Leek and Pancetta Risotto, and a major update!

Whew, where has all the time gone? Since we found out where Bryan was matched for urology residency a few weeks ago, we've been so busy and time has just flown by!! Most of our spare time was spent researching houses in the Cleveland area. Some websites we found extremely helpful were Zillow and Realtor. We also checked out a few others, but these were our favorites. We also spent a considerable amount of time on the local realtor website for the area. Bryan found us a realtor and a mortgage broker within a week, and he also got us pre approved for a mortgage! We're headed in the right direction!! I had to stop reading books that I was reading and substitute Home Buying for Dummies into my repertoire. Bryan and I both read this book prior to going house hunting in Cleveland last weekend. This book is really great and discusses everything one would want to know about home buying and I would highly recommend it!

Last weekend was quite eventful. House hunting turned out to be exhausting! It was fun, but not all fun and games. We saw about 15 houses and took it all in! There were some really great houses, and some that were sub par. The very last house we saw fit pretty well with what we were looking for, and we stayed an extra day to make an offer on it! Even better news, the culmination of events this week has led the seller to accept our 2nd offer!! It's not a for sure thing yet because we still have to go through the home inspection, which will be next weekend. We can back out if we are not comfortable with anything about the inspection. We are trying not to get our sights set on this house, since it's not a done deal yet, but the whole thing is pretty exciting :)

Could you believe that there is even more that I have to catch you up on? I'll try to be concise.

To celebrate the match, we went to dinner at our absolute favorite restaurant in Chicago - Girl & The Goat. I had made reservations back in October to surprise Bryan after the match! As always, the food was spectacular. I think I have a new favorite vegetable from the menu, the Brussels sprouts!! They were cooked perfectly and tossed in a light sauce and served as a hot salad with salad extras and nuts. Delicious!

I've been cooking off and on, but usually it's just something thrown together quickly and I've forgotten to take a picture for the ol' blog. Oops. Well, I finally snagged a picture of this delicious meal - Leek and Pancetta Risotto - a current favorite, after the 2nd time we made it in a week! The first time, we were so hungry and excited that we dug right on in before I even thought to take a picture! The good news was that once I had my first bite, I knew that this dish was going to make a semi regular appearance in our household! It's just wonderful! I totally love leeks, and we all know that pancetta is just fancy bacon and bacon makes everything better. I thought that the dish might be a little bland considering the only seasoning was salt and pepper, but it was quite flavorful! I omitted the salt considering there was pancetta, parmesan cheese, and chicken broth in the recipe and I didn't think it was necessary. It was not missed, and this dish turned out perfectly. The poached egg on top is optional, but it's totally worth it! We actually fried the eggs since it would be faster and our plastic poachers are in a cup shape and I didn't think it would look good on this dish. It turned out that the fried egg didn't look that great either, but once the yolk got mixed in, I didn't care what it looked like. It was gone before I knew it!! If you need to impress someone, make this dish and it will not disappoint! We made it last week when our friend Jen came over for the evening.

We made it again yesterday, as we had some great friends in town, and I was finally able to snap a quick picture! Bobby and Sarah (my best friend from college) visited us in Chicago for a long weekend since today is a holiday! We had a blast! They got in late friday night and we just chit chatted and drank some wine. Saturday was a full day! We started out with a casual brunch at home and then headed out to the Art Institute! On the way, mingled through Millennium Park to take pictures near the bean.

We were exhausted after the museum! The boys took a short nap while Sarah and I got our bake on in the kitchen! We made a cheesecake that a mutual friend had made for her a few weeks ago. It was a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake with an oreo crust! Each bite had the perfect amount of sweet, savory and chocolate! I can't take credit for the recipe, but I can take credit for helping put a huge dent in the cheesecake!!

