Christmas Cookie Weekend

I love when Tim gets in the mood to make Christmas cookies.  They always get me in the Holiday spirit.  Double stuff Oreo cookies dipped in white chocolate with peppermint sprinkles and Pinwheel sugar cookies.  Yum!

Cutting Board Obsession

We have been collecting cutting boards for some time.  I love the variety out there.  Our brother-in-law makes his own from downed trees in his area.  In addition to using them for cutting vegetables, I prefer to use them to serve on for appetizers, meals and are especially good for outdoors.  They are easy to clean and as long as you treat them regularly - age beautifully.

Salmon Sheet Dinner

With the Snowmaggedon approaching this weekend, we shopped for comfort recipes for the weekend.  Tim loves the new stove which got delivered while he was off in Sweden and the Arctic Circle.  We have been experimenting with sheet pan dinners which are easy and this one was awesome.  Unfortunately, there weren't too many leftovers.  

SALMON SHEET DINNER

• 1 lemon, sliced thinly
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1½ tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1½ tablespoons dijon mustard
• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped and divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 2-pound filet steelhead or King salmon, skin on
• 1½ pounds small new potatoes (red or white)
• 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole and smashed with the side of a knife
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Line an 18 X 13 inch sheet pan with aluminum foil. Scatter the lemon slices on the pan.
3. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, grainy mustard and dijon mustard together. Season with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of the fresh dill. Place the salmon on the sheet pan and rub with the mustard sauce. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
4. Thinly slice the potatoes (I leave the skins on) and place in a bowl with the smashed garlic cloves. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Scatter the potatoes on the sheet pan as evenly as possible. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
5. Bake the salmon and potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness, checking the cook time at the 10-12 minute mark.
6. Serve with additional mustard sauce if desired and sprinkle with fresh dill and more lemon wedges if you like.

Classic Lasagna

It is such a treat to have my Mom at the house and have her ask me to cook traditional Italian food for her and Tim.  My Mom was so territorial about her kitchen growing up.  I guess with three rambunctious boys - it would be a little challenging to have them running around you while you tried to cook.  However, as I got older, I would be slowly allowed to sit at the kitchen bar and watch her cook.   We would have these long conversations while she prepared meals and she allowed me to be her "taster."  "Does it need more mayonnaise or mustard?"  "Does it need more salt?"  The day she showed me how to make french salad dressing with just mixing ketchup and mayonnaise - was amazing to me.  It took her a long time to accept me in the kitchen and then accept Tim in there as well. Tim's cooking far exceeds my abilities and she eventually looked forward to Tim visiting and cooking in her kitchen. She had me make Eggplant parmesan when she first moved back here.  It is a laborious process to make it and I don't do it too often.  Lasagna is not as complicated but still labor intensive so I usually make a couple casserole dishes - one to eat and one to freeze.  We had it for dinner and then she asked for more for lunch the next day.  Glad to oblige.

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz can water
• 1 12 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• Salt and pepper
• 16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 16 oz box lasagna pasta

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large pan, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic. Saute until onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add ground beef and cook until completely browned, drain fat. Return to pan.
4. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes.
6. Cook pasta according to package directions, rinse and set aside (I usually add a tsp of oil to the water so the pasta doesn’t stick to each other).
7. In a 14 x 11½ x 2¼ baking dish, or two smaller size baking dishes, put a small amount of meat mixture in the bottom of dish. Spread around.
8. Add lasagna noodles (approximately 5-6, and they will overlap onto each other).
9. Next, spoon half of the ricotta cheese on top of the pasta and spread covering the pasta.
10. Spoon meat mixture on top of ricotta cheese.
11. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
12. Next add ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese.
13. Repeat with another layer of pasta, ricotta cheese, meat mixture, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese.
14. Final layer is pasta, topped with remaining meat mixture and remaining mozzarella cheese.
15. Cover with foil and cook for approximately 1 hour.
16. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Butternut Squash Soup

While we were experimenting with butternut squash - this was another recipe we tried.  Very healthy, Zero points and easy and awesome!

Butternut Squash Soup

4 cups vegetable broth
12 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 to 11/2 inch cubes
1/2 large Vidalia onion, cut into 2 inch cubes
1/2 small apple, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
1/4 tsp table salt, to taste
1/4 black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg to taste

In a large stock pot, combine broth, squash, onion, and apple; cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Uncover pot and reduce heat to low; gently simmer until squash is very tender, about 10 minutes.
Puree soup in pot using an immersion blender ) or puree soup in a regular blender in batches; be careful not to splatter hot liquid).
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; server.  Yields 3/4 cup per serving.

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

It's that time of year to try out new recipes.  Experimenting with a few things.  This was a healthy new find.  So easy and healthy and the combo of squash, goat cheese and rosemary was delicious.  We doubled the ingredients based on the size of the squash.  We also put it in a baking dish vs. the skins.

