LOVE-ly

Good evening peeps! (do people still say "peeps"?)

It was another good day at school. I’m slowly but surely I’m getting the lay of the land.

 

Today the kids had a fun time trying to understand how I could look so young and be married. I swear. LOVE THEM.

(gratuitous wedding photo)

 

After school I went to try a class at my gym’s other location. It was 40 minutes of treadmill trekking (high incline running and then high speed sprints mixed with some other plyo stuff) and then 15 minutes of circuits (planks, squats, etc)

 

The instructor is a maniac, but it was GREAT and one of the hardest workouts I’ve had in a long time.  He told me after class that I was a great runner. LOVE HIM.

When I got home I made a quick but hearty dinner.

I marinated some bone-in pork chops in dijon mustard, honey, a splash of cider vinegar, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Then I broiled them for about 8-10 min on each side.

 

I served these with some quick mashed potatoes (cut them small and it goes quickly), I smashed them with a little bit of margarine and a few tablespoons of light sour cream.

Roasted broccoli that was leftover completed the plate. LOVED THIS MEAL.

 

And the icing on the cake?

Flowers from the husband. LOVE THEM!! LOVE HIM!

What did you LOVE about today?

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Saucy Sunday

Nothing makes a Sunday better than a big pot of sauce on the stove. Except if it is your husband that makes it!

While I was out on a run, he went shopping and started on a huge batch of his delicious marinara with turkey meatballs, as well as some sausage and peppers for dinner.

 

My run was fantastic. The weather was gorgeous!

My friend Jess and I tackled almost 5.4 miles in about 54 minutes.

 

5.34 miles- 54:21:07

Mile 1-10:07/mi

Mile 2-10:05/mi

Mile 3-10:38/mi

Mile 4-10:14/mi

Mile 5-9:52/mi

Mile 0.34-10:32/mi

 

When I came home I snagged a meatball for some refueling

Dinner was turkey sausage cooked with peppers and onions in sauce, and some bread for dippage.

We also had HIS and HERS salads

Mine has the olives and cauliflower, and was later doctored up with some goat cheese

And balsamic glaze

Doesn’t it look like an ice cream sundae?

The best part was thinking all I had left was cauliflower and finding more goat cheese blobs. The cheese MAKES the salad!

 

Now we’re going to watch some TV (Big Love premieres tonight), I’m also reading a new book which I’ll tell you more about tomorrow.

 

What are your fav salad toppings?

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The Non-Reuben Reuben Wrap

While I was putting tonight’s dinner together, Joe found it pretty funny that I was calling my sandwich a reuben.

 

He asked me, "So what exactly is a reuben?"

 

I said, "It’s a pastrami sandwich on grilled rye bread with Russian dressing, sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese."

 

Then he said in a confused tone, Aaaaand what are you making again?

 

"Um… a peppered turkey and provolone wrap with sauerkraut and Russian dressing?"

 

Well, whatever it is. It’s good.

 

The Non-Rueben Rueben Wrap (serves 1 not too traditional gal)

I started out by making my own Russian dressing with 1 Tbsp. light mayo, 1/2 Tbsp. ketchup, and a diced dill pickle.

 

I spread that on a large wheat wrap

And piled on some peppered turkey

On top of that I put some drained kraut (and took a few bites from the can straight because I’m gross like that)

Then on the tippy top is some provolone cheese.

Bake in the oven on 400 for about 7 minutes, and voila! The Non-Reuben Reuben wrap is ready.

I served mine with roasted eggplant and parsnip fries.

Have you ever had a Reuben?

What is your favorite sandwich/wrap combo?

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Fast Food

And I don’t mean another PB&J. Thank goodness.

 

I’m actually very excited for a normal meal tonight. But it took all my efforts to get out of my chair and go cook something.

 

I opted for ease over the completely healthy route, but it’s not KFC so I know I’m still doing a good thing.

 

I breaded some organic skinless chicken in egg and breadcrumbs, put it in a dish with a little olive oil, and popped it in the oven.

