Izzy & Minnie's Snow Date!

Izzy got together with her best friend Minnie this weekend for some fun in the snow! They hit up a courtyard that had been untouched since the snowstorm leaving them with lots of fresh snow to play in. Thanks Ilana for the great photos!

Beef with Broccoli

I decided that I need to step up my game with the food photos. I changed some settings on my camera. About half were looking blurry but some were looking great on my screen. This morning when I uploaded them to my computer, I noticed a crazy yellow hue all over them. Maybe it was the lighting, the settings, I don't know. I did some retouching but they're still a bit yellow...better luck next shoot! I'm definitely going to have to replace these pics next time I make this....

Another one of my fave Asian inspired meals to satiate my craving for Chinese food...This is an adaptation of Heidi's Mongolian Beef. I thought it tasted a bit more like Beef with Broccoli (especially since I added broccoli), so that's what I went with! And I had used my flank steak on my beef & bok choy...I think its the flank steak that makes Mongolian beef!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1lb sliced stir-fry beef (any cut will work)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli, chopped

Directions:

• Add meat and cornstarch to bowl and coat meat thoroughly.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil to wok. Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, water, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes and remove from pan. 
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook meat until browned. Pour sauce back over meat and add in broccoli. Add green onions and stir to combine.

Southwestern Taco Bake

Last night we got dumped with another 12" of snow. On top of the snow that was already all over the sidewalks, built up in the crosswalks, and blocking valuable parking spots! Izzy had an awesome time today on her morning walk with the fresh snow. I love how she hops around like a frog. I snapped a pic on our evening walk tonight. Yes, there is a car under this pile of snow. With every car I saw, I was so thankful that we decided to get a garage spot!

I made this recipe a few weeks ago when I had ground turkey and nothing to do with it! I came across this recipe from For the Love of Cooking. I adapted their adaptation from Cooking Light.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 7oz can whole green chiles, drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1lb ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• Black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 14oz can lower sodium refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 green onion, diced

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375. Arrange green chiles in the bottom of the pan. 
• Heat olive oil in skillet. Add in onion, turkey and seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and diced tomatoes. Cook until turkey is cooked through. 
• Drop meat mixture on top of chiles and add the corn. Spread the refried beans over the corn and top the whole thing with cheese. 
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 
• Top with diced tomato and green onion. 

Healthier Vodka Sauce

I am having a love affair with vodka sauce and Skinny Fat Kid is jealous. Given the choice, I prefer vodka sauce over typical marinara any day. Maybe because it has cream and is worse for you. Maybe I don't like the heavy taste of tomatoes. Maybe I just love vodka (I'll go with this answer). SFK won't eat jarred sauce due to the sodium content. This time, I decided to make my own sauce that was on the healthier side. 

It was a bit difficult to snap pics of this. It was steaming on the stove, I was rushing trying to get my stuffed shells done and Izzy was barking at me. Typical night. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound prosciutto
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1 14.5oz can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
• 1/4 cup fat free half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Crushed red pepper 
• Black pepper

Directions:

• Chop up proscuitto and saute in pan until crispy. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in pan. Add in garlic and onion. Cook until transluscent.
• Add in vodka. Bring to a boil and reduce by about half.
• Add in tomatoes, half-and-half, Worcestershire, red pepper and black pepper. Heat through and simmer for 15 minutes. 
• Drop in proscuitto or use as topping on your pasta.

Next time I think I'll add a touch more red pepper, since I like a bit of heat. And I would definitely chop my onions a bit smaller. I was rushing and it was the best I could do! I used this sauce for my stuffed shells. Stay tuned for recipe!

Fun Kitchen Gadgets: The Lazy Spoon

When Rachael Ray first hit the scene, I think I was a bit obsessed. It was the first show I really watched on Food Network and right about the time I started to take an interest in cooking. Looking back, I'm not sure I feel the same way. Sure, she's quite successful, has a great brand, but she is just a tad bit annoying. EVOO? Can't you just say olive oil? And I don't think I'll ever take a bite and exclaim "Yum-O!". But I guess that makes her who she is!

I have a few RR cookbooks, but my favorite gadget that came from her is the lazy spoon. My mom picked up mine at an art festival. It is a great cherry wood spoon with a built in rest so it can sit right on the pot as I cook. No messy spoon rests. Anything left on the spoon drips right back into the pan!

Seems like Rachael has marketed her own in her crazy kitchen colors. Amazon.com has a few of the cherry wood options as well! Definitely a must have for keeping the kitchen clean! I'm not quite sure what's so lazy about it, but I like it!

Spicy Beef & Bok Choy

It is cold. Here in the New York City area it is about 9 degrees. That's not fun. Izzy didn't seem to mind on our walk this morning, but I could barely feel my legs! I cut it short by a block and a half. I think she noticed. But as soon as we came in, she cuddled up in bed to get warm again. 

