Walnut Honey Butter

Posted on October 2, 2009 by jacqui722

My friend Helen gave me this recipe. It makes the most delicious butter- and is wonderful melting on toast, bagels or popovers. I always give it as a Christmas gift for all the teachers, co-workers and friends who I want to remember at Christmas but don’t have the money to buy gifts for.

Walnut Honey Butter
2 sticks of softened butter
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Serve with your favorite bread, bagel, popover or even sweet potatoes! Melts into a lovely mess.

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The last 20

Posted on September 28, 2009 by jacqui722

Well, I’m at a standstill at Weight Watchers. I’m sort of stuck and have been gaining and losing the same 4 pounds for about 5 months now. I have already lost about 40lbs, but these last 20 are killing me. I really need to find the inspiration and motivation to get the job done! I’m recommiting tonight, Sunday, to get back to work on my diet. Tomorrow is indeed “the first day of the rest of my diet” as my friend Brad would say.

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Wonderful Pumpkin Soup with Ginger

Posted on September 25, 2009 by jacqui722

Here’s a recipe that I love because it reminds me of Fall in CT….something I really miss living here in Florida.  It always brings me back to the crisp cold nights and hunting for the perfect pumpkin in golden farm fields.  Enjoy!

3/4 cup of chopped shallots                                                                    1/3 cup maple syrup

1 leak, white part, chopped                                                                      2 bay leaves

2 tsp grated ginger root                                                                              1/4 tsp each: cinnamon, thyme, pepper

2 tbs walnut oil (or cooking oil)                                                              1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup flour                                                                                                    1 cup cream

4 cups of chicken broth                                                                               1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of  apple cider                                                                                  1 can of pumpkin

In a large sauce pan, cook shallots, leaks and ginger in the walnut oil over med heat until tender but not browned.  Stir in flour.  Cook a minute or two, then add the chicken broth and cider all at once.  Continue cooking and stir over med heat until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in pumpkin, maple syrup, bay leaves, cinnamon, thyme, pepper and cloves.  Heat until boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.  Cool slightly.  Process in a food processor or blender in 3 or 4 batches.  Return the soup to the pot, stir in the cream and vanilla, heat through but do not boil.

Note for busy chefs:  make ahead and chill up to 24 hours by following all but the last step of adding the cream and vanilla.

Enjoy!  Feel free to leave a comment:)

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An Experiment in using up food you already have

Posted on September 24, 2009 by jacqui722

So, with our budgets really tight and putting every effort forth to save money, I have decided to use up all the food I have in the house before I do a big grocery shop again.  With the exception of buying fresh fruit and veggies and other necessary perishables, I have decided not to buy anything because I have a freezer full of food and a pantry full of canned goods to be utilized.  It’s really, really hard not to go and browse through the grocery store, buying new things when you already have the makings for a perfectly good meal (or 2 or 3).  So…putting all temptations aside, I’m going to try to use up every bit of extra food and save some bucks on our grocery bill.  This effort also requires a bit of creativity.

Today was the first day, and with the aid of my trusty crock pot, I was able to make quite an interesting meal.  Here’s what I used:  4 small chicken thighs I found in the extra fridge we have in the garage, about a quarter of a bottle of leftover light Caesar dressing and a frozen package of TGIF Spinach Artichoke dip.  I dumped all of it together in the crockpot with a little chicken broth.  When I got home, I made a box of cous cous to have on the side.  Gee, raves from the fam- they liked it Mikey!  It was pretty good, and I had all the fixings just waiting for me in my pantry and freezer.  Let’s see what I can come up with tomorrow:)

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Funny Name but delicious to eat! Baba Ganouj

Posted on September 22, 2009 by jacqui722

Ok, I’m Italian.  I also love to eat foods that are different and interesting.  All this happens between following Weightwatchers recipes and enjoying foods I love.  I guess I’ll try to alternate between the WW’s and the Internationals!  Today I’m posting my Baba Ganouj (roasted eggplant & tahini dip) recipe.

1 Medium Eggplant, sliced in half and placed face-down on a baking sheet with a little olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

the juice of one lemon

About 1/4  cup of sesame tahini

Tbs soy sauce or tamari

black pepper & cayenne to taste

fresh minced flat-leaf parsley, about 1/4 cup or so

baba ganouj

Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the eggplant until very tender (about 30 to 40 minutes)

Scoop out the pulp with a spoon and discard the skin

Place in food processor or blender, add the garlic, parsley, lemon juice, tahini & soy sauce and puree until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more soy sauce or pepper if needed.

Place in serving bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.  Serve with warm pita or veggies.

