Daily Recipes

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February 4, 2012

Red Velvet Sheet Cake {& Other Valentine Food Ideas!}

Red Velvet cake just screams Valentine’s Day. It might have something to do with the color, wouldn’t you say? This Red Velvet Cake roll is utterly divine, if you ask me, but if you want something a bit simpler to throw together for a stunning and delightful Valentine’s Day treat, this Red Velvet Cake made [...]

DIY Valentine Chocolate Boxes

So obviously, the Valentine special I’m sharing today is not a recipe. I repeat: this is not a recipe. I did not make homemade chocolates for these boxes nor will I ever. Hershey’s Nuggets do the job perfectly. But the idea is so clever and unique that I wanted to share. I’ve been using these [...]

Chocolate Dipped Krispie Treats {Heart Shaped!}

I love Valentine’s Day (especially now that I have kids to join in the excitement) and I’m looking forward to sharing with you some fun, festive Valentine’s goodies this week. These chocolate dipped rice krispie hearts couldn’t be simpler. I mean, really, aren’t rice krispie treats some of the easiest delicacies (using the term “delicacy” [...]

Smoked Turkey Cobb Wraps

I feel a little silly posting a recipe-that-isn’t-really-a-recipe for these amazing wraps but I figure if I adore a meal enough to eat it five, yes five, days straight for lunch, then I owe you the favor of sharing the methodology. These.Smoked.Turkey.Cobb.Wraps.Are.Out.Of.This.World. And that’s basically all I need to say. But I’ll expound a bit [...]

Lemon Crinkles

I had no idea what a sensation these lemon cookies were making around the internet (and what I subsequently was missing out on), until Bri, a sweet MKC follower, emailed me alerting that she had made them twice and was thoroughly in love. When someone with good food taste recommends something and uses the term [...]

Delicious Greek Pastitsio {Casserole-Style}

This simple Greek pastitsio knock-off (and I’m not claiming it’s authentic, people) is basically a deconstructed pastitsio in casserole form. And it is downright, knock-your-socks-off delicious. A lightened up, creamy sauce swirls around tender penne pasta and flavorful ground turkey or sirloin. Combined with the other gentle flavors (hints of nutmeg, tomatoes and garlic) and [...]

Robert Redford Dessert {My Way}

Raise your hand if your are not familiar with this layered pudding dessert? It is one popular delicacy, let me tell you, which I can attest to since we ate it all the time growing up. My mother was quite the layered-pudding-dessert-connoisseur. And she’ll love me for saying that (hi, mom!). I had kind of [...]

Classic Orange Julius

Orange Julius’ have been part of my life for forever, really. My older sister made them for us all the time growing up and over the years, we must have consumed gallons and gallons of the frothy, orange, cool and creamy mixture. My kids, thanks to their inherent Orange-Julius-loving genes, also love the classic combination [...]

The Best Chicken Enchilada Soup

Here it is – the recipe I was telling you about on Friday. The best chicken enchilada soup I’ve ever laid lips on. Do you want to know the ultimately dreamy part about this soup? It is wonderfully healthy because the base of the soup is made up of veggies (potatoes, butternut squash, red pepper) [...]

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade taco seasoning. Is there any reason NOT to make it? Not only are the spices included in the mix fairly common so you can use them in other recipes, but this takes literally seconds to throw together and the flavor is spot-on and a lot less processed than the mixes you buy at the [...]

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(Chicken) Sausage Subs

…or hoagies, or grinders, or whatever it is you call stuff between thick, oblong bread. I do fairly well with meal planning every week, but around day 5 it often starts to unravel. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t bother planning a meal for Friday because, inevitably, something didn’t get made and will [...]

Lighter Chicken and Dumplings

  My dad makes the world’s best chicken and dumpling soup. He used to make it at his restaurant every Saturday and I loved when a trip home would overlap with a Saturday, because I’d get to eat a big bowlful. I’ve never asked for his recipe, partly because I know it would make like [...]

Potato-Leek Soup

  Many, many years ago, Tom cooked for me for the first time. He made a creamy potato soup and it was incredibly delicious. I admit, I was impressed, considering the only thing I’d seen him “cook” before was mixing together a packet of taco seasoning and ranch dressing (“Southwest sauce,” obviously). A few months [...]

Spicy Asian Chicken with Brussels Sprouts

I’m on a serious roll making things from the “recipes-I-saved-a-million-years-ago” binder that has previously been collecting dust on top of my fridge. Although, I must say, I think I had originally torn out this page from Real Simple magazine because of a different recipe on the page. It’s funny how your tastes change, because this [...]

Lamb Chili with Masa Harina Dumplings

It goes against nearly everything in my gut to like dumplings. I really, really do not like soggy bread and, texturally speaking, I should loathe dumplings. But I don’t. Not.at.all. In fact, I have another dumpling recipe waiting in the wings to post soon after this one. Because I freaking love them. I feel like [...]

Light Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

  If you spend a few minutes around these parts, it’s not difficult to figure out that I love soups and stews. In fact, I can say with a pretty high level of certainty that I could eat soup every day of the week, and never get sick of it. This recipe instantly stood out [...]

Chicken with Bulgur and Peppers. Or Bulgur con Pollo. Or Chicken with Spanish Bulgur. Or something.