After the cheesecake was ready to set in the fridge, we headed out for a fun night! We had reservations for dinner at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, a Spanish tapas restaurant. Luckily, it's also Restaurant Week here in Chicago, so were able to take advantage of menu specials that allowed us to try many tapas! We also shared a couple of pitchers of sangria! Let's just say that we were well on our way of having a great time! After dinner, we had a little time to spare before going to Second City, the greatest comedy show ever. The show was so awesome! Our cheeks were sore from laughing so hard! At the end of the show, the actors actually stayed for a 3rd act that was completely improv and it was hilarious! Needless to say, we got back very late and were happy to get to bed!

Sunday was a relaxing day. We started out with brunch at Meli Cafe, one of the best brunch places we've found! They also have a juice bar that makes delicious smoothies! The food was fantastic and just what we needed to start our morning. We didn't have any plans, and decided that we wanted to relax all day since Saturday was so busy. We came back to our condo, started watching The King's Speech, and promptly all took a nap - except for Bryan! The evening consisted of a quick work out followed by a delicious progressive dinner. We started out with some cheese fondue that we dipped bread, broccoli and apples into. A little later, we made the infamous Leek and Pancetta Risotto, and later we enjoyed the cheesecake!! The evening was spent by drinking wine and playing our new favorite board game. Ticket to Ride is a fun game that we were introduced to by some friends and we've fallen in love with it! It's very fun and I highly recommend it! Bobby and Sarah left this morning to go back to Minneapolis and we will miss them. It was such a fun weekend!!!

Leek and Pancetta Risotto
From The Red Spoon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and white and light green parts finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped pancetta
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, at room temperature
4 to 5 cups hot chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large sautee pan set over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add the leeks and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Remove the leeks to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, add the pancetta and cook until it begins to render its fat and is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pancetta to the reserved leeks. Set aside. Drain fat from pan and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.

Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until all the butter has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and reduce until dry, about 2 minutes.

Add enough stock so that the fluid level rises just above the rice. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently. Continue adding stock as it is absorbed so the stock just covers the top of the rice. Continue cooking until the rice is al dente, about 10 – 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in a bit more stock, the parmesan and the leeks and pancetta. Remove from the heat divide into four bowls, sprinkling with extra parmesan cheese. Serve with a poached egg on top.

Mixed Greens Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese and Fig Vinaigrette + 1 Week Until Match Day!

On Friday, we had plans to join our great friends Ruthie, Taylor, and their 4 month old son Oliver for dinner at their house. Upon their request, we brought salad and bread. I had a taste for a pear and goat cheese salad, and with a simple online search, this recipe showed up and deemed itself exactly what I was craving. And I was intrigued by the fig vinaigrette! The salad is a cinch to put together once the vinaigrette is made and it was definitely devoured! It was so delicious! Pears and goat cheese are an obvious combination, but the figs, green onions, garlic and balsamic went together perfectly to push this salad over the top! It is definitely going to turn into my go-to salad for a while!

I've been reading the Hunger Games series and have loved them so much they've basically taken over any free time in my life. I started last Friday when I flew to CA and I'm about a fourth of the way through the last book already! If you have not read them, you definitely should before the first book comes out as a movie in March. You can see the trailer here.

Also of note - in just one week we will find out where Bryan is matched for his residency in urology! We are beyond excited and a little nervous waiting for the moment when we find out where we will be for the next 5-6 years! An update shall follow when we know...

Meanwhile, try this salad and it will knock your socks off!

Mixed Greens Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese and Fig Vinaigrette
Adapted from My Recipes

Ingredients:
Salad: 6 cups mixed greens
1 thinly sliced pear
1/4 cup (1oz) crumbled goat cheese

Fig Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
5 dried Black Mission figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped
6 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 shallots, diced
1 tsp thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Combine balsamic vinegar and figs in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Combine the fig mixture, water and lemon juice in a food processor (or blender) until smooth.

Place fig mixture in a small bowl. Stir in shallots, thyme and garlic. Add extra virgin olive oil and salt. Stir well with a whisk or fork.

Place greens on individual plates, top with sliced pears and goat cheese. Drizzle fig vinaigrette over each salad and serve immediately.

