Fried Green Tomatoes

So we inherited a couple of little, shriveled up tomato plants from the previous owners of our home. I didn't think there was much hope for them, but we watered them and tended to them none the less.

Turns out, all they needed was a little love because they have since EXPLODED with tomatoes. Unfortunately we were going to get our first frost this past weekend so we needed to pick some of them before they were ripe.

What's a southern girl to do with a bunch of green tomatoes?

Duh...Fry them.


After I made these I went upstairs and turned on the television only to find the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" playing. Not even kidding. It was meant to be!


Great movie!

I like to think these fried green tomatoes would live up to the ones served at Whistle Stop Cafe.


I really just winged it with the recipe so the measurements aren't precise. Just use whatever proportions and spices you like. It really doesn't matter!


Fried Green Tomatoes
Source: Me

4-6 green tomatoes (mine were small so I used 6), sliced
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup Egg Beaters (or 2 beaten eggs)
canola oil (or oil of choice...but not olive oil because it will burn)

Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Pour enough oil in just to cover the bottom of the pan. Allow oil to heat for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the cornmeal, flour and spices together in a shallow dish. Place the egg in another shallow dish. Dip each tomato slice in the egg to cover completely and then into the cornmeal mixture. Make sure to press each slice well into the cornmeal so it sticks.

Put the coated tomato slices into the hot oil and cook for about 3-5 minutes per side (depending on how hot your oil is) until golden brown on both sides. Don't crowd the tomatoes too much in the pan....you'll probably have to do at least two separate batches.

Place cooked tomatoes on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with more salt if desired.

Serve tomatoes with ranch dressing, hot sauce, marinara or whatever you like! Or just eat them plain. They don't even need a dip!

Chomp.

90 Degree Comfort Food

Tonight's meal was very Fall-ish.

Which kind of feels like blasphemy when the weather outside is still in the 90's everyday.

But, BUT, the weather has recently transitioned in low 90's instead of high 90's (or 100's)!! Here in Texas that's basically Fall. So that called for some Fall-like food.

Pumpkin Chili!!

This recipe was given to me by one of my friends and I knew I wanted to make it immediately. Pumpkin + Chili just sounds comforting.

Pumpkin Chili

Source: unknown

• 2 pounds ground beef (1 lb ground beef & 1 lb ground turkey breast)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar

In a large pot over medium heat, cook meat until brown; drain. Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder and sugar. Simmer 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.

We served it with cornbread on the side and topped with cheese, avocado & plain greek yogurt.

Alex's only complaint with this chili was that it wasn't spicy, but he just added hot sauce to his portion and was happy. It makes a TON of chili, so I plan on freezing smaller portions of it for reheating later. Chili is very freezer-friendly!

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Rewind to last night now. Last night's dinner was a recipe I spotted on one of my favorite blogs, Carrots 'n Cake.

Soy Glazed Fish with Sauteed Summer Squash (click link for recipe from Real Simple)

It was pretty good. My only real complaint with it is that the excess sauce on the pan BURNED (badly) while cooking. Next time I know not to dump all the sauce on the fish....just enough to coat it.

Also be sure you follow the directions and only add the sauce in the last 2 minutes of cooking...I ended up cooking my fish for about 4 more minutes after adding the sauce (because it wasn't done) which probably contributed to the burning of the sauce.

OH! And big news: Alex, Mr. I Hate Squash, actually admitted that the squash side dish wasn't half bad. Hellz yeah!

Anyone else watch the premiere of Biggest Loser? What did you think?

Personally I kind of liked the new way they "tested" contestants and made them earn their spots. I thought it weeded out the quitters and cop-outs, which is nice. My current favorite contestant is obviously the military wife...I can't remember her name. We shall see how the season plays out!

P.S. Grrrrrr I am really hating Blogger these days. I don't know WHY it keeps f-ing with my font sizes but it pisses me off! I can't even fix it because it shows up just fine in my window but then I hit "publish" and it freaks out. SO ANNOYING. Anyway, sorry about the randomly changing font sizes...

