Maple Chipotle Pork on Smoked Gouda Grits

Everything that Dad makes is good but few recipes make it to the All-Stars. This is one of them. I can't remember when he started making it but I have an email to Dad from 2014 asking Dad for the recipe so I know that it was sometime before that. Finally made it to the blog for easy finding.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Chipotle Sauce

Maple Chipotle Pork Tenderloin on Smoked Gouda Grits

Ingredients

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can

1 pork tenderloin (plus salt and pepper)

Adapted from MyRecipes. 

How-to

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Season pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and let rest.

2. Whisk together first 4 ingredients, and set aside.

3. Pan roast tenderloin on medium to high heat to brown the outside.

4. Place tenderloin in ovenproof skilled and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145 F.

5. Once tenderloin has been removed from oven, let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Smoked Gouda Grits

Ingredients

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cups milk

1 teaspoons salt

Dash pepper

1 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits

4 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

1.5 tablespoons butter

How-to

Bring chicken broth, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese and butter until melted.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

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Good morning, family.

I thought it was time to add this recipe. I make this casserole when I want to eat something that feels like home. It's also a crowd pleaser for even the pickiest of eaters.

From what I recall, Mom says that this was the first meal that she made for Dad when they started dating. So, maybe this casserole leads to many years of happy marriage!

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POPPY SEED CHICKEN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 60 Ritz crackers, crushed
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place chicken in a pan and cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender and no longer pink(about 10 minutes). Once cool enough cut into bite size pieces(I use my electric knife).
3. Mix two cans of soup with sour cream in a 13X9 inch rectangular pan. Sprinkle the chicken over the soup mixture.
4. Place Ritz crackers in a plastic bag and gently crush them. Add poppy seeds and shake to combine and then pour melted butter over the crackers and shake again. Sprinkle cracker mixture over the chicken.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until it begins to bubble around edges and the crackers are golden brown.

Swordfish with Puttanesca Sauce

In our attempts to up our game in the healthy eating department we are expanding our horizons in terms of both the types of seafood that we eat and the ways that we prepare it.  Swordfish is one of those things that we have eaten occasionally over the years, but not really ranked as one of our regular favorites.  They had some nice looking steaks at Metropolitan Market in Tacoma a few months ago and we tried it with a spicy puttanesca sauce.  We both liked it a lot and have had it now a couple of additional times. 

I did check on it and swordfish is now listed as one of the most sustainable fisheries, so no guilt there.  Swordfish also got a bad rap for mercury contamination.  While swordfish and tuna are both longer living top predator fishes, somehow people focus on swordfish as the no go species.  As with most things, people eating a diverse diet are not likely to ingest enough of this one species to have an effect. 

This recipe serves two, so adjust according to the number of people being served.

Ingredients

6-8 oz of swordfish per person, so .8 to 1 lb for two.  About 1 inch thick. 

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Puttanesca Sauce

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion ( this is optional as most recipes I find do not include onion, but I like adding it)

1 - 2 garlic cloves chopped

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 - 3/4 cup of fresh green olives sliced (I get these off of the olive bar at our local upscale market.  Sometimes these are not pitted, so you have to extract the pit as part of the process.  Definitely, pitted works best.  I would not use the jarred green olives with pimentos.  Some recipes call for black olives, do go with what you like.)

2 tsp of capers

2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste (I would start with about 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper.  Remember though that both the capers and olives are salty, so don't overdue.  It is far easier to add salt than to take it out.   

Preparation

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbs of olive oil.  Saute onions until they are translucent (3 minutes) then add garlic and pepper flakes swirling or stirring to infuse the oil with these flavors (1-2 minutes).  Do not overcook the garlic, as it will become bitter.   

Add tomatoes plus about 1/2 can of water.  I use the water to get the extra bits of tomato out of the can and to give the mixture some liquid to extract flavors and cook off as the sauce thickens.  As with most sauces, simmering on low heat allows the flavors to combine and interact.  I keep the can nearby with a bit of water and add it as it is needed to keep the sauce from becoming too thick. 