NYE Chicago!

As I mentioned, we had friends come visit us for the New Years weekend, and it was amazing!!! Not only was New Years Eve fun, with food and drinks, but the rest of the weekend was also great! On Sunday, we had a delicious brunch and a relaxing afternoon of coffee drinking and playing games. Late in the afternoon, we made our way to the IMAX theater on Navy Pier to see the new Mission Impossible movie. It was so intense!

After the movie, we came home and prepared dinner together. We had creamy leek and potato soup as well as grilled chicken caesar salads! Both were delicious and the perfect comfort food on a snowy January night!

We spent the rest of the evening chit chatting and playing a few games, including Just Dance on the Wii. It was legendary.

Dimitri watched from his perch above 

Mad Gabs 

First snow of the new year!

Just Dance!!! (Yes this is blurry, but it also shows the intensity of fun we were having!)

Happy New Year!

Glazed Gingerbread Scones

For New Years breakfast, I also made gingerbread scones for everyone to enjoy! I have never made anything gingerbread before, and I have also never attempted to make scones prior to this and I have to admit I was a little intimidated. However, I am proud to say they turned out perfectly and were certainly a hit with the crowd! I am actually going to make another batch today so that I can have yummy breakfasts throughout the week!

Glazed Gingerbread Scones
Adapted from The Village Cook

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg yolk (reserve white)
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk
Cream cheese frosting

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In another bowl, mix the egg yolk, molasses, butter and milk.

Gently combine the two mixtures, being careful not to over mix.

Flatten dough into a 1 inch thick portion and cut into triangles or circles.

Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet 1 inch apart.

Brush with the reserved egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 8-12 minutes.

Remove while still slightly soft.

Let cool and drizzle with frosting.

Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Smoked Ham Strata

This year for New Years, we decided to celebrate in Chicago with friends who traveled from Minnesota to visit for the weekend! We started the evening off right with some cocktails, baked brie bites, and tomato basil crostini. We walked to dinner at DeCero, a local favorite and came back to our place for more drinks and dessert of leftover Christmas goodies which included the amazing oreo cheesecake truffles! We rang in the new year with a champagne toast to old friends, a great 2011 filled with weddings and memories, and to all the new things to come in 2012!

I planned a baked egg dish ahead of time for New Years Day breakfast. I prepared it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight so that all I had to do in the morning was pop it in the oven! Simple and handy when guests are still sleeping! I had my eye on this strata for a while after we had it at a friends house a while back. It is so delicious and was perfect for the occasion! It is hardy and filling without being too heavy. The cheeses blend the sharp tastes from the spices and artichokes together so that each bite is perfect. Give this dish a try the next time you need to feed a crowd for breakfast and it is sure to be a success!!

Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Smoked Ham Strata
From Epicurious


Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cups 1-inch cubes sourdough bread, crusts trimmed
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
12 ounces smoked ham, chopped
3 6 1/2-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, halved lengthwise (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup (packed) grated Fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Parmesan


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk milk and oil in large bowl. Stir in bread. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in another large bowl to blend. Add goat cheese. Mix herbs in small bowl to blend.

Place half of bread mixture in prepared dish. Top with half of ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, and cheeses. Pour half of cream mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining bread, ham, artichoke hearts, herbs, cheeses, and cream mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake uncovered until firm in center and brown around edges, about 1 hour.

Christmas in Minnesota!

I was hoping for a white Christmas in Minnesota like last year:

But it was not snowy or even very cold this year in MN - how weird!!! Oh well, our annual Christmasy MN trip was filled with lots of activities, and as usual, Dimitri made the trip up with us!

We were able to cook dinner with some dear friends Rob and Sarah, who were newly married in October!

For Christmas Eve, we went over to Bryan's brother's house where he and his wife made the most amazing three course meal for us all! We had roasted corn and potato soup, salad, and duck in mole sauce! Bryan and I were in charge of drinks and we brought cranberry mojitos! Everything was delicious. We opened gifts and little Jonah went crazy with the wrapping paper and ribbons.

