In the Kitchen: Zucchini Boats

This is my favorite version!
4 zucchini cut lengthwise
6-7 extra large shrimp, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup onion minced
Fresh Salsa or pico de gallo
Fresh shredded mozzarella
Pam Spray
salt and pepper

Spray a medium pan with Pam spray and add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Scoop the inside of the zucchini out to make a hollow "boat".  Take the inside "pulp" of the zucchini and chop, add to the onion mixture to saute.  Add shrimp last and cook until pink, salt and pepper as desired. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini and top with salsa and cheese.  Line the boats in a foil covered casserole dish for easy clean up.  Bake in the oven at 350* for about 25 minutes.

These are quick and healthy for a weeknight dinner.  It's a perfect light meal for summer alone or it can be served as a side dish.

In the Kitchen: Vegetable Potstickers

We have been eating a lot of veggies in our house.  We eat about two meat-less dishes a week - usually substituting chickpeas, cannellini beans, or black beans but sometimes that can get mundane.  R and I tried our hand at making potstickers recently and opted to use a vegetarian recipe.  We used shitake mushrooms for substance and it was incredibly filling.

We based our recipe off of this one from foodnetwork.com.  We cheated by buying a bagged mix of shredded broccoli, cabbage, and carrots but left the rest of the recipe the same.  Fresh ginger is key!

 The filling and star of the show.

 Our first potsticker.

 R said this was tedious but the process went quickly.  He used a dab of water to seal the edges.

After he learned not to over fill the potsticker he got in the groove.

 I didn't make the sauce listed in the recipe...because I'm a rebel like that.  Also because I was starving and our kitchen is entirely too small for both of us to work at the same time.  I used a store brand Ginger Sesame marinade with a couple of tablespoons of sugar free apricot preserves whisked in and let it reduce over medium low heat.  After tasting it I also added about a tablespoon of mustard because I like to keep things tangy.

 R finished up the potstickers in a nice little steam bath.

 R's plate.

My plate - some of the potstickers opened a little so in the future we might try a tighter "crimp" but the filling didn't fall out.  I think it was a pretty dish, you could the colors from the vegetables clearly through the wrapper.  The sauce was a nice addition as well - sweet and tart.

In the Kitchen: Banana Bon-Bons

My "pre-wedding" diet includes several options for healthy snacks, but this past weekend the craving hit....chocolate.  I decided to make a quick dessert using a recipe that I saw in a magazine recently:

Banana Bon-Bons
1 banana thickly sliced
melted chocolate (bittersweet morsels with a small pat of butter melted in a double boiler)
sliced almonds

Using a toothpick dip each banana slice into the chocolate to coat and top with chopped nuts. Place the banana slices on wax paper (or in my case aluminum foil) and pop into the freezer.  When the chocolate hardens, place them in a freezer safe container.

These were delicious and totally hit the spot - an added bonus, they are really cute.

On the 9th day of Christmas...

I received my package of goodies from Sephora last night.  A week or so ago I received a $15 dollar gift card through my email and decided to take the opportunity to order the Naked 2 palette.  I realized that I'm a year or two (or three) behind the craze but I've been using my MAC palettes to get some use out of them.

The packaging for the UD palette is MUCH more durable than MAC, I think it will be a great thing to travel with.  I had a difficult time choosing between this one and the Smoked version - I think eventually I'll try to get that one too.  I also purchased a Laura Mercier lip gloss in Baby Doll so I could make the $50 minimum for free shipping.

There is a good chance I'm wearing this one on my wedding day...its beautiful!

Today R and I went to Target so I could pick up a couple of prescriptions.  We purchased the ingredients to make the pan sugar cookies that I saw featured on The Jacksons blog several weeks ago.  Black bean lasagna and sugar cookie bars were on the menu tonight and it was amazing!  Here is her recipe or you can check out the link above for her post.

