Wednesday, November 30, 2011

BTL and Tomato Salad

Bacon. Why does it taste so good?? LOVE IT!!! This is super easy, but I think the pictures turned out well.

BTL
2 Servings: 1 Sandwich each

    1. Preheat oven to 425. 
    2. Lay bacon flat on baking sheet covered in foil
    3. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
    4. Remove bacon from oven and drain on paper towel.
    5. Toast bread and apply desired amount of Mayo.
    6. Top with Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce, Cheese, and Salt and Pepper.
Tomato Salad
  • 4 Roma Tomatoes-Diced
  • 1/2 English Cucumber-Diced 
  • 1/2 Red Onion-Sliced 
  • 1/4-1/2 Cup Italian Dressing
  • Salt and Pepper
    1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 
    2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.




Don't worry... I ate the last piece of cucumber. 

  

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

  • 2 Cans Black Bean
  • 2 Cup Chicken Stock 
  • 1 Can Ro Tel (Tomato and Pepper Mix)
  • 1 Large Carrot-Grated
  • 1/4 Onion-Chopped
  • 1/4 Bell Pepper-Chopped
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
    1. Add first can of beans to pot. Using a fork, smash second can of beans. Mix in Stock and Ro Tel. 
    2. Add Carrot, Onion, Pepper, Garlic, Cumin and Salt and Pepper. 
    3. Saute over medium low heat for 25 minutes. 
      • Serve with Sour Cream and Shredded Cheese
I left my soup chunky but you can use an immersion blender or regular blender (Be careful) if you would like a thicker-smoother soup.

Latin Chicken

  • 4 Chicken Thighs 
  • 1 Package Sazon
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
    2. Mix seasonings together. 
    3. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken (Avoid touching chicken because Sazon will stain hands)
    4. Bake on a sheet pan for 25-35 minutes depending on size of chickens. 






    The crispy skin really is the best part!! 
    I left my soup chunky, but you can blend until smooth. 











    Tuesday, November 29, 2011

    Baked Salmon and Broccoli with Risotto for One

    I made this for myself one night when Huck was out of town.

    Baked Salmon
    • 1 4 oz Salmon Filet 
    • 1/2 tsp Rosemary-Chopped
    • 1 tsp Olive Oil
    • 1/2 tsp Garlic
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
      • Preheat oven to 350
      • Combined Rosemary, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. 
      • Rub mixture onto fish. 
      •  Bake fish, on baking sheet, 12-15 minutes until fish will flack off easily with a fork. 
     Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower
    • 1/2 Cup Broccoli 
    • 1/2 Cup Cauliflower 
    • 1 tsp Olive Oil
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
      • Preheat oven to 350
      • Toss vegetables with oil and salt and pepper. 
      • Place on baking sheet in oven for 12-15 minutes or until tender.
    Risotto
    • 1/2 Cup Arborio Rice 
    • 1 Cup Chicken Stock
    • 2 Tbsp White Wine
    • 2 Tbsp Onion-Chopped
    • 1 tsp Garlic-Chopped
    • 1 tsp Oil
    • 1 tsp Butter
    • 1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese- Grated
    • Salt and Pepper to Taste
      • Heat stock in pan over medium low heat. 
      • Add oil to another pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute until soften. 
      • Add rice and coat with oil. 
      • Add wine and ladle stock in a few Tbsp at a time. Stir rice. Add more liquid when rice appears dry. Continue to stir rice.
      • When all the stock is added, stir in butter, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.


    Beer Ice Cream Sandwich

    I went through my phone and decided to upload some old recipes. I wanted to start with my favorite one :)

    Beer Ice Cream
    • 1 Pint Vanilla Ice Cream
    • 1 Cup Beer (I used a pecan brown ale from Lazy Magnolia)
      • Reduce beer in sauce pan over low to medium low heat until thick. It should coat a spoon. Stir often because the beer will burn easily and you will have to start over is this happens. 
      • Cool beer in refrigerator until cold.
      • Remove ice cream from freezer to soften so mixing will be easier. 
      • Mix beer with ice cream and place back in freezer until ready to use. 

    Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Recipe from Nestle Toll House plus my addition of beer.    

    • 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1 Cup Butter-Softened 
    • 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
    • 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar-Packed
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 2 Large Eggs
    • 1/2 Cup Beer-Reduced
    • 1 Package Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • 1 Cup Chopped Nuts
      • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
      • Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in beer. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate and nuts. 
      • Measure (1 Tbsp for small sandwiches 2 Tbsp for large) cookie mixture and place on baking sheet. 
      • Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Finish cooling on wire racks. 
    To make sandwiches, remove ice cream from freezer and allow to soften slightly. Scoop desired amount of ice cream onto one cookie. Place another cookie on top. I finely chopped extra chocolate chips and nuts and rolled each sandwich in mixture. Wrap in foil or parchment paper and place in freezer until ready to serve. 

      


    They started to melt during their photo shoot! 







    Monday, November 28, 2011

    Worst Day Ever

    This morning started with a smack to the face. Huck hit me in the forehead this morning while he was sleeping.
    To make up for waking me up, he cooked me breakfast while I was getting ready for work.


    Rainbow on my way to work 

    I arrived to work at 7:45. I was nervous because it has been years since I worked in an office setting and my last boss was an argent ASS! After an hour or so, I started to feel more comfortable. The doctor and staff seemed nice.

    And then it all changed! The Clinical Manager called me into her office. She told the Practice Manager I was a Radiology Tech. I have a Basic X-Ray Safety Certificate BIG DIFFERENCE. It clearly states this on my resume and we had a detailed discussion about it during my interview. Because of this, they told me they would not be able to pay me the original salary we discussed, I would only be part-time, and they would have me work in the Jensen Beach office (an hour from my house)! I told her the pay was an insult to me. I have been working in Healthcare for 7 years. My first job paid more then they offered me. I collected my things and left. 

    I sat down in my car and started crying! And cried the whole way home. I wanted this job. I love my 3 12's a week. I'm not a 9-5 kind of person. After moping around for a while, I thought some Chocolate Chip Cookies would make me feel better. 


    They didn't. 

    After a two hour nap, I made spaghetti for dinner. 



    I used my favorite jarred pasta sauce, Ragu Super Vegetable Primavera, 1 lb ground sirloin, and 3/4 lb pasta. I had some buns leftover that I toasted with butter and garlic powder. And a salad on the side completed my dinner.    


    This is my favorite store bought dressing 
    Cooking dinner did not help either!!

    So, I am officially unemployed! It is a very scary feeling! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!! I hope it doesn't get any worse!!

    Has anyone else quit a job on their first day?? 

    Beer Bread Bowls

    Today, Huck turned the big 3-1!!  I decided to surprise him with an awesome Birthday present I found. :)

    He really liked it. I gave him his real present later. I bought him a few polo shirts and the book Brewing up a Business by the founder of Dogfish Head.

    For lunch, he wanted me to use the Spent Grains I dried last night. I decided to make bread bowls with Turkey Soup. I was out of yeast, so I used a recipe for beer bread I have. I do not know where I seen this recipe, but it is so easy. The original recipe only has 4 ingredients: Flour, Beer, Sugar, and Butter.

    Beer Bread with Spent Grains
    • 3 Cups Self Rising Flour
    • 3 Tbsp Sugar
    • 1/2 Cup Spent Grains
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1 12oz Beer
    • 2 Tbsp Melted Butter 
      • Preheat oven to 350.
      • Mix first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. 
      • Add beer. Beer will foam up a little. 
      • Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into a ball. 
      • Place on cookie sheet and rub with melted butter. 
      • Bake for 30-40 minutes. 
    If making into a loaf, bake for 40-60 minutes. Also, this recipe can be made without the Spent Grains. This was my first time using them for this recipe.
    *The bread was great right out of the oven, but it was very dense and chewy the next day. Just a heads up!  


