fish and a few good fall recipes

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Balsamic Reduction 
Ingredients

1 big ahi tuna steak (as fresh as possible)
S&P
olive oil
1 cup quinoa or rice
1/4 t. each cumin & coriander
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup shelled cooked edamame
1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup mixed greens


Directions
Preheat grill or grill pan to high. Season fish with S&P and coat both sides with olive oil. Meanwhile cook quinoa or rice according to package directions and add the cumin and coriander in with the water. Set aside to somewhat cool while everything else is cooking. Put balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Small bubbles will form around the edges after about 3-5 min. Don't touch it, just let it reduce down until thick. I cooked the fish while mine was working on the stove. Sear fish on both sides about 2-3 min each (depending on how done you want it). Let fish rest about 5 min before slicing into thin strips against the grain. Meanwhile stir edamame, corn and onions into quinoa. Arrange quinoa mixture on top of salad greens and then fish on top of that. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. 


Notes
I was craving some kind of fresh fish dish. I made this up and used what I had on hand. Feel free to swap out fish for chicken or beef along with all other ingredients. The good thing about salad is you can usually throw in whatever you have. I also squeezed a lime over the while thing and topped with a lime wheel. Enjoy!


Winter Root Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
about 5 cups peeled and chopped root vegetables, for example:

3 parsnips

3 large carrots 

2 turnips

1 sweet potato

1 small butternut squash

olive oil, S&P
3 T. butter
3 stalks celery
1/2 yellow onion
dash nutmeg
1 quart veggie broth
1/2 cup milk or half &half
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Peel & chop veggies into small pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, S&P on a baking sheet. Roast 35-45 min, stir half way through. Meanwhile saute diced onions & celery in a large soup pot over medium heat about 5 minutes. Stir in veggie broth & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer 10 min.  Then transfer root veggies & about 1 1/2 cups of soup liquid to a blender or food processor (if you have an emulsion blender, you can just pour the veggies in the pot and blend everything). Pulse until almost smooth (I like some chunks). Transfer back to pot, stir & simmer 10 min. Add nutmeg and milk or half &half. Top with grated nutmeg & serve!
Notes:

I just copy/pasted this from recipe club, so sorry if the layout is all weird. 


Sarah's Punkin' Seeds!!!

I pulled this pic off Google
(doesn't really do mine justice)

Ingredients
pumpkin seeds
1-3 T. butter (I use about 1 1/2 T. per pumpkin)
Lawreys season salt (This really is the best!)


Directions
Scoop out seeds, remove stringy stuff, rinse and pat dry. Preheat oven to 325. Saute in butter on medium/high heat about 5 min. This seems to get them a bit crunchier. Pour out onto cookie sheet and roast in oven 10 min. Stir around and put back in oven 10 min more. Stir around, add Lawreys salt and roast about 3-5 min more. Let cool 5 min. I've seriously got this down to an exact science! Hint: white pumpkins have more seeds than orange. They are also bigger and sweeter! Enjoy!


Orange Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients

pic from inspired2cook.com

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
pinch salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 t. vanilla
3 T. orange juice + zest


Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sit into pumpkin mixture. Add nuts and raisins if desired. Drop in big spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake 15-20 min. Beat together powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add zest and then add orange juice a little at a time until icing is runny. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Enjoy!

I love cheese

ODE TO VALDEON

I seriously have an obsession with cheese. I just had to share this amazing snack combo. Local black grapes with Valdeon Spanish blue cheese! Oh my! It is wrapped in sycamore leaves and has these beautiful blue green pockets of sharp picante goodness. If you aren't a blue cheese lover you should have stopped reading by now. My favorite part of this cheese is right under the rind. It has a brownish color and is the spiciest strongest part. Oh it is so so good!

ps. my camera has mysteriously
disappeared, so I have been trying
to use photos I find online and
using my web cam. Sorry if these
pics are bad. Hopefully I will be
getting a new camera soon if it
doesn't turn up.

cheese 101

I can't believe I forgot to make a post about our cheese tasting class at Forward Foods! It was everything I hoped for and more...and I'm not exaggerating. We tried 8 different cheeses with accompaniments like pistachios, local honey, quince paste, breads and even a pickle. We got a nice white wine with the first 4 cheeses and a shiraz with the last four. Kevin and I both took notes on what we learned about the cheese as well as what our thoughts were about the different ones we tried (mine were much more extensive). I even won a prize at the end of class for answering a cheese question! It was a cheese magazine. Reading through it made me realize I could be a lot crazier about cheese than I already am. I ate everything on my plate and finished what Kevin didn't like...I paid for it later that night, but it was so worth it! 
Here are the cheeses that we tried...