Christmas Day was pretty chill and we spent time reading, relaxing, napping and chit chatting before we had another delicious dinner made by my in-laws with just immediate family.

The next couple of days were filled with family. Monday was a reunion of Bryan's dad's side of the family and Tuesday was a reunion of Bryan's mom's side of the family! It was a busy chunk of days, but it was great fun to see everybody!!

Wednesday I relaxed with my friend Sarah and got a massage and afterwards we talked over coffee and later wine! It turned into a longer afternoon of reminiscing! It was great though.

Yesterday, after a quick brunch with Sarah and her husband Bobby at the Downtowner in St. Paul, we drove back to Chicago!

It was a long and busy trip and we needed a day to get ready for this weekend - NYE CHICAGO. We have 2 sets of friends coming to visit us from MN for an epic weekend of celebrations. It will be legendary!

Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

You may see my December catch up post here!

I made these Oreo cheesecake truffles for some Christmas goodies! I was invited to a cookie exchange party by my great friend Adrie, and these were my contribution. They were well received by friends there as well as family over Christmas! I must say, they are insanely delicious!

The hard part is getting the outer chocolate shell just the right consistency. The recipe says to melt chocolate chips and butter. We tried various types of chips (even the ones straight from the recipe) and nothing worked right. We finally got it right (on the 3rd try) using baking chocolate squares, butter, half and half and a touch of coffee. Do what works best for you!

Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies (minus a few for eating if you want!)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Crush the Oreos (the entire Oreo, cream and all!) until finely ground. A food processor does the best job, but if you don’t have one, throw the cookies in a ziploc bag, grab a rolling pin, and go to town.

2. Transfer 3 cups of the Oreo crumbs to a bowl and add the cream cheese. Using a spoon, press, mix and stir until the cream cheese is completely mixed into the Oreo crumbs and you have a soft, homogeneous mixture. Using a small cookie scoop (or the equivalent of 2 teaspoons), scoop/roll balls of the Oreo/cream cheese mixture and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Once you have scooped out all of the filling, refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

3. In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and butter in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. You may also use a double boiler on the stovetop. Add half and half if necessary to thin out chocolate. Working with one Oreo ball at a time, dip it into the melted chocolate, roll it around to cover completely, and then use a fork to remove it from the chocolate, letting any excess drip off. Place the dipped truffle back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all truffles; once finished, return the baking sheet to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

4. Serve the truffles, or garnish with some melted white chocolate and leftover crushed Oreos. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Kale and White Bean Soup

You may see my December catch up post here!

Bryan and I both had a craving for some greens one week and decided that we wanted kale to be included in the week's grocery list. I found this soup recipe and we decided to give it a try on a rainy, dreary, December winter evening in Chicago. It turned out great and we loved this soup! It is definitely going to become a winter staple around here! It also makes great leftovers, and you know how we love leftovers!

Kale and White Bean Soup
From Epicurious

Ingredients:

1 lb dried white beans such as Great Northern, cannellini, or navy

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 cups chicken broth

2 qt water

1 (3- by 2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf (not California)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 lb smoked sausage such as kielbasa (optional), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

8 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

1 lb kale (preferably lacinato), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

Directions:

Cover beans with water by 2 inches in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Drain beans in a colander and rinse.

Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beans, broth, 1 quart water, cheese rind, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.

While soup is simmering, brown sausage (if using) in batches in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Stir carrots into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in kale, sausage, and remaining quart water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro

You may see my December catch up post here!