 

Pre-bake

Post Bake

And I’ll let you in on a family secret. It’s called the "cake". Back in the day when people didn’t waste anything, my Nana would always take the leftover breadcrumbs and leftover egg from breading and combine them.

 

Add a little water if you need it, and there ya go!

Usually these were made when my Nana or Mom was frying chicken cutlets, and my sister and I would get the cake to snack on before dinner. It would always be wrapped in a paper towel.

 

Tonight’s cake will be baked in the oven (not as delicious) but I will still wrap it in a paper towel for tradition’s sake.

I also cut up some red skinned potatoes that i coated in pam, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and parsley.

 

Pre-Bake

Post-Bake

I’m steaming some of these guys too.

Alright time to eat..then more work to do (I’m up to page 35 already)

and the pressure is on.

 

And I realllllllly want to watch Top Chef at 10!

YOU should watch too so we can gossip!

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Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken

I can’t believe it took me this long to showcase this recipe on the blog!

 

This is such an easy recipe and it’s one of Joe’s favorites. He rarely tells me what he wants for dinner. I usually get the shrug.

However, he does request this recipe sometimes. That’s how I know he really likes it.

 

It only takes about 15 or so minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake.

 

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken (mine had 6 cutlets, about 1.5 lbs)

1/2 cup part skim ricotta

1 package frozen chopped spinach

2% shredded mozzarella (about 1/2 -3/4 cup)

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3 egg whites

salt, pepper, garlic powder

 

How To:

Start by defrosting your spinach in the microwave- make sure it is squeezed completely dry. You can do this with a paper towel or dish cloth.

Place in a bowl with ricotta, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Add 1 egg white and mix with a fork.

Beat the other 2 egg whites with a dash of water. Add a little salt and pepper to the egg mixture if you want.

Lightly coat the chicken in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Place in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Put the spinach mixture on top of the chicken cutlets

Add a little shredded cheese on top

Roll up the chicken and secure with a toothpick.

Bake on 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Easy and delicious!

 

It’s a great way to get kids and husbands to eat veggies too.

 

Off to watch the Steelers on MNF! Night!

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Surprise Side Dish

Joe’s been having a tough week. He has a ton on his plate for his MBA classes and a million things to do at work. He’s been getting up at 5:30am and going to bed after midnight.

 

After a presentation he has tonight he will finally be able to relax a little bit.

I wanted to do a little something nice for him, so I decided to surprise him by making one of his favorite side dishes, his mom’s macaroni salad.

 

Now, this isn’t the healthiest recipe ever, but it sure is good! I highly recommend it for barbeques, pot-lucks, and tailgates. I halved the recipe, but you can double this or even triple it with not very much extra effort. Trust me it will make a TON!

 

Lucy’s Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 box of elbow macaroni

3 eggs

1 cup mayo

2 tbsp. yellow mustard

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

1 cup bell pepper

1 cup celery

1/4 cup red onion

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

 

How To:

First things first get your eggs going and the water boiling for your pasta.

The best way to hard boil eggs is to start them in cold water, let it come to a rolling boil for 2 min or so, and then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 8-10 minutes.

 

Mix the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar together. It will be a pale yellow color.

Dice all the veggies small and place them in a separate (BIGGER) bowl

Once the pasta is done, run cold water on it and put it in the fridge if it’s not cool. It can’t be hot. (Another tip: I cook the pasta 1 min shy of the directions on the box this way when the pasta absorbs all of the dressing, it won’t be mushy.)

Add the cold pasta to the bowl and top with the dressing.

Peel and dice up the eggs and let them cool as well. See? Perfect Eggs!

Add the eggs, mix everything well and put saran wrap on top. Let it chill for at least an hour. Mix before serving.

I really hope this brings a smile to Joe’s face later!

 

NOW..it’s time to let you in on a secret. I’ve got a surprise for YOU too!

An exciting giveaway will be revealed tonight. Check back later to find out more!!