Like most people who cook on a daily, or near daily, basis, I love the “one pot meal.” Being able to  have your protein, starch, and vegetables all cook away in the same vessel with minimum effort (and only one pot to clean at the end) is a pretty good deal. The problem I run [...]

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

I tried keeping things fairly low key this year, in terms of Christmas baking. After spending too much time decorating sugar cookies and standing at my stove dipping melomakarona, I opted for two really easy treats – peppermint bark, and these cranberry bars. I hadn’t really planned on making anything new this year, but I [...]

Stifado (Greek Beef Stew)

  Stifado (stee-FAH-though) is a Greek stew that is typically made with a fair amount of onions, wine, tomatoes, and cinnamon. The word stifado itself is really more about the stewing and other ingredients (not necessarily the beef) but beef is probably the most common form of stifado, at least in the U.S. What this [...]

2011 Year in Review: Favorite Recipes

Happy (almost) new year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and hopefully some time off work, too. We had a great break, but it was definitely tiring since we did a lot of traveling. We also spent a lot of time in front of family paparazzi in an effort to get a family picture (we [...]

Cauliflower Tacos

Cauliflower steaks have been popping up on some blogs recently. I'm sorry you guys, but no. NO! I understand that seared/baked/grilled/whatever slabs of cauliflower can and do taste good. I understand the health and social benefits of eating less meat. I get these things. But how can you possibly call this a steak? I call it a slab. Is the word slab unappetizing? I think it's fine. But despite by borderline neurotic nomenclature hangups, cauliflower can serve well as a replacement for meat in many applications. Last week I used it to replace the ground beef in tacos.

Braised Beef Chili on Potato Rounds

These would be good to eat while watching some sort of sporting match on television. I wonder if there is anything like that on this weekend? Yum Braised Beef Chili on Potato Rounds over on Tablespoon.

Pistachio Pancake Birthday Cake for The Food in my Beard

Today marks four years of Food in my Beard. If you want lists and reminiscing, you can look at some of my about me posts, or wait till the huge 5-year blowout next year. This year however is a quiet one. A modest pistachio birthday cake. Another year older, another year stronger. As I ate this cake with some close friends this Saturday, I felt proud of what this site has become. I also felt proud that I wrote a cake recipe that worked! Something I could never imagine 4 years ago.

Wallpapers and Facebook Headers

I know how much you guys like the facebook, so in this edition of wallpapers I have added an option for facebook timeline headers. So, you know, you can show your friends how much you love pancakes and stuff. I also feel obligated to say that these images are not for commercial use, but noone really pays attention to these words anyways, you guys are just here for the pretty pictures. Most of these have a dual monitor option(2560x1024) for two 1280x1024 monitors next to each other. I've built up a huge wallpaper collection, so be sure to check out the archives. Let me know if you end up using any of these! Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original        1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050         Facebook 2560 X 1024 1680 X 1050 1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original         1280 X 1024 1024 X 768 Original

Arroz Tapado

Arroz tapado literally translates to covered rice . It's a common Peruvian dish, and it's awesome! Make sure to check out my recipe for Arroz Tapado on Tablespoon.

Purple Sweet Potato Gelato

Being a food blogger in Boston is way better than being a food blogger in Bermuda. Yea, I mean, beach BBQs and late night s'mores are pretty awesome, but the blogger community here in Boston is unreal. I get to go to parties where people just talk about food the whole time, complimentary brunches in picturesque New England towns, and fun dinners where the click of SLRs are almost as common as the clink of toasting cocktails. I was lucky enough to be invited to one such dinner tonight at Stone Hearth Pizza Co. in Allston, Ma. Stone Hearth happens to be a customer of mine at my day job where I make gelato. I knew some of the most discerning tongues in the city would be tasting my gelato, so I wanted to bring something special. My blogger friend Bianca (who I knew would be at the dinner tonight) has been raving about ube ice cream, a frozen treat made with a purple yam common in the Philippines. While I couldn't get my hands on purple yams, when I saw purple sweet potatoes at the Somerville Winter Market I jumped for them.

Eucalyptus Pesto

Disclaimer: Eating eucalyptus in large amounts could potentially be poisonous. Make sure not to eat the leaves, only cook with the oil in reasonable amounts, and not eat while pregnant or serve to children under 6!!! Pine flavors are popping up on menus everywhere during the colder months. Cocktails with eucalyptus and rosemary are almost common. Douglas fir and eucalyptus are being used in sauces, and spice rubs around the country. I think you guys know my curiosity for unique flavors. I had to immediately jump on this! While I loved the adventure of making this eucalyptus pesto, I didn't exactly love the outcome. It was good and all, but it wasn't awesome. The good news however is that I have learned how to harness the power of eucalyptus and am excited to try more recipes utilizing it!

Banana Chips

Awhile back I was on a quest for some sort of acceptable chip while following a strict diet. Tatziki, salsa, guacamole, and hummus are all very healthy and delicious dips, but the problem is the things that we dip into them aren't quite good for you. Especially if you eat a lot of them. Well I think I finally found my winner. I made these the other day after being frustrated by grocery store banana chips. The packaging didn't say anything! It seemed like there were 4 or 5 different brands, but none of them had any information on them. Ingredients: Sweetened Banana Chips. WHAT?!?!  Don't we live in a day and age where you have to put more info on the label? Are these fried? What are they sweetened with? Why are they even sweetened? Bananas are crazy sweet to begin with. I hung up my banana in disgust and I head for the door. When I got home, I sliced some bananas, put them in the oven at 170 degrees on convection, and about 5 hours later I had these amazing little chips.