After we finally finished our Thanksgiving leftovers, we wanted a lighter dish to enjoy for a couple of days. This dish popped right to mind! We first enjoyed it with our friends Thomas and Abigail while we visited them in Philadelphia in November (another interview for Bryan). It was delicious then, and we knew we wanted it again! This dish is fulfilling, healthy and light all at once and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro
From Food and Wine

Ingredients:
12 oz soba noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2 large shallots, thinly sliced and separated into rings
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until tender, 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the soy sauce, tamari and agave syrup. Add the noodles and toss.
2. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to paper towels. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until golden and crisp, 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the paper towels.
3. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir in the shrimp and season with salt. Grill the shrimp over high heat, turning once, until glazed and just white throughout, 3 minutes.
4. Arrange the noodles on a large platter. Sprinkle with the scallions, cilantro, crushed red pepper and the fried shallots and garlic. Arrange the shrimp on top and serve with lime wedges alongside.

December Catch-Up!

December was such a busy month, I barely had time to sleep, let alone blog. This post will give a quick catch up of what our December was like to catch you up!

About mid-December Bryan and I went to San Francisco for his last residency interview. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there and it was beautiful!! We got to eat at some wonderful restaurants: Zuni Cafe with my dear college friend Rachel and her husband Mikael. We celebrated the end of Bryan's interview season by eating at a German restaurant, Suppenkuche. We also had delicious coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee with our wonderful hosts and college friends Micah and Stefani.

The day before we left for San Francisco, I took the final for my nutrition class and am very happy to have it completed! I got an A for those of you wondering :) I loved studying the material, but it was hard to take a very time consuming class while working full time and traveling along on interviews. The rest of the winter and spring should be much less stressful!

Just prior to the trip, one of my best friends suffered a great loss as her mother died of a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. I wasn't able to make it to the funeral, as it was in MN during the time we were to be in SF and the flights wouldn't work out for me to be there in time. However, we were able to get together over the holidays to reminisce and spend some quality time with each other. My friend is one of the strongest people I know, and she will get through this. I will always be there for her! The 11th anniversary of my mom's death occurred over the holiday and there is just something about this time of year that bring everything back and make memories stronger. I love her and miss her more than words can say.

Coming up:
A couple of dishes that got us through the busy weeks prior to Christmas!
Christmas in Minnesota

Things happening this weekend and will appear on the blog soon:
NYE in Chicago
2nd Wedding Anniversary

Pumpkin Muffins

You'd think that after a day of cooking and hosting, I wouldn't want to be in the kitchen at all the next day. However, on Sunday I woke up craving a hot breakfast that did not involve eggs or hot cereal of any kind. I wanted a hot bread, and we happened to have a can of pumpkin in our cupboard! I found a recipe for pumpkin bread, but when I saw that we were one egg short and I didn't want to wait for the bread to cook for 80 minutes, I decided to search for a pumpkin muffing recipe instead. I found one quickly that was ideal for my conditions and got to work. In just over a half an hour, we were enjoying these pumpkin muffins and coffee on a cold and rainy Sunday morning. Perfection! These muffins are probably going to be my go-to muffin recipe whenever I need one. They are quick and easy to make; the pumpkin keeps them moist; the spices give them a kick, and the cinnamon streusel on top gives them the perfect amount of sweetness. And now I get to have one for breakfast every day this week!

Pumpkin Muffins
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Friendsgiving

This is a belated post for sure!! However, it’s about time for an update on the ol’ blog. Our lives have continued to be so crazy that I barely have time to sort out my daily activities let alone think about blogging!

With all the traveling we’d been doing in November, Bryan and I decided to stay in Chicago for Thanksgiving. We really needed the extra days to recuperate. Since we were away from family, we decided to host a Friendsgiving at our condo! Many of our friends have family in the area and were doing traditional Thanksgivings on Thursday, so we hosted them on Saturday! On Thursday we were productive and took care of school work, studying, cleaning and somehow managed to have time for a date night movie. Friday consisted of a little shopping and mostly prepping and cleaning for Saturday. We were planning the traditional Thanksgiving feast and we provided the turkey, stuffing, and two kinds of potatoes. We used recipes that I grew up with because they are so near and dear to my heart, but it was our first time making the turkey and stuffing and we were both a bit intimidated and didn’t want to mess up!  Our friends supplemented the feast by bringing sides and desserts!


Thanks to those of you who helped document the afternoon!! I was too busy to take pictures!

