Thanksgiving Challenge…

So it’s on… and I’m fully immersed with the Turkey goings on. My mom was in town this weekend and was a lot of help with figuring some of the things I was worried about for Thursday (mainly, cooking the turkey!). She also brought her impossibly cute mini doxie (who likes to surf the web too!)

But almost all of food stuffs have been purchased and I have to say that I am SUPA proud of my receipt and savings…

Even mom was impressed and at least 35% of that was just everyday groceries. I think the BOGO pies with a free pie coupon was the kicker (Thank you Roundy’s Holiday show! ) Factor in another $11 and it’s not too bad, especially since I know that we will have a ton of leftovers!

 

Here is the menu I have planned for this Thursday:

Roasted Turkey

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

Cranberry sauce

Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole (J’s mom is bringing this)

Roasted Carrots

Stuffing

Rolls and Pumpkin Pie

Wow, seeing that written out makes it seem like it’s a ton of food, and it doesn’t include the snacks I have too! We’ve also picked up another guest, J’s old roommate, so we will have plenty of food and leftovers!

I, hopefully, will be documenting all of the cooking etc and have a fun post for everyone! Plus, Friday is my birthday (my quarter century!), so I know there will be some fun with too!

So here’s a question for all of you: What dish are looking forward to having on Thursday?

Stuffing all the way!

A Twist on the Traditional…

If it were up to me, I would eat soup everyday… There is just something so comforting and warming about it. I think it all stems from the fact that my mom made a lot of soups when I was younger. But there is one in particular that captures my heart each and every time, chicken soup. There is just something about it, whether it is “chicken flavored noodle soup” from George Webb’s or my mom’s, it’s something that I won’t turn down.

So today, when I was stuck at home because my back is killing me again (that, and I am working a new schedule that gives me every other Wednesday off), the Barefoot Contessa happened to be showing when I sat down. Now, I have a love-hate relationship with Ina, as I’ve never been disappointed with her recipes, but damn, that woman rivals Paula Deen with her usage of butter! This show did have it’s fair share of butter (Brownie Pudding, anyone?) but it did have the recipe that I used for Italian Wedding soup tonight. I have never had this kind before, and I have to say that I am in love!

The only changes that I made from her recipe was a turkey meatball instead of chicken since that is what happened to be in the freezer and I didn’t want to make a special trip just for that and orzo for the pasta instead of tubetini.  I also halved the recipe, and it still made a ton of soup, which J has already claimed to take to lunch tomorrow. This will definitely be on the roster again!

The countdown to Thanksgiving here has begun… I’ve got my list made, and plans in place (thanks to all of your suggestions!). I’ve got the rolls, stuffing and pie covered (ah, the joy of working in the food industry), now I just gotta get shopping. I’m trying to put it off as long as possible because our fridge isn’t big enough for the usual eats and a turkey! I have to say this is going to be interesting getting it all in the fridge!

Production…

Well, well, well. I’m back and I have to say I missed you guys. I’ve been reading but just haven’t been posting. I hurt my back last week and really didn’t cook. Add on the fact that J and I have been having appliance issues in the house and I’ve been traveling again, it’s been one of those weeks where we have been relying on simple things that you guys have seen a billion times on here before!

 

I do, however, have something that I have not done before and definitely want to share it! The inspiration behind this dish was 2 things, Iowa Girl Eats made a homemade version of ravioli a few weeks ago and I saw something similar to this on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on Friday night. So without further ado… Chicken and Spinach Ravioli!

First things first… Season your chicken filling ( I used Emeril’s Steak Rub, SO GOOD! Thanks Foodbuzz!) and grill it. While you’re at it, grill some zucchini to make for a snack while making these!

Let the chicken cool and chop it up into small chunks that would fit within a ravioli. I used 2 breasts. Throw it into a big bowl and add the following: 1 cup low fat ricotta, 3 cloves garlic, 1 egg, 3/4 package of chopped spinach (squeeze it out real good), S&P, a pinch of nutmeg, and a handful of mozzarella.

Mix it all up and get out your wonton wrappers lay them out. I did six at a time because that’s what fit on the cutting board. Fill them with about a teaspoon of filling, just enough so that they don’t overflow.

Make an egg wash (just an egg and some water) and moisten 2 sides of the dough, making a triangle and then tucking in the sides so that it looks like the Pope’s hat. Make sure that they are tightly sealed, you don’t want to loose any of that cheesy goodness when you cook them. Repeat that action about a billion times, keeping those that you made under a damp towel. (Seriously, the filling was perfect the amount for the entire package of wonton wrappers.)

Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop these in a few at a time. I used a spyder to fish them out after they cooked (about 4-5 minutes, everything but the egg, is cooked already.) Cook about a billion because J is “supa hungry” and wants to eat now. After they are done boiling, top them with your favorite sauce, but forget to tell J that it’s a spicy sauce (although not Biz hot!) and see his reaction after trying it.

I froze the ones that I didn’t cook for the rainy day that I don’t feel like cooking or the day that I don’t have any food in the house… I would recommend freezing them slightly before cooking, but I didn’t have time and didn’t even think of it until after I started cooking them. But these were a hit with J, so I have a feeling that I will make a few different adaptations of these over the winter…

Simple Kind of Life…

So it’s just been one of those weeks again, although having today off was a change. My coworker came back a couple of weeks ago and we decided to institute a new schedule where we flip flop weekends off. So I’ve had the last two weekends off (which was nice) and now it’s my turn to be on call for the weekend, which gives me Wednesday off. It was kinda nice, but I’d like to have Saturday off instead. Oh well, this is WAY better than the 6 day weeks we were working previously!

I totally took advantage of my day off and took a trip to Woodman’s to stock up. I usually make the pilgrimage down there when my pantry is beginning to look bare. It’s so much cheaper for dry goods there. Hopefully I won’t have to do it too many times before they open one down the road from my house. That is going to be the best thing ever for me and the most dangerous!

Even though, I just stocked up, I definitely have to make a trip sometime soon because tonight’s dinner used up all of the eggs in the fridge. I’ve seen a couple different people make frittatas recently and decided that it was in the cards for us. J was all over it too!

I used an idea from Iowa Girl Eats and put pasta in it to bulk it up some. It was definitely different but delicious. It also helped to stretch out the eggs since we only had 4 to use. But with all of the veggies and pasta and a little cheese, it all held together. After sauteing the vegetables for a couple minutes to soften and then throwing the entire pan under the broiler for 5-8 minutes and dinner was done.  This is one that is for sure going to be on the menu when we are pressed for time!

Mush Diet…

That would explain my diet for the week. I had some dental work done this week, including having a tooth pulled, which put me on the uninteresting diet for the week. My jaw is still aching from Monday, but I’ll survive. Let’s just say that although mashed potatoes and mac and cheese from a box are kinda tasty, they aren’t too appealing looking by themselves.

 

But this was…

Making this pasta mash up was my first foray into solid type foods. I actually started this with the intention of making a soup by boiling the noodles in chicken stock. I decided against it, and added some ends of some frozen veggies bags. Topped with a little bit of parm, I swear that it tasted like I had a butter type sauce on it but all it was the noodles cooked in chicken stock. I definitely think that this will be a repeat dish, maybe with more variety.

The other dish worth mentioning this week, was J’s creation of country style ribs on the grill. I must say that J is a grilling master. I just made mashed sweet potatoes (because it was something different!) and some veggies. I only had a little bit of meat because chewing still is hard work for me!

 

Other than that, it’s been a quiet week around here. Just trying to gear up for the upcoming weeks. The biggest thing coming is that J and I are hosting Thanksgiving for his family! That’s a big deal since none of them have ever been to our place or had my cooking! I’m already starting to plan! Any suggestions from you guys to make things go smoothly?

Long Time, No See…

It’s just been an insane since the last time that I posted. I literally was out of town all last week, and then worked like a crazy woman this week, and the little bit of free time that I had was dedicated to J since it was his birthday this week. We spent Wednesday night out together and last night, we spent it with family and friends at a Hibachi steakhouse and a German beer hall. It was a fun but low key night (unfortunately, I totally forgot my camera.

But despite the busyness, there has been some good dishes coming out of my kitchen.

Please excuse the pics, my SLR was out of commission for a couple of days. This is one of J’s favorite meals that I make him, definitely a comforting dish that still light. I based this off of my mom’s casserole that she used to make when I was a kid. It has a light sour cream base, and I add a ton of veggies to it. Combined with a whole grain pasta and turkey sausage, it’s a lighter take than the one I grew up with.

The sauce is just this:

8oz light sour cream

1/2 c reduced fat shredded cheddar

1 egg

salt and pepper

1 small onion, diced

If I need to thin it out, I add a little milk or else some of the pasta water and that’s all. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes and it’s an easy throw together dish.