Colorful Dinner + Kale Pesto

I just love how colorful my dinner plate was tonight:
Yellow = spaghetti squash

Brown = crumbled pork sausage

Red = spaghetti sauce

Green = Kale Pesto (instructions below)

White = goat cheese

Put all those delicious components together and it was a PARTY IN MY MOUTH! So delicious!

After I impulse-purchased the adorable mini-spaghetti squash today I knew I wanted to use it for dinner tonight. Preparing spaghetti squash is pretty easy, but the hardest part is DEFINITELY cutting the squash in half.

If you wanna be like me, make your husband do it for you since you know you're incredibly clumsy and likely to cut off a finger (or two).
Yay, husband!! Success!

Scoop out the seeds and then spray a baking pan with cooking spray and place the squash flesh-side down.
Stick 'em in a 375 degree oven and let bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife slides through the squash easily.

Once done cooking, take 'em out and let them cool for about 15 minutes.
When they're cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh from the skin. You'll end up with a pile of steaming spaghetti squash strands like this:

Then top with your choice of toppings. You can't go wrong with spaghetti sauce, but I also like just butter and parmesan.

I'm REALLY excited that I have a ton of leftover squash for my lunches this week. :)

P.S. In case you wondering, the hubs did not eat the squash. He cooked noodles for himself. He did, however, try a bit of mine and admitted that it was "pretty good". Baby steps!

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I mentioned above that one of the toppings was Kale Pesto. I know it sounds odd, but it's really good!

I saw the idea for "Kale Butter" or "Kale Pesto" on Heather Eats Almond Butter and knew I wanted to try it. I figured it would be a great way to add some nutrients and flavor to a lot of dishes. Plus, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the mounds and mounds of fresh basil that it requires to make basil pesto!

First I started off by tearing the kale leaves off the stems and placing it in a large stockpot with a steamer insert. The bottom of the pot had about an inch of water in it and I turned the heat to about medium.

Cover, let the water come to a simmer/boil and set the timer for 5 minutes.

Once the 5 minutes were up the kale had wilted a lot and turned bright green. Then I stuffed as much of the steamed kale as I could into my food processor.
If it doesn't all fit, just put in what you can fit and then let it whirl. Then add the rest.

Finally I added about 1 cup of pecans (you could use your nut of choice such as walnuts or macadamia nuts), about 1 cup of the leftover steaming water, the juice of one lemon, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (this ingredient probably isn't necessary...I just felt like adding it since I had a new jar of it) 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of dried basil and a lot of salt (probably at least a tablespoon).

Let it all process for a long time until it looks smooth and buttery.
This made a TON!! That's a spaghetti sauce jar full of it! Good thing it's delicious!
I would say it tastes like a milder form of pesto, but it's definitely less oily and more buttery than your average pesto.
I can't wait to see what kinds of serving suggestions I can come up with for it. It was an awesome addition to our "spaghetti" tonight so we're off to a good start. It would also probably be great mixed right in to spaghetti sauce, or as a spread on sandwiches or pizza, or on potatoes. So many possibilities!

How would YOU eat Kale Pesto?

Obstacles Are Made to Be Overcome

Obstacles aint got NOTHIN' on me.

My plans for a late-summer dinner on the outdoor grill got blown out the window today. (pun intended)

Thanks a lot, Tropical Depression Hermine!

But, being the resilient Army wife that I am, I rolled with the punches and changed my plans.

Indoor grill pan it is!

Then, as I'm lovingly preparing the spice rub for this dish and trying to get the perfect photo of the pretty spices in a bowl, I dropped it. Approximately five seconds after this lovely photo was taken:

You'd never know that disaster was about to strike immediately following snapping this photo!

I was so upset that I dropped the bowl of spices and they went a-flyin' across the kitchen floor that I neglected to snap a photo of the disaster aftermath, but trust me, it was a mess!