Roasted Potato Soup

Potatoes are delicious. So how come mashed potatoes and potato soups are so laden with butter and cream? There is nothing like the simplicity of dipping perfectly roasted potatoes in ketchup. I set out to make a soup that tastes just like that. It wasn't my intention to garnish this soup with ketchup from the beginning, but it was just so right.

Thai Tuna Salad

When I am eating healthy, tuna is a go-to lunch for me. Most tuna salad is pretty unhealthy because of the large amount of mayo, but I like to find new creative mixins. Normally I use avocado, but this time I tried to Thai it up with some coconut milk, sriracha, fish sauce, and lime juice. It came out awesome and I'm sure it will be a staple for me in the next few months.

Spicy Sour Peanut Butter

One of the most important reasons for my extreme health kick in the early months of every year is not in fact what you might think. You see, during the later months of the year when I am overeating and indulging in fatty foods, the inspirational side of my food brain gets clogged up a bit. I still can think of new things to cook, but sometimes it can become a little too variations on a theme if you will. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but when I am depriving myself of certain foods, it starts to come from EVERWHERE. Jack White once said that restriction is the mother of creativity.

Bananacado Smoothie

Seems like cleanses are soooo trendy this year. Well guess what, I'm so cool I was cleansing BEFORE it got famous. Jus sayin'. But I never really call it that. I just try and be overly healthy in January and February to start off my year right and kill some of my less desirable cravings. This involves going almost vegan and gluten free for a couple weeks, just to jump start things. This week, I will be posting some of the things I have been eating so far. This first one is a quick breakfast smoothie inspired by this post from endless simmer.

Potato Tart Weirdness

I'm not calling this one a failure. I'm not. I refuse to. I mean, we ate it, right? People went back for seconds. But I have to admit that it just wasn't right. The problem here is that I tried to cram about 5 new potato concepts that have been bouncing around in my head all into the same dish. At 7:30pm. On a Sunday. I thought I was excited to cook but about 10 minutes in I noticed that I was staring at my couch wishing I was on it. What had I gotten myself into?

Chorizo Artichoke and Spinach Grilled Cheese

Trendy grilled cheese is everywhere. The whole movement doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I wrote a bit about it, along with a pretty good recipe for Chorizo artichoke and spinach grilled cheese on Tablespoon, so check it out!

Chinese Pork and Tofu Stir Fry

This was supposed to be a super healthy tofu stir fry, when an impromptu gathering of close friends caused me to amp up the recipe. I'm glad I did because this dish came out really tasty, satisfied my tofu cravings, and still ended up fairly healthy for me and my dining companions. The pickled peppers as a garnish allowed each guest to tailor the dish to their desired heat level, which was perfect for one of my friends who wanted the meal to burn a hole through her sinus allergies.

Forks Over Knives

I have a list of various types of documentaries (food, religious, music) on Netflix a mile long, and inevitably, I settle in with old episodes of Law & Order. Last Sunday, I decided to make a dent in that list after hitting the Whole Foods salad bar for dinner. Unbeknownst to me, Sunday night is when various liberal Protestant ministers do their shopping since I saw at least two colleagues of mine. I had heard good things about Forks Over Knives from Daily Garnish and No Meat Athlete, so I selected it for viewing.

The movie’s premise is that a good portion of the heart disease and cancers that kill many Americans can be prevented and even reversed by following a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Though the words “vegetarian” or “vegan” are rarely mentioned, that’s what they mean. The film follows the careers of Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn and T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) who provide convincing scientific and clinical research that backs up the film’s claim. Additionally, several “success stories” are featured – people who have seen their disease processes reverse thanks to following such a diet. In response to those who might think adopting a vegan diet is a drastic move, the film’s retort is, “And coronary artery bypass surgery isn’t?”

This film combines two things that are very important to me: food and healthcare. Particularly living in the fourth fattest state, both Joe and I see the deleterious health effects of poor lifestyle choices all around the hospital. Personally, I think it would be amazing if people educated themselves about the health benefits of moving to at least a partially vegan diet, but at the end of the day, I fear that Forks Over Knives is really just preaching to the choir. As someone who eats a predominantly vegetarian diet and is in good health (at least according to last year’s check-up), I got to turn off the TV and feel rather smug about my good choices while feeling pretty confident that I wouldn’t be giving up my Greek yogurt, cheese, or eggs anytime soon.

If one was presently diagnosed with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease, the film’s food-as-medicine approach might be something to look into. Otherwise, I think the film minimizes the emotional, cultural, and social aspects of food and eating, though it does a good job of dispelling the common stereotype of vegans as waif-like, fragile people. Even being a vegetarian in the South gets you the side-eye a good portion of the time, and there are few vegetarian/vegan, non-salad bar options in the hospital cafeteria. A whole-foods, plant-based diet might be the best way to eat but culturally, few people will likely be willing to try it even if they’re on their death bed.

Again, I enjoyed this film and found it convincing. It presented scientific evidence and concepts in a very accessible and fun way, but I doubt that those who really need to watch this will be exposed to it and even fewer will take up the challenge to eat this way rather than taking pharmaceuticals.

