Goal #75: try 75 new recipes (17/75)

I found this recipe on Weelicious and since Ryan won't eat avocados diced up but he will eat bananas I figured I'd give it a try.

Avocado Shake (for the video)

Avocado Shake (Serves 2)
1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and pitted
1 Cup Milk (I used unsweetened vanilla rice milk)
1 Large Ripe Banana
1 Large Hand full of Ice
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree
2. Serve.
*This recipe is for a thick shake. Add more milk if you want it thinner.

Ryan had Lea over for a playdate and both of them sucked this shake down and asked for more. I froze the leftover in an ice cube tray.

I tasted it and at first it just tastes like a banana shake but there is that little avocado taste at the end. I should probably be drinking this every day since my leg cramps are getting bad at night. Apparently avocados have more potassium than bananas.

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (14, 15, 16/75)

Goal #11: Try 75 New Recipes (14/75)

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

I used my Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook attachment to make this dough. It wasn't getting very doughy so I had to add more whole wheat flour until it came together. I don't know how much I added though. I was worried Jimmy wouldn't like this but he actually did. I spared him a spinach or eggplant pizza and just did a pizza blend cheese, pepperoni, onion, red peppers, black olives and tons of mushrooms. I sauteed the onion, peppers and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza. I also pre-baked the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the toppings.

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Goal #11: Try 75 New Recipes (15/75)


Asparagus Scallop Stir Fry
Simple and Delicious
March/April 2009 Edition

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound bay scallops
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups cut fresh asparagus (2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (I toasted mine)
• Hot cooked rice, optional

Directions

• If scallops are large, cut in half and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, chicken broth and soy sauce until smooth; set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute the asparagus, onion and celery in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetable mixture and set aside.
• In the same skillet, stir-fry scallops in remaining oil for 2-3 minutes or until scallops are firm and opaque. Stir chicken broth mixture; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add vegetables; heat through. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve with rice if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

I had Jimmy cook his scallops separate since I'm allergic. I just ate the stir fry without any meat and it was really good!

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Goal #11: Try 75 New Recipes (16/75)

Chicken-Melon Spinach SaladSimple and Delicious
July/August 2009 Edition

2-1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup chopped onion

SALAD DRESSING:

2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons canola oil (I used Olive Oil)

4-1/2 teaspoons sugar

4-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

4-1/2 teaspoons ketchup

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons salted soy nuts

Directions

• In a large salad bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire and salt. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with soy nuts. Serve immediately. Yield: 5 servings.

I loved this salad. I've been on a salad kick lately. Especially spinach salads. I ate so much spinach last week. I don't like my salad drenched in dressing so i do it the Weight Watchers way and dip my fork in dressing then get my salad on the fork. OR I'll drizzle just a little bit of dressing on and put another bowl on top and shake it up well to coat. The canteloupe really made this salad. Don't skip that!

Joy of Luck: Photography Challenge Day 5 & 6

Joy of Luck Day 5

What brings you luck?

I don't really see luck as something that happens by chance. I think that God has his hand in every detail of our life no matter how small. I imagine that "luck" is synonymous with "blessings".  I am lucky/blessed to have my family. I am lucky/blessed to have my health.

Joy of Luck Day 6

Who is a blessing?

This adorable little boy right here of course! We were truly blessed when we decided we felt ready to have children. I always said we'd wait until we were ready and then leave the rest up to God. It must have been in his plan because we conceived in the first month with both of them.

Joy of Luck: Photography Challenge Day 3 and 4

Joy of Luck Day 3

www.willettedesigns.com


A traditional lucky symbol.


Some of the examples were a rabbit's foot, lucky penny, four leaf clover, etc. I don't really have any lucky symbols around my house but I think some people have a lucky charm bracelet. I don't wear this one enough for me to think that it's lucky but it's the only thing I could come up with ;)

Joy of Luck Day 4

www.willettedesigns.com
Seven favorite material things.


#1 - the beautiful cross in my dining room. This represents my religion.

#2 - My stove and cooking utensils. I love cooking and couldn't really do it without this stuff.

#3 - A wedding gift from a friend. She did this calligraphy herself.

#4 - My shower. I don't feel ready to face the day until I'm showered.

#5 - Crochet supplies

#6 - My camera to capture all of life's moments.