Bryan carving the turkey

You can barely see, but the famous stuffing is behind the turkey plate! Thanks to our friends who brought sides and desserts - we loved them all!

The table and centerpiece

This was the first time I actually received these recipes from my dad as well, so I will try to document them as best as I can. Keep in mind these recipes have been handed down through generations by word of mouth and by watching, so I’m taking the multi-paragraph email from my dad and trying to format it into a recipe. It's not in the typical ingredients and directions format, but more in the form of instructions as you go. If you plan on using these recipes, I suggest reading them through so that you don't miss an ingredient. I do like this way of explaining a recipe because once you do it one time, it's easy to remember.

Preparation Day

Turkey

My dad’s famous turkey recipe follows. He makes his own brine that is injected into the turkey and marinated overnight. The next day, the turkey is grilled for a few hours to perfection.

Start thawing the turkey two days ahead of time in the fridge. You can alternate between placing it in the kitchen sink and the fridge to make sure it thaws completely.

One day before, unpackage the turkey and start cleaning it out. There will be a paper packet with the giblets (liver, heart and gizzard) in the cavity of the turkey. Remove the packet and set the giblets aside. Cut off the neck and tail and set aside with the giblets.

Clean the turkey. Remove any loose skin and excess fat and rinse with cold water. Place the turkey on to a large durable pan (preferably lined with a plastic bag already so that all of the extra brine doesn’t spill all over).

Prepare the brine. Ingredients: one quart of cold water, 3 heaping tablespoons of Morton Tender Quick (curing salt), and 2 table spoons Liquid Smoke. Hardware needed: brine injector. Inject the brine into the meat of the turkey until it is all used up. Some of it will leak out into the bottom of the pan.

Tie the turkey with 18 gauge wire (we actually used twine) around the legs, across the wings and breast and one more in the middle. Cover the turkey with the plastic bag (we used a new unscented trash liner for our plastic bag), tie it shut and place it in the fridge over night.

Stuffing

Place the giblets, tail, and neck that you set aside while cleaning the turkey in a large kettle with about a quart of water (or more if you like). Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for about an hour.

                *My dad prefers to add a ¾ pound package of extra giblets to give more flavors, so I did as well.

Remove contents from the broth so that they can cool. Save the broth in the kettle and place it in the fridge. Once you are able to handle the giblets, dice them into small pieces. Peel off any meat from the neck and dice it too. Discard the tail. Place the diced meats into a container and store in the fridge overnight.

Dice about one and a half cups of celery and two cups of white onion. Place them in a container and store in the fridge overnight.

You will also need a bag or two (depending on how big they are) of unseasoned croutons for the stuffing the next day.

Day of feast

Turkey

Take your turkey out of the fridge in the morning and remove it from the plastic bag. Wrap it in tin foil, leaving two inch holes on both ends so that heat can get through the cavity. Use one side of the grill for the direct heat and grill the turkey for about four hours, moving it back and forth between the direct and indirect heat until the thickest meat measures 170 degrees with a meat thermometer (our 19 pound turkey took about four hours). You can remove the tin foil for the last 20 minutes or so to let the skin brown up a little bit. Once the turkey is done on the grill, place it on a plate for about ten minutes and then start carving!

Stuffing

While the turkey is on the grill, make the stuffing.

Heat up the broth that was saved the day before. Add the diced celery and onion to it once it is warm. Season it to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning (more than you think you need) and butter (optional). It should taste like strong chicken soup. Remember you will be adding it to a lot of dried bread, so you want to the flavor to be strong.

*At this point, I realized I didn’t have enough liquid for the amount of croutons I had, so I added four more cups of water and two vegetable bullions to the broth, which worked perfectly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray one or two glass baking pans (depending on how much you’re going to make) with non-stick spray.

Place the croutons in a large bowl, with room to spare. Slowly add the broth and vegetable mixture to the croutons to let them soak up the broth (I just used a ladle). Add the diced giblets from the day before. Continue adding broth until the croutons turn into a thick paste. If it is too liquidy, add more croutons. If it is too dry, add more broth. If you run out of broth, add water.

