to find beauty

emma's soup du jour

Kids can be funny little creatures. I've heard enough stories from friends about their kiddos refusing to eat anything but toast and mac 'n cheese to kids who are scared to poop to know its pretty normal. 

That doesn't make dealing with the stubborn nature of a three year old any easier. Fortunately for me, I am just the aunt... and my time with the (best-ever!) rugrats are limited to hours every other weekend or so... however, I am also the aunt who last Saturday night attempted to feed my neice dinner. Quite the feat!

My sister (the mom) had made fervent pleas that despite Emma's hunger strike (for anything not a cookie, it seemed) to only feed her little girl "healthy things."

The plan for dinner was rigatoni noodles, spaghetti sauce and meat balls. I thought if I engaged Emma with the cooking, maybe she would want to eat it. So, I had her lay out the meatballs on the cooking sheet.

But she got bored. 

So, I gave her a bowl with some tropical fruit cut up inside. She already had a cup of cran-apple juice and there was a small cup of diet coke nearby. I also gave her some cooked green beans. It was like a buffet of nibbles... or the ingredients for soup du jour.

I gave her the little egg beater. She went to work. Mixing all the ingredients with passion not unlike that seen on an episode of Chopped.

I thought to myself... why not, let's make it fun!

I gave her a spoonful of grated cheddar cheese. And a cup of diced peaches. I think she stole a couple meatballs too. (She saw Dave sneaking them off the pan after they cooked...)

She went to work. She was so, so excited about her "Emma soup" and kept saying she was making her own dinner.

Here's the final product:

Looks tasty, doesn't it? 

Dinner time. I gave Emma her noodles and meatballs (sans the red sauce, by request), and I told her to eat up! She took a big bite. I thought to myself: oh yeah, I am awesome. She's going to eat for me!

But then she stopped eating. Pushed her dish aside. Hunger strike?

Not quite.

She wanted her soup.

Yes, this is real. She sipped not one, not two, but three spoonfuls of the sweet 'n odd concoction.

And she said it was sooo yummy!

Oh boy.

The recipe:

Emma's Soup 

1 8oz cup papaya and pineapple in extra light syrup (tropical medley) 
1 4oz cup diced peaches in light syrup
1/4 cup cooked green beans, cut
1/2 cup cran-apple juice
1/4 cup Diet Coke
1/2 tablespoon grated mild cheddar cheese
2 small Italian-style meatballs 

 Mix together in bowl. Serves one wonderful little girl!

carrot-fennel bisque

One of the recipes I was looking forward the most to cook up was a carrot and fennel bisque from the Diabetes DTOUR Diet cookbook (pg 110). And I confess, WHY I wanted to make this soup was because I really, really wanted to buy a fennel bulb! Fennel is fast becoming one of my favorite new foods to play with! Its full of vitamin C and other good stuff, and it tastes delicious! I also love carrots... so a win-win for me!

Here's the recipe:

Carrot-Fennel Bisque

4 large carrots, halved lengh-wise [my carrots were more medium sized than big, so I used six]
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, with fronds reserved and cut into slices
1 large onion, cut into wedges [again, my onions were small, so I just two] 
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (12 oz) fat-free evaporated milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the carrots, fennel, onion and garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil, turning veggies so they are coated. Roast for 45 minutes or until browned and very tender.

2. Combine the vegetables in a blender or food processor with 2 cups chicken broth. Blend or process until smooth.

3. Place the vegetable mixture in a saucepan with the milk and the remaining 1 cup broth. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the flavors meld and the soup is hot. Ladle into bowls (should serve at least 4) and top each with the fennel fronds.

Now, I confess, I added garlic salt and parsley flakes when it was warming on the stove. My own touch!

The recipe is pretty simple - even for me... However, I must have been tired or something... because in making this dish I set off the smoke detector (twice) AND the blender broke on me and soup went everywhere!  Not my best domestic diva moment! Dave tried to assist, but I promptly shooed him out of the kitchen - poor guy! 

Despite the mess in the kitchen, I think it turned out pretty well... Dave actually gave me an eight out of ten (not sure how much of that was pity points, but I'll take it!)

nacho night

Thanks to EVERYONE who prayed for my sweet husband tonight. I don't want to embarass him too much, but let's just say my morning started with being woken up at 4am, to poor, delirious Dave in the bathroom, the shower on, and throw up everywhere. He looked so sad. 

I told him to rest, best as he could. Other than being super sleepy all day, I think he's doing much better. And we didn't miss youth group tonight. C'mon, Dave will do youth group despite threats of dangerous snow storms, a little sicky-ickiness won't get him down!

So, I have to share what Dave had me prepare for the kiddos:

tortilla chips = totally normal

+

 
super large canned nacho cheese = a whole new experience for me.

