Tanya Eats

Cookies & Compost = Yummy Deliciousness

2010-06-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Huh?

Say what?

Yup...cookies and compost equal some pretty darn yummy creations...especially when that creation is from the uber-renowned NYC restaurant Momofuku. Ok, so it's not really compost per se, but basically you take whatever you have on hand and throw it into this cookie.

This is actually the cookie that you saw my kids were sharing. That cookie was out of pure laziness since I ran out of room for the initial shaping & chilling stage of the cookie and dumped it into a bowl. I then proceeded to dump said bowl onto the cookie sheet & baked it as is. Yeah, I'm lazy a rebel like that.

For our cookies, I threw in chocolate, peanut butter, & butterscotch chips:

Ok, yes, that's quite normal...so here's where we make it interesting:

See that? That, my friends, is a melange of pretzels, Oreos, potato chips, & coffee grounds...and yes, it all goes in the cookies. I know I made my sister throw up a little in her mouth when I mentioned my add-ins. Whoops.

But, if you're a person who likes sweet & savory creations, give this a try! Christina Tosi, pastry chef of the Momofuku restaurants and David Chang, chef/owner/culinary bad-a$$ of the Momofuku restaurants serve this cookie in the Momofuku Milk Bar. His other Momofuku restaurant Momofuku Ssam Bar was named of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World. David has been nominated/won several James Beard awards over the years and was one of Times 100 Most Influential People for 2010...plus he's a DC native...whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat. His cookbook Momofuku was released last fall.

My friend Linda, a fellow foodie and restaurant owner tipped me off to these bad boys. You can find the recipe here. Christina Tosi was on "Live with Regis & Kelly" showing how to make them. On that segment one of the things they used was Goldfish crackers...I'm adventurous, but I'm not sure I could use those. Anyhoo...if you have a stand mixer, you're in luck...'cause these bad boys need a total of 10 straight minutes of butter/sugar beating! Also, definitely follow the chilling time. I actually chilled mine at least overnight and even waited the 36 hours as recommended by Shirley Corriher when making cookies. Ooh and my last rec would be to use the coffee grounds (which I used fresh coffee grounds and I've seen as used, dry grounds)...they lend a depth to the cookie which is ridiculous!

Again, find the recipe here and ENJOY!

Moving...

2010-05-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am the author of 3 blogs.

Why?

Well, I started our family blog for the obvious. Being a military family away from friends and fam, I started it to keep everyone updated. Except, I failed to realize that also being a military family, you run into slumps...most noticeably when you're a "single married spouse/mom" (SMS/M) and/or the computer is in a different room on a different floor in your house away from your kids. Also, when I have the time to blog, I'd rather spend it with my husband with whom I've probably spent 1/2 of our relationship actually being in his physical presence. I also didn't want to clutter our family blog with my own personal stuff since well, it's our family blog.

Besides my family, my passion is cooking and eating. So, I started this blog.

Since I'm starting to lose steam, time, and energy on giving the appearance of maintaining three...I'm going to simplify and put everything on my personal blog...except I'll still double post so any foodies won't have to read my ramblings & babblings...except in my food posts.

So, I guess I'm not really moving, am I?

Oy vey.

Italian Wedding Soup...chickenized.

2010-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Ina,

I have but one request...

Will you marry me?

Love,
Tan

Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) has never let us down. We've been having crazy up and down weather. Like...really, really, ridiculously crazy temperature changes. Today we should get into the 90s but yesterday we were in the 60s...but the day before in the upper 80s and the day before that in the lower 60s. I think you get it.

I've been dying to try the Italian Wedding Soup out of her Back To Basics cookbook. I've made my own before, but what I had to try was her meatball recipe. Girlfriend makes a chicken meatball...1/2 ground chicken & 1/2 Italian chicken sausage.

So, I did...and to marvelous reviews and loud slurping. Another successful Ina creation!

On a side note, make sure you don't buy cooked Italian sausage. I, of course, being so careful & meticulous would never run through Trader Joe's after not finding chicken sausage in the military commissary, find Italian chicken sausage in TJs, do a quick celebratory dance, load up on many non-essential TJ items, & waltz through check-out. I would check the item carefully and make sure that I was getting an uncooked meat item since it was to be mixed up with other raw meat and only get what I needed and then check-out

But, since Mama loves her Vita-mix, you can be darn sure that I ground up that cooked sausage and mixed it in with the raw chicken...FABULOUS.

ENJOY!!!!!!

From Tanya Eats

Tyler Florence's Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber, and Cilantro

2010-03-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

A while back I published a post on buttermilk chicken tenders which were inspired by Tyler Florence's Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber, and Cilantro. I've used a bunch of Tyler's recipes straight from Food Network...but never bought his book. Why? I dunno...since every recipe I tried was fabulous. I had every one of Ina's but none of Tyler's. So, this Xmas/birthday I received 4 of his books and loving all of them!

I promised Melissa that I would post the recipe. I omitted the red pepper flakes since the kiddos don't tolerate heat so well. Also, I would start with LESS than 1/4 soy sauce and add more to taste...or use less-sodium soy. We served up our's with a side of Momofuku Ginger Scallion noodles...mmmmmmmm.

So, without further ado...

Tyler Florence's Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber, and Cilantro

from Tyler Florence (Tyler's Ultimate)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb), cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide finger strips
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup sesame seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
A couple good handfuls of stemmed spinach leaves (about 4 cups)
1 cucumber, peeled, and cut into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
Handful fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted in a dry skillet over low heat, plus extra for garnish
Cracked black pepper

Vinaigrette:
¼ cup soy sauce
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, ginger, and sugar. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put it in another bowl large enough to hold it, pour over half of the vinaigrette and toss. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours if you have the time, or until you’ve got the rest of the dish ready to go. Set the rest of the vinaigrette aside.

When you’re ready to cook, put the panko and sesame seeds in a shallow platter and season with a little salt and pepper. Mix with your fingers so that the seasoning is incorporated and then taste it – the panko should be well seasoned. Roll the chicken pieces in the seasoned crumbs, patting gently so that the crumbs adhere, until well coated.

Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Line a platter with paper towels and set that to the side of the stove. Add about half of the chicken pieces to the pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to the platter to drain. Do the same to cook the rest of the chicken.

Put the spinach in bowl with the cucumber strips. Add the rest of the vinaigrette and the toasted sesame seeds, season with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss. To serve, divide the chicken strips between four plates. Put a handful of dressed spinach on top, shower with more toasted sesame seeds and cracked black pepper.

Brie Puffs

2010-03-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

I had long promised my dear friend Dharms that I would pop over to her friend's sister's blog and check it out. I did but didn't go back for a while...not for any particular reason other than Mommy Brain. So, when I did check it out...I was so glad I did.

Not only are there a bunch of recipes I'm excited to try...but, I found these bad boys JUST in time for Mom's 60th! Brie Puffs...frikkin' genius...and oh-so-yummy!!

I didn't print out the recipe but Kim & I managed to knock it out really quickly. These puppies are easy, delicious, and a super fabulous addition to any party! Our version was just good ol' plain apricot preserves. I can't wait to try other combos like a berry preserve or other types of yumminess.

Check out the recipe over at Sonal's blog.

Mom's 60th...pre-party

2010-03-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently I didn't get the memo that my mom's impromptu birthday party wasn't a dessert party.

Nonetheless...in 24 hours I have made for the party:

Cashew Caramel Cookies

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Apple Cherry Crumb Bars

Coconut Cake (for the birthday girl)

Special Dark Chocolate Cake & Semisweet Choco Ganache

Oh, and marinated chicken wings...'cause I guess we don't want the guests going into sugar overload. ;o) I'll also be making a kale salad too. Mmmmmmmmmmm...kale.

But back to the diabetic-coma-inducing menu I'll also be trying out Michelle's Panipopo which are Samoan Coconut Buns.

The best husband ever got me my new camera...so, I'm hoping there will be some pics to post after this weekend!

Mango Lassi

2010-03-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Mango Lassi,

We love you.

Like really, really ridiculously love you.

Seriously.

Love,

Tanya's Kids

Tan's Ridiculously Easy Mango Lassi

16oz. plain yogurt

16oz. French vanilla yogurt

1 30oz. can mango pulp

1 cup skim milk

1/2-1 cup ice cubes or frozen mango chunks

Whip it up in a blender (or better yet, a Vita-mix) and ENJOY!!

Let's make whoopie...

2010-03-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

whoopie PIES, that is.

Sicko.

Dude...joooooooooking.

Anyhoo...I somehow managed to include my fairly brand-new copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book with my library books and didn't catch the goof until a few weeks later. Of course, a brand new cupcake book will not stick around long and lo & behold...I had to get a new copy.

So, with the order of my 2nd copy I also had to order a buddy for it...Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Since the hubby is nearing the end of his current sea tour (department head tour), I've made it a goal to bake something everyday for his last week. Except, his last week was supposed to be last week and here we are. With that being said, I've taken time off here and there.

Last night, however, peanut butter whoopie pies. I'm not a fan of chocolate but chocolate and peanut butter has always been a favorite flavor combo of mine. This recipe is no exception.

Of course I read correctly and saw that I needed to drop the cookie batter in 1.5 TABLESPOONS and not the 1.5 TEASPOONS that I did. Whoops. So, I *did not* manage to make almost 4 dozen whoopie pies for my husband to take to the submarine...which were gone apparently 10 minutes after he arrived onboard.

With that being said, it's off to plan what will be his final treat of his final day of being the Weapons Officer on the USS TN.

ENJOY!!

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

from Martha Stewart's Cookies

For the Cookies:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 1/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

coarse salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients; mix until combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. (When the top of a cookie is gently touched, it should feel soft but not wet.) Cool completely on a wire rack.

Making filling: With an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter on high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add confectioners' sugar; mix until combined. Raise speed to high, and mix until combined. Raise speed to high, and mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if desired.

Assembling cookies: Spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

2010-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

I. Love. Fried. Chicken.

But, guess what?

Besides french fries (from the *gasp* BAG)...I can't fry worth a damn.

But, guess what? Panko crumbs make EVERYTHING better.

Over the weekend we were trapped inside the house due to the winter storm that swept through the mid-Atlantic. I believe that was a biggest snow storm this area has received in a long time. Anyhoo...after making Tyler Florence's Crispy Sesame Chicken & Spinach Salad a couple of weeks back (which I still have to post), I still had a major hankering for fried chicken tenders. My hankering deepened after my friend Melissa posted a blog entry about healthy chicken nuggets. But, I wanted to be bad...so bad. I wanted oily, greasy, not-as-good-as-baking-it-in-the-oven-coated-in-ground-oatmeal-flax-wheat-germ chicken tenders.

So, I marinated some breasts for several hours...then made them and enjoyed the silence of ravenous carnivores horking down some good arse chicken.

I love you greasy food.

