Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad

Along with our "vegetarian" week, I made this salad last night. For me, beets take a little getting used to. I like to eat them more because I feel like I'm treating my body good while my taste buds come second. But, this salad was really good. I think the oranges toned down the beets for me and the dressing was great with not too much sugar. I haven't bought watercress before, but I think I'll do that again too.

The salad looked beautiful when I put it on our plates. I used a combination of both red and yellow beets (I roasted them in separate pans so the red beets wouldn't stain the yellow). The toasted pecans gave a nice crunch to the mouthful of flavor as well.

Not sure if this would be a filling enough meal (which I think it was), this salad preceded a further meal of roasted chicken and red potatoes tossed in garlic and olive oil. I liked the salad best though!

(adapted from Cooking Light)

• 6  large red or yellow beets (about 4 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  finely grated orange rind
• 1/3  cup  fresh orange juice
• 3  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 2 1/4  tablespoons  sherry vinegar
• 3/4  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  large avocado, peeled
• 3  bunches watercress (about 9 cups trimmed)
• 3  cups  orange sections (about 3 large navel oranges)
• 3/4  cup  vertically sliced red onion
• 3  tablespoons  chopped pecans, toasted 

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove root and 1 inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Cut beets in half; place beets in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Add water. Cover with foil, and bake at 375° for 45 miniutes to 1 hour or until tender. Cool; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/2-inch slices.

Combine rind and next 6 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Toss half of juice mixture with beets.
Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 12 slices. Place watercress on a platter; top with beets, orange sections, onion, and avocado. Drizzle remaining juice mixture over salad, and top with pecans. Serve immediately.

Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa

This week my goal is to have way more veggies on our plates than meat. Maybe even crowd out the meat. Why? Because I want us eating more anti-cancer foods. Lentils made that list as well as spices instead of salt. So I did a search for lentils on myrecipes.com and found this soup. It was actually really good and filling (this from a husband who believes in meat for a meal). It was embarrassingly quick and easy to whip up - especially to look so gourmet with the fresh salsa on top. The salsa is the perfect completion to this soup.

Make sure you use red lentils as the green and brown lentils will create a different consistency and taste. Also, if you truly want to make this vegetarian, substitute the magic mineral broth stock for the chicken stock. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa)

Salsa:

• 2/3  cup  finely chopped Granny Smith apple
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped celery
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

Soup:

• 3 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  dried small red lentils
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1 1/2  cups  light coconut milk
• 3  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lime juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

To prepare salsa, combine the first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.

To prepare soup, combine broth, lentils, and onion in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Pour half of lentil mixture in a blender; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth. Pour pureed lentil mixture into a bowl.

Pour remaining lentil mixture into blender; process until smooth. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, and turmeric; process until smooth. Return coconut milk mixture and remaining pureed lentil mixture to pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon juice, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa.

Banana-nut Pancakes

I did it! I finally made pancakes that were actually good. Like REALLY good. I think the secret is buttermilk and waiting extra long to heat my griddle. I turn the stovetop to medium for about 5 minutes and then turn it down a couple of notches for another 10 minutes or at least until I have everything all mixed up (maybe not quite 10 minutes).

We had some leftover bananas and I wanted to make some healthy banana-nut pancakes. Although these aren't completely gluten-free yadda yadda, there is some whole wheat flour in there, along with sprinkled walnuts on top. Also, I've been reducing or omitting the salt and sugar in recipes lately. We don't notice a huge difference. The recipe calls for pecans on top, but walnuts were great for that little extra crunch.
(adapted from Sunset magazine)

Notes: If desired, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon chopped pecans on each pancake after adding banana slices. Serve pancakes with butter and warm maple syrup or a dusting of cinnamon-sugar.

Yield: Makes 12 pancakes; 4 to 6 servings

• 3/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 6  tablespoons  whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  large egg
• 1 1/2  cups  buttermilk
• About 3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
• 2  ripe bananas (3/4 to 1 lb. total), peeled and thinly sliced

In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk to blend eggs, buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until batter is evenly moistened.

