The Caribbean, Apron-Savvy, View from Chicago

Crock Pot Turkey-success!

2009-10-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Prep time: 8 minutes

Cook time: 8 to 9 hours

Ingredients:

1 package (6-oz) cubed herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1 cup sliced celery (2 medium stalks)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning, if desired
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 lb bone-in turkey or chicken thighs, skin removed (I used a turkey breast)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (12-oz) turkey gravy

Directions:

In a bowl, mix stuffing mix, celery, onion and poultry seasoning. Stir in broth to moisten and then stir in the cranberries.

Spoon half of the stuffing into cooker and sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Place over stuffing. Put remaining stuffing around the turkey.

Cover and cook on Low heat for 8 to 9 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, remove turkey from cooker and keep warm. Stir stuffing and cooking juices until mixed. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes.

Heat gravy on stove.

_________
I cooked the turkey for 7 hours and it was great!

Peruvian Sudado De Pescado (Peruvian Fish Stew)

2009-07-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was watching Martha Stewart yesterday and she was having her employees demonstrate their favorite recipes. This one girl showed off this fish/shrimp dish that look really easy, so I knew I'd found my dinner for the evening! I went to the store and bought ingredients, finding the LAST 2 Halibut filets. Overall it was a success. I think next time i might add Lime to the mixture because there was only a slight pepper flavor that didnt do much for me. I didnt read how to do the pepper paste until too late...i'd chopped up the peppers in a food processor already. So, i didnt add the paste..just threw in a spoon full of the chopped peppers. Might make a difference to make the paste next time.
Also, I changed 2 things. I used fozen corn instead of peas, because i already had those. And I used normal white potatoes because I dont think ive ever seen Blue potatoes in chicago, or the U.S for that matter. Peru, yes, and they are delicious!

Heres how to make the paste: http://canelaycomino.blogspot.com/2008/02/diy-aji-amarillo-paste.html

And here is the recipe from Martha Stewarts website: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/peruvian-sudado-de-pescado

Shrimp in Coconut Broth

2009-07-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

I made this last night. The photo the cook posted of the dish is way more scrumptious than my photos, so just check out the link. I have to say this is one of the best meals I've ever made! It was 1. EASY and 2. Very authentic!
I was in Asia for a few months in 1998, and have never been able to quite duplicate the intricate flavors of the lovely dishes I remember. Last night I DID!!!!! You must try this.
One change, I left out the Mirin.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/06/03/shrimp_in_coconut_milk_broth_recipe/

We had people over for dinner last night!

2009-07-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Fennel and Thyme.

I made a bunch of stuff. We had beef fondue with various dips and side dishes.
I found a bunch of fun sauces on this site:
http://www.bestfondue.com/fondue-dipping-sauce-recipes.html#tomatoginger

I made the curry, mushroom, and tomato/ginger sauces.
For side dishes I made this fennel salad that I will for sure make again, and boiled sweet potatoes.
Fennel salad: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shaved_fennel_salad/ I used 3 fennel bulbs instead, and increased a few of the proportions.
Dessert was this Berry-Lime freeze I found on Martha Stewarts website: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/raspberry-lime-freeze?autonomy_kw=raspberry%20sorbet&rsc=image_1
I used Strawberries and strawberry sorbet because raspberries are not cheap these days! I also only used 2 cups of chopped strawberries instead of the 7 cups(!!!!!) they recommended. The Lime juice really made it! Was a hit. :)

Arugula Asparagus Pear Salad

2009-07-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last night I was eyeing the items in my fridge, and I was bored. I usually grab asparagus to steam and serve as a side dish because it's easy. Last night I stared at the asparagus in the fridge and was going to gag if i served it steamed with butter, like I usually do. I needed something to go with steak and cous cous. So, instead, I made a salad with the asparagus! The result was great! I looked up a few salad recipes and came up with this, based on what I had in my fridge/pantry.
1 cup Arugula
1/2 a pear chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cap full(cap from the bottle) of sherry
1 cap full of balsamic vinegar
1 cap full of olive oil
1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel
About 10 steamed stalks, chopped, asparagus.

Mango Mojito Salsa

2009-06-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

I had to bring a non-dessert to a party last week. Plantains and mangoes were on the brain, and I found the remedy to both cravings! I found this recipe on Food and Wine website: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/plantain-chips-with-chicken-and-mojito-mango-salsa
I didn't add the chicken though. I also put in a lot more ingredients than were asked for. Instead of one mango, i cut up about 14. I had 12 mint leaves I chopped up, and cut up an entire chili. I was left with lots of left overs! But it was really tasty!

How to make your own Vanilla Extract

2009-06-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

I love this! Joy the Baker just posted details on how to make Vanilla Extract. I'll try it out and let you know. http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-make-vanilla-extract/

Or you try it, and let me know.

Kiva

2009-06-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

I had a great conversation with on of my co-workers about this website that allows you to loan small amounts of money to people to start businesses. http://www.kiva.org/
My co-worker was inspired by the creator of this company to go to grad school pursuing these ideas.

You see profiles of people who need money from a rice farmer in Nepal to a prospective cafe owner in Portland. And you get the $$$ back in a year! How cool. I have no money to loan right now, but I love this concept!

Connecticut

2009-06-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

A Thimble Island
Connecticut: One morning we ate at The Pantry, http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-pantry-new-haven Really good, really cheap=great breakfast!

Had some great East Coast Pizza at a dive, Louies Pizza. It was exactly what i wanted!!! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33959-d414799-Reviews-Louie_s_Pizza-Wallingford_Connecticut.html

We went on a tour of the Thimble Islands: $10 per person for an hr boat tour. http://www.thimbleislandcruise.com/

Cape Cod

2009-06-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Nauset House Conservatory
The Patio, in Provincetown
Wellfleet landscape next to The Bookstore restaurant

Cape Cod: We stayed at an adorable Bed and Breakfast, with hosts that were beyond accommodating. Nauset House Inn: http://www.nausethouseinn.com/aboutus.htm
The Inn was a 10 minute walk from Nauset Beach. We highly recommend this place!

We had an AWFUL dinner at Marconi Beach bbq"It-Il-Do", should've known from the name. Dont go here!!http://www.marconibeachrestaurant.net/ We ordered food, and it arrived in less than 5 minutes to our table, luke warm, and not good. And our bill was more than $40(including tip) for 2 beers and a shared plate of ribs. Lame.

In Provincetown, we ate at The Patio: http://www.ptownpatio.com/ I had steamed clams, and they were great. Jason had a chicken sandwhich, and said it was ok.

In Wellfleet we had dinner at The Bookstore, a place recommended by our Inn Keeper. http://www.wellfleetoyster.com/ I had raw oysters and steamed clams which were great. Jason had cranberry encrusted salmon(Cape Cod is known for cranberries), and it was REALLY yummy!

We also went to the drive in theater to see a movie!: http://www.wellfleetdrivein.com/

Boston

2009-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Enjoying mussels and wine at Trattoria
The Grafton

I've been away! East Coast trip. Thoughts:
Boston finally won my heart, after 4 other trips. Never liked it before...maybe it's because i'm older?
In Boston we ate lunch in Little Italy at Trattoria Il Panino, http://www.trattoriailpanino.com/
We were on the hunt for some East Coast pizza, but fell in love with the cute patio at this spot. We shared mussels and a simple prosciutto pasta that was obviously home made(the pasta). They served a refreshing Lemoncello complimentary at the end of the meal.

On our last day before our flight we had brunch at The Grafton, http://www.graftonstreetcambridge.com/ It was ok. Great people watching spot! We went for the outdoor patio. They only put 3 rasberries on my "Berry Pancakes". I felt jipped! Jason had tasty smoked trout.

Dragon Boat Races and ducklings

2009-06-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did a water sampling in St.Charles, IL, on the Fox River. I watched the infamous Dragon Boat Races and stalked a family of ducks.
Dragon Boat Races: http://www.prideofthefox.com/DragonBoatsInfo.html#Introduction

Nightwood

2009-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

After returning to a semi state of health by Thursday, Jason took me to our anniversary dinner at Nightwood, a new sister restaurant to one of our favorite's, Lulas. http://chicago.metromix.com/restaurants/restaurant_review/first-look-nightwood/1229149/content
We started with a Fat Back appetizer, which was served on toast. For entrees Jason had beef ravioli, and I had Stinging Nettle tart(survived un-stung), with asparagus. Dessert was strawberry cream tart, and pretzels dipped in chocolate. Overall, a great experience!

Our 1 YEAR anniversary was on Monday!

2009-06-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary by waking up monday and exchanging gifts before I fell back into my sick coma and Jason went to work. When Jason got home we ordered take out and dug our cake from the back of our freezer to devour. I then, fell back into my delirium of sleep. Tuesday we were supposed to go to dinner at a surprise location chosen by Jason, but i was way too sick, and wouldn't have appreciated a lovely dinner. SO, we are going tonight!
The gifts! I love throwing symbolism into gift giving. I knew I wanted to get Jason artwork. First year of marriage is "Paper", so artwork on paper. I went to Etsy.com, thinking i might be able to find something affordable. I hunted for a few key words, with "original" attached because I didnt want a print or mass market piece. I hunted for a while and finally came upon this local Chicago artist, Laura Prentice. http://www.livefromthestudio.blogspot.com/
I chose the above artwork because it looks a lot like the street we live on now, during our 1st year of marriage. Jason got me earrings, single thread of gold drops, that he said symbolizes single, meaning 1 year of marriage. :)

I've been sick, minus one arm.

2009-06-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

I hurt myself last Friday, tripping, and falling on a sidewalk. Nothing broken, but ouch....I tore/pulled a bunch of arm muscles, so havn't been writing much. In addition to the arm, I had to put up with a mean cold all week! Sniffly, coughing, feverish, rib hurting sick.....

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-05-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love crunchy,crisp cookies. I made some today with this recipe. The key was flattening the cookie dough mounds with my palm.
Also, i used aluminum foil instead of parchment or wax paper.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-108703

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.

