Some Recipes From Last Week

so far I have been doing pretty good with trying new recipes out of the cookbooks I own, and it’s been rather fun! I finally feel like my cookbooks are finally getting use! The first recipe is probably my favorite. I have always wanted a good recipe to make collard greens, because I love them! I modified it slightly to add more flavor, but they are so good that even David eats them!

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Collards
From 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
6 cups chopped collards
1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken)
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What I added:
1/4 cup pancetta or prosciutto, cubed very small
1/2 – 1 lemon, juiced

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions; cook, stirring, until transparent, about 2 minutes. Add the pancetta or prosciutto cubes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the collards; cook, stirring, until the collards are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the broth; simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Juice lemons over the greens, cook for 1 more minute.

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Apple-Cinnamon Toastie
From Babycakes [Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery]

You can actually find the exact recipe for this at Leite’s Culineria or a similar one on Martha Stewart’s site, where one or two of the ingredients are different and it’s only cinnamon and no apples. It took a long time to make and mine came out slightly raw (my loaf pan was not the right size, I fear), but it was so delicious that we didn’t care. Luckily the recipe is vegan and gluten-free, so there is nothing to worry about. I enjoyed this recipe so much that I went out and bought raspberries to make the Raspberry Scones this weekend. Can’t wait!

Planning for the Wedding has begun!

As we enter into 2010 with the idea of getting married, my research online has commenced. I started right away and immediately got the date and location booked (more info to come soon), so now I am concentrating on the finer details. I have always wanted simplicity, but still elegant, uniqueness (no cookie cutter wedding for me) and something more intimate… that was always the plan but the first wedding got away from us like a train wreck. So as I was searching for wedding ideas, I came across this and thought I would share since most of it is right in line with what I wanted:

Will you be getting engaged over the holidays? As you begin to plan you 2010 wedding keep in mind these top trends you’ll see next spring and summer.

1. Basics
Wedding details will be the center of attention this year. It will be the base of the event, not the drama or opulence of the evening. Consider spending more on the lasting memories than the showmanship of the event. Spend a bit more than the average budget allowance on photography rather than abundant floral. Or think about a longer stay on your honeymoon and a little less of a party at the reception and you’ll be thankful for your decision in the end.

2. Home / Backyard Weddings
Intimate and personal affairs at home are becoming very popular and bigger than ever. It’s really the essence of a personalized wedding day experience.
Smaller size guest lists, more intimate settings, grass roots weddings, elegant and detail driven, but in no way small on what counts.

3. Buttercream for Icing
Fondant is falling behind (due to the taste), but buttercream is making a huge comeback in the market. Most cake designers can smooth out buttercream so that it looks like fondant but the taste is so creamy and decedent. Overall, buttercream is a much better flavor, and has more natural ingredients. Some designers charge a lot less for buttercream.

4. Wedding Favors
Personalized favors are back in a big way. Guests always notice when couples don’t put a lot of thought into the favor. Show how grateful you both are to those in attendance. Think outside the box. – local artisans, locally grown products and personal mementos.

5. Local Wedding Destinations|
The popular destination wedding will remain high on most couples priority list, but couples are selecting locations that are within driving distance. This way couples can create a wedding weekend. Having a more local wedding will not only allow all guests to attend, it supports the local economy and helps the environment.

6. Colors
Monochromatic palettes – single color bunches. Vibrant shades of orange, green, yellow, and pink. Metallic colors such as gold, silver, copper, and pewter are still very popular. Black is always in for weddings, mostly attire.

7. Green Weddings
Couples want an “eco-friendly” wedding. They are making small changes, but getting big results. We are recommending the venue to clean the property with green cleaning products, all lighting should be LED, and all food leftovers should be composted. Also, having the caterer/Chef prepare food using local and organic ingredients. All stationary should be printed on recycled paper.

8. Video and Digital New-Age Ideas
Everyone has seen the photo /video montages of your childhoods during dinner, but the next phase in video at your event comes in several different forms. Wedding ceremonies are being broadcasted on screens for better viewing from the back of the venue; also they are sent over the internet to guests who cannot attend the event. Time lapse photography is being shot and integrated into video for current day montages of you and your fiancé. The photographer and Videographer are setting up cranes with cameras and projecting the event as it unfolds on screens around the dance floor.

9. HD Video
Videographers have already switched to hi-def camera equipment. Next year all or most will make such a transition, making HD and even Blu Ray the norm in wedding videography. Upgrade now and be thankful for the quality later. This also means smaller cameras on site and less infringement into your event, all around a better option on the big day.