Tan's Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

Chicken breasts, boneless & skinless

1-2 cups buttermilk (depending on amount of chicken breasts & method for marinating)

4-6 dashes pepper sauce (ie. Texas Pete or some fake Tabasco...use Tabasco if you don't have precious kiddie mouths that you don't want to incinerate)

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. paprika

1+ cup panko crumbs

Salt & fresh ground pepper

1. Mix together buttermilk, pepper sauce, garlic powder, paprika, 1/2 t. black pepper, & 3/4. t. salt. Set aside.

2. On a plate, season 1 cup panko crumbs with salt & pepper. Taste the mix to see if it is adequately seasoned. Set aside.

3. Slice the chicken crosswise in half so you are now looking at two breasts that are 1/2 the thickness of the original breast. You can also skip this step.

4. Marinate in mixture for 1-4 hours (overnight is a-ok too).

5. Heat oven to warm or lowest setting (if you have cut the breasts in half) or to 350 (if you have left them whole).

6. Take chicken breast. Shake off excess marinade and press into panko mixture. Coat both sides evenly. Repeat for several more breasts or however many can fit into your pan...speaking of...

7. Heat up oil (I used a mixture of high-temp heart-healthy canola & antioxidant-packed extra virgin olive oil...you like how I'm justifying frying, right?) over medium heat in the largest pan you have. Make sure you have at least a 1/2 inch depth of oil.

8. Fry both sides of chicken until golden brown and cooked through. They should cook fairly quickly since they have been halved. If you didn't cut the breasts, fry both sides until golden brown. It will be underdone and you'll finish off in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.

ENJOY!

Oh lovely...

2010-01-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!

What is NOT to love about these bad boys? I didn't grow up with them since my mama didn't like them...but then my sister & I tried some roasted ones at TJs and it was love at first bite. So, we've been hooked ever since and there is something about these little buggers that are ADDICTIVE.

The Hubs was a non-sprout eater too...but now eats them straight out of the pan! Our daughter absolutely loves them and even Mr. Picky will eat them (although since it is still technically a veggie, there is a little less enthusiasm coming from that portion of the table). Even dear Mama who didn't like sprouts likes these too!

Anyway, these bad boys couldn't be any easier to prepare.

Tan's Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts, tough stems & damaged outer leaves removed
4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Mince some garlic and put aside in small bowl filled with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Swirl oil around the bowl before adding garlic...this way the garlic won't dry & stick to the bowl.

2. Cut the brussel sprouts in half...this is the secret...you HAVE to cut them in half so that you expose as much surface area as you can so it can caramelize and become uber-yummy.

3. Heat about 2-3T. olive oil over medium heat in a large pan (the largest you can get that will allow the brussel sprouts to lie face down in a single layer). Add sprouts.

4. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes. When they have caramelized, add the garlic and about 1t. more oil. Sauté and do not allow garlic to burn. Season with salt & pepper.

5. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

6. ENJOY!!!

Yakisoba

2010-01-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

Need something quick & easy when you're in a pinch? I've got your answer...yakisoba. All you've got to know is how to saute/stiry-fry up ome meat (optional) and veggies and you're good to go.

How?

Because this little bad boy has all you need...

Yup. DIrections & sauce packet...you add the stuff...if you want.

I don't always want to cook...but sometimes going out is A) unhealthier than eating something quasi-processed @ home and B) cheaper. Girl can't always be so healthy and fresh...sometimes...you just have to cheat....sometimes. Ok, rarely...

So, here's the skinny...

Chop up veggies...I had napa cabbage, julienned carrots, sliced onions, and frenched green beans. Throw it in a pan and cook momentarily. You don't want to cook the veggies all the way through or else they'll become mushy...unless that's what you're into...then, by all means, go for it. Take veggies out and set aside.

Take some meat...ground, sliced, cubed...whatever type and whatever cut you want. Marinate that bad boy in a little bit of soy sauce, minced garlic, ground black pepper, and a touch of sesame oil. Brown it up in some olive oil (or neutral oil if you prefer). Put with veggies that have set aside.

Cook the noodles according to direx. Use caution when using the seasoning mix since it could be way too much. You can always add more later. Throw meat/veg mixture in.

Enjoy!

Basil Beef w/Sweet Potatoes

2009-12-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Alrighty...this is actually a misnomer...since I used a ground beef/turkey combo. Anyhoo...this is one of Sean's favorites in a long line of favorites. It's fairly simple to throw together and a complete meal served with (brown) rice. This was also the first time I used sweet potatoes. Normally, I use Japanese eggplants. It's my pseudo-Thai dish and it's supposed to be more on the sweet/savory side than purely savory.

The following is the ground beef(meat) version...you can also do it with thinly sliced beef.

Tan's Basil Beef

Ground beef & turkey (equal portions...roughly 1lb. of each)
Onion, diced
Red Pepper, sliced or diced
Carrots (not pictured), julienned, sliced, or diced
Sweet Potato (or Japanese Eggplant), small cubes
Garlic, smashed and minced
Ginger, minced (1 t.) or smashed large pieces (1 in. piece)
¼ cup Scallions, cut into 3 in. pieces (not pictured)
1 t. Sesame Oil
¾ t. Soy Sauce
1 t. Fish Sauce
3 T. Kecap Manis
⅓-¾ cup Basil, chiffonade
Olive Oil (or lighter oil if preferred)
Salt & Pepper

Microwave sweet potatoes until al dente. You want them nearly cooked through but not so cooked that they become mushy. Set aside.

Heat oil up in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Sauté onion, ginger, scallions, red pepper, carrots, & sweet potatoes until vegetables are soft but not mushy. Lightly season (as the soy sauce & kecap manis will add plenty of sodium later on) and add 1 t. garlic. Sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from skillet/wok and set aside.

Add more oil to skillet/wok over high heat. Add ground beef & turkey, season, and brown. Drain any accumulated fat, if any (I use the leanest cuts so I don’t have extra fat that gets rendered). Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and kecap manis. Add 2 t. garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.

Add vegetable mix. Add ½ of the basil. Let everything get happy for about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. At this point, the only additional seasoning you’ll want to add is the kecap manis since this dish is more on the sweet/savory side. Turn off heat and add remaining basil...adding more for a more pronounced basil flavor.

Serve on top of rice...with additional basil, if you dare.

ENJOY!

Chili...revisted.

2009-12-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

I'm revisiting my old chili recipe...which is uber-healthy and totally satisfying. BUT...I've upped the ante and increased it's one-pot proteiny, legumey, veggie goodness and added...wait for it...

QUINOA!!!!

We love quinoa in this house. I've yet to post my quinoa salad recipe...but we absolutely *heart* this little powerhouse which the Incan's referred to as "the mother of all grains". Basically, this little bad boy's nutritional makeup makes it a complete protein. Once referred to as a grain...it counts spinach & swiss chard as it's cousins.

Anyhoo...try it, love it, eat it!

Tan's Chili Con Carne

Ground turkey/beef
Large Onion, chopped
6-7 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 T. Cumin
1 T. Chili Powder
2 t. Oregano

2 t. Adobo seasoning
1 t. Garlic Powder

1-2 bay leaves
1-2 Large can(s) diced tomatoes
Beer, 12oz. bottle
Small can of tomato sauce
Canned beans…however many you want (I typically add 4-6): kidney, black, pinto, etc.

1-2 cups Quinoa
1 bag Frozen Corn
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Brown the turkey/beef in a few teaspoons of olive oil. Season w/salt & pepper. When thoroughly cooked, add onions. Allow to cook for several minutes. Add garlic and spices. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add beans. Cook for a minute.

Add entire contents of canned tomatoes, beer, & tomato sauce. Add water to canned tomatoes & tomato sauce…swish and add to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes...or longer if you have the time. Add quinoa and simmer for another 30 minutes. 10 minutes prior to serving, add corn.

Serve w/plain Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt that’s been strained), chopped green onions, lowfat cheese, chopped jalapeno peppers, etc.

Dinner

2009-11-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

Grilled chicken breast with chimichurri, garlicky brussel sprouts, lime-cilantro rice, & cauliflower soup...mmmmmm.

Hot Dog Octopi...oops Octopuses

2009-11-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Skimming through my photos reminds me of something...I'm soooooooo behind on posting. So, at least I can try to pull some of these photos out and start blogging. This is something so simple & fun...I can't even remember where I saw/read the idea. It's for Hot Dog Octopuses. Easy, breezy, & oh-so-fun...;o)

Basically...just take a hot dog & cut the bottom 2/3 into sixths (which technically would be a hexapus...or hexapod...anyhoooo..) or eighths. Grill 'em, fry 'em, or *gasp* boil 'em up and watch the fun begin. You could kick it up a notch and put eyes on 'em to complete the fun!

Kale Chips

2009-11-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

We've become ~~obsessed~~ enamored with a healthier alternative to potato chips in our household. Even my 4YO son who has a total aversion to anything green or has color...with the exception of spinach pesto....is the BIGGEST fan of these chips. I get so many smiles and chuckles when we're at the commissary (military grocery store) and he's yelling "KALE CHIPS!! CAN I HAVE KALE CHIPS, PLEASE?!?!?!"

So, I had read about this a loooooonnnnng time ago on Kath Eats Real Food. It's super easy to make and just incredibly yummy. This is the original recipe.

We actually just keep it nice and simple...extra virgin olive oil an kosher salt. It's so good and strangely addictive. Try it...~~Mikey~~ Jaron likes it.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-10-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

YES! I did it! My first cookie that's not flat! Not only was it not flat, but it was puffy! Shoot...I'll just take anything that wasn't flat. Oops...maybe not my first. Starbucks recipe for its Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie was another success. But, I don't think I even took photos of that one. Hmmmm...have to check on that.

Anyhoo...I stumbled on this cookie recipe on one of the blogs I read when I get the time...My Baking Addiction. Besides having me at the words "oatmeal" and "peanut butter chip"...she also had me at "all butter"...no shortening needed to make this cookie un-flat! SCORE!

I doubled the recipe making enough for my fam to hork it down, share some with the neighbors, and send a gallon-sized bag with the hubby to share with the officers on the sub. Yea-uh!

So...make it, love it, and enjoy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from My Baking Addiction adapted from allrecipes
makes: about 18 cookies

½ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup rolled oats
1 cup mixed peanut butter and chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls (I used a medium cookie scoop) on to lightly greased cookie sheets (I used Silpats).

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown.

Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Kai Bear's 6th Party Menu

2009-09-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm planning so far for my baby girl's 6th birthday party up in DC this weekend...I like planning. ;o) Somehow, it's funny since I'm a walking oxymoron...I'm also a huge procrastinator. Hahahaha.