Butternut Squash

Tbl non fat yogurt

Tbl goat cheese

Tbl Honey

Add cinnamon and rosemary 

1. Pre heat oven to 450

2. Slice squash into two halves

3. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray 

4. Bake for about 45 minutes (check by poking it with a fork, if it comes out easy it’s ready!)

5. Remove from the oven and lower temperature to 425

6. Scoop out the flesh and in a bowl combine the squash flesh with the other ingredients

7. Spoon back into the squash skins and top with rosemary and goat cheese

8. Bake for another 10 or so minutes or until the mixture is hot throughout

Zucchini Lasagna

Now that we are no longer on vacation - I was really bad! - back to healthy eating.  Thanks to Tim - he continues to add more clean eating recipes to his repertoire.   I was suspicious of this one but it was delicious and although I am not a fan of bolognese combos - it was very good!

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• black pepper, to taste
• 3 medium (8 ounces each) zucchini, sliced 1/8″ thick
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg
• 16 oz (4 cups) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8″ thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

Preheat a gas grill to medium high, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, until slightly browned. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well.

In a 9×12 casserole spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Spread 1/2 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. The last layer top with remaining zucchini and sauce, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover the foil and bake 20 minutes (to dry up the sauce) then place the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake until melted, 10 minutes.

Let stand about 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Home Textiles Market

Home Textiles Market came and went.  It is exhausting designing and developing for market week.  I am responsible for designing Jacquards, Embroideries and Embellished Quilts.  These were just some of the 40 something beds my team develops for market. I design for stores like Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond and J.C. Penney's.   Just when you think it's over, you have to start all over again for the next season.

A True Neighbor

We got back from Portugal and got terrible news.  My Mom's best friend and neighbor of my family 

for 30 years passed away.  She had been struggling with cancer and it had gone into remission but then apparently came back.  Her name was Linda King.  She defined what a neighbor should be.  Our

families moved into two brand new homes next to each other in a new subdivision in the late 70s and have been close friends ever since.  I took care of her children when they were little - babysitting for her three boys in high school and college. When I needed work - she employed me in her business whenever I needed money because I had such crazy hours in college. When I was in my early 20's, I did a lot of community theatre and they came with my parents to see every play - as excited to see me as my parents.  Whenever, I came home to visit over the years, we would go out to dinner and they would always have me over to their house.  They were very close to my parents and when my brother, Chris, died in 2005 - they held a memorial at their home and went on trips together through out my parents grieving process.  My parents sold their home and moved a short distance away. When it came time to move back to be closer to San Antonio, Linda and her her family built a 2 bedroom mother in law apartment on the lot they owned next to them so they could look after each other. The apartment was two doors down from their original house and it felt like they had never left the neighborhood.  Linda was there at the hospital the day my Dad died in 2013 and at my mother's side at the service never leaving her alone.  You couldn't ask for a better friend or a better neighbor.  We loved her so much and she will be greatly missed. 

London

 Prior to Portugal, I had to make a quick trip to London with co-workers for market shopping.  I design for a large home textiles company and we just finished market in September and jump right in to designing for the next market.  We shop Europe for trends and come back with a lot of samples for product development in China and India.  It was a short trip just to London for 4 days with lots of shopping.  Liberty of London, Harrods, Debenhams, John Lewis, Next, Selfridges, and House of Frazier. Had the best bruschetta pizza which I had never had before.

Porto Portugal

We haven't had a vacation in a couple years due to my family.  My Dad passing away and then moving my Mom back to NY and getting her settled with proper care - it's long overdue for us.  We decided to take a quick trip to Portugal.  We both had been to Lisbon before and had not done a lot of homework on Porto but it came highly recommended by friends who had gone in July.  What an awesome trip.  The city is absolutely gorgeous.  The weather was incredible the entire time.  The city is small so you could do it in a weekend but spreading it out over 7 days was perfect.  Unbelievably, beautiful architecture, great food, access to the river and to the Atlantic Ocean.  Great shopping, lots of tapas and sangria.  I got my fill of grilled octopus which I can never get enough of in the city. We ran into Tim's cousin and his wife and had dinner one night which was a complete surprise.  The people were so friendly and inclusive.  Plus, getting away from all of the awful political coverage was a huge plus too.  It was a great trip and we would definitely go again.

Korean Grilled Chicken

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Eating healthy has never tasted so good!  Tim is fantastic at finding these awesome recipes and cooking these very healthy, very delicious meals!

Korean Grilled Chicken

• 1 pound (2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup low sodium or gluten-free soy sauce
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plus more for topping
• 2 thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the chicken breasts, 1 at a time, in a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken breast to an even thickness, about ½ inch thick, being careful not to puncture the bag.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, apple sauce, onion, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, if using and sesame seeds.  Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and transfer the remainder to the Ziploc bag with the chicken. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Over medium-high heat, grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes or until it no longer sticks to the grill.  Turn the chicken, spoon the reserved ¼ cup of marinade over each breast and grill an addition 2 to 3 minutes.

Delicious, healthy lunch today.

