Thanksgiving - Sweet Potato Casserole

I'm lucky to have wonderful friends here in Dubai that we're able to celebrate holidays with. We have several circles that we hang out with and were able to spend Thanksgiving with two of them. I was asked to bring a side dish to both and thought it would be a good idea to try making my mom's sweet potato casserole, even though I'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. She sent me her recipe and said I could halve it or just split it into two dishes, one for each Thanksgiving dinner. I decided not to do this (and thankfully I didn't!) because it was all eaten up at the first dinner. Made the full recipe for the second dinner and all of it was gone again! I was proud to report this back to mom. :)

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 3 cups mashed yams (sweet potatoes) – 1 really large can or two of the 1#-12oz cans. If using 3 large sweet potatoes instead of cans, bake for about 40 minutes until soft.
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1/2 stick margarine
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• Dash of vanilla

Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• Pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup butter

Mix together casserole ingredients. Try to keep the sweet potatoes a bit chunky.

Mix together the topping until crumbly and sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake at 325 for about an hour.

--------------------------

 

I will admit that I didn't have very much of this.. a bite at most. It was alright, but sweet potatoes aren't my thing. I did however have someone say they hate their own mother's sweet potatoes but loved this. Other people described it as "custard-like" "sweet and creamy" and "completely heaven." So for those of you who are sweet potato lovers, give this one a shot.

Thanksgiving - Cheesy Biscuits

Have you ever been to Red Lobster? Then you're familiar with those heavenly Cheddar Bay Biscuits they tempt you with as soon as you take your seat. I didn't eat there very often (and not at all since I've moved to Dubai since there aren't any here) but these biscuits are wonderful. I made them last Thanksgiving due to an intense craving and decided to make them again for this Thanksgiving. I was able to find a copy recipe here.

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits (my changes are in italics)

• 2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
• ¾ cup cold whole milk
• 4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes (omitted)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch salt (omitted)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

--------------------------

 

I'm not going to say anything other than YUM.

Italian Style French Bread

When Kevin bought a TV a few weeks ago, the store gave us a voucher to use so we ended up buying some things that we normally wouldn't buy for ourselves. Among those things was a bread machine! I've made several loaves so far and I'm really loving the machine. It makes bread making SO much easier.

Kevin was making spaghetti not too long ago and instead of buying the pre-made garlic bread at the grocery store I decided to make my own using this recipe.

Italian Style French Bread (my changes are in italics)

• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese (used 3 tbsp of romano)
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

Add the ingredients to the bread machine per your bread machine instructions.

Use the French Bread cycle, medium crust, and 1 pound loaf.

Remove when done and cool before slicing.

--------------------------

 

This bread was perfectly crusty with a soft inside. I mixed a dish of pressed garlic and butter then spread it on the bread slices while still warm. Way better than any mushy grocery store garlic bread I've ever had and went wonderfully with the spaghetti! If you have a machine, I'd recommend this the next time you're having Italian.

The Ramifications of Procrastination

I've been cooking and baking quite a bit recently because I love my bigger kitchen in the new villa, but had abandoned the blog out of sheer laziness. I kept telling myself I'd update it eventually.

Well, putting it off bit me in the butt big time. I dropped my iPhone (which I used to take photos) and lost 700+ photos, a lot of which were of the food I had made over the past few months. Yeah, I had procrastinated in syncing my iPhone with the computer as well. I'm really disappointed but the lesson has been learned. No more procrastination! I promise!

And with that, I'm going to take this opportunity to start blogging again and hopefully stick with it this time.

Mom's Breakfast Casserole

I rarely eat heavy breakfast foods, though I really, really love them. One of my favorites is something my mom throws together every now and then, her breakfast casserole. It's quite easy to make and I'm sure it's not original, but it's yummy just the same. :)

Mom's Breakfast Casserole

• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 tube of breakfast sausage (used some other sausage since we can't find American breakfast sausage here)
• handful of shredded cheese
• 8-10 eggs depending on the size of your casserole dish
• onions, diced, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook sausage on stovetop until browned.

Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cover bottom of dish with potatoes. Layer the breakfast sausage on top. Sprinkle cheese over entire dish.

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Pour slowly filling in all the space between potatoes and sausage.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a knife comes out liquid-free.

--------------------------

Home Sweet New Home!

The last two weeks have been so busy that I haven't spent much time on the internet as I usually do. Ok well, as much time before I spent the summer traveling. This hiatus was from looking around for a villa to rent. We've been itching for a bigger kitchen and figured moving to a villa instead of an apartment would be the only way to get it. (By the way, here in Dubai houses are called villas.) Well, after a week or so of looking, we found one!

I can't believe we're giving up our full Persian Gulf view for a house in the middle of the desert, but it's big and we'll have more room for our hobbies. Kevin has been wanting a kayak forever but never had the room for it and I have been yearning for a garden. Now we'll be able to have both.

So the last few days have spent looking for furniture. We were able to get most of the stuff we need (since we're coming from a furnished apartment) from Ramadan sales and expats leaving the country. We're having a lot of fun setting up house, and even though we are renting, it feels more like "ours." More pics once we get our furniture delivered next week!

We're Back!

Kevin and I are back from our trip to the States. We went to Seattle (where his family lives) but my mom and sister were able to fly up from Orlando for a few days. They had never been to Seattle before so we had a good time showing them around, as well as getting to see a good friend get married.

It seemed like a quick visit because a few days into the trip, I had my gallbladder taken out, and spent the rest of the time recovering. I've been needing this for awhile now (since 2006) and went for a surgery consult and the doctor fit my surgery in the next day. The gallstones were bigger and more plentiful than the 3 year old ultrasound showed so one of my incisions is much bigger than I expected. I'm still sore but no longer taking painkillers after the plane ride over here, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm still trying to figure out how this will affect my diet. I've been told it could go numerous ways. So for now I'm trying to eat as low-cal, low-fat, low-sodium, and sugar free as I can and gradually add things back and see what happens. I don't know if this will make cooking easier or harder, but I do expect to be cooking more because I won't be finding these foods by eating out. So hopefully, more blog updates soon!

Pasta with Asparagus

I love love love Gina at www.skinnytaste.com. I've made several of her recipes before, which were really yummy. I also really enjoy using her recipes to prove to Kevin that "diet" foods can taste good. But last night I was craving an actual cooked meal, and even though Kevin was gone, there was some asparagus I needed to use up and I remembered one of her dishes that I have been wanting to make.

Pasta with Asparagus (my changes are in italics)

• 1 lb thin asparagus, cut into 2" pieces, tough ends trimmed
• 6 oz uncooked pasta
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed (used 5 cloves)
• salt and fresh cracked pepper (used 1/4 tsp each of salt and white pepper)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (used Romano)

In a large pot boil 4 cups water with salt. When boiling, add asparagus and cook 3-5 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain asparagus in colander reserving 1 cup liquid before draining.

Fill pot with salted water, cover and boil for pasta. When water boils cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until golden, add asparagus, salt and pepper and sauté about 1-2 minutes, tossing with oil and garlic.

In a small bowl combine egg yolk, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1/4 cup reserved asparagus liquid, salt and pepper. Mix well. After pasta is drained return to pot and mix with egg mixture. Cook on medium-low about 2 minutes, until sauce thickens and sticks to pasta. Toss in asparagus and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If pasta seems too dry add more reserved liquid a tablespoon at a time.

Serve with additional grated cheese. 

Serves 4.

--------------------------

This was a nice light pasta, yet very filling. The original recipe didn't specify an amount of salt and pepper so I tossed in a little then added a little bit more to my serving. I didn't want to ruin the whole thing by making it too salty, which I have done before. :-/ I'll definitely make this dish again when Kevin is home... it was delicious and so quick and simple! The leftovers were pretty good too, which I find is rare for non red sauce pasta dishes.