Anyhoo...here it is:

Starters:
*Warmed Brie with Apricot Preserves
*Barefoot Contessa Onion Dip
*crudite, crackers, chips, and Veggie Straws

Entrees:
*Salad (tomato, avocado, red onion, & baby spinach w/tomato dressing)
*Lime-Cilantro rice (white basmati rice)
*Latino-style black beans
*Tacos
*Mild Beef *Spicy Beef *Beans
*Lettuce *Tomatoes *Cheese *Green Onions *Olives
*All of the following in squirt bottles: sour cream/yogurt, aji, taco sauce/salsa, & gauc/avo crema

Desserts:
*Moist golden cake with Strawberry Buttercream
*Chocolate cake w/Vanilla Buttercream (or Choc. Ganache)
*Oreo mini cheesecakes
*Mint-filled Brownie Cupcakes
*Dirt "Cake"

Favors:
*Choc. cupcake pops
*Kiddie goody bags

Soy Sauce Chicken

2009-08-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

From Tanya Eats

Soy sauce chicken. Its name denotes this is a simple meal that is anything but simple...well, except in preparation. Its simplicity in preparation is ridiculous and its intricate flavors are equally ridiculous. And that, my friends, is fabulous! Soy sauce chicken is Cantonese in origins...see yu gai is what our family calls it...my father's side, so in Toishan (Toy-san) you'd say see yu gai. You have now learned almost half of my Chinese vocabulary.

See the lovely star anise above? Well, if you haven't used or tried it before, go out and get yourself some! You can get a good-sized bag of these puppies pretty cheap at your local Asian/International market. They're sweet licorice-ish flavor is an integral part of this dish. You cannot...CANNOT make it without. Well, at least my version.

From Tanya Eats

Another fun ingredient our family uses...rock sugar. See the boulders sticking out in the soy sauce soupy goodness? You need them. I guess you could use brown sugar, but I was raised using these bad boys and will stick to them. Plus, I just remember my paternal grandma giving my sister and I little pieces of these to eat when we were kids. I've continued that tradition with my little rugrats.

Alrighty, enough babbling...

Soy Sauce Chicken (Li-Lee style)

1bunch of Spring Onions, cut into 3-4 inch pieces
Ginger (a good 3-inch piece or so), sliced and smashed
Star Anise, anywhere from 3-4 pieces (like my mama) or a good handful (like me)
Rock Sugar, 1 box (typically 14.1 oz.)
Soy Sauce, 1.5 cups or more (I usually do enough to submerge the chicken, but you could do more or less. If doing less, flip chicken over during braising process)
2 T. Oil
Chicken pieces
Sherry, optional
Freshly ground black pepper

To start, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil up in a stockpot. Throw in spring onions and ginger. Allow to get fragrant and watch to make sure they don't burn. Pour in soy sauce, proceeding with caution since you are adding a liquid to hot oil. Add the star anise and rock sugar. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so while you prep the chicken. Make sure all that good rock sugary goodness is dissolved too.

At this point, trim away excess fat from the chicken. I'm not sure if I'd recommend removing the skin since the meat might get too salty. But, definitely trim away any excess fat since that all melts into the pot and makes for one greasy soupy mess. My maternal grandfather (who just celebrated his 99th birthday and who studied with chefs in Hong Kong) likes to rub the chicken with sherry first to enhance the brown color the chicken gets in this dish. I do it when I remember. The final photo is reflective of chicken not rub in sherry....since I didn't remember about the sherry-rubbing until I started writing this. I definitely do it when I remember...'cause my grandpa did it.

Throw the chicken into the pool of wonderful sweet savory soy saucy goodness. Season with some fresh ground pepper.

From Tanya Eats

Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with rice and veggies and you've made an authentic Chinese (Cantonese, if you need the specific region) dish!

Congrats!

From Tanya Eats

Edamame Hummus

2009-05-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

We finally have a Trader Joe's in the area and it opened up last Friday. Unfortunately, I missed the grand opening since I was in the SUV with my hubby & 4 kids (2 human & 2 canine) speeding up I-95, trying desperately to NOT MISS the birth of my sister's (Kim) first child, "our baby" (as she is affectionately known in our own little pod) Talia's grand entrance.

Did I make it? You bet I did! With an hour to spare before pushing, my hubby dropped me off at the hospital and took the kiddies home to grandma (who was already at the hospital). Our baby came in an hour and a half later and we couldn't be more thrilled!!! She is GORGEOUS and a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD baby!!! We're missing her already.

Anyhoo...Jaron and I went to TJ's today, only to find they didn't have Sean's uber-fave edamame hummus (introduced to us by our lovely Kim). So, in honor of my awesome hubby who got off the sub and drove us up to DC in the nick of time...homemade edamame hummus. Which, I dare say, might be better than TJs and definitely healthier!

Tan's Edamame Hummus

1 cup shelled edamame (I used TJ's shelled edamame which yields an oz. more than a cup)

1/2 cup silken tofu

1/4 cup lemon juice, plus more for taste

1 large garlic clove

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more till desired consistency

Salt, to taste

Optional ingredients: cumin, cilantro, parsley, white pepper, curry powder, roasted red pepper, basil, etc.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor except salt (I used a Vita-mix). Taste and add salt to desired taste. Add more lemon juice or olive oil, if needed.

Serve with crudite, pita crackers, or whatever...but ENJOY!!!

Taco Lasagna

2009-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tacos were always a family favorite of our's growing up. However, prepping for tacos takes some time and that's something I don't always have. So, last night I threw together my quick version of a non-taco-taco....and came up with my taco lasagna. Obviously, it's not a new dish...I first tasted it when we babysat some kids waaaay back when. This was just a easy, fun, & tasty way to have our tacos & put some veggies in our kids.

Even though I'm all about things from scratch...when it comes to taco seasoning, I ALWAYS use El Paso Taco Seasoning...it's just that good.

Besides this being an uber-easy meal to throw together, I had the pleasure of looking out my kitchen window and seeing these in my backyard:

Tan's Taco Lasagna
Ground meat (I use a combo of turkey & lean beef)
1 medium or large onion, chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped (more or less depending on your garlic preference)
2 cans of beans, your preference (I used black & dk. red kidneys), drained and rinse
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1-1½ cups frozen corn
1 packet taco seasoning, preferably El Paso
1 T. Adobo seasoning

1 can green chiles
1 can sliced black olives
Green Onions, chopped
Corn tortillas
Shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar & Sargento's reduced fat Mexican cheese blend)
Olive oil

Toppings: Pico de gallo, sour cream (or if you're in our house, plain yogurt), green onions, chopped jalapeno peppers, chopped cilantro, Tabasco sauce, etc.

*note: I didn't use these ingredients, but they would be mighty tasty in the dish

1. Brown the meat in a large pan (if using a nonstick pan, use a bit of olive oil) & season with pepper (not salt since the taco & adobo seasonings are salty enough). When meat is almost completely brown, add about 1 T. of olive oil and onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add adobo seasoning & garlic. Add packet of taco seasoning and water (the amount called for on the packet). Throw in beans. Let cook until liquid has reduced. Add tomatoes (and chiles and olives if using) and cook until liquid has pretty much cooked away. Turn off heat and throw in corn.

2. Preheat over to 350°F.

3. In a baking dish (I used glass), grease the bottom of the dish with olive oil. Layer the bottom of the dish with a single layer of corn tortillas. Add meat mixture and top with a light layer of cheese (or more if desired). Add tortillas. Repeat until meat mixture is finished. Top with another layer of tortillas and a thicker layer of cheese.

4. Tent with foil by folding a piece of foil in half, then opening it up and placing it over the dish...thereby having the foil not touch any part of the lasagna but still is protecting the cheese from burning during the cooking process.

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and add chopped scallions and bake for another 10 minutes or place under broiler until cheese is nice and bubbly.

6. Serve with assorted toppings or eat it plain...and ENJOY!!

Helloooooooooo Nurse...Snickerdoodle Muffins!!!

2009-05-02T16:31:00.001-07:00

While checking out the newest posts on my fave food blogs, Em (aka The Repressed Pastry Chef) had posted about these snickerdoodle muffins. She pretty much had me at "snickerdoodle". The original recipe is from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. How can you resist the cinnamony goodness of snickerdoodles...let alone in cake form???

I tried it and our family fell in L-O-V-E...or "lurve" if you're Celine Dion. I kicked up the cinnamon & vanilla (of course). I only added cinnamon to the batter on the second try since initially I wanted to see how it would taste with no cinnamon in the batter...which was tough for me since we're cinnamonaholics. Definitely delish with or without cinnamon in the batter. The original recipe was very buttery and crazy moist. I wanted to try to trim down the butter and cut out half a stick on the second try. It still was very moist, but did not stay as moist as long as the original recipe's results had. I also didn't have sour cream and used yogurt. So, below is, I guess, my lower-fat/cal recipe for these delicious & addictive muffins. Try the original or mine...either way...TRY IT!!

Anyhoo...thank you Em for posting this recipe...my own muffin top thanks you...it's back to elasticized pants for me.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

1½ sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 T. vanilla

2 eggs

¾ t. baking soda

¾ t. baking powder

¾ t. cream of tarter

¾ t. freshly grated nutmeg

½ t. cinnamon

1 and ¼ cup plain yogurt

2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar and 3 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.

2.In a separate, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and cream of tarter.

3.Add the flour mixture and the yogurt alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour (ie. flour, mix, yogurt, mix, flour, mix). Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin.. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 18 muffins.

Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350°F oven or until they are golden brown.

Tanya's Garlic Tomato Herbed Pasta & Lemon Garlic Herbed Chicken

2009-04-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

I started cooking at a young age. My parents motto was that we'd learn how to cook by helping them out. Being cynical, even at a young age, I thought it was just a ploy for them to employ free child labor. JK. Kinda. ;o) BUT, of course, they were right. I learned how to cook from my parents and grandparents and anyone else we helped out in the kitchen.

In high school, I came up with this pasta dish. The original recipe was all butter (mainly because Mom didn't buy olive oil at that point)...and now has morphed into a more health-conscious dish that is all olive oil. In between the metamorphosis, I started using half butter/half olive oil. But, alas, heart healthy extra virgin olive oil is all I use now...which incidentally, helps your body absorb the lycopene from the tomatoes. Scizzore!

The chicken recipe I got is inspired by *gasp* Rachel Ray! This recipe is great since you can vary which flavors you'd like to have for that meal. My constant is the garlic & lemon...of course. BUT, I'll use capers or rosemary for the variants. Any herbs would be yummy with this recipe. I dredge the chicken, giving the final product a nice sauce to use. Use more wine for more sauce.

The best thing about both...SUPER SIMPLE and quick!!! Plus, you can serve both of these dishes together. If not and for some odd reason you have leftovers of the chicken, you can combine the leftovers with plain pasta to create this:

From Tanya Eats

Tan's Garlic Tomato Herbed Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

Herbs of choice (Italian, Herbs de Provence, Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, etc.)

~2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced

White wine (optional)

Lemon (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

Pasta of choice (long pastas work better...I used Barilla Plus pasta for it's yumminess & healthfulness)

Boil salted water for pasta. Unless you're not good at multitasking, then this can wait till after the sauce is simmering.

In a large pan, heat oil, garlic, & herbs over medium heat. Heat until garlic is heated through, but not brown (brown garlic = icky). Turn heat up to high and add tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat. Allow to simmer until the tomatoes have disintegrated slightly. Season with salt & pepper. You may want to thin out sauce with white wine OR wait until combined with pasta and add pasta water to desire consistency.