Cookie bars:

1.5 cups of sugar

1 cup of butter, softened

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2.5 cups flour

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3.5 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

splash of milk

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar.  Add egg and flavorings and blend.  Mix dry ingredients in a seperate bowl and add to the butter mixture.  Grease a pan with cooking spray.  Spread the dough into the pan.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Cook until golden and let cool.  Spread frosting on cookies and decorate with sprinkles.  I purchased a jar of fancy sparkling sugar from TJ Maxx during my last shopping trip and I'm trying to think of all the baked goods that will be even more amazing when topped with pink and red sparkles.

Tonight we finished wrapping our holiday gifts and now we have a very pretty stash underneath our tree!

In the Kitchen: Crockpot chicken and dumplings

Warning - I'm a picky dumpling eater.  I'm also a picky chicken eater - I don't like dark meat and I don't care for bone-in chicken.

This recipe must be super popular right now.  Jenny posted it Monday and it reminded me that I had saved it from a few weeks ago when TiffanyD posted it.  Two southern girls raving about a shortcut dumpling recipe, this I have to try. 

It is very simple and with the disgusting weather we've had the past few days it felt appropriate for some country comfort food.  I really liked it and I will make it again especially because R loved it more than his grandmothers.

1 package of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3 cans condensed cream of chicken soup ( I used campbells 99% fat free)
1 can chicken broth (I used swanson brand fat free, 33% reduced sodium)
1/2 can of water
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 small onion chopped
pepper  ( I didn't add salt while it was cooking because I wanted to taste it first)
1 can refrigerator biscuits (not the flaky kind)  (I used Pillsbury Grands Homestyle that serve 8)

All the ingredients except the biscuits go into a crock pot on a high setting for 5 hours.  Take the chicken out and shred it and put it back in the crock pot.  Cut the biscuits into pieces and place into crock pot (if you seperate the biscuits then divide each biscuit into fourths).  Cook for another 40 minutes.

My October Favorites

Bringing back my monthly favorites :-)  

So I found out that no matter how you dress up cooked apples, R does not like them.  It's so upsetting because I wanted to make an apple pie but I'm not going to go through the trouble if he's not going to help me eat it....but I have no problems buying a pie for myself.  The above photo is by Paula Deen from foodnetwork.com but my $4.99 pie looked just as tempting.

 Pumpkin carving with R.  I love that my witch hat looked so spooky on his pumpkin.  We bought a strobe light from Michaels that flickered like a real flame inside the pumpkin.

 Essie Wicked.  One coat is dark cranberry but 2 or more coats it can start to look very black.

Me modeling my "wicked" polish and my wedding band (smiles).  I've only tried it on once since R had it sized so I could make sure it fit correctly and I just happened to be wearing my favorite fall polish at the time.

 Yum.

 Lilly's favorite new snack!  I noticed she had a lot of dander the past couple of months. I thought her food wasn't providing enough essential oils for her coat.  I tried these and her fur has never been so soft and I've made an effort to brush her more often (she has short hair so I only ever had to brush her to remove loose fur).

 Murad face cleanser.  I'm using the AHA BHA exfoliating cleanser in the mornings and the refreshing cleanser at night.  The products are pricey but the generous size lasts quite a while and my skin has been smooth and blemish free.

 More apple pie goodness.  I love these Larabars...they make great afternoon snacks.  This one is the only flavor I care for.

 Pumpkin spice latte...deliciousness in a cup and the perfect pre-tailgate beverage.

I have this necklace in yellow and I love it!  I couldn't find a picture online of my exact necklace but I've been wearing it every chance I get.

 Champion C9 quarter zip, long sleeve top from Target.  This is a great workout shirt - it's long so it doesn't ride up, it has a pocket in the back, vents under the arms and on the back, and thumb holes.  I also love wearing it just to hang out because it's so cozy...I'm actually wearing it as I'm typing my fall favorites!

This is such an "out there" item for me.  I purchased the Mossimo colored denim "jeggings" from Target on a whim.  They are sized for juniors but I loved the teal color, and even though I had to size up, I think they fit well.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on colored denim because I wanted to test it out first, and I really like these.  I usually wear them with a white shirt and colored scarf or with my yellow statement necklace.