Place the mixture into your baking pan(s) about 3-4 inches thick. Cover with tin foil and bake for about an hour and a half. You can take the tin foil off for the last 20 minutes to brown the top if you like.

Slow Cooker White Bean and Ham Soup and a Massive Update!

Wow! I can't believe how fast October flew by! We spent two weekends in Minnesota, one for the marathon weekend and the other at great friends' wedding. We also went to Kansas City for another wedding of one of my college friends! Let's see if I can give a more detailed recap of our lives!

Where has the time gone?

During the weeks, our time seemed just as busy! I've been putting a great deal of time into the nutrition class that I'm taking in addition to working full time. Another thing that has been taking up my time is physical therapy for my injured foot! I've been going to PT sessions twice a week for the past 3 weeks and I can really tell that there has been major improvement! When I took the boot off, I felt pretty uneasy with little balance. Since then I have made major strides in balance, strength and function! Today I got to hop on the elliptical for my warm up and I was pleasantly surprised that I had no pain! It's so crazy that when you are doing physical therapy, the most elementary activities/actions turn into enormous hurdles and can be very painful. It's nice when I can see actual improvement with my ability to do the excercises and a decrease in pain after the sessions!

Slow Cooker White Bean and Ham Soup
Find recipe here.

With all that is going on, there has been little time for anything else during the week! I honestly can't remember the last time I went to the grocery store or made anything from a new recipe. I guess that means we've been eating our favorite go-to recipes that we just know! Luckily, Bryan had a little bit of down time a couple of weeks ago, before his life got crazier than mine, and was able to really help out! I had a huge craving for ham and bean soup one day a couple of weeks ago, so I found this recipe online and he got it going in the crock pot just hours later! It totally hit the spot and we had awesome left overs for days!! We have extra ham in the freezer and I think I'm going to have to whip this up again this weekend!

Big Things are Happenin'!

There is so much going on this fall, it's hard to put it into few words. Bryan is traveling all around the country full time going on residency interviews for urology, and I am trying to join him on as many that I can! With my job and class, my time is more limited, but I am able to make it on the important ones. I thought my life was busy already but add on traveling a couple times a week and it's hard to keep everything straight! This hectic time will continue to consume our lives up until Christmas, when we will submit his residency rank list! In January, we will know where he is placed! It's very exciting, and I will try to update on this topic when I can!

One Last Note

Oh, one last thing. This little guy keeps me company when Bryan is gone, and we miss him like crazy when we are away! He's such a funny little kitty! He's my study buddy, cuddle bear, comic relief and provides love and entertainment like no other!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have been all the rage on food blogs and Pinterest, and I decided that it was time for me to make them because I finally got my hands on some pumpkin! Can you believe that multiple grocery stores near us in downtown Chicago actually run out of canned pumpkin (filling and puree) regularly throughout the fall?! I should really just stock up in the summer before everyone decides that they have to put pumpkin in everything!

Anyway, sorry about the rant, but I'm so glad pumpkin is back in my baking life and that I'm actually able to be up on my feet a little more so that I can bake! These cookies were definitely worth the wait on both accounts :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla and chocolate chips and mix well.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

I've been able to be on my foot just a little more now that it's been healing for three weeks, but it is still a little sore and I'm still stuck in the boot. I try not to be up on my feet too much at home, but I figured some quick baking like Rice Krispies Treats would be harmless. And these babies sure are worth me being on my feet for a short time! Everyone loves peanut butter and chocolate, and these treats give a nice change with white chocolate, which I happen to love! These rice krispie treats are sweeter and chewier than regular rice krispies, and I absolutely loved them. It's a quick and delicious fall treat that everyone will enjoy!

Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:


4 tablespoons butter
1 bag (10.5 ounces) miniature marshmallows
½ cup peanut butter 
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup white chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter until melted.

