how to make jello complicated

I finally broke down and started treading the uncharted waters of jello molds...much like the dreaded "aspics" section of Julie/Julia, I've been somewhat uninspired by something that inherently jiggles but since we are exploring the good and bad aspects of cooking I figured I'd have to try one of the American classics. It was not without one or two of my typical disasters but it turned out great. The innocent victims who tried it absolutely loved it, and it was very festive with the red/white/blue theme. This is the most time committed recipe I've made thus far, but I would imagine it's great if you have young kids. If you are in a hurry, this is not the recipe for you.

Patriotic Jello Casserole

Pam cooking spray
2 (3 ounce) boxes red jello
2 (3 ounce) boxes blue jello
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated, not powdered-look carefully at the label!)
4 cups boiling water (no need to boil it all at the same time-do it as you go)
4 packets Knox unflavored gelatin (one box contains four packets)

Spray a 13"x9" glass baking dish with sides with Pam cooking spray before starting.

Step 1: Place one packet red jello in a glass measuring cup. Add 3/4 cup boiling water to the jello and stir well to dissolve. Allow to cool about 5 minutes. Pour slowly into the bottom of the glass baking dish and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Step 2: Empty one packet of Knox gelatin into a glass measuring cup. Add 3/4 cup boiling water to the gelatin and stir well to dissolve. Pour half of one can of the sweetened condensed milk into the gelatin mixture and stir well to mix. Allow to cool about 5 minutes. Pour slowly into the baking dish as the next layer.

Step 3: Place one packet of blue jello into a glass measuring cup. Add 3/4 cup boiling water to the jello and stir well to dissolve. Allow to cool about 5 minutes. Pour slowly into the baking dish as the next layer.

Repeat step 2 (another white layer).
Repeat step 1 (another red layer).
Repeat step 2 (another white layer).
Repeat step 3 (another blue layer).
Repeat step 2 (the last white layer).

If you mix up the layers, the red and blue will combine together and make purple (that's what happened to me) so that's why my pic shows some muddled layers. By the time I figured that out I figured it wasn't worth starting over.

Also, do not try to make all the layers ahead of time. Especially the white layer!!! It will curdled if it sits out too long, and will make a goopy mess (as also happened to me).

This recipe takes a lot of patience...for those of you shaking your head saying "she is the least patient person on the face of the planet" under your breath, you're right. But in the end of what is approximately a 3 hour process, the end result was worth it (if you and your guests are madly in love with jello).

picking sides

I made this recipe yesterday for BBQ #1 of the weekend...I swore to everyone there that this was going to be the best pasta salad they had ever tasted. Unfortunately, they rated it as just "really good." They explained that there are so many pasta salad recipes out there, that it's hard to pick a favorite/best ever. Not to mention, sometimes you can't replicate store bought foods. I resort to buying it at the store all the time, as it is a slightly more time-consuming process to make the fresh BBQ sauce, pull the meat off the chicken, mix the sauce, boil the pasta, chop the vegetables and mix the whole mess together. It's like wanting a Big Mac...I can make you a great cheeseburger on the grill, but at the end of the day it's not going to be a Big Mac.

The inspiration for the recipe comes from the Neely's (as does the BBQ sauce), but they use pulled pork and I think enough effort goes into making this without having to spend 9 hours baking pork butt in the oven.


Picnic Pasta Salad

1 lb elbow shaped pasta, boiled in salted water to al dente

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup shredded carrots

½ lb shredded rotisserie chicken

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp hot sauce, as desired

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups mayo

1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce  (see previous recipe)

S&P

Place cooked pasta in a large bowl, set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, hot sauce, garlic powder, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, and salt and pepper. Add the chopped vegetables and shredded chicken to sauce once it is well blended.

