Far and Away...

The big announcement, put simply, is that we have moved! I got my wish, and by some miracle, we were able to return to the continental U.S. from Alaska. The sad part is, I had to say goodbye to some amazing friends that I will cherish and remember forever. Thank you to all of you who kept me sane, welcomed us into your homes, shared great dishes and memories, and made it all worthwhile.  Also, farewell to the best work buddies in the world....

To Benita and "Dan" and Aly and R, Maria and Julie, Randy and Tim, (and all those I'm forgetting to mention) and everyone we met along the way, thank you for your friendship. So to DB, two-hands, Karina and the waves, Mushie, Bam-Bam (Princess), AC, Flat-line, and all of you, I miss you all already, and never forget "That was Easy", and our favorite.. "GOOD FOR YOU" I will post pictures of our incredible journey, and describe what a frustrated chef on the road does in captivity this week.

Mac Attack

This is one of those days ~ one of those gloriously lazy relaxed days, during which you want nothing more than to sit back, put your feet into something fuzzy, yourself under a blanket, and watch movies that make you laugh, cry, wet your pants. You get the drift! You know you want comforting pasta in a rich, decadent cheese sauce, and you will do anything to get that taste. Having to utilize several cheeses before they went wonky, I devised the following recipe, and it hits all the right notes. Here's how you do it. First assemble all the winning cheeses on your work surface. Ok, you can throw them all in a bowl, I just thought this looked better...

From left to right we have Vermont sharp white cheddar, regular sharp cheddar, Parmesan, goat cheese and crumbled Danish blue cheese. Be still, my heart.  Then, you take about a half an onion and a clove of garlic, and mince very finely...saute' until completely soft, you do not want to feel the onion bits in the final dish, but you want the flavor. Here is my onion garlic mixture at the end of their saute' time...

Then, add two tablespoons flour, and two tablespoons butter, cook until the roux has lost it's floury taste, and is slightly browned, like so...

Then, gradually whisk in two cups liquid such as; chicken stock, milk, water or a combination. Bring slowly up to a simmer whisking quite frequently, until thickened. Do not jack your heat up, or walk away, milk has a tendency to go postal, breach the rim of your saucepan, and pretty much ruin your day stove top! Remove from the heat, and stir in all those glorious cheeses, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, some salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and perhaps some paprika for color, like so...

When all the cheeses have melted into your sauce, pour over your cooked pasta, and don't forget to lick the spatula or saucepan, that sauce is amazing!! Here is mine, ready for the breadcrumb topping...

I added a little more cayenne (I'm spicy like that, remember?), some salt & pepper and some paprika..just look at that velvety sauce! I then mix panko Japanese breadcrumbs, chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley, dried tarragon and salt & pepper in a small bowl to go over the casserole, and sprinkle on evenly.

Dot with butter, and place in a 350 degree oven for forty minutes. Here's my precious cargo, ready for the oven...

Bake until the casserole is bubbling, and the crumb topping has turned a nice light golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes or so, enough so that the cheeses begin to firm up a little, which holds the casserole together a little better. Here is a view of the luscious final product.....

I have always followed tried-and true macaroni and cheese recipes before, and this was one of my first ventures without the benefit of a recipe. The verdict? The combination of cheeses was unbelievable! Every now and again, I'd hit a little pocket of goat cheese, and the slightly tangy flavor exploded on my tongue, the panko breadcrumb and herb mixture retained it's crunch, and the whole dish was a resounding success!

What cheese dish can you not live without? What makes it so good?

In case, loyal readers, you think I have forgotten about THE QUEST (for healthy work breakfasts and lunches), here is a recent example. 

Let me tell you, that a mutant (HUGE) Fuji apple, and some natural crunchy peanut butter can fill you up, and quickly, too. Strangely enough, I was blessed with a huge amount of energy that day. Hmmmmm, wonder why?

Eat well, and cozy up to some real macaroni and cheese, my friends....see you next post, with the big announcement!

Brunette or Blonde?

