Hiatus

As some of you may have noticed, I have not been keeping up with the blog very well lately. I have a long list of items to write about, and I will someday soon. But, graduate school and my career have taken over my life. Dimitri says, "When will you stop studying and come play with me?!"

Grad school is sucking the life out of me this semester. Here's what I've been up to lately: attending lots of classes, studying, printing research articles, reading research articles, reading textbooks, reading reference books, grueling over Powerpoint lectures, studying for exams, writing papers, working on projects, working, not sleeping much, and not having a life at all - and I'm only just 4 weeks into the semester. That means I've had no time for grocery store runs, no time for errands, and no time for workouts. Oh, cooking? Seriously, no time for that. Oh, and let's add in the part-time job I have... wait, where is there time in the week for that??? Let's just say that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I am so incredibly thankful that I have an amazing husband who knows what it is like to be super busy too. Even though he is a resident and is working 80 hours a week, he's helping me out with simple things like going to the grocery store because we don't have any food in the fridge and helping clean the house. He's even cooked many of our recent meals because I simply don't have time! Don't worry, I've been documenting everything and it will pop up soon. If I didn't have 2 term papers to write, an exam to study for, and a couple projects to complete over Spring Break, I could fill you in then. But, blogging might actually have to wait until this semester is over.

This is just a short post to say, I'm sorry it's been a while, and it will probably be a while before you hear from me again. But, stay tuned, because I have some really great recipes to introduce you to and some fun things to catch you up on!

Until then, here's what my life will continue to look like:

At least reading and studying is more bearable with a snuggle kitty in my lap!

3rd Wedding Anniversary!!!

Bryan and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on January 2nd! I can't believe it's been three years already - the time has flown by! I am more in love with him every day and I am so excited to continue this life journey together. We celebrated by going to dinner at Lolita, a Michael Symon restaurant here in Cleveland that we'd been wanting to try for a while! It was delicious!

Shown above is one of our first minutes as a married couple! At this very moment, we were listening to a choir of our closest friends, conducted by a great friend, sing This Marriage by Erik Whitacre. Following that piece, another great friend played the Sarabande from the 6th Bach Suite on cello. Bryan and I both play the cello, and we met each other in the orchestra at St. Olaf College, so it was only fitting to have a cello piece be a big part of the ceremony. 

Our wedding was simply amazing. Which is exactly how I would describe my wonderful relationship with Bryan!

Turkey and Bean Chili

Bryan has this week off from work, and I'm on break from school, so it's been pretty lazy around here. I've been trying to put in a lot of work hours, and Bryan has been doing small house projects. In order to fuel our productive laziness, I had a craving for some chili! I don't have a go-to chili recipe and I like to try new types of chili when I have the opportunity. This recipe is simple and delicious, and I would definitely make it again!! I served the chili with cornbread muffins, which were a perfect match!

Turkey and Bean Chili

Adapted from My Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup chopped and seeded poblano pepper (about 1)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can (19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14 oz) fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add first 4 ingredients. Cook for 6 minutes or until turkey is done, stirring frequently to crumble.Stir in chili powder and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer at least 10 minutes. Serve when ready. Enjoy!

Panini's!

One of the presents I got Bryan for Christmas was a panini press! He is known as the "sandwich man" in our house. He makes any sandwich an incredible sandwich! I wanted to give him something new for him to play with to create wonderful creations. We tried it out over the weekend, and it was a major success!

If you don't have a panini press, you can make hot sandwiches on the stove top (like you would for a grilled cheese) with a flat pan. We used to use our flat pancake pan and flip the sandwich halfway in between it's cooking. But as we wanted to start adding more ingredients, it became harder to flip the sandwiches. Hence, my idea for a panini press!

There is no specific recipe to this post. For our first try at our own panini, we kept it simple. We layered cooked chicken, bacon, avocado, onion, tomato, and mixed greens on top of delicious bakery bread. We put the sandwich on the press, and voila, the bread was toasted and the sandwich was warm and melty! It was a perfect simple dinner that took no time at all!

