It's been a while!

Holy Crap! It's been a long time since I've written on here. Needless to say I have a ton of updating to do! In the past 4 months, my husband and I have moved into our home, adopted a rescue dog (who is adorable in her own little mutty way), completely remodeled the kitchen, and are completely exhausted.

First, the kitchen. It's beautiful and functional, while not completely finished. We still need to ass backslash tile and trim work around the windows. A few electrical things need completed as well, but despite all that I CAN COOK AND BAKE IN MY OWN KITCHEN!!! And believe me, I have been doing just that. And I get to entertain. Woot! I was asked to make cupcakes for my brother-in-law's wedding and of course I said yes. I even had people over for a cupcake tasting before showing them what I made. We have people over for dinner frequently and I'm just so freakin' ecstatic about it! I literally have not words that can come even close to describe how awesome it feels to have our own, unrented space! So with that said, prepare for more recipes and pictures to come in the near future!!!

Also, this is our dog, Daphne. She's about 6 months old. Here are a few pictures of her from when we first got her to as of a few days ago!



Needless to say, she had a rough start with us. We adopted her with a broken leg. There was concern that she may have to have her leg amputated if it did not heal properly. My husband and I did not care at all. She was so cute and energetic. If she didn't have a fourth leg her thought process would have been "one less leg to get in my way". After her leg healed we were able to officially adopt her and then she was bit by another dog, hence the Cone of Shame. She had made a full recovery from both injuries and neither of them seem to hold her back. She runs around like crazy and loves playing with other dogs. She keeps us on our toes!

Make sure to keep checking for more recipe updates. Perhaps I'll even have to through in a few dog treat/food recipes since I have a live in taste tester now.

Sweet Chili Glazed Bok Choy with Spicy Ginger Garlic Rice

My husband and I recently purchased our first home!!!! YIPEEE!!!!!! This means that very soon my kitchen will no longer be borrowed, but MY VERY OWN!!! We are doing a lot of renovations to the house, it was in pretty rough shape. In the end it will be beautiful and amazing. Needless to say, all this work has not left a whole lot of time to plant a garden for all my favorite veggies. So instead, we join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm this year called the Bistro Farm (check it out! http://www.thebistrofarm.com/home.html). We start getting our vegetables at the end of this month. I'm super excited, because I LOVE VEGETABLES!!!

While we are waiting for our vegetables to be available they tempt me with recipes on their webite. So I took it upon myself to make the Sweet Chili Glazed Bok Choy with Spicy Ginger Garlic Rice. Holy Crap! It's freakin' delicious. So delicious in fact that I felt the need to post it here. I'm not even gonna make you click on a link to get it, I'm just gonna post it. Freakin' delicious, I swear! If you've never tried bok choy before, this is a great recipe for first timers. I promise.

  Ingredients

2 C dry jasmine rice

3 C water

1 T butter

1 clove garlic minced

1 knuckle ginger peeled and diced

2 t dry chili flakes

1 t kosher salt

3 heads of Bok Choy halved legnth wise

¼ c water

1 T butter

1 T sesame oil

4 T sweet Chili Sauce (from Asian market)

Rice:

Select a large pot with a lid for making your rice. Over medium heat melt the butter. When the butter begins to foam or bubble add the garlic, garlic scapes, ginger and chili flakes. Sautee for one or two minutes, and add salt. Add water, and stir in rice. Do not stir further.
When water boils, reduce heat to low and cover pot. Remove from heat after approx 16-18 min. Keep covered off heat for an additional 5-10 minutes while you cook the bok choy.

Bok Choy:

Cut bok choy in half length wise. In a large shallow sautee pan with a lid, melt butter and sesame oil over high heat. When oil, butter and mixture is hot, add bok choy cut side down. This will produce a loud searing sound.
Sear bok choy for a few minutes but do not burn, just enough to brown the leaves and stems. Carefully add water and immediately cover. This will steam the bok choy.
After two minutes, carefully remove lid and allow water to evaporate. Add store bought sweet chili sauce. Turn bok choy over and swirl in the pan coating with the sauce. When the sauce is hot and slightly reduced, remove from heat. To plate, scoop out hot rice onto plate and cover with the bok choy.

I used brown rice instead of Jasmine and it still turned out delicious. However, it does require a longer cooking time, about 40-50 minutes. Enjoy!

CHICAGO! CHICAGO! CHICAGO!

My husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary together on March 2nd. We went to Chicago and ate our way through the Windy City. It was AMAZING. Our second trip there was definitely better than our first in my mind. Way better restaurants this time! YUM! So while there we ate at 3 different pizza places: Gino's East (my favorite), Lou Malnati's, and the Chicago Oven Grinder Co. We also ate at this great hot dog place called Hot Doug's. Best deep fried and grilled veggie dog ever. Yes that's right DEEP FRIED AND GRILLED. I will give you a minute to wrap your head around that...

Ok, gain consciousness back yet? Ok, good. As delicious as the veggie dog was, it will have to wait for another post because this post is about PIZZA!!! Oh and on another random tangent I realize that I never posted a picture of my finished Superbowl football stadium made of dips. So before I go any further, here you go.