No, I Haven't Abandoned Ship

However, I have briefly abandoned the kitchen. Kevin and I got back from Europe this past weekend and he left again Tuesday to head to Zurich for some training. I've been eating sandwiches and drinking smoothies all while reading nonstop on my Nook. I am starting to crave cooked food so I'm sure there will be a real domestic update soon. It's just so much easier to let my "domestic duties" fall by the wayside when I'm here alone.

I know.. excuses, excuses. :)

Quick and Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

With the possibility that I could be leaving on Sunday to join Kevin in both Paris and Rome for two weeks, I've been trying to eat up everything in my refrigerator without having to go grocery shopping. I had some cooked brown rice leftover so I decided to whip up some fried rice. Kevin's makes some amazing fried rice and so I tried to make it without really knowing what he puts into it and it ended up pretty good.

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

• 3 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup broccoli chopped, cooked
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp light soy sauce

In a frying pan, heat olive oil. Saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add rice and continue to cook until a little sticky.

Move rice to one side of frying pan then center empty side over burned. Scramble egg while chopping into tiny bits. Mix together.

Add salt, pepper, broccoli, and carrots. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add soy and continue to mix. Turn off heat and serve hot.

--------------------------

A Lighter Alfredo Type Dish

I had every intention of making me some yummy Murgh Makhani (butter chicken) for dinner this evening. Thank goodness I tried the sauce before adding the chicken because it was HORRIBLE. And into the trash can it went. So I went though my bookmarks to find something I could make with already cooked cubed chicken and found a lighter chicken alfredo from Weight Watchers. I took it step lighter due to what I already had in the kitchen and came out with a not quite alfredo, but pretty yummy dish. And let it be known that I halved everything in this recipe except the cheese because I wasn't paying attention. :P

A Lighter Alfredo (my changes are in italics)

• 6 medium garlic clove(s), peeled and smashed with a knife
• 1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, washed, patted dry, four 4 oz pieces (mine were cubed)
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 spray(s) cooking spray
• 1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth (had to make some from a bouillon cube)
• 1/4 cup(s) heavy whipping cream (used extra light 3%)
• 1/4 cup(s) whole milk plain yogurt, Greek-variety (used regular lowfat)
• 1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
• 8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, fettuccini (used elbow macaroni)
• 1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano suggested (used romano)
• 1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, flat-leaf, finely chopped, divided (omitted)

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Rub garlic over chicken; reserve garlic. Season chicken with salt and pepper and rub in seasonings with your hands; set aside.

Off heat, coat skillet with cooking spray and then set over medium-low heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until golden, flipping once, about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine broth, heavy cream and yogurt; pour over chicken and scrape bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon to incorporate seasonings. Simmer chicken gently, turning once, about 30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Remove chicken from cream sauce and set aside. Add Parmesan cheese to cream sauce and mix until well-combined. Add cooked pasta and 3 tablespoons of parsley; toss well. Serve pasta topped which chicken and rest of parsley. Yields about 3 ounces of chicken and 2/3 cup of pasta/sauce per serving.

--------------------------

 

I'd like to say that the picture is after it set out for 30 minutes or so. I was so hungry I forgot to take one before I dug in. It's definitely not the creamy alfredo that I love, but it was pretty good and definitely satisfied any alfredo craving I had. I'm sure it would have been creamier had I halved the cheese like I did the rest of the recipe. And I'll leave you at that because I really need another bowl. :)

High Fiber Sugar Free Bran Muffins

I've been looking for a recipe for these that doesn't taste like crap or is super high in calories. I was thinking that I would have to modify an existing muffin recipe when I found an article for someone who was looking for the same thing who luckily, already experimented to find something that works. Yay! Less work for me! I was hoping it would be completely from scratch, but since I already had some FiberOne cereal laying around, I figured why not? I plugged these babies into my WW recipe calculator and guess what? ONE point! (Unless you add raisins or nuts or something. Then they're two points.) So without further ado, I give you "I Can't Believe These Are Healthy" Bran Muffins.