Marathon Training: Week 4

If there is one sport I am just not that into, it’s football, particularly the NFL. I know. I grew up in Dallas in the 1990s, and I’m not into football. I’ll watch the occasional playoff game, and I get the scores for the Titans on my phone but I don’t normally care enough to watch.

College basketball is a different story. As a kid, we had two separate cats named Bobby Knight. And when I got a marketing e-mail telling me how I should order a party platter for the “Big Game,” for some reason, I thought they were referring to the Vanderbilt/Kentucky basketball game coming up on February 11th. Also, I may have eventually gotten a little lippy with some MTSU fans at the Vanderbilt game this past Saturday, but my God, they were obnoxious.

Or the other weekend when I went to the gym and asked them to turn one of the televisions to NBC. “Why? Is there a game on?” Um, just the Olympic Marathon Trials. Doesn’t everyone want to watch a bunch of frighteningly skinny-yet-muscular distance runners duke it out on the streets of Houston? Sorry I’m not sorry, but it was way more exciting than whatever NFL game was on the other channels.

All of this to say that you probably won’t be seeing a lot of Super Bowl party recipes over here this year. With Joe gone and absolutely zero connection to either team or location where said teams reside, it’s not a big deal in our house.

This, however, is a big deal. Remember last week’s disastrous long run and subsequent ego deflation and hand-wringing? Well, this week I rocked out 12 miles all by my lonesome (though not if you count Beyonce, J Lo, and Nicki Minaj). Like, I felt so good that I did a victory lap around my condominium complex. It was a cloudy day that turned sunny with more wind than I would’ve preferred, but I mapped a route through some of my favorite parts of the West side. I ended up having a picnic of Gu Chomps and water in Centennial Park (Parthenon and Friday night’s mascara pictured above), and it was splendid.

I like running on trails and in parks, but there are also some advantages to urban running. Like bathrooms. And things to look at besides trees. The disadvantages would be cars and road noise and occasionally having to run on concrete sidewalks rather than asphalt paths or roads. Also, a giant group of walkers that took up the entire sidewalk and eventually forced me to cross the street. But whatever, it was awesome.

I closed out January with 101 miles (a lot for me!), which gives me a great start for the year. Since I skipped my first step back week so that Mom and I could run the 11.2, I’m taking it this week. Then, we’re doing the Frostbite Half Marathon on February 11th. The plan is to treat it as a training run. Hahaha, famous last words, but I’ll leave you with this thought:

Detox Salad

Detox is a word you hear a lot around early January. People have this desire to “clean out” their systems by fasting or doing something like the Master Cleanse. Medically, there is no advantage to those programs that you can’t also get from eating a whole foods, plant-based diet. Hence, this salad.

Fact: I am unable to use the food processor without making a complete mess of our kitchen.

It’s a good thing Joe was in another country because I could hear him grumbling half a world away about the little broccoli and cauliflower particles that I got everywhere. Don’t worry, sweetie; I cleaned it up.

This salad looks and tastes a lot like a grain salad but without any wheat products or oil. I would never make a lunch out of broccoli and cauliflower, but when it’s chopped up so finely and tossed with parsley and dried fruit and some sunflower seeds for crunch, I didn’t mind. I found it surprisingly filling alongside some Greek yogurt for protein. With a green monster smoothie for breakfast and this salad for lunch, I’ve been downing my fair share of veggies!

Detox Salad
source: Oh She Glows
Yields 4-5 large lunch-size portions

Ingredients

• 2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), stems removed
• 1 head cauliflower, stems removed
• 2.5 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup currants (I substituted dried cherries since currants were not available)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste (I used the juice of 2 lemons.)
• kosher salt, pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp salt and lots of pepper)

Preparation

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.

2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.

3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.

How Not to Train for a Marathon

I had one of the worst runs of my life on Sunday afternoon, an 11.2 mile death march up and down the hills of Percy Warner Park while my poor mother tried to keep me putting one foot in front of another. Long run Saturday became long run Sunday because I spent Friday afternoon through Saturday here:

The 180th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Tennessee took place up at Sewanee, and even though I’m not canonically resident and therefore had no seat or vote, it was a good experience. The weather and atmosphere was completely different from being up there during the summer. The infamous Sewanee fog was out in full force. We could hardly see our hands in front of our faces and finding the cabin I stayed in was an exercise in driving extremely slowly. Not to get into the nitty gritty of church politics, but convention was amicable and uneventful, apparently different from years past. The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island was the keynote speaker and gave the sermon at Saturday morning’s Eucharist. She was incredible and very much embodied her episcopal role. It was my first Eucharist at All Saints’ Chapel (pictured above), and it lived up to expectations. The music and aesthetics and liturgy were all spot on.

The various parishes, missions, and ministries of the diocese all processed with their banners, which was a touching experience for me. Emily, our Divinity School field ed student and my friend, was our banner bearer. Not at all biased, but our banner was by far the prettiest. Anyway, I spent Friday and Saturday mostly drinking wine and coffee and not getting very much sleep.

So when Sunday rolled around, I executed my duties at church, serving at two services and leading Sunday school for the youth, not stressful but exhausting. Intellectually, I thought, “I should be mindful about hydrating since I’m running this afternoon.” But the other voices said, “Have some more coffee.” I slammed down an English muffin with almond butter and banana with a little water and got ready to meet my mom at Percy Warner Park.

