Under Pressure

My pressure cooker is definitely the most underused appliance in my kitchen.  So when I was browsing cookbooks recently at the library, a cookbook specializing in pressure cooker recipes caught my eye.  We chose three recipes for the menu this week:

Pot Roast with Potatoes

By and far the best recipe of the three, but definitely took the most time to prepare.  It was a good choice for a  Sunday night dinner, and had lots of great flavor.



Enchilada-Glazed Chicken Tacos

This made a tasty, saucy shredded chicken, which we served with flour tortillas, rice and beans and for the grown-ups, sliced avocado.  (Though the kids can try this whenever they like!)
However tasty it was, though, my taco completely fell apart.  Leftovers were taco "bowls" with all the fixings.


Pork Chops with Buttery Apples served over Shaved Brussels Sprouts

This was definitely the worst recipe of the three.  Overdone pork, apples turned to mushy sauce, and watery shaved Brussels sprouts.  Brian and I each ate a bit and it did little more than "fill the belly."  All leftovers were promptly discarded and we tried to forget the sadness of this recipe.


So....thoughts on pressure cookers.

1.  The "browning" feature?  It doesn't really brown, at least not as well as on the stovetop.

2.  I didn't find any of these recipes to be a huge timesaver.  The pot roast recipe took about three hours.  Which, I guess, is a timesaver compared to how long it takes to make a pot roast and potatoes in the oven.

That being said, I'd still try some different recipes with the pressure cooker.  It is great for "set it and forget it" until it's time to depressurize.  Think we'll stick to weekends, though.

Summer Wrap-Up

Look at that!  A whole month went by with no posts.

That's not to say that we haven't been eating.  Obviously, we ate, or I wouldn't be here to write this!  We had a lot of good stuff, not that I can remember all of it for this post.  I found a bangin' recipe for chicken caprese that was out of this world good.  I'd post a pic, but every since I replaced my phone a couple of months ago when my youngest dropped it at Disney World, I can't auto-update photos from my phone.  So here's the recipe:  Chicken Caprese.  Normally I'm not a fan of grape tomatoes, but they really worked in this dish.

Another Pinterest recipe that I tried this summer:  Nectarine and Basil Pizza.    I substituted peaches which was a mistake, because the peach crop this year was abysmal.  Well, at least in the grocery stores it was, I have YET to go peach picking!  Another tip....don't try to make it a quicker dinner by using a Boboli crust.  It just didn't work.  Eating weird-textured peaches on a boboli feels like you are eating a very sad cracker.

Now we're starting to get towards fall, and tonight I made chili.  It wasn't quite "chili weather" but it still tasted good.  oh, and meatballs for the freezer.  Now THOSE came out well!

Tomorrow night we're having a chicken ginger stir-fry, and trying a new recipe on Tuesday.  It's chicken with artichokes and red potatoes.  Looking forward to it.  And though I don't update often, I'm glad to be back!

Dismal.

Yes.  Dismal is the word that I would use for the cooking that's gone on recently in our home.  That's because when you plan on going away for a weekend, plus the two adult household members are out of the house three nights per week (not together mind you.  Though that does sound nice!) you tend to slide into Rutville.  That's us all right....we have a new address in Rutville. 

This weekend food-wise was unfortuately all about junkfood.  I blame it on the traveling.  Plus we went to PA to visit family and the boys of course got spoiled, with the trick-or-treating at the campground, plus donuts, cookies and other sweet treats that they don't know how to say no to.  And since they don't get a lot of this at home, a little spoiling is good. 

Then an all-time low:  cereal for the writer for dinner on Sunday night, and then GASP!  I forgot to eat dinner last night. Well, I didn't forget to eat per se....I ended up having a few of the boys tater tots.  I was going to make myself a sandwich after the aforementioned tots, but got busy and simply forgot.  My stomach reminded me two hours later as I was unpacking and sorting clothes and doing all those things that fall by the wayside when you're traveling and doing too goddamn much.  Did I find something substantial to eat?  No.  I waited until Brian got home and we had a little ice cream.  He was adventurous and brought me home pumpkin ice cream.  Normally I like it, but this was a brand I'd never had before.  It was disappointing.  Not much pumpkin flavor, heavy on the spices.  And the aftertaste....ugh.  So to bed hungry it was.

