I am selling a pair of J Crew Wellies on Ebay if you are interested. Womens size 9…green boots with blue whale print. You’ll never walk through the city unnoticed in these babies…
-M
I made this last night and had it again for lunch today. Let me just say both times it was amazing and people who saw me eat it for lunch today wanted to know where I bought it. I bought a rotisserie chicken, cut that up and then added all the ingredients. Focaccia bread is hard to find so if you can’t find it use a baguette, the focaccia bread I found was rosemary and it was very good. I also used Buitoni’s light pesto to save some calories. To go with the sandwiches I threw together a salad with romaine, feta cheese, pine nuts, and grape tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (B’s plate is always the show plate so she put raisins on her salad if you are wondering what those are.)
Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup commercial pesto (such as Buitoni)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups cubed skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 (1-pound) focaccia bread, cut in half horizontally, toasted, and cut into 20 slices
1 (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
10 romaine lettuce leaves
Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chicken, celery, and walnuts.
Spread 1/2 cup of salad onto each of 10 bread slices. Top each serving with about 2 tablespoons bell pepper, 1 lettuce leaf, and one bread slice.
Nutritional Information
Calories:324 (28% from fat)
Fat:10g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.6g,poly 2.2g)
Protein:26.4g
Carbohydrate:31.6g
Fiber:1.6g
Cholesterol:55mg
Iron:2.3mg
Sodium:725mg
Calcium:39mg
Enjoy!
-K
The other night B and I made an additional dish to end our Lifetime “Cook Yourself Thin” recipe week. We didn’t put as much cheese as they stated in the recipe because they ask for a lot of cheese. Additionally we used whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta because I basically always use whole wheat in all my recipes (more filling and yummy!). Also this recipe makes a ton so we still have leftovers 3 nights later. It sort of tasted like a homemade macaroni cheese in the end, so if you love homemade mac and cheese and don’t mind broccoli, you have to make this!
Pasta Bake With Sausage, Broccoli and Beans
Serves 8
Calories per serving: 529
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large head of broccoli, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut into small florets
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 pound rigatoni
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pan
1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage with fennel (removed from casing if uncooked or thinly sliced if precooked)
1 can cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 pound skim mozzarella, grated, 1/4 cup reserved
3/4 cup skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated, 1/4 cup reserved
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-x-13-inch gratin or baking dish.
2. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, broccoli and garlic. Simmer the broccoli and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. With a slotted spoon remove the broccoli and garlic to a large bowl. Bring the water back to the boil, add the pasta, and cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the package directions suggest, about 11 minutes. The pasta should be al dente, a little firm.
3. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add sausage and the garlic cloves from the broccoli bowl, and cook, stirring frequently until meat is fully cooked and no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes, if using fresh sausage. (If using fully cooked sausage, cook until surface is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.) With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to the broccoli, and drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Discard the garlic.
4. Toss drained pasta with sausage mixture. Add beans, stock, 3/4 cup of grated mozzarella cheese and all of the ricotta. Add remaining salt and pepper. Gently toss. Transfer to prepared gratin or baking dish, top with breadcrumbs, remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and drizzle with olive oil.
5. If making this in advance, allow the mixture to come to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, until heated through and crusty on top
Enjoy!
-K
I got this recipe from the Cooking Light; Complete Cookbook and this recipe is one of my favorite things I make from it. It is really easy and taste like something you could order at an Italian restaurant, I know because I always order it and compare. To save money I make it without the littleneck clams and it still taste delicious. I also like to use whole wheat linguine to make the recipe more filling and healthy.
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Prep 20 Min. Cook 29 Min.
1(12-0z) package of linguine
3 tablespoons butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz) bottle clam juice
2 (6 1/2 oz) cans minced clams, undrained
24 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Lemon wedges (optional)
1. Cook linguine according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden.
3. Stir in wine, salt, and clam juice. Drain minced clams; add juice to pan. Reserve minced clams. Simmer 5 minutes, Add littleneck clams. Cover, cook, 3 to 4 minutes or until shells open. Remove from heat; discard any unopened shells. Add reserved minced clams, parsley, lemon juice, and pepper.
4. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add clam mixture to pasta, and toss well. Serve with lemon wedge, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving sizes; about 1 cup pasta mixture and 4 littleneck clams.)
Calories 332; FAT 7g; PROTEIN 17.1 g; CARB 47.5 g; FIBER 2.2 g; CHOL 39mg; IRON 8.5mg; SODIUM 627mg; CALC 54mg
Enjoy!
-K
Pork Vindaloo is one of my hands down favorite dishes to make. I like it so much that I often double the recipe as it makes great leftovers. This recipe is originally from Cooking Light May 2007 and the online recipe can be found here. I have abridged the recipe slightly to how I like to make it.