In The Kitchen: Deer Quiche

R's co-worker shot a deer on a recent hunting trip  and he had plenty to spare.  R received some ground meat and we were anxious to use it.  He made a phenomenal spaghetti on Saturday night and on Sunday I decided to try out my mom's deer quiche recipe - unfortunately we didn't have all the ingredients so I had to improvise.  Hurricane Sandy has made it a less than ideal task to head out to the grocery for just a couple of items so I took stock of what I had and went from there.

First we browned the meat.  My mom has made this with hamburger, sausage, diced ham and chicken in the past - any meat will do but my dad always preferred deer. I seasoned the meat with a tablespoon of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

 In a seperate bowl I whisked two eggs and added 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of low fat mayo (this can be divided into 1/4 mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream to follow moms recipe).  Then stir in 1 cup of cheese (we used shredded swiss) and I added in about a tablespoon of fresh chives.

 Once the meat is cooked add it to the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a greased pie pan.  I did not use a pie crust because I didn't have one and because I really don't care for it.  Even when I eat pie, I usually just eat the filling.  Cook at 350* for 35-40 minutes.  I would suggest letting it "rest" for about 15 minutes before slicing into it.

In the Kitchen: Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels

I saw this recipe featured on a blog (I've been doing this alot lately) and immediately clicked the link and saved it to my recipe file.  I thought it would make a great game day treat...it was a huge hit and all of them were devoured by the end of the tailgate.  Click link for pictures, she has everything step by step...I didn't take a picture of the finished product so I stole one from her site.  I think she has some other great recipes too if you have time to look around.

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Crescent Poppers
1 jar of sliced jalapenos (dice or chop them into pieces)
2 containers of 8 ounce cream cheese at room temp (I used 1/3 fat free store brand)
2 tubes crescent rolls (I used reduced fat Pillsbury brand)
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix 1 1/2 boxes of cream cheese, sugar, and jalapenos in a bowl.  Unroll tube of crescent rolls  and seperate into 2 rectangles, pinch the seams of the dough together and spread cream cheese mixture on the rectangle.  Roll the rectangle to make a pinwheel starting at the long end.  Continue with the next rectangle and the other tube of crescent rolls.  Slice each roll into 16 pinwheels.  This recipe makes 64 bit size poppers.

In the kitchen: Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

A blogger posted this recipe a few weeks ago...unfortunately I don't remember who linked it.  The recipe is courtesy of Whole Foods and I saved it as soon as I read about it.  Tonight was the perfect chance to try it out, R and I watched the Avengers and we needed a "not too heavy" meal that could cool us off after a rather warm fall day.

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound frozen cooked and peeled baby shrimp, thawed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onions
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (I used ground cumin)
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups finely chopped pineapple
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 corn taco shells, (I used whole wheat Flat Out wraps)
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

Method: 

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, onions, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, zest, cumin seeds and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, cilantro, pepper flakes and salt. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight. 

When ready to serve, divide shrimp mixture among taco shells and top with the pineapple salsa. Serve with slices of avocado on the side or arrange them in the taco shells, if you like.  ***I actually cut up the avocado and mixed it in with the salsa.

In the Kitchen: Banana Bread

One of my favorite bloggers Melaine from My Sweet Savannah shared her banana bread recipe last week.  I knew that was going on the fall "to do" list.  I made a few additions to her original recipe to make it more similar to my the bread my grandma made.

Not a very good photo but it smelled and tasted fab!  My first slice really didn't come out very pretty so I just took a picture of the pan.  I encourage you to check out Melaine's blog - her photo is much more fancy.