But the light at the end of this dismal period is shining. There will be a "real" dinner of Chicken Quesadillas tonight. I started writing a menu today for next week and found myself looking at recipes for Beef and Pineapple Tacos, and stuffed peppers with sausage, onion and potato.  I really want to make some Butternut Squash and Apple soup, even if it's only me that eats it.

Good things....they'll be back soon.

Ending the Year with....Meatloaf??

Last year the final post of 2009 was a gorgeous cake that we were bringing to a New Year's Party.  And let me tell you, it was just as good-tasting as it was gorgeous!

This year=no cake.  :(  We're having a quiet New Year's celebration at home, with some snacks, TV and a hockey game.  Plus, as I have learned in the past couple of months, if the sweets are in the house, I will pick at them until they are gone.  That's why you didn't see a lot of posts about Christmas Cookies this year.  Yes, there were some cookies (baked on Christmas Eve and then the leftovers sent home with my mom for another family party on Christmas day)  because it just is not Christmas without some cookies.  I weighed in last night at my weight loss group and I have lost (ta-da) EIGHT pounds since 11/12/10!  That's a miracle!!  Honestly, I haven't had a tough time thus far.  I think it's because I have been eating things that I really want, just less of them.  I still eat ice cream.  I still put sugar in my coffee.  And I still enjoy carbs.  I just eat ice cream one or two nights a week instead of every night.  I no longer take my coffee light and sweet.  And I'm (still) learning that portion sizes don't have to be an entire plate.  I'm starting to appreciate the simple flavors of things, like sliced cucumber with just a hint of salt instead of heaped with dressing.  It's a whole new world out there.

So, I had mentioned in my previous post about a new cookbook for busy families.  Brian perused it while making the menu for the week and came across a recipe for Mini Barbecue Meatloaves.  We're always looking for something different to do with a pound of ground beef besides spaghetti sauce or tacos.  The night it was scheduled to debut on our dinner table, he read the recipe as he was pulling out ingredients and discovered something displeasing:  the reason why it was a quick recipe is because you cook the meatloaves in the microwave!  (Ga-ross.)

I love the microwave.  It's great for leftovers, melting butter for a recipe, warming up some formula for the baby and the like.  But a main course started and finished there?  Hmmmm....that sounds like a disaster.  Meat tends to get rubbery in there.  But still.....we forged on to give it a fair chance.

You know what it came out tasting like?  Barbecue meatloaf.  It was just fine!  The meatloaf patties were moist and not at all rubbery.  So we've made an agreement to utilize this oft-overlooked appliance and try more recipes with it.  Because really, dinner ready in fifteen minutes is pretty cool.

Happy New Year, everyone!  (or to the four people that read this)  I hope it brings good food, good times and great memories.  :)

When in Doubt, Throw it Out

I've been dieting the past few weeks and I've been doing pretty well.  Snacks of whatever fattening thing I can find have been replaced with ones containing fruit, vegetable and/or protein.  It's been a lot of changes along the way, but I seem to be doing OK.

A common snack for me now is hummus, vegetables and some crackers or my ultimate fave, Stacey's Pita Chips.  I take a paper dessert plate at work, divide it in half and put cucumbers and baby carrots on one side and some pita chips or Triscuits on the other side.  (the days of bringing the bag of pita chips back to my desk are over.  I might as well just strap on a feeding bag like a horse.) 

Know what makes a grumpy day even grumpier?  Covering a cracker with garlic hummus and taking a big bite, then looking at the container and discovering that it's furry.  Mmmmm....mold on my hummus.  that wasn't quite the vegetables I had in mind!  Guess who's turned off from hummus for a while?  This girl. 

