Beaner Baker

Soda Pop! and Delicious Restaurants

2011-05-23T13:03:00.008-06:00

I love finding new treats, sweets and things with variety. This post is about a few "finds" in the soda world along with a few restaurants at the end. The great thing about these Soda's: none of them have high fructose corn syrup and they all use fresh fruit ingredients.

This is Fresh Ginger Ale,it looks wonderful and I want it in my tummy! With the fresh ginger in it, you shake it a little before opening...no warnings about it exploding because of this process :) They also have a ginger ale with pomegranate and hibiscus added. Delicious!

Next us is a selection of Dry Soda from the Dry Soda Company. I love their unique varieties in flavor: Lavender, Lemon Grass, Blood Orange, Rhubarb, Juniper Berry, Vanilla Bean and Cucumber.

Then, there is Hot Lips Soda! They are a fresh fruit soda company and it makes my heart throb a bit dreaming about what they might taste like. Their flavors include: Apple, Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Boysenberry, Cranberry, Cherry, Pear, Raspberry and Strawberry. Someday, I think I'm just going to work for them so I can sneak berries into my mouth as I cook them up to make this sweet stuff! I'll have stained hot lips all the time from eating so many fresh berries every day :)

And, lucky for me, Hot Lips is sold in Utah...and not just anywhere, but right here in Bountiful!!!! It's a place called Moxi Bistro and they will be seeing my face very soon...they may even be making my upcoming birthday dinner so I can drink this berry juice till I'm plastered with it...not that that's possible, since it's pop...but I am looking forward to trying their Lamb-loin medallions with a cucumber-mint bombe and grilled yams with Panna Cotta for dessert.

If that didn't make your mouth water, then head a little farther south to a place called Trio. If you plan on dying and going to heaven for your next meal, I'm sure this is where you will be eating. When I get hungry I crave their Trio Flatbread served with olive tapenade, white bean puree, and basil pesto. When I die, I plan on eating massive amounts of olive tapenade...because I'll be able to...won't it? I'm pretty sure that's how it will work. If you think just their appetizer alone sounds great, then imagine trying their Chopped Salad (includes blood orange, pistachios, currants, beets, mixed greens, cucumber, feta and a vinaigrette dressing), Chianti Braised Short Ribs (served with creamy polenta which I would be willing frost a cake with, its just that good, root vegetables, braising jus, and horseradish gremolata), and top it of with their Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding...that's what just finished me off and made me a lifetime lover of all things on their menu. Before my death, I will eat here daily for a month...I'm certain I'll be able to afford it by then too :) since I plan on living for a long time...I can start saving up now.

Last of all, I need to mention a hidden gem here: Thyme and Seasons located in North Salt Lake. I thought it was just a tiny little store that sold spices, but boy was I wrong. I didn't expect my short stop in to turn into an exciting adventure. I tried to hurry out with my friend while finding out as much as possible and it was just about closing time. Before I knew it, we were talking to the head chef who ended up locking us into the store to spend an hour sharing his passion for food with us. We sampled gluten free chocolate cupcakes (three ingredients only), sticky rice, and tales about his love of simple cooking. By simple, it means there are very few ingredients that have very rich flavors. His spaghetti sauce alone is heated for hours...I think he said 11? It sounds crazy, but divine and beautiful. He gave us a tour of the entire open kitchen, , his herb garden, his store, his restaurant and explained his cooking classes. Each Saturday he holds cooking classes at amazing rates. They are by reservation only and he's book out well in advance. But he has one rule, before you can even think about registering for a class, you must eat at his restaurant. The way he explained it, it only makes sense to see if the food he cooks is good before wanting to learn how to make his food. His menu changes each week according to what is in season. I definitely recommend checking it out!

Tuna Patties

2011-05-12T00:19:00.000-06:00

Why, you say, would you want to make tuna patties? They sound gross, don't they. That's what I thought. So why did I make them? Go back to december. I went to a christmas party and was asked to bring a white elephant present. I love playing the white elephant game, I always get so excited, wondering what crazy item I will get from it in return for the crazy gift I brought. I don't remember what I brought, but I do remember that I returned home with a very large family size can of tuna. I realized if I opened it I would have to get a little more creative than making my standard tuna fish sandwich...cause that's a lot of sandwiches. So I gave the tuna patties a try and sort of fell in love. If you are willing to give them a try, I think you will enjoy them too :)

Tuna Patties
7 oz Tuna, drained
3 cups Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
4 tsp Onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Mix everything together. Form patties. Fry in 3 Tbsp olive oil. Brown on both sides for 4 minutes.

Baked Apple Custard

2011-03-15T22:50:00.003-06:00

Inspiration often comes to me from and about some of the strangest things. Things that i'm inspired by are usually silly little things that either seem too unimportant by most people or too time consuming to be taken on by most people. Today I was inspired by my dear friend Diane Plaizier, she was telling me about the hustle and bustle of her life and her latest project: collecting egg shells with her daughter to plant seeds of grass in a month before easter, so they have pretty little budding egg shells to have for the easter baskets and decorations. Once she told me that, I spent the rest of the day thinking about how thats all I wanted to do the rest of that day. And, of course, I did it. Went to the store, got two huge cartons of eggs and started making this Baked Apple Custard as a way to use up my aging apples and my suddenly new need for egg consumption. Here's the recipe and a picture of the project:

Baked Apple Custard:

1 1/2 half cups unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup thawed frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Additional half and half (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients together except for the nutmeg. Pour into a pie pan. Place pie pan in a baking pan and fill with water till it's cover the bottom inch of the pie pan. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top. Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Chill. Serve with additional half and half if desired.

Meringue Kisses

2011-02-17T00:52:00.005-07:00

I've always been confused by the difference between granulated sugar, superfine sugar, ultrafine sugar and powdered sugar. I finally learned the difference. Ordinary table sugar is granulated. Powdered sugar, when pulverized collects moisture, so to prevent this, the manufacturers add about 3 percent of cornstarch, which can lead to problems in certain recipes. For example, a bad idea would be to sweeten your lemonaid with powdered sugar, because with the cornstarch, it would turn into gummy lumps (not including the fact that it would be super sweet). But, you could have used the superfine or ultrafine sugar - they are tinier crystals than granulated sugar and so it disolved quickly in cold drinks (sometimes it's even called bakers sugar) because it blends and melts faster than regular, granulated sugar. So, to clarify, superfine and ultrafine sugar is not a powdered sugar, just smaller granules of sugar. Got it? GOOD! Here is a great recipe using superfine sugar:

Meringue Kisses

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar12 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small, deep bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar using a hand-held or electric mixer until they hold a shape. Gradually beat in 9 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the vanilla. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the meringue mixture under each of the four corners of the parchment paper to keep it from skidding. Drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the paper-covered cookie sheets. If you want to be fancy, put the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe out the kisses. Bake for 60 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to remain in the cooling oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, and store in airtight containers, where the meringues will stay crisp almost indefinitely.

Tyson's Dang Tasty Soup

2011-01-31T23:00:00.006-07:00

This is a recipe shared by my brother-in-law Tyson! He spend two years living in Mexico and while there fell in love....with Cilantro! This is a very easy recipe, if you are the nervous type in the kitchen, it will help you to know that your years of mastering how to open a can will have paid off, leaving you confidently capable of making this soup. If you are looking for a cilantro style soup that provides a little more adventure than opening cans, I'd recommend giving this recipe a whirl...and then inviting me over to share a bowl so I can try it :).

Tyson's Dang Tasty Soup

2 Cans (13 oz each) chicken, not drained (or 2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 minced garlic cloves
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 (14.5 cans each) Chicken Broth
2 (14.5 Cans each) Diced Tomatoes (preferably with cilantro and lime)
1 Cup Salsa
1 Bunch chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 an onion (optional)

In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions in olive oil until semi-clear. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat through. That's it! So simple.

Can garnish with lime juice, avocados, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, or better yet queso fresco!