I babied this crockpot for over an hour, waiting for it to warm up in cheesy goodness. I knew it wasn't healthy.  I didn't even want to look at the nutrition chart. Eating the salty corn chip dipped in warm nacho cheese reminded me of the guilt of adding extra butter to popcorn at the movies. Why? Why? Why?

And, of course, the kids barely scrapped the vastness of cheese this crockpot carried. Well, some tried willingly... but really... there was enough cheese for an army. So, we now have the cheese in our apartment. Somehow I have to convince myself it's poison so I don't munch on it.

On a similiar note, here are some pictures of the sundae's the kid concocted last Wednesday. One girl literally filled a bowl entirely with whip cream and cherries (you can see it in the back). Kids are weird.

 

Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus

Don't mistake the absence of foodie posts as a sign that I've stopped whipping up delicious new things in the kitchen! I've just been a bit busy balancing the other parts of my life that keep things exciting and filled.

And, I gotta admit... we've been enjoying visits to our favorite restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen. Typhoon. McMenamins. And New Seasons.

Here is our very yummy dinner last Wednesday: 

 

Dave enjoyed the roast beef sandwhich, and I enjoyed the fennel and green beans, flank steak and mediterrean orzo. I also realized at this visit to New Seasons, for the VERY FIRST TIME, why I loved eating so much there. It's not that each meal feels "healthier" or the happy community feeling, sitting and eating in the dining area offers. No, I realized they use Fiesta dishes! Really and truly. Love it!

The recipe I am posting today, is for a meal I prepared several days ago. Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus. Yes, the hubs was forced to eat a meal with no meat. Unless you count the chicken broth in the recipe. (He survived quite well, but still rated this meal a seven out of ten. Boo!)

This recipe was found in the Cuisinart Instruction and Recipe Booklet (pg.12)  for the Rice Cooker/Steamer we happily recieved as a wedding gift! I've been feeling the itch to try my hand at risotto for a long time (since my friend Ang prepared asparagus risotto for us at least two years ago!), but I've been intimidated by the process and how much patience the meal requires. Alas, with the cooker, time seems to melt away and the result in creamy rice goodness.

 

Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus

cooking spray
4 ounces Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot or onion (I used shallots)
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1 cup (use the one that comes with the Rice Cooker) Arborio rice (thank you Winco bulk food section for this purchase!)
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 cups water, chicken broth or vegetable stock (based on your preference and what you have in your pantry)
4 tablesppons heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper  (I used regular black pepper and it was just fine.)

The recipe begins with preparing the asparagus to be steamed in the rice cooker's steamer rack. Which I did try, but it didn't seem to cook the asparagus to my satisfaction... so I ended up sauteeing the asparagus with a little olive oil. It worked fine.

Place the butter and olive oil in the cooking bowl of the rice cooker, turn on and wait one minute.

Stir in the chopped shallots (or onions) and carrot and cover; cook one minute.

Add the rice; stir to coat completely. Cover and cook for two minutes.

Stir in the wine; cover. Cook two to three minutes, until the wine is completely absorbed.

Add the water or stock; stir. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring two to three times. 

(This 25 minute time span is the perfect time to tidy up! As my dad taught me at a young age: "A good cook is a clean cook.")

After the 25 minutes, the instructions say to add the steamer rack of asparagus to the cooker and cover. I obviously did not do that, but you can try it!?

Wait until the rice cooker moves to from cook to warm in the settings, or cook for about 5 more minutes.

When rice cooker switches to warm, stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan, and white pepper. Replace the steamer rack to the cooker, and let stand on Warm for five to ten minutes.

Stir in the asparagus into the risotto. Stir hot, hot, hot and enjoy!

Good to know: this recipe is intended to serve: six people as a side dish, four as a first course, or two as an entree.)

Risotto: check! 

biscuit bundles + chicken devan = food goodness

Something about returning to work after a ten-day staycation made me hungry tonight! I was so grateful to have a plan for dinner when I got home, and went right to work! Talk about the double-shift!

I decided to make an appetizer AND a casserole-type dish so we'd have leftovers tomorrow. 

For the appetizer, I pulled out a recipe from a  cookbook (autographed too) called Morsel & Martha's Adventure's in Cooking by Mary J. Pelzel - another gift bestowed upon my husband at the family shelter. (He collected a lot of cookbooks there, it's quite interesting...)  

Biscuit Bundles

1 package refrigerator biscuits
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 small package cream cheese (yum!)
garlic salt

 Separate the biscuits and cut into quarters. Pat out each piece and put a small spoonful of cream cheese in the center. Press 2-4 pieces of onion into the cheese. Pinch edges of dough together to make small round bundles. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and bake on ungreased cookie sheet 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. (I was scared to burn them, so they are a little light.)  (I followed cooking directions from bisquit package.) Serve warm. 

