Tuesday, October 25, 2005

homina-homina-hominy soup

Over the weekend I made some spicy chicken & hominy soup. It was based on This recipe with some changes.

For one thing, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. They were cheaper and I was worried about the breasts getting dry. I also used a can of golden hominy and a can of white hominy. I don't know how much of a difference this made. Besides the chili powder and flavored tomatoes, I added fresh garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and onion salt. Finally, to make it more of a soup than a ragout, I added a couple of cans of chicken broth.

It turned out really good. It had a tortilla soup kind of flavor to it, because of the hominy. The chicken was super tender and the broth was spicy and kind of thick. So good in the fall weather. I made jalepeno cheddar corn mini-muffins to accompany the soup. I simply used a little box of corn muffin mix, added in some fresh chopped jalepno, filled the muffin tins a little more than half way and put some shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top of each one. The results were sweet, spicy little gems with crusty cheese tops.

I will definitely be making soup alot this fall & winter. It's so versatile and foolproof. And it makes everything warmer.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Thursday, October 13, 2005

corny and blue

Last night I made blue cheese corn mini muffins based on this recipe. It was so easy. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, I just followed instructions on the corn bread mix box (4 for $1!!!), which were preheat oven to 400ยบ, mix in milk and bake. I just made 3 boxes worth, added a crumbled up 4 oz. block of blue cheese and snipped in some green onions. I added plenty of fresh pepper and a bit of salt, too. They turned out so yummy. We're having a food day at work today. I wish I would have gotten stuff to make more, but It was kind of experimental, so I didn't want to go overboard. I hope everybody likes 'em.

I'm not much of a baker, but I love taking box mixes and adding stuff. I do this a lot with fat free brownie mix, but I never really considered the corn bread route. I think I'll be eating alot of corn bread this winter :)

I came upon the idea because a friend mentioned quick breads, so I did a search and that one caught my eye from this list.

Here's a list of fat-free quickbread recipes. With lots of vegan options, too!

The same pal who put the thought of quickbreads in my little head also turned my on to King Arthur Flour's website, which has a great recipe section. Check out the quickbreads section.

Monday, October 03, 2005

sidney street

Thursday night I joined my cousin's fiance, her friends and family for a bachelorette dinner at Sidney Street Cafe. It was a place I had heard from several sources was very good. So, although I probably could have used the money for practical things, like bills and groceries, I decided that it was an opportunity to splurge. Plus, you know, get to meet new people, and spend time with some of my favorite people at the same time!

One of my aunts picked me up from work, and we ended up being a little late, so we missed the bread. But wine was offered right away, as were both of our plates of appetizers, which everyone else had already gotten. The individual appetizer plates included a lobster turnover, a barbequed shrimp and a veal dumpling. The lobster turnover was good...quite spicy, actually, and very rich. The shrimp was okay. The veal dumpling was my favorite. It had a great texture and fantastic rich flavor. mmm.

Next we chose our soup or salad. Although the soup of the day sounded really good (red pepper soup with a blue cheese crisp garnish), I went for the beet salad. Mainly because I really like beets, but hardly ever have them. And I don't think I've ever had fresh beets. Plus, there were yellow beets, which intrigued me. I really liked the salad. It was simple...beets, greens and a light balasalmic vinagrette. Tasted good with my wine, which was a blend of a whole range of reds.

For dinner I ordered Lamb Chops with an apricot glaze. Also, a glass of the house Pinot Noir (I believe it was BV Coastal Estates), which went very very well. I've had lamb before, in the form of gyros and such, but never lamb chops. Let me tell ya, after this meal, I am hooked on those cute little fellas. It came out, 2 chops, rib bones all criss crossed on top of some glorious mashed potatoes with some bright baby carrots and wads of cooked spinach surrounding it. I cut into a chop, which I ordered medium-rare, to find a juicy pink/red heaven. It was grilled, so the outside had a lovely smokey/slightly charred perfect flavor. And the caveman bloody inside was so moist and flavorful. Anf the potatoes...WAY above average. The carrots were even cooked how I like 'em! Crunchy.

The others were all enjoying thier food. Cricket whispered that her sea bass was giving her a food orgasm *snickers*. I knew what she was talking about, too. Oh man. That was one quiet table of ladies, as we all savored our meals.

Yeah, it was expensive. I wouldn't be able to go there but once a year for a special occasion. But it's well worth it. From the service to the exciting menu to the appetizers and salads to the delicious food. You should go :)

Here's a couple of reviews, if you want to learn more.

yuk yuk yuk

I've been gaining back weight, lately. Typical beginning of fall. What with the temptation of red wines and roasts with thyme and bread fresh from the oven...

Monday mornings are tough. My eating schedule is completely different during the weekend. So right around, oh 10, 10:30, I start getting really hungry, even though I've eaten my healthy breakfast just a couple hours before.

It's times like these when stuff like Steve Don't Eat It really comes in handy. Gross out little food adventures that are absolutely hilarious. They cheer me up and rid me of hunger at the same time!