I'm sure we'll be doing more panini experiments in the near future and I'll keep you updated!

Seared Scallops and Creamed Leeks

Last night Bryan and I celebrated our Christmas together at home since we will be traveling to Minnesota for the holidays! I absolutely love our early Christmas date nights that have sort of become our mini-tradition! We leisurely enjoyed a full menu of delicious food, a cocktail, wine, music in the background, candles lit all around us, and presents!

On the appetizer menu: goat gouda and crab salad served with crackers, and veggie pot stickers served with 2 different dipping sauces of hot chili sauce and soy sauce.

On the dinner menu: seared scallops with creamed leeks, and roasted, seasoned sweet potatoes and onions (not pictured).

This fall, we ate at a restaurant and my entree was served with creamed leeks, which I had never had before and absolutely loved! Being an avid leek lover, I tried my best to find a recipe that could mimic what I ate at the restaurant so that I could make them at home. Finally, I had found a recipe that looked great, and I wanted to save it for a special night. Served with seared scallops, it was perfection!

Oh my gosh, the seared scallops were like buttah and the creamed leeks were insanely delicious. Paired together, it was the perfect bite and we could not stop raving at how good everything tasted! I think this dinner might have to become our traditional Christmas dinner!

I had never made seared scallops at home before, so I followed this tutorial, and they turned out perfectly!

Creamed Leeks
Adapted from Epicurious

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
3 1/2 lb leeks, root ends trimmed
2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
3/4 tsp salt
3/8 tsp pepper
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut each leek into an 8-inch length, measuring from root end, and halve lengthwise, then cut crosswise into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces. Wash leeks thoroughly, and drain.

Cook bread crumbs with 1/4 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper in 3 tbsp butter in a skillet over moderate heath, stirring until crisp and pale golden, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook leeks with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in remaining 3 tbsp butter in a large skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 12 minutes.

Transfer leeks with a slotted spoon to an oven save dish. Pour cream slowly over leeks, then scatter bread crumbs on top. Bake until cream is bubbling and slightly thickened and crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Everyone knows of those awesome peanut butter cookies with the chocolate star or Hershey's kiss on top, right?? Okay, those are, by far, my favorite Christmas cookie! And I needed to find a recipe to make them this year! So, when my girlfriends and I got together to bake Christmas cookies this week, I definitely wanted to make these.

Unfortunately, I could not find those beloved little chocolate stars at 3 different grocery stores, including stores that sell bulk candy and chocolate! Major disappointment. Since I was on a time crunch, I decided to purchase some chocolate chunks because I knew they would do the trick since the purpose of the chocolate is just for the topping and flavor. While these cookies are not the prettiest cookies with cute little star on top, they were the best tasting cookie ever. They were the perfect consistency: thick, dense, chewy, and perfectly paired with a bit of chocolate on top. Heavenly.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Adapted from Food.com

Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
48 Hershey's chocolate kisses, or chocolate stars

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixer, beat butter and peanut butter until well blended. Blend in sugars and beat until light and fluffy.

Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

When removed from the oven, immediately place a kiss or star on top of the cookie and press down lightly.

Enjoy!

Cream of Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Even though we hosted 10 people for Friendsgiving, and divvied up the leftovers, we still had a lot of leftover turkey! I was actually happy about this because I love my dad's turkey recipe. I had also been craving some soup, so I figured that it would go perfectly in a creamy wild rice soup!!

Fun factoid that I learned this semester in my food science class: Wild rice is not actually rice. It's not a grain either. It's a seed of a reed-like water plant and contains twice the protein and has more B vitamins than regular rice.

This soup far surpassed my expectations and was so good! If only I had leftover turkey year-round to make it!! I guess I'll have to use chicken until the next time we have a reason to make a large turkey!