Enjoy!

As a side note, this recipe was a bit of an experiment for me in the mysterious world of Yoders canned meats...I've heard from different sources they even have fried bacon that's been canned...I'm not sure how my tummy feels about that. But if you are looking for a preservative free line of canned meats, Yoders is who you should contact! My next experiment will be with this can of already cooked hamburger meat in my Borscht Soup (my valentines tradition)...I'm hoping it is as surprisingly great as the chicken I used in this soup.

Tangy Chicken

2010-11-27T13:59:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure how Tangy Chicken became a popular recipe in my family, but it is a favorite. Diced chicken coated in flour and fried then covered in a delicious tangy sauce! If you are worried about the greasy chicken adding to your waistline, then simply brown the chicken and use agave nectar for the brown sugar if you're worried about the sugar. Substitute the 2 tsp butter with olive oil, which won't stick to your hips :). It's a great recipe that can be switched up a lot to accommodate your taste buds. Enjoy!

Tangy Chicken
1 lb chicken, diced
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1 cup ketchup

Combine flour and salt, then role chicken in flour mixture. Fry chicken until brown on all sides.

Combine butter, celery, sugar, pepper, onion and ketchup together. Pour over chicken in skillet and let simmer for 30 minuted or until celery is soft and sauce thickened.

Goat Cheese Potato Salad

2010-11-18T19:34:00.003-07:00

Dear Everybody,

Goat Cheese is very good!!!!

The END!!!!

This post is for only the following individuals:

Those who like potato salad

Those who like goat cheese

Those individuals who are not included in this list are kindly asked to, "Take off, eh!"

Now that I clearly have potato salad and goat cheese lovers reading, I'd like to just tell you that I died when I first ate this. I was at a bell ringing course on a saturday. Me and lots of others were ringing bells from 8:00 am till 5:00 pm and I thought I was going to topple over. Bells aren't heavy, but after ringing them for that long I could tell my body had sensed the extra weight. I was tired. I was crabby. I was dazing off into lala land. My body ached. I was having daydreams of laying down on the floor and taking a nap and in the dream nobody would even notice. And I was STARVING!!!

Some miraculous woman appeared with lunch for all of us and I picked her up and twirled her around, I was so happy and grateful for her. Okay, so I didn't pick her up and twirl her around the room, but I did appreciate the food. I dished up my plate and started chomping away, until I took a bite of heaven...whoever I was talking to got to watch me as I chewed my food, because I stopped focusing entirely on the conversation and just thought about the food in my mouth. As far as I knew it, nothing else existed except for trying to figure out what was in my mouth and what made it so good. I had never tasted anything like it before. I thought I was eating potato salad, but my mouth was telling me I was wrong. All I knew at that moment was that I had to 1) find out what it was and 2) make it every day for the rest of my life. I fulfilled number one. I'm just getting started on number 2. So for all you potato salad and goat cheese lovers, I give you the recipe, so you can experience this in your mouth! Please try it, you'll be so glad.

Goat Cheese Potato Salad

2 lbs (red) potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 3/4-inch piece

Coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp white-wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 oz crumbled goat cheese (1/2 cup)

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 small shallot or onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp dill

1/4 cup plain yogurt (optional)

Boil potatoes in salted water till tender. Drain, reserving 1 Tbsp cooking liquid. Let cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, oil and reserved cooking liquid.Whisk until well blended.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinagrette. Stir in goat cheese, yogurt, celery, shallot, and dill. Season with salt and pepper.

While warm, put it in your mouth. Faint. Die. Come back to life. Eat more. Repeat.

Squash Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2010-10-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

There were 8 acorn squash in a bowl on the table for the past month...it was like they were having a stare down with me every time I saw them, almost like they were trying to say, "Come on, just try and tackle us...you never can...cause you don't feel like it, ha ha....ha ha". They were right. So I told my roommate Shauna that she had to :) Besides, I was busy making tomato soup. So Shauna found this recipe and made it and it was great. As you can see, she took the easy route and chopped the chicken into the dish, but if you want to get all fancy, you can stuff it as the recipe instructs. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely diced acorn squash
1 green bell pepper, diced (or red bell pepper, or a combo of both)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish (or simplify the dish and disregard the whole putting this dish into the oven). In a medium skillet, melt butter or margarine. Add the squash, green bell pepper, onion and celery. Saute until slightly tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix together. (Before moving onto the next step, if you are taking the simple route, you would have chopped the chicken and cooked it along with the veggies).

Slice chicken breasts on the side about 3/4 of the way through. Stuff mixture evenly into each slit chicken breast until full. Dredge each breast in flour to coat completely, and brown coated chicken in skillet.

Place browned chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, cover and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Homemade Tomato Soup

2010-10-25T23:56:00.002-06:00

Fall always is a telling reminder of the bounties of the earth and how much the Lord provides for us. Often, the bounties of the harvest feel like a burden to me. When there is squash, zucchini and tomatoes consuming my kitchen, it makes me feel overwhelmed....it means I have to put thought and effort into my meals in order to use them all up. But instead of getting overwhelmed, this fall I am trying to focus on what a blessing it is to be provided by the Lord in so many ways and it truly is a blessing to have access to so much. I have friends in different parts of the world who truly depend on the Lord at times for their next meal, because there are times in their lives when they aren't quite sure where their next meal will come from, or if it will be there at all. There have been times in my life where I have wondered that as well for myself, but it's at those times when you see the hand of the Lord in your life the most, providing for your needs.

So instead of complaining to myself about the "burden" of figuring out what to do with so many tomatoes, I decided to be excited for an adventure in teaching myself how to make my own tomato soup...it's a great way to use up the tomatoes and it definitely taught me that if I thought canned tomato soup was good, then I was living a lie my whole life...cause MAN this stuff, homemade, is DELICIOUS!!!!

Ingredients
4 to 5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 onion, sliced
4 whole cloves, peeled
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste
Directions
In a large pot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat. Place the mixture into a blender and puree. Strain the pulp if you want a smooth and creamy soup, leave it if you like it how it is (I like to leave mine how it is, just like I like to leave the pulp in the orange juice).
In the now empty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste. Eat with buttered toast, grilled cheese, or just eat it by the spoonful...double it to make room for plenty of seconds!!!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

2010-10-22T01:34:00.003-06:00

Lately, I feel like squash is taking over the world! It's all over the place....in my kitchen. What the heck do you do with acorn squash beside the traditional butter and brown sugar thing? That isn't even good anyway! I'm still pondering over how to make something good and worthwile with acorn squash. Spaghetti squash is a pain as well, but a little easier to find some half decent recipes for. I chose to tackle that before the acorn squash. The recipe started out a little sketchy, and then...through the help of my friend Dan Jones, it was perfected into a casserole...that I wouldn't mind having again...in fact I really like it! AND it has BACON in it! What more could you ask for! I hope you enjoy it!

1 whole Spaghetti Squash
1 can Coconut Milk (regular Or Light)
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 tsp Red Chili Paste
8 strips Cooked Bacon (or As Much To Taste) Cut Into Small Pieces
½ cup Shredded Fontina Cheese

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 cup bread crumbs

Heat oven to 375. With fork, poke holes all over in squash. Place in oven for 45 min or until cooked. Cut in half and let cool till able to touch. Scrape out seeds. Remove skin. Pull strands of "noodles" apart. Set aside (all of this may be done the night before).

Meanwhile, mix together coconut milk, garlic, fontina cheese, chili paste, cherry tomatoes and bacon. Add squash. Place into a casserole pan.

Melt butter and mix into bread crumbs. Add cheddar cheese. Sprinkle over squash mixture. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 min or until bread crumbs are golden.

