Some recipes and reviews and shtuff.

Ok, so first I will run a quick update. I think I have a sinus infection. I have an awful headache that starts right behind my left eye and then spreads to my left ear and teeth and then to the right side of my head and then to a band right behind my eyes all the way to the back of my head. And I have had it since Sunday night. The reason I think it is a sinus infection is that only thing that seems to make it any better is DayQuil (which also upsets my stomach and gives me the most awful dry mouth and swimmy head ever). I also think I have a fever but I discovered last night that the thermometer that I have been using for 2 years apparently only reads 98.7. No matter what you do to it. Which is awesome. Oh and I am exhausted. I have slept more this week than I have since . . . I have no idea. So yeah. I have been so much fun to be around. Which of course means we missed yet another Sips. Ugh.

Last weekend was the 4th. So I took Friday off and Matty and I spent the day out and about. Lunch at Maoz, afternoon on Independence Mall for the First Person Arts Storytelling portion of Lincoln 200, a drink at Las Vegas Lounge, more stories in the godawful sun (just kidding, keep shining sun, keep shining!), drinks at National Mechanics, another drink at Las Vegas Lounge (Matty, sorry we made fun of you the first time we brought us there), Philly Pops on Independence Mall and then dinner at Fergies. A lovely day. A little sunburned, but no heatstroke, so all ok! The pic on the left is of Independence Hall, the Pops are in front of it. And the one on the right is us enjoying the Pops. Or at least us trying not to get yelled at by parents for our probably family-inappropriate discussions.

Saturday we headed to Dan's for BBQ and fireworks. I made a vegetarian version of my buffalo chicken dip. I replaced the chicken with 2 bags of Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips. I sauteed them with a little oil until browned and then chopped them up really small. I would recommend using a little more hot sauce if doing this. Otherwise it was pretty tasty. I would stick with chicken if that is amenable to everyone, but if there are vegetarians I think this was a fine substitution. We went on Dan's roof to see the fireworks, but 2400 Chestnut was in the way of most of them. We did have a lovely view of the PECO building's light unveiling (which was pretty cool). Pics of the evening available here.

We finished watching the 4th season of Weeds. I was a bit afraid what would happen to the show after the events of the ending of season 3 but I think that they did a great job completely reworking everything and making it totally work in a new setting with a new (but the same) plot line. I am looking forward to what happens in season 5 but will have to wait for the DVD since we dont have Showtime. I would also recommend checking out some of the special features on the DVDs since there are some interesting ones. Like one about the laws regarding pot and the punishments associated with the selling, possession and trafficking of it. And also how they make all that weed on the show.

We also watched Bush's Brain (2004). Guess who's queue that was on. So this is a documentary about the brain behind the monkey, Karl Rove. Evil guy. All in all I think it is fair to say that he is a back stabbing, manipulative little man. In it to win, no matter the consequences or the actual prize. It is ok. I mean there was a lot I didnt know, but I dont necessarily even know if I wanted to know those things. It just makes me more depressed about the last 8 years I guess. If you are obsessed with Bush and just what exactly happened to make him president. Check it out. Otherwise, maybe you better just let it all be. Which is not a good thing to say, I know. But whatever, it is my blog.

I finished reading The Tommyknockers (1987). It wasn't nearly as bad as Matty lead me to believe. It certainly wasnt't like one of the Bachman books or anything. It was late 80's Stephen King, with a bit more science fiction and a bit less horror. Or a bit more science fiction and the same amount of horror? I mean it wasnt The Stand but I thought it was good. A little long. But I enjoyed reading it. Now I am reading Insomnia (1994).


And finally, we have been cooking up a storm! Here in fact is a picture of Matty cooking up a storm:







Last Thursday we had:

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas


The tostadas can easily become soft tacos if you skip broiling the tortillas. Serve with black beans. We served with a salad on the side. The left pic is theirs, the right is ours. Definitely a winner and will definitely make again. Makes lots and good leftover reheated in the toaster oven.

