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Long time, no eat
So, it’s been a long time since I’ve last updated. What happened? Well, I was gone for a week up in the Boundary Waters in Ely, MN. There, I had no contact to the outside world – no cell phone, no computer, no TV. I can honestly say that I didn’t miss having technology though. Boundary Waters was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken.
After returning, I needed several days to reorient myself and get caught up with a weeks worth of emails. I hate to admit it, but updating my blog seemed a low priority with the other million things I had to do, the most important being my upcoming GRE.
With all the talk about how awful dehydrated food was, I had prepared myself for the worst. I expected to drink disgusting water and unappetizing food. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food actually was. And the water? It tasted just like tap water from Appleton and it was definitely better than the water in Madison.
Dehydrated Food
Corn and Peas
Vegetable Curry
The only unappetizing thing I ate on the trip was this strawberry cheesecake…
Strawberry Cheesecake
The best meal, in my opinion, was this beef stroganoff:
Beef Stroganoff
I strongly recommend going to Boundary Waters if you like camping, canoeing, and doing other outdoor activities. I won’t lie – it’s a strenuous trip. In addition to paddling for – 8 hours a day, you need to be able to carry your canoe and your packs over portages. We had Kevlar canoes, so they weighed 40 pounds, but other canoes can weigh over 70 pounds! Our packs were probably over 40 pounds as well. I can assure you that the hard work is rewarded though.
Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce
One of my favorite things to do is cook for my friends. The more people there are and the more food I make, the happier I am. I think that this is a trait I got from my mom who loves to have elaborate dinner parties that never fail to amaze people. I hope that one day I can be as good a cook as she is.
I stumbled across this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided that it would be a good dish for a dinner I had with Mike and two of our friends.
Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce
adapted from allrecipes.com
12 ounces fettuccine
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 red bell peppers, julienned
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon cayenne – adjust more or less depending on spice tolerance
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to directions and drain.
- Heat oil in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, onions and garlic for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Stir in broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheese.
- Toss pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
LA Burger
I came across this burger in Food Network’s magazine and just had to make it. For those of you that don’t subscribe to Food Network’s magazine, I suggest you do – everything I’ve made from there has been absolutely fabulous.
LA Burger
serves 4
4 hamburger buns
4 hamburger patties, store-bought or homemade
1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped
4 slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 Haas avocadoes, chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Ketchup or tomato slices
- Grill the burgers to your liking and melt the cheddar on top.
- To prepare the guacamole topping: combine the avocados, jalapeno, lime juice, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mash until well mixed.
- To assemble the burger: place 1 hamburger patty with cheese onto the bottom bun. Top with ketchup (or a tomato slice), guacamole, and watercress. Place on top bun and enjoy!
Rich Chocolate Brownies
Today was probably one of the hottest days so far this summer. After almost fainting from my run, I decided to do something stupid – make brownies. Why is this stupid? Well, I live in an attic apartment with horrible air circulation and no air conditioning. Turning on the oven was probably not the best thing to do. However, I think these were well worth it.
Rich Chocolate Brownies
makes 16 2-inch brownies
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Place both types of chocolate and the butter into a microwaveable bowl. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring after each one until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla until the eggs are a light yellow, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the chocolate mixture until well combined.
- Fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with gooey crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan before cutting. Sprinkle the brownies with powdered sugar, if desired.
Rhubarb Bread
I can only make so much rhubarb crisp and rhubarb pie before I get sick of looking at it. So, I thought I would attempt to make rhubarb bread! The bread turned out to be perfectly sweet and moist. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com and I’ve copied it below.
Rhubarb Bread
from allrecipes.com
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
- In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.
I made mini loaves and baked them for about 25 minutes!
Greek Chicken Pasta
This is Mike’s favorite dish ever. He is always asking me to make it. I’ve made this so many times I don’t even need the recipe any more. Lucky for him, the recipe makes a huge amount of food. Unlucky for his stomach, he eats all of it in 48 hours.
Greek Chicken Pasta
adapted from allrecipes.com
1 pound uncooked penne, fusilli or any other short pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Cook pasta according to directions.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Cilantro Dip
I had a bunch of cilantro left over after making the quinoa last night, so I made this dip. It’s really refreshing and super tasty. That’s saying a lot since I’m not the biggest fan of cilantro!I served this with tortilla chips, but you can try it with whatever you see fit.
Cilantro Dip
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 package neufchatel cheese (1/3 fat cream cheese) or regular cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 7 oz can of salsa verde
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn
This was my first time cooking with quinoa. It was surprisingly good and this meal was so easy to make! The quinoa was served with some chicken on the side.
Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (you can add more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 cup frozen corn
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Season the onions with the cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes or until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
If you’re wondering what to do with all that extra cilantro, try this cilantro dip!
Banana Crumb Muffins
Mike had 3 bananas that were too brown and soft to eat, so I turned them into banana crumb muffins.
Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture and walnuts into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
DoughSeeDough 