Violet Hour -"One of the best bars in the world"

2009-05-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Quite literally, the bar was named one of the best bars in the world by Conde Naste and Esquire magazines, and we went last night. It was fun! I had the:
Hush & Wonder: Matusalem, Créme de Violette, Lime, Grapefruit Bitters

Jason had some fancy whiskey. (I dont know why my font suddenly went to italics, but we'll keep it)

Mmmmmmmm. Doesnt that sound good? It was. We also shared the goat cheese and duck wontons with rhubarb dipping sauce.
Check out their cocktail menu. It's pretty adventurous. I almost had the drink with Cruzan Rum Black Strap, just for supporting Cruzan Rum sake, but I'll save for next time...
http://theviolethour.com/menu.php

Montrose Harbour

2009-05-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

I worked at Montrose Harbour today. I was taking photos of a fish floating when I caught a bird catching it. :)

Cornish Hens Again

2009-05-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

I combined a few recipes the other day to make these yummy cornish hens. I added apples and asparagus to mine. I found this recipe and worked from this:
http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/02/roasted-cornish-game-hen-recipe.html

2 cornish game hens
1/2 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter, cut into 1/4 inch squares
salt and pepper
1 apple
6 stalks of asparagus

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the game hens, remove the giblets if present. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff with apple slices and garlic
Place the game hens in a baking dish large enough to hold both of them. Lay the sliced onions around the game hens, sprinkle with granulated garlic, pepper and kosher salt (Note: Go easy on the salt since you will be using soy sauce). Sprinkle butter cubes around the hens. Pour soy sauce over. Place asparagus spears next to hens. Cover hens with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove foil and cook 30 more minutes or until the hen is golden brown. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Cut game hens in half. Spoon sauce over the top.

Scallops/Raisons/Cauliflower

2009-05-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

I made this recipe the other day. I took photos and I think they got deleted. Anyhow: easy and good.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/seared-scallops-with-cauliflower-capers-and-raisins

Roasted Pork with Sticky Tamarind Mango Glaze

2009-05-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the Food & Wine website the other day and HAD to try this recipe. It came out a little spicy(I might avoid the red pepper flakes next time), but overall flavor was really good! I found Tamarind balls in the market next door. The one time that place comes through for me! Jason told me i am making this again.
I served it with cous cous and plantain.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-pork-with-sticky-mango-glaze

1. 1/2 large mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (1 cup)
2. 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste
4. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5. 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
6. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
8. 1 garlic clove, minced
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
11. One 4-pound pork loin roast, tied
12. 1/2 cup dry white wine
13. 3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1. Preheat the oven to 300°. In a blender, combine the mango chunks with the sugar, tamarind paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and crushed red pepper and puree until smooth.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mango puree, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Add the roast to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning occasionally with tongs, until browned all over, about 7 minutes.
4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork for about 45 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 130°. Brush the mango glaze all over the roast, turning to coat it evenly. Continue to roast the pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 135°, about 5 minutes longer.
5. Light the broiler. Brush some of the mango glaze and pan drippings over the pork and broil 8 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until the glaze is slightly sticky and golden. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, pour off the fat from the skillet and set the skillet over moderately high heat. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer the jus until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes longer. Season the jus with salt and pepper.
7. Discard the strings from the roast and slice 1/3 inch thick. Serve with the jus.

Margarita Pizza

2009-05-09T12:50:00.001-07:00

We made pizza last night! My half is the one without meat or onion. I bought a pre-made Boboli pizza dough. We dont own a pizza stone(but now I want one) so we used a cookie sheet instead. Turned out better than most pizza we get delivered!
I found this on the Food & Wine website:http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/perfect-pizza-margherita

TOPPINGS

One 14-ounce can peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
32 large basil leaves, torn into pieces

PREPARE THE TOPPINGS: Preheat the oven to 500°, allowing at least 45 minutes for the stone to heat. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill set over a medium bowl or pulse them in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stir in the oregano and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Spread 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over the dough to within 1 inch of the edge. Spread one-fourth of the cheese over the pizza and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake until the bottom is charred and the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes. Scatter one-fourth of the basil on top and let stand for 3 minutes before serving. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

It has been a busy week.

2009-05-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm really tired. I started off the week with a cold, causing me not to work Monday,Tuesday, and Wednesday. Tuesday I had an interview at a High School in Englewood. Thought it went well...we'll see. Wednesday night I attended the opening of the Modern Wing at the Art Institute. That was lively and I felt proud of Jason for accomplishing all of it. (Hes been working hard on this project!) Thursday I had a fairly pleasant day subbing, and Thursday night I attended my first practice for the softball team Jason and I are on. (Ive been a wimp about the cold so havn't gone to any practices yet). Friday I subbed for a Music and Movement teacher so hopped, twisted, and clapped for 7 hours with about 200 Pre K-2nd graders. And now it is Saturday at 2:30, and I have already finished a 7 hour shift for the Environment job, meaning I was up at 5am to catch the bus.
Heres some Modern Wing photos. The husband installed all the artwork shown. :)

Squash Soup and Eggplant Caponata

2009-05-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

The squash soup recipe is from Art Smiths' Back to the Table. The Eggplant Caponata came from Food & Wines website, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/eggplant-caponata.

I've had a cold the last few days so wanted a hot soup. I hadn't scoured some cookbooks in a while, so I did that the other day, marking recipes I wanted to try. I wanted a cold and mild side dish in case the soup was too spicy. I thought the Caponata was a little too sweet. Next time I might leave the sugar out, but otherwise it went nicely with the rest of the meal. The soup was very good, but I didnt think the pumpkin seeds did much for it.

Snake bracelet

2009-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this amazing Snake bracelet at BCBG last week. I had time to kill so was wandering through stores I cant afford. It was only $75, but that's a lot of money right now. I've been looking for another version to put on my wish list, and of course only found a Robert Cavalli version.

Adorable Tea Pot

2009-05-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have no need for this, but I think it's really cute.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24583522&ref=sr_list_2&&ga_search_query=peacock+&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Perfect dress

2009-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I saw this dress on Etsy.com this weekend, and i want it so bad! It's a little pricey for me now, but it's on my wish list.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22890054

I like this one too

2009-05-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

http://zulema.deviantart.com/art/Balancing-Act-99729151

Isnt this a nice photo?

2009-05-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

It's not mine.
You can buy it here:http://tiaramia.deviantart.com/art/sunset-balloons-92971057

Our 1 year anniversary is in about a month

2009-05-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

English peas pureed into a fun design, with prosciutto powder and radishes, at Avenues.

Les Nomades, tucked away into an old Chicago mansion.

Smith and Wollensky, lit up on the river.
Otom's "Bacon and Egg Cocktail"

So, I emailed Jason a list of restaurants I really want to go to, with the option that if he has a better place or idea, then by all means to go with that. I love surprises. But I've also always wanted to try out these restaurants.
Avenues, Otom, Les Nomades, and Smith and Wollensky(not as foodie as the 1st 3, but it's a chicago favorite on the river...i always thought it looked pretty swanky.)
Anyone been to any great chicago restaurants lately?

http://www.peninsula.com/Chicago/en/Dining/default.aspx

http://www.otomrestaurant.com/

http://www.lesnomades.net/lesnomades2/menu.htm

http://www.smithandwollenskysteakhouses.com/locations/chicago_steakhouse.htm

Day Trip to Michigan

2009-04-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Lysee had to go to the DMV in Michigan yesterday, so with a day off already I joined her to pillage the cheaper taxes and lower priced shopping at Walmart and Target. Who knew Walmart sold food!?

Scandinavian Vegetable Soup with Shrimp

2009-04-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a semi easy vegetable or chicken soup the other day and found this recipe. I'm part Scandinavian, so here's a shout out to my ancestors. I'm also a sucker for anything with cream in it.
I was making it to be on the table by 6pm, when Jason walked through the door. But, as I was about to add the finishing touches, I heard he had to stay at work late and wouldn't be home until 7! Noooooooooooooo! So, i put the heat on real low, and added a 1/2 cup of cream a little bit later. Even with that addition, the soup wasn't very soupy by the time 7 rolled around. I'm assuming it's because I added an extra hour cooking time! STILL, it was very satisfying. The flavors were subtle, and it wasnt rich or over powering. Using dill kind of scared me(the smell of dill kind of gave me a head ache...or it was the 35+ middle schoolers I dealt with earlier in the day...maybe a combo?) , and I shockingly had sherry in my cabinet...i think i bought it for some recipe a long time ago. Also, i dont own a thermometer, so i ignored that part. I just simmered it really low. So, i reccommend this if you want a nice, warm you up soup/stew.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scandinavian-Vegetable-Soup-with-Shrimp-10560

1 carrot, sliced thin
1/3 cup shelled fresh peas or frozen peas, thawed
1 cup 1/2-inch cauliflower flowerets
1 small boiling potato, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice, and reserved in a bowl of water
1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces fresh spinach, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound small shrimp, shelled, deveined if desired
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon dry Sherry if desired

Preparation

In a large saucepan combine the carrot, the peas, the cauliflower, the potato, drained, and the green beans with 2 cups salted cold water and boil the mixture for 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the spinach and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. In a small bowl whisk together the half-and-half and the yolk, stir in 1 cup of the vegetable mixture, a little at a time, and stir the yolk mixture gradually back into the pan. Cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, or until a thermometer registers 160°F. (but do not let it boil). Add the shrimp and simmer the mixture for 1 minute, or until the shrimp are pink and just firm. Add the salt, the chopped dill, pepper to taste, and the Sherry, divide the soup between 2 large soup bowls.

Pecan Trout

2009-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

I was a little leery of this recipe at first. I thought it might be too bland. Quite Opposite! This recipe is a KEEPER! It was extremely easy which always scores points, and the end result was stuff-your-face inducing. How do you like that description?

Next time I will only buy one Trout fillet for the two of us. We were each only able to finish half of the fish. It was enormous! The recipe called for adding lemon juice to the pecan mixture, and i must have been so hungry, I forgot. I remembered halfway through dinner and sprinkled some lemon juice over it. But, I actually like it better without the lemon juice. I also took one of the reviewers advice and sprinkled brown sugar over the pecans while in the pan. I put maybe a tablespoon in. Result was great. I have decided I hate parsley, so no parsley on our table.
I served it with green beans and cous cous. Jason hates rice(or hes very picky about rice), so cous cous is usually what we have on our plates.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Trout-with-Pecans-241211
Heres my adapted recipe. Original is in above link.

2 trout fillets with skin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, divided
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 table spoon brown sugar

Preparation

Pat fillets dry and rub flesh sides with cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (total). Dredge in flour.

Heat 1/2 stick butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook trout, skin side down, until skin is golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and cook until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spatula and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

Pour off butter from skillet and wipe clean, then cook pecans with remaining 3/4 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and spoon over trout.

Spaghetti Sauce

2009-04-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

I almost didn't post this recipe because there's nothing fancy about it. It's spaghetti. But I dont know what recipes you all are looking for, and maybe you need a really good spaghetti sauce this week. I found this from Rachel Ray. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe/index.html

I didn't make meat balls. Instead I added the sauce ingredients to already cooked ground beef. So you can keep this vegetarian if you want. I sauteed the beef in the onions, herbs, garlic, and then added the crushed tomatoes. It turned out great. Side of french bread. It was perfect for last nights thunder storms!

Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup beef stock, available on soup aisle in market in small paper boxes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
A handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
10 leaves fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
Grated cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, for passing at table
Crusty bread or garlic bread, for passing at the table

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it boils, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente.

Heat a deep skillet or medium pot over moderate heat. Add oil, crushed pepper, garlic and finely chopped onion. Saute 5 to 7 minutes, until onion bits are soft. Add beef. Sautee until brown. Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Toss hot, drained pasta with a few ladles of the sauce and grated cheese. Turn meatballs in remaining sauce. Place pasta on dinner plates and top with meatballs and sauce and extra grated cheese. Serve with bread or garlic bread (and some good chianti!)

Double Chocolate Chewy Cookies

2009-04-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

My mom recently sent me the cook book, Cake Doctor, by Anne Byrn. I try to make treats from scratch usually, but of course easy ways to get the same product is always a fun find! I attempted to make Tres Leches Cake from this book last week, but screwed it up by using the wrong size pan. So, today i was craving something sweet, saw I had these ingredients and gave it a whirl. In the last 5 minutes I've eaten 3 cookies. They are so good! I kept them in the oven for 15 minutes because my oven sucks. I also used slivered almonds as the nut because that was what I had in my pantry.

I won something finally!

2009-04-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

I visit 'Joy the Baker''s blog every now and then, and saw she was having a give away for a fed exed box of chocolate chip cookies. All I had to do was list my favorite things. There were tons of people who posted(651 to be exact) so I never dreamed I'd get picked for the 3 winners.
I never win anything (except once, a turkey, because I called into our local radio station, Isle 95, and gobbled like a turkey on air....I think i was in 8th grade)!
Here's my list of favorite things I posted on her site, and others:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/04/two-of-my-favorite-things-two-of-you-the-giveaway/

1. Eating coconut cream out of the can. I always leave some in the can when cooking so i can have spoonfuls of treats for the weeks ahead!
2. Fresh mangoes from a tree
3. The feel of hot sand in between my toes
4. Listening to my cats “talk” to me with their communicative chirps and growls.
5. Seeing my husbands face after a satisfying meal I have cooked for him.
6. Chocolate chip cookies! (Especially from you, i bet?). Anything sweet and delicious actually.
7. Coming home with “kids say the darndest things” stories when i teach art.
8. Looking through blogs and getting a taste of other peoples lives.
9. Wearing flip flops, knowing there’s no chance of it being cold outside!
10. Getting a new book in the mail.

I was naughty and went to the Benefit counter today at Macy's.

2009-04-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, the LAST time I bought make up was right before my wedding, almost a year ago. My absolute have to have foundation is almost gone, so I decided to be nice to myself and buy another container today. I adore "Some kind of gorgeous", a really light creamy substance i lightly pat on areas of my face in the morning on top of my 30 spf moisturizer. It deletes some tired from my face. I also use Bene-tint on my cheeks because powder blush makes me feel old, and Ooh-La-Lift banishes circles. Those, some mascara, and chapstick are basically my daily make up routine. Anyhow, I bought just the foundation today and some spf powder, and left with a free goodie bag full of fun stuff. yay!

I saw a woman reading this book on the train today.

2009-04-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

She looked like a normal person, around my age. But this book looks kind of odd, right? I wonder if she also owns Never Eat Alone.

The Bean

2009-04-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

That's me.

These girls are striking a pose that's pretty funny, including the one just slouching and being weird.
Checking out the material, and also secretly checking out themselves.

The Bean is now a must see staple for tourists coming to Chicago. It's fun watching people strike a pose in front of the reflective surface with their cameras, or just because. I played tourist today, and took some photos of these people.

Loop Field Trip

2009-04-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

I had today off so went into the Loop to meet Jason for lunch and run a few errands. I had fun experimenting with the fabulous new camera. There are some interesting temporary sculptures up in Millennium Park. Here's some photos of the installations. The middle one was pretty strange. I should have gotten a close up of the Pig, who had 2 sumo wrestler guys hanging off of her body.

New St.Croix Websites

2009-04-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

I received an email today announcing the arrival of a North Shore Association on St.Croix. Thats where I'm from, and the website looks very professional and with good heart, so i'm posting it. http://www.northshorestcroix.com/

While browing through the site, I also found a new website i'd never seen before, "Cruzana", http://www.cruzana.com/

This one is also a really nice looking site with cool articles. Check them out!

Busy Weekend!

2009-04-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. It was a busy week and weekend. I luckily subbed all last week, which went by fairly smooth with the exception of a minor shooting on school grounds. This weekend I began my UIC job and it was great both days! Jason hogged the computer most of the time I was home, working on his website. Check out his updates. www.jasonstec.com Click on photos to see the next photo. For instance, in his passenger vehicles section, you must click on the steering wheel photo to view the series. Enjoy! Find me in 2 updated photos.....

Polenta Lasagna

2009-04-14T17:10:00.001-07:00

This wasnt the best thing i've ever made, and I probably won't make it again. Too bad, a waste of good cheese. I am happy with the photo though! If you care to try: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cheesy-Polenta-Lasagne-with-Mushrooms-and-Seitan-351433

I didn't add the seitan because I couldn't find it, so I added asparagus to bulk it up.

I wake up Bamboo from his nap to model for me.

2009-04-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hugo lets me practice with the new Nikon. Such a handsome fella!

2009-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I hate drinking water, but I like my new camera!

2009-04-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've never liked water. I usually mix it with juice or a lemon, and sometimes find myself at the end of the day with a headache because I am dehydrated. I saw an article online today on tips to drinking water, and reasons to drink it, especially for those of us that detest it. AND drinking water gives me a good reason to use the new camera!

I deleted the ones i thought were dumb.

* Make it a Morning Ritual. I once read in a magazine article that many of us wake up dehydrated, and the first thing you should do before you do anything else is drink two glasses of water. I've now made it a regular morning habit, and it inspires the momentum to continue drinking more for the rest of the day.

* Add Some Lemon. Back in the early stages when I couldn't stand drinking water, I squeezed lemon juice into my water. At restaurants, I would ask the servers to provide lemon slices with my water--which makes me sound snobby, but most restaurants are willing and expected to provide this service.

* Think of How Pretty You'll Look. I don't know how direct the correlation is between having healthy, glowing skin and drinking a lot of water, but I'm not taking any chances. Whatever psychological trick keeps me hydrated!

* Do It Like It's Hot. If you're in the mood for a hot drink, drink heated water. Sometimes we just want the psychological pleasure that comes with having a hot mug cupped in our hands than the actual drink itself. Plus, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and elevates the rate of water being expelled from your body via urination.

* Drink When You Have a Munchie Attack. Sometimes our hunger is thirst masquerading as fake hunger. Drinking a cup or two of water will make you feel "full."

*Take Baby Steps. Don't expect to go from zero glasses of water to the full 8 glasses overnight. Start with one glass of water in the morning and one glass of water at night, and build your way up from there.

Top 10 previously forbidden places to travel

2009-04-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

What an interesting list!
http://www.adventurecenter.com/prevforbidden.php

Jason and I won't be traveling anywhere with potential for Altitude sickness issues for quite a while, so Himalayas are off any wish list. Iran, however,oooohhhh....I bet that is a fascinating culture shock! Vietnam is also still high on my list.

Cornish Game Hen

2009-04-14T05:59:00.001-07:00

I saw these at the supermarket the other day for about $5.50 for 2, so decided to get them. I combined a few recipes. This turned out great!
The photo was taken with my web cam, not the new camera which is arriving today!!!

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
brown sugar
mushrooms
2 lemon slices

two 1 1/2-pound Cornish hens, rinsed and patted dry

Preparation

In a small bowl blend together well 2 tablespoons of the butter with the sage,the zest, and the salt. Loosen the skin covering the breast meat on each hen by slipping your fingers under the skin and sliding them between the skin and the meat. Divide the butter mixture between the hens, inserting it under the skin of each hen and smoothing it evenly by rubbing the outside of the skin. Also rub with brown sugar and season the hens with salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof heavy skillet heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides. Add 2 table spoons of brown sugar. In it, sauté the hens, breast sides up, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown. Insert a lemon slice where the innerds plastic bag is removed from, and roast them in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven, for 40 minutes, in a glass dish.

Blackberry Almond Cheesecake

2009-04-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

I made this for Easter dessert yesterday and it was great! I'm a sucker for anything involving almond paste. Next time I think i'll exclude the almond extract because I tasted the batter before I added that part, and like the subtlety of it better. Another Epicurious delight...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Cheesecake-with-Sour-Cream-and-Blackberries-100969

For crust

1 7-ounce tube almond paste
6 whole graham crackers (about 3 ounces), broken up
1/2 cup whole almonds (about 2 1/2 ounces), toasted, cooled
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For filling

1/2 cup sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For toppings

1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 pound frozen unsweetened blackberries, thawed, drained, juices reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Preparation

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside 1/2 cup (packed) almond paste for filling. Combine remaining almond paste, graham crackers and almonds in processor and grind finely. Add butter; process until moist crumbs form. Press over bottom and 2 inches up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake until crust colors, about 10 minutes. Cool.

Make filling:
Wipe out processor. Blend sugar and reserved 1/2 cup almond paste in processor until mixture resembles fine meal, about 1 minute. Add half of cream cheese and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add remaining cream cheese and process until smooth. Add eggs, cream and almond extract and blend until just combined.

Pour filling into crust. Bake cake until just set in center and beginning to crack at edges, about 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Make toppings:
Mix sour cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl; spoon over hot cake. Bake 3 minutes. Chill cake uncovered until cold, about 1 1/2 hours.

Mix remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar and reserved berry juices in heavy small saucepan. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin over. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir mixture over low heat until sugar and gelatin dissolve (do not boil). Pour into medium bowl; mix in berries. Refrigerate berry topping until cold and beginning to set, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.

Spoon berry topping over chilled cake. Refrigerate until topping is set, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Traveling with Books

2009-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Appropriately, a photo of a bookstore I shot while in India.

I saw this article on the Travel Channel website today,Eight Books You Shouldn't Travel Without, http://www.worldhum.com/features/lists/eight-books-never-to-leave-home-without-20090203/.
Most of the time I find it difficult to read when I'm on vacation. There are exceptions of course. If I'm on a plane or in an airport, I read. If I'm visiting home, St.Croix, I read. But if I'm in a new place, there to see the sites, experience the culture, I feel very strange doing something I could easily do while not vacationing. I have this urgency of possibly missing something if my nose is stuck in a book.