John's Pizza

2010-10-06T10:33:00.003-06:00

Who is John? He's my friends dad, born and raised in Iraq. He lives in Utah now and I love how he cooks. I don't think he realizes how much I treasure eating his food. Sometimes he calles me a pest and wonders why I take pictures of everything he does in the kitchen. Sometimes he gets annoyed when I beg and plead for him to make me this pizza...but he still makes it anyway, nice guy like that. It makes me so happy. Here's the recipe:

John's Pizza

1 Small Onion, cut
1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/2 tsp Organic no-salt seasoning
1/2 tsp Mint
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Package Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Cup Olives, chopped (green or black, or both)
1 Dijorno Pepperoni Pizza

Heat oven to 420 degrees. Heat a large pan with olive oil on the stove top. Add cut onions. Add cajun seasoning, no-salt seasoning and mint. Add red bell pepper. Cook 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Add mushrooms. Turn off heat. Add olives.

Add the sauteed ingredients to the top of the pizza. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Slice, eat, faint...wake up...eat more, faint...wake up, eat more...repeat as necessary.

Peppermint Ice-Cream

2010-10-05T10:18:00.003-06:00

I know it's not summer anymore and you don't have the sweltering heat to drive you to eat ice-cream and it's not christmas yet, so you probably aren't craving any peppermint sweets, but you know what...who says you can't have peppermint ice-cream in the fall. I say you can, so I'm posting the recipe here!
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Cups Whipping Cream

1/4 Cup Peppermint Candy, Crushed

Pink Food Coloring

Mix all ingredients together. Freeze, stir after 1 hour, freeze again until desired consistency. Enjoy!

Salty Seattle

2010-09-24T17:13:00.000-06:00

Here is the next blog I wanted to feature that has taken my breath away and given me an idea I'm dying to try. This lady (don't mind her picture) ;) cooks food in a way that I could never have imagined. She combines science with her cooking and makes some of the most amazing things - I need to go buy some Sodium Alginate and Calcium Chloride now and it's all her fault :). Here is the info on her blog and who she is:

Salty Seattle: Blog address is http://www.saltyseattle.com/ and here is how she describes herself:

"Linda is a recovering Stiletto Ninja- she hung up the nunchucks in favor of her current role as resident Foodie Fashionista (but she gets to keep the Louboutins). She likes to make cheese (especially burrata), cure bacon, distill salt from the nearby ocean, and churn all manner of gelato from scratch, at home, with wine, in stilettos. She’s obsessed with cooking things sous vide, loves eggs- especially duck and quail- and hand rolls and cuts various types of pasta from gnocchi to tajarin to agnolotti at least thrice a week."

She seriously sounds like an incredibly fun lady and I would love to spend a week in her kitchen, or in Italy for that matter. In fact, my friends and I actually had plans to go to Italy for a week to take cooking classes during the day and tour in the afternoons, but our contact stopped communicating with us, and the plans sort of fizzled...but I still ache to do it :).

Golubka

2010-09-23T17:00:00.003-06:00

When I need to entertain my mind a little from boredom, I like to read about food and cooking/baking. Last night I read through quite a few pages of a cookbook I have solely about chocolate, it's one of my favorite cookbooks. Outside of cookbooks, I daily am reading my favorite cooking blogs. I posted a few of my favorite on here before, but I found two this past week that BLOW MY MIND! They are so incredibly unique and make me think outside the box as far as food and cooking goes. I haven't been able to stop thinking about these new ways of cooking. I'll post about them both in separate posts, so here's the first one:

GOLUBKA: it means dove in Russian. The blog address is http://g0lubka.blogspot.com/ Here is how they introduced themselves:

"We here are Russian and very fond of doves. Writing this blog are Paloma's mom (me) and older (much older, 18 years older) sister, M. I will write about food, cooking, and motherhood, and the sister will write about clothing, art, and design. What I've found is that humans mostly crave food from their childhood. Memory plays tricks on us, it often puts a thick coat of sugar on that time when we were little careless hooligans. Everything tasted better back then, right? So I am hoping that in the future, instead of craving for, say, a piece of buttered toast when thinking back to her childhood, Paloma will long for something fresh - maybe papaya, or raw chocolate, or salad. Ultimately, not knowing the feeling of hunger for cooked food will allow her to stay healthier. So far, Paloma is a champion eater, she loves to eat raw and green. Now, her nanny is another story. She is a simple woman of Soviet upbringing, who thinks that one cannot survive without bread. She finds us, together with our ways of eating, absolutely nuts. "Baby can't live on grass alone," she often says, and tries to sneak some cow's milk into Paloma's bottle. But we love her very much. Meanwhile, Paloma has perfect weight, off the charts height, shiny hair, a happy attitude, and endless (sometimes I wish it would end, believe me) energy, so we do not think she is suffering too much :) "

While I am not a vegetarian, fruititarian, vegan or against cooking food, I do find it so interesting to learn from people who are. I like to find food in many forms, made many different ways. The way these ladys prepare their food simply amazes me. I can't even imagine the time, thought, effort and planning they must go through in order to have the diet the do. Yet they do it and they excell at it. I'm so excited to try some of their recipes, especially their white chocolate easter eggs!!!!!!

Mashed Potatoes - Alternatives

2010-09-22T16:50:00.004-06:00

Mashed potatoes are lovely and satisfying. But having them on a daily basis would get a little old. So if you are a mashed potato die hard, but would like to switch things up a little, here are some interesting alternatives I found out about today:

Sweet Potato: Try adding mashed bananas, coconut milk or orange juice.

Cauliflower: Roast in an oven or steam, mash and add greek yogurt or sour cream.

Turnips: These have a more robust flavor than potatoes. Peel, wash, and quarter them. Boil 35-45 min. Drain water. For 7 large turnips, add 1 cup of milk with 2 Tbsp of Butter. Blend and add salt and pepper...actually sounds kinda yummy for a turnip!

Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup

2010-06-18T22:51:00.001-06:00

One of my friends at church is madly in love with my roommate. The poor boy is MADLY in love with her. She is a good friend and talks to him when she sees him...thats all. But it's enough reason, I guess, for him to be absolutely impressed and madly in love with her. If I see him, on the other hand, I'll say hi and find out how he is doing...this is usually how our conversation goes:

Me: Hey buddy, nice to see you!

Him: Hi...where's your roommate?

Me: She's at home. How are you?

Him: I haven't seen her for a while...is she liking her job?

Me: She likes her job! What have you been up to?

Him: Tell her she should join Bountiful Baskets

Me: Uhhh....okay....

Him: I told her about it once. Have you noticed if she's joined yet?

Me: I'm not sure, I'll have to find out...

Him: Well tell her I said hi!

Me: Okay....I'll be sure to do that!

Well...we had this conversation last november....it was also repeated every sunday until about february. I did ask my roommated what he meant by Bountiful Baskets...I thought it was some weird way for poor people to get some cheap, wilted vegetables. Then my best friend posted a picture on her blog and on facebook of the goods she got from Bountiful Baskets and it helped me realized it was nothing I had thought it was. Instead, it was a food co-op done in Washington State, Arizona, Idaho and Utah...not something named after the town Bountiful that I live in. You pay on mondays and go on saturday mornings to your nearest location and pick up your produce...an ample supply of fruits and vegetables that is big enough to last me for two weeks...and the best part is that it is only $15.00!!!! That makes me so happy I could tinkle! ha ha

Here is what I got last week:
Actually, the first time I got my "basket" I was grinning ear to ear and wanted to cry a little...you should all know by now how food is such a big contributor to my happiness...I couldn't help but want to cry. I price-checked everything I got at the store I usually buy my produce from and found out that if I had bought all this at the store I would have spend $45.00! Please grab your neighbors hand and hold a moment of silence right now for such a beautiful thing! Then sing kum-by-a! Okay, back to how any of this relates to Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup. You'll notice that I got an ample supply of baby bok choy...it filled up two entire bread bags full...what does one do with so much bok choy! I like stir fry, but not enough to eat it till all this is gone.
Then I remembered a soup that a friend of mine made in Ecuador while I lived there and insisted that I tasted it for her. It was a silky, creamy potato soup with some type of leafy thing in it. I was 20 years old at the time and had never seen green leaves in soup before...I had no idea at the time I was missing out on things like Zupa Toscana and a variety of other things that make my taste buds sing. But as I tried that soup I clearly remember thinking, aching, wishing...needing some Dill in her soup.