Ladle batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto a lightly buttered medium-hot (350°) griddle or lightly buttered 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan (or use 2 pans at the same time) over medium heat. Scatter 3 to 5 banana slices onto each pancake and cook until edges of the cake look dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn with a wide spatula and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 or 4 minutes longer.

Serve pancakes immediately, or place in a single layer on baking sheets and keep warm in a 200° regular or convection oven until all are cooked.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Arugula & Prosciutto

This really might be the best pasta dish I've ever had or made. And it came together easily in 30 minutes. If you cook only one pasta dish from my site, cook this one. And I will probably say that forever. It combines several ingredients that I don't normally cook with - cauliflower, sage, arugula, prosciutto and it comes together in this amazing symphony of flavor. You'll be going mmm mm every bite.

I couldn't find orecchiette anywhere, but I used bowtie pasta instead and it was just great.

Kosher salt
One-half medium head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4-inch florets (3-1/2 cups)
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
9 large fresh sage leaves
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
6 thin slices prosciutto (about 4 oz.)
12 oz. dried orecchiette
5 oz. baby arugula (5 lightly packed cups)
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Toss the cauliflower, tomatoes, oil, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper on a rimmed baking sheet; spread in a single layer. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the cauliflower begins to turn golden and tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse the sage and garlic in a food processor until minced. Add the prosciutto and pulse until coarsely chopped. Once the cauliflower is golden, toss the herb mixture into the vegetables and continue to roast until fragrant and the cauliflower is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Boil the orecchiette until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the roasted cauliflower mixture, arugula, cheese, and enough pasta water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken Pot Pie

Jared loves pot pies and I love cooking things he loves. He devoured this one, sputtering out Bob-like sounds and phrases from "What About Bob?" I was happy to make something that was cheaper than the Marie Callender's pot pies he eats when I'm gone. I'll make these again, and I'll be better at it, because this time it took me all day long. It was a little terrible so, let me first briefly explain my journey into pot pie hell and my subsequent atonement.

I tried to half the recipe, read the wrong section and added about five tablespoons too much butter to the vegetables (but really? is it really possible to have too much butter?), and just guesstimated the sauce and kept fiddling with it, and by the time I got to the pastry, the cubed butter had already softened a little too much, and the first pastry pass was terrible, so I realized that I was wasting my life in my kitchen while my son grew up, and took an hour out to play with him before regrouping to the kitchen, throwing out the original pastry dough (the zenith of my disaster), redoing it and then all of a sudden everything - pastry, pie, and kitchen cleanup - went together perfectly and easily, the pot pies were in the oven, and I was back where I truly wanted to be - passing a ball back and forth to my favorite little man in the whole world! And Jared came home, ate, and cleaned my sorry kitchen.

I guess that's my lesson from yesterday's experience. Enjoy the small things in life - all that really matters to me at this time is being Mom. Not cooking or cleaning or all of those things. I like a tidy home and good food. But my son cares right now that I play with him and I care that I watch him learn and grow and become a little man right before my eyes. It's going too fast, and I feel like a huge wind came and blew something effervescently sweet my direction and I can't breathe in enough to cover it and experience it all before it passes so quickly.

But back to pot pies. Here are my tips for a smoother process than I had:

- If you can, chop your veggies in the morning. I like getting that out of the way
- Follow the order of instructions
- Don't take the butter out until you're ready to make the pastry
- Have a food processor handy

Those tips sound obvious, right? Well, you're a better cook than I am. But as my daddy used to say, "Good judgement comes from experience, which comes from bad judgement." One day I'll be awesome.

Adapted from my sister-in-law, Kirsti's, food blog, these pot pies are true comfort food. Kirsti is one of the best cooks I know and my initial inspiration 10 years ago to become a good cook when the time called for it.

This recipe serves a family of three, making two large bowls of pot pie, along with two small bowls of pot pie.

For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2  medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped carrots (or more)
1/2 cup chopped celery (or more)
1 cup frozen peas

For the sauce:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 large egg

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potato to the pan, and saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, celery, and carrots and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until mixed. Whisk in the chicken broth quickly after. Cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more chicken broth to have a soupier filling if needed. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the mixture into 2-4 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F. To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes. Beat the egg with a brush, and brush the rim of the bowl - this will act as an adhesive for the pastry. Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes. Pinch pastry down along side of bowl. Make a little hole in the middle of the pastry to let steam out while baking.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Halibut with Coconut Red-Curry Sauce

Instead of salmon (my go-to for fish), halibut was on sale, so fish night was halibut. This meal was quick to throw together and Jared and I both devoured it. It was tame enough to feed little P too. The leftovers were - you guessed it - SO good.