Before tossing with pasta, add a healthy squeeze of lemon, if desired. Slicing lemons and adding to sauce work beautifully as well. Add drained pasta and toss.

Tan's Lemon Garlic Herbed Chicken
Chicken Breasts (I use boneless, skinless)

6-10 cloves garlic, smashed

1 lemon, sliced

3/4 cup white wine (or more if more sauce is desired)

Flour, for dredging

Salt & pepper

McCormick Montreal Chicken Grill Seasoning (optional...I often forget to use it)

Herbs of choice (fresh or dried)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. If using grill seasoning, tone down salt usage as the grill seasoning is salty. Dredge in flour and set aside.

Heat oil up on high in oven-safe frying pan. Add chicken breasts and allow to brown on each side. Add garlic & herbs. Add lemon slices, giving a few a good queeze before adding to pan. Place pan in oven.

Bake about 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Spoon sauce over breasts before serving.

Serve over rice or pasta and ENJOY!

Coconutty Celebration

2009-04-07T08:41:00.001-07:00

Mama Lee's birthday was last month and we went up to DC to celebrate her hot cougarness. I got hit by this wallop of a cold...definitely the worst one this year but not as bad as last year's flu. I also shared the love with my sister. What makes that even better is that the poor thing is 8 months preggers. I'm the world's best sister....ever.

Anyhoo...I had seen this cake on Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" show last summer and it screamed "MAMA LEE". My mom loves, loves, LOVES coconut cake!!! I totally wanted to make it for her and was really looking forward to making it...until I got hit with this cold. It was bad news bears after that.

Still...my mom only has one birthday a year...well, actually, girlfriend has TWO birthdays a year...thanks to my granddaddy not reporting her birth until the day after (I'm not sure how birth recordings work in Honduras, but my mom's legal birthday is the day AFTER her actual birth date). So, I was praying that even though I couldn't make most of it down here before heading up to DC, I still could work on it when I got there.

I was still sick...really sick. Besides the boo hoo hoo for me, I was more concern about baking a petri dish full of my germy goodness for the family and infecting them all. Luckily, I was washing and sanitizing myself all throughout and I think Kim got sick after one of the kids kissed me on the lips and then kissed her on the lips. SORRY SISTEE!!!

Anyhoo...the cake turned out fabulous despite me being out of my element. The custard could've been better...but that was my fault...hooray for tiny baby clumps! Not! I switched it up and did two layers of the coconut cream and one layer of the custard. I also did a lightly sweetened whipped cream for the frosting instead of the buttercream. My mom prefers whipped cream frostings and I knew the cake was already going to be too sweet with the buttercream.

The final product...delicate, not cavity-inducing, coconutty goodness. I'm relieved to find out my cake-making skills are getting better. Baking is so much harder than cooking...but the end results are worth it!

Click here for Bobby Flay's Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Filling and Coconut Buttercream.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

From The Lee-Espiritu Fam

Pseudo Cuban Samiches

2009-03-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

I hate leftovers. Well, hate is a strong word and it's kind of a lie because there are some leftovers I don't mind eating. OK, so that totally just blew up my initial sentence.

Anyhoo...I do like remaking leftovers that I'm tired of since I get bored easily. I get bored of lots of things easily...like when I talk. That's probably why I have such violent subject changes.

I digress. Big surprise.

After going to our friend's wetting down (he too became a Lieutenant Commander/O-4 in the Navy like my hubby) recently. His wife made Kalua pork. I had never had it, but LOVED it! So simple and yet, so good.

I recreated it and made it supposedly the authentic way with shredded cabbage. Unfortunately, I also used a lean cut of pork since I didn't want all the fat of a pork butt. For Jaron's party...I'll be using the butt (aka the shoulder of the piggy). It turned out well still...but not as tender. I wasn't surprised and still trying to think which was more important for my fam...healthy or a little less delicious. The former won.

Did I mention how ridiculously easy it was to make??? Take the pork, rub it with sea salt (I used Kosher), pour a bottle of liquid smoke on it, and set it & forget it in a slow-cooker. Yeaaaaaaaah. Shred that bad boy up, add shredded cabbage (if you like), and cook it until the cabbage is tender.

Anyhoo...Kaia and I love Cuban sandwiches. I grew up eating them & media noches whenever we'd visit my mom's fam in Miami. I just introduced the kids to them last year before we left FL. Jaron, not being a big fan of sandwiches then, thought it was just aight. Kaia totally *hearted* them.

So, with 1.5 hours to go before party time and my still needing to buy the birthday boy a present and make myself look semi-presentable...I went into overdrive. I did not make these sandwiches authentic, but aimed for getting the taste as close as possible. A real, delicious Cuban sandwich starts with possibly THE most important ingredient....Cuban bread. Mmmmmmmmmm. You have to try this bread. It is just some yummy goodness. There is the requisite roast pork, ham, pickles, swiss cheese, and mustard. Most of the Cubans I've had have been buttered on the outside and pressed hot...like a grilled cheese. I really hate to make any ethnic food unless I've tried the real thing and get a good idea of the right spices, cooking technique, etc. Still, I was hankering for a Cuban and figured the leftover Kalua pork would make a pretty close version of the sandwich.

I made my pseudo-not-authentic-but-close-to-the-taste Cuban with sliced La Brea wheat bread, buttered on the outside (with Smart Balance), a shmear of yellow mustard, slice of Swiss cheese, and the leftover shredded Kalua pork...we left out the pickles because we didn't have any and the kids don't like 'em.

Grill to perfection and enjoy...'cause we did!

We served it with my grandfather's cabbage salad. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Beta-Carotene Goodness

2009-03-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that carrots are one of those veggies that have more nutritional bang for their buck when cooked? So, with that logic, here's something that is not only delicious, but NUTRITIOUS.

Yeah, it's a stretch, but a gooooooood one! ;o)

The Hubs loves himself some carrot cake. I first tried this bad boy when Sean's first CO (commanding officer) on his first sub was leaving and they were welcoming the new CO...this ceremony is called a Exchange of Command. Anyhoo...one of the other officer's wives had made this fabulous carrot cake. FAB-U-LOUS. So fabulous that I made my fiance hunt this man down to get his wife to fork over her recipe. I'm so glad I did because I haven't used any other carrot cake recipe since then. I've tweaked it to my liking.

I made the one above for the wardroom (basically the group of officers on the submarine) Super Bowl party this year. Unfortunately, I don't know how memorable that cake was since basically everyone at the party came down with a stomach virus (incl. our fam) that incapacitated almost the entire wardroom. Yeah, needless to say, there were barely any officers around that week on the sub...save for the guys who weren't at the party and my hubby who managed to barely escape the plague that got us. I. Hate. Nausea. And. Vomiting. I will birth a child, tear a ligament, break a bone any day...but Lord do not make me queasy!!

Anyhoo...with that said. I love, love, love spices. So, I make this cake extra spicelicious. The cream cheese frosting tempers it quite nicely. But, if you don't like too much spice, just cut back on the measurements I gave on the spices...which are approximations since I go against the baking grain and just dump the spices until I think it's good enough. Luckily, since they're spices, my lack-of-measurement for them is technically not wrong since it won't affect any chemical reactions in it.

This bad boy is just some yummy, moist, spicey, carroty goodness.

Carrot Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 t. baking soda
1.5 T. cinnamon (I won't lie, I probably use about 2 T. or more)
1 - 1.5 t. ginger
1/2 - 3/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 t. salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
4 cups shredded carrots (the original recipe calls for 3, I like to use 4 or more)
1 t. vanilla (again, I am guilty of using 1.5-2 t. vanilla)
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins, rehydrated in rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together. Add the oil & eegs, one at a time. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Add carrots, pineapple, & vanilla. (This is where you would also add the nuts and/or raisins, if using.) Mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Done will be when it's no longer shiny on top, center is firm, sides are beginning to pull away, and there is just a touch of brown spots.

Let cake cool completely in pan before removing.

Frost with cream cheese frosting. Add garnishes, if desired. I added toasted coconut and toasted chopped walnuts in the photo above (since there were no walnuts in the cake).

Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup butter, softened (I use salted since I'm not big on way too sugary frosting/icing)
1 lb. (or less) Confectioner's sugar
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
1 T. vanilla (I. Love. Vanilla.)

Cream butter & cream cheese together. Add vanilla. Mix. Mix in sugar...sloooooowly, unless you like a snowy kitchen. I find working in it in 3-4 portions helps!

**Some healthy substitutions would be: whole wheat flour for the flour, 1/2 cup applesauce & 1/2 oil instead of 1 cup oil (which I used Smart Balance oil), & a lower fat cream cheese in the frosting.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakey Goodness

2009-02-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

So, while at Costco, the cover of the Martha Stewart Living Magazine was screaming at me to pick it up...so I did. The cover was actually a heat made out of multicolored cupcakes. So cute and I had to get it since my sister loves cupcakes and her baby shower is quickly approaching.

I found THE PERFECT strawberry cupcake recipe in it. Like Ina Garten, Martha rarely fails me. Well, I've only used one other recipe from her, but it's my fail-safe go-to easy-peezy meal: Spaghetti w/Brooklyn White Clam Sauce. We've been a huge fan of that dish since she was on Food Network waaaaaaaaay back in the day!

Anyhoo, I'm more of a cook than a baker. I'm still getting the hang of things but getting better. I get a bit nervous baking cakes from scratch but almost never use a box mix...because of the dreaded trans fats! So, after delving into one of these beauties last night (minus the buttercream which I made this morning), I was pleasantly shocked and completely amazed at the fluffy moistness that was very much like a boxed cake mix cake that this cupcake had! DELICIOUS! It could've been a bit more strawberry-er and had more of a strawberry muffin-like taste. Still...paired with a good strawberry buttercream...you can't go wrong!

I've been dying for a great strawberry buttercream. The strawberry buttercream I hold on a frosting pedestal is the strawberry buttercream from

Cake Love. Apparently, Warren Brown, owner of Cake Love, tells you right how to make it here. Surprisingly, out of the gazillion kitchen gadgets & utensils I have...I do not own a candy thermometer! Jaron's birthday is coming up soon...and my little man is going to have a strawberry cake...so we'll have to try Warren's recipe for my all-time favorite strawberry buttercream then!

For this weekend's cupcakes, I took my usual go-to buttercream recipe and played around with it to get a strawberry buttercream. This was actually possibly my third attempt and it's so cliche, but third time really was a charm!!! If I go back to this buttercream for future strawberry buttercreams, then I will change it to 2 sticks salted butter instead of just one stick salted & one unsalted. It was a tad too sweet and slightly overpowered the delicate cupcake. One plus about the buttercream this time...I found an ORGANIC SHORTENING!!! Yea-uh, Baybee!!! Anyhoo...I added strawberry extract and will NOT be doing that next time, I will add a touch of vanilla and more strawberries. I really was looking for a strong strawberry taste.

Strawberry Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Reduce speed to low.