3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix bananas, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla (I don't have a stand mixer so I had to use a handheld one and it worked great).  In another bowl sift flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly while mixing...don't over mix.  I folded in walnuts at the very end.  Pour the dough into a greased and floured bread pan and bake at 350* for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

In the Kitchen: Spaghetti with Sweet 100 tomatoes

My mouth watered when I read this post on Cupcakes and Cashmere and I immediately went to the recipe to save it to my favorites.  I'm made something similar to this before but never with chives.  I thought it would be the perfect quick dish to make on Sunday when R returned from his bachelor party.  We haven't seen a lot of each other lately and I didn't want to waste a ton of time in the kitchen.  I love this Mario Batali recipe and big thanks to Emily for posting it a few weeks ago.

From epicurious.com

Kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 pint Sweet 100 tomatoes or other tiny tomatoes  (my grocery had organic cherry tomatoes)

1/2 bunch of garlic chives, cut into 1-inch lengths

12 fresh lemon basil leaves, finely shredded

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 pound spaghetti (I used fresh pasta from the deli)

1  Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

2  In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Lower the heat to medium-high and add the garlic cloves. Cook for 2 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned. Add the tomatoes, chives, and basil and cook over high heat until the tomatoes are just beginning to burst. Season with salt and pepper.

3  Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water according to package directions until it is tender yet al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the tomatoes. Toss over high heat for 1 minute, then divide evenly among four warmed pasta bowls and serve immediately.

Brunch for One

This past weekend when R was out of town I treated myself to a lazy brunch.  It really was slim pickins' in our refrigerator and pantry and I didn't want to get out of my robe to run to the grocery.  Instead I used the last two eggs to make french toast.  I used cinnamon and vanilla flavor to jazz up the egg dip and pan fried the toast until it was brown.  In another pan I placed 1 small apple thinly sliced with 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance spread a shake of cinnamon and 1 packet of splenda.  When the apples were soft I used them to top the french toast.  A drizzle of maple syrup and a shake of chia seeds alongside a glass of chocolate milk - brunch was served. Oh my, this was good.  As far as meals are concerned this may not have been super creative but I can't wait to make it for R.  I've had such a craving for apple pie lately and this breakfast hit the spot with a lot less fat.

Another Wedding Errand Weekend

So this weekend was absolutely packed with errand after errand.  R surprised me with tickets to see Wicked at the DPAC and we saw an opportunity to meet with a few wedding vendors since we were in the area.

First off - I enjoyed Wicked so much!  I can't believe I hadn't seen it before!  The cast was fantastic and I was really surprised at how great our seats were.

The rest of our Saturday was devoted to our wedding.  We stopped by the hotel that we have blocked for our guests so we could check out the rooms.  I wasn't sure why they asked us to do it but I'm glad to know my family and friends will be staying in such phenomenal suites.  I also researched some salons hoping to book one for the morning  of the wedding but I haven't settled on it yet.  We also met with a florist who is definitely a top contender but I have to meet with one other before I make my decision.  Saturday we had lunch at my top location, Lucky 32 in Cary NC, for my bridal luncheon and decided to book them - the food was delicious and they have a great variety of dishes.  R had the pulled pork on challah and I had a hot ham and havarti sandwich.

This afternoon we had a meeting with a caterer and decided to book him immediately.  He was friendly and professional and the tasting was delicious.  I also was able to meet with the staff that would be working my reception. I'm thrilled with Austin at Cook Shack Catering and I can't wait for everyone to have the meal that I tasted today!

And the last wedding update, my future mother in law has chosen the location for our rehearsal dinner.  I'm excited, I've been to an event at Fearrington before and the location was beautiful and the food was to die for. 

I don't think I have anymore updates right now.  I have to choose a florist and a hair salon and I'll be finished with all the vendor decisions.  We are taking our engagement photos next month and I've been scrambling to get my outfits together - all I have left to do is accessorize them and help R choose his outfits.  I'll post OOTD style when I have everything selected.

In the Kitchen: Black Beans and Rice Bake

Hello blog friends!!!!

I have yet another recipe for everyone adapted from Cooking Light.  I have had a lot of success with their recipes and I've been using them (along with circulars and coupons!) to get the best nutritional bang for our $$$.  I already had a bag of dried beans so I soaked them over night and cooked them for an hour for this recipe. 