I also loved this meal because it worked in an additional vegetable that I seldom use - bok choy. I like to say the word. It makes me feel sort of gourmet, like "Of course I cook with bok choy. Every one knows it's the new cabbage." But that wouldn't be true at all, would it? I wouldn't know because I'm truly a cook rookie. I didn't learn how to cook growing up, I spent my twenties eating in the delectable restaurants all over the world, and then I hit my thirties, got married, had a family, and found myself on the fast course to being a handy, economic, healthy chef for my family. It's been two years and I love finding good meals for my little family.

That's a little story just for the HALIBUT. Get it? Oh, so witty.

• 2  teaspoons  canola oil, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions
• 1  tablespoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1  cup  light coconut milk
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  fish sauce
• 3/4  teaspoon  red curry paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, green onions, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and the next 4 ingredients (through coriander). Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and juice.

Seasoned rice with bok choy: Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cup basmati rice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped baby bok choy; cover and cook 8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil; stir into rice mixture.

Beef and Black Bean Chipotle Chili

When Jared is out of town, I go on cooking strike. Little P and I eat simply - pbj, salads, and oreo cookies. I also do my fair share of treating myself to a restaurant. But something is happening to me. On Saturday when I decided to go to Wendy's for chili, I thought - heck, why leave when I can whip it up right here and I know exactly what went into my chili and I'll have leftovers to boot? So I did, and it was easy, and another recipe from Fine Cooking has made it into my cookbook. We've eaten it all week and the flavors just keep getting better!

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained ( I subbed a can of pinto beans)
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium chipotle plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
Kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice

Put one-third of the beans into the bowl of a food processor, along with the tomatoes and their juices, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot, about 2 min. Add the beef, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon. Add half of the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 20 seconds. Add the remaining black beans, the puréed bean mixture, and the beef to the pot and simmer for 10 min., stirring frequently. Add half of the lime juice, half of the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is thicker than you like, it may be thinned with water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining lime juice and onion with the avocado. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve the chili topped with the avocado mixture and remaining cilantro.

Additional ideas: Coarsely crumble about 3 handfuls of tortilla chips in a zip-top bag, and use them as an additional chili topping. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese to tone down the zip.

Breakfast Burritos

Since we eat mostly fresh here at home, I haven't quite figured out how to use coupons at the store. The coupons normally seem to be for prepackaged items, but I really am hoping to become more economical as time goes on. BUT, when I do find a recipe that I enjoy and that I can use coupons to buy the ingredients, I'll do it and share it. This one is made with sausage and Ore-Ida hashbrowns. You can coupon clip for this meal right? Even better!

I grabbed these from a friend's blog. They sounded really good, and they went together in a snap this morning and really were delicious! I even froze the other half so Jared has a quick meal to take to work with him. I know a breakfast burrito is easy, and the Ore-Ida hashbrowns with peppers and onions already mixed just gave me extra idea for what to do with those left-over potatoes in the future.

Does it go without saying that my son loved the hashbrowns while I fixed Jared and my burritos?

(from http://www.elliseats.blogspot.com/)

For 4 burritos:

1/2 a bag of Ore Ida "Peppers and Onion Hash Browns" fried up in a pan
1/2 lb of ground sausage browned
6 eggs scrambled with salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (mexican blend, cheddar, whatever suits your tastes)
4 uncooked tortillas, cooked

Assemble the fixings inside a tortilla, splash with a little hot sauce. Freeze what you don't use.

Shanghai Beef and Broccoli

Shang low, Shanghai you won't find a better beef and broccoli dish at a restaurant. This is not because I'm a fab cook, I just found a good recipe on finecooking.com, one of my go-to sites. Every time I make this, it turns out delicious. Leftovers are maybe even better. Each serving is only 360 calories. 360 calories of pure asian spicy goodness.