In this crazy New York weather I want hearty, spicy foods that will leave me satisfied. A light chicken dish is not going to cut it for me. Deep down, I want Chinese takeout. Wonton soup would be amazing right now! But Skinny Fat Kid doesn't allow that. I settled on this spicy beef with bok choy. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound skirt steak, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 bunch bok choy

Directions:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large wok and add in beef and crushed red pepper. Stir until beef is browned on the outside, about 4-6 minutes (depending on how large you sliced it). Transfer beef and juices to a plate. 
• While beef is cooking, combine oyster sauce, rice vinegar, chicken broth and cornstarch in a bowl.
• Heat remaining oil in wok and add in bok choy. Cook until stems are translucent and leaves begin to wilt. Add in oyster sauce mixture. Return beef to pan and cook until heated and sauce has thickened. 

I think I purchased the world's largest bok choy for this recipe. It wouldn't fit in the produce bag at the store and barely fit in my produce drawer in the fridge. I didn't really think twice about it until I took it out of the fridge to prep. It stood on its own on its base. Like a small tree. After chopping for what seemed like hours, I had a huge amount of bok choy. I suppose I could have saved some for another recipe, but since SFK eats so much, I try to bulk up meals with veggies anyway. 

An extract remarks a north.

Fun Kitchen Toys: Fred & Friends Food Face Plate

Overall, I would say I'm a pretty laid back person who has a lot of patience. One thing I can't stand is once a meal is over, sitting around the table with all the leftover plates, food, etc. in front of me. I often pick up my fork and push around the leftovers on my plate (although I often eat everything on my plate!) or pick up whatever else is around to entertain myself. I can sit and chat for hours on the couch or somewhere else, just not after I ate. Something about it drives me crazy and I get so antsy!

 

Last Christmas, my mom gave me these Fred & Friends Food Face Plates. Skinny Fat Kid said "What are we going to do with these?" They're plates! We're going to use them! SFK has been working late all week. I've taken the opportunity to have a little fun at dinner. As I was eating some leftover pulled pork, I figured it was the perfect little tuft of hair and goatee and I need to make a Food Face! While I'm not that crafty, I think he looks pretty good!

Giada's Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

The first time I met Skinny Fat Kid's mom, she whipped out her Giada Di Laurentiis cookbook and made her Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. This was an easy in for me as I am a Giada fan (who isn't!?) and had actually never seen broccoli rabe in its original form. As I mentioned, I am NOT Italian and I'm pretty sure my mom detests broccoli rabe so I had no idea what to do with it. Always nice to learn something new!

SFK's mom made her version with regular white pasta and what SFK calls "Kill Me Sausage". I decided to lighten mine up a bit.

Serves 4-6 (depends on if you're feeding SFK)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
• 1 pound whole wheat orecchiette pasta
• 1 pound hot turkey sausage, casings removed
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Grated parm

Directions

• Boil a large pot of water. Add in broccoli rabe and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Do not toss out boiling water!
• Cook turkey sausage in large pan until brown. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, add the orecchiette to the boiling water that the broccoli rabe cooked in and cook until al dente (check package instructions)
• Strain broccoli rabe and add to sausage. Add in a bit of the pasta water and the cooked pasta. 
• Top with parm!

I was able to find whole wheat orecchiette and was honestly pretty pumped about it! Its the small things in life....

What do I do with this: Liquid Smoke

I bought a bottle of liquid smoke to make fajitas one day. After searching allrecipes.com, I found the most amazing chili recipe (Smokin' Chili) using liquid smoke. Now I have a bottle and don't know what to do with it. This stuff smells amazing. Does anyone have a great recipe using liquid smoke??

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Mac & Cheese

I crave bad-for-you food all the time. Skinny Fat Kid is pretty good at keeping me in check and I often seek out recipes to help satisfy these cravings without killing my waistline. I came across a recipe for mac and cheese and just had to try it out. Unfortunately, it turned out that I did not save the recipe. I had bought the ingredients based on this recipe, so I had to totally wing it. I think it still came out great! Unfortunately, since we ate at 11pm that night, I totally forgot to take pictures! We were too busy stuffing our faces.