    I wanted a beer that was light in flavor for this recipe

    Ready for the Soup

    Easy Turkey and Rice Soup

    • 1 Cup Turkey-Cooked and Diced
    • 1/4 Cup Onion-Diced 
    • 1/4 Cup Carrot-Diced
    • 1/4 Cup Broccoli-Chopped
    • 3 Cup Chicken Stock
    • 1/3 Cup Rice
    • 1 Tsp Thyme
    • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
    • 1 Bay Leaf 
      • Saute onion and carrots. Add turkey, broccoli, stock, thyme, garlic, bay, and rice. 
      • Simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done. 


    Enjoying his new book by the pool

    Huck surprised me with flowers and a card to wish me good luck on my new job tomorrow. He is the best!! 

    Our crazy eyed puppy with is mohawk hair
    Tomorrow, it's back to the real world. Goodnight!


    Saturday, November 26, 2011

    Football and Beer

    Today, I woke up early (not by choice) and Huck suggested we go to breakfast. We went to the Lazy Loggerhead Cafe at Carlin Park in Jupiter. The few times we have passed by the parking lot, it has been full, and a lot of reviews I read said they have the best hashbrowns. I ordered the Benedict Arnold. I was hesitant to because of the price, $11.75, but Huck talked me into it. Like most Egg Benedict, it was two poached eggs, ham, and cheese on an English muffin. Their Benedict's came with grilled tomatoes, basil, and spinach too. And it was huge. I ate half. Maybe. The price did not seem as bad when I seen how much food I got. When I seen the Hashbrowns, I was confused. With all the reviews I read online I was expecting "real" Hashbrowns. This was like Hashbrown Patties (Think McDonalds). They were good (I like Hashbrowns) but definitely not the best.
    I did not eat all this :) 
    Huck ordered the Western Omelet with Hashbrowns and Toast. I was so distracted by all the food in front of me, I did not pay much attention to Huck's breakfast. He said the hashbrowns and fruit was really good, but the cheese sauce on the omelet killed it for him.


    We picked up a map of Jupiter, and thought it was funny we looked like tourist in the city we live in. Bethlehem doesn't have maps. Oh and each meal is served with a juice, in what looked like a shot glass.

    Huck was so amazed by this bottle
    The beach was closed today due to rip current and Man o' War which I just found out is like a Jelly Fish. Scary!!


    Where is the Beach? 

    I can take a nice picture. 

    Huck, not so much

    Now the fun stuff... Beer and Football!! We watched UGA beat Tech today :) and every other football game that came on, I think. Huck started a batch of his version of Sweetwater 420. Since our garage is in another building, I agreed to let him make it inside. It is very strong and the whole house smells like a brewery afterwards.
    All the supplies to make beer minus the hops.

    Adding the grains to steep.
    Checking to make sure everything is looking ok.

    Spent Grains straining. Some of these will be used to make yummy stuff later. 

    Just like steeping tea. All the flavor is in the liquid in the bottom of the bucket. 

    This is what causes the fermentation in the beer.  

    Hops

    This will ferment for 7-10 days. 


    Now back to the Spent Grains.

    A few years ago me and Huck went to a Brewery that served Spent Grain bread with the grains that are leftover from the brewing process. It was one of the best breads I have ever tried (or it may have just been the homemade whipped butter). I keep some of the grains to dry and use for baking and cooking with later. I spread them on a sheet pan and placed them in a 175 degree oven for around 7 hours or until dried. I have a few ideas for them. Stay tuned for recipes. 


    I also made Laundry Detergent today (I had a busy day) Thanks again Pinterest. I decided to make my own after I seen the supplies on sale at Publix. It cost me $7 to make 4 batches, and I still have more Borax and Arm and Hammer leftover. The cost per load is less then $0.03 because I was able to buy everything on sale. Much cheaper then $0.20 and up for store made detergent. 



    Homemade Laundry Detergent 

    • 1 Cup Borax
    • 1 Cup Arm and Hammer 
    • 1 Bar Ivory or Fels-Naptha (I used on of each) 
      • Grate Bar soap using grater or food processor. 
      • Mix all ingredients together. 
        • Add 1 Tbsp to each load of laundry.


    Tomorrow is Huck's Birthday!!
      












          
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