So I did what any strong and independent woman would do: yelled a curse word and stomped my feet and then watched as my husband swept it all up for me.

Go me!

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Spice Rubbed Mahi Mahi

Source

For the Fish
2 mahi-mahi fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
sprinkle of salt

1. Mix the coriander, cumin, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and salt together. Rub the mahi-mahi fillets with a good drizzle of olive oil and the seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Grill fish over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

3. Serve with salsa on top.

For the salsa I used this:

And doctored it up a little with fresh avocado chunks and chopped red onion.

Yum Yum!

Dinner was served with a side of brussel sprouts (see below for recipe) and steamed potato with buttah & salt & pepper.

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Then another obstacle rose up in front of me: The skies were dark and stormy. A.K.A. Not blogger-photo-friendly.

Don't worry though, I got this:

A.K.A. A husband who begrudgingly holds my plate for me as I try to get it at exactly the right angle to get acceptable light in my dungeon of a kitchen. Love him! And doesn't he look so happy to do it for me?!

Obstacle #....4?....of the night: My husband's hatred of brussel sprouts.

I think my husband literally WHIMPERED when he looked in the pan and saw those babies simmering away. For some reason he was CONVINCED that he hated brussel sprouts. Convinced.

So I did what any loving, caring wife would do and made them anyway and told him to suck it up.

And guess what? He LIKED them. He freaking LIKED them!

Apparently the only brussel sprouts he had ever eaten were in a cafeteria setting so that's what he was judging his hatred on. Um....okay.

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Husband-Friendly Brussel Sprouts with Tomatoes

Source: Me

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups brussel sprouts, ends cut off and sliced in half

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

drizzle of rice vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add brussel sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes until the sprouts start to get browned a bit. Add chicken broth, garlic and tomatoes to the pan and then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let steam/simmer for about 10 minutes, until brussel sprouts are tender and cooked, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper and a drizzle of rice vinegar and serve.

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All this dominating of obstacles made me feel a little anxious, but I overcame that feeling pretty quickly when I poured myself a glass of this:

Yep, that would be a ginormous glass of white wine. Ahhh....much better.

Obstacles are made to be overcome. Bring it on, Army, life, or whatever!

Does your significant other dislike certain foods? Obviously the answer for me is no longer brussel sprouts. I'm still working on getting him to like asparagus though....that one is harder to break!

and

What obstacles have you overcome lately? See above for my answers. :)

Southern Labor Day BBQ Feast

Labor Day meant cooking a barbecue feast in our household! Smoked ribs, roasted sweet potato "chips", ranch-style beans and collard greens....yum, yum!

Alex smoked the ribs for 7 hours while I baked chocolate chip cookies, banana zucchini muffins and made a double batch of chicken enchiladas (one batch to take to our friends who just had a baby and one batch for us to eat for dinner later this week).

At the grocery store this week I was compelled to purchase collard greens and try to make some healthified southern-style greens to accompany our barbecue dinner. I had never made collard greens before and felt like now was as good a time as any to tackle it!

I really had no idea what I was doing to prepare them but they turned out SUPER tasty and we really enjoyed them. Here's what I did (it's really simple....nothing earth shattering):

Simple Southern Collard Greens

Source: Me

1 bunch collard greens

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

Remove collard leaves from the stalk and tear into smaller pieces. Toss them into a pot just big enough to hold all of them (they will shrink down as they cook). Turn heat on pot to medium and add chicken stock and garlic slices. Let heat until you hear the liquid starting to boil and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pot and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (ours simmered for closer to 50 minutes). The longer the greens simmer the less tough and bitter they get. You could also add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes to the greens to add some spice.

We'll definitely make these again! Not only are they tasty and simple, but they're also a very healthy side dish.