High Fiber Sugar Free Bran Muffins (my changes are in italics)

• 1 1/4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 cups of Bran (used FiberOne)
• 1/2 cup of Oatmeal, not the instant kind
• 1 cup of granulated Splenda
• 1/2 cup of Non-Fat Dry Powdered Milk
• 1 1/4 cups of Skim Mil
• 1 Egg (large)
• 1/4 cup of Canola Oil (used applesauce)
• 1 TBSP Baking Powder (yep, that's tablespoon)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Non-fat Cooking Spray for pan
• I added 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together flour, splenda, powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda and salt (and cinnamon and nutmeg) in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine bran cereal, oatmeal and skim milk. Cover bran and oatmeal with as much of the liquid as possible and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Once bran is softened, add egg and oil, beat well. (You don't need an electric mixer, wooden spoon works fine) Add the flour mixture, stirring "only" until combined. DO NOT OVER MIX! Batter will be lumpy. Put even amounts of batter into 6 muffin tins (I used 12 to get them to 1 point) that you coated with non-fat cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

--------------------------

 

I'm not a huge fan of bran muffins but I wanted to find an easy way to get more fiber in my diet. And for a bran muffin, I think these are the best I've ever had. They are fluffy, they rise, and they don't have a cardboard feel or taste like bran muffins usually do. They're super filling too. Eat one or two of these for breakfast (or a snack!) and you're good to go!

Jambalaya!

Kevin and I were craving something with a little spice but wanted to make something other than the normal Indian food we usually eat when we're wanting something spicy. I remembered seeing a recipe at Weight Watchers which unfortunately is unlinkable because they don't like to tell non-subscribers how many points something is. We ended up changing quite a bit of the recipe due to what we already had and a few mistakes on my part. Oopsies.

Chicken Jambalaya (my changes are in italics)

• 2 1/2 oz raw turkey sausage, chopped (used pre-cooked)
• 1 large onion(s), chopped
• 1 medium celery, stalk, chopped (omitted because it's expensive here right now)
• 1 small green pepper(s), chopped
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
• 2 medium chicken breast, cooked, skinless, cubed (about 2 cups)
• 28 oz canned tomatoes, whole, plum, peeled with juice (used 5 fresh tomatoes, peeled)
• 2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup(s) uncooked white rice, long-grain (used brown basmati rice)

Coat a large, nonstick saucepan with cooking spray. Over high heat, sauté sausage until crispy on edges. Add onion, celery and green pepper; sauté until tender.

 Reduce heat and stir in cayenne, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic; sauté until garlic is fragrant.

Stir in chicken, tomatoes, broth and rice. (I cooked rice separately because brown rice cooks longer.) Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. (I wasn't paying attention and added all the broth even though I was cooking rice separately, so I let it simmer/boil uncovered for about 45 minutes.) Serves 4.

--------------------------

 

This was a joint effort between Kevin and I, so I can't take all the credit. It was my first time blanching, peeling, and coring tomatoes so now I can add that to the experience. I should also say that our jambalaya had paprika in it as well because I mistook it for the cayenne. But it was sooo good and I'm glad I have some leftover so I can eat it again. A nice change from the Indian we usually eat!

Easy Peasy Banana Cream Pie

I can't cook/bake very well, but I'm almost embarrassed to post this because it's so easy (which I will admit, is my kind of cooking). But I thought I'd share anyway because who doesn't love a 2.5 point piece of pie?

Banana Cream Pie

• packet of fat free sugar free banana cream pie pudding mix by Jello
• 1 3/4 cup of skim milk
• 2 small bananas
• reduced fat pre-made graham cracker crust
• Cool Whip Free

Line graham cracker crust with sliced bananas.

Whisk milk and pudding mix together for about a minute. Pour immediately into pie crust. Refrigerate for one hour (three for a firmer pie).

Cover top with Cool Whip Free. Cut into 8 slices.

--------------------------

My pie was a little gooey because Kevin couldn't even wait the full hour before taking it out of the refrigerator, ready to cut into it. I was at least able to hold him off long enough to put the Cool Whip on. Still pretty yummy, gooey-ness and all.

Oh, Crockpot! How I Love Thee!