I had been dreading this run for a while. Percy Warner’s hills are long and steep and brutal, and while I’m familiar with the 5.8 mile loop, I had never tackled the 11.2. The first mile is all uphill, and I knew immediately I was in trouble. My heart rate was sky high, and my legs felt like bricks. My hamstrings were still sore from my first Bikram class on Thursday, and I could feel them with every step. I couldn’t catch my breath, and it felt like we were going much faster than we were. Each mile split was morale-depleting.

The elevation graph of doom

“What was I thinking. I’m never going to be able to run a marathon,” the little voices in my head told me. “You feel like death after 5 hilly miles. How do you think you’ll feel after 20?” I struggled to resist lying down on the road and crying. Then I listed all of the reasons I was having a crappy run: legs were tired from both BodyPump and Bikram this week, dehydration, travel and emotional stress, church that morning, unseasonably warm and humid January weather, a hard and hilly course, etc. Every time my eyes started to well up, I tried to think, “There is no crying in running (a la A League of Their Own). Do you think Desi Davila or Meb Keflezighi cries when they have a bad run?” We got to the clubhouse, and I drank some water and took some Gu Chomps.

I started to feel a little stronger but still took quite a few walk breaks just so my heart wouldn’t explode out of my chest. We made it up 9 mile hill, and I felt better just knowing the end was in sight, particularly since the last mile is all downhill. Still, my hamstrings were super tight, and I started to feel a hot spot on the bottom of my big toe. I just couldn’t get comfortable, and everything I had on (heart rate monitor, RoadID, fuel belt) felt like it was strangling me. We hit the stone gates as my Garmin clocked 11.2 miles, and I wanted to cry. I chugged the water I had remaining in my fuel belt and walked around trying to shake out my legs. Then I went home, drank some Gatorade, felt sorry for myself, and put on my compression gear.

It sucked, and I still finished. Lessons learned: no more long runs after church, and drink your freaking water. Still, any pep talks about how I am not a failure and how I will be able to run a marathon are certainly welcome. Week 3 of marathon training complete.

Since You’ve Been Gone

Joe left for Kenya on Saturday, and after a brief two day stop in London where he tortured me by getting tickets to Wicked, arrived in Kijabe Wednesday morning. I’m loving the pictures he’s able to send me, and he’s also writing a joint blog! The doctor he is with gave them tips about what to do when they run into baboons. You know, like you do. Oh yeah, the Rift Valley, NBD.

Meanwhile, we’re having freakishly warm tornado weather in Tennessee followed by 30-degree temperature drops. I’ve been surprisingly productive though – washed all of our sheets and towels, have made myself meals and cleaned up, and taken care of the cats. I’ve run, done BodyPump, and my very first Bikram class. You know, keeping busy.

Remember when I made the Italian Slow-Cooker Eggplant Casserole and I mentioned that I wanted this cookbook? Well, my very lovely Secret Santa from my women’s running forum got it for me, along with some other treats.

It has already been put to great use. I’ve made Hot and Sour Soup and Tempeh in Peanut Sauce with Veggies.

Sorry that we’ll have to make do with iPhone pictures for the next little while. Joe took the nice camera to Kenya with him. I don’t want to share the recipes here because I really, really think you should buy this cookbook, but trust me when I say that I have been extraordinarily pleased with everything I’ve made so far, even if I was a little unsure at first (Um, seriously? Making peanut sauce in the slow-cooker? How did that even work?). Very few of the recipes use any kind of “weird” ingredients, and you would hardly even know they were vegan.

As always, all opinions are my own. This post was not sponsored in any way, shape, or form. I just want to let you all know about products I think are good.

Long Trip Alone

Tomorrow morning, I will be dropping Joe off at the airport for his long trip to Kenya. The lucky duck opted to spend two nights in London on his way over there, so that will break up the trip a little bit. He laughed when I suggested he bring me back something Burberry. In addition to clothes and entertainment and other personal effects, Joe and his fellow anesthesia resident are also taking over a LOT of medical equipment and accessories for Kijabe Hospital. This box is just a little bit of the anesthesia masks, stethoscopes, and needles that they’re packing up to take over.

A large part of my anxiety about him leaving is that we haven’t had a lot of time together lately. We both worked intermittently during the holidays, and our last full weekend was constricted by his call schedule, my church commitments, and helping my parents move. It seems as if we’ve been working on completely opposite schedules. I’m on when he’s off, and he’s on when I’m off. Before you call the WAHmbulance, here are a few things I’m looking forward to about being single-in-function for the next month.

• Cheese and crackers for dinner. Not the healthiest, true, but what it means to me is getting to scrounge and snack for dinner rather than focusing on meal planning and making a big dinner every night. Leftover soup, cereal, mac & cheese out of the box, salads, and protein shakes also fall into this category. Preferably with red wine while watching The Tudors.
• The whole bed to myself. I love Joe, but he is a big guy. And when our queen-sized bed is taken up by him, the body pillow, and me, and THEN a cat decides to squeeze in, I don’t always sleep very well. Also, our wake-up times rarely coincide. Either he gets up WAY before I do, or he sleeps in, and I end up getting dressed for my morning run in the dark.
• Girlfriend time. Since our schedules are so crazy, most of our free time gets spent with each other, often to the neglect of our other friendships. Girlfriend time is usually relegated to Joe’s on-call nights or other times of the day. I’m looking forward to Skype dates with Abby, movies and wine with CPE friends, and just feeling free to do things with girlfriends without it cutting into my quality time with Joe.
• Making the stuff that I want to eat. Most of the time, I do a pretty good job balancing things that I like and what is appealing to Joe, but he has put it in no uncertain terms that the following are not appreciated: tempeh, soba noodles, eggplant, cauliflower, olives, tuna, mushrooms (in most cases), or canned salmon. So I’m already making lists of Kira-friendly foods that I can make explicitly not for sharing, like this Detox Salad.