That’s it folks!  It’s as easy as that.  Enjoy

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1 point Soup for Weightwatchers

Posted on September 20, 2009 by jacqui722

If you do weightwatchers, you’re really familiar with the zero point soup that you’re supposed to eat when you’re hungry and don’t want to spend a lot of points on a filling meal. This is my version of the soup, but I took a walk on the wild side….so it’s one point instead of zero. Enjoy

Makes 5 8oz servings
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 leek, chopped, mostly white parts
pinch of red pepper
1 handful of baby carrots, chopped
1 handful green beans, cut in half
1 cup of cabbage, chopped
Any other veggies you like such as mushrooms or zucchini
1 can of diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cans of chicken broth
1/4 cup of white beans

Heat the olive oil and gently saute the chopped garlic and leaks until soft. Add the carrots, beans and any other veggies you may like and saute for 4 minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, the 2 cans of chicken broth and the cabbage. Bring to a boil, add the 1/4 cup of white beans and simmer for about 20 minutes.

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A Simple, Authentic Pasta Dish

Posted on September 19, 2009 by jacqui722

My friend Frank gave me this recipe. His parents are both Italian, and lived half of their life in Italy. They once owned an Italian restaurant and this simple little dish is a beautiful example of old time Italian cooking.

4 servings of Pasta (your favorite type)
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
pinch of red pepper
a small basket of cherry tomatoes
a couple of ounces of imported Prevalone or Parmesan cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Cook the pasta according to package directions until just underdone, retaining about 1/2 cup of the pasta water when finished.
Meanwhile, heat the Olive Oil and gently saute the crushed garlic with a pinch of red pepper.
After about a minute, add the cherry tomatoes. Saute all until the cherry tomatoes start to get soft and pop.
Dice the cheese, and place the pieces in the bottom of each dish you will be serving the pasta in.
When the pasta is done, strain and add to the pan with the tomatoes. Add the pasta water little by little for a little more moisture- not too much- just until you have enough liquid to coat the pasta. Continue to cook for another minute or 2.
Serve the pasta/tomato mixture in the dishes with the cheese, stirring until the heat of the pasta melts the cheese and mixes in.
Add a little more Parmesan and some chopped fresh basil and enjoy with a nice piece of Italian bread.  Oh, and don’t forget a nice glass of wine 🙂

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Start of a New Season

Posted on August 28, 2009 by jacqui722

Here in Florida we have 2 times of the year:  “Season” and “Off-season”.  Anyone who lives in a tourist-type area knows what I mean.  “Season” is when it’s starting to get cold and then colder everywhere else, and “Off-season” is when it’s too hot to go outside except if you’re at the beach.  Basically, here in South Florida, it’s beautiful from November to May, and hot as hell from June to October.  Exactly the opposite from almost everywhere else in the US.

Right now, we are approaching the beginning of September so we are on the doorstep of “Season”.   Sure enough, the traffic’s starting to creep up and the restaurants are beginning to be a bit  harder to get into.  The beaches are crowded and the mall is starting to be filled with people.  It’s all bittersweet because although there will be so many more people to deal with, the weather will soon start to be absolutely beautiful. Almost time to get out our hoodies for those cold 60 degree nights.  I can’t wait!

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Trying New Things

Posted on August 9, 2009 by jacqui722
My new kitchen Inspiration

My new kitchen Inspiration

In the kitchen, that is. I have a glorious new flame-colored Le Creuset braiser and it has inspired me.

This month I have made a couple of dishes I’ve read about but never really ate or tried.  One was Risotto- a basic Parmesan version I found on the food network site.  After watching Hell’s Kitchen for years, I have always had a hankering to try to make this dish that gives the contestants so much grief.  Plus, if I’m ever on that show, I’ll be ahead of the game, right?  Report from the food critics:  Both Mark & Lacey loved it.  Yay me.

The next new thing I made was Chicken Carbonara.  Now, I’ve never eaten this except for a horrible, tasteless version that Lean Cuisine or Weightwatchers puts out.  In making this I’ve discovered that 1) this is a very dangerous, fattening dish and 2) I like it far too much and will save it for future celebratory gatherings with family.  Report from the food critics:  “Make this again…soon!”

The 3rd thing I made was French Onion Soup derived from a recipe I found on the internet that is supposedly the one they use at the restaurant in France at Epcot.  I have had that soup there and it is devine.  I dreamt of it for weeks afterwards.  So, I tried the recipe I found to see if I felt the same about it.  Have to say, although not the same as the chef’s, it was pretty damn good.  Report from the critics:  Mark declared it the best French Onion Soup he ever had and Lacey being a texture sort of person asked if I could “strain the onions out” for her next time.  Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad! Actually I was thinking the same thing if I ever made this for my father.

I’ve now decided to try a couple of new things each month- and to keep experimenting with cooking techniques.  I’ll keep ya posted!

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Tomorrow is the Day

Posted on May 20, 2009 by jacqui722

Well, I fnally got word that I can return to work tomorrow.  Thank God!  Going back to work is a big, big step in the direction of normalcy.  I’m looking forward to getting back on track and being useful again.  I know I’ ve still got a way to go, but working is so much better than sitting on this boring couch counting the hours until dinner time.  I will do my best to get through the day.

Here’s to tomorrow-

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