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We had a banana on it's last leg and a zucchini hanging out in the fridge so I googled "zucchini and banana muffins" and this recipe caught my eye:

Healthy Banana Zucchini Muffins

I'm not sure how "healthy" they are since the recipe calls for a cup of vegetable oil and 1.5 cups of sugar, but whatever. I guess the author considers it healthy because it has fruit and veggies in the recipe. :)

The muffins are tasty though and they fit the bill of what I wanted so I'm not gonna hold the un-healthiness against them. (Libby seemed to really enjoy them when she snatched one off the counter while our backs were turned. Grrrr....bad doggie!!)

As a side note, the recipe calls for white whole wheat flour but I subbed in plain 'ole whole wheat flour and it seemed to work just fine.

Also, I halved the recipe (because I only had one banana) and it made 12 muffins. So if you made the whole recipe it would make 24 muffins. I think they would freeze well though so I kinda wish I did have extras so I could freeze some and pop them in the microwave whenever I want a muffin. :(

How did you spend your holiday? Cook or bake anything interesting?

Mahi and Bone Marrow Donating.

Odd title, no? Keep reading to the end to see why.

Another delicious dinner from the pages of my latest issue of Cooking Light magazine! This was the meal that we were supposed to have yesterday, but ended up postponing until tonight. I'm so glad we got around to making it!

What's for Dinner? 7/28/2010
-MahiMahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter
-Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
-A tiny bit of leftover brown rice

This one caught my eye because it had the words "bacon" and "butter" in the title. I bookmarked that baby faster than you can say "MahiMahi".

And it sure did not disappoint. But when would bacon and butter combined in a dish EVER disappoint?!

Yummmmm.

Although the bacon-tomato butter was AWESOME, I also have to say that I think mahimahi may just be my new favorite fish. It's meaty and not too fishy tasting and also pretty darn cheap {HUGE bonus}!


We made the recipe pretty much exactly how it's written {other than tossing in an extra slice of bacon because we're baconaholics...oops} so I'll just link to the recipe:

Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter {click the link for the recipe}

The sauteed spinach was delicious and very simple to make as well. Here's a quick rundown of how I did it:

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic & Lemon
Source: me

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large bag of baby spinach
Juice from half of a lemon
S&P

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in the hot oil for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Then add in all the spinach {or as much as will fit in the pan and then add the rest later as it starts to wilt} and let cook for a minute or two. Using tongs, toss the spinach so that the leaves at the top get down to the heat. Add the lemon juice and S&P and continue tossing until all the spinach is wilted{about 4 minutes}. Immediately remove the spinach from the pan so it stops cooking and serve.


Now I'm off to pack and finish up laundry! Hubs and I are headed back to my family's ranch tomorrow after work. I'm sooooooooooo ready for some R&R after a crazy couple of weeks!

Although I don't know how relaxing it will actually be, since it will be like a mini family reunion with 35 members of my dad's side of the family.

There will also be one very special guest at the ranch: My 15 year old cousin's bone marrow donor.

My cousin, Thomas, was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 13. It was an extremely rough road but eventually he was matched with a donor and received a bone marrow transplant. That transplant saved his life and he is now in remission.

This trip will be the first time for all of us (including Thomas) to meet this person who so selflessly donated his marrow to save my cousin's life. It turns out he's a 22 year old college student...I don't know about you but I sure wasn't thinking about donating bone marrow when I was in college!

We feel so blessed that this person came into our lives and we are SO excited to spend a weekend with him, surrounded by the people who care the most for Thomas.

I'm planning on updating from the ranch on occasion but we'll see if that happens! It seems like all my plans always go out the window when we're there.

Question of the Day: Are you in the bone marrow registry? It's the simplest process ever! All you have to do is take a quick swab of the inside of your mouth and then BAM...you're in the registry and could potentially save someone's life.

Scared of the donation part? It's a simple, non-surgical procedure in which patients usually can go home the same day. I admit I don't know that much about it firsthand {from the donor's perspective} but I plan on asking Thomas' donor ALL about it this weekend. I'll be sure to report back. Here's a link that answers a lot of "myths" about donating though so check it out!