Beer…

is one of those things that you usually don’t have for breakfast, at least when you don’t live in Wisconsin. But it is one of those things that you have to have when you go out to brunch here:

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of dining here, it’s the Comet Cafe in Milwaukee. It was recently featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives and it’s definitely a great place to go for brunch when in Milwaukee.

What’s funny about it is that J and I used to hang out here (separately) years ago when it was just a little coffee shop that wasn’t so great. It was a place to go and smoke and have a coffee when you were doing your laundry next door.  I have to say that it had been awhile since I had been there and was pleasantly surprised at how it had changed.

J started off with a “beer-mosa” and I just had coffee (which was yummy!) and decided what we wanted. I went with “The Leghorn” which was chicken, lettuce, red onion, tomato, cukes, cream cheese and peach jelly. It was pretty gosh darn good. J kept stealing my fries too, he was obsessed with them!

J got “The Stendler” which had corned beef hash, among other things in it and was doused with hot sauce. (Biz, this one was totally up your alley!)

We actually sat at the bar and chatted with the bartenders for most of the morning/afternoon. One of them told us how a family waited for 45 minutes and when they found out that the regular menu wasn’t available, they left. That amazes me, I definitely would not have left. It was a good way for J and I to change up where we usually go, and patronize one of our old haunts. I’m glad to say that there is definitely more things to go for than just the coffee at Comet!

Just One of Dem Days…

Don’t take it personal. Gotta love the throwback jams of the 90’s!

It’s just been a crazy week, I had a grand opening of a store this weekend and that has been consuming all of the my life lately. For example, Friday night was cut short because I had to be up at 1:30 am. Yes, you read that right! Let’s just say I wasn’t all that useful on Saturday. But it’s all good because I’ve got a four day weekend coming up. I just gotta remind myself that I just gotta get through Thursday. I’m super excited, as I get to sleep!

The one thing that has been saving me this week for meals is that fact that I made a big ol’ pot of soup on Sunday that has fed J and I over the past couple of days. I had originally planned to make Biz’s Copycat Panera soup to the recipe, but I didn’t have some of the stuff on hand and (sorry Biz!) I just can’t bring myself to make a soup that doesn’t have onions in it!

So using Biz’s recipe as a guide, I used olive oil instead of butter and more chicken broth and half and half and added some frozen veggies because I didn’t have enough fresh broccoli for the recipe. It have to say, this recipe (even with my changes) is much more like Panera’s than mine is. I guess I am just going to have to make the recipe to the T next time.

Pom Coffee…

You guys have probably seen that Pom has been sending out samples of their new coffee line (that does not have Pom juice in it FYI) and I was lucky enough to get some samples.

Well… the thing is, J got to them before I did. He drank three of them before I could even get to try one… His review: He really liked them, especially the chocolate one. He says that it was like those “other” coffee drinks but better. (And he would know, since he does drink them from time to time)..

I got to try the chocolate one, and I have to say it was like drinking a coffee chocolate milkshake, which is not a bad thing at all. It is definitely something I would pick up at the store (if I can find them) when I was in the mood for something sweet, but has some benefits to it!

Thanks POM for the products, these definitely a big hit in the Taste of Life household!

Dreary Kind of Day…

On top of the fact that it’s Monday, it’s been incredibly dreary and cold. Last night, we had what I’m calling “hurricane” winds (even though there will probably never be a hurricane in WI). It was not pretty, I actually had some curtain casualties last night, when I couldn’t get to the windows and doors fast enough.

With the weather as icky as it’s been, soup has been calling my name. I know I’ve said it before, but I could live on soup. Particularly chicken noodle. It’s just so comforting to me, I think because it’s what my mom would make whenever it was icky out or when I wanted a special meal. I’m pretty easy to please!

The funny thing about this soup is that I totally did not try to get a ton of noodles in there. I had a box of mini farfalle that was open and I wanted to use some of it up. I threw two handfuls in  (which is normal-ish for me) and it turned out that there were a ton of noodles in there! It’s kind of funny when you look at the leftovers, since it looks like noodles with veggies and chicken. Oh well, it was super tasty, and was a worthwhile repeat for dinner tonight as well!

Thank you to you guys for all the encouragement on applying for grad school. I know it’s still super early in the process but it’s still super intimidating!

Oh! and one other thing that I can’t believe that I totally let slip by, I had my one year blog-iversary last week and I missed it! I guess I think I’m going to have to think of a way to make it up to you guys!