I have only one memorable book that I read while traveling. In 1998 I was on a 6 hour train ride from Varanasi to Agra, India. The 6 hours turned into 24 hours because they decided to loop North instead of heading the initial direction. The only female, not wanting to fall asleep in a cabin filled with military men, not hiding their enormous guns, I read practically all of The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand (and this is not a small book). It was an impactful read because of the setting I read it in, and probably because I read it straight through.

Anyone else have a memorable story about reading a book while traveling?

May visits from Thailand!

2009-04-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

In 1998 I spent a semester in Asia, much of the time in Thailand. There, I became friends with a few local students, including May. We recently reconnected via Facebook and she happened to have a job interview in Chicago coming up. So a dinner reunion was set for last night. This was her first trip to the U.S., so what do you get someone as a welcome gift to this country? I settled on an Obama t-shirt. I recalled her sending congratulations messages on election night, and of course, what is one thing I'm finally proud of from this country? Obama! Still chokes me up. Really, I get tears in my eyes every time I think about it, and it's been 5 months since he was elected!
We met up at Lulas, a restaurant in my neighborhood that is a favorite of ours, along with 4 other people, including Jason and another person I spent time in Asia with. I have a link to Lulas in my Food section, but just in case, www.lulacafe.com
It was a great evening, and she was ecstatic about her gift! (yay!)

iCream

2009-04-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

I spoiled myself for a few minutes yesterday and dropped in on a new Ice Cream shop in Bucktown. "iCream" is the name.www.icreamcafe.com. They set it up to look like a laboratory, where you can design your own ice cream. Syringes don the walls, and the makers use them to shoot various flavors into the concoction you have requested. My request: Burnt Sugar ice cream with fresh mango topping. It's a new shop, so is very popular:crowded. They kept apologizing for the wait because they were "down one man" that day. Off yesterday from a job, I had nowhere to be, so people watched and dreamed of what flavors awaited my taste buds. My 20 minute wait was wellllllll worth it. I devoured my treat and I highly reccomend a visit! The ploy is that they hand make the ice cream on the spot. You see clouds of frozen air billowing from the electric mixers...it's kind of magical.

If this doesn't make you feel good inside, then I think you should question what does.

2009-04-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

I love how she probably has to grow into her nose. This is 5 day old Ko Raya from the Berlin Zoo.

How has your life been evolving (for the BETTER) during this Recession?

2009-04-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

I received a Real Simple Magazine in the mail yesterday! My mom decided to get me a subscription, since she probably read on here that I miss it. Thanks mom! I was thrilled to have something in the mail besides a bill. It is now the only magazine subscription I get. I used to get Time, US Weekly, and Newsweek. Then, in August, before becoming a full time student, I cut this informative entertainment out of my life. Yesterday I hand delivered our Cable Box to Comcast, bringing our bill down from $110 a month to $59 a month(for Cable internet....it's the only company that services our area if you are asking why we pay so much). I watched my last House Hunters on HGTV, and unplugged all the various wires. Jason keeps reminding me that I can watch all cable tv online, and our computer is bigger than our tv anyhow, so it is best.
So what to do with this new found time of not reading magazines(except Real Simple) and not watching Cable tv?
1. We played a very close game of Scrabble(the board game version, not the online version) on Sunday night. Jason won by 2 points.
2. I've been painting(but I cant show you the painting I've been working on because it's a wedding gift for a friend, and I think she reads this(Emily, do you read this?).
3. I participated in an "Object Exchange", making an object for 6 people in return for them making an object for a handful of other people. I painted a few watercolor sketches and sent them off via mail. Kelly (who has "Kelly Loves Whales" blog....Hi Kelly!) started the exchange, and I received 2 lithograph prints from her in the mail a few days ago. It was a really fun activity to be part of because receiving an original object in the mail is inspiring, and hearing the reactions from people I've sent to so far(I still have one to do) was even better!
4. I read a book every week or so, which if you are on Good Reads you have seen, and have been developing my strong interest in Archeology.
5. To those of you who read this often, you see I have been cooking up a storm! This began in an effort to save money. If I do not pack lunch for Jason in the morning, there goes $15 to some low life rstaurant in the loop. I tell myself I am being paid $15 to make lunch. Not bad for 10 minutes of work! And dinner, same thing. If I do not cook dinner, more than likely the Thai restaurant across the street receives a phone call, and $20 later all we have to show for the phone call are 2 full stomaches and a few spoonfulls of Pad Se-ew. I also grew up with parents who frequented nice restaurants, so my palette is very spoiled. If I cant go out to eat at nice restaurants, I will try to cook their dishes!!!!!!
6. And finally, when we get our new camera, we are planning some field trips for photo taking!

Above is a painting I did the other night of the building across the street from us. It was about to snow and everything had a white murky glaze over it, including an abnormally white sky. (I do not have our new camera yet. This was taken with a camera jason borrowed from school.)

Mmmmmmmeat Loaf.

2009-04-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

Rustic French Meatloaf actually....
As I prepared for the weekly supermarket run last week, I poured over various recipe sites, making my shopping list. I discovered this meatloaf that had pistachios, prunes, and advertised a "French pate flavor". The recipe also included chicken livers, which I never thought I'd even CONSIDER purchasing, ever. But, I made the list and was on my way. Well, turns out the Supermarket, on TWO visits, decided my chicken liver fate for me, by not having them in stock. "We are out." Out? Who else uses chicken livers? Do I have a clone walking around making French meatloaf? I see lots of other chicken products in this place....where'd you put their livers? They ALSO didn't have ground veal. I considered buying veal filets and grounding them, but I got kind of grossed out by that thought, so followed the advice of one of the reviews on the recipe site suggesting Turkey and Pork. (sorry vegetarians, I should have warned you to skip this posting, although "meatloaf" should have been a big sign) Pistachios were also hard to come by since they confiscated most of the pistachio brands due to Salmonella last week. I found a lone Planters mixed nuts on a back shelf. How did I have the patience to pick out the pistachios from the various other nuts, you ask? I didnt. I made a deal with Jason, I would give him the container ONLY if he promised to eat any nut except the Pistachios. It made my life much easier last night while making this because the container was filled with all Pistachios!

Verdict: Jason called the recipe "Dynomite!" and had 2nds, AND Leftovers Snob(my husband who sticks his nose up at anything that has been in the fridge longer than 24 hours), requested a meatloaf sandwhich for lunch!

This recipe was easy and soooo yummy. Next time I will delete the sprinkled Parsley on top(I decided I don't really like Parsley). I served it with french bread, 2 teeny potatoes, some cornichons(my favorite!) and a tiny salad. Jason was adamant about adding ketchup. And I see now that Dijon Mustard is suggested, but I forgot. **I think the milked-bread crumbs were key. I tore off pieces of the french bread i bought, soaking them in milk. It really helped keep the loaf moist and succulent.

Also I used a metal loaf pan, and kept it in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Epicurious saves the day again...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rustic-French-Meatloaf-352292

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a rustic loaf)
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound chicken livers, separated into lobes, trimmed, and rinsed
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Accompaniment: Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 475°F with rack in middle.

Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl.

Cook onion, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Purée livers in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl. Add pork, veal, prunes, pistachios, thyme, eggs, bread-crumb mixture, onion mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and gently mix with your hands until just combined.

Transfer meatloaf mixture to an 81/2- by 41/2-inch glass loaf pan (see cooks’ note, below) and bake, covered with foil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 165°F, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Cover top of meatloaf with parsley before slicing.

Camera is on its way!

2009-04-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

I just bought a refurbished Nikon D40! So, get excited for a flurry of photo taking when we get it! I decided on this one because I read through a bunch of online Photo award sites, and this seemed to be a popular camera the non-professional-photographer award winners used. We will see!

TWO Questions regarding Kitchen and Art.

2009-04-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

1. Is there a gadget in your kitchen you cant live without? I'm putting together a wish list, and am wondering what is missing from my minimally supplied kitchen.

2. What was a wonderful or memorable art project you did in Elementary or High School?

Comment below or email me at reachjennifer1@yahoo.com

I'll post one of the last photos I took of my fridge. I love leaving notes on our dry erase board!

Jason has added more artwork to his website

2009-04-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Not just this piece...check his site out for more..........
http://www.jasonstec.com/

I successfully roasted a WHOLE chicken!

2009-04-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

I was browsing Apartment Therapy the other day (www.apartmenttherapy.com) and found this appealing post about an easy and tasty way to roast chicken. Milk, sage, cinnamon stick, and lemon rind. EASY! I put a lid on during the first hour, and left it off for the remainder. This was a suggestion from apartment therapy: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-review/the-ultimate-bird-jamies-chicken-with-lemon-and-milk-080388

I have never roasted a chicken before, an entire chicken! I actually didnt know I could....I assumed I needed some special roaster. BUT, I used a pasta pot, and it worked great. It was sooooo yummy. We ate it for dinner again last night. I served it with green beans, couscous, and potatoes. The sauce is really amazing.

The link went to Jamie Olivers site, and here is the recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/meat-recipes/chicken-in-milk

ingredients
• 1 x 1.5k/ 3½lb organic chicken
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 115g/4oz or ½ a pack of butter
• olive oil
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 cloves of garlic, skin left on
• 565ml/1 pint milk

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramelly flavour later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

I am now a Water Sampler

2009-04-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went to a full day of training to work for the Public Health department at University of Illinois. I learned about testing water for PH and conductivity, and met an array of interesting people. I was the only team member with out my Masters in Public Health, or in the process of getting one. There's a guy who tests for parasites in animal feces, on a night shift; a woman who takes seasonal environmental jobs around the country, most recently studying Moose on an island in Lake Superior; and then a few students doing this study for their Thesis research. I'm excited to talk more with everyone else. I think this will make for an interesting part time/or full time(I might have the chance to be trained for some other lab jobs they have available....yes, Art Teacher in a science lab= crazy!....maybe i'll get some lesson ideas??) until I get the Art Teacher job I eagerly await!

I did not cook this.....

2009-04-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

...............but I am taken with this photo! I saw this on La Tartine Gourmandes blog...http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2009/04/01/poisson-avril/

This photo inspires me to:
Buy a new camera
Clean my kitchen
Attempt to cook an entire fish
Paint with that saffron color in the teeny bowl

Palletteers have a successful show!

2009-04-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

My mom curated the Botanical Gardens show, "Art in the Garden", this past weekend on St.Croix. It was very successful! Take a look at more photos on their site:
http://palletteersofstcroix.blogspot.com/

Asian Steak and Noodle Salad

2009-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

I just began marinating the steak to have dinner ready for Jason when he gets home tonight. No subbing or job interviews today(yet! Optimism still afloat.....), so I am cooking, doing laundry, working on a painting, and continuing to read my Explorer/Archeology book (Lost City of Z) which is hard to put down! Ill let you know the verdict of the meal after dinner.

