2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on January 5, 2010

My roommate and I made two recipes tonight, both with cilantro. My dad hates cilantro so my mom never cooked with it. I tried it in a couple of recipes when I started cooking for myself and I love it! The first recipe we made is the Indian-Inspired Butternut Squash, which is from the newest Cooking Light cookbook “Cooking Light Way To Cook”. Then we also made Spicy Tuna Pita with Cilantro from Martha Stewart’s Magazine “Everyday Food”

Indian- Inspired Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon of honey

½ teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Peel and cube 6 cups of butternut squash (about 2 medium squash). Toss squash in oil, season with salt and pepper, if desired. Place squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven; toss squash with raisins and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 3/4 cup)

CALORIES 97; FAT 2.6 g; PROTEIN 1.3g; CARB 20.3g; FIBER 3.7 g; CHOL 0 mg; IRON 0.0 mg; SODIUM 6 mg; CALC 53 mg.

Spicy Tuna Pita with Cilantro

1 can (6oz) chunk light tuna packed in water, drained (We used chunk white, b/c that is what we has in our cupboards)

3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

¼ cup fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 regular-size (6-inch) whole-wheat pita, cut in half

4 lettuce leaves (We didn’t have this so we just had them without, still yummy!)

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Fill pita halves with lettuce and top with the tuna salad. (Serves 1) (We doubled the recipe)

Enjoy

-K

Posted by Meaghan Barry on January 5, 2010

A service that I really enjoy in Boston is a organic produce delivery service called Boston Organics. I had taken a break from this service for the past few months as I had been busy with the holidays and had not had time to cook too much. I got my first delivery of the new year today. I received the $29 half fruit and half vegetable box, as well as a number of add-on products. I have always wanted to participate in a CSA, but it’s very difficult to get to the pick-up locations after working all day and not having a car readily available. I also would have trouble making the same vegetable night after night when a certain item is at the peak of its season. With Boston Organics, you get a variety of produce and you are able to select a “no” list of items you do not wish to receive (sorry rutabaga and chard…I’m just not quite there yet).

Today’s delivery was a good one:

-Leeks
-Leafy greens
-Brocoli
-Carrots
-Green Peppers
-Apples
-Oranges
-Lemons
-Bananas

I also added some add-on items to stock up on:

-Whole-wheat pancake mix
–Equal Exchange coffee beans, green tea, and hot cocoa
–Taza chocolate discs
-Local honey
-Organic peanut butter
-Onions
-Garlic

If you live in the Boston area and are interested in organic food, I would highly recommend this service. I have had the service for about a year and a half and have really found it to be beneficial. I occasionally have to throw out some food that I don’t get a chance to use (which I feel bad about), but I am usually able to use all the items I receive. It also is a huge help in lightening my load of items I need to drag home from the grocery store this week, especially when I do my shopping without a car.

-M

Posted by Meaghan Barry on January 5, 2010

Tonight I made a recipe from this month’s Cooking Light: Lamb Sliders. It was very good and relatively easy to make after work. The husband liked it so much that he asked for a full burger-sized version of it for next time!

To start, I sliced 2 medium-sized onions and threw it in a pan with 1 tsp brown sugar and a bit of olive oil:

After about 10 minutes, they started to carmelize. As I learned during my French Cooking Class at the Cambridge Culinary Institute, don’t stir the onions too often or they will take even longer to cook.

Next, I mixed the ground lamb with a little s&p and mixed it with my hands. (I started to mix it with a spoon and got nowhere fast- just get your hands dirty!) I had a little less lamb than the recipe called for so I was able to make 9 patties out of the ground meat. I cut 6 small rolls in half and put them on a baking sheet to toast them:

I broiled the patties for about 4 minutes on each side (a little longer than the recipe called for). Then, I toasted the buns for about 1 minute a side (which was a little less than the recipe called for). The lesson here: be sure to keep a watchful eye on anything you broil. I can’t tell you how many times I have accidentally burned something I was broiling when I forgot I was cooking it (and once started a small fire in the oven- oops!) Here is what the lamb patties and buns looked like after:

I pulled together the rest of the ingredients: blue cheese, arugula, and the carmelized onions:

And then we put together our lamb sliders!

