April 2012

Foodie Pen Pals

by Lisa on April 30, 2012

It’s that time again! This is only my second month participating in Foodie Pen Pals, but I have had so much fun putting together the packages and anticipating the arrival of mine.

This month, my pen pal was Cinnamon. She put together such a fun package!

NuGo Vanilla Yogurt Bar {Delicious—this was like eating a Rice Krispie treat in texture and flavor!}
Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter {LOVE.}
Pepper and Spice Roasted Chick Ps {see below.}
Chai Vanilla Roasted Chick Ps {see below again.}
Theo Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Bar {Love this. The chocolate is super smooth and the hazelnut gives it a great crunch.}
Nature Valley Granola Thins {These were a perfect little pick me up in the afternoon. I ate them both in a matter of minutes, which is why I can’t keep them in my house }
Dilettante Sea Salt Cashews in Premium Chocolate {My husband and I are snacking on these right now! So good.}
Spring Mix Jelly Belly beans {Jelly beans are a weakness of mine, so I gave these to Clare.}
Blow Pop minis {Cinnamon didn’t know, but Blow Pops were my favorite candy when I was in high school! I’ll be going through these slowly.}

As soon as I opened the envelope, I dug into the Chick Ps. I had heard about roasting chickpeas for snacking but I had never tried them. What an awesome snack! I didn’t love the pepper and spice combo, but the chai vanilla was fantastic. These have inspired me to play around in the kitchen to create a savory combo for roasted chickpeas. Stay tuned for that recipe!

Cinnamon, thank you so much for the really fun Foodie Pen Pal package! I don’t normal keep snacks in the house so these have been a real treat.

If you want to see what I sent to my pen pal, Becky, check out her blog: Crumbdoodles!

Want to join us next month? Here’s how it works and how you can get involved too!

On the 5th of every month, you will receive your pen pal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen pal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
Foodie Pen Pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
Foodie Pen Pals is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for May, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by May 4th as pairings will be emailed on May 5th!

Thanks so much to Lindsay for organizing. Until next month!

{ 13 comments }

I Went To Boot Camp

by Lisa on April 29, 2012

For the past eight weeks, I’ve been participating in Tina Reale’s Best Body Boot Camp. Due to some nagging knee issues, I worked with Tina on an individual plan but still benefited from the support of the 300+ boot camp participants.

bootcamp_large_thumb1

Large part of the reason that I signed up for boot camp was to have some structure to follow to work out. When left to my own devices, I’ll often find many excuses not to work out. Especially now that I’m a working mom and my time is not as much my own as it used to be.

In fact, for the past two weeks I have struggled to fit in my workouts. I barely did any cardio and only focused on weights. This past week, I hardly did anything at all.

For me, sometimes taking a break is good. Removing an item from my to do list for a day is sometimes necessary to keep me sane. The thing is, when I don’t work out, I miss the benefits. I can thank boot camp for reminding me about that.

Participating in boot camp made me remember how much I enjoy being physically active—that’s easy to forget when you take 15 months off. It gave me the motivation I needed to lace up my shoes and go for a run again. It drove me downstairs after dinner to do weight and circuit workouts. I honestly loved every second of it.

Boot camp reminded me that even though my priorities have shifted, I still need to put my health at the top of the list.

I’m not going to beat myself up if I miss a run or a workout every now and then. I have enough working mom guilt in my life, I don’t need to pile on more.

I am so grateful to Tina for seeing a need for boot camp and filling it. I’m grateful that she gave me my motivation back. My muscles are more defined, my body is toning up and I have more energy, thanks to Tina.

For me, boot camp provided a great foundation and now it’s up to me to build on that foundation going forward. I’m excited to see where this will take me, hopefully back to racing, maybe even more triathlons, when Caroline is older. My plan is to use my blog as a way to hold myself accountable and keep my focus on fitness. I hope you’ll enjoy coming along for the ride. {Don’t worry, I will still be sharing recipes. Delicious recipes.}

{ 2 comments }

Israeli Couscous Salad with Merguez and Preserved Lemon Dressing

by Lisa on April 26, 2012

Out of nowhere, I started received Food & Wine’s daily recipe e-mails. I don’t often take the time to unsubscribe from e-mail lists, I just delete them as they come in. Unsubscribing would make things easier, but then I could miss out on a gem like this recipe. My husband is a huge fan of merguez sausage, so when I see recipes that include it I always give them a try. Traditionally merguez sausage is made with lamb. I was intrigued when I saw buffalo and pork merguez at the farmer’s market, so that’s what I used.

The original recipe called for rice, but I prefer the texture of Israeli couscous. Have you tried it before? It’s one of my favorite ingredients for quick and easy dishes. Once you make this dish, I’m sure it will be one of yours too.

Note: I happened to find preserved lemons on the olive bar at Whole Foods, but you can also get them at specialty food stores.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Merguez and Preserved Lemon Dressing

by The Splattered Apron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: salad entree side Mediterranean

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous {prepared according to package}
salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 preserved lemon, rind only, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon harissa
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 fennel bulb, cored and sliced
1/3 cup pitted Picholine olives, chopped (2 ounces)
1 pound merguez sausage, sliced long, cut in half, then cut in 1/2-3/4 inch chunks
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

In a saucepan, prepare the couscous as directed. Fluff and set aside in a large bowl.