Cream of Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Adapted from Eating Well

Makes: Approx. 4 servings
Prep time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 4 ounces)
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup quick-cooking or instant wild rice
3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey (12 oz)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots, and shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, 5-7 minutes (unless you are using conventional wild rice, which will take 40-50 minutes to cook. Check the directions on the package). Stir in turkey (or chicken), sour cream, and parsley and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.

Serve and enjoy!

Bourbon Bomber

As I mentioned, we hosted a Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving weekend. I wanted to have a signature cocktail that was suited for the holiday. I found this recipe and knew it would be perfect! This cocktail is perfect for the fall since it uses apple cider and incorporates other fall seasonings like ginger and nutmeg! I think it could actually work well for Christmas too, if any of you are looking for a cocktail recipe!

Bourbon Bomber
Adapted from The Boys Club


Note: You can make this in one large pitcher, or you can make each drink one at a time. Ingredients and directions are listed for drinks made individually.

Ingredients
Apple cider
Bourbon
Ice cubes
Agave nectar
All spice
Lemon zest
Nutmeg, grated
Bitters
Ginger, grated
Rosemary sprigs for garnish (optional)

Directions
Using a cocktail shaker, add a few ice cubes, 1//4 cup bourbon, 1/2 cup apple cider, 1/2 tbsp agave nectar, 1/2 tbsp all spice, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, and a pinch of grated ginger. Shake well.

Using a strainer, strain the drink over an ice-filled rock glass. Top each drink with a drop (or two) of bitters and a rosemary sprig.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Bryan found out the day before Thanksgiving that he would have Thursday off! We actually had plans to host a Friendsgiving that Friday and had nothing planned for Thursday! Since I was also on a mini-break from school, we discovered that we would have a whole day together that we could do whatever we wanted! YES!

We slept in and made those French Toast BLT's for breakfast! We enjoyed multiple episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix while we ate those delicious sandwiches and lounged on the couch.

We took advantage of the lovely weather and went for a long bicycle ride in the afternoon! Ohio actually has great roads for biking!

It was an awesome day! (Oh yeah, did I mention that Bryan grew a mustache for Movember?) So glad that's over!

That Friday, we hosted a Friendsgiving! We had friends over who were also staying in Cleveland for the holiday. We made the turkey, appetizers, and a cocktail (post coming up) and everyone else brought sides. It was a success!!

Turkey prep! This is how surgeons make a turkey! It's from my dad's recipe - my favorite turkey of all time. Unfortunately, we got busy with hosting and forgot to take a picture of the final product. I guess you'll have to wait until we make it again!

Stay tuned for the festive cocktail recipe coming right up!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Everyone loves pizza, right? But most people order in or eat frozen pizza. Some people will venture out and make a homemade crust from a box or package. Those days are over!

I was lucky enough to be given the best homemade pizza dough recipe in the world by a great friend! I finally had time to make it this fall and we totally loved it!! I can't wait to try this again! The best part about making your own pizza is you can pick your own toppings and put whatever you'd like on it! We decided to use mozzarella cheese, Brussels sprouts, and pancetta. Delicious!

Homemade Pizza Dough
From My Friend Rachel!

Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 1/2 hours, or overnight

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast (scant 1 tbsp)
a pinch of sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Put the flower, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl and pour the hot water in. Mix together and set aside until foamy, 20-30 mins.

Lightly oil a clean bowl for the dough (should be fairly large).

Stir in the salt and oil, then start mixing with the dough hook on your Kitchen Aid. Add more flour as needed. Let the dough hook do its magic until the dough is smooth an dshiny, and bounces back to the touch. You may want to knead it by hand. If you decide not to use the Kitchen Aid, knead for ~10 minutes.

Put the dough in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight. Alternately, let it rise for about an hour at room temperature.

Divide into 2-3 pieces and make pizza! Bake as hot as you can get your oven, usually 10-15 minutes each. Enjoy!