When ready to serve, pour dressing over pasta and mix well. If you are not serving it right away, keep the sauce separate in a resealable container. Serve pasta salad chilled.

the secret recipe

I have finally developed the perfect barbecue sauce recipe...I share it with definite hesitation because I really should keep a secret recipe but I figure Memorial Day is the perfect occasion to share a little bit of foodie love. I usually make one batch of this recipe and freeze half because it makes a lot more than it looks like. I use this recipe to make lots of other ones, and once you make it you will never want to buy bottled stuff from the store either :)

It's what is usually known in BBQ as Kansas City style, meaning tomato based sauce that focuses mainly on sweetness. I don't love spicy sauce, but you can always add more Frank's, or even cayenne pepper, if that's more your thing. I am also completely against adding liquid smoke, which is pretty normal down south, but I don't particularly enjoy eating food that tastes like burnt popcorn.

Here's the disclaimer: if you cook it at too high of a temperature, the bottom WILL burn and the sauce will taste horrible. Trust me, I've done it before in a more than once kinda way. Make sure you stir it well every few minutes to prevent this from happening.

Honey Bear BBQ Sauce

4 c ketchup

1 c apple cider vinegar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup granulated brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp French’s mustard

2 tbsp OJ or lime juice (whichever one you have)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Frank’s hot sauce

Combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat (this may take a while), stirring vigorously with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Once at a boil, turn heat to low and allow to simmer covered halfway (stirring very frequently)  for at least one hour before using in another recipe.

Officially Obsessed

I should not be admitting on the internet that gardening is my new addiction...but the old lady from Home Depot was right on the money with the whole therapeutic aspect of it. I could not help but stop on Ridgedale Avenue at the garden center during my drive by (it was either that or the Chevy dealer...do you think they'd let me behind the wheel of the '12 Vette for a test drive?) to find more veggies to plant after we finallly got the last new batch of "we might as well dig holes just because and throw in plants" in the ground which included more cucumbers, yellow watermelon, pumpkin, and canteloupe. Then today I got butternut squash, acorn squash, zucchini, and golden squash because I have tons of recipes for each of those ingredients and yet had none in the garden. Much to my dismay, the rabbits and deer tore completely through the pumpkin overnight. Just to throw it out there, you're gonna be seeing more recipes for rabbit stew and BBQ venison on here if Thumper and Bambi keep it up. I'm starting to think that I'm not only running out of ground space, but that all this effort may just be wasted on feeding animals I don't want to have keep coming back. Like I said before, I'm a little far from a tree hugger. Included are a few recipes I have on hand for everything I've been working on gardening. All have been very successful during testing, I just haven't made them with any of the vegetables from the garden yet to see if there is a difference in taste (harvest is still 4 weeks away).

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

2 acorn squash, each split in half with seeds removed

1 tbsp butter for each squash half

1 tbsp maple syrup for each squash half

S&P 

Place butter, syrup, and salt and pepper in center of each squash half. Roast on a baking sheet at 350 for 30-40 minutes until tender.

Melon and prosciutto salad with Parmesan

½ honeydew melon, cut off rind and cubed

½ cantaloupe, cut off rind and cubed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp champagne vinegar

S&P

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips and broiled in the oven, then  crumbled

1/2 c (2 ounces) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Cracked black pepper (optional)

Mint sprigs (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, tossing gently. Arrange melon mixture on a serving platter. Sprinkle cooked prosciutto crumbles evenly over melon mixture, then sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese and serve cold.

Orzo Primavera

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 c shredded carrot

3 c chicken broth

1 c orzo pasta

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

S&P

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil,  shallots, zucchini and carrots. Sauté 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until pasta absorbs the liquid and is al dente, 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Watermelon tomato salad

3/4 lb seedless watermelon, rind removed
3/4 lb grape-sized heirloom tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

3 oz goat cheese crumbles
8 leaves mint

2 tbsp olive oil
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cut the watermelon into large, imperfect chunks and slice the heirloom tomatoes in half. Combine in a bowl. Add lemon juice and white balsamic vinegar and stir. Crumble goat cheese over the watermelon and tomato mixture, add mint, torn by hand, and toss gently with olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Enjoy immediately.