Mix any remaining wet ingredients (in this case the milk & extracts are the wet ingredients) in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Add chopped strawberries into the batter. Scrape sides of bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Once cupcakes are cool, frost tops with strawberry buttercream. Frosted cupcakes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days. Top with a strawberry just before serving.

Strawberry Buttercream Dream Icing
2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
1 cup shortening
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 - 1 cup finely minced strawberries
1-4 tablespoons very cold milk

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract and combine well. Add sugar in about 3-4 separate batches and mix thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, add about 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Mix at medium-high to high speed. Slowly add strawberries until you reach the desired consistency...adding more milk if needed.

I'm Pho-real about my addiction...

2009-02-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

My name is Tanya and I have an addiction.

Oh pho, how I love your hot, steamy goodness! My kids adore you and our family chooses you to warm our cold, winter days. We love you pho and are just so happy you are only 15-20 minute drive away now that we live in an area with more diversity. Thank you.

But seriously, we are so loving this fabulous Vietnamese noodle soup. I had loved them from back in the day in DC and of course, in CA where there are a veritable plethora of pho shops in the Bay Area. How could you not love this beefy broth, noodle, fresh herb, meaty goodness? Ooooooooh...so good. Now, if they could tone down the MSG, we'd be allllllll good!

G-town Cupcake

2009-02-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we managed to sneak back home to DC for a short weekend. While there, my sister and I had a "Sister Day" and went into to Georgetown specifically to get these lovely beauties that had warranted a large section of the Washington Posts' Food Section a few months back. Georgetown Cupcake (right around the corner from our parents' alma mater)...has become the "IT" place of cupcakes in DC. I do not kid you that we stood in line for a good 20 minutes or more to get inside the bakery. What you see in the photo is the Chocolate Ganache, Toasted Marshmallow, Lemon Berry, Mocha, Chocolate Vanilla, Coconut (we got a reg. coconut and a Chocolate Coconut), Chocolate Cubed, and Vanilla Squared.

My sister and I are not big chocolate people...but if we had to opt for chocolate, hers would be milk and mine would be dark. Anyhoo...the cupcakes were fabulous!! My only gripe...the frosting. Too cream-cheesy for me. I like my buttercream to taste like buttercream. However, it did pair very well the cupcakes and the texture was unbelievably light and airy...but I was just hankering for good buttercream-buttercream. BUT...the clear winner for the both of us...dun dun duuuuuuuun...THE CHOCOLATE CUBED (that's the one in the foreground with chocolate sprinkles.

The ideal pairing? Cake Love buttercream (SOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY GOOD...but the cupcakes...dry & ughhhh) and Georgetown Cupcakes' cake! I tried two popular cupcake shops in NYC...Buttercup Bake Shop and Crumbs Bakery. The former I was really unimpressed with...you can find the same taste, consistency, AND quality in the grovery store. The latter was ginormous, moist, but tasted like a box mix...the buttercream was nothing noteworthy, not bad, but not standout.

Anyhoo...that's it!

Change

2009-01-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

Since we are all about Change in this house...which since the last time I posted, we have CHANGED houses...;o) I decided to catch up and start providing some new posts here and there. We are really fortunate to have the family that we have since we moved right before Xmas (the 23rd to be exact), our family came down and unpacked the rest of the most important room in our home...THE KITCHEN!!! It was a fabulous early birthday gift for me and I feel a little bit more functional among the sea of boxes here!

Anyhoo...the CHANGE in this recipe is taking boring but yummy edamame and making it something totally crave-worthy! We're talking simple but easy; yummy but healthy: GARLICKY EDAMAME. My Aunt Hilda made this for us years ago and we can't go back to plain edamame.

The recipe/process is simple. Mince up some garlic...I love LOTS of it! Lightly saute in extra virgin olive oil. Boil up a bag of edamame till a tad under desired doneness (yes, I'm all abotu making up my own vocab right now). Drain and toss immediately into the garlicky oil. Season with salt to liking and enjoy the goodness that is Garlicky Edamame. Seriously, it is soooooo addictive!

I should've made some for me and my baby girl, who I kept home from school to watch the inauguration. This is one of Kaia's FAVORITE things to eat. Girl can eat a whole platter by herself! But, I didn't. Regardless, we're so proud of our country right now and excited for the CHANGE to come! GObama!

Doctored

2008-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Annie's Homegrown,

Thank you so much for allowing me to doctor my kids' Shells & White Cheddar with pureed cauliflower, SmartBalance spread, Mexican cheese blend, extra skim milk, and TJ's organic ABC/123 pasta.

I really appreciate you alleviating the guilt of not making my kids a completely homemade meal.

Sincerely,
Tanya

Vita-Mix

2008-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

So, about a month or so ago, we strolled into the local Costco. OK, so local for us means driving an hour out to get there. ;o) Anyhoo...we walk in on a Saturday at 5pm. This means we have an hour to get everything on our list. No biggie...an hour is pretty feasible. BUT, it becomes UNFEASIBLE when you & the family get suckered into a food demonstration @ 5:15pm for 40 minutes! 6 samples and a Vita-Mix in our cart later, we scramble to get everything on our last. Did we do it. Yes we did. ;o)

Anyhoo...if you haven't heard what a Vita-Mix is, it's a high-performance blender. This bad boy can do everything....literally...grind homemade flours/spices, soups, ice creams, bread, etc. For us, we've used it every single day...at LEAST once a day...usually 2 or more times a day for us. We've been making smoothies galore. We're talking fresh-fruit smoothies here...complete with carrots, spinach, cabbage, inulin, grape seed extract, flax, oatmeal, etc. I always wanted one but shuddered at the price (they are really expensive). But, I don't think we'd ever live without it. So much so with the upcoming move, we're not packing it but bringing it with us instead. Yeah, we're that hooked. "5 a Day"...HA! We're well above that guideline!

My current favorite breakfast is my chocolate peanut butter banana oat smoothie. I used the following ingredients:

Vanilla Soy Milk & skim milk (more of the former than the latter since girlfriend is lactose-intolerant)
Skippy's Natural PB & Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams PB (although I don't favor chocolate, I do like dark chocolate)
Bananas
Ground flax seed
Old-fashioned oatmeal
TJ's grape seed extract & inulin
Wheat germ
Oat bran
Spinach

Veggies in a fruit smoothie...only in the Vita-Mix.

Backed Up...blogging that is!

2008-10-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's FINALLY gettin' cold down here in FL. We've got just a few more weeks in this place and then we're packing up and heading to our next duty station...back to good ol' Hampton Roads, VA. After 6 months or so there, we're either stayin' put or packin' up again and heading north to DC!! The latter is more likely, so we'll see how everything pans out.

I'm a bit backlogged on entries. I've been cookin' but not diligent on taking photos or whatever. So, here's a loooooooong recap of what I've been concocting up in this place.

We've got Chili con Carne, Kathleen's Garlic Pasta, Garlic Knots, Ina's Pizza, & Eggplant Caprese on the line-up.

First up:

Chili con Carne

I actually made this when it was still warm over here but getting cooler. Right now would've been PERFECTO to make this bad boy. I also added loads of beans. I'm not one of those chili people who don't like beans in their chili. C'mon...fiber is soooooooo good for you!! Also, I had bottles of Guiness sitting in the pantry (the Hubs and I aren't drinkers) and needed to use it (I had it for another meal we love from our BFFs the Martinos...Beer Beef & Potatoes...mmmmmmm). I threw it in the chili and oooooooooh...that's what it's been missing!! Anyway...I lack measurements when I cook but here's what I put in it:

Tan's Chili Con Carne

Ground beef
Large onion, chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, minced
Cumin
Chili powder
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper
Beans – kidney, black, pinto, etc.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Large can(s) diced tomatoes
12oz. bottle Guiness Beer
Small can of tomato sauce
Canned beans…however many you want (I typically add 4-6)
Frozen corn

Brown the beef in a few teaspoons of olive oil. Season w/salt & pepper. When thoroughly cooked, add onions. Allow to cook for several minutes, add garlic. Add spices & beans. Cook for a minute. Add entire contents of canned tomatoes, beer, & tomato sauce. Add water to canned tomatoes & tomato sauce…swish and add to pot. Simmer on high until thickened and liquid has reduced enough. 10 minutes prior to serving, add corn.

Serve w/plain yogurt, chopped green onions, & lowfat cheese.

Coming up:

Kathleen's Garlic Pasta

Kathleen is a good friend of my sister, co-worker, and a FOODIE too!! Kim has told me plenty of times how the whole fam are great cooks! So, of course when Kathleen & Kim plugged me into their food emails (during work no less...tsk, tsk, tsk...hahahaha), I had to try one of Kathleen's recipes! Thank goodness I did. This was simple, easy, and YUMMY! THANK YOU, Kathleen!!!

Kathleen's Garlic Pasta

6-8 (good size) cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2-3 Tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup cream (more if you want it creamier)
lots of parmesan cheese (1/4 cup shredded - ish)
sprinkle of pepper (white pepper if you have it)
a bit of chopped fresh parsley

Sauté the garlic in olive oil . Add the cream and simmer a few minutes until bubbly & well combined. Toss everything with the pasta.

Next Up:

Ina's (aka Barefoot Contessa) Pizza & what to do w/the leftover dough

So, I suck...really, really, really ridiculously suck at making bread. Quick breads...no sweat. But put yeast in the ingredients & kneading...you have NO GO with me. The center of the bread is usually wonderful...however, that is after you have miraculously broken through the concrete crust with a combination sledge & jack hammer. Yes, I am THAT bad. So, several years ago I tried Ina Garten's (aka the Barefoot Contessa) recipe for Grilled California Pizzas. I was confident that my girl wouldn't let me down...and she didn't! I had successfully made a yeast bread w/o fail! WOOHOO!!! However, I managed to eek out 5 single pizzas out of this dough not knowing that one single pizza was enough to feed two! OOPS! So, this was the third time I made it and after being inspired by Em's yummy post on garlic knots this past summer...I knew what to do with half of the dough recipe! The photo above of my garlic knots was a bit off...and missing a knot since it was in mah belleh! ;o) But, I think I would've changed the salt content of the dough...too salty for the knots. I think I would've preferred a sweeter dough.

The only other time I was successful with yeast breads were several years ago with Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls and waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I was a single-digit age and made a potato cinnamon raisin bread.

Anyhoo...the last thing:

Eggplant Caprese from Shape Magazine

My sister, cousin, and I were scarred from a eggplant experience in our youth. I have since outgrown that experience...but I don't think they have yet. ;o) Let's just say after a month of the same same eggplant dish...we were good for a lifetime.

Anyhoo...Shape Magazine had this Eggplant Caprese recipe in one of their issues way back. It's become a favorite of ours and it's low-cal. Totally satisfying and YUMMY! Sean's my carnivore and this is a satisfying meal for him. It probably helps that I make a 5 lb. salad for the two of us. ;o) The photo above doesn't do the meal justice since A) I almost burnt the eggplant since we were packing up for our drive to DC and B) I almost burnt the eggplant while packing up for our drive to DC. ;o) TRY IT! It's so good!! You can find the recipe here.