10. Visual Combinations – “Fusion”
Professional grade still photo cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR have been released with HD video capabilities. It is a great idea to have both services at your wedding to capture every moment of the big day. Tech-savvy brides looking for a new experience, may like to experiment with a visual professional (videographer or photographer) who has this technology. In the future, you will begin to see an emergence of two-in-one companies.

Cooking for the New Year

Ever since I finished reading Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, I knew that I wanted one of my New Year’s resolutions to be that I cook more from the cookbooks that I own. I love cookbooks, and have quite the collection but I never seem to pull them out to cook from. So my goal was to use them and make at least one recipe a week from a cookbook I own. I thought I would share a few…
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I started last week with my first recipe from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook, which has always been one of my favs (even though I’ve only ever made the slammin’ salsa outta there). So I chose this one to fit into my veggie diet…

Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups water
1 cup basmati rice
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tsp. minced grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cups finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups washed, finely shopped baby spinach
3 scallions, finely chopped
Salt to taste

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the rice, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lime juice and some salt, and reduce the heat to medium. Stir gently and cover, simmering slowly for about 25 minutes or until the rice in tender. Leave the rice covered so that the steam stays in, and it remains fluffy.

Transfer the rice to  a large mixing bowl and add the cilantro, cpinach, scallions, and salt. Combine thouroughly.

The recipe was okay, although I felt it needed quite a bit of salt. I served it with a healthy side of sauteed spinach, drizzled with fresh lemon juice and it was pretty good.
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The next recipe I chose was based off the fact that I got a new juicer to make fresh squeezed juices… well, after juicing you get a whole lot of pulp that I cannot seem to waste so I made this from my all-time classic cookbook, the Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook:

Sour Cream Pound Cake (Orange)

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Few good scoops of orange pulp

Allow butter, eggs, and sour cream to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour a bread pan; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add in sugar, beating about 10 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each addition and scrappoing the bowl frerquently. Add dry mixture and sour cream alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just till combined. I also added as much of the pulp as I wanted (maybe 1/4 cup). Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for 60-75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

Now this recipe was pretty darn tasty, although I baked mine for about 70 minutes, the toothpick came out clean and I still had a wet spot. Next time I will try baking for the full 75 minutes. I think we’ll make this again for sure!
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And the last recipe I made last week was sorta boring and I didn’t quite understand so I won’t post the recipe. It came from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes (a cookbook I’ve had ever since I started cooking on my own), and I made the Spinach Avgolemono Soup although I substituted chicken stock because we had cooked a chicken the night before and I didn’t want to be wasteful. Not only can I not pronounce this soup, but it was basically a stock with some spinach and white rice in it, but you make the avgolemono sauce with raw eggs and lemon juice that you temper and then slowly add to the soup. It just makes the soup look kinda creamy, but I thought it was weird.

But tonight we will try another from this cookbook.. Collard greens! YUM!
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And I have one more to share… this one is not from a cookbook, but rather the Martha Stewart Show and I thought it was quite tasty: Shrimp Scampi and River Salad. This was one truly delicious meal! Try it!

Resolutions for 2010

I never came and wrote out my complete resolutions, so to make sure I follow them this year I thought I would post:

1. Get married (probably the most important).
2. Back to better health and nutrition (green smoothies/juices, more of a vegetarian/pescatarian diet).
3. Back to the gym… exercise at least 3 times a week (losing 20 pounds is ideal here since I have a wedding dress to squeeze into).
4. Learn where my food comes from and eat more local/organic (join the CSA).
5. Continue to drop the plastic and paper bags in the store and use my Baggu bags.
6. Get to bed before midnight so I can get up earlier.
7. Read one book a month (did well with this one last year).
8. Make one new recipe from my cookbooks each week.
9. Knit myself a sweater (have always wanted to and never have).