Memorial Day Ideas

I figured I would include a bunch of recipes to give y'all ideas about what to cook over the coming weekend. First, I wanted to start out by doing a little mythbusting...foods that contain mayonnaise are not more likely to cause food poisoning. Unfortunately, it's the foods that mayonnaise is usually mixed with, such as eggs, tuna, pasta, or cut up fruits and veggies that can cause the problem. It's important to keep food cold, at about 40 degrees. So don't be afraid to stick to traditional recipes...just make sure you bring the cooler along.

With that settled, I could probably write a cookbook just of favorite grilling/picnic recipes. Over the next few days I'm putting together "complete" menus that you can easily do for a crowd.

Anytime I get to mix fire, friends, and food, it's officially a holiday. If there are any recipes you are specifically looking for, let me know!

Appetizer of the day: My Sister Makes Em Better Than I Do Deviled Eggs

5 eggs

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp horseradish sauce

S & P

Place eggs  in a small pot with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and cook 15 minutes. Cool in ice bath. Shell and cut into quarters. Remove hard yolks into a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients to taste and mix. Spoon egg mixture back into each egg quarter. Serve chilled with cornichon pickles.

Cocktail of the Day: White Cosmopolitan

This drink is great because if you spill it, it doesn't stain. But it tastes so good, you won't dare spill it :)

Peach vodka 1 oz

Cointreau ½ oz

White Cranberry juice 1 oz

Lime juice ½ oz

Champagne float ½ oz

Combine and shake over ice. Serve in a martini glass.

Side dish of the day: Teriyaki Asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

Place moist asparagus in shallow pan over medium high heat with water to steam. Cook 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Add olive oil to pan. Sprinkle sugar over asparagus and toss. Cook 2 minutes to caramelize. Add soy sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

Main course of the day: Tequila Flank Steak

4 oz tequila

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of 2 limes

1 tsp Frank’s hot sauce

1 tbsp Chopped garlic

½ tsp sugar

1 ½  lb flank steak

Make marinade by placing all ingredients listed above in a Ziploc bag. Marinate at least half an hour, up to overnight. Once marinate, heat grill to medium. Place steak diagonally across grill grate. After 4 minutes, rotate 90 degrees. After 4 more minutes, flip and place diagonally across grate and cook 4 minutes. Rotate another 90 degrees and cook final four minutes. Remove steak from grill, and let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing thinly.

Dessert of the day: Death By Chocolate

2 boxes chocolate mousse mix, prepared with whole milk

1 small container Cool Whip

1 bag mini Heath bars, removed from their wrappers

1 box Duncan Hines Brownie mix

Prepare chocolate mousse according to box’s directions and refrigerate for at least two hours until firm.

Place mini heath bars in food processor and blend until well processed.

Prepare brownies according to box’s directions for “cake-like brownies” and bake. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice brownies into approximately 1 inch cubes. 

In a trifle bowl, layer brownies in a flat layer. Smooth chocolate mousse on top of brownies in thin layer. Smooth Cool Whip on top of mousse. Sprinkle Heath bar mixture on top of cool whip. Make second layer in bowl as instructed above. Be sure to not make a mess of the sides of the bowl so layers will be well defined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kicking's CF's Ass

Today was an incredible day as always as the CF Walk at Rye Playland. Tony Aiello from CBS2 News, this year's corporate sponsor, said we raised $2.7 million as a chapter! And after he yelled at us for being too rowdy (nope, not our family!) he said that one day CF will stand for Cure Found. We had a ridiculous amount of supporters there for Team Lyndsey today, raising money to kick CF's ass.

Special thanks to all my relatives who are officially "fans" of the blog...keep up the good work at bringing these recipes to life! I wouldn't be here without you.

