I really enjoy cooking. Not baking – cooking. There is nothing more satisfying than trying a new recipe and proclaiming it a success! Now don’t get me confused with a foodie – because I definitely do not qualify. I doubt my pallet is very refined and I certainly don’t make complex or complicated meals. I shy away from pretentious ingredients and have been accused of under-salting my food. Nonetheless, I do enjoy it and I think I’m getting better at it! I thought I’d share a few of my favorite cookbooks, food blogs and magazine subscriptions. Do you have any favorites you want to share?

Cookbooks

Everyday Cooking: Great Food Fast (Martha Stewart) – I love this cookbook because I’ve never been disappointed. The photos are great (a photo for every recipe), the directions are simple and the food is delicious. It’s also nice because the recipes require little time – perfect for weeknight dinners. My favorite thing about the book is that it’s organized by season – which is brilliant for those of us who like to use in-season produce.

Barefoot Contessa  (Ina Garten) – I have three of her cookbooks (The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Back to Basics and At Home)and I love perusing them and selecting my next triumph. The photos are gorgeous. The only issue with these cookbooks is that the Contessa’s recipes are really fatty and rich. Cooking too much out of these cookbooks will make you gain weight – fast.

The Food You Crave (Ellie Krieger) – This cookbook is the opposite of the Barefoot Contessa books. This book has very few photos and focuses on healthy eating. Living up to the name, Ellie showcases recipes that you love – but she focuses on maximum flavor with limited calories/fat. I’ve been impressed with these recipes, although I wish there were more pics!

Magazines

Fine Cooking – http://www.finecooking.com/

Cuisine at Home – http://www.cuisineathome.com/ (Thanks Kristina!)

Food Blogs

Smitten Kitchen – http://smittenkitchen.com/

101 Cookbooks  - http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Here are pics from dinner the other night – lamb shanks – nummers!

The other day I was in the dentist office waiting to get my teeth cleaned. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I picked up a magazine (called Real Food) and started browsing the recipes.  It had at least 6 soup recipes I wanted to make – but one in particular: the smoky chicken, tomato, brown rice and corn soup. The photo was amazing; it was the perfect fall soup. Hearty, warm, cozy. I wanted the magazine. I NEEDED the magazine. And more importantly I needed the soup. I quickly assessed my options. I could either take the whole magazine or rip the page out, but I had to decide quickly. The rip approach would draw too much attention, so I opted for the entire mag. I very stealthily turned my shoulder and slipped the magazine into my purse. And then I looked up. The receptionist was staring right at me. CAUGHT! She saw the entire thing. And then she turned away and we both pretended like it didn’t happen. Talk about awkward.

During the fall season, Derek and I try to make a soup every week. I made this for our fall soup kick-off and I’m happy to announce that it was worth it. The soup was really good. I thought I’d share the recipe w/ my notes. It’s easy, it’s warm, it’s fall in a bowl.

Smoky chicken, tomato, brown rice and corn soup

Use cooked chicken leftover from a rotisserie chicken for this quick, easy and substantial soup.

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (28oz) peeled plum tomatoes with juices

3-4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup leftover brown rice, bulgur, quinoa or other grain

2 cup fresh, frozen or canned corn kernels

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño, or to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

·         Heat the oil in a large, broad soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the paprika and cumin.

·         Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Add the chicken and pulse once or twice or until chopped into small pieces. Add to the pot with the sautéed onion and spices. Add 3 cups of the broth and heat to simmering. Stir in the rice, corn, half of the cilantro leaves, olives, and jalapeño. Heat stirring over low heat. Add the remaining cup of broth to the soup if desired.

·         When the soup is hot remove from heat and add lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and place a spoonful of yogurt in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over the top, dividing evenly.

Kindra’s Notes: I used barley instead of brown rice – it was great! I added a teaspoon cayenne pepper. I didn’t have canned plum tomatoes, so I just used canned diced tomatoes – it was great and I didn’t puree anything. Next time, I won’t use kalamata olives and I’ll double the recipe so we have more leftovers.

I thought I would share my new favorite quick fix week-night dinner. I honestly can’t get enough of it. It’s easy, relatively healthy, inexpensive and most importantly, it’s delicious!  I’m estimating the entire dinner costs less than $14 for two people and takes about 30 minutes (but 20 of that is marinating and boiling). What is this miracle dinner?  Drumroll please….

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms (marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, canola oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, sugar and fresh rosemary-if you have it. Marinate time: 20 minutes; Grill time: 10 minutes.)

Spinach Salad (baby spinach, grape tomatoes cut in half, diced red onion, walnut pieces, goat cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and spinach salad dressing warmed up. Mix the salad up.)

Potatoes (we like red potatoes, but any kind will do)

Try it. You won’t be disappointed. The meal just happens to be vegetarian, but it doesn’t seem like it because the portabellas are so meaty!