Although it's a somewhat spicy dish, we mixed some of the juice up with the brown rice, and my 11-month old scarfed it right down. Of course, he would eat the refrigerator if he could, but that's besides the point.

If you don't have dry sherry on hand, use one part vanilla to three parts sherry (i.e., the recipe calls for 3 Tbs dry sherry, so I substituted only 1 teaspoon. You can taste the vanilla a little bit, but it seems like a good substitution. Or you could google other subs as well.

If you like a little ginger, a little red meat, a little spice, and broccoli, this is your meal for tonight - plus it goes together super fast.

1 small flank steak (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb.)
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Kosher salt
3/4 lb. broccoli crowns, cut into 2-inch florets (to yield about 4 heaping cups)
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil (I use coconut oil; healthy and I love the essence of coconut in the beef)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce

Bring 2 quarts water with 2 tsp. kosher salt to a boil.

Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl, stir 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce with the sherry, cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and then rinse under cold water until the broccoli cools.

Set a large, heavy skillet or a large wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil and, when it starts to shimmer, add the beef. Cook the beef, stirring frequently, until it loses most but not all of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 Tbs. water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, the oyster sauce, and the remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

I serve this up with brown rice on the side, but you could use noodles too or salad or anything that fits your fancy.

Besties Double Chocolate Pudding

This chocolate pudding is really, really good! Discovered in my friend's (Jenn) fridge at a college reunion, I've made it ever since. And I just made it again and I forgot how addictive it is. I can't even wait for it to chill and become pudding, I keep grabbing spoonfuls tonight.

If you're one of those people who buys a Ben & Jerry's pint and finds yourself at the bottom of it an hour and a half later (read: lack of self control over sinful desserts), then you might not want to make this. If you revel in a full pint of Ben & Jerry's, then make this! Not that it tastes anything like Ben & Jerry's - it's just that that would be my other dessert vice. Probably not a dessert to let your children or husband in on, because like Jenn's fridge pudding, she didn't get any of it, because her besties ate all of it. Oh well - at least we left her house clean...

Note that the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa which is cocoa where the acid has been neutralized. You can probably buy it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I just use my regular Hershey's cocoa plus a couple of pinches of baking soda. The actual ratio for making dutch processed cocoa from natural cocoa is to add a pinch of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon) per 3 Tablespoons of natural cocoa. I just estimate.

(from: http://www.marthastewart.com)

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes, plus chilling 

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus shavings

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 

Whisking constantly, heat over medium until the first large bubble sputters, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate; stir until smooth. 

Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding (to prevent a skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth; divide among serving cups, and garnish with shavings.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

(from myrecipes.com)

3 1/2  cups  halved strawberries, divided
1/3  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  orange juice
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
1  teaspoon  lemon juice
1 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
3  tablespoons  sugar
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1/8  teaspoon  salt
3  tablespoons  chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/2  cup  low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
6  tablespoons  frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
Whole strawberries (optional)

Combine 1 cup strawberry halves, 1/3 cup sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Stir in 2 1/2 cups strawberry halves. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 6 squares. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Split shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife; place each bottom half on a dessert plate. Spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each bottom half. Top with shortcake tops; spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each top. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon whipped topping; garnish with whole strawberries, if desired.

French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns

(from http://www.ourbestbites.com/)

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4-5 1/2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg, separated
2 Tbsp. cold water

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 45 minutes.

Punch down dough. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. For a loaf of bread, shape into loaf and place on greased cookie sheet. For buns or hoagies, divide equally into 8-10 (or even 12, if you want smaller buns when you're done, and let's face it, who doesn't want smaller buns??) pieces and shape as desired. Use a scale if you have one to get equal-sized buns.

It's okay if they touch (or will touch after having risen). Cover and allow to rise another 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until doubled. Keep an eye on things--if they seem like they're getting so big that they might collapse, hurry and get them into the oven.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix egg white with water and brush over dough. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat brushing the dough with the egg wash.

Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and your house smells like heaven.

My changes: I cut back on the sugar a little and add the whole egg, I don't like the sticky feeling of the egg wash. So far they've always come out great, except the time I did let them rise too long.