Yesterday we became the proud owners of a brand new slow cooker. They are not very common here unlike their counterpart, the rice cooker. But we found one at a decent price and brought that baby home. Before bed, we threw in a beef bottom round with some fat free chicken broth, water, onions, carrots, garlic, beef seasoning, salt, and pepper. It cooked all night, then this morning when we woke up, threw in some potatoes and let it continue to cook all day. By 5:30pm (when we couldn't wait any longer) we dug in. The meat just fell apart... so tender and juicy. So right now, I'm in pot roast heaven. So full, yet still contemplating what my next meal with the crock pot will be. I think it may be one of the best kitchen appliances ever.

A Lighter Enchilada

It's hard to find good Mexican food here in Dubai, and it's almost impossible to find "healthy" Mexican food anywhere. When I came across this recipe for chicken enchiladas at skinnytaste.com, I figured it would be worth a try.

Chicken Enchiladas (my changes are in italics)

For the sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (used cayenne)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
• kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the chicken:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 8.5 oz (2 breast halves) cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder (used cayenne)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 8 (6-inch) reduced carb whole wheat flour tortillas (used 8 inch tortillas)
• 1 cup shredded low fat Mexican cheese (used full fat Mexican cheese)
• Nonstick cooking spray

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and sauté garlic. Add chipotle chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it. Place on baking dish seam side down. Top with sauce and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low fat sour cream or scallions if you wish. (Extra points) Makes 8 enchiladas.

--------------------------

In this recipe, I had to sub some ingredients for what I already had in the kitchen. I failed to notice that 6-inch tortillas were required and I had bought 8-inch ones instead so this recipe barely eked out seven enchiladas, and they were very scanty ones at that. So because of the extra carbs and the full fat cheese, it made these 4 points each instead of 3 points like the original recipe states. Still, not too shabby!

As for flavor, these were pretty good, although a bit too much cilantro for my taste (though Kevin liked it). When I make these again, I'll use a little bit more chicken, a low fat cheese so I can make them cheesier without sacrificing points, less cilantro, and of course, the smaller tortillas.

I should probably also mention that while cooking this, I had a beer can fall out of the fridge and explode everywhere, I dropped several sauce covered utensils on the floor, and had a lecture from my husband about not using a steel spoon to stir ingredients in a Teflon skillet.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Strips

I haven't eaten any meat in almost two weeks and so I decided to grab some chicken breasts when I was shopping. Like I've mentioned before, I have a hard time cooking for one so I wanted something that wasn't very elaborate. I tried googling "chicken recipes for one" to no avail because I didn't want just grilled chicken breast. Boring. Then I remembered a recipe Kevin and I tried not too long ago and I adapted it to make chicken strips instead. And I'm so proud of myself for kind of guessing from memory... not like this recipe was hard to begin with. :P

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Strips

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Set up two bowls, one containing the beaten egg, the other containing all dry ingredients mixed.

Dip strips into egg, then the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Lay in dish.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then continue to bake for another 7-10 minutes.

--------------------------

Ahhh. Little nuggets of heaven. I never thought I'd say that in reference to anything other than chocolate but these are pretty damn good.

Why I Can't Cook: The Sort Of Excuse

I haven't cooked much the past few days. I have a really hard time cooking for just myself. I regress back into my college mentality and I go for super easy meals. I've been eating grilled cheese, PB&Js, oatmeal, and salads. When I do this, I can't help but think that when I have kids I'm going to be nothing like my mother. Even simple cooking gets overwhelming if there is more than one thing going on or I didn't pre-measure everything out. I long for the day that I know what spices/herbs/flavors go together and can just throw something together without a recipe. 

Cooking for me is hard because I do lean on recipes. Cooking is fast paced and taking time to reread a recipe means something is probably bubbling over on the stove. Baking, on the other hand, I can do. Follow the recipe, mix, and pop into the oven. With most things, you can stop to reread the recipe, which I usually have to do a lot. So right now, I'm fighting the urge to get in the kitchen and bake. I still have a week left without Kevin and I don't want that stuff in the apartment without him here to eat at least half. So on that note, I'm going to make myself a smoothie.

