Feed a Cold Chicken Soup

Christmas has come and gone; I hope everyone had a great day!  Lots of food was eaten and gifts were given and sadly, I have no pictures of either.  It was very busy.


Christmas Eve we went to my grandmother's and had a lovely roast beef dinner and homemade cookies for dessert.  Too many gifts were also opened.  My grandmother's dog also enjoyed the evening.

Christmas Day we went to M's parent's home and had a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash and waffles.  Mmmm.  A wonderful family announcement was made and more gifts were given. 

Today, a blizzard is hitting our area.  As I type this, I am looking out through the sliding doors to the snow falling.  Right now, it's quite pretty.  Later, not so much.  M and I also have to venture out to the grocery store which should be interesting seeing as how the stores weren't opened yesterday and now there's a snow storm.  I avoided the store crowds as best I could but today it has become unavoidable; we need food.


Leading up to these days, I sick.  So very sick.  I am still not feeling that well today either.  This is a cold that kicks your butt and stays for a while.  It has worn out it's welcome.


The night before the cold really hit me, M and I roasted a chicken.  So good right?

It was pretty big chicken so we decided we would make a soup out of the leftovers the next night.  Well that next night turned out to be the first night of this killer cold but I sucked it up and made chicken soup.  What's better for a cold than a nice big bowl of steaming chicken soup? Feed a cold is what they say, right?  It wasn't hard to make either.  The chicken was already cooked and off the bone so all I had to do was chop some veggies and throw them in the soup pot.  It was really all I could manage that night but man did it taste good.  I ate it the next two days for lunch. 

Feed a Cold Chicken Soup
A recipe by Noelle

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large potato, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 bay leaf
5-6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp dried marjoram
salt

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes.  Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion and cook for about 3-5 minutes.  Add the zucchni and red pepper along with the bay leaf and chicken stock.  Season with marjoram and salt to taste.  Bring the soup to a boil and then knock back the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Serve steaming hot in a big soup bowl.

Zucchini Bread

Christmas is less than one week away.  Is everyone ready?  I am.  All gifts have been bought; they just need to be wrapped.  I'm in good shape I think.  It's been busy around here lately but tis the season.  We all have the certain parties we go to and the family traditons that come with Christmastime.  I love those traditions.

Every year my family goes to my grandmother's house on Christmas Eve.  We have dinner and then exchange gifts with my mother's side of the family.  I have literally been doing this my entire life.  It would not be Christmas Eve without going there and eating her homemade cookies while opening gifts one by one.  Yes, we watch everyone open their gifts; it lasts longer that way.

Since M and I have been married, Christmas Day obviously has changed since I was child.  We get up and open the gifts we have for each other while still in our pajamas.  I must always sit on the floor (traditions again).  Then we get ready and go over to M's parents home to have a Christmas brunch with his side of the family.  It's awesome.  I look forward to this brunch every year.  This is a great tradition that started when we were married.  My parents and grandmother also stop by and it's a perfect way to spend Christmas morning.

Then M and I exchange gifts with his family and spend the rest of the day relaxing, eating some more, and playing games.  It's really fun.  I love board games and this is pretty much the one time all year I get to play them (M doesn't much care for them). 

That's a sneak peak into the traditions of our family for Christmas.  Some have changed but some have stayed the same.  One tradition that I have kept for myself for the past decade or so is zucchini bread.  I bake it every year at Christmastime and that's it.  I don't bake it any other time all year.  I should call it my Christmas Bread because it really is.  It is a sweet gift and I have given it out many times and it goes over quite well.  I would recommend it if you are still not sure what to get someone.  Homemade gifts are always a great way to go.

This recipe has seen many Christmas seasons and it will see many more. 

Merry Christmas!


Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the sugar, vanilla and oil.  Blend well with the mixer.  Stir in the zucchini with a wooden spoon until combined.  Add half the flour mixture and stir with the wooden spoon until incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.  Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in the loaf pans.  Carefully remove the bread from the loaf pans, slice and serve!  A smear of butter doesn't hurt.

Italian Sub Soup

Where has the time gone?  It's been over a month since my last blog post.  I didn't realize I was that busy and it must not go this long again.