I haven't owned dry dill for years. Not because I don't like dill, on the contrary, I really like it! It's just that every year I say in my mind that I'm going to grow it in the garden, and every year, just like the year before, it dies...I've slapped my hand for it and finally just went to the store and bought some. I had some milk, potatoes and bok choy that were aching to have some dill as their companion. So here is what was created:

Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil (my kitchen is never empty of this...if it is, I'll start to cry)

4 to 5 bunches of baby bok choy (or one regular sized bok choy), chopped

6 small red potatoes, diced

4 cups milk, plus 1/4 cup

2 Tbsp dill weed

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp celery salt

salt and pepper

1 chicken boullion cube (knorr brand...it will improve your life)

Heat the oil on medium heat and add garlic. Saute till you can smell the aroma of the garlic. Add the bok choy and potatoes, turn heat down. In a large pot, add the potato and bok choy. Pour in milk (except for the 1/4 cup), add boullion, celery salt, salt and pepper and dill. Heat and boil till potatoes are soft. In a separate small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and let heat and allow the flour to brown slightly. Add to this mix with a whisk the 1/4 cup of milk. If mixture is too thick, add more milk...you are trying to get ready to add to the soup without getting lumpy when incorporating it. Make sure it is a soft and silky liquid before adding it in. Add to large pot with the remaining ingredients. Let simmer 10 min to allow all the flavors dance around, get to know each other and have a party. Serve warm...unless for some reason you like cold soup. Enjoy!

If you are interested in being a part of the Bountiful Baskets or know someone who may be, click here!

Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Peaches

2010-06-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

I hopped on my bike monday afternoon to leave work and head to the library. I've been meaning to read a book called No Impact Man by Colin Bevan. I watched the documentary and fell for it...I connected with the message and have already been living my life in a lot of the ways that were mentioned in the movie, but wanted to dig deeper and really see how Colin did things. He is a man who wanted to make no impact to the earth or environment for a year. It might sound boring and another "going green" thing, but I am totally and completely interested in it. Needless to say, I was very excited to find out my library had a copy of the book. I peddled my little heart out to get there, thinking it would be gone by the time I arrived...I just like to assume it's a raging hit with everyone. I put it in my backpack and pedaled home, with just as much speed...(believe me, it wasn't very fast...I'm a wimp on the bike). I got home, planning on ignoring dinner all together. I would simply read the entire night away. BUT....that didn't happen. Yes, I did read for several hours, but I went to go grab a glass of water and caught a waft of the peaches I'd gotten from the food co-op and they were getting old fast. The book disappeared right then and there....all from the smell of peaches. I can't help it. I don't know what my problem is, but the second I realize something needs to be used, my brain automatically starts rolling...playing connect the dots with all the other ingredients I have in the kitchen...mixing them together in my mind until I've figured out the perfect dish! Sometimes I make the dish up....other times I resort to Google. Google lead me to this recipe and before I knew what I got myself into, I was eating Pork Tenderloins with Honey and Peaches along with Cornbread on the side. Here are the recipes:

Pork Tenderloins with Honey and Peaches (from http://www.cooks.com/)

4 med. sized peaches
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. salad oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Honey
4 pork loin, blade, rib, or sirloin chops, each 1 inch thick
Parsley sprigs for garnish

About 45 minutes before serving: Peel, pit, and chop 2 peaches. Peel, halve, and pit remaining 2 peaches; set aside.

In 1 quart saucepan over medium high heat, heat chopped peaches, mustard, salad oil, salt, and 2 tablespoons honey to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Preheat broiler if manufacturer directs. Arrange pork chops and peach halves, cut side down, on rack in broiling pan. Spoon half of cooked peach mixture over pork chops; brush peach halves with some honey.

Place pan in broiler at closest position to source of heat; broil 10 minutes. Turn pork chops and peach halves; spoon remaining peach mixture over pork chops and brush cut sides of peaches with honey. Broil 8 minutes longer or until chops are fork tender.

With pancake turner, remove broiled peaches to cutting board. Cut peach halves into fans; starting close to stem end, cut each peach half lengthwise into 7 or 8 thin slices. Spread slices to form open fan, being careful to keep peach halves intact.

Arrange pork chops and peach fans on platter; garnish with parsley sprigs. Makes 4 main dish servings.

Cornbread
¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Shortening
1 cup Yellow Corn Meal
½ cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
½ cups Milk
1 whole Egg
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat shortening in an iron skillet, muffin pan, or other baking pan. Combine corn meal, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Add baking powder and baking soda. Stir. Add ¼ cup melted shortening, stirring constantly. Pour into hot pan, smoothing surface with spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Curry Soup

2010-06-15T21:27:00.009-06:00

Today I was supposed to go horseback riding with a friend after work. Then one thing lead to another and I ended up at home this afternoon waiting...and waiting.... and when I wait I'm usually pacing around the house, straightening things up as quickly as I can, priding myself in the amount of things I can accomplish while waiting. As I was moving about the house like this, I noticed my coconut sitting on the kitchen counter. I had gotten it three weeks ago from the farmers co-op I've joined. So out of boredom I started hacking at it - not sure what I was going to do with it, besides milk it. I just knew if I didn't do something it would go bad. I didn't realize that my 6:00 coconut time would turn into a full-blown meal that would finally be eaten at 9:00...but I should realize things like this...because they happen all the time. Thus this recipe was created for you to enjoy. Try it and this soup will never leave your memory!

Curry Soup
1 coconut (or make your life simpler and buy a can of coconut milk!)
2 pork tenderloins
8 small red yukon potatoes (yellow in the middle, red skin...I'm in love with these potatoes)
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil (if you dare, you can use other oil, but it will ruin your life...I'm just sayin'!)
Salt and Pepper
2 Tomatoes, gutted and diced
2 small red bell peppers, gutted and diced
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups of water and 2 bullion cubes...knorr brand preferably...they will never ruin your life...just sayin')
1 to 2 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp curry powder

Crack open your coconut (you will use an old, meaning brown, coconut...not a soft, meaning green, one). Drain the clear liquid. You won't use it in this recipe, so I drank it, just like that! Start shredding your coconut. If you are smart, you will find a bench to sit on with a coconut shredder nailed to the bottom of it and you can just run the coconut over the shredder...5 min later, you're done!....but since most people don't have one of those...see the picture below for what my shredder looks like.

It will take you all night, as that is how this recipe was invented, just a forewarning....but maybe it's just my weak hands...who knows.

While you are shredding your coconut heat a large pot on the stove on medium high to high heat. Heat the olive oil and butter till melted. Throw in two large pork chops that have been thawed. Give them a nice shake of salt and pepper. Brown on both sides.

Chop potatoes into medium large chunks, like you would for a tin-foil dinner.

Cut tomatoe in half than in fourths. Take a spoon and gut all the seeds and juice out. If you are in love with tomatoes like me, you can save the guts and use them for an omlette in the morning for breakfast. If you don't love them, leave them out of the entire recipe if you want. Dice once gutted.

Gut and dice the red bell peppers.

Once pork is browned till real crispy on both sides, leave heat on, but remove the pork to a plate. Add to the pan the chicken broth and let it deglaze (remove the crispy meat flakes from the bottom of the pan). Throw in, chuck in, whatever you like better, the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Add celery salt, salt and pepper, and curry powder. Let boil till sauce is reduced and potatoes are soft. While this is cooking cube the pork. You still have a while, so go back to your now grated coconut. Fill a medium sized bowl with hot tap water. Heat in microwave for 3 minutes. Dump coconut shreds into hot water. Let sit for a few minutes until cool enough, yet still hot, to dare stick your hands in. Grap an empty medium sized bowl and have next to the bowl now containing hot water and the coconut shreds you slaved over. These time consuming babies are about to become painful....stick your hands in the water grabbing as much coconut as you can in your fist without squeezing. Lift it up out of the water, let it drain a little, then holding it over the empty bowl, squeeze the life out of it. Dump the now dry coconut in a third empty bowl (I guess I should have told you about that one too, huh). Repeat until all of the coconut has been squeezed, or milked. Place the dry coconut back into the hot water and do it all over again. You can generally squeeze the milk out of the coconut like this up to 3 or 4 times or until there is no more milk coming out of it. Throw away the remaining dry coconut.