Ingredients
Raita:
16 oz container plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber (or if you don’t feel like taking the seeds, try an English cucumber)
3/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
Vindaloo:
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced sweet onion
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (this dish is pretty spicy so adjust this based on your desired heat level)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped seeded tomato (or to save time, use a 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained)
Sides (can cook one or both):
4 1/2 cups hot cooked basmati rice
pre-packaged garlic naan
Directions
To prepare raita, pour yogurt into a medium sized bowl. Stir in cucumber, 3/4 cup tomato, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and garam masala; cover and refrigerate.
To prepare vindaloo, combine onion and next 13 ingredients (through pork) in a gallon-sized freezer bag; marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes (I sometimes make this a day ahead of time and let it marinate overnight).
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork mixture; sauté 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in 1 cup tomato. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until pork is tender, stirring occasionally. In the meanwhile, cook the rice and heat up the naan (I like to brush the naan with olive oil before heating it up). Serve with raita, naan, and/or basmati rice.
-M
Over Thanksgiving, Christmas, a couple of sick days, and my recent vacation I have been able to get through 5 books over the past couple months. Here is a mini summary of each:
1. A Meaningful Life by L.J. Davis- The main character in this book is generally unhappy with his career and life, and looks to renovate a Brooklyn brownstone in his spare time. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style/voice.
2. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah- Two girls who lived across the street from each other become unlikely friends for life. It’s a relatively light read and would be a good book for the beach.
3. The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn- An autobiography where the author decides to enroll in France’s Cordon Bleu cooking school after losing her job. It was a good book to read after seeing the movie Julie and Julia.
4. The Associate by John Grisham- I always enjoy a good John Grisham novel and this one did not disappoint. A law student gets blackmailed into working for a large corporate law firm and is forced to reveal legal secrets to his blackmailers.
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- My grandma lent me this book at Christmas. It had been on my library hold list, but I had been hundreds in front of me so I had not expected to read it for awhile (it seems every other woman on my bus to work is reading this book). It was a very good book and was disappointed to finish it as I no longer would have it to look forward to. It is a story about a white woman who attempts to write a book telling the stories of the black housekeepers in a still very segregated South.
I enjoy walking through Barnes & Noble and noting any new books that I want to check out. I then just log into my BPL (Boston Public Library) account and request these books to be held. It usually takes a few weeks depending on the book’s popularity, but they call you when it’s available and it’s absolutely free. I love the idea of having a Kindle, but I’m not in love with the idea of having to pay for books when they are available for free otherwise.
-M
And she’s back! Sister K mentioned to me today that lately it has been much more like 1sister1city around here lately. Sorry for being MIA lately- work has been crazy with year-end reporting and I also took a last minute trip to St. John, USVI. I promise to catch up on a few posts this weekend and start getting on a regular posting schedule during the week.
My trip to the Caribbean with my husband was definitely a great break from winter. Even though I grew up in a very snowy upstate NY, I always dread this time of year in Boston. The holidays are over and its colder and darker than ever. It was refreshing to get a few days of warm sun (although I used my SPF 55 everyday!) Now that I’m back, I feel like I’m that much closer to spring weather.
In St. John, we stayed at Caneel Bay. We went to the same island two years ago and stayed in the Westin…the only other resort on the island. Caneel definitely had a much different feel to it. The resort was very spread out and had a bus service connecting all the major areas (although it was definitely walkable if you wanted to). Caneel Bay has 7 of their own private beaches. It was so great to wake up, step outside your room, and just hop right into the water if you wanted to go for a quick swim. The resort provides you your own snorkel gear for your stay, which comes in handy as a lot of their beaches have great snorkel areas. During our stay, we did a snorkel sail trip with Captain Pat and Bev (Sail St John) and a chartered power-boat ride to the BVIs (Captain Don of Nauti Nymph Power Rentals took us to Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Yost Van Dyke- home of the famous Soggy Dollar Bar). We also were able to go to a wine tasting, afternoon tea-time, and a work-out at the resort’s gym. We ended up eating at the resorts most nights, but we will definitely try to get into the town of Cruz Bay more often next time as our meal there was the best (and probably least expensive) meal of the trip (Rhumb Lines). The breakfast room service was also very nice…it was only about $25 total each time and arrived in a picnic basket with white starched table linens to put on our patio table.
Overall, it was a great trip and surprisingly very easy to get to from Boston. Our flight there was direct and only took about 3 and 1/2 hours to get to St. Thomas. The boat ride to St. John takes another half hour, but it’s a relaxing trip accompanied by rum punch. The flight back does require a connection through Miami, but still a relatively easy flight itinerary.
-M
So B, my protégé/roommate, made this meal all by herself the other night because I went out to play bar trivia with some friends. She got the recipe from the cookbook we have been cooking in all week, Lifetime’s “Cook Yourself Thin.” I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday and it was amazing. I am so proud!
