I'm a Ford Truck (Wo)Man :)

Chad and I are the new owners of a 2006 Ford F-150 :)

Healthy(er) Honey, Ginger Chicken Tenders

Although I am renowned for my atrocious spelling habits, I do know "healthyer" is not how you spell healthier.  Please forgive me but my creativity has hit an all time low, particularly after spending the better part of this morning researching all sorts of theories and definitions of creativity for a summer class.

Last night's dinner was uniquely delicious.  As a youngin', I inhaled McDonald's Chicken Nuggets with Honey.  You'd rarely find any red meat in my hands, and if you did it was a plain-jane burger with just the meat and the bun... well salt and pepper if I was feeling particularly daring.   I still love chicken nuggets/tenders but struggle justifying the deep frying process as my metabolism is not at all what it used to be.  Through my copious food blogs, I found an interesting take on my tried-and-true favorite: Crispy Honey Ginger Chicken via How Sweet It Is  (Photo courtesy of How Sweet It Is.)  Both Chad and I loved this recipe and look forward to her other versions (Crispy BBQ Tenders and Buffalo Wings.)  Mosey on over to her blog for some fantastic sweets (most have a slightly healthy swing to them) and some creative reinventions of comfort food classics.

Tonight, time permitting, I'm braving into the world of eggs, Guyere cheese, bacon and green onions.  That's right; you guessed it: Quiche Lorraine!  The only quiche I would touch with a ten-foot-pole for the better part of my life.  Now that I'm all grown up, I've timidly tip-toed into the world of spinach and other fillings but still stand firmly behind the quiche that stole my heart.  I'll let you know how it turns out and maybe even post some pictures if I remember. 

Meanwhile, here's my latest project: HERBS!

Cast of Characters for Herb Pot 1: Sweet Basil, Thyme and Italian Parsley

Cast of Characters for Herb Pot 2: Garlic Chives, Rosemary (YUM!) and Cilantro.

No more buying the expensive $4 packs of fresh herbs, using only a teensy bit, and ultimately wasting money as the rest of them dry out.

Next project:

Resurrecting these very vintage, very rusty patio chairs and table.  Much like the majority of our furniture, these are family heirlooms.  In fact, these beauties are my parents' first patio set from the late 60s!  Don't you worry... I have a stiff steel brush and a can of matte black Rustoleum paint.  These puppies will look brand-spanking new in the near future!

Off to cheer camp!

Whirlwind weeks...

Whew! These past few weeks have been crazy busy.  Here's a brief rundown of our past happenings:

1. Chad graduated on May 15th.  We had wonderful food (recipes posted below) and hung out with great friends and family.

2.  Returned to KC Sunday and Monday post-graduation to collect a new-to-us couch, rug and WASHER AND DRYER! (I've never been so excited to do a load of laundry in my life! After a year of doing buckets of laundry at a laundromat... it's extremely nice to have the capability to "air your dirty laundry" in the privacy of your own home.)

3. Drove back to Manhappiness to pack up all our belongings only to move out on Thursday.  Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent moving in to our new Wichita apartment (pictures coming soon).  But then Sunday we drove back to KC for a dear friends baby shower and to watch LOST series finale.

4. Bright and early Monday morning we drove back to Wichita only to return to KC Wednesday evening for Memorial day weekend festivities.  Chad was with his student group in Indiana while I basked in the sun and enjoyed time well-spent with my family. 

5. This past Sunday both Chad and I returned to Wichita to host two of our great friends Monday evening.

6.  Yesterday was Chad's first day of work and my first cheer practice.

7.  Today and tomorrow, I have cheer practice in the evening and then Friday and Saturday are our day long cheer camps while Chad continues to work :)

With all of the above happening, I've barely had a moment to breathe, let alone catch up with blogging and begin work towards finishing my Master's.  As a result,  I failed to post about the wonderful food we had at graduation!  I apologize in advance as I was too busy entertaining around 15 people in our tiny little apartment; I didn't take pictures of all the food.

Graduation BBQ Pulled Pork:

BBQ Sauce a la Neely's on Food Network:

 

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients into a medium sauce pan.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer (low to medium-low).  Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 1 hour 15 minutes.

N

Note: I made the sauce the day before, jarred it and then reheated it on the stove top for about 45 minutes while the pork finished cooking.  I also found another version of BBQ sauce that I'd like to try next.  Instead of 5 T of sugar, you add in 4 T sugar and 1/2 T of molasses, cook for 2 hours or until thickened... this would make a much thicker sauce than the above recipe)

Drunk BBQ Pulled Pork (No Picture... sorry!)