Cook this tomato, garlic, pepper, & onion mixture on low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Add the olives, capers, and1 tbs parsley cooking an additional 10-15 minutes allowing the sauce to thicken at the end of the process.  You will want a sauce that you can get a mounded spoonful of, rather than a more runny level spoonful. 

When the sauce is all together and simmering put the pasta water on and heat on medium high until it comes to a rolling boil.  Also start the grill (If you are using charcoal you should start the coals heating in the tower when you are starting the sauce so that they will be ready to cook in 20-30 minutes time). 

At this time, drizzle both sides of the swordfish with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Allow to stand for a few minutes while the fire is getting hot.

When the water is at a rolling boil add salt (About a Tbs.  You want the water to taste like the ocean).  Add the pasta (spaghetti or fettucine) and cook with frequent stirring to keep it from sticking.  Be sure that the grill is hot and ready to cook before you put the pasta in to cook.  It will take about the same amount of time for both to cook. 

Place the swordfish on the grill.  I like to cook it about 3 minutes, then turn it, cook three minutes, than turn again rotating the piece so that you end up with grill marks that go in two directions on both sides of the steaks.  So, about 10 to 12 minutes total.  The fish should be fully cooked and firm. 

Drain the pasta, retaining a cup of the water.  Toss the pasta with about 1 Tbs of olive oil. 

Place swordfish steaks on the plate then top with 1-2 Tbs of the sauce. 

Place a serving of pasta into a small mixing bowl.  Add enough of the sauce to generously coat the pasta.  Add a bit of the reserved pasta water and toss until it is well coated.  Place the pasta on the plate with the swordfish and repeat for each serving.  (You can also just put a mound of pasta on the plate and put the sauce on top of it. The key is for everyone to get equal amounts of the olives and capers.)

Sprinkle the remaining Tbs of chopped parsley over the top of both pasta and fish. 

Serve with a ceasar or kale ceasar salad. 

Pumpkin Lasagna Roll-ups Easy Clean Recipe

Pumpkin Lasagna Roll-ups Easy Clean Recipe

Ingredients

6 whole wheat lasagna noodles

1/2 c can pumpkin

1/2 c ricotta cheese

1/4 c cooked onions (optional)

small handful spinach or kale

marinara sauce

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Steps

Boil noodles and let cool. Mix ricotta, pumpkin and onion. Spoon filling onto lasagna. Top with with greens. Roll up. Use toothpick to close. Arrange on baking sheet. Spoon marinara over tops of rolls. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in oven @350 for 15 min or til cheese is melted.

**I had some leftover breakfast sausage that I included in my rolls as well and it was amazing.

Christmas Church Potato Casserole Recipe

So J chose to be born at the wrong time. Dec. 19. Who does that? Someone who wants to get twice the presents at one time, that's who. At his Dec. 18 birthday celebration this year I ate these amazing potatoes. And I've eaten them as left overs several times since. They're simply amazing. Jarrod's mother, Ruth, was kind enough to share the recipe with me.

In other news, Bonnie, my friend since junior high, graduated from college this weekend. I went to her graduation party at the Irwin house on Saturday. Congrats, Bonnie! I love you. She is going to be a fantastic teacher.

Christmas Church Potato Casserole

1 (2 lb.) bag of Southern style hash brown potatoes

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. melted butter

1/2 c. chopped onions

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 small can of cream of chicken soup

1 pt. sour cream

2 c. grated cheddar cheese

2 c. corn flakes

1/4 c. melted butter

Directions

Mix all ingredients except corn flakes and butter. Spread in oiled 9 x 13 pan. Mix corn flakes and butter and sprinkle on top. Cook in preheated oven at 350 for 90 minutes.

Easy Paleo Bone Broth Chicken and Rice Soup

I had a moment recently (let's call it an extended moment) when I panicked because I thought I'd lost my crock pot. Now, I'm not a worshiper of the slow cooker and I don't use it very often. But when I went to get it off the top shelf of my kitchen where it usually lives and it wasn't there...I was so baffled how I could lose such a big appliance. I mean, it's big, and red, and heavy. I was so pleased when I found it while packing up Jarrod's apartment last week. How did it get to his apartment? I don't know. But thank goodness it was clean (clearly I didn't put it away) and in good shape.