M and I went on our cruise and long story short, eh, not that great.  Food was terrible (major fail) and there was a boat load (get it? I'm a dork) of kids on the ship.  Not as relaxing as we hoped and we did not swim with dolphins. :(  But we jet skied and that was really fun.  We were very glad to get home.  We did see some great sunrises though.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean

Then we were busy with work and Thanksgiving.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Ours was busy but very nice.  Lots and lots of eating with family.  Those are great times.  And now Christmas is right around the corner and it is my favorite holiday.  My Christmas tree went up the weekend after Thanksgiving and it makes me so happy.  Isn't she pretty?

I couldn't wait to get home from our cruise and start cooking especially with the quality of the food we got on the ship.  I made some good dishes but nothing really great - until this soup.  I actually made this soup a few years ago and pulled it out again.  I think it was better this time around.  So warm on the cold days we're beginning to have here in New England.  No snow yet  but it's coming.  No doubt.  This soup is perfect on one of those days.

It calls for Italian sausage but M and I don't care for the fennel seed that's typically in that so we used andouille instead.  It also called to cook the pasta directly in the soup but knowing that we were going to have leftovers, I chose to cook the pasta separately and ladle the soup over the pasta in our bowls.  This way, the pasta didn't get mushy and absorb all the broth the next day.

I will try and try my best to post again soon.  Here's hoping for some tasty dishes.  With Christmas coming soon, there should be some good material.

Italian Sub Soup
Adapted from 365: No Repeats by Rachael Ray

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 links andouille sausage, diced
1/2 stick of pepperoni, diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 28 can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes, broken up with a wooden spoon
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup short cut pasta, I used small shells
2-3 handfuls of baby arugula
grated parmesan cheese

Preheat a soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the olive oil and andouille sausage and cook until it begins to brown.  Add the pepperoni and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the green pepper and onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes more.  Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken stock and let the soup simmer.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions (or a little less since it will go into hot soup).

Stir the arugula into the soup.  Put some pasta into your soup bowl and ladle the soup over it.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Serve immediately.

Note: Absolutely delicious the next day.

Apple Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

This may not be my last apple post but it will be my last for at least a week (even though it's been about two weeks since my last post but whatever).

M and I are going on vacation!  We are cruising to the Bahamas and we leave tomorrow.  Can I tell you how excited we are?  We haven't had a vacation since our honeymoon five years ago.  It's time to hit the water!

There will be lots of sleeping, relaxing, eating, and swimming to be done and we plan to do them all with full dedication.  We've never been on a cruise before but have heard good things.  Pictures to follow.

This coffee cake was super delicious and another way for me to use up the apples I picked.  I made this a couple of weeks ago first thing in the morning on the weekend and we had a nice freshly baked breakfast with our coffee.  It was so good.  I brought the rest of it to work the next day and it went fast.  

The original recipe was gluten free but I didn't have any gluten free flour so I just used good old all-purpose flour.  It also called for chocolate chips but I wasn't feeling that and left them out.  Didn't miss them at all.

See you in a week or two! 

Apple Brown Sugar Coffee Cake
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup plus 2 tsp flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into 1/2 in pieces or so

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 9in round baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tsp flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon to make a crumb mixture.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar until smooth.  Whisk in the oil and vanilla.  Stir into the flour mixture until just combined.  Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, top with half of the apples and half the brown sugar/walnut crumb mixture.  Repeat with the remaining batter, apples, and crumb mixture. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve.  This was still great the next day with a big cup of coffee.

Baked Apple Mini Muffins

Fall is upon us in New England which means cooler weather, fall foliage, and apple picking.

M and I went last weekend.  It was a little late in the season and there were only 3 varieties available for picking - macintosh, red delicious, and cortland.  I went for the cortlands.  I remember growing up that my grandmother always used cortlands for her apple pies so I stuck with her favorite. 

When we got to the farm, I almost dropped dead when we were told the price. $20 for the SMALL bag!!!  Had we not driven for 20 minutes with the dog, I might have walked away.  But, I really wanted to go apple picking so we swallowed our pride and paid the ghastly price.

It was a great fall morning and Maddux really enjoyed himself too.  He ate the grass mostly.

Now I stuffed that bag as full as I could get it.  I wanted my money's worth, you understand.  So once I got the bag to the point of spilling over, we went on our way.  I made a stop at the country store and purchased some cider donuts, apple cider, and apple butter (I first typed apply butter.  It does make everything better).

Anyway, now I had all of these apples and needed something to do with them.  I found this recipe for oven baked apple donuts that I wanted to try.  After they were done, they were more like mini muffins so that's what I'm calling them.  I still have a bunch of apples left and as I type, I have an apple-brown sugar coffee cake in the oven.  My house smells awesome. 

