Cooking with Polenta

OK. I finally decided to use the polenta I bought at Trader Joe's. I bought the tube version for convenience and just to try it. I've been told making your own polenta is infinitely better....but I'm doubting. I don't care for polenta. It wasn't bad per-say, but it certainly wasn't good.

I searched for a while to find a recipe that used tube polenta, and I found one that looked really good. I, of course, added some pasta as a side (thank goodness). I ended up tossing the polenta and having a pasta dish for dinner. But tonight I ate a veggie burger....that makes up for it, right???

The original name for this recipe was Smoky Shrimp and Parmesan Polenta Cakes....but the shrimp didn't taste smoky at all, so I am re-naming it. Deal with it.

Shrimp Polenta Pizzas
from here

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound peeled and de-veined medium shrimp
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1 17-ounce tube polenta, cut into 8 (1/2-inch) slices
Cooking spray
8 teaspoons marinara sauce
8 teaspoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until done, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in wine, chives, juice, and paprika, tossing to coat. Keep warm.
3. Place polenta slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each slice with 1 teaspoon sauce and 1 teaspoon cheese; broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
4. Place 2 polenta slices on each of 4 plates; top each serving evenly with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with parsley.

I ate two of the polenta "pizzas" and then just put the shrimp over the pasta and ate that. 

Sidenote: I am watching Food(ography) on Cooking Channel right now, and it's featuring pork and all parts of the pig, and there was a guy who made these pigs feet wasabi pancake things....I think that may be the one way to get me to eat pigs feet. But then again, I'll just think of Wilbur from Charlotte's Web and hate myself forever....

Baked Pasta and Mini Meatballs

It is freezing today.....and it's supposed to get even colder tomorrow. I don't even know how I have survived living in New England for 25 years...I hate the cold. Cold weather calls for hearty heavy carb food. Unfortunately, a wedding and a dance recital in 5 months do not call for that kind of food....After today it's cooking light time. This dish is definitely carb heavy, lots of cheese, lots of sauce, lots of pasta and meatballs. Good thing I have fruit in the fridge for dessert, because if I ate one of my cupcakes I might burst.

Baked Pasta and Mini Meatballs
from here

1 cup chopped onion
3 small cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 35 ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese {divided}, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley {divided}
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 pound pasta
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

For the Sauce: Add the onions, garlic & butter to a medium saucepan & cook over moderate heat, until the onions are softened lightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes & season with some kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low & cook for 45 minutes.
When finished, run the sauce through a food mill & transfer back to the saucepan.
For the Meatballs: While the sauce is cooking, prepare the meatballs. Add the pork, beef, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, milk, 1/4 cup parsley & egg to a mixing bowl. Add a generous sprinkle of kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Gently mix until all the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not over mix. Roll out into small meatballs {each meatball is approximately 2 tablespoons}.
Heat the olive oil in a medium, non-stick skillet. Add as many of the meatballs as possible, without over-crowding the pan. Cook, flipping the meatballs around frequently, until golden brown {they don't have to be cooked through}. Continue with another batch, if necessary, until all the meatballs are browned.
Add the meatballs to the sauce. Cover the pot & keep the sauce on low. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are completely cooked.
To Assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Into a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley & the nutmeg. Stir to combine. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until barely al dente. Drain & transfer back to the pot. Add the ricotta mixture, fresh mozzarella, meatballs & most of the sauce. Stir to combine & transfer to a large, greased, oven-safe casserole dish. Cover with foil & bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil & sprinkle a bit of grated Parmesan over the top. Return to the oven & bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve with some of the remaining sauce on the side.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes

One of my best friends is getting married in July, and there's been wedding planning all-a-buzz for the past week or so. There's also been talk of cupcakes at the wedding, and as part of my bridesmaid-ly duties, I compiled a bunch of cupcakes recipes that my friend can pick from for the wedding. We had ANOTHER snow day Friday (and possibly one coming on Wednesday...seriously?!), so I took some of my planned cleaning time and baked (a girl has to have priorities). Though, I really do need to clean and re-organize, as my apartment is supposed to be painted in the next two weeks...maybe another snow day would be a good thing.