So I brought old crocky (cute?) home and set about making my first batch of bone broth.

Crock Pot Chicken Bone Broth

Ingredients

1-2 cooked chicken carcasses stripped of as much meat as you can remove (I used a rotisserie chicken carcass)

Enough distilled water to cover your chicken and veggies in the crock pot

1 Medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters

3 Carrots

3-4 Celery stalks

Italian seasoning and salt to taste

Procedure

Chop vegetables and put into crock pot with chicken and spices. Poor water over until covering the chicken. Turn crock pot on high for the first two hours, then reduce temperature to low. Let broth cook on low for 18-24 hours. Allow broth to cool and strain.

**Bone broth can be kept in the fridge for 7-10 days or frozen for later use.

** When refrigerated your bone broth should gel. When you heat it up to cook with it will go back to liquid.

Easy Paleo Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients

1 TBSP Bacon fat (or oil of your choosing)

1 Small Yellow Onion Chopped

3 Ribs of Celery Chopped

3 Carrots Chopped

2 TSP of Garlic

6 C Bone Broth (or regular broth in a pinch)

1/2 TSP Smoked Paprika

1.5 C Uncooked Rice

2 C Chopped Cooked Chicken (use a rotisserie chicken...make more bone broth)

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic in bacon fat. Add bone broth and paprika. Add in uncooked rice and allow soup to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add chicken around the 30 minute mark. Check to see that your rice is cooked. Serve.

**If using bone broth the soup may gel in your fridge. Heating it up will cause it to liquefy again.

Fresh Thanksgiving Cranberry Salad Recipe (That doesn't suck!)

Ah, 'tis the season for food that you really don't want to eat. Right!? The old 'if it's not shaped like can then it's not really cranberry' adage? Because of this, I'd pretty much given up on cranberry sauce (crap-berry, anyone?). So, I was more than thrilled when J's grandma served us this salad last week. It's a-maz-ing. Like eat it with a spoon for leftovers good. Fresh Thanksgiving Cranberry Salad Recipe (That doesn't suck!)

 Ingredients:

2 cups of each (ground fresh cranberries, sugar, ground pecans, crushed pineapple)

2 packs cranberry (or strawberry) Jell-O

 Procedure:

Grind cranberries, pour sugar over and set overnight.  Add the pecans, pineapple to the Jell-O and add cranberries.  Place in fridge until ready to use.  I use the juice of the pineapple for some of the liquid to make Jell-O.

Vegan Fudge Recipe and Holiday Cheer Creeps In

Last night, on my way back from another great snowy ski day, I heard my first Christmas song of the season. I can’t say that I was surprised. It is the week of Thanksgiving after all.  With a little more than a month till the big day it seems relatively appropriate that holiday cheer begins its creep into the fabric of our everyday lives.

Aside from the Christmas music, over this weekend I participated in my first Friendsgiving. Which if you are not familiar with the concept Friendsgiving is the first excuse for a bunch of people who know each other to drink heavily, eat copious amounts of food and gorge themselves on the first taste of holiday cheer.  It is an all-around good time. As part of this holiday pre-season event it is required that all participants contribute a thanksgiving themed dish.   Since this is only the beginning of the holiday season I did not feel it was necessary to spend all day cooking some elaborate dish. I wanted to make something easy and thanks to the expansive knowledge of tumbler I found one of the simplest recipes I think I’ve ever attempted, 3-ingredient vegan fudge.

3-Ingredient Vegan Fudge

Ingredients:

3 cups of dark chocolate morsels

¾ cup of whole coconut milk

2 table spoons of coconut oil

+ any additional ingredients your little heart may desire! For this rendition of fudge I chose to add walnuts and coconut pieces.

Procedure:

1. Place chocolate chips into a bowl. I placed mine in a metal bowl and then heated it by placing it into a sauce pan of simmering water. Essentially replicating a double boiler.
2. In a separate sauce pan bring coconut oil and milk to a boil, whisking occasionally.
3. Pour milk and oil mix over chocolate chips and stir until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. At this point, add any additional ingredients you would like.
4. Pour mixture into a well-greased pan. I put mine into a 5x5 pan.
5. Place into the fridge for 2-3 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

** Recommended augmentations: Add vanilla extract and or powdered sugar, this is to cut the somewhat bitter taste of the dark chocolate morsels.