For steak
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 lb flank steak

For salad
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (2 medium)
8 oz dried vermicelli rice-stick noodles*
2 medium Granny Smith apples
7 oz Asian salad mix (16 cups loosely packed; see cooks' note, below)
1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces if large
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts (sometimes labeled "cocktail peanuts"), chopped

Preparation:
Marinate and grill steak:
Whisk together fish sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour marinade into a large sealable plastic bag. Pat steak dry and place in bag, then press out excess air and seal bag. Turn bag over 2 or 3 times to coat meat, then place in a shallow dish (in case of leaks) and chill at least 4 hours and up to 8. Bring steak to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Remove steak from marinade (discard marinade) and pat dry with paper towels. Grill, uncovered unless using a gas grill, over direct heat, turning over once, until medium-rare, 12 to 14 minutes total.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand, uncovered, about 15 minutes.

Assemble salad while steak rests:
Whisk together lime juice, water, sugar, fish sauce, and red-pepper flakes in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then stir in shallots.

Cook noodles in a 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water and drain well. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 1/2 cup dressing. 3Working around core of each apple, cut thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick) with slicer, then stack slices. Cut slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide matchsticks.

Combine apples, greens, and mint in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup dressing and toss well to coat.

Thinly slice steak across the grain.

Arrange noodles on a large platter and mound greens on top of noodles. Arrange steak slices on greens and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve at room temperature with remaining dressing on the side.

I found this recipe at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Asian-Steak-and-Noodle-Salad-235018

Pesto!!! (and tilapia)

2009-04-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

I made Pesto yesterday. It was easy, and i couldn't stop finding things to "pesto" yesterday. I chopped up tomatoes and spread the pesto on them for lunch; For dinner, I made tilapia, using the following recipe. I also poured a can of corn on top of the fish when it went into the broiler. Side dish was mashed sweet potato. Jason said it was "outstanding" ! Gotta love THAT reaction!
I think the best part about home made pesto is the variety of pine nut textures and the freshness of the basil.

Pesto (and tilapia)
1 1/2 bunches fresh basil (about 1 1/2 cups lightly packed)
4 ounces toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tilapia filets

Preheat broiler. Grind the basil, pine nuts and grated Parmesan cheese with a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste forms. Slowly add 1/4 cup of olive oil, grinding until a smooth sauce forms. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor instead.

Season the pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and cook the fish for 1 to 2 minutes on the flesh side or until it turns light golden brown. Flip the fish over and spoon the pesto generously over the fish.

Transfer pan to the broiler and broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Remove fish from broiler and allow to rest on a plate. Serve fish hot.

Papaya Bread/ Pudding?

2009-04-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I was about to make Banana Bread until I saw a lonely, ripe papaya sitting on my kitchen counter. I swept the web for some recipes and finally decided on a recipe from Guayana. I used Hazlenuts, and didn't use the raisins or Allspice. I ended up baking it for 2 Hours. I'm wondering if it took longer because i pureed the papaya in my food processor, or maybe because I attempted the feat of converting grams to cups/tablespoons,etc. Anyhow, it reminds me of making Papaya Preserves in Mrs. Riveras 4th grade Spanish class. The cinnamon is maybe where this taste memory is coming from. What a wonderful surprise of a recipe. It turned into more of a Bread Pudding, but still tasty. I'm curious what the husbands take on it will be...

Update: He thought it was too mushy, and more of "your kind of thing", pointing to me. Hes right, i enjoyed it again this morning.

Ingredients
1 large papaya
150g sugar
175g white flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
45g chopped nuts (optional)
4 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/8 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp salt
50g raisins (optional)

Slice the papaya and de-seed with a spoon. Peel the fruit then mash until pureed.

Cream together the butter and sugar in bowl until fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs together then slowly incorporate into the butter mixture. Stir in 250g of papaya puree then add the flour, allspice, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix thoroughly then stir-in the raisins and nuts (if using). Tip into a cake or bread tin, smooth the top then bake in an oven pre-heated to 170°C for about 1 hour, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

An afternoon with Chicago History

2009-03-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

Chic Chicago

Eastland Disaster

Norman Rockwell painting at History Museum

Christian Krohg

Yesterday, a friend suggested we head over to The Chicago History Museum. "Chic Chicago" and "Lincoln" were the special exhibits, however some of the permanent exhibition was interesting too.
Chic Chicago
Coco Chanel, Halston, Charles Worth, Yohji Yamamoto....and countless more designers! I found this exhibit most interesting, reading about the influential Chicago women who wore these designers.

Eastland Disaster
July 1915
This was the biggest disaster in Chicago, a ferry boat had too many passengers on board, and capsized before even leaving the dock! Almost 900 people died! I think that's an amazing amount of people for being so close to help.

This Norman Rockwell painting depicts the famous cow that started The Chicago Fire. I think this painting resembles some of the Norwegian artists I just saw at the Munch exhibit, like Christian Krohg. What do you think?

Snow!!!! A few days before April....

2009-03-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

We woke up to this beautiful scene this morning. As you can see, Hugo is just as shocked as I am!
(Oh, Jason borrowed a camera from school so we would have a camera at home while we figure out the broken one)

Coconut Cookies

2009-03-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

I had a sweet tooth this afternoon and found a Coconut cookie recipe that allowed me to not leave my house for the ingredients! Moist, decadent, and very easy! I'm eating my 2nd one as I type!
The recipe says bake for 10-12, but with my oven, I cooked them for 18 minutes. The first (12 minutes) batch was a little under cooked.

1 box yellow cake mix
2 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
1/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together 1 box yellow cake mix, 2 cups shredded
coconut, 1/4 cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, 1/4 cup softened butter and 2
eggs in a medium bowl. Roll into balls and roll in additional coconut. Place on a
parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

A typical Friday night

2009-03-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Once a month Jason and I hit gallery openings in Chicago. They are spread all over the West side of the city, so transporting ourselves around is always the number one pain. Do we go home first, eat, and then head back out spending time going back and forth...or do we save time but spend money on meeting near the galleries after work, and eating out at a restaurant? This is always the big question. Last night we decided to meet at a new restaurant on Randolph Ave., a street that always has a new restaurant popping up. "De Cero, a modern day taqueria" was the spot we chose. I looked at their menu beforehand and saw a chic looking decor with low prices, along with a page of raving reviews. Perfect!
http://www.decerotaqueria.com/about.htm

While I waited for Jason I had a Hibiscus Margarita, which was the highlight of our dining experience there. It was a subtle flavor, with dried hibiscus leaves floating on top. My camera is broken, as you know, so no personal pics. Jason arrived and ordered a fresh Pineapple Margarita which i thought was tasty. He liked my drink better, and eventually we shared a Passion Fruit Margarita. Hibiscus won out as best. Jason had the Carne Asada, and I chose 3 tacos:

ahi tuna, grilled medium rare, mango and habanero salsa
braised duck, with sweet corn salsa
al pastor, tender chile seared pork with onion, pineapple, cilantro and lime

I have to say I was sort of disappointed with my food. When they use words like "braised" and "Seared", I was expecting more succulence, especially with the duck, which is my favorite meat. Jason's food was better...the steak was cooked perfectly.

For dessert we shared a Jarritos float :
Mexican grapefruit soda served over a scoop of mango sorbet. Having bubbles in your mouth when you're eating sorbet added something really nice! The Mexican grapefruit soda was exactly like Ting(a West Indian grapefruit soda), if you've had that before. Also, Jason had Cinnamon coffee, which was really yummy! It tasted like a specialty of theirs. In fact, they only served this one kind of coffee.

On full stomaches we headed 2 blocks to the gallery area, popping into:
Monique Meloche: http://www.moniquemeloche.com/
Rhona Hoffman: http://rhoffmangallery.com.19.m6.net/exhibition.asp
Kavi Gupta: http://www.kavigupta.com/
Carrie Secrist: http://www.secristgallery.com/
Not as many galleries were open for some reason last night. There are usually about 5 others added to that list. I wasn't really blown away by anything, and some price tags were topping $15,000. The artist, Scott Stack, at Monique Meloche gallery definitely had patience and a steady hand. He created enormous paintings of what looked like Night Vision views of buildings. There was something very unique about them that I unexpectedly liked. I stared at them for a while trying to decipher his technique: Jason said it looked like he used some sort of plastic stencil for the sharp edges.

Finally, we hopped North West via cab to the Green Lantern Gallery to see our friend Karin Patzkes group show. http://www.thegreenlantern.org/
The atmosphere at this gallery was much more playful than the previous See-And-Be-Seen galleries we had just left. Many art pieces were interactive: Visitors were to cut out paper buildings and glue them to the wall, coloring in designs or landscapes around them; Adorning another table were cloth/paper masks you were invited to borrow and walk around wearing, and finally, Karins artwork was a collection of hand made paper dolls. The paper dolls were different from the norm in that human bodies were attached to animal heads(a bear, a wolf). The dolls had various outfits laid around them for us to dress them in. It was very creative! Her printmaking skills came alive, literally.

And then Home! I think we were in bed by 9:30.

If you are in the Virgin Islands this weekend....

2009-03-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

Art In the Garden

Featuring
The Palletteers of St.Croix
St. George Village Botanical Garden
Exhibit and Sale of Original Paintings, Prints and Cards

Artists’ Reception, Exhibit & Sale Saturday, March 28, 6-9PM-- $20
Exhibit & Sale Sunday, March 29, 11AM – 4PM--$5

Also on Sunday: Displays by the Orchid and Bonsai Societies;
Palletteers painting on the grounds of the Garden

Twitter

2009-03-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

I think Twitter is:
really annoying/kind of useless/pointless/taking up too much web space/a fad that will die with Friendster and Myspace/a social network I surprisingly am not addicted to.

But, I think I love Christopher Walkins daily statements.

http://twitter.com/cwalken

Broken Camera

2009-03-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is the camera in its coffin.

In a household of 2 very visually minded people, we use our camera multiple times a day. Jason will go taring through the living room, exclaiming, "There's amazing light in the bedroom right now!", and proceed to snap away at some object brought to life by light. I will see Bamboo or Hugo doing something unbelievably adorable and capture the moment, or take photos of Jason sitting serenely on the couch.

So, as the above statement infers, our camera is akin to our daily cup of coffee. If we don't have our camera, we twitch away and get grumpy.

Our camera stopped working yesterday. It's 2 years old, a gift to us from my parents 2 years ago for Christmas.

We have bills to pay.

I am basically very unemployed.

We need a camera.

We will probably buy a camera instead of paying our heating bill.

