New Year and Wedding Anniversary

Shana Tova (Happy New Year)! While some don't love the holidays, I am not one of those people. They are usually surrounded by family, food and good times. Since moving to Florida the family part is not always there. And this year Rosh Hashanah fell on our wedding anniversary! We decided to make the best of both occasions by having a holiday dinner the first night of the holiday and then going out to dinner for our anniversary. Another bonus is that we both took the day off for the holiday and were able to spend the whole day of our anniversary together. I doubt we would have taken it off otherwise. Needless to say this has been a great year and time has flown by. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were surrounded by our closest family and friends to celebrate our wedding. I guess it is pretty perfect to have our anniversary on the holiday which is the start to new a year for us as husband and wife and also a new year in the Jewish religion. 

Now onto the food! In my family we usually had what I called growing up greasy chicken for the holidays. doesn't sound healthy but there wasn't anything greasy about it, just juicy. This year, my dad sent me a recipe for a roasted chicken that doesn't require a roasting pan or standing it up in a pan either. All you needed was a skillet, and everyone has one of those! You put the skillet in the oven when you turn it on so that it will be nice and hot and help sear the thighs so that they cook in the same amount of time as the rest of the chicken.

So despite being hundreds of miles away, for that night we both were creating the same meal for our family, kind of cool when you think about it that way. Only difference was that I made our families favorite Sour Cream Coffee cake for dessert that left them wanting to be here to enjoy ;) Now this chicken was pretty easy to make and was the moistest one we have ever had.

Weeknight Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
Source: Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
3/4 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 - 4 lb whole chicken
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch oven-safe skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt and pepper in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Rub entire surface with oil. Sprinkle evenly all over with salt mixture and rub in mixture with hands to coat evenly. Tie legs together with twine and tuck wing tips behind back.

2. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to preheated skillet in oven. Roast chicken until breasts register 120 degrees and thighs register 135 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. Turn off oven and leave chicken in oven until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. While chicken rests, prepare pan sauce, if using. Carve chicken and serve.

Pasta with Homemade Marinara

Some how this past week just got away from me, despite it being shorter due to the holiday. I did however, get to watch a special on the Rachael Ray show that featured Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis making their family favorites. Giada showed a simple homemade marinara, which was the first thing she ever cooked her husband. It literally didn't require any fancy knife skills or too many ingredients. I guess you could say I was inspired to try my own hand at homemade sauce, especially since part of Jason's family is Italian after all. In about an hour the result was a delicious smelling house and tasty sauce simmering away. I really liked that this recipe gets the flavors from carrots, onion, garlic but you don't have to cut them up, just drop everything in and pull it out later once it has done its job.

Pasta with Homemade Marinara
Source: Giada de Laurentiis
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
(2) 32oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled
2 celery stalks cut in half
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 dried bay leaves
2 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
5 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1lb pasta of your choice

Directions:
In a large pot, add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about an hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves, onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Turn off the heat, add the butter and fresh basil leaves. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. cool, then cover and refrigerate. Re-warm over medium heat before using)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Toss with the Parmesan cheese and then the marinara sauce and serve.

Quinoa with Black Beans

Happy Labor Day! This normally marks the end of summer and everyone heading back to school. However, in Florida it still remains hot and the kids have already been in school for a week! One thing that does remain the same, is that this holiday like most others, is synonymous with food and get togethers, so that is exactly what we did. While we didn't have an all American BBQ we did take advantage of the grill. Jason grilled up some juicy jerk chicken thighs and peppers and I made this bright and zesty quinoa with black beans and corn. I happen to really like cilantro and it brightens up this dish, especially with the lime juice. Next time I will definitely add in some diced bell peppers for some crunch and color. It is tasty warm but also just as good cold for lunch the next day.