Now go order your kit!!! :)

UPDATE: I just realized that my link to the marrow registry website was actually linking to the recipe...OOPS! :) I fixed it now so you should be able to get to the right place.

UPDATE #2: I was also just reading more about the registry and found this regarding U.S. Military personnel (and their dependents) who wish to join the registry:

U.S. military personnel are asked to register for the Be The Match Registry through the Department of Defense (DoD) using one of these options below. Military personnel is defined as active duty U.S. military personnel and their dependents, reservists, retirees, National Guard, Coast Guard and DoD civilian personnel.
Attend a DoD donor drive
Call 1-800-MARROW-3
Visit a walk-in registration center

I work for the DoD (as a civilian) so I signed up when they had a donor drive at my office one day. It was so easy! All I did was walk down the hall, take my swab, fill out a form, and voila!

For more info on military pesonnel who are interested in becoming a donor go here.

Double Duty

What's for Dinner? 7/21/2010
-Asian Salmon
-Sesame Sauteed Snap Peas
-Brown Rice

Sometimes things just work out the way they should.

For example, when you buy too much salmon for just two people on accident and end up stumbling across a recipe that is perfect for freezing.

The problem began when I asked the lady at the seafood counter for 2-3 servings worth of salmon. Somehow that translated into 1.6 pounds and enough for at least 4 servings....uhhhh okay then. Time to figure out something to do with extra salmon!

I knew I wanted to make the salmon Asiany {shut up, spellcheck...it's a word!} but I didn't have a recipe pinned down. When I got home from work I typed "Asian Salmon" into the Googster and a recipe popped up that looked good and required very few ingredients {all of which I had on hand}.

As I started reading over it I realized that not only was it perfect for tonight, but it also was perfect for freezing and eating later. SCORE. This recipe could pull double duty!

Freezer salmon getting ready to be put in the freezer and tonight salmon getting all flavory {also a word}.

Getting ready to go to the oven.


As the salmon baked I cooked some brown rice and sauteed some snap peas for side dishes.


And here's the finished product! Aint she a beaut?!? It tasted great too! Alex and I aren't huge salmon fans so we were a little apprehensive about how we would like this but we both gave it two thumbs up!



Asian Salmon
Source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures
My changes in purple.

4 salmon fillets, skinless {ours had skins...no biggie} and deboned
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons good soy sauce
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 stalk green onion, sliced for garnish
{I upped the amounts of the dijon, soy sauce, & olive oil a tiny bit so I would have enough for the freezer salmon and the tonight salmon...we like lots of sauce}

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper {we used foil}; set aside.

Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Place marinated fish on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes {I baked for closer to 10 minutes and it was still a little on the rare side}. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2-5 minutes. before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour marinade in a quart size freezer bag and add the salmon fillets. Seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place salmon on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2-5 minutes. before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.


Sesame Sauteed Snap Peas
Source: Me

1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cups of fresh snap peas
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add snap peas to the pan and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger & soy sauce to the pan and continue to stir fry for about 3 more minutes. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the peas and then remove from heat. Serve.

Turkey Buggah, Turkey Buggah

What's for Dinner? 4/27/2010
Turkey Burgers!


This dinner was a plate full of deliciousness.

And can I just say that I was SHOCKED to look back at old posts and not find a single turkey burger featured in one of my What's for Dinners?!? How did this happen?! We loooovvveee turkey burgers! Shame on us!

On the side:
-Grilled brocc
-Oven potato & parsnip fries

Yes, I said parsnip fries. Wipe that disgusted look off your face right this instant! I got this idea from the lovely Katie at Health for the Whole Self. As you know, I recently cooked with parsnips for the first time ever and I really enjoyed them. So I figured why not give them a shot as oven fries!

Turns out, they're delicious! {Not that I didn't trust you Katie!!} They reminded us a lot of sweet potato fries, with a slight sweet factor to them. Definitely give them a try. I made them the same way as Katie, by coating them in olive oil, salt & pepper and then roasting in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

And just because I'm really digging the photos I took tonight and can't choose just one, here's a bonus pic of tonight's dinner.