Why Does Your Smoothie Look Like That?

Today was a lazy day. Well, all my days are lazy, but this one was lazier than most. I went out the past two nights. Trivia with Jen and Jeff and some of their friends on Wednesday night, which was awesome but definitely not enough "American" questions. Then last night I walked over to Barasti (a restaurant/bar on the beach that we're lucky enough to live right across the street from) to meet up with Houri and Stefanie for a girls night. So today I was tired and it ended up being a completely unproductive day. For days like this, I really like to make a green smoothie for lunch (which I happen to have a lot when Kevin is out of town). For those of you who don't know what a green smoothie is, it's a smoothie in which you "hide" your greens, such as spinach, lettuce, chard, or kale. I use spinach because it has a light flavor and my smoothie still tastes fruity. Kale, on the other hand, is a bit more difficult to hide.

My Green Smoothie

• 1 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1 medium banana
• 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
• 2 big handfuls of baby spinach

It's super filling and has four servings of fruits and vegetables in it. (The pineapple juice doesn't count.) Some people take one look at it and are grossed out because it's a lovely shade of greenish brown. Don't let the color stop you from tasting the deliciousness that is a green smoothie. Yum!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

It's only day three of Kevin being gone out of a reaaaally long two weeks and I'm already bored. So today I thought, why not make some bread? Real bread making (which I've never done before) is a long process (so I've heard) that will take up the majority of the day. Perfect.

I'm a carb-a-holic and I salivate over The Fresh Loaf, so I decided to jump in head first and try to make their recipe for Honey Whole Wheat Bread.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread - makes 2 loaves

• 1 lb whole wheat flour (about 3 cups)
• 12 oz hot water
• 8 ounces bread or all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 5 oz can evaporated milk... or milk, or more water or soy if you are vegan (used semi skimmed evaporated milk)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp instant yeast
• an additional 1/2-1 cup flour, as necessary, to achieve the desired consistency

Mix the hot water and whole wheat flour together in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic and set aside until around room temperature, at least 1 hour.

Add the milk, honey, salt, yeast, and bread flour to the original mixture and mix until well combined. Add additional flour and knead by hand or in a stand mixer until a tacky but not completely sticky dough is formed. Place the ball of dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 60 to 90 minutes.

Divide the dough in two and shape the loaves. Place the loaves in greased bread pans, cover the pans loosely with plastic (I put them in a plastic bag), and set aside to rise again for 90 minutes.

During the final 30 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pans into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pans once so that they brown evenly, until the internal temperature of the loaves is around 190 degrees and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

---------------------------

Can I be a little proud of myself? I feel like this is a huge step in learning how to cook/bake. I wish it had risen more because the slices aren't that big.. I'm assuming letting it rise longer before splitting the dough would help. I still can't believe I made bread without it being a huge disaster! Without the help of a machine, might I add. And it's pretty darn tasty too. I'm going to save one loaf for Kevin (in the freezer, I think?) and try and not eat the rest in one sitting.

Maybe I Do Have a Green Thumb

Things are going much better in my balcony garden. I never used the fertilizer I have, but instead, I watered my plants with water that I dissolved epsom salt into. Everything seemed to perk up! From what I've read, it's good to do this once a month or so. One of my gardenias is turning yellow so I need to pick up a spray bottle the next time I'm out so I can spray the epsom salt solution on the leaves.

I can't wait for my compost to be ready. I'm still adding to it and the bin is almost full. I started it a little over a month ago and I hope the heat here will speed it up. I've never composted before, let alone on a balcony, so I'm excited to use this on my plants. I never realized how addicting gardening can be, but I'm glad I've found something to eat up some of my spare time.

One Ingredient Italian Ice

The AC in our building is broken and our apartment is a sweltering 84 degrees. I thought now would be as good of a time as any to try a really cool (literally!) summertime dessert I came across a few days ago at Stephanie Cooks. Enter Italian ice. Italian ice that has only one ingredient and is easy on the waistline!