We actually had some new neighbors move in a couple of weeks ago so I thought it would be nice and neighborly to introduce myself and bring them some freshly baked mini apple muffins.  I would have loved that if I was a new neighbor.  I hoped they liked them!  I know I did.

Oven Baked Apple Mini Muffins
Adapted from Chocolate Shavings

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 granulated sugar
6 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into tiny bite sized pieces

Cinnamon Sugar Coating
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a bowl.  Add the cold butter.  Rub the butter pieces with the flour and sugar mixture with your fingers until it forms coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the milk and apples.  Fold into the mixture.  Add the egg and apple mixture to the flour and sugar mixture.  Stir to combine.

Grease a mini muffin pan.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan.

Bake in the oven for about 17 minutes.  While the muffins are baking, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating.

When the muffins are done, remove from oven.  Let cool slightly.  Remove each muffin from the pan and brush with the melted butter.  Then roll the muffins in the bowl of cinnamon sugar to coat.  Shake off any excess.  Enjoy!

Note: Be careful storing muffins in a bag or an airtight container as the cinnamon sugar could melt and become wet.  They are better when some air is allowed to get to them.

Snickerdoodles

I don't know what it was but I wanted snickerdoodles and I wanted them now. 

I got all geared up to make them and then discovered I was out of eggs. 

Out of eggs! How did that happen? 

Anywho, I looked through some of my cookbooks and found a cinnamon cookie recipe that didn't call for eggs but called for olive oil.  Hmmm.  Why not? 

Now this recipe was a little strange.  It called for you to sift the flour into a pile on a board and make a well in the middle.  Then add lemon zest, olive oil, cinnamon and sugar and mix with your hands - kind of like if you were making pasta. 

I don't know if I am just incapable of mixing things with my hands but I did not get dough.  I got a pile of flour. 

See:

So I got to thinking I needed some more fat and moisture so I cut in about 4 tablespoons cold butter and added about 3-4 tablespoons water like I was making biscuits.  At least at this point it made some sort of semblence to dough.  I rolled it into balls, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and stuck it in the oven.  What did I get?  Pretty much cinnamon biscuits but much more tender.  Overall they had good flavor; the texture was just not what I was looking for. 

See - they looked like biscuits:

The hunt continued.

I searched through the internet and found several recipes that sounded tempting.  Many though had 1 cup of butter.  While that is very tasty, I didn't want to use that much butter. I also came across one that called for cornstarch.  Interesting I thought.  I decided to take a pretty standard recipe and incorporate the cornstarch. 

Folks, this was the snickerdoodle I was looking for!  So sweet and cinnamony. It's a keeper and satisfied my craving.

Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden

6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour

Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375.

In a mixer, cream the butter.  Once creamed, add the sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch.  Beat to combine.  The mixture will look very grainy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the egg and vanilla.  Beat to combine.  Slowly add in the flour while the mixer is beating.  Make sure everything is thoroughly combined.  You may need to stir the dough by hand to ensure all flour is incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar.  Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Rolls the dough into small balls with your hand and place into the bowl of cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat completely.  Place balls onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with your fingers.  Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks. Then eat!

Puttanesca Shrimp with Fettucine

What a busy week this has been at work.  It was the ARRA federal reporting deadline.  What is that?  It is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act otherwise known as the stimulus plan.  Super exciting stuff.  Anyway, MIT got a lot of this funding towards research and all the money spent, received, jobs created, etc. needs to be reported on to the federal government.  This is the transparency, you see.  We had about 170 awards we needed to report on thus making a busy week.

But the good news?  M and I are going on vacation in 3 weeks!  Yay!  We are going on a cruise and neither one of us has been on a cruise before.  We can't wait.  They say the food on cruises is unbelievable.  I'll let you know.  The cruise is heading down to the Bahamas and wanna know what we're going to do?  Swim. With. DOLPHINS!!!  I have always wanted to do this and I said to M, "I don't care if we don't book any other shore excursions but we are swimming with dolphins!"  So, we are.  I am looking forward to this part the most. 

Even with the busy week, I managed to squeeze out some OK meals but this one from last week takes the cake.  I toned down the capers a bit because I don't much care for them but M loves them so he added more to his own plate.  Please feel free to follow suit.  Also, please be careful when smashing the tomatoes.  One shot right into my face and burned my cheek.  I had a lovely burn mark on my face for week.  So stand back!