Satisfied? Ok, moving on.

There is something to be said about a ooey, gooey, deep dish Chicago style pizza. It's almost too delicious for words. I'm addicted to it. It's completely possible to order a couple of Chicago style pizzas from Chicago and have them shipped overnight, packed in large amounts of dry ice. As delicious as they are, they are still expensive. I'm talking $40.00 a pizza. Worth it? Oh yes (at least in my mind), but I'm also not opposed to making my own Chicago style, deep dish, cheesy, ooey, gooey, deliciousness. And guess what? I did.

Beautiful isn't it? I thought so. Want to make your own delicious, scrumptious Chicago style pizza? Well here ya go!

Chicago Style, Deep Dish Pizza

This recipe will fit a 14" x 2" round pizza pan

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees F.)
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water

Toppings

1 28 oz. can of Italian style plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil or 2 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp oregano
Salt to taste
10 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (and not that crap from the green can either!)
Olive oil.
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casing removed (optional)

For the sauce, drain the tomatoes of their juices and then crush with your hands in a bowl. Add the basil, oregano, and salt. Mix well and set aside or place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the dough, In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water and then add the sugar. Mix well and set aside for 5-6 minutes. In the meantime mix the flour, cornmeal, and salt together in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture, oil and last 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix until the dough cleans the side of the bowl and forms a rough mass. If needed add water a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Turn the dough out onto a well flour surface and knead for 5-6 minutes until it is smooth and soft. Lightly dust the dough with flour and place in a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and place it in a warm area (don't want to turn the oven on just yet? The top of the fridge works just as well). Allow the dough to raise until it doubles in size, about 60-90 minutes.

Preheat the oven for 475 degrees.

After the dough had doubles in bulk, turn it out and knead it for approximately 2 minutes. Oil the bottom and sides of the pan and spread the dough in the pan with your palms and fingers (this works better if you allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes in the pan) Work the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan. Pull the edges of the dough up to form a lip all around the pan. Prick the dough bottom with a fork and par bake the crust for exactly 4 minutes. When the dough comes out, brush it with olive oil.

Lay the slices of mozzarella evenly over the crust, leaving a 1/2 boarder around the edge. Spoon the tomatoes over the cheese and the sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the tomatoes. If you choose to use the Italian sausage now would be the time to add it. (I omitted the sausage cause of that whole not eating meat thing. Also, feel free to use whatever topping you want). If you use the sausage, flatten pieces (about the size of a half dollar) between your thumb and forefingers and place evenly over the tomatoes. Then drizzle about 1 tablespoon over the top.

Bake the pizza in the oven on the bottom rack for 5 minutes; move the pizza to an oven rack 2 slots above the lower rack and bake an additional 30 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and sausage (if used) is cooked through.

I know you will be tempted to dive right in. I mean, come on! Who wouldn't be? Am I right? Of course I am...there is no argument here. But for the best results wait 5 minutes before cutting in and enjoying!

Need a second look? I thought so. Here ya go and enjoy!

*Note* Yes I know the crust is a little on the done side. That is how I like my pizza and no I did not burn it!

Happy Groundhog's Day!!!

So, as stated in my previous post, Groundhog's Day is not taken lightly in my family, at least from my mom's side. We embrace it. It's almost ridiculous. By the way Phil's official predictions  from Gobbler's Knob this year are 1) the Steeler's will win the Super Bowl, and 2) Spring will be here in 6 weeks since he did not see his shadow. I am hoping for both!!!

So in honor of my mother and her much cherished local holiday I found directions on the Serious Eats website for how to construct a Groundhog. Granted, it's kind of ugly and not shaped quite right, it's still kind of endearing. They didn't post a lot of pictures so I took it upon myself to photo document my efforts.

Start with your favorite chocolate cake baked in a 9 or 10 inch round pan. Cut the top off of the cake so you have a flat surface.

Note: I will post the recipes I used for the cake and the frosting in another post. Both are quite yummy!

Once the cake is completely cooled, cut it in half to you have two half moon pieces.

On the bottom piece, spread a layer of your choice of chocolate frosting, then top with the top layer.

If you wish, you may gently slice away one of the ends on the sides and top so you have a nice shapes for Phil's head.

The coat the entire cake in a thin crumb coat and place in in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up.

Once the frosting is firm, cover the cake in another layer of frosting.

I used chocolate pieces from a broken chocolate bar for the ears, feet and tail. The eyes are chocolate chips, the whiskers and mouth are black spaghetti, the grass is coconut colored with green food coloring and the hat and tie are made from cardboard.

 

Needless to say it's a crude version of Phil and I probably will do a little bit more shaping the next time around, and perhaps use chocolate fondant instead of frosting hmmm...

All in all very fun!!!!

Football Stadium and Groundhogs!!!

So my former youth instructor at church posted this to her Facebook page a few days ago.

Needless to say when I saw it I almost spazzed out completely!!! I knew that I had to make it. Everyone thinks I'm insane. My husband, my mom, some of my fellow foodie friends...everyone. I on  the other hand think it's going to be freakin' grand! I can't wait to do it. So keep on the look out for it this upcoming Superbowl weekend. There will be dips!!!!

