a bit of myself as well. (Food is boring without personality, and I have personality in spades.) I do not want to be one of those bloggers who glosses over their life and makes everything sound like it is perfectly fabulous all the time. Life just is not that way. So I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly with you. Honesty is the best policy, right? I am only human after all. As you may already know I am working to lose some weight; it is one of my New Year’s resolutions. Growing up I danced ballet and was quite fit and in shape. In fact I was rail thin. Too thin sometimes, but I was proud of my body, especially my abs. I do not believe I owned a shirt that covered my stomach. I worked really hard to look that way; ballet is not an easy sport (yes, I said sport). I dreamt of being a professional dancer. Two bad knees and the threat of surgery caused me to give up that dream and only dance a few classes in college and eventually just around the house.

As much as it pains me to disclose the next fact to you, especially my readers who knew me in those glory days; I am no longer rail thin. (I find this humiliating) Not even close to thin, though not unattractive, just outside the “norm” or current standard of beauty. It started when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease; they give you steroids to treat “flare ups” and apparently my body and steroids do not agree with one another. On the plus side I finally developed a chest, and could put away the “chicken cutlets” I had been using to fill out my bra. The downside is I become ravenously hungry for those long periods of steroid treatments. Each time I am put on a steroid treatment I gain weight and every time have to work the weight back off. This last summer (for my 30^th birthday) I was in the hospital again and back on steroid treatments and took some home for further treatment. This time I gained around 30 pounds without even trying. I fell into a deep depression because I hadn’t finished getting the last weight gain off from the previous treatment. I swear to you I could eat anything and gain weight. A bag of carrots could mean five pounds. It is insane what steroids do to my metabolism. I have come to the conclusion that the next time I have a flare up I am going to refuse steroids and tell them to work their medical magic some other way. So now I weigh around 200 pounds, though no one believes me when I reveal that fact, I guess that is a good thing… it means I carry it well. (I am pretty tall for a girl. My measurements remain proportionate, which is a plus.) However having a bra size that could be a vowel except for my refusal to accept that… is all getting to be a bit much and I do not believe I should feel humiliated by my body if I can change it.

I am also working to give up another bad habit… I tend to turn to smoking when I get stressed out. (Bad habit I picked up when I lived with a total loser). Smoking is bad for anyone, but especially “foodies” because it alters how you taste foods. (Also makes you stinky, which as a perfume junkie I find repulsive, don’t ask me how I got started in the first damn place.) It is especially bad for me and my Crohn’s disease. My quit date is set for the 31st of January… I am working a program online.  So this New Year is full of changes! Good ones. I look forward to sharing my progress with you along the way.

Being a foodie queen however there are certain things I cannot give up entirely. For example Fat Free cheese is just nasty plastic and I refuse to eat it. You will also not find me ever buying skim milk unless I am having a house guest who drinks it. Skim milk is not milk, in my opinion, it is blue water. I will still use butter when necessary, but not as much. I have given it up all together except in baking, or if a recipe specifically calls for it. I also refuse to give up my “mini” cokes. I love Coca Cola and I am not ashamed to admit it. While I have certainly decreased the amount I drink; 12 fl. Oz. is a far cry from the liters of it I could drink in my younger years. Increasing my intake of water and Crystal Light has really helped me cut that habit. So if you are still reading at this point then you probably know more about me than you ever bargained to. But this is what my life is, and what drives my cooking.

Without further ado, my recipes for Salmon Cakes and Cucumber and Grape Tomato salad.

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

2 5 or 6 oz. cans of Boneless Skinless Pink Salmon, like Bumble Bee.

1/3 cups dry bread crumbs (plain)

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or dried, I didn’t have any fresh)

1 large egg

½ cup finely chopped pine nuts (can increase or decrease this based on preference)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic Powder to taste

How to:

1.) Combine ingredients in medium bowl. Make sure the chunks of salmon are good and broken up and all ingredients are mixed well.

2.) Shape mixture into small patties.