Of course the only resolution from last year I did well with was the reading. I far surpassed my goal of one book per month and read nearly 24 books! Take a look:

1. Eat, Pray, Love / Elizabeth Gilbert
2. His Dark Materials Omnibus / Philip Pullman
3. Wicked / Gregory Maguire
4. Son of a Witch / Gregory Maguire
5. Angels & Demons / Dan Brown
6. The Last Lecture / Randy Pausch
7. Sex and the City / Candace Bushnell
8. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer
9. New Moon / Stephenie Meyer
10. Eclipse / Stephenie Meyer
11. Breaking Dawn / Stephenie Meyer
12. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog / John Gorgan
13. Three Cups of Tea / Greg Mortenson
14. The Secret Life of Bees / Sue Monk Kidd
15. The Friday Night Knitting Club / Kate Jacobs
16. Knit Two / Kate Jacobs
17. Knit the Season / Kate Jacobs
18. A Thousand Splendid Suns / Khaled Hosseini
19. The Kite Runner / Khaled Hosseini
20. Q&A / Vikas Swarup
21. Dead Until Dawn (Sookie Stackhouse 1) / Charlaine Harris
22. Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse 2) / Charlaine Harris
23. Green Smoothies Diet / Robyn Openshaw (only half)
24. Julie & Julia / Julie Powell (only half)

So now I have to work on my reading list for this year, and so far I have only come up with 11:

1. Julie & Julia / Julie Powell (only half – finished right after the new year)
2. My Sister’s Keeper / Jodi Picoult (already started)
3. Green for Life / Victoria Boutenko
4. Food Inc. / Karl Weber
5. In Defense of Food / Michael Pollan
6. The Lost Symbol / Dan Brown
7. Silence of the Lambs / Thomas Harris
8. Hannibal / Thomas Harris
9. Tunnels / Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
10. Deeper / Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
11. A Lion Among Men / Gregory Maguire

New Books for the New Year

Since the new year is… well, tomorrow… I went ahead and got a few new books to add to the reading list for 2010. New Year’s always brings about resolutions, and with a wedding on the horizon, better eating and losing a few (okay, 25) pounds is essential. My biggest goal for the new year is to get back to the way I used to eat… primarily organic and mostly veggies and fish. I think I’m honestly going to give the Pescatarian eating a try for a while. I also want to make a good attempt at getting to know where my food comes from, like joining a local CSA. These are two books that explain where our food comes from and why it’s so important. I wanted to join the CSA last year but didn’t have the money for even a half share. This year I want to make that a priority. I’ve also been lacking on my green smoothies and want to try to get those back into my diet.

It’s time to make the decision to be in better health… and after I recover from the potential (okay, inevitable) hangover tomorrow, we’re going back to the gym. I’ve only been donating for half a year now.

So, see you in the new and healthier new year!

Engaged…. again

We’ve decided to try again and on Christmas Eve David proposed to me for the second time. This time he gave me a diamond wedding band to prove that he is committed to the end result. I couldn’t be happier and hope that things go a little smoother this time around.

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We bought granite on Saturday!

We got up on Saturday and decided to trek to the ReStore to see what we could find and we got this!!! It was $113 and can be cut, delivered and polished for another $125. But for less than $250, we’ve now got granite for the downstairs bathroom! Here’s a close up: HERE. I’m worried that there isn’t enough of our green in it to match, but I guess the room can be repainted if necessary. I’m hoping it will work once we get it… should be sometime after the New Year.

They also had a piece that was brown (and almost twice the size) that would have fit the guest bathroom for $200, but David wouldn’t let me get it too… maybe I’ll have to sneak over there tomorrow. Happy Holidays to us… Santa got us rock!

Countdown to Christmas

I wanted to share what I made and sent to the younger kids in the family… it is an advent calendar with a twist. The round tins are magnetic and have a “little surprise” inside each one starting Dec. 1 and going all the way to Christmas morning. Here’s another view.

I wanted to do something a little special to remind the little ones of what Christmas should mean and the things they should enjoy. I also thought that each day (if I remember) I will try to post the little notes that I put in each one… please consider doing these with us and post what you think or how you celebrated each one (posting pictures would be even better!!!). It is not necessary to do these, but I just thought they might reinforce the simple joys of the holiday… some things you may have already done or maybe you haven’t even thought of them so far, but you can try to plan it for the week or post about it later (there’s no pressure here… just good ol’ fashioned fun).

PLUS, I thought it would be a nice way to bring the family together through activities without us actually “being together.” This way we can all watch a movie together or drink cocoa together, etc. So here we go… bring on the Holiday Spirit:

Dec. 1: Have a house lighting ceremony, complete with a tongued drum roll! (like in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation)

Moon Cookie Attempt #1 for David

I tried my first attempt at making David’s favorite cookie tonight. The best ones are found in NY at Wegmans and we don’t have one here. I thought I would try in honor of his homecoming today. While it doesn’t taste exactly like the ones from Wegmans, its a pretty good runner up. I found the recipe online and modified it slightly. I’ll be sure to post the recipe after I get David’s feedback.

Viva la moon cookie.