Cheezy Chicken Parmesan With Zucchini “Pasta”
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 350
For the tomato sauce and zucchini pappardelle
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Salt
1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, in juice, mashed
1 sprig fresh basil
Pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
4 zucchini, thinly sliced
For the chicken
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons extra for serving
1/4 cup dried whole-wheat or white bread crumbs
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with a fork
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts split in half to make 6–8 large, thin cutlets
Pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons extra for serving
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1. For the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (Check a few times during cooking; if vegetables begin to brown, add 2 teaspoons water and stir.) Add the tomatoes with juice, basil and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently 5 minutes. Then simmer very gently, partially covered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. Meanwhile, using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick long pappardelle-like strips, turning the zucchini and slicing on 4 sides only until you see the center seeds. Discard the centers.
3. Remove the tomato sauce to a bowl with a rubber spatula; no need to clean the skillet. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until wilted, tossing often with tongs for even cooking, 8 to 10 minutes. Return the tomato sauce to the pan, add 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cover and set aside.
4. On a plate, combine the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and the remaining chopped parsley. Place the egg white on a second plate. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken into the egg whites, and then into the bread crumb mixture to coat completely; set aside on a large plate or platter.
5. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in each of two nonstick 10-inch skillets over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken to each skillet and cook until lightly browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, and cook until chicken is firm, and lightly browned on the other side, 1 to 3 more minutes.
6. To serve, re-warm the zucchini in the tomato sauce over medium heat. Use tongs to make a “twist” of zucchini pappardelle on each of 4 plates. Lean chicken cutlets against the side of zucchini. Scoop 1 tablespoon ricotta onto each plate, and spoon remaining tomato sauce on top of the chicken. To garnish each plate, drizzle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Parmesan.
Enjoy!
-K
I was a busy girl tonight and also made cupcakes for one of my friend’s birthday tomorrow. I don’t like to make boxed cupcakes because I don’t think they taste as good. Depending on how much time I have I either make them from scratch and or make what I like to called the “souped-up version of boxed batter” My mom found this cookbook a couple of a years ago called The Cupcake Doctor by Anne Byrn. The recipe I use repetitively from this cookbook is call “Birthday Cupcakes” and it makes the best yellow cupcakes. I frost them with either a butter cream frosting or chocolate. The frosting recipe I like to use is the butter cream frosting recipe from the side of Domino Confectionary Sugar package (yeah I know how obvious is that.)
Birthday Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 box of golden or yellow cake mix
½ cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 8oz package of low fat cream cheese
½ cup of water
½ cup of vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Combine and stir all ingredients together until well mixed. (This is easiest to do when cream cheese is room temperature)
Line 24 cupcake pan (or two 12 cup) with baking paper and pour in about ¼ cup of batter into each cup.
Cook in the oven for 24-27 minutes. To check if done, stick a toothpick in one and if it comes out clean, plus the center bounces back when you touch it, they are done. Let cool on wire rack before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
1 – (1 lb.) pkg. Domino® Confectioners Sugar (approx. 3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup – butter or margarine, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons – milk
1 teaspoon – vanilla
Instructions
Combine in large bowl, with mixer at low speed, confectioners’ sugar, butter, milk and vanilla.
Beat at medium speed 1-2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency.
Makes enough to fill and frost 2-layer cake, 13x9x2-inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes.
*Note- If you are an awful froster like me I highly recommend the Wilton’s 12-Piece Cupcake Decorating Set (from Bed Bath and Beyond or Michaels). I used the Star Tip 1M, and it doesn’t say this on the package but you need to put the larger coupler to use the larger tips.
Enjoy! ( I sure did)
-K
Still cooking from the Lifetime “Cook Yourself Thin” cookbook, tonight we made Risotto with Spring Vegetables. If you have made risotto before you know that it requires a lot of stirring, and if you have not don’t say I didn’t warn you. You could say that risotto is a delicious meal and an arm workout in one. I always forget how good risotto is but it is definitely worth the work, especially when you get someone else to stir for you:)
Risotto With Spring Vegetables
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 489
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 medium zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick
4 1/2–5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound medium asparagus, ends trimmed
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped mint, for garnish (optional)
1. Combine the oil and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the zucchini; turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until softened and lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring the 5 cups both to a simmer in a saucepan wide enough to hold the asparagus. Add the asparagus and simmer until barely tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs. Cut off the tips in nice-sized pieces (about 1 1/2 inches), and cut the stalks into smaller, bite-sized pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the peas, 1/4 cup of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the basil; set aside. Put a lid over the broth, and reduce the heat to very low so that the stock barely simmers.
3. When the zucchini is cooked, stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the basil. Add the butter and the rice, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup simmering stock and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue adding the broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, and cooking, stirring frequently, until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy and has the texture of loose porridge, 17 to 20 minutes. The rice mixture should bubble away at a good clip. (You may not use all of the broth.) Stir in the reserved contents of the bowl and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.
Enjoy!
– K
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