Do you have a camera you love? Please share brands. Jason, of course, wants to upgrade to a digital with a fancy lens. I agree.

My plan ahead meal was outstanding!!

2009-03-27T08:16:00.001-07:00

Remember my chicken-plan-ahead-freeze-meal I put in plastic bags a few days ago? http://jenniferstec.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-planned-ahead-big-time.html

I used one of the bags last night, and it was really good!!! We have 2 bags left, which is great for future dinners! I roasted it according to the recipe, and it turned out crispy and very flavorful. We had corn on the cob with it.

Parmesan Buiscuits and Vegetable Soup: To Die For!!

2009-03-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Again, Real Simple recipe saved our bellies last night. Jason called the recipe "amazing". It really hit the spot, and I think is the best thing i've made this month! I added a bay leaf and a tablespoon of rosemary because i was worried about the limited spices in the recipe. HIGHLY recommend making this. It was extremely easy too, and i used squash for the first time.....which now i know you use a peeler to get rid of the skin, not a knife.

I splurged: Time and $

2009-03-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to go downtown with jason this morning. I wasn't called for a sub job, and i needed to return a book to Borders. I also saw the Munch exhibit(see below). The Museum doesnt open until 10:30am, so I had about an hour and half to kill.

I always buy my books at extreme discount, used, from amazon.com. Then, i promptly re-sell them on Amazon to get some $ back, after i'm done reading them. I think it's a waste of money to buy new books from the store. A book selling for $16 in the store can be found for $.01 online. That said, it is so much fun browsing for books in a store. I have been to a book store maybe 2 times in the past 5 months. During those 2 times I accidentally bought a book I had already read. Did you read that? The TWO special, fancy times i went to a bookstore, I made the same mistake. Different books, but same problem. I thought they were books i had just pondered over many times. Is my brain going downhill at 30? ANYhow, i went to Borders today to exchange the book i bought on Sunday(a book, after getting through the 4th page i realized was eeeerily very familiar). My other book buying rule is to never buy a hardcover because they're so much more pricey than a paperback. Well, i broke so many book rules today. I bought a new hardcover book from a bookstore. The Lost City of Z, a true story about a daring Amazon expedition. I had stumbled across this review recently and as soon as I saw it at the store, I had to have it. I splurged. But this is rare.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/books/17kaku.html

I will probably not talk to much on this blog about my book choices because that's what my goodreads.com account is for. I have reviewed close to 200 books on that site if you are interested in joining. But, this was a big event today.

"Becoming Edvard Munch" Exhibit

2009-03-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Edvard Munch
Norwegian, 1863–1944

Moonlight, 1895

Edvard Munch
Norwegian, 1863–1944

Kiss by the Window, 1892

I visited with the husband for coffee for his 10am break, and then was lucky enough to go to lunch with him at noon. In between, I went to The Art Institutes new Munch exhibit. I was hesitant to go because I photographed a lot of the work for the catalogs,etc. this summer when i was still a Photographer there. I saw a few of the pieces way too many times and was kind of sick of him after a while. I am very happy I went, however, because it was a great show and there were many pieces on loan from various museums I hadn't seen as of August(when i left)!

I was particularly moved by "Kiss by the Window". It's enormous. I looked at it for 2 seconds and there were tears in my eyes. I ran into Jay, the curator of the show, when i later visited some offices of co-workers, and she said i was moved by it because i'm a newlywed. Maybe.

I also really liked "Moonlight". Something about the geometric shapes in the sand and the reflection....so unlike my artwork. Really inspiring for some reason. This, too, was also quite a large painting.

Many of the displayed art pieces were by other artists who had influenced Munch (which explains the title of the show.."Becoming Edvard Munch"....basically who shaped his art making). Anyhow, great show. Go see it if you're in chicago.

I planned ahead big time!!!

2009-03-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

I Love Real Simple magazine! Unfortunately my subscription just ran out. Paying off my enormous student loan debt comes before magazine subscription luxuries these days. But, when I did have a subscription I tore out recipes and saved them in probably the only organized file I have. I'm still getting around to making some, and I saw this one yesterday before heading to the supermarket and decided to plan ahead! So now i have 3 ziplock bags in my freezer, each filled with 3 chicken legs or drumsticks and this sauce. I havn't TASTED this yet..but one of these days I'll let you know! It took seriously less than 10 minutes!

Jumbo Shrimp Marsala House-wife Style (Gamberoni Casalinga Siciliana)

2009-03-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

I still had half a bottle of Marsala Wine from chicken marsala and steak marsala I've made this month, so before our trek to the supermarket yesterday, I looked up a recipe. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find Currants. Surprisingly they were easily found, and the recipe itself was VERY easy! There was a little spice to it, which was nice for sick girl here. And the currants added a really great flavor! I thought it was a nice recipe.
Here's the source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Jumbo-Shrimp-Marsala-House-wife-Style-em-Gamberoni-Casalinga-Siciliana-em-350682

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 rib celery with leaves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon currants
2 tablespoons small capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup dry marsala
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
2 pounds jumbo (U-12) shrimp, pealed and de veined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes, pine nuts, currants, capers, marsala, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.

2. Remove the pan from heat and lay the shrimp in one layer in the tomato mixture. Cover, set over low heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and allow to stand for 5 minutes, covered.

3. Serve warm, or allow to cool to room temperature.

Monkey Boy got a Sweater

2009-03-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Bamboo, or "Monkey Boy" ---the husbands nickname for him after his haircut..., got a sweater. I know, I am shocked we actually are in the category of clothing an animal myself. It was actually the husbands idea. Bamboo was sheared of a few pounds of fur which he is really happy about by the way, prancing around like a kitten(to all you neigh sayers screaming animal abuse for shaving my cat!). Anyhow, it's still in the 40's here, and he seemed to be stuck in a little ball, attempting to stay warm. So, yesterday we hit Pet Smart and bought him an $8 old man sweater. It fits great! And he seems to like it, which i'm truly shocked by. I assumed he'd immediately try and get it off of his body..but instead, he curled up and started purring. !! Shocking, I know! Anyhow, good purchase on our part i guess.

I've been SICK!

2009-03-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Since last Sunday I have had a voice ranging from zero to slightly having a voice. My throat stopped hurting only 2 days ago, but i still have a pretty bad cough and am beat! A week of sick and being home! You would think it would be gone by now. Ive been using my juicer to juice bags of carrots and random concoctions. Saturday I used 1 bag of Carrots(that's like 13 carrots), 1 Beet, 4 Oranges, 1 lemon, 1 Pomegranate, and 1 Apple. It was great! AND the juice was loaded with tons of vitamins--I thought i'd be cured miraculously. No, still sick today. I do have to give mad props to the Neti Pot. If you ever suffer from congestion, whether it be from migraines, sinus stuff, or a cold, the Neti Pot is the bomb! It gets rid of some serious gunk in the head, and doesnt feel like anything by the way for those scared of drowning...i didnt even think water was going into my nose the first time i did it, and then i blew my nose. Miraculous.

Bamboo gets his yearly cut

2009-03-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Before
And After: doesnt he look peaceful, all that weight off of his little shoulders? :)

My long haired Persian Himalayan was in need of a haircut. I give you the before and after. Dont worry, i took the kerchief off him after photo taking. The groomer did that! Both Bamboo and I were relieved to be off the bus and at home. Now for a nap.

Stawberry Cake

2009-03-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

My photo isnt very good, but the frosting.....ahhh...i keep eating the frosting!!!!

My cold must be going away because i have my appetite back. The husband has class tonight and will come home to Pinon AND Strawberry Cake. I had leftover Ricotta cheese from that terrible shepherds pie i made last week, and i've had it in my head to use it in some sort of dessert. To top that off Emilios Produce, a cute little store on California Ave. and Milwaukee Ave. was carrying some gorgeous looking strawberries yesterday. I went in to buy tissue because my cold was hitting, but instead I left with $24 of fruits and veggies. So, my sweet tooth kicked in tonight and I found a Strawberry cupcake recipe: http://asweetfantasy.blogspot.com/2008/07/strawberry-cupcakes.html

In the midst of making the recipe, I got really lazy and predicted I wouldn't want to clean all the individual cupcake cups later, so i poured the batter into a cake pan instead. I also combined all my ingredients at once, instead of all the steps cupcake girl above does.

Heres the Recipe I created

For the Cake

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup strawberry sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

For the Strawberry Sauce

2 cups of fresh strawberries, stem removed
Sugar to taste

For Strawberry Frosting
8oz of Ricotta or cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
2 - 4 cups powdered sugar,(depending on how sweet you want your frosting!)
1/4 cup of strawberry sauce

1. For the Strawberry Sauce, macerate strawberries with about 1-2 tbs sugar for 15 minutes. Put strawberries in a small saucepan and heat under medium heat with lid on. Cook strawberries for approximately 15 minutes till strawberries cook down and become soft and saucy. Adjust sweetness with sugar until you get the desired sweetness. Using a hand blender, puree until you get the desired smoothness or chunkiness. Cool before using in recipe.

2. For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grab a large bowl and beat the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda, sauce, milk, and salt.

3. Pour into cake pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

4. For Strawberry Frosting, bring cheese and butter to room temperature. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor but making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft. Gradually add any remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

PIÑON-Puerto Rican beef and ripe plantain casserole

2009-03-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Finished plantain

Ready to go into the casserole dish
Ready to EAT!

Pinon is one of my FAVORITE dishes to make. It's easy, extremely tasty, and one of my comfort foods. I used to make it once a week, but have been trying to change things up a bit and try other foods. I have had a cold since Sunday, however, and was craving this!

PIÑON
5-7 very ripe plantains (they should be almost black on outside, and soft)
Oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
1 Bay leaf
2 tablespoons of crushed garlic
1 lb. ground beef
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup green olives (I like getting olives with pimientos)
Salt and pepper, seasoning such as Adobo Creolo (Goya)
1 can green beans, drained.
2-3 eggs
3 tablespoons of vinegar

Peel the plantains, cut into 2-inch thick lengthwise slices or small rounds, and fry in oil till golden brown. Remove, drain. Place on a paper towel to soak up the oil. Set aside.

In a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic until soft but not brown. Add the ground beef and fry at high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and add the olives. Add vinegar. Add Bay leaf. Add seasonings. Cook 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, adobo to taste. Add green beans at the very end of cooking, just to combine.

Beat the eggs. Most recipes call for 2 eggs, but i like adding a 3rd egg....it depends on your taste.

Layer bottom of casserole dish with 1/2 the plantain. Then layer with all ground beef mixture. THEN layer with remaining plantain. Pour the beaten eggs over the top.

Place un-covered in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown and cooked.