Zucchini Tuna Fish Burgers with Dill Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 medium zucchini (about 100 g) grated, and liquid squeezed out
• 1 can tuna, drained
• 2 T oats
• 2 T shredded cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 t garlic salt
• 1/4 t dill
• 1/4 t onion powder
• fresh ground pepper

• For the Lemon Yogurt Sauce:
• 2 T greek yogurt
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1/4 t dill
• 1/4 garlic salt

1. Grate up about half of a medium sized zucchini or about 100 grams. Dump all that grated zucchini into a thin dish towel or cheese cloth and wrap all the sides up around it forming a ball. Twist the cloth at the top, right above the ball of zucchini, and keep twisting it as tight as you can to squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible. It will all come out through the towel.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the squeezed zucchini and all the other cake ingredients and mix well together.
3. Heat a medium frying pan to medium low. Spray with non stick spray.
4. Scoop about half of the mixture out into one side of the frying pan and use your spoon to form a round flat cake, about 1/2 inch thick. Then do the same with the rest of the mixture on the other side of the frying pan. Let it cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium low. You can check the bottom if you want, so when it gets a little crispy and golden brown, flip it over with a spatula and let it cook about the same amount on the other side.
5. While the cakes are cooking, you can mix up your lemon dill yogurt sauce. Just mix the yogurt, lemon juice, dill, and garlic sauce in a small bowl and set it aside.
6. When the cakes are ready, scoop them out onto a plate and put all the yogurt sauce on top.

Kid in a Candy Shop

Spending most of the morning going through drawer by drawer of my Grandfather and Uncle's old cabinet drawers.  Endless nails, chisels, files and man toys!  So excited and so much fun!

The Inanimate Life of Objects - I have always believed that objects have a life to them and power. It's probably why I have been drawn to second hand shops most of my life. I love knowing that the item whatever it is had a past life. The last couple years - I have inherited so much from my Parents and Grandparents and Uncle and Aunt. The basement is full as I try to find new homes for these objects in our house which have tremendous power and memory for me. As painful as the process of editing their belonging was - so is incorporating these newly transplanted objects. Making room for all of this stuff you cannot part with is a huge undertaking. My mom lives part time with us and I fill her bedroom with as much of her transplanted life as I possibly can since she can't have much in the nursing home that she lives in during the week. I had several of her old lamps rewired and re-shaded to put in our house to make her feel at home. The first pair were from our time in Japan - white ceramic lamps that have been on my parent's bedside tables since I was 5 that now sit in her bedroom here in Bovina. I had them rewired and updated them with new red linen shades. The second pair of amber mediterranean style lamps which are a little dated were a gift from my Dad to my Mom in the 60's in California. I still have to replace the shades but they are so big I have had a time trying to find replacement shades and will probably have to have them customized. They now sit in a guest room. I couldn't part with either pair and make Mom feel at home and that her things are a part of our lives now. There is so much more to edit and add. However, everywhere I look - there are these things that are so full of memory - good or bad - they have such a hold on me.

BANANA PUDDING ICE BOX CAKE

With all this healthy eating lately - we weren't having any of that for Mom's birthday.  Tim spent the entire day in the kitchen poor guy whipping up one of his award winning dinners - Rio Grande Enchiladas because Mom wanted mexican food for her birthday dinner.  They are so delicious and we miss Tex Mex food badly.  For dessert, he went all out and made this awesome Banana Pudding Ice Box Cake.  Fragile, quick to melt especially on a day like yesterday - it was so delicious!  Thanks Tim. Happy Birthday Mom.  Enjoy!

BANANA PUDDING ICE BOX CAKE

Vanilla Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Banana Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk

3.4 oz package of dry banana cream instant pudding mix

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Additional Ingredients

Vanilla Wafer Cookies

1/2 cup milk

3-4 Bananas

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. To prepare the vanilla filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until smooth.

2. Add milk and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Set aside.

3. To make the whipped cream, whip heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken.

4. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.

5. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Set aside.

6. To prepare the banana filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until smooth.

7. Add milk and beat until smooth.

8. Add dry banana cream pudding mix and mix until smooth. Mixture will be sticky. Set aside.

9. To make the whipped cream, whip heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken.

10. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.

11. Fold whipped cream into banana mixture. It might seem like it won't come together at first, since the cream cheese mixture is sticky, but carefully fold the two together and they will smooth out.

12. To layer the dessert, first line the sides of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper, to make removal from the pan easier. The parchment paper will keep the sides of the dessert from sticking to the pan. Then spread half of the banana filling evenly in the bottom of the pan.

13. Top the banana filling with half of the vanilla filling.

14. Dip vanilla wafer cookies into the milk, one at a time, and add them in a single even layer on top of the vanilla filling.

15. Spread a very thin layer of banana filling on top of the cookies. You should still be able to see the cookies. This layer is primarily to fill ing the gaps left around the cookies.

16. Add a layer of sliced bananas.

17. Top banana slices with remaining banana filling and spread into an even layer.

18. Add remaining vanilla filling and spread into an even layer.

19. Place pan in the freezer until firm, 4-5 hours.

20. Once firm, remove icebox cake from springform pan and place on serving plate.

21. Add additional heavy whipping cream to a mixer bowl and whip until it begins to thicken.

22. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.

23. Pipe whipped cream around the edges of the icebox cake and top with additional wafer cookies and banana slices.