This was the day we spent hours upon hours at the car dealer buying our new used car. I think we got back into town at around 9:30, I walked Izzy, SFK went to look for parking. I came back from walking Izzy and he was still looking for parking. I pulled together the mac and cheese, popped it in the oven and told SFK to let me park, and he could take dinner out of the oven if I wasn't back in 20 minutes. I did one loop around the block and parked, less than a block from our apartment. I told him from the beginning that I'm way better at finding parking than he is because I've been doing it for so long. Needless to say, we have already secured a garage spot so we never have to deal with that again.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1lb whole wheat shells
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated part skim Jarlsberg
• 1 cup grated parm
• 1 cup grated Asiago
• 1 package frozen broccoli florets, defrosted
• Black pepper
• 1lb ground chicken

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
• Cook chicken over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
• In the meantime, melt butter in saucepan and add in flour. Keep whisking. Add in all of the Jarlsberg and most of the parm and Asiago as well as the milk and whisk until melted. 
• In a dutch oven add pasta, cooked chicken, broccoli, cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine. Top with remaining cheese.
• Cook in oven for about 20 minutes until cheese on top is melted. 

Cheeeeeeesy Chicken Meat-a-balls

My family is one of the few I can think of among my friends growing up, in college and even know who has no Italian roots. I had no idea what braciole was and I pronounce my vowels at the end of words like "mozzarella" and "calamari" and manicotti". And I'm proud of it! Sure, my mom cooked Italian meals for us like pasta and stuffed shells. I do remember one time my mom made so many stuffed shells that we ate them for weeks. They were in every tupperware we owned and we just kept eating them. I don't know how she managed to make so many, but I did not eat another stuffed shell until about a year ago!

In college, my Italian friends would bring back trays of lasagna for us to devour, vats of homemade sauce, chicken cutlets and of course meatballs. I think it was about then that I realized I love meatballs! What's not to love. You can mix anything in there (although I'm sure plenty of Italians would disagree) and pair them with any sauce to make an awesome dinner!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com for Cheesy Chicken Meatballs and had to give it a whirl.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parm cheese
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Black pepper
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 
• Mix the chicken, eggs, cream cheese, Parm, bread crumbs, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, garlic, oil and pepper in a bowl. Form into meatballs and place on pan.
• Bake in the oven until juices run clear, about 15-20 minutes.

I forgot to spray my foil with the cooking spray and had a little incident on this one. Skinny Fat Kid felt the need to release all the meatballs from the foil before he could eat. He was pretty upset about the leftover protein that was left on the foil and not feeding his muscles!

I served this up with a little vodka sauce and whole wheat pasta. SFK wouldn't eat the vodka sauce...too much sodium! I'll have to try and make my own next time. 

Portobello Asiago Chicken

I don't love chicken. I know its a great, lean protein but I'm not a huge fan of the taste, texture or the meat in its raw form. I think it's Skinny Fat Kid's protein of choice. The only way I will enjoy it is if its completely flavorful with some sort of sauce. And of course, most sauces aren't healthy. I'm sure you'll find that most of my chicken recipes are quite flavorful with some outstanding taste or spice to help me enjoy my meat!

This recipe is an adaptation from Foodfit.com.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1lb chicken cutlets or chicken tenders
• Black pepper
• Whole wheat flour for dredging
• 8oz sliced portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 grated Asiago cheese 

Directions:

• Preheat broiler
• Season chicken with pepper and dredge in flour. 
• Heat oil in large skillet.  Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to baking dish.
• Add mushrooms to skillet, seasoning with pepper. Stir until mushrooms are almost tender.
• Add in wine, scrapping up any bits that may be stuck to the pan. Reduce by half. Add in chicken broth and cook one minute more. 
• Put mushrooms over chicken in baking dish and pour cooking liquid over. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. 
• Place baking dish under broiler until cheese has melted. 

As you can see from the photo, I used a combo of some leftover whole wheat pasta. Wasn't quite enough rotini left in the box to fill up SFK, so I added in penne.

Portobello Mushrooms

Cartoon Izzy!

I recently agreed to friend my mother on Facebook after having her in friend purgatory for many months. She has behaved herself for the most part, but she is very into her friends, sending links, etc. As long as she stays away from that crazy Farmville and from posting comments on all my pictures, we should remain "friends". Don't get me wrong, I love my mother but she is quite eccentric. Hoping one day she will guest blog! I know she'll read this too as she looks forward to my blog showing up in her Facebook feed every day!

My mom knows how much I love dogs, especially our little one, Izzy. She has been sharing these Draw the Dog cartoons with me for sometime through Facebook and of course suggested that I "like" it. I checked it out and decided to submit a photo of Izzy. Turns out, she inspired today's cartoon!!

Check her out!

Pizza Pizza!

 I asked Skinny Fat Kid to grab some whole wheat dough from the local pizza place on his way home from work tonight. They didn't have any left...boooo. He was walking the pup so decided to go up a few blocks to find me the whole wheat dough. There was no way he could eat regular white flour! He also told me I was demanding...I disagree.

