Archive for the 'Food and Drink' Category

July 27, 2010 @ 8:33 am | Filed under: Food and Drink

Ingredients 

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (adds an extra “kick” – you can leave it out if you want!)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 (15 ounce) corn, drained
• jalapenos, chopped, to taste (I like a LOT, Mike – not so much!)

Directions

1. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and red pepper flakes together. Add milk, egg, sugar, oil, corn and jalapenos.
2. Pour into heated and oiled cast iron skillet (I used the wedge cast iron pan that belonged to my grandmother).
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

This is a SCRUMPTIOUS recipe – ENJOY!!

Tags: recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

July 20, 2010 @ 6:24 am | Filed under: Food and Drink

Wanna try the recipe that won Ella a spot on Restaurant 101? Here you go!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 garlic cloves, pressed
8 slices (1/2-3/4 inch thick) sourdough bread
1 medium red bell pepper
1 small red onion
1 medium eggplant
1 medium yellow summer squash
1 medium zucchini
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 slices (1 ounce each) Provolone cheese

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in microwave on HIGH 20-25 seconds or until melted; add garlic. Brush one side of each slice of bread with butter mixture; set aside.

2.  Slice bell pepper crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rings. Slice onion crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices.

3.  Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat. Lightly spray pan with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Place bell pepper and onion into pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from pan; set aside and keep warm. Spray pan again with vegetable oil. Cook eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini 3-4 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan; set aside and keep warm.

4.  To assemble sandwiches, arrange four pieces of bread buttered side down; top each with 1 slice cheese, 2 slices each eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini and bell pepper rings, and 1 slice red onion. Top with remaining cheese and remaining bread, buttered side up.

5.  Heat pan over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and grill marks appear on surface of bread, turning once with Nylon Turner. Serve immediately.

Delizioso!!!

Yield:  4 sandwiches

Tags: healthy recipes

July 13, 2010 @ 6:17 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life

• 1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 medium pineapple   
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1 medium sweet red pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice, or orange juice
• 3 medium garlic clove(s), minced   
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce   
• 1 tsp olive oil   
• 2 spray(s) cooking spray
• 2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept hot

Instructions: Cut each chicken breast, pineapple, pepper and onion into approximately twenty-four 1-inch-thick pieces. Combine chicken, pineapple juice, garlic, soy sauce and oil in a large nonmetallic bowl; marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Preheat grill. Lightly coat vegetables with cooking spray. Thread 2 pieces of pepper, pineapple, chicken and onion onto each of 8 skewers. Brush with marinade. (Note: If using wooden skewers, soak in water to prevent charring.) Grill over medium-hot coals until chicken is completely cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes, turning kebabs every 2 minutes so they’re cooked evenly on all sides. Yields 2 kebabs and 1/2 cup rice per serving. Weight Watcher recipe – 6 pts per serving

Tags: healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

July 12, 2010 @ 6:25 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,Friends,Pure Sunshine

Every once in a great while you meet someone that truly leaves a lasting impression.

I met Thomas this weekend, and I feel just that way about him. I’m telling you, he is a young man to watch; He’s on to something, and will go far in this big, blue world!

We strolled the Natchitoches Farmer’s Market along the Cane River, perusing the booths, sampling the salsas, stopping every now and then to snap a few photos.

And then we came upon Thomas’ booth and I was instantly drawn to him. Besides the fact that he had a large inviting basket of homemade bread and invited us to step inside and sample a bite, he had that special little something that you can’t quite put a name to. But you know it’s the “it” factor, and you know it will take him far.

And then I tasted the tiny, mini-muffin style piece of bread and I. Was. In. Instant. Love. This bread was the best I’ve ever had, I kid you not!

“It’s all natural,” Thomas insisted, pointing to his signage. “All you add to the mix is 12 ounces of carbonated beverage.”

Carbonated beverage? Like…Coke? Diet 7-Up? Sprite?

Turns out that ginger ale and Diet 7-Up makes the BEST bread! Who knew? At this point I could no longer resist the jarred bread mix, the samples, OR the cute little dark-headed boy selling me on the product.

It was a package deal and it totally sold.

Thomas doesn’t yet have a website, but I told him he’d soon be on my blog and that I was going to tell ALL my friends about his great bread mix and that he’d better prepare for the onslaught of business.

Be on the lookout for Thomas, folks! And watch out, Mrs. Bairds…there’s a new cowboy in the bread world today!

July 6, 2010 @ 6:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life,Uniquely Me

• 8 oz whole wheat short tube-shaped pasta
• 1 sweet red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Weight Watcher mozarella string cheese sticks
• 1/2 lb cleaned, cooked shrimp

Preheat broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse pasta with cold water; drain again and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred, 7 – 8 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes until cool enough to handle.

Marinate shrimp in 1 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. desired herbs & garlic.  Place all in zip-lock bag, massage well, and then chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl.  Chop mozarella into bite size pieces. Mix the pepper strips with the mozarella, basil, pasta, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; toss.