Of course, at the end of the day, I’m really going to miss that goofy guy, and I’m sad and disappointed that I can’t join him this time. Bon voyage and safe travels, Joe!

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole

I hope everyone’s new year is off to a terrific start. After working both big holidays and ringing in the new year asleep in my bed, I’m in a bit of a funk. A large part is due to something that I haven’t even mentioned on the blog yet.

This guy, otherwise known as Joe, is leaving next Saturday to go to Kenya for a month because he’s doing an anesthesia rotation there. I’ll miss celebrating his 30th birthday. I’ll miss just hanging out, doing the things we like to do. Plus I’ll be running our household all by my lonesome. No avoiding cleaning up the cat barf now. Or having him clean up the mess I made cooking dinner. I know he’s going to have a great experience, but right now, I’m just majorly bummed out.

Also, Nashville Originals Restaurant Week is January 16-22nd, and I’m taking requests for dates (the non-romantic kind of course).

I really will miss his help in the kitchen. Shortly before Christmas, I whipped up chili and beer bread for us to eat and then remembered that I needed to make something savory and breakfast-like to take to my CPE group the next day. There were quite a few dishes involved that night, and he helped me with all of them, even though he never got to eat this spinach-cheddar casserole.

I found it by browsing the Epicurious app on my iPhone. Fortunately for me, it had decent ratings, and I only needed to pick up a few things at the store to make it. 1/3 of our group forgot to bring something, so it was a boon to have something hearty to eat. The original recipe recommends this as a side dish, and I guess you could go that way as well, but I served it more like a crustless quiche. Brunch, breakfast, lunch, or dinner – this would be good for any meal.

(iPhone picture of leftovers)

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole
source: Bon Appetit March 1995

Ingredients

4 eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 16-ounce container cottage cheese

1 bunch green onions, chopped (I used low-fat)

1 cup packed grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dillweed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs, salt and pepper to blend in large bowl. Mix in spinach. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.

Bake casserole until center is firm and top is golden, about 45 minutes.

2012 Goals

I used to be anti-New Year’s Resolutions because I thought it was silly that one day was better than any other for setting goals, especially when most of us have spent the last 5-6 weeks overindulging in sweets, heavy food, and alcohol. But then I got really into goal-setting, and I realized that it wasn’t that people set their goals in the heat of the moment but that they weren’t setting goals in a way that was conducive to their achievement. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. It’s the difference between saying that you’re going to lose ten pounds before the summer and just saying that you’re going to lose weight. With that in mind, here are a few of my goals for 2012.

1. Train for and run a marathon.

I’m registered for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 6th. My real goal is to achieve the above without getting injured, dying, or hating running. If I can do that, I might decide to do another one in the fall.

2. Do more leisure reading.

I’m finished with graduate school when I really only had time for leisure reading on breaks or during the summer, and my to-read list is getting ridiculous. I used to consistently read before going to bed, and I would like to get back into doing that. Joe gave me Tina Fey’s Bossypants for Christmas, and I recently purchased The Paris Wife. I’m not going to be shooting for a number of books to read in the next year, but you can follow me on Goodreads!

3. Work on the house

We’ve lived here for 2.5 years now, and there are quite a few things we’ve been neglecting – closets that have never been organized and rooms that don’t feel quite “finished”. We’re at the point that we’ve graduated from some of our starter electronics and furniture but haven’t gotten rid of the old stuff yet. Extra IKEA bookcases anyone? So this year I would like to de-clutter and re-organize, namely the bedrooms, bathrooms, and their closets. In an ideal world, it would also be the year that we replace the kitchen floor and countertops, but that’s a stretch goal.

4. Make meal plans and stick to them.

Now that I work a normal person schedule (plus some), I don’t go grocery shopping on Thursday mornings anymore. It’s also been all too tempting to pick up take-out after a long tough day or when I hit the gym after work. If I don’t have food in the house, and I’m feeling lazy, guess what happens. I would like to work towards eating out no more than 3 times a week. We like eating out, but we’ve spent way too much money on mediocre food lately. Hopefully this will also lead to more blogging than I did in 2011!

5. Get down to my happy weight and stay there.

I was within five pounds in early December. It doesn’t seem like much, but on my 5’2” frame, every little bit helps. It would seem like training for a marathon would take care of this, but I get ravenously hungry when I’m training. Now I know that smaller, more frequent meals on long run days are better for me than just eating everything in sight, I will try to curb the run-ger. Eating at home and cutting out extraneous alcoholic beverages throughout the week will also help.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012!

2011: A Summary

It was a year, a very busy year, though not so much on the food front.

Travel:

Our travel this year was almost entirely contained to the Southeastern United States. In March, we went to Fort Lauderdale (thank you, free Southwest flight) where we had a great time. In November, we visited some of Joe’s family in St. Augustine and took a side trip to Universal Studios in Orlando. We’ve grown to really enjoy Florida since it’s so easy to get to and affordable for a quick vacation.