1. Valbreso Feta
We both loved this fresh sheeps cheese from France. I'm actually eating it in my pasta salad as I type this! Mild but tangy at the same time!

2. Tetilla

A Spanish semi-soft cow's milk cheese named for its boob shape..haha! This was a little too mild for me. I won't go as far as to say I didn't like it (that would be blasphemy for a cheese lover like me) but it wasn't my favorite. Kevin agreed.

3.  Haystack Peak

This cheese was super runny. We learned that the riper it is the more runny it is. I loved it! It is a soft-ripened goat cheese from Colorado. Kevin liked it with honey.

4.  Coupole

This American surface-ripened goat cheese was very "goaty". It tasted like I was in a barn...but I liked it! We both liked it better paired with honey and fruity flavors.

5. Quickes Cheddar

A firm cows milk cheddar from England. This was the most "normal" of all the cheese we tried. It was Kev's favorite. He said he would make a grilled cheese with it. It was awesome with the pickle!

6. Alsacian Munster

This washed rind cows milk cheese from France is considered a stinky cheese, but I thought it smelled and tasted wonderful. Kevin liked it better with nuts and I loved the rind!

7. Idiazabal

We both agreed this was our second favorite cheese. It reminded me of manchego. This hard sheeps milk cheese from Spain is smoked for 10 days. The rind was so so good!

8.  Shropshire Blue

A very strong cows milk cheese from England. The weird orange color is from a natural coloring the makers add. We learned that the cows produce more yellow cheese in the spring and summer and people would buy more, so to keep the color year round they just started adding color. Kevin gave it a zero :(  A lot of blue cheeses are described as having a picante flavor which means a sort of spice left on your tongue. This was by far my favorite!

recipes!!!

Finally getting around to some recipes...only 3 new ones this time. No pictures, but really none of these things are very pretty (except maybe the last one). More to come!


When you're in a hurry or want to make something ahead...


Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole
Ingredients
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 head broccoli steamed and chopped
1 cup cooked cubed chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus 1/4 cup for the top)
1 can cream of chicken OR celery soup
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 t. each curry powder and garlic powder
juice of 1/2 a lemon
S&P to taste


Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Stir all ingredients together and pour into a square baking pan. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 min. 


A quick hot weather lunch...


Tuna Salad (with a twist)
Ingredients
3 T. mayo
3 T. plain greek yogurt
1/8 t. dried onion flakes
1/4 t. curry powder
1/4 t. sugar
1 T.  fresh chopped dill
pinch garlic powder
S$P to taste
1 can solid white tuna
2 T. grated parmesan cheese
1 large pickle chopped
1 rib celery chopped


Directions
Whisk together first 8 ingredients. Add tuna and break up with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with crackers or make sandwiches.


And finally a classic summer grill recipe...


Grilled Pineapple Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
1 T. olive oil
1 T. honey
1 pineapple 
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 t. lime juice
S&P to taste
1 chopped chili pepper
1 avocado 


Directions
Whisk together oil and honey. Brush on pineapple slices. Grill on high 2 minutes on each side. Cut into chunks. Combine with all other ingredients. Gently toss in the diced avocado. Serve with chips or on top of tacos. mmmmm!

thundering up with tons of recipes

I haven't had much time to post lately. I've been working 4 days a week again and trying to get this Tulsa stuff started. Our weekends have been pretty much awesome. Thunder games, arts festivals, yoga, bowling, outdoor activities...I love this time of year! But it sure is awful for getting stuff done. I'm dedicating today to the Tulsa pieces. I made copies a few days ago, but still haven't actually started anything. Today is the day...but it is so nice outside!