Italian Ice

•  Fresh, chopped, frozen fruit (I used watermelon)

Place the frozen fruit pieces in a food processor.

If you want it to be choppy, like slushy ice, hit pulse a few times until the fruit it chopped up and resembles Italian ice.

If you prefer it more smooth, let the food processor run for about 2-3 minutes or until smooth like soft ice cream.

---------------------------

My first attempt came out a little soupy (see picture), but I ate it anyway. It was still pretty great and I am SO glad I found this idea. It's as easy as pushing a button on a blender, which suits me perfectly. It was a wonderful relief to the no AC situation and I can tell you now it's going to be a staple for us this summer. I'm going to see if I can make a prettier batch tomorrow. :)

Low Fat Mac and Cheese

Kevin leaves for Munich for two weeks tomorrow, so for dinner I wanted to make something that would yield a lot of leftovers that I could eat while he's gone. Cooking for one is such a pain. I've made this recipe from RecipeZaar once before (yes, I do realize it's sacrilegious to make low fat macaroni) and we ate it for leftovers for two or three days afterward. So if you make this, be warned... it makes a lot of macaroni.

Low Fat Mac and Cheese (my changes are in italics)

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 3 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (used whole wheat)
• 1 tsp dry mustard (used regular mustard.. Kevin says it's close enough)
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk 
• 1 cup nonfat sour cream 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, from about 2 cups dried (used whole wheat penne)
• 1/4 cup corn flake crumbs or dried breadcrumbs (used FiberOne last time, omitted this time)

Coat 2 quart casserole with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in medium saucepan. stir in flour, mustard, paprika, and salt. slowly pour in milk, whisking continuously until there are no lumps in the flour. continue to stir with whisk, raise the heat, and cook until milk bubbles and thickens.


Remove from stovetop and stir in sour cream, egg, and cheese.

Toss macaroni and the cheese mixture together in a bowl and then pour it into the casserole. Top with the cornflake crumbs. Set in the oven and bake for 20 minutes (I did almost 40), or until bubbling around edges.

---------------------------

So yummy! Not Stouffer's, but I don't think anything will match that. :) We're pepper fans so we eat this with a bit of black pepper on top, which I think makes it even better.

Guilt Free Banana Bread

Kevin asked me to make banana bread today. Let it be known that he is not fond of diet foods, yet the only banana bread I've made for him is this recipe from Hungry Girl. Granted, each time I've made it I have had to substitute a few ingredients due to what I had or could find.

Banana Bread (my changes are in italics)

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (used 1 egg and an extra banana)
• 1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce (used regular applesauce because I can't find sugar-free here)
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (in other words, all dry ingredients). 

In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, egg substitute, applesauce, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). 

Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. 

Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. 

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 8 slices.

---------------------------

I think this recipe does a pretty good job cutting the calories and fat out of a normal banana bread recipe without sacrificing much yummy goodness. If you make this exactly as it says, it's only 140 calories per slice! 

Who Doesn't Love a Good Sale?

Went to Mall of the Emirates today to get some soil and pots from Carrefour. On our way out, we passed Home Centre, and there was a HUGE sale going on. We purchased some allergen control sheets, pillowcases, and duvet cover for 70% off. We also ended up with a set of 10 glasses, 2 travel mugs, a 3 tier shelf for the bathroom counter, a new pillow for me, and a table lamp for the balcony. All for $75! I'm so excited, especially about the sheets, because we haven't been able to find anything that fits our California king bed that's not very expensive.

Now for some quick burgers on the stove and an afternoon working on the balcony.

I'm Makin' Waffles!

I woke Kevin by clanging around in the kitchen in my desire to make some waffles. We've made waffles before with Bisquick, but they always turned out flat. This time I was looking for a recipe that promised fluffy waffles and came across this waffle recipe from Mr. Breakfast.com.

Waffle House Waffles (my changes are in italics)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (used Chappati Atta wheat flour)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 8 Tablespoons melted butter (used margarine)
  
• 4 large eggs - separated (used only 3 yolks because I messed one up)
• I also added 1/4 tsp of vanilla and a packet of stevia
  

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, melted butter and milk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter, then fold in second third. Once incorporated fold in the last of the whites. Cook according to the instructions for your waffle maker.