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The Chicken Roasting Chronicles

There’s nothing I love more than a Sunday night complete with a warm and comforting meal, and tonight’s dinner is a comfort classic- Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli.

 

Before I get into the recipe though, I must tell you that I have a bad history with roasting chicken.

When Joe first moved to Philly I came to visit and thought it would be a great idea to cook him dinner while he was at work. I envisioned him coming home to a roasted chicken and all the fixings and being so happy that he would get down on one knee before dessert.

Too bad I bought an inexpensive fryer chicken which was full of giggly fat and not a lot of good flavor. I stuffed it with everything I thought would taste good in chicken and 3 hours later (yes, three hours of roasting) there was a pale, fatty, really unappealing chicken. YUCK.

YEARS LATER, I tried again.

In fear of my own concoctions, I spread some McCormick rotisserie spice all over a chicken and baked it in a roasting bag. Again the chicken I used was an inexpensive store brand roaster and it had little flavor. The bag kept the chicken moist, but the skin wasn’t crispy at all and it was soooo bland. FAIL.

 

So tonight we have attempt #3. And this time I think I’ve got it right. I consulted three very important people before I started.

1. Mr. Trader Joe (for an organic free-range, high quality chicken)

2. My mom (to tell me to put in the chicken and what NOT to put in the chicken)

3. Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa, to tell me how long to cook the chicken)

source

 

First I cleaned the chicken and removed the giblets and all that stuff they put inside the chicken (YES, remember to do this!)

Then I salted and peppered the inside of the chicken and stuffed it with a quartered onion, 3 sprigs of rosemary, and a few whole garlic cloves.

Put olive oil all over the chicken and salt and pepper liberally.

Roast on 425 for one and a half hours. I basted it a few times too once the juices came out. Also make sure to cover it and let it rest for 20 minutes.

 

On the side I made the cutest little roasted potatoes!

 

I made a paste with fresh garlic, kosher salt, and rosemary and coated the potatoes in pam and the herb paste.

Also roasted up some broccoli

 

Ladies and gents, we FINALLY have a winner winner chicken dinner! WOOHOO!

 

Have a great Sunday everyone!

 

Please please please tell me some of your funny kitchen FAILS!  I’ll highlight some of them in a future blog post!

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Who’s that

Girl?

OMG, it’s the exact same girl that left the house a few hours ago!

We’ll let’s just say that the hair-do isn’t that different, but I also think it’s because there is a lot of product in my hair and it’s pretty flat.

 

I wonder how long (if ever) it will take Joe to notice I got my hair cut. (wagers?)

 

Dinner tonight is a comforting classic.  MEATLOAF!

Here’s how I make mine.

 

Turkey Meatloaf

3 lbs. 93/7 lean ground turkey

3 egg whites

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup for mix and 1/4 cup for topping

salt, pepper, garlic powder

How To:

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix meat, breadcrumbs, egg whites, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/4 cup of ketchup

I mix this with my hands, and I spared you the "bowl of mixed up meat" picture

Form into a loaf and put the other 1/4 cup of ketchup on top

I smooth out the beautiful design with a fork. Yes, you are basically frosting a meat cake with ketchup. It’s worth it in the end.

Bake on 375 for 1 hour.

Along side I also made my Roasted Potatoes

Dice em (I didn’t use the bruised part)

Put them on a pan sprayed liberally with PAM.

Season with:

Salt (regular)

Salt (kosher)

Pepper

Garlic powder (heavy)

Paprika (a must)

Dried Parsley.

Use more Pam so everything sticks to the potatoes, and then toss.

(pre-toss)

(post-toss)

Bake at 400 for 40 min. Flip once or twice.

These are the best roasted potatoes! And the secret is PAM. I don’t use it because I hate olive oil, I use it because it ensures crispy light roasted potatoes and olive oil can’t do that. I finish the potatoes with olive oil for flavor if I feel like it.

 

Additionally, I made some awesome baked zucchini fries!

 

I’ll get you this recipe tomorrow.

This post is getting just a litttttttttttle bit too long, kinda like my hair

 

Have a great night!