#7 - Wind chimes. I love the sound. They are so soothing unless you are in a hurricane and then it's just plain annoying. This one is not outside but I get to hear it everytime the door opens or my Ryan plays with the blinds.

Joy of Luck: Photography Challenge Day 2

Day 2 of the Joy of Luck Photo Challenge was:

"Prompt: St. Patrick’s Day is all about the wearin’ o’ the green these days!  Green is all over the place today as we celebrate Saint Patrick and being Irish.  You can also see green when you look out your window at the new buds forcing their way up.

Green is also symbolically the color for newness, new beginnings, spring and life.  Today I want you to find the green – this can be ANYTHING that is either the literal color green OR something that brings newness, new beginnings, life, or hope to an otherwise dismal situation.  Look at your day not as a series of hurdles/problems, but as a blessing!  We are SO lucky for all that we have.  Capture this with your lens!"

I really hope nobody can see into my house. I had to open the front blinds to let in some natural light and the camera was set up on the tripod in front of the window facing in. I kept running back and forth to try to get a decent shot. Since it's naptime I'm on a time constraint so I took a photo out of my second set and edited it. Taking a photo of yourself on a timer is really hard. Especially when you are draped and trying to get in position before the camera goes off. I am also draped with green. I edited this photo to look like it was taken in the 60's. I don't know why, I just like old photos.

So here is my "green" photo. My green is representing new life. We will be welcoming our second son into the world at the end of May. A new life, a new love, a new challenge.

Joy of Luck: Photography Challenge Day 1

My friend Jess has so many wonderful sites she frequents. She shared this photography blog with me the other day.

willettedesigns

Each month Willette (I'm assuming that's her name) will post photography lessons and challenges. This month it's the Joy of Luck. I received my email last night for day 1.

The challenge: "What inanimate object/thing/concept is something that you take for granted on a daily basis?"

You are supposed to capture a picture and post it on their Flickr account and/or blog about it.

Some of her ideas for a "gift" are

• Shot list
• Education
• Home
• Water
• Food
• Basic necessities
• Love
• Physical affection
• Company/friendship
• Security/safety
• Belief in your religion/God
• A job!
• Fertility
• Health
• Happiness
• Loyalty

Here's what I came up with.....

Marriage, holy matrimony, security, monogamy whatever you want to call it. I think I take this for granted. Had I not met Jimmy the day I did, I would probably never know him at all. I don't think every single day "I'm Married. I have someone to keep me company, to keep me safe, to put food on our table, to keep me sane when the world is crashing down." I know it's all there but I don't consciously think about it each and every day. After 6 1/2 years of marriage I guess it's easy to take marriage for granted. Especially when it is so good! I am so thankful to God that he blessed me with such a wonderful marriage.

Goal #11: Try 75 New recipes (13/75), Hair Cut and Crocheting

I used to get the Simple and Delicious magazine that is put out by Taste of Home. I still go back through these magazines quite often. I have written down the recipes I liked on the front with the page number for quick reference. I pulled one out on Sunday and managed to make my entire menu for the week from this one magazine. Last night I made some eggrolls that looked really good. The best part about these was it was a 5 ingredients or less recipe. They turned out really well and the teriyaki sauce added a little something extra. Ryan didn't eat them but he did dip them in teriyaki sauce and lick it off. I tried...

Effortless Egg Rolls
Simple and Delicious (March/April 2009)
Reiman Media Group 2009

1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
2 1/2 cups frozed stir-fry vegetable blend, thawed and chopped
1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
10 egg roll wrappers
Oil for deep frying (I baked mine at 425 until they were crispy, turning several times)

In a large skillet, cook sausage and vegetables over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in teriyaki sauce.

Place 3 T. sausage mixture in the center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold bottom corner over filling. Fold sides toward center over filling. Moisten remaining corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. (I found it best to moisten around all edges even before puttin the filling on the wrapper)

In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. of oil to 375 degrees. Fry egg rolls in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

I thought these were easy and pretty good. They are different than the traditional pork egg rolls with cabbage. I like the fact that I was getting a variety of healthy vegetables instead of just cabbage and carrots. The stir fry mix I bought had carrots, broccoli, red pepper, corn, water chestnuts, and snow peas.

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A few weeks ago we took Ryan to get a haircut at the barber shop Jimmy frequents. Ryan HATES the clippers so we had to give him a lollipop to distract him. This is the only time I will give him a lollipop...for now. It took him 3 hours but he ate the whole lollipop.