Now that you have just milked a coconut, put a smile on your face and make your facebook status state how amazing you are...or not. Strain the milk to remove any possible extra coconuts that possibly escaped your fists while milking. Add the pork and the coconut milk to the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 min...or not at all, depending on how long you want to draw this out.

Dish up a bowl and enjoy.
(I saw you gag at my picture....just remember, an ugly picture does not equal nasty food...just means I'm a bad photographer, and I don't care either).

My favorite cooking websites

2010-05-21T12:12:00.002-06:00

One of my friends asked me for the links to my favorite cooking websites. A lot of my inspiration for my own recipes comes from reading what other people are cooking, what they are putting in their recipes and eventually what I do is pull all of the combined ideas together into my own recipes. Here are my top 10 favorites:

1) http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ I go here daily! I love her sense of humor, her stories and her recipes

2) http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/ Created by the pioneer woman, this site has user submitted recipes that are to good to be true - look them up if you don't believe me!

3) http://allrecipes.com/ I go to this website when I am pantry cooking (meaning I don't have all the ingredients I need to make what I usually make and need to get creative, or go to the store - I'd rather get creative). The reason the website is helpful for pantry cooking is because you can search by ingredients - if you are out of eggs, but need to make a cake, you can search for recipes to accommidate what you are looking for.

4)http://www.nutritiondata.com/ I haven't used this site as much but it has recipes PLUS information on what you are eating - giving you nutrition labels for single ingredients - making your cooking educational. You can also store your recipes here.

5) http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/ This is some random guy in a tiny kitchen who cooks his little heart out with adventure....er, well - I mean with unique ideas and tasty ingredients. If you are looking to explore new ingredients or new ways of combining them, check this guy out!

6)http://www.cheekykitchen.com/ if you want a good dessert with a mouth watering picture of it, you must come here. I love looking at food pictures and these are AMAZING!

7) http://www.laraferroni.com/category/cookandeat/ this one has puurrrty pictures on it and makes my mouth water. I love to torture myself by staring at purty pictures all day and having my stomach grumbling until I can go make one of the recipes on here. :)

8) http://www.supercook.com/ Extremely helpful for pantry cooking again - you simply enter in the ingredients you are looking to use or get rid of and it will search lots of different websites to find you a recipe suited to what you are looking for - pure genious!

9) http://rouxbe.com/ gives you cooking lessons, you need a paid membership to access everything, but they offer many things for free as well. Its worth looking at!

10) http://www.epicurious.com/ People rave about this website, but my favorite will always be the Pioneer Woman!

Spanish Grilled Corn and Chicken

2010-05-03T13:12:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:

3 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 chicken breast, cubed
1/2 bag frozen corn (or better yet, 1 or 2 grilled corn on the cobs, with corn sliced off)
1 or 2 can tomatoes, strained
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp taco seasoning
Cilantro (if you like it)
Cooked rice
Tortillas

Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add chopped garlic. Once the garlic and oil have had time to magically become one, add the onion, letting it join in on the fun. Next, add the chicken, and once it's almost cooked through add corn (preferrably it would be grilled in my mind, but since I don't have a grill or corn on the cob, this is my sad way of "grilling" the corn, ha ha - by heating it up with the chicken). Once cooked, add one can strained tomatoes. Add spices. Remove from heat. (I like to add the tomatoes without straining them, then boiling the mix till it's to a perfect unrunny thickness).

To serve, heat up tortillas in a pan with butter till they are nice and warm, put chicken mix on top with rice and freshly chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

For dessert, try putting honey onto one of your warm and buttery tortillas, it's like magic in your mouth.

Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

2010-04-29T13:05:00.000-06:00

Throw into Crockpot:
3 chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic
½ bag frozen corn
½ jar salsa
1 can tomatoes
½ a pkg taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
Random spices: celery salt, seasoning salt, and chili powder
1 can chopped green chili peppers

Let cook overnight
Next day, sauté one onion in butter, add to soup. Take chicken out of soup and shred or chop, put back in.

Serve soup with tons of shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Top with Cilantro or green onions if that floats your boat (it does mine).

Die and go to heaven only to find out they eat this on a daily basis up there.

The end

Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing

2010-03-16T23:30:00.002-06:00

Growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by gravel roads and miles away from our closest neighbors, it was a long trip to a regular grocery store. So grocery shopping was something we did very infrequently and when done, we stocked up on the necessities. Now that I like in a town with several grocery stores withing a mile from me, I've become accostume to making a quick trip the second I start craving something or have the urge to whip up a newly discovered recipe, so I've been finding myself trying new things that I normally wouldn't have had access to while living out in the boonies. One of these things is Buttermilk - it's such a mysterious ingredient. My memory of buttermilk is from back when I was a teenager and in wanting to make buttermilk pancakes discovered that the word "Buttermilk" didn't mean that there were butter and milk in the recipe, but that it literally called for something called buttermilk...shows how little I knew! So, without internet, I used the "handy help" guide in the back of a cookbook that said you could make your own buttermilk by putting vinegar in milk and letting it sit for a bit. Sounded horrible and turns out, it tasted horrible too...it turned me off to the whole buttermilk idea for years. Years later, I'm finally getting to know this ingredient and am realizing that it isn't so bad, I think. I made chocolate sheet cake today (recipe to come soon) which called for a bit of buttermilk and now I have half a carton staring at me in the fridge. Every time I open the door I think it's speaking to me, daring me to use it, try something new with it. It's like it's trying to prove to me that it is useful. I finally gave in, made a salad and searched the internet for buttermilk and cilantro (I had left overs of that from my BBQ Chicken pizza, recipe coming soon too) and found a recipe that turned out to tast similar to Cafe Rio's dressing, without the tomatillo's. It's good, just don't put miracle whip in it, you will regret it, I do....

Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
1/8 tsp sugar
3 drops hot pepper sauce

Blend all ingredients together in food processor. Simple as that!

Ready to Roll!

2009-09-02T11:09:00.003-06:00

Coming soon: Frozen pizza that will rock your world - or knock your pants off! Sandwiches, Zupa Tuscana, Ginata'ang Calabasa (my favorite Filipino dish), Zucchini Muffins, Salmon and more...I restocked my spice rack and I am ready to roll! Sorry for the long break, but I will be back in kitchen heaven again soon. Oh...anybody have a favorite rhubarb recipe...my rhubarb is demanding that I use it.

Oat Bran

2009-04-29T12:26:00.004-06:00

I was driving to school. The light turned from green, to yellow, to red. I stopped. The box of cereal sitting next to me tumbled to the car floor - lucky charms and all their marshmallowey goodness flew in the air, falling to the car floor, and rolled into the hidden spaces and crevices of the passenger side, where they will rest for a few months until a marshmallow decides to crawl out to give you a surprise one morning. That's when I ended my relationship with cold cereal. I realized I was using it as a dry snack to eat as I raced to school in the morning. It was a bad excuse of a breakfast. I decided that if I couldn't even spare some time for breakfast, I needed to wake up earlier and make myself a good meal. I was majoring in Health Promotion - every one of my classes talked about the importance of this very meal, yet I was ignoring it. I made the change and now life is bliss. No more boxes to worry for and no more starved mornings.