Have a great long weekend and do some leaf peeping.  It is so beautiful in New England right now.  I hope to get some apple and pumpkin picking in.

Puttanesca Shrimp with Fettucine

Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

1lb fettucine (or whatever pasta you like)

1lb shrimp, tails on

2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

zest of one lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 pints grape tomatoes

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1 tbsp capers, plus more for serving if you like

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta until al dente.  Before you drain, reserve a ladle full of pasta water.

Toss the shrimp with the Old Bay seasoning and lemon in a bowl.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons or so of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook for about two minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers.  Cover the skillet and lower the heat.  Cook until the tomatoes burst stirring half way through.  Using a potato masher, squish any any unburst tomatoes.  Add the shrimp to the tomato mixture in the skillet.  Cook until firm and pink about 3-4 minutes. 

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the reserved pasta water, tomato sauce and shrimp.  Serve immediately.

Chicken with Fresh Tomato and Corn Salsa

We did it, folks!  We completed the 5K.  I am very glad I did it.  I couldn't run the whole time which I was pretty bummed about but it is really hard to keep your pace up with that many people running around you.  There were over 2,000 runners in this race and that didn't count the ones who were only walking.  I finished in about 34 minutes which actually isn't that bad.  My cousin's time was about 30 minutes so she did great!  I am very proud.  We are already thinking about doing it again next year. 

During the week after, M was traveling back and forth out of state for work and has to do that for the next week too.  Since he has been getting home later, dinners need to be quick.  I don't want to be cooking really late.  This chicken dish was super easy.  All you have to do is cook some chicken and chop some tomatoes and onions and boom, awesome dinner.  The recipe actually calls for the corn to be raw which would be fine but since it was so late in the season, I did cook the corn for a few minutes (in the microwave! gasp!).  It was my last taste of the summer with the fresh corn and it was a great way to end it.  I served it with couscous and it was one of my favorite meals we've had recently.

Chicken with Fresh Tomato and Corn Salsa
Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
6-8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
fresh basil, chopped

In three shallow dishes, add the flour in one, milk in the second, and bread crumbs in the third.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, then the milk, then the bread crumbs.  Shake of any excess.

In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook on each side for for about five minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

While the chicken is cooking, cook your corn to your liking or keep raw.  Cut the kernels off the ears.  Mix the corn with the tomatoes, onion, fresh basil, and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the salsa over the chicken.


Bonus Recipe: Parsley-Parmesan Couscous
A recipe by Noelle

1 cup chicken stock
1 cup couscous
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
handful of fresh parsley, chopped

In a saucepan, heat the stock until it boils.  Turn off the heat and add the couscous.  Cover tightly and let sit for about five minutes.  Add the parmesan cheese and parsley and fluff the couscous with a fork and combine the cheese and parsley.  Serve immediately.

Five Years Ago Today...

I married the bestest guy!  Yes folks, 5 years have gone by.  I actually can't believe it.  It really has flown by but in a good way.  As I reminisce today, I remember the beautiful weather, my beautiful bridesmaids, and my beautiful husband.  I also remember the 3 freak outs about the rain in the morning, the call I got that the reception hall lost my seating chart, and that I thought the wrong bouquets were delivered.  Only 3; not that bad I think.  In the end, it all worked out perfectly.  Oh, the food!  The food was fabulous (I think).  M and I only ate about 2 mouthfuls.  But there was crudite, bacon wrapped scallops, gourmet pizzas, and several other hors d'ouerves that  I can't remember.  For the main meal, we had stations.  There was a soup and salad station with minestrone soup and a garden salad (I think that was the salad - give me a break, it was 5 years ago!  I'm lucky I remembered to get dressed this morning).  A pasta station with butternut squash ravioli (oh lordy that was good).  A carving station with prime rib and roast turkey.  There was also potatoes and some kind of vegetable.  Lastly, a dessert station that appeared later in the evening with the cake.  Yummy lemon mousse cake.  Unfortunately, I don't think all the guests realized that and all that delicious cake was left.  Oh well.  What can ya do?  They all certainly found the candy table.  Candy is good too.  Everyone could make their own goody bag from the candy smorgasboard!  That was a major hit.