No, that's not two turkey burgers on one bun that you're seeing. Our burgers puffed up while cooking and ended up looking more like giant meatballs so we sliced them in half to better suit the bun.

Alex's Turkey Burgers

-1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
-small palmful of grated parmesan cheese
-1.5 Tbsp Worcestershire
-1.5 tsp Hickory liquid smoke
-1/2 tsp dried minced onion
-1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
-sprinkle of Lawry's Seasoned Salt on the formed patties

Mix all ingredients, except Lawry's, together and form 3 or 4 patties. Then sprinkle the Lawry's on the patties. Grill until internal temp reaches 170 degrees, about 15 minutes. {FYI our patties puffed up and rounded out big time so make them super flat and thin.}

All Grilled, All the Time {What's for Dinner? 4/8/2010}

This was a great all-grilled dinner. We grilled the chicken after marinating in Stubb's Chicken Marinade for about an hour. We love that marinade!! A friend of ours {Hi Sara!} introduced us to Stubb's Chicken Marinade when she had a bunch of us over to her house one time and made grilled chicken. Ever since then, we make sure we keep a bottle of the stuff on hand at all times. It's garlicky, citrusy, and yummy! Plus, the chicken turns out nice and juicy!


Alex also decided to grill our vegetables...he grilled a whole head of broccoli and some sliced tomatoes. He wants me to tell you that the key to grilling the whole head of broccoli is to cut the bottom off so that it lays flat on the grill rack. To the broccoli he drizzled olive oil on it and then rubbed in some minced garlic, red pepper flakes and salt & pepper.

For the tomatoes he sliced them up and laid them on the hot grill. Grill for about 5 minutes and then flip them. Once flipped put olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes on them and cook for another few minutes.

You Got Chops! {What's for Dinner? 4/7/2010}

When my husband told me he was going to grill the pork chops we had on the menu last night, I was more than a little concerned. When he told me he was just going to sprinkle spices on them, instead of marinating them, I was REALLY concerned. In my experience, pork tends to get dry very easily and be pretty bland. I thought these chops would probably end up that way.

Well, I was wrong. {Alex stop reading this and rejoicing that I admitted I was wrong....it only happens once in a blue moon!} The chops turned out surprisingly juicy and flavorful!


On the side we made mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed spinach.

To make our mashed sweet potatoes we just mash boiled sweet potatoes with a dollop of margarine/butter and a squeeze or two of honey.

To make our sauteed spinach we just put tons of fresh baby spinach in a saute pan (pile it up high) with minced garlic, olive oil and salt & pepper. Toss and cook until all the spinach wilts down.

Both of these sides are super easy and really good!

Steakhouse in Our House {What's for Dinner? 3/21/2010}

Mmmmm I love Steak Night! Alex grilled up the sirloins and I made the side dishes, which were mashed potatoes and a random assortment of sauteed veggies. The veggie side dish basically evolved from having various vegetables in our fridge that were on their last leg. Use them or lose them!


Alex's Steak:
Season steaks with balsamic vinegar, garlic salt & fresh cracked black pepper on both sides. Put on a hot grill for about 5 minutes. Flip the steak and then put 1/2 Tablespoon butter on top of the steak. Cook for another 5 minutes and then remove from grill for medium-rare steaks.

Sauteed Veggie Mix:
Saute sliced mushrooms and eggplant in olive oil until soft and cooked through. Then add a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach, some salt, and a couple splashes of Sherry vinegar to the pan. Saute until spinach wilts and then serve!


Ashley's Fave Mashed Taters:
Boil cubed red potatoes until cooked. Drain and then return to the hot pot. Add a 1/4 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of milk and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add salt & pepper and more milk, as needed to smooth it out. Serve and enjoy!