Alongside the chicken fingers, a  popular dish at the afterparty was ambrosia, a salad that became popular in the 1970's. While totally horrifying to master chefs, it is the most amazing thing you will ever eat. It ranks right up there with a bacon, egg, and cheese on a cinnamon raisin bagel (trust me on this one). I would always bug my aunt to make this for every get-together we had when I was younger, and now I have written an easy recipe that seems to come pretty close to duplicating hers (thanks again, Donna!)

Recipe of the day: Ambrosia

½ bag mini marshmallows

1 small container sour cream

1 large can pineapple chunks-save juice to moisten as needed

1 medium can mandarin orange segments

¼ bag shredded sweetened coconut

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Moisten with reserved pineapple juice as needed. Refrigerate overnight (if possible and serve cold). If you make it ahead of time, make sure you stir it well as the juices may separate slightly.

My aunt posted her version of the recipe on FB today, so I wanted to edit this post to include what she wrote. Thanks so much to the entire McLaughlin family for your support and effort!

"My recipe is a little different than the typical ambrosia, that is why we call it heavenly salad. You need thirty regular size marshmellows cut in four. Drain two large cans of mandarin oranges and one large can pineapple tidbits. Mix all together with one container sour cream, chill overnight. Thanks for joining us yesterday! Love you!"

Walking for Lynz

Tomorrow we will be coming together as a big family to help support my cousin Lyndsey, who I have blogged about before, at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Walk for a Cure at Rye Playland. This event is the largest fundraising walk held to benefit CFF every year. We are so grateful that she will be able to walk in it for the first time in 6 years ever since her lung transplant on April 3. Great Strides' Walk for the Cure

The video below was put together by the wonderful folks at ABC (especially Matt, who sat through her surgery) who have been gathering footage to put together a documentary about Columbia Presbyterian and transplant patients. I'm hoping they pick her because her story helps raise awareness about a disease that not a lot of people know about as well as the importance of organ donation.

One thing I have learned over the years is that her mother, my Aunt Donna, has become quite an expert at feeding the hundreds of people who show up to support the cause that is so close to our hearts. We have never been picky eaters, but finding something that both kids and grownups will eat a lot of after a 10K is a difficult task. Add in the no raw fruits/veggies/fish/deli meat diet required for transplant patients, and you get what has always been the go-to pick: chicken fingers.

Recipe #1 of the Day: Chicken Fingers

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces or strips

1/2 c cornstarch

1 tbsp Seasoned Salt

1/2 c canola or vegetable oil

In a large resealable bag, add chicken pieces, cornstarch, and seasoned salt. Shake well to coat chicken.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully place chicken in oil and cook until they are golden and crispy and cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Let chicken drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve hot or cold.

Geek Squad 1, Tori 0

I was so excited yesterday when I went to Best Buy to pick up the USB drive that had the contents of  the long lost cookbook that I bounced out of the store. I had finished with the first round of editing in March and they had been working on retrieving the files for me for the last two months. It's been really important to me to get it back because my dad helped me write some of the recipes that were lost after my laptop bounced off of my bed onto the floor while the USB was plugged into it.

The Geeks who were working there today said that they were very impressed to hear how someone my size could have snapped it clean in half....it seems like the phrase "I've never seen anyone be able to do that before" is something I keep hearing a lot. First it was the "indestructable" military phone, then it was the LifePak 12 that melted SimMan's chest at medic school, and now this USB. I'm like an accident waiting to happen.

Perhaps the folks at Geek Squad Corporate thought I wouldn't notice that the file they had labeled "COOKBOOK" was 1600 pages of symbols. I know I am demanding but "@#$%^&*(*&^%$#@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#$%^&*"  is not the same as my dad's lost hummus recipe written in the English language.

Long story short, after spending two hours at Best Buy again this morning, it's going back to Minnesota or Idaho or wherever their mega "clean room" is. This cookbook has spent more time traveling the country than I have.