We also took a few weekend trips to explore Chattanooga and Atlanta and a short trip to the Knoxville area, including Smoky Mountain National Park, for a friend’s wedding.

Big Events:

In May, I graduated with my Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University.

It was a culmination of three long-but-short years of 84 credit hours, interminable paper-writing, and learning how to speed-read incredibly dense texts. It wasn’t always enjoyable, but I’m a better person for receiving that degree.

Then, about a month later, I was ordained as a transitional deacon in the Episcopal Church.

Now I’m doing a chaplaincy residency program (CPE) and serving as a youth minister at a great parish. After 5+ years in the discernment process and in seminary, it feels so surreal to actually be ministering as my full-time job. I’m crazy busy but so grateful and blessed to get to do what I love.

Running:

2011 was a great year of running for me. It was also my first full calendar year of consistent running. I ran 3 half marathons, 3 10Ks, and a handful of 5Ks. I PR’d at every distance I raced and ran over 1000 miles this year, a goal I had set last year to keep me consistent and motivated. I was an official blogger for Women’s Half Marathon, and only suffered a few minor aches and pains.

Next year, I hope to complete my first marathon and continue to improve and get stronger. Another goal is to keep off the 10 lbs I lost this fall and lose another 5 to be at my happy weight.

Food:

I ate it. Occasionally, I made it. Some of my favorites that I’ve blogged from the past year:
Baked Eggs in Mushrooms with Squash Ragout
The Perfect Veggie Burger
Chorizo and Sweet Potato Hash
Perfect Party Cake

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2012 that’s just as delicious and joy-filled as this year!

Christmas Joy

I survived and even enjoyed my first Christmas Eve and Day as clergy! The weather was perfect, and there weren’t even any disasters for my first year. Joe insisted on taking my picture before I headed off to my first service because he thought I looked pretty. Note the coffee mug in hand.

The church looked gorgeous. The music was perfect. And I received wine, chocolate, and sticky buns from several parishioners. I was completely unprepared for how generous everyone would be. It was much appreciated. My normal role is to read the gospel lesson, which on Christmas is, of course, the nativity story. It was a very special moment for me to read the nativity story for the congregation.

The hardest transition was waking up the next morning to go into the hospital to do two services. They weren’t as well-attended as I would’ve hoped, but there was a higher percentage of staff than usually attend and my homily was well-received. One of the nice things about doing those services is having some freedom and getting to do what I want, like read Luke’s nativity story from the King James version. Saying the shepherds were “sore afraid” rather than “terrified” just feels right. After four services in 20 hours, I was ready to get home, hang out with Joe, and open some presents.

I got a lot of GU Chomps. Training for the Flying Pig Marathon starts just after the first of the year. That many Chomps will probably last me for five marathon training cycles. I will never go hungry on a run again.

By far, this was the best present given or received this Christmas. Joe and I had been pondering upgrading the cat condo but never pulled the trigger. While we were at Costco for some last minute shopping, we saw some that were a really great deal. The only problem was fitting a 6’ tall cat condo into my Ford Focus. Not happening. My introvert of a husband announced that he was going to wander the parking lot and ask people with trucks or SUVs if they wouldn’t mind hauling it a couple of miles home for us. Sure enough, the first couple that he asked was more than happy to help us out and wouldn’t even let us give them a little cash for their trouble. I couldn’t believe it! The cats were thrilled with their Christmas present and have been playing King of the Mountain with the top compartment ever since.

Joe took care of the turkey that Vanderbilt gave us by injecting it with a Cajun marinade and doing a BBQ dry rub on the outside. I made blue cheese mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, and my mom/grandma’s cranberry salad. I did not photograph a darn thing. Not even the leftovers. A fellow working-on-Christmas chaplain came over for dinner, and we were having too much darn fun drinking wine and chatting. So it was and continues to be a good Christmas.

Merry Christmas

And happy holidays from Cook, Pray, Love – brought to you by Instagram.

Christmas tree at Children’s Hospital.

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angel gave the sign. (Christina Rosetti)

Our moderately pathetic Christmas tree

He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy. (Cecil F. Alexander)

Christmas card display

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth (Joseph Mohr)

Lentil Tacos

When I read other food blogs around this time of year, I’m impressed and over-awed at the cookies and marshmallows and feasts that people crank out. I haven’t done much of anything for the holidays yet. We did get the (cheap, horrible-looking) fake tree put up and decorated, and a few of the nativity scenes arranged around the house, at least until the cats start playing with poor Joseph. Joseph always gets the short end of the stick.

Truth be told, I’m having a little trouble adjusting from my previous mindset of holiday = vacation to my current life of holiday = holy day = work. I’m on-call at the hospital Christmas and New Year’s weekends, and I’m serving at two Christmas Eve services Saturday night only to wake up the next morning and do Christmas morning services at the hospitals.

At first I was bummed. No sleeping in and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning before opening presents. But I’m starting to come around. I get to celebrate Christmas with staff and families and perhaps some patients who would rather be somewhere else. I get to bring Christmas and some sense of normalcy to them. I get to be at a pediatrics hospital on Christmas morning with all of the festivity and donated presents that entails. So my Christmas won’t look like my previous Christmases, and my Christmas probably won’t look like your Christmas, but I think I’ll still get all of the joy and wonder. I’ll just have to relax on another day.