Asian Noodle Salad

2008-09-10T09:03:00.001-07:00

From Tanya Eats

Oh me oh my!!! So, I'm a sucker for good blogs with awesome photos. The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a blog that has me crackin' up and lovin' some good photos! Anyhoo, I had seen her recipe for her most favorite-est salad ever. I wanted to try it, but wasn't going to give it a go without the hubby here to help eat it.

Oh goodness was this bad boy a winner!!! It's a recipe from Jamie Oliver (the Naked Chef to you foodies). It was similar to another noodle salad from another UKer Nigella Lawson. That one, Vietnamese Turkey & Glass Noodle Salad was a favorite of our's too! I prefer Oliver's salad to Lawson's because there is WAAAAAAAAAAAY more veggies in it. Both are uber-good though!

We used our usual Barilla Plus pasta to make the salad...giving us our serving of protein, Omega-3s, & more fiber. But, if you want more protein, some grilled chicken or steak (or pork or seafood) would be PERFECT with it too!

Please try this recipe! It was soooooo fabulous! And you won't feel guilty horking down a ginormous bowl/plate of it! Unless you eat several pieces of garlic bread with it...MAYBE like we MIGHT have done last night. ;o) We don't play with garlic bread in this house...fresh minced garlic, butter, & olive oil...mmmmmmmmmmmm. The kids could eat an entire loaf if we let them. Anyway...TRY THIS DISH!!!

From Tanya Eats

Welcome Home & Happy Birthday!

2008-09-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, the hubby finally came home...early & on his birthday no less!!! We rounded up a pretty darn fine meal...if I must say so myself! ;o) The meal made up for, I hope, the lack of cleaning I intended to do for his birthday gift. Hahahaha. One day we will have a clean house. Usually it's when we get stationed somewhere else. HAHAHAHAHA.

Anyhoo...here's the menu we had planned for LT Muscles:

Dinner
Gung-gung's Cabbage Salad
Garlicky Steamed Cauliflower
Churrasco
Brown/White rice

Dessert
Special Dark Chocolate Cake w/Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

Now, who the heck is Gung-gung? Well, he is my 98-year old maternal grandfather who, up until his debilitating stroke about 12 years ago, was an amazing cook! He studied the chefs in Hong Kong and cooking really was his passion. Not only could he cook, but the man could bake too!! Goodness!! Anyway, as this blog continues, I'll probably continue to post recipes from my grandfather that were passed on to my mom who is now teaching us. This way, my kids (and cousins/family) can have something of my grandfathers to always hold on to. Anyway, he is an amazing, amazing man who, long story short, was an orphan when he was still a single-digit age, immigrated to Mexico, then to Honduras, married my amazing grandmother (Lord, Lord, Lord is this woman amazing), raised nine children, owned & ran a store in Honduras, immigrated w/the whole fam to Miami, and just is plain awesome. Now...take an orphan in China (at 6, I believe and raised by his older sisters until his teens) who moves to Mexico & Honduras...has to learn another language, starts business & family, takes care of a slew of extended family back in China, moves to the US, learns another language, and takes care of everyone still. My grandmother...well, she's definitely another paragraph and I will save that for her 5-Spice Garlic Pork...mmmmmmmmmm. My paternal grandparents are equally as amazing too!! But, since this is a food blog, I digress.

My grandfather's cabbage salad is simple: thinly shredded cabbage, thinly sliced tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt, & lime. Simply. Here are the steps though...;o)

After slicing up the cabbage, toss it with salt (a good amount) in a colander & let it sit for a good 15-30 minutes. Then rinsed that bad boy. Toss it in with lime juice, olive oil, & good amount of oregano. Toss in the tomatoes. My mom used to top it with chopped fried bacon...and that was GOOD! I haven't made it like that in years though. But, just FYI.

For the churrasco I used flank steak. Traditionally, skirt steak is used. Flank is one of the leanest cuts of meat with barely any fat, so we cook/grill a lot with it. I say "we" but mean me. Hahaha. Anyhoo, I marinated the flank in my cousin Luis' chimichurri recipe. I let that bad boy marinate for a good 6 hours in the fridge. I typically like to marinate my meat for a looooong time.

Here's Luis' recipe w/my tweaks in red:

Luis' Chimichurri

1 cup stemmed parsley (I use more)

1 cup stemmed cilantro (I used the whole shabang since there's tons o' flavor in the stem too...I also use more than 1 cup)

6 cloves of garlic, chopped (only if you're weak do you use 6 cloves...I use MORE...mu-hahahaha)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/3 cup white vinegar (Luis uses more)

1 1/3 cup water (you can completely omit this or use less for a thicker consistency)

1.5 tsp. salt (Luis also uses more on this one)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine parsley, cilantro, & garlic in a food processor; pulse to chop. Add salt and both peppers & pulse to combine. With processor running, add oil in a thin stream. Finally, add vinegar & water.

What I've started doing lately...even though it is completely anti-green is marinating my meat in Ziploc bags. I use less marinade and it completely surrounds my meat with goodness. This way, with the chimichurri, I have leftover sauce to drizzle on top of the meat. YUM! The photo below is Sean's birthday meal. The pic is deceiving since 1/2 of the plate were veggies and the rice was flattened out to look like there was more.

Now, the cake. When I first started becoming addicted to, errrr, reading The Repressed Pastry Chef's blog, I was reading about her mint chocolate cupcakes. I mean, really, after being greeted with that photo, how could you not be sucked in??? Plus, I *heart* mint chocolate. So, I used my usual chocolate cake recipe (I love you, Ina Garten!) and my usual buttercream recipe (you're my hero, Em!). Add less vanilla & WAY more peppermint to the buttercream...along with blue & green food coloring, and I was GOOD to go. Sean normally doesn't eat frosting but devoured the whole slice of cake with a huge icy glass of milk. This was RIGHT AFTER two plates of the above meal (of course his had way more meat & rice). Yup. It was that good. My kids helped decorate it. You'll be quick to notice my 3YO son's decorating skills in the center of the cake. ;o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAR!!!

Low-Cal Pesto

2008-09-02T17:38:00.001-07:00

From Tanya Eats

The kids' portion.

Now, our family loves ourselves some pesto. Jaron just loves pasta...period...and rice. That boy is all about his carbs. Anyhoo, we love basil too...love it, love it, love it. Almost as much as garlic. But, garlic reigns supreme in this household and I doubt any other ingredient could usurp it.

I happened to be reading one of my favorite magazines (Women's Health) and was intrigued by the chef's challenge on making a low-cal pesto. I decided to try it one day and have never looked back ever since. Shoot, I don't even think I've made my regular pesto since discovering this one. The tomato-based sauce got me wondering how it compete with the traditional basil-garlic-parm-pine nut pesto, but boy o' boy was this one a winner!!

I typically use Barilla Plus pasta for everything...except linguine w/clam sauce. The main reason is because Barilla Plus does not come in the linguine shape...booooooooooooo. Anyhoo...this bad boy doesn't have the fiber-y consistency of whole wheat pasta and is loaded with fiber, protein, and Omega-3s...what's NOT to love about it?? It tastes FABULOUS!! Plus, I can feel like I'm giving the kiddies a more well-rounded meal when using it.

Anyhoo...on to the recipe! You can also find the original at this link.

Penne with Pesto alla Trapanese

Lidia Bastianich, the host of Lidia's Italy, creates a delicious dish with under 500 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 650 milligrams of sodium

3/4 lb penne rigate pasta
1/2 lb (about 4) Roma tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
8 large, fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp unsalted roasted almonds
1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano)

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente.

2. While pasta cooks, rinse the tomatoes and basil and pat dry. Cut tomatoes into large chunks.

3. Place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor, followed by the basil, almonds, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large pieces are left.

4. With the machine still running, add the olive oil in a steady stream; it will emulsify the purée into a thick pesto.

5. Scrape the pesto into a big bowl. Drop drained pasta onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the pasta, sprinkle on cheese, and toss again. Serve immediately in bowls.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 495 calories, 19 g fat (3 g saturated), 232 mg sodium, 67 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 15 g protein

This was our serving (w/a bottle of crushed red pepper...hahaha)...with garlicky brussel sprouts & salad w/garlic-balsamic vinegarette.

Blueberry Muffins

2008-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

This evening we decided to keep the kids up and watch the dance-off episode of "America's Best Dance Crew". Now, we normally don't let the kids watch ABDC because they're normally asleep, but it was the first almost-close-to-a-whole day with Sean, so we extended their day. Anyhoo...we made a run to the commissary earlier (the military grocery store) and I had bought to giant cartons of plain yogurt. One of the reasons being for this blueberry muffin recipe I read on The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog...another favorite blog. I'm a sucker for blogs with great photos (well, and that are fun to read). Anyhoo, I had a bunch o' blueberries in the fridge that we're about to stand on their last leg and needed to do something with them. That's when I saw this recipe and couldn't wait to try it. Ooh, I also made Peruvian Chicken but with no photos and the chicken needing a longer marinating time, I'll post that at a later date.

Here's the recipe:

The Awesome-est Blueberry Muffins
3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour (I actually substituted in a cup of almond meal...hence the browner color of my muffins)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg (I did not do a dash, I did a bit more to balance out the cinnamon I added) Cinnamon (a very healthy dose of it...we're talking a least 1.5 teaspoons)
1 cup sugar (I did substitute a bit of Splenda in it)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
2 cups fresh blueberries
Vanilla Extract (as usual, I added waaaay more)
Softened Butter, for muffin tins (I used muffin liners)
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, cap-ful of vanilla (I used about 1-1.5 teaspoons since a "cap-ful of vanilla" is NOT in my vocabulary...I can't even process that phrase), egg, and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10. Add blueberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.

Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over top. (Brown sugar can be used instead.) Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.

I would DEFINITELY not leave out the turbinado!! It balanced out nicely with the texture and the sweetness balanced the tart blueberries. I would've substituted the oil with applesauce but I used my Omega-3 blend veg oil and figured that healthy fat needed to be in it. So, have fun and enjoy!!!

Harrira/Harira...Yumminess in a Bowl

2008-08-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

So our family loves ourselves some soup/stew. Love, love, LOVE it!! Although FL (East Coast) summers are not ideal for eating soup (I say "eating" since I put so much dang stuff in it that it's definitely a stand-alone meal). Anyhoo, the Hubby came home from being out to sea for the summer and I definitely need to start feeding that belly with some good, HEALTHY food. With him home, that means cooking for an entire neighborhood is back in effect!

So, the first time I had harrira/harira was at the Lebanese Taverna in Rockville, MD. It was this past winter holiday season when the Hubby was out to sea (effectively missing Turkey Day, Xmas, New Year's, our anniversary, & my birthday for the 2nd year in a row) so the kids and I spent the holidays with The Fam in DC. Anyhoo...back to The Soup. Oh my yumminess was I in love...except that it was mildly spicy due to all the SALT it had. Yeah, that was the only drawback. But, the flavors were out of sight and just like nothing I had had before. So, once settled back in FL and thinking about our time in DC, I remembered The Soup.