Want to see something cool? A year and a half later, M and I were on the cover of New England Bride Magazine!  We had no idea but it was super cool.  I only had a scan and it is black and white.  It was for the cover story of the Georgetown Club where we had our reception.  Sadly, it is now closed. :(   But, some other photos were used in ads for the Georgetown Club too.  Yeah, we're famous now. ha!

So, Happy Anniversary, M!  To many more years of good times, good food, and poofy cheek poking! (he he - inside joke and it's not dirty!  Get your minds out of the gutter, people).

Chicken Soup with Red Pepper and Spinach

I did it, folks.  I ran three miles today (with the exception of about a 2 minute walk near to the end).  I had to.  My cousin took me on the route she typically does and it so nicely has a boat load of hills.  And of course, one right at the end.  And I'm not talking some short incline.  It is one of the long slow grade ones that you don't really notice until you have to run it.  She did warn me but I was like no, I'll be fine.  Right.  Just until my lungs decided to start stabbing me in the chest.  But it's fine.  Hopefully the 5K in the city will be more flat.  I'm sticking with that thought anyway.

Since this morning's run, I have actually felt pretty depleted all day.  It really does take a lot out of you.  So instead of the laundry and bathroom cleaning I should be doing, I want to tell you about chicken soup.  M and I love chicken soup.  We make it a lot, many different ways.  I'll get them up on this blog eventually but here is the latest one.  We roasted a chicken the other night (I'll tell you about that too someday) and there was a ton left over.  One of the best things to do with that chicken is make a soup.  So soup I made.  I added a red pepper because I had a one in the fridge as well as some baby spinach.  It was a good idea.  The soup was quite flavorful and the added surprise of tomatoes really made it richer than the standard chicken soup broth.  It was quick and easy and we like that in our house.

Chicken Soup with Peppers and Spinach
A recipe by Noelle

extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced into half moons
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken
2 handfuls baby spinach
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot.  Add the carrots and celery and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the onions and garlic and cook for about another minute or two.  Add the red pepper.  Cook for a minute.  Add the bay leaf, thyme and marjoram.  Stir to combine.  Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and chicken.  Give the soup a stir and reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Right before serving, stir in the baby spinch to wilt.  Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Ladle into serving bowls and serve immediately.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

A Beautiful New Home

My cousin and her boyfriend bought a house almost two years ago that quite frankly was a disaster.  It was a foreclosure and the house was in really tough shape.  They got an amazing deal on the house and turned it into quite a beauty.  They did a ton of the work themselves and it has taken them almost two years to do it and there is still some more work to be done.  But they should be so proud of themselves.  The house is amazing and I am amazingly jealous.  It is in a gorgeous neighborhood and it looks like a brand new house.  Well really, it is.  Everything is new inside and I mean everything.  Even the outside is new!  It was quite an accomplishment.

Yesterday they threw a party to show off the house and to thank all those who had a hand in getting the house into tip top shape.  They didn't want it to be a housewarming party but it turned into one.  It was great to see the house filled with family, friends and food.  They thought the day would never come.  But it did and it was a great day in a great house.  My contribution to the house rehab was spackling, sanding, and priming. Super fun stuff.  There was also some floating in their backyard pool if I remember correctly too.  My contribution to the party; lemon drop cookies.  They were so scrumptious and were quite a hit.  I had several inquiries for the recipe.  They were light and easy to eat while strolling through the halls and rooms of a beautiful new home.  Congrats, guys!  You did good.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Adapted from Sugar Plum

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick of butter, softened

zest of one medium sized lemon

juice from one lemon

1 tsp almond extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two large cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  With a mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and lemon zest together until combined.  The mixture will look a little grainy.  Beat in the lemon juice, almond extract, and eggs until it is all combined.  Add half of the dry ingredients and beat to combine.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place dough in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes to an hour to chill.  If you take the dough out before it is chilled enough, it will stick to your hands and be quite messy.

Once the dough is chilled, scoop teaspoons of it and roll into a ball with your hands.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake for about 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once cool, dip the tops of the cookies into the confectioners' sugar.

Note: If you are not going to serve or eat the cookies for a little while, wait to dip into the confectioners' sugar.  Otherwise the confectioners' sugar could "melt" and not be the pretty white topping that it could be.

30th Birthday Party!

The day is here; I am officially 30 years old today.  Wow.  I'm actually a little disbelieving that it is here.  I can't believe I have already finished 3 decades of my life and today I start my 4th!  4th people!  It's freaking me out a little. 