For the main course, I decided to use one of the tried-and-true recipes given to me by my friend and co-worker, Dianne at one of my wedding showers last summer. Here is the recipe:

Recipes given at wedding showers should be treasured as they are given with the intent to help us please our men! :) And the chicken devan was delicious! I loved, loved the curry and the crunch the bread crumbs provided. And it was so easy! I could totally do this without a recipe next time!

Here it is, all golden and yummy before I served it up! I love that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Yay! Thanks Dianne for a great recipe!

I asked Dave what he rated this meal, and he first said 7 out of 10. At my crestfallen face, he laughed and said "no, no, I'm just kidding! Babe, it was a 9! Loved it!"

Phew!

Note: I am really not trying to make my blog a food blog. I am just feelin' the fun of cooking and blogging about it! It's good to challenge ourselves with new things!

quick pork chops with green salsa

I've officially decided to turn my love for watching the Food Network and this blog, into a love for preparing delicious, creative meals that I can actually eat... not just salivate over on tv... and that means I need to get busy learning how to do fancy cookin' stuff. 

I actually love to cook (and have whipped up some pretty creative dishes!), so that's not an issue, but I think I get lazy. I don't make "fancy food" because I am daunted by the steps and skills required... and the time! But so-called "fancy food" is healthier, more economical and well, Dave and I need both!

My first action was to read through my various collected recipes, cookbooks, etc, and plan out some meals to prepare for the next week (or two?)

I wrote out a thorough shopping list, and then tackled numerous budget-friendly grocery stores ... And I know God was with me because 1. I stayed within price budget and 2. when I was standing in front of the dairy case looking for the heavy cream (where o' where are you dear heavy cream?), and a girl about my age was also looking for the heavy cream and she called her mom for instructions on what it looked like. (She was making alfredo.) Together, us and her mom via phone, found the little container of creamy goodness on the top shelf in the back... not called "heavy cream" but something else like heavy whipping cream. 

I managed to check off nearly everything from my shopping list (decided to buy salmon fresh the night I make it instead of in the frozen form)  and was very thankful to have a handy and handsome hubby to bring in all the grocery bags! Though he escaped to play Call of Duty on the xbox while I put everything away...

So, here it is. Meal numero uno. The first night of my fancy meal planning, and I am using a recipe from the Diabetes DTour Diet cookbook - one of the many cookbooks my hubby was blessed with when he worked at the family shelter. The cookbook promises "200 undeniably delicious recipes to balance my blood sugar and melt away pounds".... yay! As I was recently told my blood sugar was "pre-diabetic", I am kinda in a scare about it! (Dave's is fine though, of course.) 

The recipe I chose to begin this little sojourn looked tasty and I was attracted to the "quick" in the title - we'll see if it lives up to its name! I also like the idea of cooking with edamame and tomatillos! 

I had to change the recipe a bit because as awesome as I thought I was at menu planning and grocery shopping, I missed adding some items/spices to the list. Like cumin, the main spice.

Oh well. 

Also, I wasn't planning on Dave needing to "practice using the espresso machine" at the exact time I wanted to start dinner in our small kitchen... I am assuming this is pretty normal, typical man behavior, so I will give him a couple minutes to dinker around...

Quick Pork Chops with Green Salsa

1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
4 boneless pork chops
1 tsp ground cumin (after a little Googlin' I learned that I can substitute ground coriander and chili powder. I think its fitting for me, Cori, to use coriander, don't you? I didn't have chili powder, of course, but I did have cayenne pepper. It worked.)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
6 tomatillos
4 scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 chicken broth (the recipe calls for fat-free, reduced sodium - I am using what I have on hand, which was not fat-free or reduced sodium but it was all-natural!)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 

1. Prepare the edamame according to the package directions; drain.

2. Rub the chops with the round coriander and cayenne peppper and salt. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook for 4 minutes, turning over once (or until the temp is 160 and juices run clear.)  (I was very excited that the smoke alarm did not go off, as it is known to do whenever I cook anything hot.) Remove to plate and keep warm.

3. Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook the tomatillos [Never made these before! Exciting!] scallions, and garlic, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the broth, cilantro, and edamame and cook for 3 minutes (until the flavors "meld").

Serve with the chops to your happy, hungry husband on your pretty white dishes!

Check it out -- my food looks like the food in the picture! (Also, don't you love the Fiestaware butter dish holding my cookbook up? ha!)

And, it was, pretty darn good. I really liked the coriander and cheyenne pepper spice - which I didn't know beforehand! The pork chops were perfect! And the green salsa was sour with a kick to it. I am just so impressed with myself! Go Cori!

However, to gauge with the true meter: Dave. He gave it a 7 out of 10. Not bad for my first attempt at culinary greatness!