Tip: Don’t buy your portabellas from the grocery store – they are really overpriced. Try a local produce market or farmer’s market. We paid roughly $1.50 per mushroom at Pike Place Market.

Is it weird I’m considering being a vegetarian for few months because I’m bored?  Some people turn vegetarian because they have health concerns or feel a moral obligation, but not me. I’m just bored and I feel like it would be a fun challenge. It would force me to become more creative with my cooking and try new recipes!  I don’t want to do it forever – just for a month or two (it would be too hard over the holidays and I think my family would probably disown me). Just something I’m thinking about – I’ll let you know what I decide.

Does anyone out there in the blogosphere have a good hummus recipe? I have tried several recipes and can’t find one that I like. Help!

We enjoy many great meals throughout the year at my mom’s house; John and my mom are great cooks.  However, no meal stands a chance against Christmas Eve dinner. We spend 364 days of the year looking forward to Christmas Eve dinner and it never disappoints. It’s a production. A damn good production.  Although we all pitch-in that day, it’s really my mom’s labor of love. She learned from her mother – and someday hopefully my daughters will do the same. It’s elegant, yet relaxed. Gourmet and soothing. Thick with tradition.

I say this every year, but this year was the best yet.

…to make hot buttered rum! I made some this weekend and it is DELICIOUS. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to make and one batch will last you through the winter. Seriously, just make it. You won’t be sorry.

This recipe is great with and without rum. It’s also tastes wonderful in coffee.

Hot Buttered Rum Batter

1 pound butter

1 pound brown sugar

1 pound powdered sugar

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ok, I didn’t say it was healthy.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and powdered sugar. Remove from heat, and whisk in the ice cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into a container, seal, and freeze. Store in the freezer. When you are ready for a cup, just scoop out what you need (like ice cream) and put the remaining back in the freezer.

In a coffee mug, measure 2 tablespoons Hot Buttered Rum Batter and 1 fluid ounce of dark rum, then fill cup with boiling water. Stir. Drink. Relax. Enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

I’m too tired to write a super thoughtful and in-depth post – but I’m feeling really guilty for being blogsent (get it? Blog-absent! I just made that up!) the last couple days. So, here’s a random update.

• Wednesday Night Dinners – Since it’s rainy and gloomy out, we decided to start “Wednesday Night Dinners” with Stacy and Andre. So far, it’s been really great; it gives us something to look forward to in the middle of the week. Last week they made pot roast, and this week we made French dips.
• Gym – My AM gym sessions have been going reasonable well. I went Monday and Tuesday, but I couldn’t drag myself out of bed this morning. I’ll hit it hard tomorrow…hopefully.
• Prop 8 – I’m absolutely sick about Proposition 8 in CA. People, we have to progress FORWARD. Not backwards. I do not understand how anyone feels it is within their rights to ban someone else from marriage. GAH!  On the other hand, congrats to Connecticut.
• Soup – Derek and I have been making a new soups on Sundays. So far, we’ve made a mushroom barely soup and chili. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has a good soup recipe!
• Thanksgiving – I’m really looking forward to Thanksgiving. This year, I’m spending Thanksgiving with Derek’s family (plus all four girlfriends) at a cabin on Mt. Baker. Good food, board games, puzzles, football, drinks and family – what more could a girl ask for?!?
• Tonight – I made some BOMB Chicken Massaman Curry tonight, although I had a hard time eating it because my mouth was still numb from my visit to the dentist. I had a cavity filled this afternoon. In two weeks, I get to pay $600 out of pocket for a crown – JUST what I wanted to spend my money on. My teeth suck.
• Perfect home – Today I stumbled on the most perfect home for me and Derek…then reality set in. Unfortunately, we just aren’t in a position to buy anything right now. We both agreed it was perfect for us though.
• Apology – I couldn’t quite bring myself to take a gift to my landlord (like the poll said), but I did apologize via email. This was his response, “…but you provided so much entertainment! Be sure to put new Year’s eve on your crashing calendar   It is not to be missed.  Classy attire.” I’m glad he had a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

I think that’s it. Over and out.

We had a delicious dinner last night at Stacy and Andre’s – I mean it was REALLY tasty. Derek and I were still talking about it this morning when we woke up. Pork Tenderloin, Risotto with Truffle Oil and Caprese-like Salad. Inspired by “Sunday Nite Dinners”, the four of us have decided to start “Wednesday Nite Dinners” to help get us through the long, rainy Seattle fall/winter. We haven’t decided if we’ll do it every week, or every-other week. I DO know that we’ve got some good meals ahead of us.

A friend shared this blog with me yesterday; it’s called Sunday Nite Dinners. I love the concept, I love the photos, I love the recipes – I love the blog. Sunday night dinners are the best.

Thanks Kristina!