We are loving the OKC Thunder! We got to go to game 5 against the Denver Nuggets (which was amazing)! All the other games we've just been watching at home. Sooooo here are some recipes to make when watching basketball or just for lunch, dinner or a snack...
Sorry for the lack of pictures, things disappear too quickly around here.


Emily's Chicken Enchiladas 
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts 
1 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves
half yellow onion
1/4 cup flour
2 T. taco seasoning
S&P
pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth
6 small corn tortillas
1 cup monterey jack cheese


Directions
Wrap chicken tightly in plastic wrap and drop into a pot of boiling water. Cover 20 min. Let cool, unwrap and shred with two forks. Preheat oven to 400. In a medium saucepan saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are soft. Add flour, taco seasoning, S&P and pepper flakes. Whisk until thick (about 1 min). Pour half the sauce over the chicken. Reserve the rest. Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave about 10 seconds. Spray a square baking pan. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and place in dish seam side down. Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 min.


Notes
You can also use 2 cups of rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken breasts. I added the onions, red pepper flakes, and yes I doubled the amount of cheese. They are delicious either way. Thanks Emily!


Guacamole-Hummus (Guacummus)

Ingredients
1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas
1 bunch roughly chopped cilantro
1 crushed garlic clove
1 avocado
3 T. olive oil
1 t. lime juice
S&P
about 1/4 cup water


Directions
Place all ingredients except water in a blender or food processor. Pulse adding a little water at a time until smooth. Serve with pita or corn chips.


Notes
Thanks to Kevin for the name Guacummus...I love it!


Sweet Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup  mayo
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 T. each lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, honey
S&P to taste
1 t. dried dill
chopped celery
handful chopped dried cranberries
handful chopped grapes
large romaine lettuce leaves
handful chopped almonds


Directions
Boil the chicken just like in the enchilada recipe (you could also use rotisserie). Cool in the fridge for at least an hour. Whisk together mayo, yogurt, juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, S&P and dill (I found that there was a little too much sauce, so I saved the rest and spread it on bread for leftover sandwiches). Pour sauce over chicken and mix. Add as much celery as you would like (I like mine extra chunky), cranberries and grapes. Spoon chicken salad onto lettuce leaves and sprinkle with almonds. Wrap up like a taco and crunch. Mmmm!


Rocky Road Bars
Ingredients
8 graham crackers
1 1/2 cups toasted chopped almonds
1 small tub marshmallow fluff
1 (12 oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk


Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Arrange grahams in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Bake until lightly browned (about 8 min.) Sprinkle in the almonds and dot with the marshmallow. Combine chips and milk in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave in 15 second intervals stirring in between until mixture is smooth. Pour on top. Swirl marshmallow and chocolate mixture together with a small knife or fork. Refrigerate an hour until set then cut into bars. I couldn't wait, so I cut a melty one. Mmmm! So good! They are even better when they are completely set. 

getting back to normal with pho and granola

The hubby and I ventured out to the Asian District in OKC to get some pho last night. I was feeling pretty awful, but I was convinced if I had a bowl of steaming rice noodles and the unknown concoction of Vietnamese ingredients that make up the miracle soup, I would feel better.

Heaven in a bowl 

I made mine extra spicy to clear my sinuses. I woke up this morning feeling about 50% (better than I've felt since Tuesday!). So we decided to go again for brunch today. :) I'm still not completely better, but I feel sooooo much better than I did. I went grocery shopping... and I can breathe through my nose! It IS a miracle. 


So now I just got done baking some granola bars. They aren't exactly healthy, but I'm working on making them that way. Here's my original not so healthy recipe...


Chocolate Chip Nut Granola Bars


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 t. baking soda
dash cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla
1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup honey


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Combine oats, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nuts and chips. In a larger bowl with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer :) mix butter, honey and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add in oat mixture. If you don't have a stand mixer, mix in the oat mixture by hand. Press into a lightly greased square baking pan. Bake 18-20 min. Let cool at least 10 min before cutting into bars.