This, my friends, is Oat Bran. Do you know what it is? It's happiness in a measuring cup. It's better than oatmeal because it doesn't make a yucky slime when it sits in a bowl. And it's better for you, just look:
Nutritional Value: Oatmeal___ Oat Bran
Carbohydrates_____ 27 grams____ 25 grams
Fiber_____________4 grams_____ 6 grams
Soluble Fiber_______ 2 grams_____ 3 grams
Protein___________ 5 grams_____ 7 grams
Calcium__________ 0 %________ 2 %
Iron____________ 10 %_______ 20 %
Thiamin__________ 2 %_______ 25 %
Phosphorus________ 0 %______ 25 %
Riboflavin_________ 2 %_______ 6 %
Magnesium________ 0 %______ 20 %
Zinc______________ 0 %______ 10 %

Put 1/3 Cup in 1 Cup of boiling water.

Boil till thick.

You can add almond butter, peanut butter or whatever you like. I like to add honey

and milk. Then I eat it up cause it's real good!

My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie

2009-04-26T23:29:00.007-06:00

My friend told me about this amazing smoothie she has been whipping up for the past few years every morning for breakfast. I loved getting her little educational lesson on why each ingredient is important, especially for womens health:

Ingredients: 100% Pure Cranberry Juice (or whatever you can find), Flax, Soy Milk, Echinacea, Blackberries, Banana, Orange, Frozen Strawberries or any type of frozen berry. Ooh, and plain yogurt - I was all!

The banana is for potassium which regulates water balance, regulates levels of acidity, and blood pressure. The adequate intake for potassium for adults is 4700 milligrams per day. Normally you probably get around 2000 to 3000 milligrams per day, unless you are on a very low-calorie diet or are an athlete who exercises heavily, then it is even lower. So eat your bananas. You can also get potassium in kidney beans, yogurt, orange juice, zucchini, baked potatoes, tomatoes and cantaloupe. Interesting fact: kidney beans and winter squash actually have more potassium than bananas.

Bananas also contain vitamin B6, along with Salmon, baked potatoes, and avocados. It's important for metabolism, immunity because it helps white blood cells and oxygen in the blood. I think i'll have salmon for lunch tomorrow!

The orange is for vitamin C. Most animals can physically create their own vitamin C just by being alive. We on the other hand are unable to do so on our own. It is necessary for protein collagen which is what makes up most of our connective tissue, bone, teeth, tendons and blood vessels. So it would help your wounds heal and prevent your skin from dripping off your body. I'm reading a book right now called "Napoleons Buttons" and it goes into detail on the sea voyages and the sufferings of those who had scurvy. Basically, it sucked for them - their teeth feel out, bones became soft and it sounded pretty gory. No wonder why pirates always have that sickly look to them. Anyways...back to the vitamin C: has antioxidants properties which helps prevent the formation of cancer and prevents cataracts in the eyes. If you are low on iron it also increases iron absorption and builds your immunity. You can also get vitamin C in Brussels sprouts, strawberries, red peppers, and kiwis.

Notice this handy orange peeler - you don't get your hands all messy and it makes it so easy to peel an orange.

You can buy one from you local pampered chef lady for under a dollar and it's like having a piece of heaven in your kitchen.

Frozen Berries - make the smoothie cold, as a smoothie should be.

Strawberries contain vitamin C and flavanoids, which are known for their antioxidant activity.

Blackberries contain vitamin C, fiber, vitamin K and folic acid. Vitamin K helps your blood to clot and folic acid produces DNA and can also be found in Sunflower seeds and green veggies. Fiber....well let's just say this adds bulk to the brown stuff.

Flax is for omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. You can also get this in salmon and other fish, walnuts, mussels, crab, shrimp and canola and soybean oils. This fatty acid lowers your risk for heart attacks and helps your heart rhythm, lowers your triglyceride levels, and helps for those in pain from the inflammation that happens with rheumatoid arthritis. If you are using flax, you need to grind it up, because if not it will just go in one end and come out the other, not giving you any benefits. I use a coffee grinder to grind it up real good and put in about 2 tablespoons.

I have been adding two capsules of Echinacea since I have been fighting a cold this week. I just open the little capsules and dump in the powdery goodness. This stimulates the immune system and prevents and treats colds. It's just a mild affect, but if I'm fighting a cold, I will take what I can get.

Cranberry juice is for the prevention of UTI's. Cranberries have phytochemicals which help the cardiovascular and immune systems and may be an anti-cancer agent. They also prevent tooth decay and help with gingivitis.

Soy Milk is for possible protection from cancer and contains antioxidants. I'm beginning to think that this isn't really a big necessity in my smoothie as most of the health benefits contained in soy milk are found in larger quantities in my 2 small tablespoons of flax seed. Sorry, I just couldn't find enough research and information that justifies the supposed health benefits of soy milk - although I do think it is tasty!

Next is the poor yogurt that I left out because I used it all up! The plain yogurt is for potassium, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B12. Be sure that your yogurt has L. Acidophilus in it to help your tummy. Riboflavin acts as an antioxidant and aids metabolism. Vitamin B12 helps metabolism and aids nerve function.

Put all of this in a blender and blend away - and there you have it, the amazing breakfast smoothie. As for the measurements, put in however much you want - have fun with it! After making a few of them for a few days in a row, you will get down pat what suits you!

Here's the recipe:

Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup yogurt

1 orange

1/2 banana

1 Tbsp wheat germ

1 Tbsp flax

Any other frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)

Blend

Drink

Smile

golden threads

2008-11-28T23:40:00.001-07:00

The mystery food is: (drum roll.....) Foithong "Golden Threads". It's a Thai dessert made from beaten egg yolks which are gently cooked in a syrup of water and sugar. Here is a video showing how to make it. If you are a custard fan, you would like this. Maybe next time we will have some winners!

Contest - deadline is thanksgiving day!

2008-11-16T20:48:00.005-07:00

This was given to me by one of my friends a few months ago. Initially I was a little scared, but it was very tasty. The contest is - What do you think it is!?!?!!!!!! You have till Thanksgiving day to let me know your final guess. I will mail or give to the winner a prize. Good luck!

Pomegranates

2008-10-29T09:55:00.014-06:00

Pomegranate: Latin for Pomum (apple) and Granatis (seeded)

It's Fall now, my favorite season! There are so many reason why it's so great: Halloween is in the fall - there is only one day a year where everybody and their dog can dress however they want and not get funny looks. I mean, if I could wear black and green stripped tights everyday, I probably would, but I can't, so I save them for Halloween.
The leaves turn different colors, there is still sunshine but the air is crisper, you can wear your summer and winter clothes, the large amounts of cash you can win in the pumpkin carving contests and best of all: The FOOD! Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, squash, soups, stews! Life suddenly becomes great during the fall. Pomegranates are one of my favorite things to eat right now, because it's the only time I can buy them in the stores and I go crazy about it.

I love you pomegranate!!

I recently come up with an amazing idea - I've always said that pomegranates are like raspberry flavored corn...so it hit me: we should sell pomegranates in movie theaters. They taste like popcorn and candy at the same time, so all your movie watching needs would be taken care of in one single mouth tingling bite!

When you buy a pomegranate, you find the best one if you get a feel for how heavy they are. A smaller pomegranate might be heavier then a bigger one and that would mean it has more juice in it - pick the heavy ones. Don't let the shiney, bright colored ones confuse you either - the fruit that has been on the tree longer will be darker, probably uglier than the bright colored ones. Give it a squeeze as well, if it is hard it won't be juicy - but don't pick the very squishy ones either - aim for somewhere in the middle. Check as well to be sure there is no mold on the crown. It would be a pity to buy a bad pomegranate.
To cut it open, cut of the crown like in the picture. You can see the different sections in the pomegranate - cut it into quarters following the sections.

You don't have to cut through the entire fruit, just a slice into the outer flesh and it should break open. Now pop a few of those in your mouth, I know you can't wait any longer.

An easy way to remove the arils (that's what those little guys are called) is to place the sections in a bowl of cold water for a minute. Then rub them off with your fingers, the pulp will float and can easily be skimmed off when you drain the water.