Anyway, I started the day with a big cup of coffee and a pedicure.  I felt like treating myself a little.  I also wanted an eyebrow wax but the waxing lady wasn't going to show up until noon and I wasn't waiting around.  So I went and got a breaksfast sandwich instead.  Mmmm.  I love bacon, egg, and cheese on an english muffin. Although the one I got today wasn't that good really so that was kind of disappointing.  Oh well.  Now to figure out what to do with the rest of my day.  M wants to take me out to eat somewhere tonight.  I don't know where I want to go though.  Such decisions!

My last post I mentioned that M and my brother in law threw a 30th birthday party for me and my sister in law.  It was really fun and the guys did a great job.  The weather made a stellar performance as well.  The day was perfect.  I snapped a few pictures but was really too busy schmoozing.  Ha, just kidding.  But no really.

My brother in law rigged up some tents so that people could get out of the sun and so there was some shelter over the food.  But the bees and hornets were crazy!  I hate bees.  I hate them more when they are messing with the food!  M manned the grill as shown below (blue shirt).  The menu included hamburgers, hot dogs, pork tenderloin two ways, including stuffed, chicken wings with my brother in law's awesome spice rub, grilled chicken breasts, deviled eggs, pasta salad, potato salad, green salad, grilled vegetables, chips and guacamole.  I think that was everything but like I said before, I didn't get any pictures!  Fail.  Another item I didn't get a picture of was the kegerator.  I am not a beer drinker but I could appreciate the coolness of the machine.

And then of course there was cake.  Delicious cake.  Please ignore the rude writing on the top of the cake. 30 is NOT over the hill!

After my sister in law and I blew out our candles, we were asked to open our gifts.  It was like a bridal shower.  But we both got some good loot.  I also won $23 on scratch tickets I got.  Score! 

Overall, it was really fun day and the boys did a great job!  We are such lucky ladies.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

I'm back!  Not that I went anywhere but geeze, I was away for a while.  Things just got really busy for some reason.  End of summer activities I guess.  This past weekend M and my brother in law hosted a combined birthday party for me and my sister in law.  It was super fun and I will tell you a little bit about it.  There's really not that much to tell and believe it or not, I didn't get any pictures of food except for the cake which really is the most important food at a birthday anyway, right? 

Hey, want to know what I'm going to do?  I'm running a 5K in September!  I'm a little scared.  I don't run.  It will be interesting.  Right now, I'm in "training."  he he  I think it's funny for me to say that.  I am one of the most unathletic human beings on the planet but I'm excited to be doing this.  I have always wanted to and now I am!  My cousin got me into it.  It is in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and it is something that's important to me and my family.  It is a great cause and as a side bonus, it will be great for my body because Lord knows, I need some help.

We have been cooking some but I feel like we're slacking.  But really, I think we're cooking more especially now that M is out of school.  Is it weird to think we haven't done much when we really have?  I guess I haven't made anything stellar.  Except for these sandwiches.  I love grilled vegetable sandwiches.  They are so tasty and healthy really.  They're win-win.  And believe it or not, they were M's idea.  Mr. I-must-have-meat-at-every-meal suggested vegetable sandwiches!  I stood with a gaping mouth.  It was a great idea and super easy.  You can use whatever vegetables, cheese, and bread you want.  Here's what we did:

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

A recipe by Noelle

I used a stove top grill pan and it worked perfectly.

2 bell peppers, any color, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced into rounds

1 summer squash, sliced into rounds

1 small eggplant, sliced into rounds

1 onion, sliced into rounds or triangles

olive oil

salt and pepper

mozzarella cheese

soft sub rolls

Preheat a grill or a stove top grill pan on medium high heat.  Toss the chopped vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Once the grill is hot, add the vegetables in a single layer.  If you are using a grill pan, you may need to do this in batches.  Cook on each side for about 5-8 minutes until there are grill marks.  Flip over and cook on the other side until grill marks appear.

Slice the sub rolls and put some cheese on both sides of the bread.  Place a bunch of the vegetables onto the roll and cover with the other side of the bread.  Serve immediately.

Birthday Shout Out

I wanted to send a shout out to my sister in law who turns 30 today!  Happy, happy birthday!  Don't be sad.  I am coming up right behind you.  For now, here is your birthday present:

A carton will be shipped in 3-6 business days.  Please save a few for me. 

