Today is a very special day, so naturally I wanted to celebrate it in a special way. No, not any sort of national holiday...but the return of Desperate Housewives and Pan Am!!!
In order to celebrate, I did a few things.
First, I pushed my couch back against the dining room table, giving me plenty of floor space. I covered the ground with my white comforter, added five fluffy pillows, and my favorite Vandal blanket. Then I lit all five of my candles to allow me some light even with all the overhead lights turned off. I made a big comfy nest to lay in and watch TV.
Then, I whipped up a face mask I got from the February edition of Cosmo.
Ingredients:
4 strawberries
Half of a banana
2 slices papaya - remove seeds
2 Tablespoons yogurt (use Greek - it will make the smoothie portion much better)
1Tablespoon honey
Quarter cup sugar - use less if you plan to drink it like I did and want it to be healthy. I did 2 Tablespoons or so
Blend all ingredients together. You will find this makes quite a bit. I am not sure if Cosmo intended this to be a face mask for a whole gaggle of girls or what - there is enough for at least 20 faces! Rather than throw the rest of my mixture away or save it in the fridge, I decided it was delicious and tasty, so why not eat it for dinner?
Put the blended smoothie into the freezer for at least 15 minutes but not long enough to freeze. You just want to get it cold so it tastes good and feels even better on your face.
When ready, remove the smoothie from the freezer, put on a headband, and pull your hair back. Smooth the mixture all over your face and leave on for 15 minutes.
Pour the remainder into a fancy wine glass, decorate your glass with a papaya slice and strawberry, then sit back and enjoy. Desperate Housewives and Pan Am not required but highly recommended.
*My original inspiration for this recipe came from the January 2012 edition of Cosmopolitan, but I changed it to suit what was available in my kitchen.
I wanted to make something delicious (besides just lettuce) using my new Raspberry Lime Balsamic. I picked up turkey cutlets at Fred Meyers on Friday, and decided this would be a good way to use them. This recipe was more of "a dash of this and a dash of this," adding what I wanted, but I will try and explain what I did. It was also very cheap - I had almost everything in my cupboards.
Ingredients:
- 5 turkey cutlets
- Minced garlic (to taste)
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons balsamic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- salt/pepper to taste
- Juice from half a lemon* My lemon was VERY juicy so you may want to use an entire lemon
- Sliced mushrooms
- Dried thyme
Directions:
1) Whisk together the garlic, rosemary, balsamic, olive oil, lemon juice and dijon. I used half normal balsamic and half raspberry lime balsamic, but you could use whatever you have. It really didn't taste very different to me.
2) Poke holes in the turkey cutlets with a fork, all over the front and back.
3) Put the turkey in a gallon zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the turkey through the bag so the marinade soaks in. I marinated for 3 hours, but that was just because I wasn't ready for dinner. I am still figuring out marinades, so I am not sure how long you *should* marinade. If you don't have a lot of time, you could always pour the sauce over and cook in the sauce instead.
4) When ready, heat up a big pan on medium. Add the turkey cutlets and cook until done. Mine were very thin cutlets and took about 7 minutes to cook through (and I like my meat very well done). I also was cooking five cutlets, so I cooked three first, then the other two.
5) When done with the meat, remove and add mushrooms. Add splashes of balsamic as necessary to cook mushrooms. I used dried thyme (that used to be fresh) but you could use dried or fresh thyme - sprinkle over mushrooms to taste. Cook at least five minutes, but I find the longer they cook, the better they taste.
6) Plate the turkey and cover with the mushrooms. Serve with a lemon wedge.
The best part of this meal is the turkey with marinade is under 200 calories per cutlet (depending on the size of your cutlet of course). The marinade is 325 calories total (so 65 calories per cutlet) and my packaging said each cutlet was about 120 calories. This is a very filling meal with lots of flavor but low on calories. Also really simple - I only had to use one bowl for mixing the dressing and another pan for cooking.