I came across many different recipes, many of them calling for lamb. We're not big lamb people and the only time I can stomach lamb is in a gyro. The gaminess is what gets me. Anyhoo, I've gotten a pretty good knack at perusing recipes and weeding out what won't be good. I finally narrowed it down to about 5 recipes and then to 3 and finally down to Emeril Lagasse's recipe. Emeril says it's Moroccan. I had it at the Lebanese Taverna. I've seen it under other ethnicities but really was just too excited to make it to narrow down which ethnicity can claim it. Till then, this Middle Eastern soup is just SO good. BTW...one thing I did find out that was the same across the board is that harrira/harira is a soup used to break fast during Ramadan.

It's definitely got a bunch of different spices...and normally ones I'm not really fond of in savory foods (ie. cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.). But, OH MY MY MY MY...this is so good. Anyway...if you're looking for a new twist on a veggie soup, try this one out!!!

I'm not one to follow recipes when cooking (just baking and I still deviate at times with those...esp. when it comes to adding cinnamon and/or vanilla). So, I've added my additions in red...but mainly I just eyeball everything. So, all the measurements for the spices below, I just kept pouring it out until I was satisfied with the amount. ;o) Keep in mind, I like spices, cilantro, and LOTS o' veggies/fiber in my dishes. Plus, the kids love this soup (toddlers with very global palates), so I definitely take this opportunity to sneak in lots of veggies!! Also, my end result was a filled-to-the-brim 8QT All-Clad stockpot...;o) I don't exaggerate when I say I cook for the neighborhood.

Harrira/Harira

adapted from Emeril's Harira Recipe

1/4 pound dried chickpeas (I use 2 cans of chickpeas...kinda too busy to be soakin' 'em bad boys)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced onions (I used a large & medium size onion)

1/2 cup diced celery (I probably used about 6+ huge stalks)

Carrots, diced (I actually used about 8+ carrots...I'm telling you, VEGGIE-intensive over here)

Garlic, minced (I used about 5-6+ cloves...garlic is my addiction)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices

1 1/2 quarts rich chicken stock (I used more since I had a lot more of everything added...and the rice will soak up a lot of the liquid)

1/4 pound dried green lentils (I used ~1/2 lb. or more)

1/2 cup long-grain rice (I used brown rice about 2-3x as much)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (again, I used A LOOOOOOOOOOT of cilantro)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (I probably used about a 3/4-1 cup of this)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Cupcakes & Dumplings

2008-08-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mom was down for less than two weeks and just in time to save my sanity! It was a great visit and we're missing her right now! Her visit also happened to coincide with her father's 98th birthday! So, we packed up and drove down to Miami to celebrate my grandfather's Almost Centennial birthday! Knowing I had to make my grandparents' favorite pasta (Linguine w/Clam Sauce...well, favorite pasta that I make them) and some kind of celebratory dessert for his birthday, I prepped, planned, & packed for our trip.

I decided to make lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream...lemon is probably his favorite flavor (dessert, at least). So, I used two recipes from my favorite baking blog, The Repressed Pastry Chef, for cake (love this recipe since it's light, fluffy, and not cloyingly sweet) and buttercream. Needless to say, it was a hit and I had all three great-grandchildren do the decorating...ummmm, with the sprinkles that is! I wasn't about to trust two 4YOs (both almost 5) & a 3YO with frosting (I can say this since 2 out of the 3 great-grans belong to me). I wanted to ensure that we HAD frosting for the cupcakes. ;o)

Aura, the eldest great-grandchild by 5 days!

Kaia, the middle great-grandchild

Jaron, the baby & only great-grandson...for now

We also made one of Kaia's all-time favorite meals...pan-fried dumplings.

This is the pork & shrimp (and roughly half or more veggie) version. One day, I'll have to post the recipe. I make a chicken version too. Sean & Kaia like to have dumpling eating contest. Even though Sean obviously outweighs Kai-Bear, I think ounce for ounce, Kaia is the CLEAR winner. Kaia can eat 9-10 of these bad boys...which is sometimes more than me!

Healthy to Not-So-Healthy

2008-08-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend started w/healthy foods to progressively "that-can't-even-pass-as-good-for-you" food. I started off the weekend making an Oatmeal Brulee. I found the recipe on the blog Kath eats Real Food. I really like her blog (despite her being a Duke fan...GO TERPS) since she cooks really healthy. She's actually studying to be a dietitian. Everyone knows I try to cook healthy...relatively low-fat, full of good fats, make healthy substitutions, high in fiber, high in vegs, and cooking to ensure most of the nutrients remain in place. So, yeah, I like her blog for inspiration. I made the oatmeal brulee and loved it. Since I usually don't follow recipes except when I have to bake something (and I still usually don't follow the recipe to a T), I jazzed mine up with more bananas, more cinnamon, ground flax, & raisins.

I also still have my oil (extra virgin olive oil & some Omega-3 blend) for deep-frying out. So, I wanted to make homemade french fries. Now, fries are a bit of an addiction for me. I am particular about my fries. They cannot be too dark, must be golden, have to be crisp on the outside and completely cooked on the inside, and has to be burn-my-mouth hot!!! I love steak fries, wedges, waffle fries, shoestrings...etc. As long as it's not hard, completely mushy, completely crispy...I don't care what shape they are. Again, they also cannot be brown....golden, people...is that so hard to understand? And HOT, dammit!!! Enough with that. A while ago, I had seen Paula Deen make some onion fries. Holy cow, that instantly sent me back in time to when our neighbor Delicia started throwing in onions when she made french fries. We went home and replicated it too. Granted, Delicia was about 13 and I was 9 at the time, so we'd throw the onions in the beginning w/our frozen fries and even though the fries came out all yummy & everything...the onions, did not. So, reading through this recipe made my mouth salivate and I finally remembered to buy some red potatoes to try this bad boy out. I'm so glad I did! The kids and I loved it. Kaia loved the onions especially...all nice and sweet & salty. Both Kaia & I love dipping our fries in vinegar. I'm not much of a ketchup person, but I do loves me some ketchup w/lots of Tabasco). Kaia loves ketchup too...a lot of it. We use the organic version since it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup.

So, we've gone from Oatmeal Brulee to French Fries to Cookies n' Cream Cake. Yup. Cookies n' Cream. Now, mind you, I apparently didn't have enough powdered sugar on hand to make a full batch of that fabulous buttercream I blogged about earlier. But I did, however, have enough to make a half batch...only realizing this a little bit later when the neurons started firing between the synapses. My synapses were probably in carb heaven and still snoozing. Anyhoo, I made enouch but when my cake was done, I realized it was enough for a batch of cupcakes but NOT enough for a two-layer cake. Thus, the shots of I have are good enough to not embarrass me too much. ;o) For the cake, I used Ina's recipe again. I think having all of Ina Garten's cookbooks allow me to call her Ina or I-nizza or I.G. or...ok, I really need other adults around. Anyhoo...so, Ina's recipe (using Hershey's Special Dark cocoa), vanilla buttercream, and crushed Newman's Own organic chocolate sandwich cookies. I think I actually would've use Oreos for this bad boy next time. I may think about finely crushing the cookies and mixing them into the buttercream for the middle layer instead of just placing it on top of the frosting in the middle layer.

I can say one thing healthy about this cake...I used dark chocolate which is has good nice antioxidants in it...as does the coffee in the recipe too. Also, this is one of the FEW Barefoot Contessa recipes that doesn't use butter for the cake and I used my Omerga-3 blend oil. Am I far reaching on this one since the bad outweighs the good? Yeah, I think so too.

My cookie crushing, cake decorating helpers.

Beef Stroganoff

2008-07-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

After being especially lazy this week, I've decided that my kids deserve some home-cooking! Cooking elaborate meals are much easier when you have another/bigger adult stomach in the household. Kaia's a fabulous eater but Jaron...he's a bit of a picky guy, which is an anomaly in this family...the Li side of the fam, at least. Lees can be a bit picky too. Apparently, from what I've heard, my hot hubby was a picky eater when he was little. Kim & I never had the luxury of being picky...we either had to eat what was given to us or had to eat what was given to us. Wait a minute...;o) I tend to believe that Sean was picky when he was little since throughout our relationship (esp. at the beginning), it was like pulling teeth to get the big guy to try new things...esp. veggies. BUT, being the good sport he is, he would try it...only to exclaim "Oooooooh, this is GOOD!" and proceed to shovel whatever it was onto his plate. Man, I love that guy.

Anyhoo...I decided to satisfy my carnivorous pasta-eating munchkins and make some slow-cooked beef stroganoff. Since I'm not one for following recipes, I tend to use them as a guide (if at all...usually just for the ingredients). I like Tyler Florence's Beef Stroganoff recipe. Some things I like to do w/our stroganoff is to substitute yogurt for sour cream. Kim'll be making stroganoff soon too, but using ground beef...something I should've considered since I have several pounds of organic ground beef in my freezer!!!

So, here it is...6 hours later:

Also accompanying this yumminess was fresh-squeezed lemon-limeade. Yeah, I felt I needed to redeem myself from having the past few days off. But yeah, Veggie Tales & beef stroganoff for our special dinner. Kaia now likes cremini mushrooms!!! It just took several tries! Yay!!

Mama's full, kiddies are full. Zzzzzzzzzz...except it's not even 6pm.

Asian Weekend

2008-07-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

So, last weekend we spent indoors. I wanted to kids to take some downtime and recover a little quicker from the tail-end of their colds. So, we had a Blockbuster weekend and I made some soup! Luckily, it was raining this weekend, so I didn't feel as weird making a hot soup in the middle of a FL summer. ;o)

Sunny Florida my arse.

So, I made a daikon (Asian radish) beef soup and lumpia. I didn't take photos of the lumpia/spring rolls/eggrolls since I was in a rush and was playing around with my ingredients. But, I'll definitely post something about it next time I make 'em and have time to take photos. But, they were good, soooooooooo goooooooooood. My 4YO daughter ate more than me, and believe me, I can pack it away with the best of them. She makes me so proud...heh, heh, heh. She can thank me later for her super high metabolism....although mine's been sluggish since freshman year of college.

Anyhoo...on to my daikon soup. I learned how to make this comfort food from my mama and added my own flair to it. It's sooooo simple, satisfying, and savory. It's DEFINITELY a must-make during cold fall/winter months. Low-fat, healthy, and just yummmmmmmmy! Cook be warned that this will smell really, really ridiculously good...until you add the radishes...then you might want to make sure only those who love you and know you're a good cook are in the house. Others may doubt your abilities as well as not want to enter your abode.

Alrighty, I am BIG on making my own stock. There is just something about making your own stock that makes a soup that much better. Plus, you get to control the sodium levels & everything else you put into it. So, I started with some rib bones (I honestly like to buy anything that has a good amount of meat on it and big bones). Sometimes I get lucky and buy the ginormous beef bones available at the commissary (the military grocery store), if they have it. Anyway, wash the beef goodness off and place in a large pot and cover them with cold water.