Skinny Fat Kid loves spinach and artichoke dip. Spinach and artichoke dip will take Skinny Fat Kid from Skinny to Fat fast. I came across a Spinach and Artichoke Pizza while looking at one of my favorite blogs, Taste and Tell. To give credit where credit is due, this is actually a Rachael Ray recipe.

Serves 4
Ingredients: 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil (or EVOO as Rachael would say)
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons parsley (recipe calls for fresh but I used dried)
• black pepper
• red pepper flakes
• Whole wheat pizza dough
• 2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella
• 5 tablespoons grated parm
• 4 tablespoons asiago
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups chopped, fresh spinach
• 1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 500F.
• Stretch pizza dough to fit large baking sheet. Put parchment paper on baking sheet before placing dough.
• In a bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, red pepper and black pepper. 
• Spread 1/2 of the garlic mixture onto dough, leaving space for the crust. Sprinkle with the mozz, 1/2 of the asiago and 1/2 of the parm.
• Toss the artichokes, tomatoes, spinach and chicken with the remaining garlic mixture. Arrange on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with the rest of the asiago and parm.
• Bake until crust is crisp, about 12 minutes. 

I served this up with a simple salad to help fill up the SFK so we would have enough for lunch. Heated up great in the toaster! This was quick, easy, and satisfied my craving for pizza without making me eat fat-filled cheese, pepperoni and pizza crust! Also got to use my ginormous knife which is always a good time!

Pre-Baking

Post Oven

Pizza

German Prociutto?

The deli line at my local grocery store is ridiculous. I don't know what it is about cold cuts that everyone in this city seems to love. I needed some prosciutto for a recipe and decided to check out the pre-packed deli meat section to avoid the 30 minute wait for 1/3 pound. 

I was making the Antipasto pasta so sliced or chopped would have been just fine. I came across a reasonable priced package of Abraham diced prosciutto. I threw it in the cart and didn't think about it again until I took it out of the fridge to prep for dinner. 

Prosciutto, by definition, is the Italian word for ham. As I took a look at the package, I noticed that this Prosciutto was a product of Germany! Am I the only one appalled at this? I'm not even Italian and I can't believe it! Maybe I'm missing something...is Germany known for Proscuitto as well?

Root Beer Brisket!

I grew up celebrating both Hannukah and Christmas. For Christmas dinner, we always had ham. For Hannukah, we always had brisket. I have never once attempted to make brisket but came across this recipe from Babble and decided to go for it!

I also love slow cooker recipes. On this Sunday, it was ideal because I could drop it in, go to the bar to watch my Patriots beat the Bears and come home to dinner!

Ingredients:

• 1 3 pound brisket
• Ground pepper
• 4oz can tomato paste
• 6oz can tomato sauce
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 12oz root beer

Directions:

• Season brisket with pepper and sear in pan on each side until browned.
• Mix tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion, garlic, chili sauce, Worcestershire, dijon, ketchup, brown sugar and root beer in slow cooker. Drop in the meat!
• Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

This brisket was good and tasted a bit like my mom's but this one had way more ingredients. Mom's still wins on this one! If I decide I'm ready to tackle brisket again, I'll stick with her recipe!

I served this up with some baked sweet potatoes (Skinny Fat Kid's fave) and a salad.

Open Sesame

I have been craving Chinese food. Skinny Fat Kid won't eat it. Occasionally I can convince him but it is a very rare occasion. I just got a wok for the holidays and needed to try it out. I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com for sesame chicken and figured it would do the trick!

I started out by seasoning by wok. How annoying. I don't have time for this! I tried my hardest to follow the directions, let the wok smoke on the stove, let it cool, rub oil on the wok, let it smoke, let it cook, more oil, more smoking, more cooling. Ugh. I'm bored and hungry.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds, divided
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• Vegetable oil
• Small onion, cut into wedges
• Broccoli, cut into bit sized pieces
• Any other stir fry veggies
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki

Directions:

• In a large plastic bag, combine flour, half of the sesame seeds, black pepper, five-spice and red pepper flakes. Place chicken in bag and shake to coat.
• Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Put chicken in wok and brown on both sides, until cooked. Remove and set aside. Add veggies and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. 
• Return chicken to wok and reduce heat to low. Add in teriyaki and remaining sesame seeds. 

I definitely made a few changes to the original recipe. It called for green bell pepper, which is probably one of the only foods I hate. Good thing there are plenty of other veggies! Also, I could not cook my chicken as long as I needed to because this new wok was smokin' up a storm and set off the smoke detector. I threw the chicken in the oven to finish while I worked on the veggies and sauce.

Also, I made my own teriyaki with the honey, a drop of brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a dash of hot sauce. Delish! Served this over brown rice and was a great meal! Satisfied by bad Chinese food craving!

Izzy didn't want me to get on the computer tonight...."pay attention to me!"