In a small bowl, prepare salad dressing by mixing together oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic. 

Pour dressing over pasta and vegetables and toss thoroughly to coat. Add marinated shrimp. Cover and chill about 2 hours.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Light, healthy, delicious!!!

Tags: healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays

May 1, 2010 @ 6:39 pm | Filed under: Family,Food and Drink

I’ve been a bad, bad blogger lately.

My sister-in-law blames it on Facebook.

She may be right. Laugh all you want, but blogging is a responsibility. Okay, you can stop laughing now! What is probably closer to the truth is that I just simply take it too seriously.

I want to be able to slap some words down – any words – that swim across my heart and need a warm, sandy beach to wash up on. I want it to be easy and simple.

Clean, pure, and unedited glimpses of this life I am so in love with.

If for no other reason, I am in need of a place to post a picture like this one:

 

This was made especially for me – although I shared with the entire family – by my sister-in-law Robyn.

While I fancy myself  a fairly good home chef these days, thanks to Pioneer Woman  and a husband who is game for lots of culinary experiments, it is Robyn who is graced with awesome kitchen skills in our family.

I’ve volunteered to be her food blogger should she ever decide to persue making us food full-time!

So I’m pretty sure I’m back to blogging…

Maybe, baby.

Tags: food, Pioneer Woman

April 10, 2009 @ 5:32 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Solid Rock

If you have young children and are looking for a fresh way to, both, celebrate Easter and teach the significance of the resurrection, then you have to read this! I wish I would have come across something like this when the boys were young. Joanne has such great ideas, and this is definitely one of them! If you try it, please leave a comment here and let me know how it goes – I’d love a pic too!

Easter Story Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 eggs whites (room temperature)
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
a Bible

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in a baggie and let your children beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to the vinegar.
Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl.
Salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients aren’t very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar.
The sweetest part of the Easter story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants to us to know him and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high until mixture turns white and stiff peaks form.
The color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a lined baking sheet.
Each mound represents the rock tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the baking sheet into the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Go to bed.
Explain that they may feel sad to leave cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read John 20:1-8.

Don’t forget to let me know if you give this a try!!! Enjoy!

February 28, 2009 @ 9:58 pm | Filed under: Family,Food and Drink

Something happened to me in the last couple of semesters. I think it has something to do with procrastination and the whole math-is-driving-me-up-the-proverbial-wall thing.

I’ve become a cook.

A real, love-to-be-in-the-kitchen-cooking-up-my-next-big-creation type of cook. Here is what I created tonight – a great, stay-at-home Saturday night meal. In collaboration with Mike’s doctor, I am trying to take care of his heart, so this meal – like most that we make these days – is health conscious and heart healthy.

But best of all – I got in the middle of my kitchen and had a blast and put all thoughts of polynomial functions on the back burner of my mind!

Tags: burgers, recipes

February 13, 2009 @ 9:33 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 leeks, bottom 4 inches only, washed well and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 sheets frozen phyllo dough thawed (we used rolled-out Crescent dough)
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 individual-sized baking dishes with cooking spray.

Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, turning once. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add 2 more teaspoons of the oil, the leeks, and the celery to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, green beans, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the milk to the pan. Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dishes.

Put the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into quarters. Place a quarter sheet on top of each baking dish and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining 3 baking dishes. Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the dish rim. Top each pie with Parmesan.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

SO good!

Tags: foodies

December 27, 2006 @ 1:48 pm | Filed under: Food and Drink

Here I sit – at the computer -  with a mind [that I thought was ready] to work on my Wintermester school project and a heart just aching to get started on that "Who Am I, Really?" speech [if you buy THAT, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn...]that I present at 1:00 this next Tuesday.

Instead, what am I doing?  I’m thinking about that last piece of pumpkin pie that I ate for breakfast this morning and I’m wondering just how difficult it’s going to be to get back to my little-or-no-real-sugar way of life. Probably not so easy, I’m just saying…

So when I came across these holiday eating tips, I was amused. Wouldn’t it be a crazy kind of wonderful to be able to enjoy guilt-free indulgence in chocolate cake like Madie and Kenzie in this photo?

Oh, to remember the simple joys in life…

Enjoy!

HOLIDAY

EATING TIPS TO LIVE BY

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet has no Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re probably serving chocolate peanut-butter balls.

2.  Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly, it’s rare. You can only find it for, like, three weeks out of the entire year! So drink up while you can. Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every 6 oz cup…

3.  As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole. If they’re made with skim, then pass. Why bother? That’s like buying a fancy sports car with an automatic transmission.

4.  Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to eat less once there. The whole point of going to a holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it! Hello?

5.  Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. Wait until January when you have nothing better to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10 pound plate of food.

6.  If you come across something really good at the buffet table, like a wonderfully frosted cookie, position yourself close to that platter and don’t budge. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’ll never see them again!

7.  Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with obligatory holiday calories, but avoid it at all costs. I mean, I have SOME standards!

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "Woohoo! What a ride!"