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1) (as always, we used regular)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) (we used 1 ear because we had lots of zucchini)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces) (we used half of a BIG zucchini)
1/2 cup green salsa (we used Trader Joe's new tomatillo and roasted chile salsa, it is red, not green)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings CALORIES 398 (30% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 236mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.7g; SODIUM 799mg; PROTEIN 32.5g; FIBER 3.1g Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Monday we made:

Orzo-Bell Pepper Salad


Blanching the bell peppers for a few seconds tenderizes them while maintaining their delightful crunch. The marinated cheese provides a shortcut for adding more flavor. This is another delicious recipe that we will probably make again. I have one problem with it. It calls for 1/3 cup each of 3 different peppers. That is like a quarter of a pepper. Which leaves me with the rest of all these peppers. So I used a whole red pepper, a whole green pepper and a whole yellow pepper and I definitely thought it was perfect, I dont think you would get any pepperiness with less. Also I didnt read the ingredient list and got unmarinated mozzarella. This made enough for us for dinner with a Trader Joe's Panko crusted chicken tender each. Left pic is theirs, right is ours.

Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced

Salad:
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (see note above)
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (see note above)
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper (see note above)
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced fresh marinated mozzarella cheese (such as Cappiello) (see note above)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives (I used Trader Joe's Mixed Olive Bruschetta)

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare salad, cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes or until al dente. Add bell peppers to pasta in pan; cook 10 seconds. Drain. Combine pasta mixture and half of dressing in a large bowl; cool mixture to room temperature. Add remaining dressing, tomato, and remaining ingredients; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. We were way too impatient for this and only let it sit about 20 minutes or so.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup) CALORIES 351 (29% from fat); FAT 11.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 5.8g,poly 1g); IRON 2.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 134mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.6g; SODIUM 619mg; PROTEIN 11.6g; FIBER 3.4g Cooking Light, JUNE 2004

Tuesday we had:

Turkey-Jasmine Rice Meatballs with Baby Bok Choy


Use a box grater to shred the ginger after you've peeled away the brown outer layer. Jasmine rice has a pleasant aroma that underscores the other Asian ingredients, but any long-grain white rice will work to help keep the meatballs moist and add a bit of texture. Chopped bok choy can substitute for whole baby bok choy. These are kinda a pain in the ass, but totally tasty and awesome. Their pic on the left, ours on the right (the thing in the middle is a Chinese crunchy noodle leftover from Chinese on Sunday).


Meatballs:
1 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked jasmine rice (we used brown jasmine)
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 large egg whites
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray

Bok choy:
6 baby bok choy (about 1 1/3 pounds)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon shredded peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch

To prepare meatballs, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in jasmine rice; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Drain; cool. Combine rice, breadcrumbs, and next 6 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove). Shape mixture into 18 meatballs. (Ours made 26.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning often. Remove from heat; keep warm. (I would recommend just cooking these on an oiled cookie sheet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350. They totally fell apart in the pan.)

While the meatballs cook, prepare bok choy. Cut each bok choy in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold running water; drain well. Arrange bok choy in a steamer basket, overlapping pieces.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup onions, ginger, and 1 garlic clove; sauté 30 seconds. Place steamer basket in pan. Combine water and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper); pour over bok choy. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and steam over medium-low heat 20 minutes or until bok choy is tender, rearranging bok choy after 10 minutes. Remove the bok choy and steamer basket from pan; cover and keep warm. (We do not have a steamer basket. So we cooked the onions, ginger and garlic in a big wok, then added the bok choy and then poured the water mixture over them. We brought it to a boil, then covered it and cooked for 10 minutes, rearranged and then another 10 minutes.)

Combine sherry and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick. (I would add some of the cooking liquid to the cornstarch mixture to get it warm before adding it. It would probably help it mix in better. We cooked for about 5-6 minutes before deciding it was thick enough.)

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 meatballs, 2 bok choy halves, and 3 tablespoons sauce) CALORIES 251 (35% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 2.4g,mono 3.4g,poly 2.9g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 135mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18g; SODIUM 832mg; PROTEIN 21.3g; FIBER 1.9g Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Last night we had a curried pork over basmati rice that I am having trouble finding the recipe for online. So I will have to add it later. Tonight we are having Chicken Paprikash-Topped Potatoes.

Ugh, DayQuil wearing off. Hopefully I will feel better soon. This better not ruin my weekend as well as my week!