I have a small amount of bones since it was just me & the kiddies eatin'...although it was still enough for 6-8 adults.

Add some large chunks of ginger (I like a lot but it can get spicy), peeled and smashed. I also like to add a carrot or two (deviating from my mama on this one). Bring to a boil and simmer...forever...or as close to it as you can. Season with salt and pepper too. Make sure to skim off any yuckiness as the stock cooks. Cover and let simmer for several hours or longer. I think, the longer the better. Since I didn't add more meat this time (as I would when my buffness is home), you should definitely add more beef (if you're a meat lover & for protein) several hours before you serve it so it has time to get nice and tender.

After you simmering for several hours, you'll want to continuously skim off any fat globules (that separate from the meat) & liquid fat from the soup. You'll feel better about yourself after your belly is nice and full and you know you ate only good stuff.

After several hours, I like to bump up the flavor by adding at least one can of CHICKEN broth...yup, I still will add premade canned chicken broth to my stocks to enhance the flavor and make it a bit richer (unless I've been cooking stock for the whole day...literally and have a load of bones up in that puppy). Season to taste AFTER you've added the stock. You may want to add soy sauce to taste too...I usually don't. I did this time though.

About 30-45 minutes prior to serving the soup, take the daikon, peel it, and slice it into 3/4-1 inch rounds (which you may want to slice those round in half...totally optional since you're eating it and not me). I also will throw in several more carrots since we love carrots & the added nutrition. HOWEVER, too many carrots will turn this soup SWEET. When all is said and done, have some hot, cooked rice waiting (we like brown or a combo of white/brown) in some bowls. Ladle the hot soup over it and VOILA! Healthy, satisfying, guiltless yumminess waiting to be in your belleh! We also like to make a simple dipping sauce for the meat by pouring a small amount of soy sauce into a dipping bowl, add olive oil (or whatever oil you like), and lots of fresh ground pepper. My mom likes the sauce with more soy, I prefer more oil.

Thank you, Mom. I don't tell you enough, but I'm so grateful for you and all the things you have taught me. The biggest things you've taught me are to be super affectionate & my love of food.

Shout Out

2008-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Since I've been a bit too busy, too blah, & too not-cooking-because-I'm-being-good-and-eating-leftovers-of-meals-that-feed-12-adults-&-not-2-little-kids-&-their-mama-&-being-good-about-saving-$. So, since I haven't been cooking, there is nothing to blog about. HOWEVER, I would like to send a shout out over to my favorite food blogger Em! Seriously, if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, pop on over to her site The Repressed Pastry Chef since it is FAB-U-LOUS!

I'm going to make some soup tomorrow for the kids. I made some homemade chicken veggie barley soup with tiny ABC pasta & big ABC/123 pasta for my sick little ones, but since it was chicken soup, it wasn't something I was going to blog home to Mom about. However, I will post the one I'm making tomorrow because it's:
A) the best soup to eat on a 90ish-degree day in FL (heavy on the sarcasm)
B) because it's easy & goes in line with my lazy weekend
& C) it's just FABULOUS!

Again, it's probably a post that I'll have to refer to when the fall/winter comes. ;o) I do have on the menu eggrolls/springrolls/lumpia (whatever your ethnicity is, call it what you will)...we'll see if I make 'em since it doesn't go with my lazy mood. If not, I'll make some Asian-y chicken dumplings since I like to hide veggies in those bad boys to make my naughty boy eat veggies.

I also brought strawberries that probably won't last past Sunday and I may...MAY try to make lemon cupcakes w/fresh strawberry buttercream (wish me luck, Em!). We'll see and if it's good, I intend on giving most of it to Kaia's class since I like my muffin top to shrink, not overflow. Dammit...I also promised to make blueberry pancakes.

Crap...so this really isn't a lazy weekend. ;o)

Accomplished...Maduros & Cupcakes

2008-07-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yup, this past Saturday...I was feeling mad accomplished. My house was messy, my dogs need baths, I need to exercise, my kids needed more Mommy-time...so, I go cook. Yup...Woman of the Year here! ;o)

My kids LOVE maduros...sweet plantains for you gringos. Tai-po (the kids' great-grandmother and my maternal grandma...although I call her Po-po) fries of tons o' batches of these bad boys for Kaia & my grandfather whenever we go to Miami. Po-po knows how much Kaia adores maduros and goes out to buy plantains whenever we go visit her and fries 'em up every morning for her. Kaia doesn't even have to ask. Mind you, this is a woman in her upper 80s with two bad knees, a bad ankle, the sole caretaker of my 97 YO wheelchair-bound grandfather who suffered a stroke over a decade ago, and birthed 9 children. Yeah, this woman is simply amazing. Anyway, I purchased the plantains when they were yellow with the black spots forming and waited for them to get blacker. If you want sweet plantains, you will need to wait for those puppies to turn black for them to be sweet. I just cut 'em up and pan-fried them in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil. The munchkins were PLENTY HAPPY with my little surprise for them.

Saturday night, we were supposed to attend a get-together at a neighbor's house. One of the hubbies just got back home from training and is going to be deployed over to the Middle East for a year. So, everyone got together to hang out. It was really nice...adult time/conversation for me and the kids ran themselves silly...quickly conking out after baths & books. YEAH BAYBEE!!! So, not wanting to go empty-handed, I baked up Ina Garten's (aka the Barefoot Contessa) Beatty's Chocolate Cake...also, I'm not a fan of boxed cake mixes since they have trans fats in them...although it's very hard to find cake recipes that can come close to the moistness & fluffiness of boxed mixes. Anyway, I digress...I had leftover buttermilk and a TON of Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder that I needed to use up...it's funny, that will be a common phrase in this blog ("I had a ton of ____ and needed to use it up"). I'm not a chocolate person but do enjoy Hershey's Special Dark chocolate. Plus, I did need to brew up some coffee to add it to our ice coffee jug that we keep on hand. Anyway...the first time I made this last year, the coffee was too strong and I overcooked the cake. This time, I made the coffee w/o the extra espresso and made cupcakes out of the batter. Paired with homemade vanilla bean buttercream and we had a winner. I even got adventurous and made it decorative (my sister is the artsy creative one...although my creativity happens in the kitchen). Half of the cupcakes that I frosted, I let the kids decorate with spinkles and colored sugar. I have to stop being so darn Type A in the kitchen and start letting the kids (and anyone else for that matter) help me in the kitchen.

Sorry for the dark photos...still trying to get a hang of my new camera. Don't laugh at my cupcake decorating skills.

A word about the buttercream. I attempted to make it once last year. I tried to recreate CakeLove's strawberry buttercream and ended up with a nasty, gloppy mess. I've recently gotten hooked to the Repressed Pastry Chef's blog. I first started reading it when I was reading something about buttercream. The author of the blog really liked it, so I decided to give it a try...despite it having shortening in it. So, I buy shortening...it's the second time in my life I've EVER bought it and have a go at the recipe. OMG...it's a KEEPER...even though it has shortening in it. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!! I made it flavored with vanilla and vanilla beans. That vanilla bean flavor buttercream mellowed out the dark, rich sweet bitterness of the moist cupcakes SO well! YUM!!! And you would never know that I'm not a fan of chocolate! ;o) Now, I just have to figure out how to make a fresh strawberry buttercream....

Eat to Enjoy, not to Live

2008-07-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is a quote I use all the time with my wonderful, amazing, buff partner. He tends to "hork" down meals (those with kids and/or watched "Ratatouille" know what I'm talking about). I usually have to remind him that there is more from where it came (as I tend to cook for a family of 10-12 people, instead of the 2 adult/2 toddler household we live in) as well as more food in the fridge (I inherited my mother's amazing shopping abilities that should carry us over through any natural disaster/world war/nuclear fallout/etc.). Inside, I love it that he does that since I know it's because he enjoys my cooking. It's a total compliment. Still, I know he's frustrated he doesn't have the lean and mean physique he once had at the USNA (although you'll get no complaints from me since I think the stud is pretty damn fine) so I'd like to be more supportive in helping him overeat...obviously, portion-control is a big issue in our home...for all of us (thank you Crate and Barrel for our huge oversize plates that you tempted me into registering for...which makes a standard portion for us a normal 2-plate meal for others). The good thing is, I cook pretty darn healthy. No trans fats, not too many saturated fats, lots of fiber/fresh vegs/fruits, etc. It's just those darn portion sizes!!!

So yeah, we in the Lee-Espiritu household could not LIVE without food and we definitely ENJOY food...a lot! But, in the actual eating process...we need to remember to enjoy & savor the food, not to just hork it down...although if you find me at a buffet, all rules are out the window. ;o)

Guacamole

2008-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

So, after a day of enjoying Kaia's Friday camp performance and settling the kids down with some "moco cheese" (what Jaron calls Mac n' Cheese), I decided to use up the avocados that I bought before they go bad. I also had two tomatoes and half a red onion that I needed to use before they too go bad. I also bought a bunch of cilantro that is still fresh as fresh can be...but w/o cooking as much as I normally do when my buff partner is home & landlocked, I decided to use that too. What's the best thing to eat with all those lovely ingredients?

Oh yes, perfection in a bowl.

Avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, GARLIC, red onion, lime, a bit of extra virgin olive oil (which I normally don't use in guacamole but added it for a bit more extra healthy fat), & a lil' S&P...YUM, YUM, YUM!!

Kaia could not stop raving about it for 5 minutes straight. She was so cute. My little girl is so making me proud becoming the little foodie that she's become! I remember when she was three and we just got in from our 12 hr. drive from MD to FL. I decided to save money and whip up a quick linguine w/clam sauce. As the garlic is sauteing in the pan with the olive oil, Kaia walks in and sniffs the air and proclaims...mmmmmmmmmm GARLIC! WHAT?!?!?! Yeah, she made me exponentially proud at that very moment. The next week, I made the Barefoot Contessa's Garden Pasta (this recipe is so simple and SOOOOO yummy). Kai Bear tried it and said, "Ooh, I like this basil!" Yup...at the tender age of 3, my daughter's palate was so crazy refined.

Anyhoo...I tried to get a video of her critique but she was already full at that point. I had grabbed the camera to record her but, being typical Tanya, detoured to take photos of my "guac" before it browned and then my neighbor called and then Kim called! Hahahaha. Yeah, the moment was lost to capture it on film (or rather, memory stick), but my daughter's glowing review of a simple dip made me feel so nice!

So, yeah...this guacamole was sooooooo yummy! I wanted to add some jalepeno peppers but with that damn salmonella scare and that Kaia liked it, it was a no go. Anyway...I'm enjoying my healthy dip (w/baked Scoops...which happen to be healthy than multigrain Tostitos...if only I had a Trader Joes near me...*sigh*)! Did you know avocados & tomatoes are an ideal paring? The heart-healthy fat from the avocados help the body to absorb the antioxidants from the tomatoes. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat.

I really should start posting some recipes.