While the couscous cooks, prepare the dressing. In a bowl, whisk all but 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, lemon juice, preserved lemon, garlic, harissa and cumin. Combine the dressing with the couscous and mix well. Add the olives, fennel and season lightly with salt.

In a skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the sausage and cook over medium high heat until browned, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel. Allow it to drain briefly, then add it to the couscous along with the tomatoes and parsley.

Toss to combine and serve.

This can be prepared ahead and served at room temperature.

When you make a recipe from Food & Wine, you expect it to be good. You don’t expect it to be this good.

This could work as a side dish, as a light dinner or lunch.

All of the flavors meld together beautifully. The harissa and merguez give it a spicy smokiness while the fennel, lemon and tomato cool it down a bit.

This has found a place in my permanent recipe collection. I’ll never skip the F&W Daily Recipe e-mail again.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine.

{ 4 comments }

Cooking with Clare…She’s Taking Over!

by Lisa on April 23, 2012

Friday night, I turned my kitchen and my blog over to Clare. Here’s what she created in the kitchen {with some technical assistance from me}.

hi! You know me as Clare from the other ‘Cooking with Clare’s but this time I am taking over! Smile I made up the recipe, I took the pictures, and I am writing the blog!

you need {one tablespoon olive oil,} {one} red bell pepper, {one} yellow bell pepper, some ham {4 slices of deli ham}, bowtie pasta {half of a box}, parmesan cheese {1/4 cup}, and diced and fire roasted organic tomatos {1 can, we didn’t use the tomato sauce}.

first, cut up four pieces of ham into squares like so:

then, put the ham in a bowl, and get the red bell peppers, and cut them into pieces to.

put them all in a bowl with the ham, and mix well until it looks like a rainbow Rainbow

then, add the pasta in a pot of boiling water. {Be sure to bring the water to a boil then add salt before adding the pasta.}

then add the ~~fruit~~ {ham and peppers} into a ~~separate boiling pot~~ sauté pan.

add tomato’s

{Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.}

once the bowtie pasta is ready, pour it into the ~~bowl~~ {pan} with ham and red bell peppers.

add the parmesan cheese, and mix

~~walla~~ {voila}! You are done!

{Garnish with parmesan cheese and enjoy!}

{We ate ours while watching the Muppets.}

I give it

Peace out

Thanks so much, Clare! We had a lot of fun and I loved being able to talk with Clare about her decisions on which ingredients would work together and why. I think that getting in the kitchen with children is so important and can help establish good eating habits. Even if the final dish isn’t restaurant quality, it doesn’t matter—it’s the experience that matters.

Want to see what else Clare has cooked up? Here are her past posts!

Honeydew Lime Popsicles
Naan
Pizza Night

{ 3 comments }

Celebration Cupcakes

by Lisa on April 19, 2012

DSC_8521 (800x534)

A few years ago, I made cupcakes for my friend Christina’s birthday. I couldn’t attend the celebration, so I sent baked goods in my place. This particular birthday was pretty early on in Christina and her now-fiancé’s relationship, and he went about 45 minutes out of his way to get these cupcakes and make sure she had them for her birthday. I knew that day that there was something special about these two and I cannot wait to see them get married in June.

This weekend, we celebrated Christina’s bridal shower and it seemed fitting to bring these cupcakes back.

Celebration Cupcakes

by The Splattered Apron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 22-24 minutes

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

For the Cupcakes

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

For the Frosting

15 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature {Greek yogurt would work too}
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a muffin tin pan, or use paper liners {I rarely use liners}.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment {or a handheld mixer} beat the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Add each egg one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the bowl with a spatula.

Turn the mixer to low and beat in the buttermilk very slowly, until just combined. The mixture will appear to be curdled but it’s not, don’t worry. Add a third of the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, then add the second third until just combined then the last third.

Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full of batter. Drop the muffin tin onto the counter from an inch or two to get rid of air bubbles.

Bake in the center of the oven for 22-24 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting.

Melt the chocolate. You can use a double boiler but I preferred to use the microwave method this time. Put the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 15 seconds. Stir, then put it in for another 15 seconds. Continue to do this until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly, until it’s only warm to the touch.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream {or Greek yogurt}, corn syrup and vanilla extract. Slowing add in the chocolate, whisking to combine. Once combined, if you would like the frosting to be a bit sweeter, add more corn syrup.

Let the frosting cool in the refrigerator until it’s at a spreadable consistency, about 30 minutes or less.

Frost the cupcakes and garnish as you wish! I used strawberry slices that looked like hearts since we were celebrating a love at a bridal shower.

I love these cupcakes. I accidentally baked mine for too long so they were drier this time than the first time around. I should always look at my notes from the first time I use a recipe. Lesson learned.

To me, the best part is the frosting. This recipe makes A LOT of it. I halved the original recipe for the cupcakes but did a full recipe for the frosting so that there would be a lot leftover.

The frosting is rich in flavor but light in texture, thanks to the sour cream. I didn’t have enough sour cream on hand and used some Greek yogurt as well. Next time, I think I will use all yogurt.