It Started Out as Orzo

I wanted to try out this recipe the way I usually make it with a different pasta to see if it worked as well as I anticipated it would. Needless to say, pasta is pasta (yep, definitely no Italian in me) and this is about as easy at is gets. Plus, for those of my friends who are on the vegetarian/figure friendly trains, it's low fat and heart healthy. What more could you ask for? (there's always my standard response of a million dollars, a pony, and the Barbie Dream House...but one thing at a time!)

Recipe of the day: Tubettini with Zucchini and Dill

1/3 box tubettini (or whatever pasta your little heart desires)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced (both the white and green parts)
S&P
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add two handfuls of salt once it's boiling (probably one normal handful of salt for those of you who aren't 5'1") Add 1/3 of the box of pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. Drain and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, heat the sliced zucchini, sliced scallions, and olive oil over medium high and saute until browned and softened (about 7 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent burning or sticking. Once browned, season with salt, pepper, and add the dill. Stir to incorporate the spices.

Add the boiled pasta into the sauteed zucchini mixture, and allow to warm through with the spices. When ready to serve, sprinkle with feta cheese. If you're vegan, you can leave the cheese off, it tastes great either way. Or you could use another type of cheese, such as goat cheese. This dish can be served hot, room temperature, or cold. I prefer room temperature-that's what makes it a good mayo free picnic recipe. 

Stolen Recipe

Everyone keeps asking me if I make these recipes up myself or if I just take them from Food Network and put them on here. The answer to the question is everything I write on here is original. Except today. I adapted this recipe from my friend Mary Hart (pictured in the middle with her husband Don, and the always lovely Elaine) who is an amazing cook. In fact, she is pretty amazing at everything-cooking, teaching, being a mom, wife, beekeeper, gardener, and feeding us awesome meals every time we invade her kitchen. The only reason it's different than the printed ones she gave me is because, one, I keep losing the recipe and after about the 7th copy she gave me I figured I would wing it, and two, I couldn't find Oriental flavored Ramen noodles at the store. This recipe is always a hit at squad/fire barbecues, and she gets lots of repeat requests for it. The dressing is a recipe I wrote, which is one of the ones I wanted to figure out how to bottle and sell on Etsy. The general consensus on that process is I have no idea how to can or jar and I would probably burn myself. Past that, it tastes great on any salad and it has no preservatives. Once you start making your own salad dressing you'll never want to go back to buying anything in a bottle.

Stolen Recipe of the Day: Broccoli Slaw

For the salad:
1 (12 oz) bag broccoli slaw mix
1/2 cup honey roasted almonds
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained well
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 package unseasoned Ramen noodles, broken into tiny bits

For the dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Frank's hot sauce
S&P

In a bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients. If you are not going to be serving this right away (say, you're bringing it to a party) then leave the salad undressed, don't mix it (as shown below) and cover it with Saran wrap to transport it.

For the dressing, mix all of those ingredients in a resealable container and shake well. Don't try to pour the ingredients directly onto the salad, the dressing won't emulsify properly and everything will taste mushy.

When you're ready to eat, shake the dressing well and pour it over the salad. Mix everything together well, trying to not let the ingredients go flying all over the kitchen. I probably should have used a bigger bowl.

Surprisingly, this tastes great as leftovers the next day because the flavors have had time to meld. Once you eat this, you will never want cole slaw again.

I Should Open a Bakery

This is tasty goodness at its best...which will be making its way over to the squad building tomorrow for everyone to enjoy! (Sorry to the Wednesday/Thursday crews, it'll probably/hopefully be gone by then...in fact I feel bad because I really need to start dropping stuff off for the dispatchers all the way on the other side of town, down the street and around the corner). As all of you know about me, I'm horrible at 1) dragging my little buns to the grocery store; 2) actually baking when I say I'm going to without the pager going off in my ear 3) arguing with myself about why I bake in the first place since I hate measuring and 4) trying to bargain on the chances of the house burning down if I were to leave what I'm baking in the oven while I go running to wherever the pager sends me to. But given all these limitations, this was super easy and definitely what I would pick out as a go-to when you have to bring something to a party or a picnic because you can eat it hot or cold.