•  A 5-6 pound pork butt... apparently a pork shoulder is the same thing.  If you're confused, ask your butcher.  Some recipes call for a trimming of the fat slab, I kept mine until the roasting process was complete.  Leaving on the fat slab creates much juicier and flavorful meat... just trim in off after the meat rests and immediately prior to serving.
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt (I recommend using kosher salt as it adheres to the meat better.  But if all you have is the regular stuff, by all means, use it!)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 bottles blackberry wheat beer
• 3 bottles honey beer
• 12 hearty, toasted sandwich rolls, sliced lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 225.  Season pork butt generously with salt and pepper and place, fat-slab side up, in a large roasting pan.  Pour all six bottles of beer on top of the pork butt, tent with aluminum foil and let marinate at room temperature for about an hour.  Then place in warm oven for six hours or until pork pulls apart and shreds easily.  Remove from oven, let rest for about 10 minutes and shred with two forks.  Allow meet to mix with pan drippings and set aside until ready to mix with BBQ sauce.

While the pork is resting, crank the oven up to broil.  Slice your sandwich buns (I used Kaiser) lengthwise and butter each side (optional).  Place buns face up on a cookie sheet.  Broil until crisp but not burnt.  Toasting your sandwiches provides a more steady surface for the moist meat.

Easy-Peasy Pineapple Cole Slaw

• 1 bag of pre-made Cole Slaw (you can chose to make your own, but I was saving my sanity)
• 1/2 a jar of pineapple Cole Slaw dressing found in the refrigerated dressing section of your local grocier... usually in the same area as the Cole Slaw.  You'll have to look around as some stores carry this tropical version of an BBQ staple while others don't.  I suppose you could make plain-jane slaw, but I'd urge you not to.  The pineapple flavor with the fruity/sweet flavor of the meat is divine. 

Stir together and serve on top of your BBQ Pulled pork sandwich!  YUM!!

I also made Corn and Black Bean Salsa (recipe in a previous post) and a sweet potato salad that didn't turn out so well.  I'll save you the time and frustration by NOT posting that recipe here.  Hey, everyone's gotta fail at some point, right?  Some more often than not in my case :)

Tonight's dinner will be a healthy version of a family favorite... crispy chicken tenders!  Tomorrow night or Friday, I'm preparing my first Quiche Lorraine.  We'll see how it goes!   

Update Coming

We've been so busy with the move and getting our apartment set up that I have failed to provide you with an account of graduation and the food we prepared.  Don't worry... that's coming soon, along with pictures of our new apartment!

Thanks for being patient!

Crazy Good Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Confession:  Yesterday I told you I'd post pictures of strawberry cobbler and chewy chocolate-chip cookie bars; I changed my mind.  Actually, my salty side held me at gunpoint because it felt long-ignored.  Instead of decadent desserts, I decided to make this simple, but oh-so-delicious salsa.  When our good friend's mother introduced this salsa to us, there was no going back.  Make this today, you won't regret it.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients...

•  2 cans black beans, drained
• 1 can shoepeg corn
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 sm. red onion, diced
• 3 avocados, diced
• 3-4 T. lime juice (about the juice of two limes... go for fresh lime juice people. Please!)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper

Putting it all together...

It's as easy as dump and mix!  This dip is best made several hours (if not the night) before it's to be served so that all the glorious flavors can be married together into one big happy family.  Please, for the love of all things green, save adding the avocados until immediately prior to serving... unless, of course, you like them brown.  Serve with whatever chips you have handy.  Of course, you could make your own... but that's a recipe for another time.  Be warned, although this recipe has a large yield... it wont last long.



What to do with left overs?

Anything you want! Throw the salsa in with your favorite meat for an egg-cellent omelet, place atop some lime-seasoned, cilantro topped tilapia, or just eat it plain.  In our case, I hope to combine this satiating salsa with leftover pulled pork, sprinkle it with shredded pepper jack, and snuggle them up in a buttered tortilla for the quintessential quesadilla.

This is all we had left over after class yesterday.

Graduation Celebration and More Recipes

I've been officially done with classes for two days and have not accomplished a single thing on my to-do list; and I must admit, it's been glorious.  Therefore, today will be particularly packed.  After I dry and attempt to curl my hair, I plan on using up one of my seven remaining tanning sessions (I know it's bad for you... but I bought 13 in the fall and they've lasted me all year... that shows you how often I go).  Then, I have a monster shopping list to tackle for this weekend and I hope to pack up at least our office. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed having the time to bake and cook this week so stay tuned for more desserts today: strawberry cobbler and chewy chocolate-chip cookie bars.  Then for Saturday's Commencement festivities, I'm planning:

Breakfast: Strawberry and cream-cheese stuffed french toast.

Linner (combination of lunch and dinner): Amazingly drunk BBQ pulled pork with my homemade BBQ sauce, pineapple coleslaw (YUM!), kick-your-pants cheese-dip, potato salad and probably some form of asparagus.  Usually I saute asparagus in a pan with some EVOO, sprinkled with Greek seasoning and drizzled with fresh lemon juice... and it's incredible.  But for some reason, I don't think that flavor combination will bode well with BBQ.  Hence, I'm considering roasting the asparagus with some bacon, onions and maybe mushrooms... we'll see.

A week from today, Chad and I will be officially Wichitonians :) And to sweeten the deal, I found out that one of my sorority sisters lives in the same apartment complex!