Frozen Horses

2009-03-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

We watched "My Winnipeg" last night, a strange documentary on the directors home town of Winnipeg. I don't recommend it, but he told a short story(among many) about a part of Winnipeg history that is still stuck in my head this morning! The towns race track barn caught on fire on one of the coldest days that year, and all the horses ran into the river to escape the fire. It was so cold, that they remained frozen there for months! As horrifying as THAT is, what's even more disturbing was that it became a place for the towns people to stroll, admiring the frozen horses. I'll just leave you with that.

We went to the Hopleaf

2009-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we ventured into Andersonville, an adorable Swedish neighborhood in Chicago. We joined 2 friends for dinner at The Hopleaf and I had Mussels. They were wonderful! The deep bowl of Mussels came with bacon, potatoes, bread, and fries, all for only $11. http://www.hopleaf.com/dining_menu.html
I tried steaming clams once and it didn't work out so well...but I really want to try again one day soon, so perhaps in the near future you will see a recipe!

A "warm" March Morning

2009-03-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! We ordered pizza for delivery last night. We live in the Logan Square/Avondale area of Chicago, and are just a few streets too far away to get the excellent Chicago pizza delivered to us. My favorite pizza is Lou Malnatis. They have about 7 Chicago locations and quite a few suburban locations. Lou Malnatis even ships pizza to various parts of the country. http://www.loumalnatis.com/ None of them, however, deliver to our apartment. We live in an abyss of delivery zones. SO, it is usual that we order from a new pizza place every time to try and find our new favorite. Unfortunately over the past 2 years we've lived in this neighborhood it hasn't happened. I've gone from loving pizza to crossing my fingers we get edible pizza. :( ONE more reason to move next year!

This morning has lots of optimism because it's about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, so the windows are wide open for the cats to gawk at the birds. I began the day with a nice looking bowl of cereal ---My favorite is Honey Bunches of Oats topped with fruit, add some cream, add a spoonful of ground Flaxseed, pour in milk....and voila! I swear I started this blog just to have a reason to photograph food. A good photograph of food is really hard to get, but when you do, it is satisfying.
And of course Coffee. Anyone have a favorite brand of coffee? Please share. My favorite is Intelligentsia http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/
More optimism(what a hard word to spell, by the way. It deserves 2 "p's" I think): the school I subbed at on Friday called me after school yesterday and wants me to sub again on Monday. yay=$$!
AND I have 4 more applications for Fall Art Teacher jobs i have to fill out this morning. This totals about 10 open art jobs for fall so far.....

Now to enjoy my coffee and work on application essays....

Chicago Architecture in Garfield Park, and more....

2009-03-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

I subbed today in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. This is a poor, run down neighborhood with a lot of history. Martin Luther King lived there, The famous Garfield Park Conservatory is there, and an abundance of amazing homes are scattered in between vacant lots and boarded up buildings. This USED to be a nice neighborhood, and then the Race Riots in the mid 1960's turned it into one of the worst places to live. The population of the neighborhood dropped from 70,000 people in 1960 to 20,000 in 2000. ANYhow, I've subbed at schools in this neighborhood before and am always in awe of the beautiful art deco mansions. I saw one today for sale, with a small coach house attached(future art studio?), and was curious how much such a gorgeous piece of architecture history sold for in a terrible neighborhood. http://www.atproperties.com/listing/6839577 $525,000! Yikes. Too much. Pretty low for how cool it is inside though, dont you think? I need to bring my camera with me on monday to take some more photos because it's really strange walking past these jaw dropping buildings in obvious war zone territory.

We made a terrible dinner last night. I watched Oprah the other morning and she had famous chefs go to these peoples(people who couldnt cook) houses. Some of the recipes looked easy and tasty, so i wrote down a few recipes. I made the Turkey Macaroni Sheperds Pie last night. I followed ALL the directions, and simmered, and reduced and allll that mumbo jumbo....and it turned out to look good but be very flavorless. If you'd like to see all the chefs recipe ideas, go to: http://www.oprah.com/menu/food/menus/20090227-tows-celebrity-chef-recipes

The Tyler guy was the flavorless recipe, so im recomending you skip him.

Pan-Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Béarnaise (Entrecôte Béarnaise)

2009-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

For steaks

2 (1 1/4-inch-thick) boneless rib-eye steaks (16 ounces each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For béarnaise

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, divided
3 large egg yolks
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Thyme
Cook steaks:
Halve steaks crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total).

Heat a 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat until hot, then add oil, swirling skillet to coat bottom, and cook steaks 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Transfer steaks to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes.

Make béarnaise while steaks stand:
Boil wine, vinegar, shallots, and 1 tablespoon tarragon in a small heavy saucepan until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve set into a medium metal bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.

Whisk yolks into vinegar mixture, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until yolks have thickened slightly (do not scramble).

Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, adding each piece before previous one has melted completely. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, remaining tablespoon tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste). Serve steaks with sauce.
Shoe String Potatoes
About 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 russet (baking) potatoes (1 1/2 pounds total)
Equipment: a deep-fat thermometer; an adjustable-blade slicer fitted with 1/8-inch julienne blade

Preparation

Heat 2 inches oil to 375°F in a wide 5- to 7-quart heavy pot (at least 4 inches deep) over medium heat.

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut lengthwise with slicer to make 1/8-inch-thick julienne strips.

Fry potatoes in 5 or 6 small batches, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Drain potatoes on paper towels and season with salt.

This turned out great!! Jason cooked it more than i did actually. I picked it out, handed him spices, and separated the egg yolks... :) I added the bay leaf and thyme to the original recipe according to reviewers. This came from Epicurious :http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pan-Seared-Rib-Eye-Steak-with-Bearnaise-em-Entrecote-Bearnaise-em-241756

Rhubarb Cupcakes

2009-03-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Bamboo remains ambivalent to the Kitchen activities.

Hugo sits patiently for possible treats to fall his way, keeping up the conversation while he waits.

I now know not to post a recipe before actually making it, because i never made the Brown Sugar Cookies.(I will try this weekend) Instead, I saw frozen rhubarb in my freezer and decided to try making Rhubarb Cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup diced rhubarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 6 wells in a cupcake pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture. Add the milk to the rest of the batter and beat until well combined. Fold in the rhubarb. Fill each well 2/3 of the way full. Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with just one or two dry crumbs. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before icing with frosting .

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 egg whites
1 stalk rhubarb, chopped* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Directions:
Beat the egg whites and salt to soft peaks using an electric mixer. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring sugar, rhubarb and water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to boil until it reaches soft ball stage (when a drop of the syrup forms a soft ball when dropped in cool water)while continuing to stir occasionally. Strain and discard the rhubarb. Keep the mixer running (you need a stand mixer or a friend to complete this next step) while you pour a continues stream of the molten syrup into the egg whites. Continue to beat for about 5 minutes, adding vanilla after about two minutes, or until the frosting is fluffy, glossy and cool. Frost cooled cupcakes or cake.

I found this recipe at:http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/02/baby-loves-rhubarb-cupcakes.html

My frosting was a big FAIL, and I ended up adding cream cheese and the strained-out rhubarb to salvage it, but still tasted good!

Coconut Custard Tart Pie

2009-03-08T10:09:00.001-07:00

I'm not even sure if this bakery is still around, but I can still taste the Coconut Tarts from the bakery in Frederiksted that we used to buy on our way to or from Pony Club. If I had gotten married on St.Croix, I always imagined buying a hundred of those rather than a cake. So, here I am attempting to satisfy my nostalgic palette. Plus, I adore anything with coconut. This recipe is much more custardy, but still passed the Jason test. He liked it better than my more flaky attempt a few months ago.
If anyone has a good recipe for REAL Crucian Coconut Tarts, please let me know!!!

This original recipe is from "Paula Dean", on the Food Network. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/french-coconut-pie-recipe/index.html

However, I always take the Review suggestions seriously when making recipes, so I adjusted the recipe according to some suggestions, and my own cravings. (Like i added half coconut milk instead of all regular milk) I think it turned out fabulous looking!! Very fluffy. It's still cooling off.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of nutmeg
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used half coconut milk, half regular milk)
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, nutmeg, eggs, flour, sugar, coconut, and milk. Mix. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Sweet Plantain Lentil Soup, With Love.

2009-03-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

As everyone saw yesterday, I had some very ripe Plantain sitting around my kitchen. It was a rainy, cold afternoon, and I knew Jason, after a long day at class, and a chilly commute, would appreciate something warm in his tummy when he finally got home. A few months ago, my mother raved about Plantain soup she'd had at a Cuban restaurant in Miami, so that has lingered in my head as something I wanted to cook at some point.

After about an hour of hunting through various online recipes, ALL of which I was missing only 1 ingredient for (grrrr), I settled on a recipe from the blog, Glass Petal Smoke. What intrigued me was that the recipe was from a famous restaurant and the author had slowly squeezed the recipe out of the chef after many years of needling. You can find the original recipe and story behind it here: http://glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com/2008/02/sweet-plantain-and-lentil-soup.html
I, however, am not a famous chef, and my kitchen ingredients are sparse, so i had to make the recipe my own way. What I excluded was TVP(a protein powder), Epazote(a spice i've never heard of), and Coriander Seed (which i have mentally noted to buy next time i'm at the Supermarket because it sounds like something I should have in my spice collection. ) I also didnt have chicken stock, so substituted chicken broth (I have never understood the difference anyway). AND, finally, I added a tablespoon of Lime juice to my bowl for seasoning afterwards, and that really was the flavor clincher. I REALLY liked this recipe, and WILL make it again. And, of course it passed with the husband, who was thrilled to have hot food waiting for him when he got home. Mission accomplished.

Following is how I made this recipe, but the oroginal recipe is attached to the above link if you have access to those special ingredients.

Ingredients:
· 16 ounce bag of green lentils, rinsed
· 3 sweet yellow plantain (sliced into discs)
· 2 large carrots (diced)
· 2 large stalks of celery (diced)
· ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
· 1 medium Spanish onion (chopped)
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 4 cups of water
· 2 cans chicken broth
· 2 teaspoons ground cumin
· ½ teaspoon oregano
· · plain nonfat yogurt for garnish
Lime juice

Instructions:
· Heat olive oil on a low flame. Add onions and celery and sauté until onions are clear.
· Add all dry spices. Mix thoroughly, coating celery and onions with the spices.
· Slowly pour chicken broth and water into the pot. Add carrots and sweet plantain, gently mixing all of the ingredients together. Cover the pot and heat on a low to medium flame. Allow contents to simmer until they reach a gentle boil.
· When the soup begins to boil add lentils, reducing heat to a low setting and covering once again.
· Stir soup every half hour until 1hour has passed.
· When finished, serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro. Add a tablespoon of lime juice to individual bowls.