I admit it freely and without guilt. I. CANNOT. MAKE. BROWNIES. Boxed or scratch, fudgy or regular...the brownie Gods have never smiled upon me, ever. Hey, don't laugh, although a self-taught cook for the last thirty years, I can, in fact bake. I know someone who can't make rice, ok? Ok, self-defense moment over. They are always sodden in the middle, and a little too crispy on the edges. And yes, before you pixie-helpers chime in, I've paid attention to weather conditions, oven temperatures and the like, I'm a cook, remember? Anyway, I simply had to post this photo, because I had success in a related realm.

BLONDIES!!! That worked! That were cut into actual bars....that stayed being bars! First of all, I could not believe it, secondly, my co-workers were certainly happy, and thirdly....I...MADE....SOMETHING...RESEMBLING...BROWNIES...THAT...WORKED!!

What one dish did you finally conquer?

Next; really and truly conquering brownie land. Will I get brownie points? Pixie Points...oooooh, there's a concept!  Eat well, my friends.

I'm a Copycat...no, really!

After being forcibly jacked out of my lovely Northern California by the economy, I missed some of the restaurant dishes that I enjoyed on my rare breaks from the kitchen. One of those dishes; "P.F. Chang's soothing lettuce wraps" was definitely on that list. So, after the usual web-crawling, I settled on a recipe that sounded like the real deal. You can find that version here.

As with most Asian recipes, the wraps are prep-heavy, and quick to cook. Here is a view of my prep for the wraps.

From left to right, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and jalapeno....minced scallions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and rice noodles which have been fried until puffed up and crispy.  Next, marinating the chicken in a mixture that includes cornstarch, sherry and soy.

Then, wash and seperate some immaculate-looking iceberg lettuce leaves. A few have commented that they prefer romaine or butter lettuce for this, and I'm down with that. Whatever gets your crunch on for you best.

After stir-frying the chicken and the vegetation, adding in the easy-to-make sauce mix, and prepping the service bowl with the broken up rice noodles, we have a meal. 

The verdict? Really nice...what I love about the dish is the crunch factor of the lettuce, the crispy rice noodles as well as the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. The crunchy blends nicely with the meaty chicken pieces and the wraps themselves leave you feeling full and satisfied, but not sack-of-quarters-in-my-stomach full and satisfied.

Which restaurant dish have you successfully re-created? Does it taste just like the original?

Eat well my friends, and prepare to have your sweet tooth satisfied with the desserts I'm making for the best crew in the world, the people I work with!

Let Your....MEAT.....LOAF!

Hahahah I know, the title was an obvious joke, but I like that sort of thing. Making a week-night meal completely from scratch is not difficult. This may be a revelation for those of you, like me, who work all day and come home very tired. The day I made this meal, I had been awake since four am, worked an eight-hour day, and was tired indeed. This is how you make a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and honey-lemon carrots ~ without feeling overwhelmed at the end of your day. Preheat your oven to a toasty 400 degrees and begin your prep. First, chop about a half an onion and a half a green bell pepper quite small, like so...

Then, saute the onion and pepper with a minced clove of garlic in some canola or vegetable oil until softened completely...like this...

Then, soak a slice or two of bread, in a couple tablespoons of milk. This step (as well as the sauteed vegetables) keeps your meatloaf moist and light, instead of being a baked meat-brick...

Then, put your ground beef into a mixing bowl and add the pepper and onion, the bread, an egg, salt and pepper, garlic powder, steak sauce, hot sauce and finely chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley. Sidebar note; since this was a weeknight, as I used each ingredient (and they all ended up in the bowl you are about to see), I put the ingredient away, and the dish/bowl/utensil in the dishwasher. I make myself  "clean as I go", because then I will not leave a great whopping mess to clean up on a work night.  On to the newly combined meatloaf mixture...

Now, get right in there, and mix all together well. Do not over-mix, you don't want meat mush, you want meat loaf! Now, here is where a lot of folks mess up the loaf-a-licious-ness. You do NOT, I repeat, not want to bake the meat loaf in an actual loaf pan. Why? Well where is the fat from the meat going to go while it bakes? That's right, you smartie, you...it's going to pool up around the meat instead of draining away from the loaf. Here's what you want to do.  Form the meat loaf by pressing it into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, or lightly greased.  Like this.....

Then, take the meatloaf and carefully turn it upside down into the actual baking dish you are using to bake it in...and combine the following for a yummy tomato-ey sauce.