The great part about this recipe is you don't need to use fresh produce (although I have before! But I don't think it had a great taste difference, and I'm not growing peaches or raspberries in the garden that I still haven't had to water with the torrential downpours recently).

Tasty goodness of the day: Peach Raspberry Crisp

Pam Baking Spray With Flour (be careful with this too, most people keep the regular cooking spray type, or the olive oil flavor around and this has disaster written all over it when it comes to baking)

For the fruit:
1 (12 oz) bag frozen raspberries-keep in mind that they will probably contain sugar
1 (24.5 oz) plastic jar peaches in syrup, drained well
1 tablespoon granulated (white) sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the crumb topping:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (I dare you to use instant if you want a sticky hot mess-don't do it!)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I used that because it's what I had, I prefer to cook and bake with granulated brown sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x9" Pyrex glass baking dish with the Pam. Pour in the frozen raspberries and the peaches (make sure you drain them well, you don't want a soupy mess). Sprinkle with the cornstarch and white sugar. This is what it looks like before it's been stirred:

Stir well to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes, it helps the juices develop.  

Melt the butter in the microwave in a small bowl. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add the oats and brown sugar. Stir well to coat the oats. Spread the oats mixture on top of the fruit . This is what it looks like before it goes into the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes until it's bubbling throughout. When its done, it will look like this:

You guys really are gonna love this! Try making it with other types of canned fruit.

Never Again

Never again will I try this recipe. Just as a disclaimer, the creamed spinach is, well, amazing. But stuffing it inside of a squishy tomato just had disaster written all over it. Apparently it's a way they used to serve food to make it look fancy back in the 80's. It's an idea that should have gone out of style and stayed there just like the two people I saw wandering around in A&P in leg warmers, jean jackets, and side ponytail yesterday. But seeing as though we are focusing on both the failures and successes of this adventure, here you go. My advice is just to make the creamed spinach and leave the tomatoes alone.

Disaster of the day: Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes

2 large tomatoes
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boxes frozen leaf spinach
1 brick cream cheese, brought to room temperature
S&P

Rinse off the tomatoes, then using a fancy v shaped tomato cutter thingy (pictured in the center of the plate)cut the top of the tomato off (pictured on the left). After you do that with one tomato, throw the v shaped cutter thingy across the room, much like I did, and use a sharp knife (pictured on the right). Be careful to not cut your fingers off. Then, use a spoon to scoop out all of the insides. After a while I had gotten so pissed at the tomato that it ripped.

After I did that I made the creamed spinach. Take the spinach out of its packaging and defrost in the microwave. This took about 10 minutes because my microwave needs an attitude adjustment. Let it cool long enough so you can handle it easily, otherwise you will get burned (no surprise with me). Place the spinach in a towel and wring out the water over the sink.

While the spinach is defrosting, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and saute until softened.

Once the spinach is wrung out, add it into the pan. Spread out the spinach so it cooks evenly with the onions.

Add the cream cheese, then cover the pan to allow it to warm through.

After it has cooked for 3-5 minutes, remove the cover and stir to distribute the cream cheese. Add salt and pepper at this point.

Once the spinach is warmed through and the cream cheese is completely melted, turn off the stove. Preheat the oven to 350. Spoon the spinach mixture into the empty tomatoes. I was going to sprinkle the top of the tomatoes with fresh croutons, but I wanted to see how they turned out without the coating first.

Bake the tomatoes in the oven until they are warmed through, which took about 15 minutes. They ended up splitting down the sides after baking and oozing all over the place, even though they were under-ripened when I bought them.

Like I said before, the only way I can think of to improve the recipe is to just eat the spinach (it tastes so good, and its really easy!) and forget the tomato. Another lesson learned.

In honor of Dad

After getting out of having to water the garden once again with all the rain (I know I'm getting spoiled with this, between yesterday and today) I cooked up a storm...first time I've made ribs on my own without my dad looking over my shoulder to be here to supervise the oven if I have to run out the door. After giving me a hard time about it for a few minutes he would have been impressed that I only filled up the kitchen halfway with smoke for a very brief period of time.