I think I will be cooking with turkey more in the future. I don't know if it was because my cutlets were so thin or what, but it didn't have a trace of that bloody flavor chicken sometimes gets.
This weekend I bought a fifth of bacardi white rum (not allergic to - yes!) and made Spiced Apple Mojitos from Cosmo October 2011.
These are fantastic is you really appreciate fall and love all the fall spices and flavors. The boys I was with didn't like it much, but I loved it!
Note that I was visiting my boyfriend and didn't have my official muddler with me, and just used the handle of a wooden spoon to mush everything up. Thank god I had a cocktail shaker and I do think that is an important component to a fantastic cocktail.
Ingredients for one drink:
3 slices apple
1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 sprigs mint
1.5 oz light rum
1.5 oz lime simple syrup (2 parts lime juice with 1 part sugar)
splash of seltzer
thinly cut slice of apple
Make three thin slices of the apple. I scored mine with a knife because Ididn't have a muddler and wanted to get as much of the juices out as possible. Add the apples, nutmeg, cinnamon and min to the bottom of a shaker and muddle. Add more mint if you love mint like I do.
Then, add the rum, lime syrup, and ice and shake well.
To make the syrup, I boiled the lime juice, added the syrup, stirred until dissolved, and removed from heat. I would even do 3 to 1 lime to sugar because I didn't think the syrup tasted that lime-y.
Strain the mixture into a glass and top with seltzer.
Garnish with a thinly cut slice of apple -- DO THIS. It is so easy to skip but it makes you feel fancy and decadent and I would recomment it to anyone. Even drinking solo, garnishes add a beautiful touch.
*I am not sure how this can be considered a mojito (I guess the lime, rum, mint and sugar :) but I really don't think it tastes like a mojito at all. However, it makes a fantastic rum drink and it is pretty healthy too! Fruits, minimal sugar, and lots of spices.
Last night I made myself a cabbage and chicken salad and discovered that one head of cabbage makes QUITE A BIT when sliced up. I have always loved purple cabbage, so that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just a surprising thing. I think my mom can attest to my cabbage love -- I vaguely remember asking for my own head of purple cabbage to snack on when I was little.
Anyway, my massive amount of cabbage meant quite a bit of salad, and I should be set eating that for the next few days. Along with that, I decided to toast up some walnuts because a) I have an abundance of walnuts and b) I wanted something besides cabbage and chicken salad to eat tomorrow (even though it is fantastic). I bought a bunch of walnuts over a short period of time because I read that it was good to eat at least a few a day. I quickly forgot to make this a habit, and that is how I ended up with my stock.
I saw a recipe in Cosmo (August 2011) for jazzing up any sort of nut, and used it for inspiration. This recipe said to coat your favorite nuts in olive oil, add "pinches" of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt, and toast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring every 5 minutes.
I adjusted it a bit, on purpose and on accident. The accident was I keep thinking I have paprika (who doesn't have paprika) and I don't have any and keep forgetting! Therefore, these nuts were paprika-less. The on-purpose was a lack of salt, as I am trying to consume less salt. It isn't the best for you, and I put a lot of fish oil in my aforementioned salad, which has a LOT of salt.
I also didn't use any sort of "pinches." I would say I DUMPED the spices on. I put some, I put more, and then I added a little more. Adjust for what you prefer, but I think a pinch would not be enough in most circumstances. Also, if you are doing salt and garlic powder, it might be more efficient to use garlic salt?
As you toast the nuts, they get a better flavor and the spices develop. However, I think this temperature was too high and for too long (at least for walnuts). I would try toasting at 225 degrees for twenty minutes. My walnuts are a little too brown, but they should still make a great snack for the next few days.
Do you have any favorite ways to use up leftover nuts?
Okay, I have talked about it, complained about it, raved about it...time to give you the down and dirty on the Blueberry Pavlova incident.
First, this recipe came from Cosmo July 2011, and it is important you know that it is from Gwenyth Paltrow's new cookbook. She is known as a bit of a pretenious snob, so of course this recipe is complicated and fancy. I should have realized that before I have it a try, but I didn't think about it.