3. Add the Rice Krispies cereal, white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Stir until well coated.

4. Using a greased spatula or spoon or a piece of wax paper, evenly press the mixture into the pan. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until set. Cut into squares and serve.

Girl & the Goat, take 2 - A random act of kindness

(source)

Some of you may remember the first time that Bryan and I had the opportunity to eat at Girl & the Goat, one of the most popular restaurants in Chicago right now. That was definitely a night to remember! Our second date at Girl & the Goat is also a night to remember. I guess we have some major luck when it comes to this place :)

After our first experience, I decided that I should put in reservations to go again in the future. So last March, I was able to make reservations for Monday, September 19th. That's how popular this place is!! When I ended up needing to take the GRE on Tuesday the 20th, I decided to keep the reservation, thinking that it would be a nice little relaxing date night and take the night off before the test. It's definitely a date with a story to tell!

Girl & the Goat has small plates to share that are of three categories: vegetable, fish and meat. We started with their famous bread that is flavored with butter to taste like soup! It was beer bread with beer cheese butter and garlic butter. We ordered two vegetable dishes: the chickpea fritters with eggplant tomatillo caponata and mozzarella, and the infamous sauteed green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews. For fish, we ordered the seared tuna with lamb sausage, grilled blueberries and pepitas. For our meat dish, we decided to stay away from the multiple tongue options, and ordered grilled pork ribs with tomatillo mushroom slaw and grilled scallion vinaigrette. They were brought out gradually and enjoyed thoroughly! All of the dishes were so incredibly delicious! I can't wait to get back there and try more of the food! I just can't say enough how good it is!!!

Alright, so you thought the food was the best part. Close. Towards the end of our dinner, our waiter informed us that the couple sitting next to us (actually, it was quite a close proximity because the restaurant was packed!) who had just left had paid for our meal! We were so flabbergasted, we didn't even know what to do! The waiter said he'd be back with dessert menus and left the table side. Bryan happened to see a glimpse of the gentleman out of the window and ran outside to thank him and exclaim our awe. The man, who I think would have liked to escape faster, just wished us both the best of luck. We were thinking back over the course of our meal - we did have a few conversations with the couple. We introduced ourselves and explained what we do. We eyed each others dishes when they came out, and when asked, we gave them a suggestion of a location for them to enjoy a drink later. But nothing out of the ordinary!!!

The waiter came back with dessert menus and stated that not only did the gentleman pay for our meal, but he left a sizable cushion and that we needed to order a couple desserts and have a couple more drinks each. We were just stunned! Not only that, but we were so full we didn't even think we could even share one dessert! We just couldn't handle it, and felt bad, so we told the waiter that we'd share one dessert and a desert wine. He came back with two desserts and two different drinks, "because they're good, and we should just enjoy it!" The menu changes so frequently, I can't even look up what we had. One was a chocolatey delight with brown sugar cake and the other was a warm blueberry delicious explosion of goodness. We probably sat there an hour longer than we should have just enjoying ourselves and the fun evening.

Bryan found out that the gentleman's name was Joel and we have him to thank for our wonderful date night. I don't think there is any better way to thank him than to pay it forward in the future... when we can hopefully afford it!

Grilled Shrimp

When Bryan's parents were visiting us a few weeks ago, we cooked a dinner for them of grilled shrimp and steak! It was so delicious that we ate those shrimpies up before I could snap a photo. We just decided that we'd have to make them again very soon! Luckily, shrimp went on sale at a nearby grocery store, so Bryan picked some up over the weekend. We marinated the shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning (more than you think you need!) for about 10-15 minutes while we got a salad ready for a quick and light dinner. We skewered the shrimp and grilled them for 2 minutes on each side, and they were cooked perfectly! They were so delicious!

This recipe is so easy, fast, healthy and satisfying! If you have the shrimp on hand, it's a quick meal that can be enjoyed at anytime, whether fancy or casual. You could also un-skewer the shrimp after grilling them and serve them as appetizers!