The Best Pizza Dough

(from eatliverun.com)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 packet yeast (a little under a Tablespoon)
• 1.5 tsp sea salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the warm water and yeast.
Stir in the salt and flour and mix on medium high speed on your KitchenAid for 5 minutes. While the mixer is going, drizzle in the olive oil.

When the dough is soft and elastic, take out of the bowl, rub with olive oil and then place back in the bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.

After the dough has doubled in size, cut in half to make two large pizza doughs or make mini doughs. You could also do what I like to do and freeze the dough in a plastic baggie for another time! When you are ready for your pizza, roll out the dough, cover with your toppings and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

**You could also make this dough without an electric mixer…..just knead by hand for about 8 minutes and then follow above steps! I’ve made it by hand many, many times and it always comes out right.

Sample March Menu

Sometimes I love planning the week's menu. Most of the time, I wish I could just use someone else's menu and I liked everything on it and my grocery store had all the ingredients to boot. So, I thought I'd post this week's menu, because it cost me $76 and was all fresh. Of course, I have friends who feed their families for $25 a week and I wish I could do it. $76? It's a leap for me so I'll take it as a small victory. At the beginning of the week, my fridge was chocked full of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and breads. I know I'm not the only person in this world who inevitably throws out seemingly half the stuff that she initially had grand ideas for.

Well, I'm impressed with myself this week and I don't care who knows it. It's the end of the week, and I've actually used just about everything in my fridge that I had an idea of. I can't believe it. And I even made pretty good food this week. Really, I just want to be a good cook for my family. A healthy cook, an economical cook, with some comfort cooking thrown in.

I posted some of the recipes I used if they were keepers. The mac and cheese not so much, so it isn't here. But find your favorite mac and cheese recipe and use it. I'm still looking.

Monday
b: fruit parfait (vanilla yogurt, strawberries, granola)
l: grilled cheese, salad
d: blt's, salad, strawberry shortcake for dessert

Tuesday
b: lemon poppy-seed pancakes
l: spinach wrap with hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, drizzled with vanilla yogurt
d: fonina baked pasta, asparagus

Wednesday
b: cereal
l: leftover pasta
d: spiced pork chops, artichokes, roasted vegetables

Thursday
b: granola, honeydew
l: hummus wrap with roasted vegetables
d: savory shrimp fajitas

Friday
b: oatmeal
l: turkey sandwich
d: pizza with tomato, basil, and provolone

I think it worked this week because I was disciplined enough to start dinner in the morning. Morning, bring out any frozen items that need to thaw. Mid-morning to afternoon, chops vegetables and prep. Late afternoon, final clean on daily grunge in the kitchen and set out all items to cook with, begin marinades, etc. By 5pm, I was just throwing stuff together and cooking. Maybe that's how I accomplished minimal cleanup after dinner too. I'd been prepping and cleaning all day. It just felt way less stressful.

My weekly menus follow a similar format each week. From the Food Nanny, I like how she has a comfort food night, mexican, italian, american, asian night. That gets me started. Next, to cut down on food cost, I don't do meat every night. At least one meatless night. Maybe more if I'm feeling more frugal.

Steamed Artichokes

I never really had an artichoke - like, in its entirety on my plate - until I met Jared and his family. They opened my eyes to something glorious: steamed artichokes dipped in mayo. Sounds gross? Maybe, but you would be wrong. Here's how you steam an artichoke. One of these days, I'll be more conscientious about posting pictures, but since this is really a blog for myself and anyone is welcome to it, I keep those images in my little head. But I should post pics. I will. Eventually. Really.

Ingredients
Artichokes (one per guest?)
garlic
lemon
water
large pot

Prepare the artichoke. Cut off the steam and the spines on each leaf (that's only that top tip that's prickly). Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the flower of the artichoke too.

Fill a pot 1-1/2 to 2 inches with water. Squeeze some lemons or include a couple of slices and the garlic. Place artichoke stem down in water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, and simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. You know it's done when the outside leaves come apart easily. Serve whole with mayo on the side or other side or alone. You eat the artichoke from the outside in, by hand, biting the meaty ends of the leaves that were attached to the artichoke. Make sure to remove the "furry" center before eating the artichoke heart. So good. Enjoy!