What's for Dinner? 1/20/2010

-Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Sauce Vierge (recipe below)
-Pan-Fried Eggplant: dredged in beaten egg, coated in seasoned breadcrumbs (we used panko), pan-fried in a little olive oil on medium heat

Alex spotted this fish recipe and sauce in one of his Men's Health magazines and suggested we make it for dinner this week. The original fish suggested with the recipe was Tuna but we decided to go with Mahi-Mahi since that's what we had in the freezer.

It was DELICIOUS! The sauce is amazing and fresh and the eggplant actually paired surprisingly perfect with the fish. We had one leftover eggplant from the eggplant parmesan we made last week and were just trying to use it up. Definitely love this method of cooking it! I think I have a new found love for eggplant after two successful eggplant dishes in the past week!


Eric Ripert's Grilled Tuna (or Alex's Grilled Mahi-Mahi) with Sauce Vierge
Adapted from the November 2009 issue of Men's Health magazine

4 tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick (We used a filet of Mahi-Mahi)
4 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1/4 cup olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce Vierge (recipe below)

Prepare the grill and, if you're using charcoal, let the coals burn through for 20 minutes. When the grill is ready, season the tuna generously with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over the fish and place it on the grill. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium rare (an internal temp of 110ºF), and serve immediately with the sauce vierge. Makes 4 servings

Eric Ripert's Sauce Vierge
"I like sauce vierge because you can use it on almost any fish, and it can be flavored with almost any herb you happen to have on hand," says Ripert. "It also keeps well in the fridge for at least 3 days, and with a little acid can be used as a great vinaigrette."

Ashley's Note: This makes a GREAT salad dressing, too! I had a side salad with this sauce on it and it was really, really good.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp chopped parsley

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


{On a non-what's for dinner note, I'm back in my gym routine this week after not having set foot in the gym since before Alex came home...way before. It feels good to be back to working out again but it means that I often don't get home until 7pm most weeknights. Hence, Alex is taking over on most (okay...all) of the dinner cooking on gym nights. It makes me feel a little guilty that I'm putting so much responsibility on him and not being a "good" wife, but at the same time he actually loves cooking and enjoys having the opportunity. And I must admit, it's kind of amazing to come home at night all sweaty and tired and basically have dinner waiting on me. I know, I know....stop gloating, Ashley. Anyway the point of all this rambling was to let you know that I basically can't take credit for most of the food you're seeing on Cupcakes & Combat Boots these days.}

What's for Dinner 1/19/2010

-Cashew Chicken (recipe below)
-Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (recipe below)
-Jasmine Rice

Yum, yum, yum! Better than takeout, healthier than takeout, cheaper than takeout. Can you say "winner, winner chicken dinner?!?" We stuffed ourselves silly on this meal. The only downside was that this meal does have a large amount of sodium in it, so if you're watching your sodium intake you may want to stay away. Otherwise, MAKE IT!

{And can I just add that I freakin' love cooking with my husband. This meal was a joint effort and it was so fun to be in the kitchen together. It totally brightened my day, even after a not-so-great day of work.}


Cashew Chicken

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or cooking wine)
2 tsp. minced, peeled, fresh ginger
3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
coarse salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup unsalted cashews, toasted
2 green onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set sauce aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a covered plate. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.

To same skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, cashews, and green onion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with green onion greens and serve with rice or noodles.

Serves 4.

Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Source: Everyday Food

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 head broccoli (1 1/2 pounds), cut into florets

In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water.

In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high. Add garlic and broccoli. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is bright green, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and cook until broccoli is tender but still has a little crunch, which took about 2 – 2 1/2 minutes. Add oyster sauce mixture; cook until thickened, about 1 minute more. Serve and enjoy!

What's for Dinner? 1/14/2010

1/14/2010
Pork Tenderloin with Eggplant Relish

Saw this one in my newest issue of Food Network Magazine and flagged it. I honestly didn't expect much out of it, but yum! The pork was flavorful and the eggplant complimented it perfectly. We served with toasted baguette to round out the meal. Another plus: it's healthy! Yeah New Year's resolutions!