Also, on a more personal side note, Groundhog's day is coming up tomorrow. My mom is from Punxsutawney (phew spelled it right, otherwise I may have been disowned) and so they celebrate it religiously in their house here in the Midwest. In Punxy it's like a national holiday. Everything closes for the day, there's no school and thousands of people descend on Gobbler's Knob to see Phil pulled out of his hole. I hope PETA doesn't throw another fit this year. That groundhog is the most well cared for and spoiled animal on the planet!!! I'm pretty sure Phil would kick PETA in the butt if they took him away from his cushy life. Sorry, random tangent...

 So a cake in the shape of a Groundhog in honor of my mother? Oh I think so! Now if I can only find the time. Arg! Never enough time. Maybe I just need to take a week off and cook all the things I've been wanting to over the past year? Sounds grand.

Beer Cheese Soup with Garlic Rye Croutons

It's that time of year here in the Upper Midwest. The weather is cooler and the colors on the trees are changing. It's awfully gorgeous out, except for that whole 35 degrees thing this morning when I woke up. YUCK! The worst part is that the husband had to go run marathon #17. That's 26.2 miles people!!! That's quite an accomplishment!

So while he is running his marathon I had a few hours to kill before meeting him at the finish line. Since it was such a cold morning I decided it was time for soup! And not just any soup, but beer cheese soup! Oh and I added garlic rye croutons. Delicious. You can use any kind of crouton you wish, but there is nothing better than homemade croutons and the slight bitterness of the rye goes wonderful with the sharpness of the cheese. So on those cold days where nothing sounds better than a good bowl of rich, yummy soup try this recipe and make your tummy happy!

Beer Cheese Soup

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Butter
4 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1 12oz. bottle of dark beer (one you would enjoy drinking)
1/4 lb. Vermont Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 lb. Smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 lb. Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 cup milk or cream
4 cups Vegetable broth or stock
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper

Garlic Rye Croutons

1/2 loaf Rye bread, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Note: Before you start to cook anything make sure you have all your dicing and shredding done as this soup tends to assemble quickly.

Heat the milk/cream and vegetable stock together in a pot. Do not boil as this may cause the milk to curdle.

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the carrots, celery, and onions until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the 1 tsp. of salt and the 1/2 tsp. of pepper. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until completely incorporated. Allow the flour to cook for a few minutes.

Add the beer and stir in well, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up all of brown bits off of the bottom (so much flavor there!). Whisk in the milk and stock mixture. Allow this to cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until it starts to thicken. Using a immersion blender, blend until smooth(or if you don't have an immersion blender you can add small batches to a regular blender and blend til smooth. Don't add too much to the blender or it will expand too much and you will have a big mess!!!) You can omit this step if you like a chunkier soup.

Add the cheese and stir with a whisk until melted. Allow to cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup is cooking, toss the rye bread cubes on a cookie sheet with the olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Make sure to coat all the bread cubes well. Put them in a 425 degree oven and let them toast for 10-15 minutes or until brown and crispy.

When the soup is done cooking serve in bowls and top with the croutons. Enjoy!

Note: This soup reheats very well if you don't gobble it all down right away.

White Wine Mussels

As a vegetarian that only eats seafood for her "meat" based protein, I love it! Over the years I have come to love Mussels. A lot of people have an adversion to them, but like almost everyone I know, if you try them you will most likely like them. They are great as a appetizer or if it's just one or two people, serve them with a crusty piece of bread for soaking up all the extra broth like I did for this recipe.

I used white wine to make the broth. You can use almost any white wine you like, however my only two suggestions when choosing a wine to cook with (and this goes for any recipe, just not this one) is to pick a wine that is not too sweet and one that you would be happy drinking. This will make all the difference in your recipe.

Ingredients

1lb. Mussels
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 bottle of white wine
Large piece of french bread

First, a few things I have learned about mussels over the past few years. The first thing is the MOST important and could save you a trip to the emergency room. When you get your mussels home clean them with a scrub pad in cold water. If you see any mussels with broken shells or that are not fully closed discard them immediately. They are dead and eating them will make you very, very sick. If you get your mussels from a good grocery store (make sure they have a clean seafood counter) or seafood shop you should not have any dead ones in the mix. You will have one or two per pound at the most.

Second, once your mussels have been cleaned and the beards (the seaweed or hairy looking things near the hinge of the mussel) have been removed (most come debearded, but it's always good to double check) add about a quarter of a cup of flour to a large bowl of ice water and soak the mussels in the mixture for an hour or two. This will remove any grit still remaining in the mussels.

Now you are ready to cook them and enjoy!

Heat the oil in a pan (or pot) over medium heat with a tight fitting lid. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the mussels and  then pour the wine over the mussels. Cover with the lid and cook until the mussels open.

Discard any mussels that did not fully open as they are dead and you can get very ill from eating them.

Serve the mussels and the broth in a bowl with the bread to soak up any extra broth. YUM!!!

Hint: Serve the rest of the wine with the mussels. Hey the bottle is open anyway so why not?!