3.) Heat about two tablespoons of either canola or olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.

4.) Place patties in heated oil, they should sizzle, cook patties until browned; about 4 minutes on each side.

I serve these with a quick and easy Low Fat Tzatziki Sauce. They would be equally good alone though.

Serves three to four people based on how big your patties are.

**Worth 9 Weight Watchers points.**

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

1 package (1 pint) of grape tomatoes, halved.

1-2 large sliced cucumbers (based on your preference)

½ cup 2% Mozzarella Cheese Shredded (Or you could buy the really good stuff and slice it into chunks)

2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice (based on your taste)

1-2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil (again more or less based on your taste)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

How To:

1.) Mix your cucumbers and tomatoes in a bowl

2.) Add seasonings, including chopped basil

3.) Pour lemon juice and olive oil over the salad and mix well.

4.) Stir in Mozzarella cheese.

5.) Allow to sit for a while. (Frankly this was even better the second day!)

This will serve about five people and is worth an amazing 2 Weight Watcher points! Thus the reason I serve it with the higher point salmon cakes!

Quick and Easy Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ - ½ cup of plain low fat yogurt

1 peeled, seeded, and grated cucumber

½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (based on how tart you like it)

Salt to your preference

(The recipe does not call for it but I always throw in some dill, because I love, LOVE dill.)

How to:

1.) Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2.) Serving size to stick with points is ¼ of a cup. (Though you could use up to a half cup)

**Worth 2 Weight Watchers points. **

Quick Chicken Scaloppini and Roasted Potatoes

Snow has found its way to the Carolinas! It is so beautiful outside! The quiet beauty of snow makes everything so peaceful and makes the tired winter landscape new again. Winter is not always my favorite time of year, I do love Christmas but generally the dreary, cold winter days are not my favorite. Snowy days are different though! I am like a giddy school girl on snow days. Playing in the snow with my dog is great! Griffin seems so confused when it snows; but he absolutely loves it! He snuffles through it like a pig looking for truffles. This snowfall was not typical for us here in the south. We usually only get an inch or two, but this time we got nearly six! It was odd to step into snow and not see the grass in my foot print. Living down here I have never owned a sled in my life, but I absolutely wished I had one these last couple days! It looks like so much fun! Instead I settled for throwing a ball for Griffin and watching him root it out in the snow. He is so funny. I love that dog!

After battling a bad cold for a couple weeks now I felt I should actually cook something. For dinner instead of going for the obvious option of soup I decided to make some quick and easy Chicken Scaloppini and roasted potatoes. I paired the two with some frozen field peas with snaps I had on hand. For so long I have been trying to “eat out of the freezer” but it is so difficult to do sometimes, especially when you go to the store and see all the tantalizing fresh stuff! I am actually really thankful for that freezer being pretty full this week as I have not been able to make it out of the house  due to the frozen sheet of ice outside(I live on a hill). Freezing rain after a good snow is not a good combination!

Obviously the recipe below is adjustable based on how many you are going to feed. Since I am usually just cooking for me or one or two other people I tend to buy in small portions.

Quick and Easy Chicken Scaloppini

Ingredients:

· Thin Chicken Breasts (I buy the singles by Purdue and for this use the White Wine and Garlic marinated ones)

· Panko Bread Crumbs

· Plain Bread Crumbs (though you could easily use Italian Bread crumbs if you prefer)

· Lemon Juice (one whole lemon)

· Salt and Pepper

· Garlic

· Olive Oil

· ½ cup of Chicken Broth

How To:

1. In a shallow dish I mix the Panko bread crumbs (I like the extra crunch and texture they give) and the plain bread crumbs with salt and pepper, and garlic. I eyeball it based on my taste.

2. Then the FUN part! I do not have a meat mallet, if you have one use it if not do what I do. I leave the Purdue “Singles” in their packet wrap them in a couple paper towels and using a small but heavy pan bash the ever living uh… stuff out of the chicken. (Great stress reliever!) You want the chicken to be flattened out, but not destroyed so keep an eye on it.