1 package yellow rice mix (I used Zatarans)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (We grilled a chicken breast on the George Forman and it made about 1.5 cups)
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I used Rotel)
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (I didn't have this available so I used Mozzerella)
PAM spray

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Prepare rice to package directions.

Saute onion until tender (original recipe also included 1/2 cup bell pepper and carrot chopped but I omitted them) .  Combine cooked rice, onion, cooked chicken, beans, diced tomatoes and chilies in a lightly greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30  minutes covered.  Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.

In The Kitchen: Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Tonight's dinner was amazing!  Another Cooking Light recipe that I altered slightly to reflect items I already had in my refrigerator.

 2 cups Egg Noodles (I used No Yolks)

1/4 cup AP flour

2 cups fat free milk

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

3/4 cup shredded Mozzerella cheese

2 laughing cow light swiss wedges

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced lean deli ham

salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Pan sear chicken breasts in PAM spray with salt and pepper until cooked.  Dice cooked chicken and deli ham.  In a skillet, heat oil and add garlic until soft at medium  temperature.  Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until smooth.  Take skillet off direct heat and whisk in milk, replace on low heat until sauce thickens; whisk in dijon mustard.  Add 2 cheese wedges and shredded cheese, stir until smooth.  Add peas, chicken, ham, and pepper to sauce.  Pour sauce over noodles and stir to combine.

Just wanted to share my favorite sweet treat.  I love packing one of these in my lunch box for a lunchtime dessert.  Nature Valley Granola Thins with a dark chocolate coating on the bottom - YUM!  R and I have been trying to shop sales and use coupons as part of a 2012 resolution and we lucked up on this item!

In the Kitchen: Lightened Turkey Reuben

I wanted to share this super yummy, lightened version of a reuben.  I have had this recipe from Cooking Light bookmarked for a long time and last night we went to get all the missing ingredients.  I couldn't wait to have this for lunch today!

2 slices rye bread
1 tablespoon thousand island dressing
2 tablespoons of sauerkraut, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 slice swiss cheese
2 slices smoked turkey, I used Sara Lee brand
PAM cooking spray

Spread Dijon mustard on 2 slices of rye bread.  Spoon sauerkraut on one slice of bread and drizzle with thousand island dressing.  Top with slice of cheese and arrange turkey slices on the cheese; top off with the other slice of bread.  Spray PAM in a medium pan and set on medium heat.  Place the sandwich in the pan until the bread is toasted and the contents are warmed through.  You can also use a sandwich press or George Foreman to "cook" the sandwich.  I served mine alongside about 1 ounce Cape Cod salt and vinegar 40% fat free chips.

 Picture from Cooking Light

My less photogenic version

A Festive Eve

I've been fa la la-ing while making Christmas candy today.  It's been awesome so far...Christmas with the Kranks and Home for the Holidays have been playing in the background.

 I had a lot of pecans left over after making pecan bark so I used PBFingers recipe for Pumpkin Spice Pecans.  Bake pecans in a 300*F oven with butter, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar with a sprinkle of salt.

 Our prefered wine tonight.  Duplin Christmas Eve - it's super sweet so I may switch to something for dry after a glass or 2.

 I wish I could take better photos.  This is the pecan bark broken up after it cooled.  I believe I posted how to make this last year.  It's definitely a traditional snack for me.  Melt the chocolate in the oven and add toasted, lightly salted pecans and let it cool in the refrigerator.

 Buckeyes are tradition for me too.  Peanut butter mixed with vanilla flavor and powdered sugar, rolled into balls and dipped it melted chocolate.  So easy and so perfect.

I'm thinking I'll set the table like this for tonights meal.  I love that tealight holder and I haven't used it all season.  We bought all the ingredients for antipasto, linguine with mussels, and christmas goodies for dessert!  I'll start the prep soon and I can't wait. 

I hope Santa is good to everyone tonight!