ANYWAYS, back to the cupcakes. So, I took time to bake and naturally I chose the most time-consuming recipe to make, but also the one that sounded most delicious. I have to interrupt this story for a side comment....Did you know that there are 58 pages of 44 recipes each (you do the math) of cupcake recipe on foodgawker.com. AND, there are 84 pages of cupcake recipes on tastespotting.com!!! Unreal. Ok, back to my story. So I went to the grocery store and grabbed the necessary items, and gave myself 2 and a half hours to make then before heading to my friend's house for wedding planning. Good thing I had enough time, because the original cake recipe did not perform. The cupcakes didn't bake, they came out a soupy mess, even though I followed the recipe to a tee. So I googled chocolate cupcake recipes and found the first one I liked, which was from allrecipes.com. I threw that together and proceeded to make amazing cupcakes.

I think the comment that best suits these cupcakes came from my friend who stated "There's chocolate in the raspberries and raspberry in the chocolate!". She said this in a shocked and giddy manner.

So So Pretty!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes
from here

For the cupcakes:
9 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup strong coffee (or water)
1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk

For the filling:
Seedless raspberry jam

For the raspberry truffles:
2 pints fresh raspberries
5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup heavy cream
For the frosting:
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Pink icing color (optional)

Instructions
1. For  the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
3. In a small bowl sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
5. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee and milk.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Stir in the coffee-milk mixture and mix until combined.  Add in the remaining dry ingredients, again mixing just until incorporated.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling the cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. For the filling: once the cupcakes have cooled completely, heat some raspberry or blackberry jam just enough to allow for easy stirring and smooth texture in the microwave for about 20 seconds or so.  Transfer the jam to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, poke into each cupcake and pipe a small amount inside.
9. For the raspberry truffles: rinse fresh raspberries and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Gently shake the berries around to remove excess water.
10. Place the chocolate and jam in a small heatproof bowl.
11. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate and jam.  Let stand for about 3 minutes.  Whisk together gently until smooth.
12. Let the ganache cool a bit until it has thickened slightly (enough to be piped through a pastry bag).  Once it has reached the right consistency, transfer the ganache to a pastry bag and pipe into the center of the clean raspberries.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes to set.
13. For the frosting: place the butter and jam in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cream on medium-high speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.  Sift in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Tint with icing color as desired.
To finish the cupcakes, frost with the raspberry jam buttercream and top with a few of the raspberry truffles.

I changed some things from this recipe. I did use the pink food coloring, and I added in a 1/4 teaspoon of raspberry extract to the frosting. It gave it a little extra tart because the frosting is so sweet. I also hollowed out a little chunk of the cupcake rather than piping the jam right into the cake because it was making a total mess. Here's the allrecipes

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool. 

Beef & Guinness Stew

Last week, with all the crazy snow days, I thought making a stew would be a great idea. However, my timing was off all week. I made this last Wednesday, but didn't have time to eat it until Thursday, and even then I only had a little mug of it because I already had dinner plans on Thursday. Either way, it was really good, and mum and dad got to enjoy it more than I did, so at least it wasn't a waste. I almost made my corn chowder again, but I figured I'd go for something new...and it has Guinness in it (awesome). The original recipe (and what my intentions were) was to turn the stew into a pie by baking a crust on top. I had the ramekins and pie crust ready (because I couldn't find butter puff pastry in the market), but with it being pushed back a day, I left it as a stew.


Beef and Guinness Stew
from here

1 lb. braising beef, such as chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
14 oz. button mushrooms, stems removed
10.5 oz beef stock
1 cup of Guinness
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
13 oz. block ready-made butter puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

1.Preheat oven to 400.

2.Place the beef and flour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, in batches, and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside

3.Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the mushroom and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the beef, stock, Guinness, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to the pan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer for 60 minutes or until beef is fork tender. Divide among six ramekins or ovenproof bowls and cool for 20 minutes.

4.Roll out the pastry to 5 mm (14 inch) thick and cut into 6 squares to fit over the bowls. Brush the rims of the bowls with a little beaten egg, lay the pastry over and press to seal. Make a small slash in the pastry with a knife and brush with a little more beaten egg. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and puffed.

Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean and Feta Penne

It was another snow day for me today. Nothing better than getting that phone call at 5:15 in the morning and going back to bed for a bit. I went grocery shopping last night in preparation for today, but I needed a couple more ingredients that I thought I could grab today, but the roads were pretty bad. I made the recipe I had planned for tomorrow.

My new Clean Eating came in last week and this is the first recipe I'm making from it. I always get excited when I find healthy pasta recipes, because I love pasta, but not the calories or carbs.


Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean and Feta Penne
from: Clean Eating February 2011

6 oz. whole-grain penne pasta
1 cup cooked or BPA free canned white beans (navy or cannellini), drained and rinsed well
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, cut into eighths lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup crumbled reduced fat feta

1. Cook penne according to package directions adding beans during last minute of cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, vinegar, basil, pepper flakes and salt; set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, tilting skillet to coat bottom lightly. Add zucchini and pepper and cook for 4 minutes or until edges begin to brown, stirring frequently. Add remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in tomato mixture and cover to keep warm.
4. Drain pasta and beans, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle evenly with rosemary and all but 1/4 cup of feta. Spoon zucchini mixture over pasta and finish with remaining feta.

I put the feta on top instead of mixing it in.

Peanut Butter Pie

I wanted a really quick dessert to bring to the game celebration yesterday. And though the Pats weren't successful or impressive, my dessert was. I had 45 minutes to put something together, so I rummaged through some old recipe books and found one the first ones I had ever copied onto a recipe card.

I'm a sucker for anything peanut butter and chocolate.This dessert actually had no chocolate involved, but I made sure it did. My version is supremely better. I have no idea where I even got the original from.

Peanut Butter Pie

1/2 (8 oz) container cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 (16 oz) container whipped topping
1 9" pre-made crust of any variety (I used oreo)

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Mix in the milk and peanut butter. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into the pie crust and freeze for at least 2 hours. (This is the end of the original recipe. I winged it from here.) Melt two spoonfuls of peanut butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Drizzle over the top of the frozen pie. Cover with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, shaving, drizzle with chocolate sauce, whatever. I threw some dark chocolate chips into my magic bullet, hoping to grind them up. I overlooked the fact that the blade rotates fast, which creates heat, and it melted a majority of the chocolate to the blade. But I salvaged some chocolate dust and sprinkled it over the whipped topping.

This dessert was sensational, and was gone in under 3 minutes.

Spicy Shredded Steak Tacos

I have been getting yelled at lately for not updating this in a while...sorry guys! I've been busy, and trading off my cooking nights more with mum, because we found that we were both making really good things on the same night. I have been doing some cooking, but nothing spectacular until yesterday...

Yesterday was a whirlwind. I got up super early to throw stuff int he crockpot. Then I tried to sleep some more. Then I had to prepare some things before the Varsity basketball game. The dance team I coach performs at halftime at basketball games, and let me tell you, a Sunday game throws everything off. Especially when following the game is a huge Patriots/Jets game. But that game was embarrassing and we won't discuss it any further. We still have the Bruins and the Celtics.

For the game though, I did some cooking. I decided to make shredded beef tacos that I had been dying to make for quite some time. I didn't use flank steak that the recipe called for. I used a roast that was good for slow cooking, and it was delicious. The recipe is lengthy, but really easy.

Spicy Shredded Steak Tacos
from here 

2-3 pound Flank Steak, trimmed of fat, room temperature

Sauce:1 small onion, diced
Olive or vegetable oil for sauteing
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chile powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 + 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of cloves
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lime, juiced*
1/2 - 2 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, optional, you determine the amount

Dry Rub:

1 tablespoon Chile Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Sea or Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Vegetable oil

1. In a large skillet saute onion in a tablespoon or two of oil over medium-low heat until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add all of the spices and an additional tablespoon of oil. Saute for 3-4 minutes, add tomato paste, heat through. Add entire mixture to crock pot and whisk in beef broth, Worcestershire, lime and chipotle peppers.
2. In a small bowl mix the dry rub ingredients except for the oil. Use a fork to stab holes in both sides of the steak about a half inch apart. Massage half the dry rub over top and massage in using your fingers. Repeat on other side. Cut steak in half. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat or a grill to high heat. Sear the steak on each side about 30 seconds each.
3. Add the steak to the crockpot, make sure the sauce covers it, add additional beef broth if needed. Start crockpot on high heat for 1 hour, turn to low for 6 hours. About 4 hours in use two forks to shred the meat, and also taste the sauce and add more seasonings if desired. Serve with puffy tacos, soft tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos or sandwiches with crema and fixings if desired.