Notes:
Now here's the healthy version I came up with. I have not tried this yet. Let me know if you try it before I do. Substitute 1/2 cup vegetable oil for the butter and 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit for the chocolate chips. 

recipes galore and holiday outings

Busy busy busy, but in a good way. I have been baking, icing and just cooking up a storm. I got half my holiday jar mixes ready and wrapped. Pictures and recipes will be coming after they are sent and gifts have been opened. Megan and I made a Mickey Mouse cake for her nephew's birthday. It turned out so so great. We might have discovered a little business here. I had some leftover black icing, so I made a fudge swirl cake and used my purple flowers from class. It looked funny but it was pretty. I made homemade vanilla pudding for the filling. I will never eat a pudding cup again...so good. I had my first recipe club meeting this week too.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say anything about it since it is a super secret society, but I'm just too excited! I made Pumpkin Cookies and Goat Cheese Bites. I got a bunch of new recipes I'm ready to try from these great girls including Spicy Pretzels courtesy of Emily Buckingham. Here's that one...


Spicy Pretzels Ingredients: 1 bag pretzels, 1/2 tspn cayenne pepper, 1/2 tspn lemon pepper, dash garlic salt, 1/3 ranch dressing packet, 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Directions: Whisk together all ingredients except pretzels in a small bowl. Put pretzels into a large plastic bag and drizzle mixture in. Seal bag and shake to coat pretzels. Enjoy!


I am so so excited about recipe club! I just love it!

Mickey Mouse cake by Megan and Sarah

It looks like it should
be at a funeral

mmm goat cheese!

Well this weekend was really awesome to say the least. I guess the worse the work week is, the better the weekend has to be. Really, I hate my job this time of year. I'm so lucky they let me have the schedule I want, or I think I would lose my mind. Friday night Kevin and I went to pick out our Christmas tree and then we cooked dinner together. Maple Glazed Salmon (oldie but a goodie) and Balsamic Green Beans (a new one, delicious!). Then we decorated the tree, lit the lights and watched holiday movies...a perfect night. Saturday we slept in and then made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Walnut Waffles (my own creation). 

the freshest salmon in Oklahoma AVALON 

  

the green bean master

pre trimming...
see any furry presents?

more presents and the star!

the blue lights are the best

Earlier this week I went with the little nieces to North Pole City to pick out an ornament each. They both ended up picking out nutcrackers. So go figure, today my mom took all the girls to The Nutcracker Ballet. It was fun, and the girls loved it. They both got sugar plum fairy wands and got to see Santa. It reminded me of going to the ballet when I was little. One year I was dancing around the living room on Christmas Eve being a sugar plum fairy, and I knocked the tree over. It was not funny at the time, but now we laugh about it. Well, I'm crossing my fingers that this positivity can last me into the week. I'll be back soon with more recipes. Have a good week all!

Regan and Shelby at the 
North Pole

little sugar plum fairies

halloween weekend

So when I said that Halloween was my favorite holiday ever, I was not kidding around. We decided to be Dr. zombies. We looked pretty good and scary if you ask me. We went trick-or-treating at the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne's house and saw a giant brain, saw a great DJ set at The Blue Note, and we went to Big Truck Tacos for the first time (which was super good by the way). 

Mr Wayne Coyne was pretty excited about our costumes

There were some interesting treats on the menu too. I'll post some recipes later this week. The brain was my personal favorite.

a gooey brain, eyeballs and ghosts!

AND we carved a total of 7 pumpkins this month!!! 

and Kev's cheshire cat

Jack Skellington pumpkin

the last 2 mini jack-o-lanterns

We love Halloween!

and Pep loved his wizard costume

Last but not least...

PUNKIN SEEDS! Ingredients: Pumpkin seeds, butter, Lawreys season salt. Directions: Scoop seeds out of pumpkin and separate from stringy goopy stuff. Rinse seeds in a colander and pat dry. Preheat oven to 325. Saute seeds in butter (I do about 2 Tbspns per pumpkin) on medium/high heat for about 5 min. Pour out onto foil lined cookie sheet. Roast in oven for 10 min. Stir around and sprinkle with Lawreys salt. Roast 10-15 min more until crunchy and slightly brown. Let cool 5-10 min. These are my favorite! It's actually my favorite part about carving punkins.