---------------------------

I don't think these turned out quite like Waffle House waffles, which I think can be attributed to the wheat flour, but these were pretty darn good, a somewhat healthier option, and WAY better than using Bisquick. I'm sure they'd taste even better using the all-purpose flour but I like to "healthify" when I cook. I cannot stress enough the importance of beating the egg whites. I think that makes this recipe fluffier than other waffle recipes, so don't skip it!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Ok, not really. But I think of that whenever I do some midnight gardening. I was really in the mood to work on my balcony garden and it's usually nicer to do it when it's dark so the construction guys working on the building next door aren't around to watch me and it's not as hot. Well, tonight was hot as Hades and I could see a few peeking guys in the construction elevator. Oh well.

I moved my cilantro to a bigger pot. I'm going to keep it inside because the wind wrecked my last one. I also planted aster and petunia seeds as well as strawberry and dwarf beans. Then finally, for the heck of it, I decided to break up the cloves of a chunk of garlic that was sprouting in my refrigerator and planted that too.

A lot of my garden is failing and I have no idea why. I'm on the 22nd floor of a high rise and we get a fair share of wind so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I'm new to this and I know there are certain times of the year to plant certain things, so I'm sure that has something to do with it as well. What I'm worried about most are the gardenias I bought four days ago (for only $10 each!). They aren't turning yellow, but they are shriveled up and drooping. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Kevin bought some fertilizer with an NPK ratio of "12+12+17+3 Mgo+TE as boron, zinc, manganese, and copper." I have no idea what this means so I'll be googling sometime in the near future. I didn't really want to use any fertilizer on food but my compost is no where ready yet and I don't know which plants the fertilizer is good to use on.

Here's what I have in addition to what I planted tonight:
- 3 "window" boxes of vinca
- 2 gardenias
- 5 or 6 boxes of lettuce and broccoli
- 3 pots of basil
- 1 pot of mint
- 1 pot of cilantro
- 2 bougainvillea
- 2 ficus
- 2 jasmine
- 1 pot of aloe
- 1 pineapple
- 1 banana plant
- 1 unidentified plant I received as a gift

Tomorrow, when it's light out, I'll take pictures and post them.

Crunchy Clothes? No Thanks

The dryer is BROKEN. I repeat, the dryer is BROKEN. It's been on the fritz for awhile, but now it won't turn on without the circuit breaker popping. And everything else on that circuit is unplugged so I have no idea what the issue is. Kevin spent a good part of the morning trying to fix it and it looks like part of the motor burned out. We got it used from Dubizzle which is Dubai's version of Craigslist so now we're on the hunt for another one. Until then, I either let the laundry pile up or use the drying racks we have. I hate drying racks. For some reason they leave your clothes hard and crispy, no matter how much fabric softener I use. Argh.

The rest of the day was completely wasted. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer after only getting an hour and a half of sleep last night. I tried, believe me, I tried. I was really looking forward to working on my balcony garden. I know it's a little late in the season, but I have some strawberry seeds I want to plant, as well as some petunia and aster. I will get this done tomorrow, even if it means adopting Kevin's morning caffeine ritual, which is a lot.

Now to figure out something for dinner... but both of us are lazy tonight and settled in front of Shutter Island so it's pretty much guaranteed our kitchen won't be used.

Wide Awake

I returned to Dubai from the US a few days ago and I'm still suffering from a horrible case of jet lag. It's a little after 3am and I'm wide awake after napping most of the evening. I had been meaning to start a blog to kill a lot of the free time I have and I figured now is as good of a time as any.

I'm excited to share my failed recipe attempts as well as the rare successful one and any other household hurdles I'm able to overcome. I'd tell you that you're not allowed to laugh, but you are, alongside my husband, who laughs at me daily.

And now that this blog is officially no longer just an idea (and the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher), I'm off to try and get some sleep!