Here he is waiting his turn.

Getting ready for the buzz!!!

Thankfully the lady is quick!

All done!!

He looks like his Uncle John right after his hair is cuts. He's such a cutie. I love him so much!

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My friend Jess found a really cute pattern on the Bernat website. We worked on them at the same time and here's my finished product. This is going to a little girl for Easter.

I also crocheted a little Tooth Fairy Pocket for my neighbor's little girl who has a bunch of loose teeth.



Goal #53: Cook 3 things from every cookbook I own (12 /?Haven't counted yet)

Last night I made these brussel sprouts. They were really good. I didn't have pancetta so I used bacon. Even if you don't like brussel sprouts try this recipe because the bacon really takes away the "bite" that some people say brussel sprouts have. I could eat brussel sprouts with just butter, salt and pepper so I don't mind that bite. Also, my broth never really reduced so I just drained most of it off before adding the bacon back in the pan. I didn't want to overcook the sprouts.

From Everyday Italian Cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Copyright 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

Directions

Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.


Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (12/75)

Pork Roast with Thyme
From AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 5 pounds pork roast, trimmed
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. With a small knife, pierce top of roast. Force garlic slices into the cuts. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper. Place bay leaves in the bottom of the roasting pan, and set roast on top of bay leaves, fat side up. Mix vinegar and thyme in a small bowl, and pour over the top of the roast.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 3 hours, or until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) is reached. Using a baster or spoon, baste the drippings over the roast frequently while it is cooking. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes when done before slicing.

Since it's just the two of us I got a roast that was about 1.5 pounds. I like the leftovers but any more than 1.5 pounds usually gets tossed.

I cooked the roast in an enameled cast iron dutch oven (my favorite dish to cook in!) and also added about a cup of water. If you make a larger roast I recommend using more water.

I overcooked the meat slightly because I was outside playing with Ryan and forgot about it. I cooked it for right at 1.25 hours and it probably would've been perfect in an hour. I also missed the part about basting but since it was covered I guess that didn't really matter.

I will definitely make my pork roast like this from now on. I loved the garlic cloves in the meat and there was a lot of flavor for such a simple recipe.

I served this with roasted zucchini and squash. I like roasting vegetables in olive oil, fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. I use this method for asparagus, halved brussel sprouts and potatoes too.

A few more recipes...

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (11/75)

The past couple of weeks have been a blur. I know I made a few things from my cookbooks but I can only remember this Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes. One of the other recipes came from Giada's book. Once I figure out what I made I'll post that one too...

**EDIT 3/16/11**

Goal #53: Cook 3 Things from Every cookbook I own (12 of ?)I finally figured out what the other recipe was...Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Everyday Italian
Giada de Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter Publishers Copyright 2005

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use) (I used a whole chicken and put it on the drunk chicken cooker I have)
• 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

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Anyway, I made the Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes two Saturdays ago. I couldn't find spelt so I used couscous. Since spelt is a grain that is packed with protein I'm sure I made this less nutritious by using couscous (which is a pasta).

The dish was perfect for a light Saturday lunch. Ryan, of course, did not eat it but he did eat some of the white beans before they were added to the dish.

I wish I would have had some crusty artisan bread to go with this. I'm addicted to carbs. The couscous had enough carbs for that meal...

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Jimmy's birthday was last week and we had our friends, Rob and Kandyce, over for dinner. Jimmy requested spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and garlic bread. I had made this for our friend that had a baby the week prior and Jimmy was dissapointed that we weren't eating the same thing for dinner that night.

Jimmy loves Dairy Queen's ice cream cakes. I went out the day of his birthday, apparently too early, because we got to DQ at 10:30 and they didn't open until 11. Ryan was ready to go home for a nap so we stopped by the local cupcakateer instead (I just made that up....not sure if it's really a word).

Here's the link to the photographer's blog... The Cupcake Bite. The store doesn't have their site fully constructed yet. It's a really cute store and the cupcakes were delicious!! I got two Triple Chocolate and two Cookies and Cream.

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Since I didn't have the other new recipe in my brain I'll share our favorite sandwich to make at home. It's called a "Cobb Salad Sandwich". I use spinach instead of lettuce. I could probably eat these every week. The horseradish-basil mayo is really tasty and the croissant is the perfect vessel for all the toppings. Enjoy!!