Quinoa with Black Beans Slightly adapted from: Betty Crocker
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1  cup uncooked quinoa

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

1  cup black beans (from 15-oz can), drained, rinsed

1/2  cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1/4  cup chopped fresh cilantro

3  medium green onions, chopped

1  Tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)

1  clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4  teaspoon salt

Directions:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly by placing in a fine-mesh strainer and holding under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Add quinoa; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Fluff quinoa with fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

Foodie Pen Pals Reveal Day - August

This is my second month participating in the Foodie Pen Pals hosted by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. It is always fun to"meet" other bloggers and blog readers and of course get a package in the mail! You are paired up with another blogger or blog reader and have a $15 spending cap to send your pen pal a package with items you have made or enjoy. My favorite part is that you must include something handwritten, whether it is a note, recipe, etc.

I was paired with Katie from If I Knew You Were Coming I'd Have Baked a Cake, who asked some very thoughtful questions and sent a package that was definitely catered to my favorites.. She baked some yummy snicker doodles that we enjoyed and may or may not have snuck some before I was able to take a picture.  She knew I had tea every morning instead of coffee and included some flavorful chai tea and honey sticks to stir in and sweeten it up yet in a healthy way. There was also a big fancy square of chocolate and chocolate snacks that even had protein in them so I didn't feel too guilty indulging. And of course some adorable cupcake liners that I can't wait to use. Looking forward to participating again next month!

Shrimp Stir Fry

Stir fry is such a quick, easy and versatile meal. They are a great way to use up any vegetables you have and make a quick healthy weeknight meal. I used a bag of stir fry mix vegetables to save time, and added in some snow peas we had on hand, but feel free to use your favorite vegetables or what you have in the house. I also enjoy baby corn but didn't have a can around. By making your own sauce you are able to control the sodium compared to buying a pre-made bottle and as you can see it is only a few ingredients and very simple with a big flavor. If you want more heat my go to is always a few crushed red pepper flakes. You can also substitute the shrimp for another protein. We like shrimp because they are full or protein but not a lot of calories, and we usually have a bag of frozen ones in the freezer that we can take out what we want when we needed.

Shrimp Stir Fry
Source: Gourmet Magazine
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1lb Large shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets
1 cup baby carrots
3 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Asian sesame oil

Directions:
In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of the vegetable oil until hot. Add shrimp and salt & pepper to taste and stir fry over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Transfer shrimp to a plate.

Add remaining vegetable oil to the wok. When hot, add ginger and garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and stir fry fo1 minute. Add broth, rice wine, and soy sauce, cover and steam for 2 minutes.

Return the shrimp to the wok and stir fry 1 minute until heated through. Swirl in sesame oil and transfer to serving dish. Serve on top of brown rice and enjoy!

Low Fat Banana Bread

With Tropical Storm Isaac in town we were stuck in the house for most of the weekend with heavy rain and wind. Hope everyone else is safe and sound and not as bored as we are. What better to do than some baking to keep busy AND use up the brown bananas. I like that the recipe used applesauce instead of butter and it kept the bread nice and moist. Now I spoiled the low-fat and added chocolate chips but you could use the recommended chopped walnuts for a crunch. This made a great breakfast and snack during the day, assuming we don't devour it before then.

Low Fat Banana Bread
Source: Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-5 bananas)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I used chocolate chips

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed banana, sugar, and applesauce. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
 
Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes for one 9x5x3 pan or bake 40-45 minutes for two 7 1/2x 3 1/2x 2 inch pans.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I had my first black bottom when I moved to Baltimore years ago and instantly fell in love. Where had these amazing treats been all my life?!  It only seemed appropriate to finally make them when I had a visitor from Maryland who understood how good they are.  We used to work together and the caterers would bring these as dessert for lunch meetings and other events. These delectable bites combine some of my favorite flavors, chocolate cake with chocolate chip cream cheese filling...can't get much better than that. My filling was little bit liquidy and turned it into a topping instead of a dollop but tasted just as delicious. I will definitely try the minis next time.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
(Source: David Lebovitz The Great Book of Chocolate , as seen on Brown Eyed Baker)

Yields: 12 cupcakes or 30 minis

Ingredients:
For the Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 Tablespoons naturally unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Make the Filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate pieces and set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

 

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few Tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

 

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.