Just Plain Wrong

 Brian had an interesting story to share from work today.  Apparently there is a "Weight Watchers at Work" group at his place of employment.  Since his desk is thisclose to the lobby, he often hears them getting out of their meeting, and is treated to these people sharing stories about points, recipes and weight loss.  Today, some of the participants brought their versions of slimmed-down treats.  Well, Brian didn't know that these were "slimmed down," so when one woman offered him a brownie, he took it.  It wasn't exactly a good brownie...and the woman asked him what he thought.  Not wanting to be impolite, he said "Well....it's....a little dry."  And then she tells him the reason why:  one of the main ingredients?  Is BLACK BEAN PUREE.  I'm serious.  And another person had chocolate chip cookies.  With CHICK PEAS IN THEM.  Seriously, if you are looking for a brownie you can eat without feeling guilty?  Stop at one brownie.  Both of us agree that we'd rather have no brownies or chocolate chip cookies at all than ones made with black beans and chick peas.  Man, I barely like hummus. 

I asked Brian if she had made this recipe up herself.  He said he wasn't sure, so out of my morbid curiosity, I googled it.  (God Bless Google!)  Oh no......there are actually a lot of recipes out there for black bean brownies and chocolate chip-chickpea cookies.   C'mon...really??  One website actually went as far as to call their brownies "amazing!"   To quote Susan Powter...."Stop the Insanity!!"

(p.s.  I have nothing against Weight Watchers, or handy tricks to lose weight.  Or good recipes that are lower in fat and calories.)

Surprise! Taste Changes

I've been saying it for years:  I like seafood.  But I despise seafood salad.  Lobster, crab....love it.  But when you mix it with mayo and put it on a roll, well, YUCK! 

Then I found myself at work the other day, putting out food for their food program.  Lunch was seafood salad on whole wheat, three-bean salad and fruit.  Having had a very quick bowl of cereal for breakfast, I was starving!  Like black-hole-FEED ME kind of starving!  I eyed the seafood salad cautiously, and said "What the hell." 

I was surprised!  While I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either.  I think the difference is that this seafood salad was chopped very fine and wasn't saturated with mayo.  And the wheat bread made a difference, too.  It's not something I'd order on my own, but good to know that if it's the only thing available I won't go home hungry.  :)

Do-Over

Last month I made a ham and potato casserole from the 9x13 Cookbook and it came out ghastly.  I shredded my own potatoes instead of using frozen shredded hash browns because I was trying to be thrifty, and it turned out gray and it had the consistency of boiled cabbage. 

Do over!  This one came out perfect, with just the right amount of cheese flavor.  The only thing I would do differently is to dice the onions instead of thinly slicing them, so they would distribute more evenly.  For some reason, looking at it on the plate reminds me of Eggs Benedict.  Hmmmm........now I want Eggs Benedict.  :)

Just Peachy

What is it about peaches?? You buy them at the grocery store and they're rock solid! You set them out to ripen, come back in two days and they are so moldy/slimy that there's no salvaging them! I got a nasty, rotten surprise when I stuck my hand in the bag to get one to take with my lunch. Augh!

I'm crushing on a pie recipe in Taste of Home this month. It's a sour cream peach pecan pie. I attempted a peach pie once and the bottom was soaking wet. So I'm a little apprehensive....especially if the peaches can't stay useable long enough in my kitchen!

Coffee Shop Treats

Today I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and I've made a pivotal turn. The morning sickness has subsided, and I appear to be all about the food!

I had a three hour diabetes test today, and I had to fast from midnight on. Basically, the lab takes your blood when you arrive, and you drink this nasty, thick, sugary orange beverage. Then they take your blood every hour for the next three. You are not allowed to leave the doctor's office during this time, so be sure to bring a book or other entertainment. By the time I left it was lunchtime and I was ravenous! Before heading to work, I treated myself to a Panera lunch. I hadn't been there in a while and it certainly didn't disappoint.

I got the "Pick-Two" special, with summer corn chowder and a smoked turkey sandwich on cheese focciacia. Wow! I've wanted some corn chowder for a while now and this one was delicious. The corn was roasted and there were peppers in the chowder, so it had a Southwestern flavor. But you could still taste the buttery goodness that is essential in corn chowder. And focciacia rocks just by itself; add some smoked turkey, greens and chipotle mayo and it's out of here! I had that happy, warm feeling that you get when you've eaten something really pleasing. I haven't felt that way in a very long time, it made my afternoon before heading to work.