The beauty of the 3-ingredient fudge is not only that it is ridiculously easy but also that it is a crowd pleaser. Although everyone was stuffed to the brim from pre-season thanksgiving foods several people asked if they could take doggie bags home of vegan fudge. With holiday cheer, aided by red wine, I gladly obliged their requests.

So as the holiday season swings to full tilt, remember 3-ingredient fudge for those moments that to embark on an extravagant dish would bring out the Grinch in anyone. But until then revel in the glittering splendor that is the holiday season and don’t be ashamed to crank up the volume when your favorite holiday song comes on the radio. I know I did.

Grandma's Thanksgiving Roasted Bacon Mushroom Green Beans

Happy holidays, Macrander family! It's here finally. Last night, J and I went over to his grandmother's house for Thanksgiving-Christmas dinner with his out-of-town aunt. She's going to be with her partner for the holidays and they will not be traveling so we had to celebrate early. Here's the standout dish from last night. Grandma's Thanksgiving Roasted Bacon Mushroom Green Beans

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 20 minutes

Heat oven: 375 F

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh green beans

2 tbsp. EVOO

2 tbsp. all purpose seasoning

6 slices (or more) thick-cut bacon

1/3 cup sliced shallots

2 tbsp. (or more) garlic

12 oz. fresh mushrooms

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

Procedure:

1. Trim and wash the green beans. Toss with EVOO and seasoning.

2. Roast beans in the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Dice and cook bacon in deep skillet (iron skillets make magic). When bacon begins to brown, add shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Stir fry until bacon is brown. (You might want to drain out the bacon fat at this point, or what the hell, YOLO, leave it in.)

4. Add roasted beans to the mix and add 1 cup broth. Cover pan and cook on medium for 10 minutes.

Butternut Squash, Bacon, Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese

Every now and again inspiration strikes. I was feeling pretty down Tuesday. J called and asked if I’d thought about what we might want to do for Bible Study dinner. We’ve gotten into a good pattern since J started hosting at his house where he cleans, preps for the hour before study and I go home and prepare a meal. It works for us and I really enjoy the challenge of making food that will feed 10 people on a budget. Like I said, I was feeling pretty grumpy, so when J called I told him that, yes, I had thought about dinner, but, no, I hadn’t come to any conclusions. He said we’d order pizza, a practice that we’ve really tried to get away from.

So, I got off the phone and asked my colleagues what I could possibly make that would be cheap and would feed many. Our wonderful IT guy, Michael, said “macaroni with hot dogs!” And suddenly my sad, self-pitying soul said, “Yes! Feed the hole in my heart with cheese and noodles!”

After some noodling (pardon the pun), this is what I came up with. Not exactly mac and hot dogs, but close. Also, it’s a variation on Nanni’s Mac-and-Cheese, that the family loves.

Butternut Squash, Bacon, Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese

1          9 by 13 Baking Dish, Greased

1          Box of Whole Wheat Elbow Noodles

½        Butternut Squash, Peeled and Cubed

6          Strips of Thick Cut Bacon

½        Yellow Onion

2          Cloves of Garlic

1          Package of Colby Jack Cheese Cubed

3          Cups Whole Milk

6          Tsp Flour

1          Tbsp Dried or Fresh Rosemary

2          Cups Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Total Time: 60 min. Time in Oven: 30 min.

Cook temp: 375 F

Boil water for pasta and steaming butternut squash. While water is heating up, cut up and peel squash and add prepped squash to steamer. Steam for at least 15 minutes. (You could also roast the squash, but it would take a bit longer.) Boil noodles.

1. While squash is steaming and noodles are cooking, cook all of the bacon. Dice the onion and garlic.
2. Drain noodles. Mix in the onion, the garlic, the squash, ½ of the chopped bacon, and ¾ of the cheese. Spread evenly in cooking dish. Poor milk into the casserole. The milk  should come up to right before the top of the noodles, but should not cover the noodles.
3. Dust the top of the macaroni with flour. Top with bread crumbs, rosemary, remaining bacon and remaining cheese.
4. Place in heated oven and allow to cook for 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Underwood Ranch Chili

I adore this recipe and I've made it several times.