One small can of tomato sauce, about two tablespoons of brown sugar, and about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Add some salt and pepper, pour over your meatloaf, and pop into the oven. Here is mine, ready for baking....

And oh yes, it tastes just as good as it looks, trust me. Now...I know you have been good little pixie-cooks and have been practicing "clean-as-you-go", so while the meatloaf is going for an hour-long journey, you've got plenty of time. Relax, sip your wine, wash and partially peel enough potatoes for mashing...

I leave a little peel on for nutritional and texture reasons...yes, the peel contains more nutrients than the flesh of the potato. But, you knew that, right? Chunk them, throw them into a pot and add enough water to cover, about a teaspoon of salt, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a good simmer, and cook until tender. Mash with butter, milk, salt, pepper, whatever your favorite mashed-potato technique is. I like roasting garlic and mashing in those lovely softened cloves, what great flavor! Here are my chunks ready for boiling....

I know you've cleaned up from getting the potatoes ready, but keep that peeler handy ~ and peel and roll-cut enough carrots to feed your bunch.  Roll cutting is simply making a cut, and turning the vegetable a quarter-turn before each cut. This is what it looks like....

Then, place them in a pan, add about a quarter cup of water cover the pan amd cook until tender. Remove the cover and continue to cook until the water is mostly evaporated and add a couple tablespoons of honey, lemon rind, lemon juice, a couple tablespoons chopped flat-leaved parsley and some salt and pepper. Here are mine in the pan after the cooking until tender step....

By now, your meatloaf is done and resting on the counter, your potatoes are mashed and keeping warm, your carrots are bathing in lemon-honey goodness (and keeping warm), and your kitchen is not thrashed. Pour off the tomato gravy into a small saucepan, add a little ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and cider vinegar, taste for seasoning and you've made the gravy. Service with a smile, and lemon garnish, anyone?

Now, I have fed my family (and I know that is not a huge portion on the plate ~ but remember, pixie-portions!), a meal that is not boxed, pre-packaged, filled with useless chemicals, and most importantly, made with love and care.

What do you take the time to make from scratch, knowing the effort is worth it?

Eat well, my friends, and eat less processed foods. Your body will thank you for it.

Danger around every corner....

When achieving a desired goal, such as weight loss, one must protect oneself from the pitfalls of the plenty. By this I mean that generally speaking, as Americans we are surrounded by a variety and quantity of food that is really embarrassing. The nutritional quality of this food is usually not what it should be, either. Case in point...the other day my workplace had (of course) a bake sale. A co-worker purchased this...

Now at the outset, this might look like a perfectly healthy "fruit pizza". No. Let us be clear, when you pile fruit on top of cream cheese, on a cookie-dough crust? To my way of thinking, this completely negates any healthful benefit derived from the actual fruit. I think that many convince themselves that since there is fruit involved, it would actually be a healthy treat. I consider that very selective thinking, to say the least.

I steadfastly refused to have even one piece of it, although co-workers were pressuring me mightily. When they asked why I would not have any, I simply mentioned that I had lost six pounds and did not want to sabotage my hard-earned slimness. Instead, when I craved a little cheesy goodness, this is what I busted out of my lunch box.

A little sharp and delicious goat cheese with whole grain crackers. It's all about choices, you know? I have found that I do indeed have will power when it comes to food, and I'm proud of my choices.

What pressure did you stand up to, and how did it make you feel?

Eat well, my friends...and the meatloaf tutorial is coming soon....

By Popular Request!

By popular request, the very first video I made for the Real Women of Philadelphia cooking competition.

http://www.youtube.com/user/allymv1?feature=mhum#p/u/5/bX0Ftzmsenc

What I learned during this first try...well, you DO NOT need to wear more make-up than a lady-of-the-evening just because you have a camera on.

You do not need to take up nine minutes of filming time, just because your limit is ten minutes.

Stove top lights and open windows are distracting at best.

That, and many more lessons from video number one. I will try to post each video, as the contest went along, so that you may see how I refined everything from how long each dish took, to my "look", to my ease on camera. Just because I majored in Drama, does not mean I am totally at ease in front of the camera, you know!

What did you do that was "outside the box" for you? How did it feel at the time? How do you feel about it now?

Eat well, and stand by for meat loaf fun.....