I think the ingredients are spot on, but the ribs could probably use more time in the oven. But since it took me until 9:45pm to get dinner on the table, I'm just gonna run with it. I was a little too ambitious today...I made the ribs, creamed spinach stuffed tomatoes, mini pasta with zucchini and feta cheese, and a peach raspberry crisp. All of this for just two people...

 If anyone has tips on how to make ribs fall off the bone good (I wish I had written his recipe down) and wants to leave a comment that would be amazing!

Recipe of the Day: Cherry Coke Ribs

1 large (2 Quart 3 oz sized) bottle Cherry Coke
1 package baby-back ribs

Dry rub:
1 tsp each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard
1 tbsp each: white sugar, dark brown sugar, onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup beer

Pour the entire bottle of Cherry Coke into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Continue to cook (you may have to turn down the heat to medium high, depending on how finicky your stove is) and reduce to a syrup (this will take about an hour, much like the time I tried to boil water at the squad building, you woulda thought I didn't even know what a stove was with how long it took!). Stir occasionally to prevent burning. When you pour it out of the pan, the syrup should be boiled down to 3/4 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a bowl. Remove the ribs from their packaging and dry them thoroughly with some paper towels. Place the ribs in a large pan and apply the dry rub liberally onto the top of the ribs. Pour the beer into the bottom of the pan and cover the pan loosely with foil. Place in the oven.

After 1 hour in the oven, remove the foil. Bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. When that time is up, baste with 1/3 of the Cherry Coke syrup. Repeat every 10 minutes (two more times) until the syrup is used up.

After the ribs have been in the oven for a total of 90 minutes, increased the heat to 400. Continue to cook them until they have been in the oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes. (Note: that was the point they had started to smoke, as the coke syrup had stuck to the bottom of the pan and started to burn. Surprise, surprise)

The pan is probably gonna have to soak in the sink for 3 days straight, but like I said the flavor was great. They may even be better over a low heat on the grill, but the rain got in the way of following through on that plan. More of this meal's recipes to come tomorrow!

Lesson Learned

 Life lesson of the week/month/year: never use the Q word on the internet. I'm finally blogging after having no time to actually sit down (or sleep, no less) since Thursday night between nonstop calls, Mary's graduation, lunch and drinks at Bamboo, the EMS dinner last night, and more calls today, You'd think I climbed on the top of the roof at the squad building and screamed it at the top of my lungs.  Not to mention that I haven't watered the garden either since I planted it so hopefully everything is alive and well (I'm sure there was a pool going on how long it would take me to mess this project up)... But for now it's back to business.

Today's inspiration comes from my cousin, Lyndsey (pictured in the pink dress), who got her new set of lungs 6 weeks ago after suffering from Cystic Fibrosis her entire life. I wish I got to spend more time with her, but the last time I was up there I brought this mac and cheese with me for her and her family to enjoy. She says she loved it, and and I wanted to share it in celebration of her being so strong and brave throughout her ordeal. Love you Lynz!

Mac and cheese

This is the perfect recipe. The onion and tomato paste bring the flavors to a whole new level.

½ onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

S&P

2 ½ c whole milk

2/3 box elbow macaroni

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 c cheddar cheese, shredded (use freshly grated from a block, preshredded doesn't melt as well here)

Sauté onions in oil and butter until brown, and season with salt and pepper. Add flour to pan and allow to cook 2 minutes until the flour is cooked through. Add milk 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk until a smooth white sauce is formed.

Meanwhile, add elbows to boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes until slightly below al dente, and drain. Return to hot pot.

Add tomato paste to white sauce, then add cheese and stir with a wooden spoon until melted completely and the sauce is bubbling. Pour sauce over pasta, and serve hot.