So this is not a Christmas meal. This is an anytime meal. Joe particularly liked this, I would guess due to the meaty texture of the lentils. The flavors are spot on, and the raisins add a hint of sweetness. If you don’t have any raisins, a tablespoon or so of brown sugar might also do the trick.

Lentil Tacos
serves 4
source: Runner’s World

Ingredients

1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth (I had to add more liquid.)
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced
1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping
8 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Preparation

In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

Butternut Squash, Kale, and Cheddar Bread Pudding

I’d never actually made bread pudding before this savory version, even though a sweet, boozy bread pudding studded with raisins is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It’s rare that I have leftover bread of any kind, so it felt strange to buy a baguette with the explicit purpose of letting it get stale. Definitely worth it though.

Being a mostly meatless type, I offered to bring a vegetarian entrée to Thanksgiving, letting our marvelous hostess off the hook. While it isn’t even close to vegan or low-calorie, I think I would much prefer this to a Tofurkey. Everyone knows that the sides are the best part of Thanksgiving anyway. And the kale and squash at least gives the illusion of getting in some real vegetables.

My one tip would be to use the sharpest, best cheddar cheese you can find/afford. I skimped on that, and it just wasn’t as good as I know that it could’ve been. Another bonus: this can be made in advance and is probably even best made in advance. I spent nearly a week taking the leftovers for lunch, and it only got better as the flavors melded. Perfect for when your Thanksgiving morning is routinely taken up by running a 5K with your family.

Butternut Squash, Kale, and Cheddar Bread Pudding
source: Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 2 POUNDS PEELED SEEDED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CUT INTO 1-INCH CUBES (ABOUT 6 CUPS)
• 3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL, DIVIDED
• KOSHER SALT
• FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 7 LARGE EGGS
• 2 1/4 CUPS HALF AND HALF
• 6 TABLESPOONS DRY WHITE WINE (OR HARD CIDER)
• 2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH THYME (OR 1 TABLESPOON DRIED)
• 1 TABLESPOON CHOPPED FRESH SAGE (OR 1/2 TABLESPOON DRIED)
• 1 TABLESPOON DIJON MUSTARD
• 1 DAY-OLD BAGUETTE (DO NOT REMOVE CRUST), CUT INTO 1-INCH CUBES (ABOUT 8 CUPS)
• 1 CUP CHOPPED SHALLOTS (ABOUT 4 LARGE)
• 2 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED
• 1/4 TEASPOON CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES (OPTIONAL)
• 2 BUNCHES TUSCAN KALE (ABOUT 1 POUND), RIBS REMOVED, KALE COARSELY CHOPPED (CAN BE SUBSTITUTED WITH SPINACH)`
• 8 OUNCES EXTRA-SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE, COARSELY GRATED

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash and 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread out squash cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
3. Whisk eggs in large bowl. Continue whisking as you add half and half, wine, thyme, sage, mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add baguette cubes to the egg mixture, and gently fold them into the mixture to coat each side. Let the baguette pieces soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes, and sauté until soft and fragrant, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, and stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes (the kale will still be a little crunchy).
5. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Using slotted spoon, transfer half of bread from egg mixture to the dish, spreading evenly. Spoon half of kale over the bread layer. Spoon half of squash over the kale layer, and sprinkle it with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash, and cheese. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread pudding.
6. Cover bread pudding with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until custard is set, about 20 minutes longer.
7. Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Advent, not Christmas (yet)

This Sunday marked the first Sunday of Advent, one of my favorite church seasons (though I feel like I say that about all of them). Gone are the perpetually green vestments and the repetitive tediousness of the Sundays after Pentecost. Enter Sarum blue and the twinkling of the candles on the Advent wreath against the darkness of the shortening days. Enter, stage left, John the Baptist and the nativity without the baby Jesus.

American culture doesn’t do Advent. We don’t do waiting, silently preparing in our hearts for Christmas. And I’m not going to pretend that I wait until Christmas eve to put up my tree or listen to Christmas music. I live in two worlds – one where I sit quietly and focus on my Advent devotion and the other where I hustle and bustle with the best of them, going from shopping to holiday parties.

Advent seems particularly relevant for me this year as I’m ministering in a childrens’ hospital. There are so many times when I’m ready to throw up my hands, to admit that darkness has won. How long, Lord, how long must parents bewail a fatal diagnosis or sit anxiously in the surgery waiting room as a brain tumor is removed? How do people not just give up? How do I not give up? Coming back to the hospital, day after day, holding hands, saying prayers, trying to be a small light in the overwhelming darkness.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Along with the literal darkness of the sun starting its descent before 4 pm, there is so much darkness in the world. I see the individual darkness in people’s lives – cancer, sick and dying children, child abuse. But there’s societal darkness as well – economic injustice, hunger and starvation, unemployment, racism, sexism, etc. It’s so overwhelming that I can see why people give up and resign themselves to cynicism or apathy.

In the darkness, the light shines even brighter. As Sam Portaro said, the lights on the Advent wreath are not talismans against darkness but testaments to the light. The light is here, incarnate among us. The light is the strength within the human soul that fights against giving into the darkness. The light is as simple as getting out of bed to live another day in the face of devastating loss. The light is a group of people’s insistence that their voices matter because they are people, because they are children of God.

The light is incarnate among us if we only look for it around us and let it illuminate our souls.