Savory Shrimp Fajitas

This week I'm on a roll with good recipes. This is another recipe found on one of my favorite sites, finecooking.com. Sometimes their recipes are a little too fancy, but this one went together so fast and again, the cleanup was minimal. The marinade for the shrimp was delicious and we loved the poblano peppers. I think leftovers will be twice as good tomorrow. Believe me. Try 'em and love 'em. If you like shrimp. And onions. If you don't like either, well, this recipe isn't for you.

Oh, side note. Have you ever tried the frozen tortillas that you get at Costco? They are very good and no preservative or natural flavors. Just wheat flour, yeast, water.

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-1/2 lb. large or jumbo shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed, and drained
1 large yellow onion, sliced through the stem end into thin wedges
2 medium fresh poblano chiles or bell peppers (4 to 6 oz. total), cored, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
Warmed flour tortillas
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut in wedges
Sour cream (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, pepper, salt, chili powder, brown sugar, and oregano. Put the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a medium bowl and stir in all but 1 Tbs. of the spice mix. Add the garlic and shrimp; toss to coat.

Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, and, when hot, add the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the sliced onion and sauté until they’re softened and fragrant and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the chiles or bell peppers and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Add the remaining spice mixture and sauté until the onion and chiles are tender but not mushy, another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Return the skillet to medium high heat and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables; toss to combine and reheat. Transfer to a large serving platter. Serve with the warmed flour tortillas, cilantro, lime wedges for squeezing, and sour cream, if using.

Spicy Pork Chops with Applesauce

I like pork chops. They're a good, lean meat that often costs a little less than other meats at the market. Chops are easy to cook, and with this rub - delicious.

Last night I cooked up these chops and served them with apple sauce, roasted root vegetables, and steamed artichokes. The great thing about this meal is it cost about $5 a person, was a full meal, healthy, mostly vegetables, and - using a Foreman Grill - had very little clean up. It's a meal you could use when you have company and it looks great, but not too expensive. Jared even called it a Biggest Loser meal (is that good?).

(adapted from Chris Schlesinger from finecooking.com)

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. cumin seeds (or normal cumin)
1 Tbs. freshly cracked coriander seeds (or whatever coriander you have in your cupboard)
1 Tbs. ground dried chile (chipotle, ancho, or mild chili powder works too)
1 Tbs. kosher salt (to cut down on sodium, you could take this out, so I use somewhere in between)
1 Tbs. freshly cracked black pepper
4 bone-in center-cut pork chops (1 to 1-1/2 inches thick)
2 Tbs. or more of olive oil (no need if using a grill)
1 jar of organic applesauce

Combine the cumin, coriander, chili, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and rub each side evenly with the spice mixture.

On George Foreman: You know how this works. Slap 'em on there and let them cook for probably 15 minutes. This would be a great meal grilled outside (sans Foreman) in the summer too!

On stovetop: Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chops until well browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until meat is done, 2 to 4 minutes. To check for doneness, make a small cut near the bone and look inside—the pork should have a hint of pinkness. If it's still red, cook for another minute and check again. Transfer the chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 3 to 5 min. before serving with applesauce.

Spice-rubbed Roasted Salmon with Lemon-Garlic Spinach

It's been a while since we had salmon, and I always want to try to do something different with salmon. I came across this recipe from Cooking Light and it looked so quick and easy and had great reviews.

I tried it. It was delicious! And was seriously a snap - maybe 15 minutes top - to prepare. We'll definitely make this again. Great for weeknights or a little fancier with company. Oh, to have a house to throw a big party in and cook up some salmon too!

Salmon:

• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1/4  teaspoon  paprika
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (2 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet
• 2  cups  thinly sliced onion
• Cooking spray

Spinach:

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• Remaining ingredients:
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare salmon, combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over fish. Place onion in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place fish on top of onion; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

To prepare spinach, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add half of spinach; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining spinach; cook 4 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle spinach mixture with rind and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in juice; remove from heat.

Place salmon on a platter. Arrange onions and spinach evenly around salmon. Sprinkle salmon with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.