I have always had an aspiration for owning a coffee shop. I worked for a small specialty coffee shop duirng my college days at Salve, and I loved making coffee drinks and fancy sandwiches, baking cinnamon buns and huge chocolate chip cookies and cutting slices of scrumptious baked goods for customers. I also enjoyed the atmosphere with our regulars and tourist customers, experiencing their pleasure over our specials and new bakery items. Yeah, I'm probably viewing it through nostalgia-tinted lenses, but these are the parts that I remember. Maybe someday when Brian and I retire we can make that dream come true. Sitting in Panera today and being so pleased made me revisit those fond days.

Food.....Nah

Due to morning sickness, I haven't been posting much about food. Well, I haven't wanted to even think about food all that much!!

Oh, yes! Will's going to be a big brother in January!!

So lately I've been subsisting on saltines, rice, mashed potatoes yogurt and peanut butter and jelly. Forget veggies (especially my usual favorite, asparagus) anything Mexican-style, fried or sour. I personally find it hilarious that I have a nice garden in the back yard that I currently won't enjoy a single thing from. Hopefully I'll only have a couple of weeks more of this. Some days are better than others.

However, I'm already having bizarre pregnancy dreams, and they involve around food. For instance, I dreamt about fresh pesto today. Maybe it's time to try that again. And pie! And Hostess Cupcakes! Oh, I LOVED those when I was pregnant with Will!!

Ok, Blog Friends: What kinds of pregnancy cravings did you have?

Feeling Devilish

I am posting this because I know that a lot of people like Deviled Eggs. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I've just never been a fan, hard-boiled eggs are on a short list of things that I just don't like. (Along with hummus, lamb, mint and lima beans.) So I make these mostly for Brian, who really likes them. He also likes egg salad, which I wouldn't eat even if my life depended on it! When I make egg salad, I call it "A Labor of Love." :)

These are really simple, and a good summery food for a cookout or a picnic. Be sure to keep them cold though, and not leave them out too long.

Start off with hard-boiled eggs, salt and pepper, a little chili powder, onion powder, mustard and mayonnaise. I really don't measure ingredients here, I just kind of throw them in a bowl until it looks good. (figuratively, not literally.) And you can make as many as you want. I had five eggs to use up, so it'll make ten deviled eggs. (I once made eight DOZEN deviled eggs for a potluck, I don't suggest doing that!!)

Crack the shells on the eggs by rolling them around on a cutting board. Then cut the egg in half, and scoop the yolks out and put the yolk in a bowl.

Add mayonnaise, mustard, chili powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to the yolks. Like I said, I don't measure. But try not to put a whole LOT of mayo in there, or the mixture will be gooshy.

Scoop the yolk mixture back into the egg halves. Sprinkle the halves with a little parsley for a punch of color. Then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Voila!

Not a Chance

I know that I usually say I'll try anything once....and it has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion. Over the years, I've found myself eating things like scrapple, or whatever concoction my college buddies mixed into a dessert at a birthday dinner in a restaurant. Or salsa con queso and sour patch kids on a dare. (yes....blech) But I found something today that I would, quote the song about Mr. Grinch, "touch with an eleven-and-a-half foot pole"......liver and onions!

Liver? Really? Why would you want to eat an organ that's responsible for removing toxic impurities from the body? Seriously!!

Gastronomically Pleasing...?

Ok, this is probably one of the grossest food options that I have ever heard of.

I went looking on Google to do a Wordless Wednesday this week on The Carpool Lane blog,I was looking for a Pepto-Bismol ad that I had seen recently of an ice cream sundae topped with Pepto instead of hot fudge. I thought that was the most disgusting ad that I had ever seen and of course, I'm of the "This is gross! Check it out!" generation.

However, when I typed in "Pepto Bismol Ice Cream Ad" I came up with something faaarrrrrr more disturbing: a blogger who made her own Pepto Bismol Ice Cream!! I guess I can kind of see the point....but still! Ice cream is one of my nearest and dearest favorites....I now have this photo in my head forever!!

I think I'll skip my bowl of coffee ice cream tonight. I just don't feel like it.