I enjoy cooking for guests when we go up to the farm, and I've found that meals that are simple to throw together are the best.

The first time I made it, I decided to augment it by adding some chipotle pepper. So, I added a whole can of peppers in adobo sauce. That chili could have set your face on fire. Since then, I've reduced the pepper number to 3-4, based on spice preference.

Anyway, I just made this for Bible study yesterday. This recipe tastes like Fall to me. It fed enough to fill five or six adults.

Also, I had an extra 1/2 zucchini and red bell pepper and carrots in my fridge, so I diced those and threw them in. Get creative. This is  a great recipe to clear out the fridge with.

Make it and love it. I promise it's make-a-million-times good.

Underwood Ranch Chili 

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds lean grass-fed ground beef

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika

1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

3-4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

About 1 tsp. salt

1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can or bottle flavorful, medium-bodied beer, such as Anchor Steam

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 can (14.5 oz.) pinto beans, drained

Optional additions: Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans, Carrots

To serve: Sour cream, sliced green onions, and/or coarsely shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Preparation

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon, stirring until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add onion, lower heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes. Uncover pan, stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef; break it up with a wooden spoon and stir gently until it loses its raw color, 7 minutes. Stir in spices and 1 tsp. salt and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beer, and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook 30 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook 10 minutes, uncovered. Season to taste with salt. Serve warm, with toppings on the side.

See original recipe: myrecipes.com/recipe/smoky-beef-and-bacon-chili

The Mumbai Pie

Several Sundays ago my friends and I were invited to participate in an annual pie party our friend Seth co-hosts every year. Upon receiving his invitation I became gitty with the many possible pies I could make. Pumpkin pie, Key Lime pie, chicken pot pie, the possibilities were endless! Since I am not a huge fan of sweet pies a savory, also known as a humble pie, was my obvious choice.

Now, since this was a competition I knew I could not make a "generic" chicken pot pie as much as I love that classic down-home taste. I had to do something exotic. But how do you make a pie exotic?  I thought long and hard on what makes something exotic and after several pondering hours COLOR sprung into my brain.  The thing is, when I think of exotic I imagine brightly colored, highly textured clothing and landscapes so why couldn't those same things be embodied in a pie.  Thus commenced my pie research.

After a couple internet hours I found several recipes that kind of satisfied my exotic pie needs but not one truly fit the bill. As a result I set out to combine and conquer.  Below you will find my colorful exotic creation recipe appropriately named THE MUMBAI PIE.

Crust: (this recipe makes 1 crust so double for two crusts)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour $
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter because of the rules of the pie party)
• Cooking spray (to ease the slices from the pan)

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour, water, and vinegar in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk until well-blended to create a slurry. Set aside. Combine 3/4 cup flour and salt in a large bowl, and cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry to flour mixture, and toss with a fork until moist. Press the mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill 15 minutes.

Filling: (some of these are estimates and it should also be noted that if you make all of this filling you will get two whole pies)

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (any oil will work)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (I added more for extra flavor)
• 2 cups diced baby golden potatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken, thighs and breasts cooked and shredded beforehand
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (arrowroot was substituted)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

To prepare filling, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add curry; cook 2 minutes. Add potato, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chicken; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through black pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cream cheese; cook 1 minute or until cream cheese is melted.

Upon filling your exotic pie and placing the top crust, cut several slots into the top for steam to vent through. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. When serving allow yourself to be taken away to far off lands filled with bright colors, grand vistas, and amazing architecture. I know I did.

Friends, Food and Satisfaction

Good day family,

I meant to write up this tale and recipe last week but quickly became distracted by other life happenings. So without further ado I present: Friends, Food and Satisfaction.

Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

My friend Mckenzie arrives at my apartment for our weekly run. Quickly she changes and we set out towards city park. With Dante trotting gaily beside me she and I chat as we lightly jog the 3 blocks that stand between my place and the park. Once we arrive at the entrance to the park each of us open our gaits, lengthen our strides and breathe deep the cool spring air. “Today is the perfect day for a run” I think to myself as we make the first turn onto the path that borders the edge of the park. Quickly Mckenzie, who is a few inches taller than me, bounds ahead of me. I struggle to keep up feeling each foot fall against the gravel is not quite enough to propel me far enough forward in order to catch up. But I try. Within moments she is a good 50 feet in front of me as I huff and puff attempting to minimize the distance between us. I should also mention here that we were running uphill. As the terrain flattens I gain on her and feel my body relax into a rhythm.

Growing up Dad would often coax us kids into running or biking with him when he went on his weekend runs. At the time I remember feeling reluctance towards early morning exercise, but now, as an adult I am thankful for those moments and the exercise wisdom Dad passed on during those early morning sessions. As my body relaxes into the rhythm of running I can hear Dad’s breathing lesson echoing through my mind, “In, two, three, four…out, two, three, four”. As my feet land against the loose gravel my breathing begins to match my cadence. This is the space in which running becomes “easy” or as some people call it “the runner’s high”. Before long I am only 10 feet behind Mckenzie at which point she slows down to run alongside Dante and I. Towards the end of our run we crest one final hill and the city of Denver with the Rocky Mountains as a back drop lays before us in its entire spring glory.

After picking up a few items at one of the many grocery stores in close proximity to my place Mckenzie and I return to my place to make dinner. For this evening we have selected broiled brussel sprouts with salmon. When I chose this recipe I honestly didn’t think I would be as easy or delicious as it turned out to be. Below are the ingredients and directions needed to replicate this tasty dish:

Ingredients: - 14 cloves of garlic (I didn’t use this much but if you really like garlic this is a great recipe for you) - ¼ c of olive oil - 2 tbl sp of fresh herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary) - 1 tsp of salt - ¾ tsp of ground pepper - 6 c of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced (I just did enough to feed the two of us plus a little leftover) - ¾ c of white wine - 3 lbs of salmon fillet (I just picked up 1 lb for the two of us and I still had leftovers) - Lemon wedges

Directions: (as always this is a guide not strict directions) 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. 2. Mince 2 garlic cloves and combine in a small bowl with oil, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Halve the remaining garlic and toss with Brussels sprouts and 3 tablespoons of the seasoned oil in a large roasting pan. Roast, stirring once, for 15 minutes. 3. Add wine to the remaining oil mixture. Remove the pan from oven, stir the vegetables and place salmon on top. Drizzle with the wine mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges.

After consuming a wonderful meal in the warmly lit courtyard of my apartment building Mckenzie and I sat chatting and laughing at life, love and the pursuit of happiness. It is these simple moments that make up a life worth living. If anybody ever tells you differently they are probably trying to sell something.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Hey everyone, The recipe below is a favorite of mine. Acorn squash are fairly inexpensive and you can easily increase quantities to accommodate for multiple people. Typically I vary in terms of what I stuff them with based on the season and my mood. For my most recent rendition I used Italian sausage, dried cranberries, sauteed almonds, greens and goat cheese.

Ingredients:

- 1 or 2 acorn squash

- butter or olive oil

- salt

- brown sugar

Stuffing ingredients (below are just suggestions):

- Quinoa or rice (some sort of grain)

- garlic, onions, salt/pepper

- Meat of some sort (leave out for vegetarians)

- Squash, almonds, greens, pretty much anything you like can be added

- some sort of cheese to make things stick together

Directions:

Squash prep

- Cut acorn squash in half  and scope out seeds

- Douse the inside of the squash in butter/olive oil, salt and brown sugar for a slightly sweeter taste

- Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20 mins (Essentially when you pull them out you want a fork to easily go through the meat of the squash)

Stuffing prep

- While your squash are baking prepare your stuffing

- Typically, I saute the meat with garlic and onions while whatever grain I've chosen cooks

- Once your stuffing is done place into the center of each squash half and top with cheese

- Bake (stuffed squash) at 425 degrees for another 5 - 10 mins or until cheese is thoroughly melted

Serve and enjoy!  My suggestion would be to serve squash in individual bowls since serving them on a plate can make eating them difficult.