Herb Pizza

This past week has been a little frustrating at work.  This being the case, I haven't felt all that motivated to cook something.  I don't like this feeling.  M and I picked out some recipes to cook during the week and they were just eh.  I did make a chicken lo mein which was pretty similar to this pork one only I used chicken.  Like you never could have guessed. :)  I also added some bean sprouts.  Now that M is out of school, he is taking on the cooking one night a week as well as walking Maddux so that I can go to the gym.  I go on Saturdays and Sundays but now I can get at least one work out in during the week.  It's time to get this lady back into shape!  He made a tasty version of this only he put some paprika in it and there was no asparagus.  It is nice having him do the dinner one night a week.

We tried all week to do a pizza night but it kept getting put off.  M went out two nights during the week to visit a friend who is ill.  Oh guess what happened when he was visting his friend?  Some lady backed into his car while in the parking lot and totally wiped out his front bumper.  Major repairs will be needed.  And to top it all off, I was supposed to have a girls night tomorrow night but now I am car-less.  Boo!!  It's retaurant week in Boston and it was going to be an awesome time.  I'm sad.

Anyway, then we went to my parents house to do some yard work for them on Saturday.  Guess what they got us for lunch?  Yep, pizza.  So the pizza making was put off yet another day.  But we finally made it today for lunch!  It might be my favorite homemade pizza I have ever made.  So after a crappy week at work, a sick friend, a minor car incident, an out of shape body that has revolted against me, and dirty yard work, we got to stuff our faces with cheesey pizza.  Hopefully the next week is better.  Geesh.

Herb Pizza
A recipe by Noelle

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
dried oregano
1 cup tomato sauce, any kind
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped chives
freshly chopped basil
fresh thyme
1 scallion, chopped
1 small tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 425.  Spread the pizza dough out onto a baking sheet.  Prick the dough with a fork all over the top.  Drizzle with the olive oil and spread around with your hands or the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle with some salt and dried oregano.  Put the dough into the oven and bake for about five minutes.

Remove the dough from the oven.  Spread the tomato sauce all over the dough.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese all over.  Scatter the chives, basil, thyme, scallions, and tomatoes all over the top.  Place pizza into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Dinner in the North End

M and I went into the North End to have dinner and celebrate his MBA.  I told him I would take him anywhere he wanted.  He chose the North End.

We went to Tresca which Ray Bourque owns.  Pretty cool, right?  I was wondering the whole time we were there if he would show up.  That would have been crazy.  M met him once before years ago.  I said to M, "What if Ray Bourque comes in?  You could be like 'Hey, Ray Bourque, I met you once before when I was like eight.' That would be funny."  M was like "I wouldn't do that."  That really would have been weird.

Anyway, when we got to the restaurant it was only about 4pm.  We were very early and they don't start serving dinner until 5pm, which we didn't know.  The waitress told us we could hang out in the bar area, have some drinks or an appetizer and hang out.  We chose to hang out.  We weren't in any rush.  There was a little table right next to an open window and we sat down.  It was such a beautiful night.  This was our view from our table:

The restaurant was right on Hanover Street so we had a lot of people watching to partake in.  I also want to try the restaurant across the street.  It looked nice.

While we were waiting and chatting with the waitresses/bartenders, we ordered some food because we were hungry and we were there to eat.  I took a quick picture of the small bar area and dining room on the first floor.  The main dining room was up those stairs and we could have gone up there once it was time for dinner.  We liked our open window seat so we stayed.

We ordered Spiedini di Agnello which were marinated and grilled lamb skewers.  Flavor was amazing.  Lamb was a little fatty though but still good.

It was nice to just sit there and relax.  There was a pretty window box too.  I don't know what plant this is.  Do you?

So, dinner, once ordered, was so delicious.  I got the Cioppino Amalfi.  It was so good and loaded with calamari, shrimp, white fish, mussels, cherrystones, and half a lobster tail.  Mmmmm.

M ordered Pollo Romano which was a chicken breast topped with arugula and grilled vegetables with a creamy corn and sage polenta.  His was awesome.  If we go there again, I will order that.

Look at M's hands.  hehe.  I told him I wanted to get a picture.  He was ready to dig right in but had to move his hands away.  The things we do for a crazy lady with a camera.  You can barely see the chicken at the top of the plate but it's there.  The angle was bad for me and I didn't want to rearrange and be that annoying person in a restaurant with a camera.  I tried to be all stealth about it.