3. Immediately after the smash session I take the pre-marinated breast and dip/roll the breast in the bread crumb mix. Then I lay them on a platter until I am ready to cook them.

4. Heat about 2 tablespoons in a frying pan. You want the oil to get hot! It should sizzle when you place the chicken in the pan. Medium-high heat.

5. Lay the breasts flat in the pan, not touching. If you are doing more than will fit this way in the pan, be prepared to move them to a “resting place” where they can stay warm. Remember the chicken should sizzle when it goes into the pan!

6. The trick here is to leave them alone. I know you want to look to see if they are browning and not burning. But it is fine, leave them alone. After about three minutes slide a slotted spatula under the breast and lift; you can look underneath to make sure it is pretty and brown. Flip and cook another three minutes on the other side. If needed move them to a resting plate, I like to put them on a warm pan with a rack to keep them crispy.

7. Add broth and lemon juice to pan, stirring to deglaze (remove the brown bits) Cook about 2 minutes. Drizzle, the juices over the chicken to serve.

**Worth 6 Weight Watchers points**

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

· Potatoes, I used regular white potatoes for this but any type of potato should work.

· Salt and Pepper, to taste

· Garlic Powder to taste, or chopped garlic cloves.

· Olive Oil

· Extra spices if you want… I used sprigs of Rosemary to just scent the potatoes.

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Peel your potatoes if you want, I did in this case because I just did not want to scrub them. Slice the potatoes, about ¼ to ½ inches thick depending on your preference.

3. Lay out potatoes in bottom of roasting pan I try to get them all flat but depending on how many I am cooking for sometimes they overlap or I have to use two roasting pans!

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, garlic and any other spices you like.

6. I lay a few springs of Rosemary on top of the potatoes.

7. Place pan in oven and roast for about 30 minutes. Flip the potatoes, removing the springs of rosemary. And roast another 15 minutes or so. Until they are tender and brown around the edges.

ENJOY! As always be creative, and remember your preferences are always the best additions to a recipe! Make it your own and trust your instincts! Laugh if you mess up and try again the next time! Of course let me know how it turns out!

New Year’s Resolution and sharing a great Chicken Recipe from a fellow blogger!

In the interest of sticking to my New Year’s resolution to work off some weight, I gained after a hospital stay this summer, I will now be working to feature some more healthy alternatives. That is not to say I will stop giving you real food. What I am saying is that there will likely be more healthy options presented for desserts. I typically present to you exactly what I am feeding myself and my family, and as I have stated before I firmly believe in quality not quantity. The key is moderation, so have no fear that I will not feature any more delicious sinful recipes.  When it comes to “diet food” if doesn’t taste good I won’t eat it. (I have the greatest recipe for White Chocolate Cheesecake that is zero fat!) My sweet tooth is pretty big and cannot be ignored!

In the spirit of my effort I will try and remember to include “Points” on my recipes and serving sizes. I will also try and swallow my pride and keep you informed of my progress; I am going on my great adventure to Italy in May and my goal is to look fabulous by then! Blogging will resume this week but to tide you over I will share with you a great recipe from one of my fellow food bloggers. Her blog is called The Blog is the New Black, and I absolutely love her! (She is also way better at taking pictures of her food, I am inspired to keep working on my photos because of her!)  Please check her out! This recipe is amazing!

30 Minute Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 T lemon zest
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1.5 T canola oil
• 2 T brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.  If needed, pound the breasts with a meat mallet until thin. 
2. Combine the flour, paprika and sea salt in a shallow dish. Coat each chicken breast in the mixture and toss until coated completely.
3. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Place each chicken breast in the oil and brown on both sides. Remove chicken breasts and keep warm on a plate.
4. Pour the lemon juice in the pan to deglaze. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and cover with juice. Top with brown sugar and lemon zest.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165.

Source: http://theblogisthenewblack.wordpress.com/page/10/