I sauteed some red and green pepper and onions to serve with them with corn tortillas (which fall apart immediately... I will use flour tortillas from now on), sour cream, shredded cheese, and some taco sauce. In the words of Rachel Ray - Yum-O!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Clean Eating has some of the best recipes ever I've decided. Tonight I made butternut squash raviolis, and man were they good. The magazine gives you three different sauce recipes, a tomato-sage sauce, an Asian sauce, and a mushroom sauce. I went with the Asian sauce because I had everything for it. It was a good choice.

Wonton wrappers annoy me to no end. They make my fingers all dough-y and they stick to everything. A quarter of my cooked raviolis clung to each other for dear life, so when I went to plate them they pulled apart and squash was everywhere. But most of them survived. Next time I'll add a little oil to the water.

I never would have thought to pair butternut squash and soy sauce together, but they compliment each other very well. I love butternut squash, but it's rather bland. I'm used to it either sweetened or in my lasagna, so the saltiness from the soy sauce paired perfectly.

I got a new magazine today in the mail called Cuisine at Home with some mumbo jumbo about getting a year's subscription for free..... but of course I continue reading to find out that I get 2 years for the price of one. Thanks but no thanks, I barely have time for the 2 magazines I ever read - Clean Eating and Cosmo. I like to know how to dress fierce in the kitchen.....

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Asian Sauce
from Clean Eating Nov/Dec 2010

Ravioli:
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
28-30 wonton wrappers

Sauce:
8 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 slices of ginger, smashed
4 tsp. thinly sliced green onion
4 tsp. sesame oil

1. Heat squash, garlic and 1 cup of water in a large saucepot over med-high heat. Cover and cook about 18 minutes, until squash is very soft. Drain in a colander and return to pot. Mash squash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.
2. Place pot with squash over medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes stirring constantly, so excess water can evaporate. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Assemble ravioli: Place 1 tbsp of squash in center of each wonton wrapper. With wet finger, moisten the outside edges of each wrapper then fold in half diagonally into a triangle and seal the edges. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water. Top with sauce.

Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Did you think there was going to be more directions to the sauce....?

I put my garlic in a garlic press and mixed it with the squash and I ran out of ginger yesterday, but I luckily have some ginger flavored soy sauce in the fridge, so I used that. 

Ready to be wrapped

Folded and sealed

Perfectly cooked (and starting to stick together)

Topped with sauce

Green Tea Poached Salmon

I have to start this post with an apology....I have no pictures. I was moving quickly and semi-forgot about taking some. I also have to say that I'm not a huge fan of cooked salmon. Raw salmon I could eat all day long, but cooked salmon is something I really have to be in the mood for. I was definitely in the mood to make this dish, as I have been eying it since I first saw it, but as good as it was, I just wasn't into the salmon. I do the same thing with yogurt. I have to really want yogurt or else it repulses me.

I have leftover salmon to put in a salad for lunch tomorrow, which is great. I'd prefer salmon cold over hot anyways. Salmon is an enigma in my life.

This recipe was in Clean Eating's May/June 2010 issue and was created by Food Network chef Clair Robinson. I live for Food Network and have never heard of her. Her show is called 5 Ingredient Fix, and it features dishes that need only 5 ingredients and maybe some things that she considers pantry staples. For this recipe she considered sea salt, ground black pepper and whole black peppercorns to be pantry staples....I had to buy whole black peppercorns...and my spice cabinet is overflowing.

Green Tea Poached Salmon with Ginger Lime Sauce
from: Clean Eating May/June 2010

2 limes, halved
4 tbsp raw honey, divided
1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled an chopped (I used my Magic Bullet to chop it)
6 green tea bags
4 6-oz salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Put 6 cups of water into a straight-sided skillet or pot with a lid. Add 3 limes halves, squeezing juice into the water before adding, 3 tbsp honey, ginger, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes to infuse water with flavor. Remove 1/2 cup of poaching liquid and set aside.