Foods that freeze well

I've been cooking fresh a lot more often recently thanks to Fresh 20 meal planning. The only problem is, even with the gift of meals for one (or two when I'm feeding Jarrod) and meals that use the same ingredients over several recipes, I end up with fresh ingredients that if left in the fridge will go bad. So, I've been freezing a lot. Please note, I cook with all of my frozen veggies. MMV on thawing out and expecting a grocery store fresh result. This is going to sounds dumb, but, been there done that. Cut up your fruit/vegetable/food item BEFORE you freeze. I once froze a bunch of apples and was very disappointed that I had frozen rock apples that I couldn't do anything with.

Meat:

If you're a single lady like me, a great way to save money is to buy the family sized meat packs (think 5 lb. ground turkey) and cut into individual sized servings BEFORE you freeze. I like cut into commonly used portion sizes. For instance, a 5 lb. log of ground meat I'd cut up into 1 lb. serving sizes, package them in freezer bags and throw all the small freezer bags into a gallon size freezer bag.

Fruits:

Bananas - learned this from mom. Frozen bananas are great for use in breads and muffins. I imagine they'd also be good for smoothies, though I'm not really an at home smoothie girl.

Veggies:

Kale - cooked with some frozen kale the other day and it turned out awesome.

Carrots

Onions - I always buy the big bag and chop up as much as I can and freeze. It sure beats having to chop onion every night.

Garlic

Dairy:

All sorts of shredded cheeses

Add to the list! What do you like to freeze?

Cracker crust pizza

Note: Ginger found this pizza crust recipe on line. I usually use a pizza stone and it creates a crust that is truly thin and crispy as a cracker. I made it at Emily's on an airflow pizza pan and it came out like a perfect pizza that I had in Italy. This recipe is for one pizza and can be multiplied by the number you want.

Ingredients:

5 Tbs warm water 1 package yeast 1 Tbs olive oil 3/4 cup all purpose flour 3 Tbs rice flour 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 475 degrees

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and sir until the dough forms and pulls away from the edge of the bowl. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead slightly.

Allow to rise until double. A tip here: Heat about 1 inch of water in a saucepan until it begins to steam (not boil). Remove from heat. Place a mixing boil on top of the pan, coat the bowl with cooking spray, put dough in the bowl and cover. The dough will rise quickly in about 1/2 hour. Be careful not to make it too hot, as it may dry the crust out.

Punch dough down, then roll out on lightly floured pastry cloth until thin and about 12 inches across. Place on pizza stone, or pizza pan, and cook 3-5 minutes until lightly brown. Be care, it will burn quickly.

Remove the dough from the oven and top. Return the pizza to the oven 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and the toppings are cooked.

I do two kinds of pizza, mushroom and Italian meat.

For the mushroom pizza, thinly slice 3-4 types of fresh mushrooms to make about 6-8 cups. Chop 1/2 onion. Saute onion in 2 Tbs olive oil until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. You can add a couple of drops of truffle oil and a bit of wine during the cooking, but do not overdue the truffle oil.

Top the cooked crust with pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms.

For the meat pizza buy whole salami and pepperoni and slice thinly. Top the cooked crust with tomato pizza sauce, mozzarella, & meat.

Jarrod's homecoming party food

At long last, Jarrod is home from North Dakota. His company is providing him with extra swanky housing in the River Oaks district. So what to do? Invite people over for a Jarrod's home/Olympic kick-off/Jason's birthday party!

Jarrod hates when I bring this up, but two years ago I was invited to Jason's birthday at Papasitos. Now, granted it was a big group of us and granted, I did have a date with me, but Jarrod put me on the pay-no-mind list! Back in those days I had a glamorous job at a newspaper so I regaled the gaggle of engineers with tails of crime and whoa. To no avail. I could not catch Jarrod's eye. Sigh.

It wouldn't be until months later that Jason would set Jarrod and me up on a semi-blind date. The rest is history. So they say.

Anyway, who cares about all of that, right!?! Let's get to the party food. Recipes brought to you by my boss Lonna.