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Diner meal at home

So… the test kind of sucked.

The teacher did not stick to the study guide at all. He also said it was multiple choice and it wasn’t.

Whatever.

Fortunately, tonight’s dinner did not suck. It was warm and comforting. And not in a big bowl of emotional cereal way. Tonight’s dinner reminded me of a meal you’d get at the diner on a rainy night out.

Open Faced Turkey Rueben and Chicken Soup

Rueben Ingredients:

1 Arnold Sandwich Thin

3 oz deli turkey (I used peppered turkey)

Sauerkraut (you know I like this stuff)

Brown mustard

1.5 slices of 2% provolone cheese

How To:

Toast the sandwich thin

Top with turkey and kraut

Put the mustard on top

Put the cheese on top of that (its important that the cheese goes on top of the mustard, trust me)

Bake on 350 for 5-7 min and broil for the last minute to brown up the cheese

 

Serve with some roasted green beans (just roasted with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cooking spray at 400 for 20 min)

And of course, a bowl of Jamie’s GOOD Chicken Soup

 

I also wanted to leave you with a quote I saw today that I thought was great.

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." – Judy Garland

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The Good Soup

Last year I made the worst batch of chicken soup, EVER. I thought I knew the recipe, but it came out tasting so bland and I don’t even know how Joe ate it.

Yesterday, when I told him I was making chicken soup he said, "Um, Ok" and then proceeded with a follow up later, "So, is it good?"

Yes, it was good. Very good.

I used a hybrid of recipes. My Mom’s and Joe’s Mom’s to come up with my own recipe. It is a lot of steps, but it’s not hard, and it is worth it. We freeze at least 1 container and it’s perfect for a last minute dinner on a cold night.

Jamie’s GOOD Chicken Soup – Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 roaster chicken- mine was 4.5 lbs and organic/free range. I honestly think this makes a huge difference in the taste and quality of the soup.

2 – 32 ounce containers of chicken broth

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

3-4 stalks of celery

2-3 small potatoes, or just 1 big one

A few cups of water

3 telma bouillon cubes (I ended up using 3. You can start with one and decide later)

1/4-1/2 pound acini de pepe pasta

2 eggs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

love

How To:

Start by putting cleaning the chicken and making sure to remove the bag of gizzards or whatever they put inside the cavity of the chicken.

Put the chicken in a pot and add the chicken broth. Add water until the chicken is almost fully covered.

Dice the veggies ( I made penny size carrots, and celery and just 1/2 the potatoes and onions)

Put the veggies in the pot

Add 1 telma cube

These you can find in the kosher section. My mother in law uses them and they add so much flavor and some yellow color to the soup

(Blurry I know, but my camera can’t do any better. Sorry camera, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings)

Let this cook on medium/high for about 2 hours. It should be boiling (not too violently, but more than just a simmer.)

I like to keep the lid on but leave it part of the way off so the steam can escape

Stir every so often and skim fat off as needed, as soon as it is cooked enough, try and split the chicken into two parts. Taste the broth and add another telma cube if desired.

Once the chicken is split, I let it cook a little more, then turn the heat off and let it cool. Then I put the whole pot in the fridge and let it completely cool.

 

Once cool, you can skim the fat off much easier.

You can also handle the chicken.

 

What to do once the pot is cool

- Strain the soup into another big stock pot or bowl

- Remove the skin from the chicken and pull it with your hands (I use mostly the breast meat)

- Add the chicken back to the pot as well as whatever veggies you want in the soup

- Add a bit more water to stretch the soup

- Turn on low to reheat

Meanwhile, cook your pasta in a separate pot

These are like little pastina, you can use whatever cut you like.

Lastly, when the soup is warm, beat together 2 eggs and the parmesan cheese. Drizzle into the soup with a fork. It will foam up, but it will be okay. Just stir it around and eventually it will melt into the soup.

Once the pasta is done, add it to the soup pot.

Serve with…..

P.S. It’s even better the next day!

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