Frying Plantain

2009-03-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

After posting the Stewed Chicken Recipe, I had a comment requesting details on how to cook plantain. So, following are directions on how-to-fry-plantain because no one should go another day without adding this to their bellies!

Here's what I do. I buy the almost -blackest plantain in the supermarket. There should be some yellow on them. In fact, i have some home right now. I will take a photo to show you that i'm not kidding. Yes, they look nasty...but that means they are ripe! If they are overly squishy or have mold on them, they might be too ripe. Use your judgement. Usually black and semi firm works.

Anyhow, then i cut the ends off, and get the skin off. Chop, chop, chop, into fry-able slices, about 1/2 inch thick. You can either cut the plantain length wise, making long slices....or cut small rounds like a banana. It really doesn't matter. I sort of do a little of both.

Pour a lot of oil into a frying pan...i usually fill it 1/2 inch deep with oil. Get the oil sizzling, and add your plantain. If the oil starts jumping out at you, turn down the heat a little. No one likes getting splattered with hot oil. Brown them on either side (usually a minute or 2), and then add to a plate with paper towels to soak up the oil. Voila! Plantains ready.

Summer Lasagna with Fresh Mozzarella, Sausage, and Basil

2009-03-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hey! I made Lasagna for the first time last night! I found the recipe from the cookbook I bought for $.01 on Amazon last year The Ultimate Cookbook 900 new recipes, by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. It was what Chicagoans call WARM here yesterday...a balmy 60 degrees (cough cough!! Where's my 80 degree weather???). So, I had a little of the warm-bug and wanted to make something fresh and delish.

First off, after re-typing this recipe, I realized I was supposed to only add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. I added the whole can, and it turned out great. I've never been known for accurately following directions. Oh well. Adding to following directions, I dont own a 13 x inch pan. I own something smaller, so just stuff it in, is what i say.

It should be known that I have to ride a bus (sometimes very crowded) for about 20-30 minutes (depending on the air) to the supermarket with my enormous, environmentally-fabulous, shopping bags. And then, of course, back again. So the 16-18 tomatoes wasn't going to work out for me. Can you imagine seeing me cart around 4 pounds of tomatoes on the bus? No. So, I cheated, and it worked out nicely. I added 3 real tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes. Maybe that's why my tomato paste flop didn't ruin anything.

I also realized I was supposed to cook the sausage before cutting them into rounds. That would've been a lot easier than what I did, which was cut the sausage first. Again, me and reading directions. My 1st grade teacher was a psychic, pointing this out at such an early age.

Jason (the husband) didn't talk for the first 10 or so bites, when he realized i was staring at him for his consensus(since, if he doesn't like it, why bother making it again). "Oh, YES. I LOVE it!" So, it passed the ultimate approval. :)

You all know what lasagna looks like, so instead, I posted a photo of lovely, fresh, Basil. You can almost smell it!

Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
6 garlic cloves
4 pounds Roma or plum tomatos (16 to 18 tomatoes) roughly chopped (Instead, I used 3 tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes)
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of tomato paste (Instead, I used the entire can)

For the Casserole:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 lb of italian Pork, chicken, or turkey sausage
12 to 15 lasagna noodles
24 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat 350 degrees F.
2. To make the tomato sauce, heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, add onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and cook about 20 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper. bring sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens, 30-40 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add sausage. Cook until brown. Cut into rings after cooked.
5. Cook noodles according to box.
6. To build a casserole, follow this method. Preferably use a 13x9 inch pan. 1 cup of tomato sauce across pans bottom; 5 sheets pasta; 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce; half the sausage; half the basil leaves, half the mozzarella; 5 more sheets of pasta; 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce; remaining sausage; remaining basil; remaining cheese; remaining noodles; remaining sauce.
7. Cover pan with parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, then uncover the pan and continue baking for 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

My afternoon at the Field and Shedd

2009-03-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

Seeing that i'm unemployed, my day usually consists of job hunting, facebook updating, painting (some days) and planning dinner. That is IF I don't get called in to substitute at a school. Only being at home or at the supermarket gets kind of old, so today I changed things up a bit and went to The Field Museum and The Shedd Aquarium. I REALLY wanted to go to The Oriental Institute(I've never been!)..but having no car means 2 buses and a train....and that felt like too much effort today, by myself.

At the Field I saw the new Aztec exhibit. I have to say I'm usually disappointed in the Field exhibits...they try to cover so much information, in a summarized version....and Im always left wanting more. There were, however, a few really cool objects on display. There were these flint knives that had teeth on them, used in sacrifices. I love knives with teeth... seems so viscious in an animated kind of way, like little paranhas nipping at you or something! There was also a skull with a big flint knife as a nose...im sure also used in a violent manner. They didnt let me take pictures, but I pulled some images off the web to showcase my Aztec field trip. The Eagle Man was taller than me...look at the talons on his knees! Very cool.

The Shedd was a refreshing end. Sea turtles, glowing sea horses, and this reptile guy who deserves some credit for his amazing colors. I really love the photo I got of him! He kept making eye contact. :)

Waldorf Salad Tuna Pasta

2009-03-06T06:57:00.001-08:00

When I was employed, what to bring for lunch was a big deal! I've never been a fan of sandwiches, and luckily had a creative mother who would pack interesting food for lunch when i was younger. (meaning NOT sandwiches) But now it is on me to do this. AND, now i have a picky lunch eater husband who I pack lunches for. So, I created a variation on Waldorf Salad. Like I said in the previous post, i am usually weirded out by chicken, so i added tuna instead of the usual chicken waldorf salad. I also find lettuce to be highly unsatisfying, so I add pasta instead. I made it today for lunch.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced (or a 1/4 cup of raisins)
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Small pasta noodles
1 can of tuna

Method

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt) and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. When pasta is cooled, mix everything together.

Serves 2.

Original recipe came from www.elise.com

Trini Stewed Chicken

2009-03-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Malanga
Malanga boiling
Plantain and stewed chicken

Because I am so far away from St.Croix, I try to make as many dishes from the Caribbean as possible. If Jason let me make plantain for dinner every night I would! Last night I made Trinidadian Stewed Chicken. After perusing various stewed chicken recipes online I settled on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

I also made fried plantain(yay! My favorite..) and decided to try cooking Malanga for the first time. Malanga is a root, much like Taro. It's kind of intimidating looking raw. But i was inspired to do an easy boil, add salt and butter- recipe. I chopped it up into small cubes after getting rid of the rough exterior, then i boiled it for maybe 15 minutes. I drained it and added salt and butter. Final conclusion, egh....not so special. It was very similar to potato, only it was kind of purple which is fun. Probably won't bother making it again.

SO, back to the stewed chicken। It turned out great! Chicken is a meat that i rarely cook. It can taste so gross much of the time. I only eat it if it is saturated with flavor.

Ingredients:

1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (For 2 people i used only 2 chicken breasts)
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Place chicken on a plate. Sprinkle the green onion, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt and pepper over it. Cover, and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, and cook until the sugar has melted into a nice golden brown syrup. Add the chicken pieces, and brown quickly while turning continuously. Cover the pot, and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of water, coconut milk and pepper flakes. Replace the lid, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the ketchup and butter. Continue cooking until chicken is fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve chicken with the sauce in the pot as a gravy. Pour over rice.

Recent Artwork in the 2009 Caribbean Fine Arts Show on St.Croix

2009-03-05T10:31:00.001-08:00

Sold
Sold
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Jason, my wonderful artist-husband!

2009-03-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Jason is a brilliant artist. If you are in Baltimore, please go to the show which has a nice sampling of his talents. It is up through April 11th, 2009.

School 33

1427 Light Street

Baltimore

Above are some of my favorite pieces.....

Also, check out his website: www.jasonstec.com

The Dove Visits Again

2009-03-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

I love birds visiting our apartment windows. I see so little evidence of nature in the city. There is a white bird, that we are assuming is a dove, that visited us last year in the winter. It stayed outside our kitchen window for days and drove my cats crazy. They would stare longingly for hours. Now, here we are a year later, and it is back! It has to be the same strange bird. It looks into our apartment from outside as if it knows us or has a message to bring from under it's feathers. I like the magical aspect of these thoughts.

The Caribbean, Apron-Savvy, View from Chicago

Crock Pot Turkey-success!

Peruvian Sudado De Pescado (Peruvian Fish Stew)

Shrimp in Coconut Broth

We had people over for dinner last night!

Arugula Asparagus Pear Salad

Mango Mojito Salsa

How to make your own Vanilla Extract

Kiva

Connecticut

Cape Cod

Boston

Dragon Boat Races and ducklings

Nightwood

Our 1 YEAR anniversary was on Monday!

I've been sick, minus one arm.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preparation

Violet Hour -"One of the best bars in the world"

Montrose Harbour

Cornish Hens Again

Scallops/Raisons/Cauliflower

Roasted Pork with Sticky Tamarind Mango Glaze

Margarita Pizza

TOPPINGS

It has been a busy week.

Squash Soup and Eggplant Caponata

Snake bracelet

Adorable Tea Pot

Perfect dress

I like this one too

Isnt this a nice photo?

Our 1 year anniversary is in about a month

Day Trip to Michigan

Scandinavian Vegetable Soup with Shrimp

Preparation

Pecan Trout

Preparation

Spaghetti Sauce

Sauce:

Directions

Double Chocolate Chewy Cookies

I won something finally!

I was naughty and went to the Benefit counter today at Macy's.

I saw a woman reading this book on the train today.

The Bean

Loop Field Trip

New St.Croix Websites

Busy Weekend!

Polenta Lasagna

I wake up Bamboo from his nap to model for me.

Hugo lets me practice with the new Nikon. Such a handsome fella!

I hate drinking water, but I like my new camera!

Top 10 previously forbidden places to travel

Cornish Game Hen

Preparation

Blackberry Almond Cheesecake

Preparation

Traveling with Books

May visits from Thailand!

iCream

If this doesn't make you feel good inside, then I think you should question what does.

How has your life been evolving (for the BETTER) during this Recession?

Mmmmmmmeat Loaf.

Camera is on its way!

TWO Questions regarding Kitchen and Art.

Jason has added more artwork to his website

I **successfully** roasted a WHOLE chicken!

I am now a Water Sampler

I did not cook this.....

Palletteers have a successful show!

Asian Steak and Noodle Salad

Pesto!!! (and tilapia)

Papaya Bread/ Pudding?

An afternoon with Chicago History

Snow!!!! A few days before April....

Coconut Cookies

A typical Friday night

If you are in the Virgin Islands this weekend....

Twitter

I successfully roasted a WHOLE chicken!