When you have finished and drained the arils, you then hold in your hand a piece of heaven. It's good for your body too: Pomegranates contain more antioxidants than green tea and red wine. They also contain Vitamin C, B5, Potassium, and Fiber. They reduce your risk for heart disease, lower your blood pressure, may inhibit viral infections and may have antibacterial effects against dental plaque! They are also doing research now on their effect against proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.

I usually just grab a handful and eat away, but if you would like some variety in your pomegranate eating habits, throw them in some plain yogurt.

If this post did not satisfy all of your needs for pomegranate knowledge and enlightenment, don't worry, there is a pomegranate website: http://www.pomegranates.org/home.shtml

p.s. Thank you to Matt for teaching me everything I know about how get this pomegranate goodness into me as fast as possible. He told me about the water idea.

Strawberry Whipped Sensation (a.k.a. Strawberry Ice-cream Cake)

2008-09-26T21:36:00.009-06:00

You may have noticed that this blog was a little more than boring this summer since there were never any posts. It's because me and my roommate were so busy whipping up some amazing creations in the kitchen, there was just no time to post them all. Okay, so maybe that was a lie, but we did make a few things and this was one of them. My strawberries finally had an amazing year and produced a lot of fruit (sometimes more than I could pick). This recipe came in handy. Hope you enjoy it!
Cast of Characters: Strawberries, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Lemon Juice, Cool Whip, Oreos and Butter!
Line the inside of an 8x4-inch loaf pan with foil.
Mash two cups of strawberries in a large bowl. Yum!
Pour in one can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

Stir! Mix it all together.
Add two cups of cool whip............
and stir again.
Take 8 oreo cookies and finely chop them.
Combine the oreos with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Take your foil lined pan and pour in the strawberry mixture.
Spoon the oreos over the top of the pan.
Press the cookie mixture into the strawberry mixture to form a nice crust.
If the spoon doesn't cut it for ya, just use your hands, who cares! (Thanks, Shauna, for being my hand model!)
Fold the ends of the foil over the dessert and cover entirely with another piece of foil. Place it in the freezer. It will take about 6 hours to freeze (hopefully you weren't needing it anytime soon).
Once frozen, unwrap the top of the dessert. Once the top is unwrapped, place upside-down on a platter and remove the rest of the foil.
At this point you can frost the entire cake with cool whip with strawberries on top. There were only two of us to eat this so we cut a few pieces off.......
Yum!
Your final product!!!! Its great, nice and cool, yummy and full of strawberry goodness. Enjoy!

Strawberry Whipped Sensation

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 to 2 tubs of cool whip

8 oreo's

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Shape foil onto outside of 8x4-inch loaf pan. Line inside of pan with shaped foil, with ends extending over sides of pan. Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in large bowl. Stir in condensed milk and juice. Stir 2 cups of the whipped topping into strawberry mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Finely chop cookies. Combine cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture in pan. Cover cookie mixture with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Invert dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert. Slice remaining 2 cups strawberries; arrange on dessert. Store leftovers in freezer. Makes 12 servings.

Asian Chicken Noodles

2008-09-15T16:24:00.010-06:00

Sorry for waiting for such a long time to post. Summer has been a busy time for me and I honestly haven't really been cooking! :( I'm starting to get back into the swing of things and wanted to share a recipe that my roommates and I have enjoyed making a lot. It uses the Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing and since we made it the first time, we have always had the dressing on hand. If someone uses it all, they have to go to the store and get some more! It's as important to us as making sure we always have milk on hand. I found the recipe inthe food and family magazine I get from Kraft each quarter. Here it is:

The Cast of Characters: Angel hair pasta, broccoli, chicken, Kraft Asian Sesame Dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and peanuts.

To begin, cut your broccoli into small florets (thanks, Shauna, for being my hand model). You will want about 2 cups of broccoli florets.

Defrost the chicken and slice it into thin strips. You could get really fancy if you like and make them super thin. Use one pound of chicken (which is about three chicken breasts).

But never mind the broccoli and chicken, lets get down to the nitty gritty and start making the sauce!!! Sauce is one of my favorite words on this earth, probably because its one of my favorite things to eat! I typically use fresh ginger and garlic, but you are welcome to use ground ginger and garlic powder as well.

To start your sauce, dump in 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce. I only ever use the Silver Swan brand. It's what I grew to love while living in the Philippines. You can buy it here in Utah at the Mabuhay Mini-Mart in Taylorsville on 1750 W. 5000 S. Okay, thats the end of my commercial break, lets move on to the ginger.

If you've never used fresh ginger, here is how to use it: We want about a 1/4 of a teaspoon, but since I love ginger I'm going to add more. So I make a small slice that will equal the amount of ginger I want to use.

Next step will be to peel the ginger. Just use the knife and slice it right off, and breath deep while you do it, it just smells so GOOD!

Here's the fun part: You want to get as much flavor out of the ginger as possible, so go ahead and give it a nice good wack with the wide side of your knife - if that wasn't good enough for you, go ahead and give it another wack, or just pound it with your fist - whatever you need to do. This gets the juices goin and will add more flavor. It also makes it easier to mince it.

Ginger can be pretty stringy or hard to mince, so start by slicing it in one direction.

Then slice the other direction. Once you have done this, you can go ahead and mince some more, just for fun, or to be sure you don't have big chunks of ginger in your dish - if you aren't used to it, you might not be prepared for a big, hot chunk of ginger in your mouth. Add the minced ginger to the soy sauce.

Next is the garlic, which I love. Again, you only need about 1/4 of a teaspoon of garlic powder, but since I LOVE garlic I am going to use fresh garlic cloves and one clove isn't enough for me, so I use two. Did I mention that I love garlic? I do! If you don't have a garlic press, prepare it the same way as the ginger - remove the peel, wack it, then mince. A garlic press does all of that for you in one moment - it's so great and your hands don't smell like garlic for the next two days.

Next you will want to add 1/4 of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Again, this stuff is great and since i've added more of the other ingredients, I figured I should add more than what was called for of the red pepper.

Once you've dumped it all in, give it a good stir and set it aside. You will be adding this in later along with the asian toasted sesame dressing.

You will want to start cooking the chicken, so turn the stove onto a medium-high heat and add your oil (I always use olive oil).

Once the pan is heated add the chicken and cook for about 6-8 minutes stirring every so often. I'm using my Wok but you can feel free to use just a regular pan.

Once the chicken is finished cooking add 1/2 a cup of the Kraft asian toasted sesame dressing.

And after that add your sauce (if you would like to throw in some sesame oil as well, that is a great addition, I added about a teaspoon to this). Sorry for the not so appetizing picture.

Give it a good stir and cook for only about a minute. Now you are done with your asian chicken. On to the noodles:

I should have mentioned it earlier, but at some point in cooking the chicken, you would want to begin cooking your noodles. I use 8 ounces of angel hair pasta. Half way through cooking the noodles, add the broccoli florets to cook them as well.

Its a great way to kill two birds with one stone by boiling the broccoli with the noodles and you only have to drain once.

Once the noodles and broccoli are finished draining put them into your serving bowl and add the asian chicken.

Stir everything together and sprinkle on a 1/2 cup of peanuts or slized almonds to the top.

And enjoy! I couldn't get a good picture to turn out of the finished dish since the lighting in the kitchen is just too dark, so we end up with this silly picture proving how much of an adventure it can be to cook with Shauna helping you out and modeling. Thanks ma'am!

Complete Recipe:
Asian Chicken Noodles
8 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each groun ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts or almonds

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally. Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken misture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into 4 serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts. Substitute; Use whatever vegetables you have on hand, such as snow peas, sliced bell peppers, sliced carrots or chopped red onions, instead of the broccoli.