Alright, ta-ta for now.  Look for an update later for the two desserts and then probably Monday-ish for the graduation meal recipes and pictures.

Delectable deliciousness

I'm standing on the cusp of school and summer.  In T-minus 5 hours, all of my obligations will be completed and I can return focus to: tanning, working out, packing, designing my curriculum and preparing for a whirlwind 10 hours this summer.

In the meantime, I wanted to post some incredibly yummy meals I've whipped up this week.  Chad's noticed a pattern: the more stressed I am, the more I bake or cook. 


I apologize in advance for not taking pictures, but I'll provide the links to these delicious recipes in hopes that you will add these food blogs to your blog rolls.  You won't regret it... well, maybe you will once you step on the scale... but life's all about moderation... unless you're Chad.  Then you have the joy of eating obscene amounts of food without it affecting your toned midsection.  I, on the other hand, merely gaze at food and pack on 2 pounds.  If I actually eat it, might as well roll me out of the place.

Southwest Chipotle Meatloaf... aka Notcho Mamas Meatloaf... or Meatloaf WOAH!

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/southwest-meatloaf-with-chipotle-glaze-the-ultimate-meatloaf/

This meatloaf is knock your socks off good but does require quite a bit of preparation time.  If you're like me and desperately need a culinary challenge to relieve some stress... this is it.

Below is Dishin and Dishes recipe verbatum, but I will provide some suggestions at the end.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds ground sirloin, round or chuck,

10 oz. tube of chorizo sausage

1 c. smoked cheddar cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

 

DIRECTIONS FOR MEATLOAF:

Preheat oven to 350º.  If using sirloin, pulse in food processor until small chunks. Dump into mixing bowl.  Add in chorizo, cheddar cheese,eggs,  bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Mix with hand and spread into sprayed large loaf pan.  Bake for 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160º.  Remove from oven and drain any grease in pan.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3 T. butter

3 shallots, minced

1 c. red wine (dry)

1 c. beef broth or stock

1/2 c. honey

5-6 T. chipotle and adobe sauce

 

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:Melt butter over medium heat,  Add shallots. Cook for about 3 minutes, letting shallots soften.  Add wind and broth.  Let simmer and reduce by half about 15 minutes or until it thickens.  Mix honey and chipotle sauce.  Add to thickened wine sauce.  Simmer again, about 10 minutes.  Pour over finished meatloaf and return to oven for 10 minutes.  

 

Suggestions: My meatloaf took considerably longer to cook than any 40 minutes.  Perhaps that's because our meat was packed impatiently resulting in a large mound protruding from the center of the pan.  Perhaps our oven, like our other appliances, only does its job partway. We'll never know.  Overall cook time was closer to 2 hours.  To avoid the longer cooking time, separate the meat mixture into greased cupcake tins speeding up the cooking time and pre-dividing the meat into manageable portions.  Also, my sauce didn't quite thicken up as expected.  I'm not a proficient cook by any means, but I wonder if something like adding a little cornstarch would make it a little more glaze-y.  Any suggestions?

Chicken and Asparagus with a Pesto Cream Sauce... aka. YUM!! GO COOK THIS NOW!!!

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/chicken-and-asparagus-in-pesto-cream-sauce/

I will never cook chicken the same again.  I loved learning about the butterflying method (click above link for tutorial).  Not only does it speed up cook time, but I absolutely HATE eating whole chicken breast.  The cutlet is definitely more manageable for a dainty little lady like myself... HA!

Again, this recipe comes from Dishin and Dishes with some suggestions from moi at the end.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt & pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil

1 bundle asparagus (about 15 stalks)

1/2 c. cream or half-n-half (can use fat free)

1/2 c. pesto

Butterfly, pound out and season each chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Place in oil in large frying pan.  Cook 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned over medium high heat.  Remove to platter.   Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, after removing tough stem ends.  Toss into frying pan and stir-fry about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add cream and pesto, stir to combine.  Add chicken back into pan.  Spoon sauce and asparagus over top.  Spoon servings onto plates.  Enjoy!

Suggestions: Although this meal is incredibly delicious, it's not that filling for the manly men in our lives.  As a result, I suggest amping up the sauce yield to 3/4 c's each of half-and-half and pesto and and placing the finished chicken/asparagus/sauce mixture on top of penne or bow-tie pasta.  YUMMY!

And now for dessert... if you like lemons... you will DIE OF BLISS!

Chewy Lemon Bars Courtesy of Pioneer Woman (Again, if you haven't subscribed to her blog, bought her cookbook and gained at least 3 pounds from trying her wonderful food... drop everything you're doing and get to work!)

Photo and recipe courtesy of: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/

Ingredients

• 1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
• 1 cup Oats
• 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ½ cups Lemon Juice
• Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

Suggestions: I have none! This is incredibly delicious and moist.  So good, in fact, that I'm taking it to my class this afternoon. I'll let you know what they think.


Stay posted for a recipe on Strawberry Cobbler and Graduation Weekend Menu :)  Off to take my last final of the semester! Wish me luck!