Roasted Red Pepper Soup

This is a great, hearty fall soup with a delicious sweetness from the red peppers.

Adjust the amount of hot pepper sauce to suit your taste. Serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients:

8 red bell peppers (about 2 3/4 pounds)
5 black peppercorns
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat broiler.
Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel and chop.

Place peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaf on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 15 minutes or until onion is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add bell peppers, cheesecloth bag, broth, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce to pan. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard cheesecloth bag; stir in salt and black pepper. Place half of bell pepper mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to prevent splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a large bowl; repeat procedure with remaining soup. Sprinkle with chives.


Yield:  6 cups (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 teaspoon chives)

CALORIES 99 (22% from fat); FAT 2.4g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 34mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.7g; SODIUM 465mg; PROTEIN 3.7g; FIBER 1.4g

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Tomorrow marks the first of what I'm sure will be many occassions to cook for the office coming into the holiday season.  And, since I don't have a lot of time to cook this week, I'll be making the easiest, most idiot-proof dish to share.  While I got this recipe from my mom, I assume it's fairly common and wow, it's good and SO EASY.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen meatballs (I buy the bags that have 96 cocktail size in them)
1 32 oz jar grape jelly
2 12 oz (I think, but they only come in one size, so whatever that is)

Into a 12-qt (very big) pot dump the grape jelly and two jars of chili sauce into the pot over medium heat.  Stir the sauce constantly until it's homogenous and warmed through.  Add your frozen meatballs. Toss meatballs thouroughly in the sauce.  Turn the heat down to medium low and let the meatballs simmer for two hours, stirring everything 30 minutes.  Serve warm or refrigerate and reheat to serve.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

One of the women on my team had a birthday last week that I didn't know about.  Since we didn't get to do anything day of, I'm making homemade cinnamon rolls to bring in for breakfast to belatedly honor the occassion.  The dough recipe is the same one my mom has been making for years and it's delicious.  How I fill them is more or less the same as my mom as well, it's just that neither of us are very precise so our measurements probably don't match up.

The dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1/2 lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or butter flavored shortening
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl.  Stir in milk, sugar, shortening or butter, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in warm place until at least double its original size, about 1.5 hours.  (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Punch dough down.  Cut in half.  On lightly floured surface, roll out first half into 15" x 9" rectangle (this is a guideline, mine usually looks like a weird oval and they always taste just as good).

The Filling:

Approx. 3/8 cup white sugar
Approx 1/8 cup cinnamon (bottom line, you're looking for about a 3:1 sugar to cinnamon ration here)
1/2 stick melted butter (just zap it in the microwave)
Based on preference either:  2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or 1 cup raisins (if you decide to work with raisins, rehydrate them first by boiling some water in a tea kettle and pouring that water over the raisins, just enough to cover them, and allowing them to steep for about 10 minutes).

Once the dough is rolled out, liberally brush your butter over the dough.  Sprinkle a thin layer of cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough surface.  Sprinkle with raisins or nuts.  Roll, beginning on a 15" side, until you have a long tube.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices.  Place slightly apart in greased 9x9x2 pan.  Let rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about 40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While cinnamon rolls are baking, make the glaze.  Combine 1 cup confectioner's sugar with 2 Tablespoons on milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.  Glaze the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, while still warm.

Open Faced Meatball Subs

I'm still in my comfort food mode and am toying with all kinds recipes I don't normally go for.  Until this week I'd never, ever had a meatball sub.  But this recipe was so tasty I will definitely be having another.

First off, let me start by saying that while I'm going to give you the recipe to make your own meatballs courtesy of Rachael Ray, I have a corner-cutting suggestion.  Anyone who's eaten at our house knows that I seldom do the store-bought thing, but this is a place where it's both economical and time saving for essentially the same results.  If you don't have time to make your meatballs, Whole Foods has them pre-made at the meat counter for $5.49/lb.  You aren't going to get off much cheaper buying the ingredients and making them yourself.

For the marinara sauce I started with Rachael Ray's 5-minute marinara recipe and then kicked it up a notch, you'll see my notes on the recipe below.  I also totally altered the rest of the ingredients as you'll see below.

Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup (3 handfuls), Italian bread crumbs
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons (several drops) Worcestershire sauce,
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano or Romano
• Coarse salt and black pepper 

5-Minute Marinara:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (2 turns around the pan)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I doubled this because I like a zestier sauce)
  
• A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (again, I doubled for more flavor)
  
• 1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes (I used the fire-roasted kind)
  
• 1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes (I substituted San Marzanos)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

I also added some fresh chopped basil (about a tablespoon) and about the same amount fresh chopped fresh leaf parsley.

Other Ingredients:

• 1 loaf crusty bread (half-size french baguette is fine)
• 1 (10-ounce) bag (2 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
• Shredded basil  for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Divide mix into 4 equal parts, roll each part into 4 balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet.

(If you bought your meatballs, start here!) Place meatballs in oven and roast about 12 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven. (If you have an immersion blender (thanks Boxy!), this is a great time to use it.  When you've finished making your sauce, give it a zap with your blender for a smoother, more consistent sauce.)

Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and then split each side like a sub roll.  This will give you four equal sized pieces of bread to build your open-faced subs on.  Toast the bread under the broiler until its golden brown. Combine meatballs and sauce and about 1/3 of the sauce and pile on top of the bread.  Ladel more sauce over the top (how much is a matter of preference). Top with shredded cheese and place under subs under broiler to melt cheese. Top with shredded basil and enjoy!!

Seafood Risotto Revisited

Ben and I opted to give this one, which I posted previously here, another shot.  This time we used the bay scallops the recipe called for along with rock shrimp.  And I still can't decide which way I like better.  I love the buttery quality of the sea scallops, which the bays just don't have.  However, due to their size, it's nice to get a bite of bay scallop along with each bite of risotto - something you don't get the with sea scallops.  In the end, I'd say use whatever you like better when making this recipe.  But since we've tried it both ways now, I thought I'd report!

Mediterranean Chicken Salad Pitas

In the mood for a more casual dinner? This is the recipe for you. My personal recommendation is to tag this recipe up with another chicken recipe the night before so you can cook the chicken ahead of time and give the flavors more time to marry. That was my plan, roasted chicken with butternut squash last night, chicken salad pitas tonight. The flavors in this dish are fantastic! A couple words to the wise, use good olives, not the kind from the jar, it makes a big difference in the flavor and feel free to be a little liberal with the cilantro, it adds such an intense freshness to the chicken salad, it's worth a little extra chopping.



1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (such as Fage Total Classic)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1/2 cup chopped pitted green olives (about 20 small)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
6 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, cut in half
12 Bibb lettuce leaves
6 (1/8-inch-thick) slices tomato, cut in half

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Combine chicken and next 5 ingredients (through chickpeas) in a large bowl. Add yogurt mixture to chicken mixture; toss gently to coat. Line each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato piece; add 1/2 cup chicken mixture to each pita half.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed pita halves)

CALORIES 404 (23% from fat); FAT 10.2g (sat 3.8g,mono 4g,poly 1.5g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 110mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.4g; SODIUM 575mg; PROTEIN 33.6g; FIBER 6g

Jen and James Get Hitched!

This weekend I traveled to Michigan to attend Jen and James' wedding. Jen has been a good friend since sophomore year of college - it was amazing to watch her take the next step in her life. And what a STUNNING bride!

Their ceremony took place at the Historic Wedding Chapel in Fowlerville, MI. While I know Jen was worried about space, the small, intimate atmosphere was perfect! You could feel people's happiness for the bride and groom in every little corner! The highlight of the ceremony (in addition, of course, to the couple's vows) was James' sister Kate and her husband Kyle performing Phil Vassar's Love Is a Beautiful Thing. According to James, Kate got all the talent in the family and I can see why he says that, their song brought out lots of joyful tears all around the room.

The reception followed at the Howell Opera House, again, an intimate venue that turned into total party when the DJ rocked Christina's Dirty. And of course, as the song reminds me, this was another wonderful opportunity to spend time with my college friends, some of the people I miss most in my life everyday.

All in all, a wonderful wedding with a beautiful bride and a lucky groom (his words!). Here's a couple pics I nabbed from Facebook of my gorgeous friends! Their photogs were incredible. More casual (READ: Inappropriate) pics from the wedding still to come.

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

Keeping on my fall comfort food theme of late, this dish was a great find! And, yes, again, it's courtesy of Cooking Light. I think they should pay me to advertise their recipes! I made some modifications to this recipes when I finished it. Rather than leaving the broth as is, I added about a half a cup of thickening (2 Tbsp flour and a half cup water shaken together). This gave the dish a more stew-like consistency. Very tasty.


Cooking spray
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery
1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
3 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Add broth to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by heaping teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done. Discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

CALORIES 285 (16% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 133mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.2g; SODIUM 596mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 3.1g

Seafood Risotto

This reminds me of a poor man's paella - the same seafood and saffron flavors without the highly fattening (yet highly delicious) chorizo. While I opted to make this on a cool fall night, thinking its creamy nature would give that hearty fall feeling (and it didn't disappoint), I wouldn't hesitate to make this dish in the summer too as its paella-like qualities also make me think of steamy Spain and sangria!

I modified this recipe just a bit, rather than bay scallops I opted for sea scallops. This is just a personal preference as cooking with bay scallops can be difficult. Due to their small size it is VERY easy to overcook them. Within seconds you go from yummy scallop to rubber scallop.


2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces bay scallops
2 tablespoons whipping cream
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Bring broth and clam juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add rice and saffron to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice to pan; cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup hot broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 18 minutes total).

3. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and scallops; cook for 4 minutes or until shrimp and scallops are done, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cream. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

CALORIES 400 (23% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 4.9g,mono 2.6g,poly 1.1g); IRON 2.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 118mg; CALCIUM 89mg; CARBOHYDRATE 49.1g; SODIUM 520mg; PROTEIN 30.2g; FIBER 2.6g

Dan and Erin Get Married

The weekend of September 19th, Ben and I traveled to St. Louis to attend Dan and Erin's wedding. These are great friends of ours from DC who unfortunately packed up for Toledo, Ohio when Dan got a great job! We miss them and wish they were here and were so glad we got to share in their special day. Here's a few pics courtesy of Nicole taken from the day! Unfortunately we didn't get any pics of or with the bride and groom. Hopefully Erin will post some soon that I can steal.