Manning the Grill

I managed to get dinner on the table without a visit from the fire department. That's two days in a row that I have stayed out of trouble. The intial plan was to make the most amazing pork chops on the face of the planet. Let's just say, I made pork chops. I've mastered picture-perfect grill marks, but that's about it. As for the recipe, for those of you who have watched me cook, you know I'm not a measurement fanatic but I wrote the recipe as a rough estimate.

Mustard Marinated Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablepoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger (in the spice aisle)
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

I marinated them for half an hour in a ziploc bag before I grilled. I doubt that marinating for longer would have made a difference. I heated the grill at high heat to a temp of 350 before starting. Place the chops on the grill at the 10 o'clock position. Drizzle with some marinate. Cook for 3 minutes.

Rotate the chops 90 degrees to the 2 o'clock position, add more marinade, cook 3 more minutes, then flip and repeat. Here's the way I remember it: throw, turn, flip, turn, pull. You only touch the pork a total of 5 times. Put down the tongs and step away from the grill while you wait. Admittedly I found myself staring at the strawberry plant wondering how long it's gonna take for the chipmunk I yelled at yesterday morning to come back-kinda like wishing water would boil.

At this point, I pulled the chops off the grill and put them on a plate and tented them with tin foil. I didn't make anything more fun than Lipton's Cheddar Broccoli rice to put on the side. Life lesson of the week: sometimes you can't do it alone. A little prepackaged help never hurt anyone, right?

Hope the grilling tips help at least. Gonna do some work on the marinade to actually make it to amazing. One step at a time.

Becoming a Tree Hugger

Today I finally started the fruit and vegetable garden. We planted strawberries, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, and leeks to go along with the herb garden  (which has red romaine, green romaine, butter lettuce , rosemary, parsley, thyme, and chives) that started this whole thing. I'm posting the pics now, hoping to update them once a week, so you can see the progress (or lack thereof) that I make. Keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into an epic fail like last year when every single plant I had on my deck died from severe lack of hydration.



There was an older woman buying plants next to me at Home Depot, who shrugged her shoulders and said (out of the blue) "well, it's cheaper than a shrink" so I figure how bad could it go? Ah and just to clear things up, I am not becoming a tree hugger (no offense, Jenna), it'll be a miracle if I end up being able to make one salad out of everything I grow.

In honor of the freshly planted cucumbers, I have included a recipe for the most amazing fresh pickles ever. Even cucumber haters love them, and once you make them fresh you will not want to buy them at the store anymore. Keep in mind that they only last about a week, but after you taste one you'll know why no expiration date is necessary. Enjoy :)

Recipe of the day: Homemade pickles


1 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar

¼ c granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp Kosher salt

1 seedless cucumber, skin on and thinly sliced

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

Bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring. Remove from the heat. Toss the cucumber and onion in a ziploc bag with the vinegar mixture; squeeze out the air, seal, and place in the refrigerator to chill. Shake the bag occasionally on the first day to make sure the vegetables get pickled evenly.

Quiet start to the day

Recipe of the day (but it's early): butternut squash soup

1 (20 ounce) package precut butternut squash
1/2 yellow onion, cut into a large diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
S&P
1 (48 ounce) box chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine-this makes a big difference, try not to skip it

Put the cut up squash and onion into a small casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 When it's done, it should look like this.

 Spoon the squash and onion mixture into a large pot. Place the casserole dish on a burner over high heat, and add a small amount of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and use a whisk to scrape the browned bits that are stuck to the pan.

 Pour this mixture into the pot with the squash and onion.

 Add the remaining chicken stock as well as the wine and bring to a boil.

 Once boiling, reduce soup to a simmer (turn heat to low) and use an immersion blender-pictured above-to make the soup a smooth puree. Be careful with the immersion blender! You will have boiling hot liquids go flying all over the kitchen if don't place the end of it completely into the soup.

Once blended as shown above, it is ready to serve! It goes well with toasted bread and it's perfect for lunch or light dinner with a green salad.