Menu Monday

Know what's super, super, SUPER expensive?

If you guessed "moving", you are CORRECT!

This is a roundabout way of telling you all that I'm making an extra-concerted effort to cook at home this week, use the stuff I've got in the pantry, and stay away from those tempting goodies at Trader Joe's. We've finally got the kitchen put away, so last week was our first foray into making a menu plan and sticking to it.

(Of course, after I planned it out, I realized that it was entirely inspired by Kate at Elefantitas Alegres. So she gets all the credit for this one.)

Wednesday

Southwestern Falafel with Quesadillas

 

This was the point when I thought that I would have a falafel failure.

Falafel SUCCESS!

   Thursday

 Quinoa Cups from Kate

 

What's that, you say? That does not appear to be a cup, but rather a pile of quinoa? Balderdash, I say!

No really, this was a structural failure but a culinary "pretty good." I wanted to find something that I could use as an end of the week vehicle for leftovers. It wound up pretty tasty, but could definitely use some improvements seasoning-wise. On the architectural side, I've got absolutely no idea where I went wrong, but I promise that Kate seems to always get hers to stay in one muffin-sized piece.

Friday

Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken (adapted from Skinnytaste)

Forgot to take a picture, but this was tasty and easy. I stupidly used the same spoon that I scooped the broccoli out of the food processor with to stuff the raw chicken breasts and wound up contaminating the leftovers. Don't be like me, because there was a whole bunch of broccoli-cheesy-garlicky deliciousness left over that I probably could have used creatively. 

Sunday

"Mad Men Mango Margaritas" and Portobello Mushroom Quesadillas

Again, forgot to take a picture, but I will definitely be making these margaritas again soon. They are not normally called Mad Men Margaritas, but when you drink alongside Don Draper things tend to get monikers. Also, you should probably go make one for yourself. Call it a Monday Mango Margarita, and then bring me one.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I subscribe to one philosophy when I'm cooking, which is that if you don't put anything bad into the dish, it probably won't taste bad. Likewise, if you only put tasty things into a recipe, odds are it's going to wind up pretty tasty. That's how I cook.

This philosophy proved true last night when I concocted a version of a recipe that I've seen floating its way around the interwebs lately - stuffed spaghetti squash.

My old roommate used to cook spaghetti squash all the time, but I'd never tried it myself until last night. For those of you who aren't familiar, it's a big, hard-skinned squash that you can roast and then scoop out the insides. They look just like spaghetti and have a mild taste.

Many people serve the "spaghetti" as a side dish, but I'd seen these stuffed versions and I was intrigued.

I started by browning some spicy "Italian-style" chicken sausage. (Had I been by myself, I would have omitted the sausage, but SK is mid-western and prefers his meat with a side of meat.)

 While that cooked, I split the squash in half and laid the two halves face down on a baking sheet with a little water on the bottom. I roasted them in a 375-degree oven and got to work cutting my veggies.

Tomato, Zucchini, Red Pepper. There's also Onion, Garlic, Spinach and Mushrooms off to the side.

 As I cooked all the vegetables together in a saute pan, I removed the squash (It was about 30 minutes) and scooped the "guts" into a separate bowl.

Then I tossed the cooked sausage, scooped squash, and spinach into the saute pan with the veggies and mixed it together with some bread crumbs and "quatro formaggio" mix from Trader Joes. (Don't be like me. Use an appropriately sized pan.)

Once the mixture is combined - you guessed it -- stuff it back into the squash "shell."

Then, CHEESE! (I used shredded mozzarella.)

I baked them in the oven (which I left on, so it stayed at 375 degrees) for 20 minutes until the cheese melted.

As you can see, this makes a LOT of food. It turned out completely delicious, but those shells are enormous. I could only finish half of one.

Give this one a try - you won't be disappointed! What I like most is that it's infinitely adaptable - I've seen Southwestern versions, pizza versions -- anything you want!

xoxo,

b

Menu Monday and Weekend Recap

 Happy Monday, everybody! This past weekend was a busy one -- unfortunately I didn't get nearly enough 'responsible' tasks done, like laundry, my homework, or my housecleaning. However I definitely got a lot of the "fun" things crossed off my to-do list, such as:

1. Make a Caramel Apple Tart

Mine did not come out nearly as beautifully as Deb's, but it was certainly tasty and I got to take my new, totally-unnecessary-purchase mandolin out for a whirl. Plus, I got to learn firsthand why pastry chefs call hot caramel "edible napalm" due to a hot pan gone awry (as documented in this tweet.)

2. Go hiking in Great Falls National Park

When its a beautiful fall day in DC, it's only natural to head out to the wilderness to enjoy the amazing weather and fall colors.

Unfortunately, everyone else in DC will have that same idea. This is the line to enter the park.

It took us over 2 hours to complete a 30 minute trip to Great Falls Park in McLean, VA. However once we FINALLY arrived we made good use of our remaining daylight hours and saw some beautiful views as a result.

We hiked the River Trail, which follows the Potomac and has some truly spectacular views of the Falls.

We stopped on the way home for some fresh cider, then settled in for some dinner and our favorite TV night - Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and Boardwalk Empire!

Dinner - Chicken Milanese with Roasted Broccoli

In food-related news, here's what I had cooking this past week:

1. *Chili Baked Potato*

This was a great way to use up leftover chili, plus stretch a meal into two! We baked the potatoes until they were crispy, then added the chili and our toppings. It doesn't seem like a lot of food but the potato will fill you up fast. Plus when you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and low-fat cheese, it's really not too bad for you.

2. * Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini, courtesy of SkinnyTaste*

 These turned out to be a huge hit - they were delicious, a cinch to throw together, and infinitely adaptable.

3. *Jambalaya-like concoction, adapted from Beantown Prepster*

 Please excuse the photo, because this was probably the most delicious meal of the week. I started with MVB's recipe for Spicy Skillet Rice, but when I read over the recipe I thought to myself, "This looks sort of like jambalaya." I subbed chicken stock for the water, threw in chicken andouille sausage from Trader Joes, and added a TON of hot sauce -- the result was a pretty tasty substitute for Cajun cooking!

What have you been cooking lately?

xoxo,

b

The Dangers of Kugel

I made a noodle kugel last night.

I am still thinking about it at 2:26 pm, a full 19 hours later. I am counting the hours until I can go home and eat some more kugel. This cannot be healthy.

Nor can eating it straight from the pan, hastily trying to smooth the edges before your roommate gets home so no one can judge you for the sheer volume of what you ate, be healthy.

Noodle kugel, for those of you not in the know, is a traditionally Jewish sweet casserole made with egg noodles. My grandmother always made hers with canned fruit, which I never liked, but you can also use dried fruit or fruit nectar. Picture below: This is not a picture of the kugel I made, because then I would be forced to show you how much of it I ate and I don't want my readers to judge me.

*image from Google*

Up until last year, I didn't think I liked kugel all that much, having primarily been exposed to the canned fruit version of my youth. But then I attended a Shabbat dinner at a friend's house and was gifted the recipe of the best. Kugel. I have ever had. Sorry Grandma.

Recipe below -- it actually comes from allrecipes.com, but I made a few changes, namely replacing the cornflake/butter topping with Vanilla Almond Special K and a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Apricot Noodle Kugel

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup apricot nectar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in egg noodles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix egg noodles with 1/4 cup butter, cream cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla. Stir in apricot nectar and milk. Mix in raisins. Transfer to the prepared baking pan.
4. In a separate medium bowl, mix cornflake crumbs, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, remaining vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread over the egg noodle mixture.
5. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.