For reference, the ingredients are:
4 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 and 1/2 cup blueberries
I had eggs at home that I needed to use, which is what sparked my interested in this recipe (as well as a love for blueberries). In a few days you will see me most likely make deviled eggs to use up the rest of those eggs!
So, this recipe began by heating the oven to 350*. Not a problem. I had that completely under control. You then combine the egg whites, vinegar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand beater) until soft peaks form.
Behold, problem #1:
SHIT I dropped the yolk in. I am normally pro at separating egg whites, so maybe that was a sign to stop. I dumped out the yolk to start again, and then I got egg shells in the mix! Also, note the pan...my only mixing bowl was in the dishwasher as a past salmon repository, and I had to use a stovetop pan (yes, I know, not good for nonstick).
I finally got the ingredients in, and started mixing it on high. I have always wondered the proper amount of time to beat egg whites to get them "until soft peaks form." I beat it for awhile and there were some bubbles. I decided to go a little longer, and it got foamy. Hmm...I decided to go even longer and all of a sudden it morphed into this fluffly, foamy, amazing bowl of clouds. If you think you are there, beat it longer. You will know when the egg whites are ready. It is AMAZING that an egg white can turn into something like that.
Then, you combine the 3/4 cups of sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, and add to the egg whites in thirds, whisking in each addition completely.
Next problem? I was certain I had cornstarch at home. Well, I already have these crazy fluffy egg whites and cornstarch was no where to be found. I pondered other options, and yes, I did realize that cornstarch was likely a very important ingredient. However, I decided to forge ahead anyway (don't do that).
After that, add the vanilla until stiff peaks form - no problemo.
Next problem? Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and put the meringue on it in 8 big spoonfuls. Oh...parchment paper...which I DO NOT HAVE. Stop here and learn from my mistakes. Greasing a pan is not the same as parchment paper. To make it worse, I had to use a pizza pan because I couldn't find a normal baking pan. I should have learned the importance of parchment paper the first time I made that mistake -- the coconut macaroon incident of finals week (an entire two trays of macaroons in the garbage. Tragic).
Important note: This "meringue" TASTES PHENOMENAL! Try not to eat it all from the spoon, as you put it onto the parchment paper. It tastes like whipped, sweetened air. Like taffy without the chewing and like clouds if they were edible. Yum.
I tried to place them on the baking sheet, and the stuff was getting everywhere.
Then, you bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 200 degrees, and bake for an hour.
Here was an oh shit moment -- I need to read the entire recipe before making things, apparently. It was already 9:30 and this stuff has to bake for a LONG time! There were no other options, so in the oven it went.
During this time, while it was cooking, I kept reaching in and breaking off pieces to eat. By the time it was done, it looked like this:
They look like biscuits, but they aren't. They are crisp little flakes competely stuck to the pan. However, as you can see, I had already managed to eat two by the time they came out of the oven.
After they are done cooking, you are supposed to turn off the heat, and let them cool in the oven for an hour, propping it open with a wooden spoon. Of course I have no wooden spoon, so I just left the door open and went to bed. It was delightful waking up to the (ruined) desserts, because they are still completely tasty!
As for the sauce, you whip the cream with the remaining sugar. In a small bowl, crush 1/2 cup of the blueberries with a potato masher or spoon to release their juice. Fold these blueberries in, and use them for the meringues. It doesn't look tasty.
But, it transformed me into a cat. I literally started scooping out creamed blueberries with my hands, making a little bowl with my fingers. Imagine blueberries and cream, but better. I actually started to drink OUT OF the bowl. This stuff in AMAZING. So amazing, I even cried over spilt milk (haha).
So the point of this post...this recipe was a trainwreck from the start and it still turned into one of the best things I have ever ate. I don't know what you should do about it. Make it for yourself and see what happens? Learn from my mistakes? Your best bet is probably not to make it at all -- I can't stop eating it and the sugar is hurting my stomach!