2. Remove skillet from heat and add tea, allowing to steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tea and place skillet over heat again at the lowest heat setting before carefully sliding salmon into water. Cover and poach until fish is just cooked through and firm to the touch, 6 to 7 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small pot, simmer reserved 1/2 cup poaching liquid along with juice and zest from remaining lime half and remaining 1 tbsp honey until liquid reduces by two-thirds and thickens, about 7-10 minutes.

4. Remove salmon with a slotted spoon and plate. Drizzle with reduced sauce and season with black pepper.

This definitely makes your kitchen smell fantastic and the reduced sauce is the best part. It's perfectly sweet and tangy. I put a little extra over my leftover piece so it'll be extra tasty tomorrow on my salad.

Also, if you use loose-leaf tea, use 4 tbsp of tea spooned into an infuser ball or a piece of cheesecloth tied with twine.

Green Chile & Cheddar Corn Muffins

Sometimes I read recipes and get really excited when I realize that I have everything needed for that recipe right in my cabinets (which isn't often since I shop per meal usually). Today was one of those days....until I realized I was missing something and got all bummed out. I went on with my day and ran some errands. While at CVS waiting for a prescription to be ready, I browsed the canned goods aisle (like you don't...) and found my missing ingredient - green chiles!

I just realized it's slightly sad that that comment merited an exclamation point.

Anyways, I came home and whipped up some Green Chile & Cheddar Corn muffins. They have 5 more minutes in the oven, so by the time they cook and I can take my final picture, I'll be able to finish this post and let you know. While I wait, I'm going to check out what Kelsey is making on the cooking channel (we're on a first name basis now).

Green Chile & Cheddar Corn Muffins

1 pkg (8.5 oz) JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c milk
15.2 oz can whole kernel corn, well drained
1 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ c onion, finely diced
4 oz can green chiles
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until just combined.Divide evenly into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.

Things I have lying around

All mixed up

portioned out

all finished

Beautiful

They are super delicious and not nearly as spicy as I thought they'd be, which is good. It's got a nice hint of heat.

Spinach Tortellini en Brodo

Happy New Year! My vacation is coming to an end. It was an action packed one and I am satisfied with it. I saw two movies, Tron and The Fighter, went into Boston to the most amazing Italian place in the North End called Trattoria il Panino, and there was lots of family time. Seriously though, this is a food blog, and we have to discuss Trattoria il Panino. Go there as soon as possible. Order the Pacchieri al Ragu. Be amazed. I wish I had taken some pics, but we all know I'm terrible with that. We also had an appetizer that was mozzarella wrapped around prosciutto, spinach and buffalo mozzarella.

My new years resolution is to eat healthier and get into shape. I can bench press a fork full of cheesecake...now time to tackle the free weights...which don't taste nearly as good.

Today I made a soup, which is somewhat rare for me. I thoroughly enjoy soup, but I always end up with a giant pot of it for just me. I am more than happy to have lots of soup, but sharing is always fun. Mum and Dad got some of my soup today and I still have so much left. Not to mention that soup is great for cold winter days....which today was not. It was around 50 or something outside. When I went grocery shopping I also learned exactly how much parmigiano reggiano cheese costs....a boatload. I am going to sprinkle it on every dish for the week...even in my cereal. I don't remember where I printed the recipe from, but I know it was a Weight Watchers Recipe. It's 5 points of 6 points if you're on points plus (I have no idea how Weight Watchers works).

Spinach Tortellini en Brodo

2 tsp butter
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 small parmigiano reggiano rind (optional)
18 oz spinach and cheese tortellini (Buitoni)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach
parmigiano reggiano grated

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. When melted, add the celery, onion, carrots, and garlic. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the chicken broth, water and rind and increase heat to med-high and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add salt to taste, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add tortellini. Simmer until tortellini cooks al dente.
3. Once cooked, remove the rind and the baby spinach. Stir to combine. Garnish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.