Lonna's Baked Potato Dip

Ingredients

1 tub of sour cream 1 bag of bacon bits 1 bunch of green onion ( just use the ends, not the bulbs) 1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar sprinkle of garlic powder sprinkle of salt sprinkle of pepper

Directions

Mix it all together.

Lonna's Crock Pot Meat Balls

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen meat balls 1 jar of real grape jelly 1 bottle of barbecue sauce

Directions

Cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker and stir at the half-way point. Use tooth pics to serve.

Veggie shots

Ingredients

Chopped small strips of assorted vegetables (I used differently colored bell peppers) 1 bottle of Ranch dressing

Directions

Put about 1 tbsp of ranch dressing in the bottom of a small plastic shot glass. Garnish with chopped vegetables. Can be scaled up or down based on the size of your party.

Crock Pot Moroccan Lamb Stew

Since we are all feeling a little bit of Jack Frost nipping at our noses I thought I would post a fantastic chilly weather dish. I've made this stew a couple of times and every time I am pleased with the ease of this recipe as well as its fabulous flavors.  My recommendation would be to prepare the stew the night before and then just turn on the crock pot in the morning before you leave for work. By the time you get home in the evening not only will your domicile be filled with exotic fragrances but your dinner will also be ready to devour.

Ingredients (I've noted changes that I make to the original recipe)

• 2 lb. boneless lamb, cut in 1-inch cubes (definitely do use boneless lamb as having the bones in make the stew very rich and slightly less enjoyable)
• 2 small sweet onions, chopped (I usually just use one big sweet onion)
• 2 c. carrots, cut in 1-inch cubes ( I use 1 - 2 yams and just peel and cut them into 1 to 2 inch cubes)
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 c. dried currants (I use small raisins. They are pretty much the same thing.)
• 1 tsp groun cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
• 2 c. chicken broth or stock
• Fresh mint or cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Add all ingredients to large Crock Pot -except fresh herbs – in order listed. Turn on low and cook for 8 hours (or on high for 4).  Stir once or twice if you feel like it. Serve with rice, couscous, or a hearty bread.

Kristen's amazing party fruit dip

Happy New Year! Okay, so I know it's been a few days, but what the hey. I finally dug out of my purse a hand written recipe my kind friend Kristen Garner gave me at her New Year's Eve party. She gave me the recipe because I was the fat kid sitting by the bowl of dip eating eating all of the fruit. Dip-eat-dip-eat. That was my New Year's Eve. This dip is a-ma-zing.

Kristen’s cream cheese fruit dip

Ingredients

8 oz package of cream cheese

8 oz sour cream or 6 oz plain yogurt (Kristen uses yogurt)

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp milk

Instructions

Beat CC till smooth. Gradually beat in yogurt. Beat in brown sugar and vanilla until blended. Stir in enough milk to make dipping consistency. Cover and chill for an hour.

Serve with slices of banana, apple, pear, grapes or other sweet fruit.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Memphis Sauce

Nanni made these as an appetizer for the traditional New Year's dinner of ham, black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and corn bread.  Oh man!  It is best to heat them while they are hot, so doing them as an appetizer is a great idea.  This is true southern cuisine at its finest.  The cornmeal gives the outside a crispy crunch.  The sauce is a cross between remoulade and 1000 island dressing.  Memphis dressing

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup mayonaise

2 tablespoons chili sauce (found in the ketchup section)

2 pepperoncini (greek) pepers seeded and diced

1/2 teaspoon of the pepper juice from the jar

pinch of pepper

1 tablespoon of capers chopped

Mix these ingredients together and let stand prior to preparing the tomatoes.  Sever the tomatoes with sauce by the side for dipping, or drizzled over the top. 

Tomatoes

Egg wash

2 egss

1/2 cup buttermilk

Whisk together in a pie pan or shallow bowl

Breading

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix these ingredients together in a pie pan or shallow bowl

Tomatoes

2-3 green tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick

Dip each slice in the egg wash then

Dredge the dampened slices in the breading until covered

Fry each slice in a fry pan with about 1/4 inch of oil, or deep fry in a sauce pan with 1 1/2 inch of oil heated to 370 degrees (a bit of batter dropped in will bubble and stay together at this temperature).