Onion Straws/Rings/Fingers/Shoelaces - whatever you want to call them

2008-04-09T22:14:00.004-06:00

This post is dedicated to the moments in life when you just can't get enough fat and grease in your diet (to quote from Steel Magnolias). Today was my day for that :) I'm surprised there were any left to even take this picture - my roommate and I made these today and couldn't stop eating them. We'd put them in the oil, take them out, and put more in. When those were ready to come out there weren't any left from the batch before. You marinate the onions in buttermilk for at least an hour or two before you fry them up (as for me, I marinated them for two days - a little unnecessary, but oh so good). Here's the recipe:

PW’s Onion Straws
1 to 2 large onions
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 scant tablespoon salt
Lots of black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Canola Oil

Slice the onions very thin (you should be able to see the knife through the onion as you are slicing). Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk for at least one hour. Don't worry if they aren't completely submerged in it, but be sure they are coated. Next add flour to a bowl, add a scant of salt (which is just a little less than a tablespoon), then add your pepper - add a lot of pepper - don't restrain yourself. Next add the cayenne pepper - this is the ingredient that makes it taste so great - so don't be scared to add it - you won't even feel the burn with this amount. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone. Eat before your family sees them. Repeat with another onion, because they’ll be really mad they didn’t get any.

Trans Fats

2008-04-01T23:51:00.006-06:00

I have been learning a few interesting things lately about trans fats and since I haven't had time in my busy life to put on my beaner baker apron I thought I would share with you a few of these things. I mean, why not - maybe one of you has been thinking a lot about trans fats wishing you could know more. Who knows.
To quote my Fitness for Life book (Concepts of Physical Fitness 14th Edition, Corbin&Corbin, Welk&Welk) there has been a change in labeling laws in 2006 which has "led to some additions to labels. Food manufacturers are now required to list trans fat content on the Nutrition Facts portion of food labels. This action was prompted by the clear scientific evidence that trans fats are more likely to cause atherosclerosis and heart disease than are other types of fat...The FDA estimates that, through greater awareness and changes in food products, the labeling regulations will help prevent 600 to 1,200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250 to 500 deaths each year." Fairly interesting I thought. I was surprised I didn't know this earlier. Did anybody else know that they began to label trans fats on food labels? Who knew!
Well, if you had me beat and already knew this, here is a fact that you may not know: if your food label says that there are zero grams trans fats per serving in your favorite bag of Gardetto's or spoonful of Crisco, it doesn't necessarily mean that there are NO trans fats in them. It means that there is less than one gram per tablespoon. Okay, so 1 gram is about the weight of a paper clip - less then one gram may not seem like a lot - but is it??? They are allowed to round up or down so there may be 1/2 a gram of trans fats in a serving still being able to say it is a trans fat free food. If you are not sure if your food item is TRULY free of trans fats then check out the label - another word for trans fats is hydrogenated fats. So that is the trick to knowing if your food item is truly trans fat free.
Here are examples of what this means. I took a bag of handy dandy Scooby-Doo baked graham cracker sticks and clicked away:

A food company can market a product saying it is trans fat free

Yet it still contains trans fats - the serving size was just adjusted so that the math added up to 0 grams in that serving. So watch your serving sizes - if you are eating way more than the recommended serving size - you are more than likely getting your unrecommended daily dose of trans fats.
If you really want to be sure your food is completely free of trans fats, check out this link http://www.lilorbits.com/unimatic/ where you can get your very own Unimatic Machine - now who doesn't need one of those. Just give Shaq a call and he'll have it shipped to your door in no time. What a nice guy! Just be sure to call the right number if you live in Minnesota - they might mistake you for being a part of the U.S.A.

Yema (pronounced yea-ma)

2008-02-18T12:37:00.006-07:00

If any of you like sweetened condensed milk, this post is for you. Yema is one of my favorite candies from the Philippines. They would sell it on the streets and I could never resist buying some. It's fun to make with my neices and nephews who like to call it White Rabbit since it tastes similar to another Philippino candy. The recipe is very simple:
Yema Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
sugar

On medium heat, pour milk into a large non-stick pan (add cooking spray before if it's not a non-stick pan). Stir constantly, as it will burn easily, until it reaches hard-ball stage. If you're not sure when that is, take a small glass of cold water and pour a small amount of the milk into the cup with a spoon. If the milk stays in a ball when dropped into the milk and feels like it has a shell around it, then remove from the heat. Immediately pour milk onto a non-stick surface (I use a baking sheet). Form into balls (use a spoon to do this as it will be hot) and roll in the sugar. You can eat them now or after being chilled for a bit. They are a great way to give the kids a sugar high too since they ate half the plate of sugar before I finished making the candy!

Molten Chocolate Cake

2008-02-13T19:27:00.010-07:00

Molten Chocolate Cake is my favorite recipe. As a health educator, I've learned that it is important to enjoy your diet and that is why I include this recipe - how can I not enjoy CHOCOLATE. I tried to look for some good information about the health benefits to justify eating chocolate in this form but I was not very successful (obviously), but I did find some really interesting information on this website: http://www.allchocolate.com/health/nutrition/ and it spoke very highly of the antioxidants, minerals, and fats in dark chocolate and cocoa. So I guess I can't help you justify any kind of health benefit by eating these cakes, but I guarantee that you will have the benefit of happy tastebuds.

Ingredients:
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (Baker’s brand)
½ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 4 (3/4-cup) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups. Bake 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately. Can be topped with whipped cream or powered sugar, raspberries or candy canes. This cake forms a pudding in the middle.

I show this picture because I normally don't take the cakes out of the ramekins I bake them in. I like to serve them in the ramekins and pile a nice big blob of Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream on them. Too bad I don't have any today. Ramekins are fairly inexpensive to buy if you don't have any of your own. I got mine two-for-a-dollar at Target, I just wish I had bought more since I can't find them there anymore.

FACT

2008-02-13T16:19:00.004-07:00

"The earliest reference to salt is in The Book of Job written about 300 B.C. At one time, it was the custom to rub salt on newborn babies as a symbol of purity and to ensure their good health. Salt was once so scarce that it was used as money. Caesar's soldiers received part of their pay in common salt. This part of their pay was known as their "salarium", and from this came today's word "salary". The expression "not worth his salt" meant that a man did not earn his wages." - Contemporary Nutrition 6th edition by Wardlaw & Smith, p. 293
Now wouldn't Ceasar's soldiers think we were crazy if they found out that in the future we would be dumping their income all over our roads, driveways and sidewalks in the winter to melt the snow!

Sunflower Seeds

2008-01-24T14:41:00.001-07:00

Sunflower Seeds are great. They contain vitamins B-6, Thiamin and Folate. These vitamins each have important functions including releasing energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fat - giving you the energy you need from them, and decreases depression, meaning you are happier; helps your immunity, affects your nerve function - helping you think quicker and sleep better (something to keep in mind during finals or stressful situations), and if you are thinking about becoming pregnant or are pregnant they help with DNA synthesis decreasing the risk of your child being born with spina bifida and other neural tube defects (future fathers, it is also important for you to have enough of these vitamins to contribute to your babies health). Don't you agree - sunflowers seeds are an EASY way to be healthy!
Quick and easy ways to eat Sunflower Seeds are to grab a handful, put them in trail mix, or top your salad with them. I mixed almond butter with equal parts of honey and vinegar for the dressing - had I been grocery shopping lately it would have been great with cut apples or cranberries - but I guess you have to make do with what you have. Now it's your turn to help others out: how do you like to eat your sunflower seeds?

Grand Opening

2008-01-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the grand opening of the one and only Beaner Baker blog!!!!! Why is it called that, do you ask? Well, many of you have nicknamed me Beaner (Serena => Rena => Rener => Beaner is the exact history) and I love to cook/bake/eat. Most of all, I love to share what I know with others - whether it's about nutrition, a recipe, or how to have fun cooking. I'm not an expert, but my hope is that you can gain at least a smile from having looked at this (and maybe be a little hungry)! Let me know what you think, if you have any requests, and most of all.....ENJOY!