-M

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on January 4, 2010

My heat was still broken when I got home from work today and my apartment was about 45 degrees. I was planning to make Indian-Inspired Butternut Squash from my newest Cooking Light Cookbook, but my hands were so cold I thought I might accidently cut them off while cutting a butternut squash. So I opted for left over Minestra soup from the other night and a baked potato. I use to make bake potatoes by putting them in the microwave for like 7-8 minutes. My mom showed me how to make them in the oven though and they are about a hundreds time better.
Directions:
Take however many potatoes (I use baking potatoes/russets) that you want, preheat the oven to about 475 F, and then wash the potatoes. Next you want to prick some holes in the potatoes with a fork all around and place them directly on the oven rack, no cooking sheet needed. Then cook the potatoes for about an hour. Take them out of the oven with oven mitts on, unless your hands were freezing like mine (kidding). Then cut a slit in the top (going the long way) open the potato and mash it up. I eat mine with chives, a little light cheddar cheese, light sour cream, light butter, and salt and pepper. Mmmmm

Enjoy!

-K

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on January 3, 2010

My mom made this dish over Christmas and I thought it was so good that she gave me the cookbook to bring back with me. The cookbook this recipe it from is called What Can I Bring? Cookbook by Anne Byrn. This is a great cookbook for people who have trouble of thinking of dishes to bring to parties and/or dinners. She gives great tips all throughout the book about preparing ahead of time and how to travel with the food. My roommate and I made it today after we got home from the grocery store. It was delicious, except for the fact our heat is broken and it would have been nice to have something warm to eat. Brrrrrr. It made enough for us to have for dinner, tomorrows lunch, and then some.

Orzo and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Cranberry Vinaigrette
Serves 8, prep time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

8oz orzo pasta (two cups)
salt
1 package (5 oz) baby spinach, rinsed and drained well
1 cup (4oz) crumbled feta
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook the orzo, uncovered, according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, place the spinach, feta cheese, and cranberries in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Place the lemon zest and juice in a small mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time, until the lemon dressing thickens slightly. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drain the orzo well in a fine sieve (the orzo gets stuck or falls through colanders). Shake the orzo well to remove the excess water. Transfer the orzo to the bowl with the spinach mixture and toss.
5. Pour the lemon dressing over the orzo mixture and toss again to coat well. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

-K

Posted by Meaghan Barry on January 2, 2010

For this year’s New Year’s Day dinner, I wanted to try a more challenging dish to mark this special occasion. My mom made us Beef Wellington for Christmas in 2008 so I wanted to try this dish on my own. I had also seen a special on the Today Show where they made mini Beef Wellingtons for a NYE appetizer. I definitely want to try to make these for a party sometime as I suspect they would be a huge hit. Searching for a recipe, I found this one on the Food Network site by Paula Deen. All of the commenters seemed to have enjoyed it a lot, so I decided to give this version a try:

Paula Deen’s Beef Wellington with Oyster Pate
Her recipe calls for a 1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef tenderloin, but the smallest one I was able to find was 3 pounds. I knew it was going to be a bit rare given the extra size so I cooked it about 10 minutes longer than the recipe called for. It still ended up being rare, but fortunately, this is how the husband prefers his beef. Paula Deen recommended using the extra pastry to decorate the top…I decided to monogram my Beef Wellington with a big B. Look how pretty it turned out!

It tasted great! I absolutely loved the oyster pate as well. Paula drains the pate using cheesecloth, which I did not have on hand. I just used a few paper towels instead…I thought the pate came out fine. I would highly recommend this recipe for a special occasion dinner. I served it with green olives as an appetizer and sauteed spinach on the side.

I hope you all had a nice new year’s dinner. It is snowing a bit here in Boston today so I need to figure out a warm dish to make for dinner tonight.

-M

Posted by Meaghan Barry on January 2, 2010

Happy New Year! For breakfast yesterday morning (a rather late one since we did not get home from dinner out until 2 a.m), I decided to make my French Omelette. This omelette is inspired by my favorite brunch item at Gaslight, a French bistro in Boston’s South End. My French Omelette does not include their delicious frites, bloody mary, and cappuccino. It was a nice breakfast to start off the new year nevertheless.

French Omelette (serves 2)

Ingredients:
-6 eggs
-1 tablespoon half & half
-1 tsp herbes de provence
-3/4 oz. package of goat cheese
-salt and pepper
-cooking spray

Directions:
Crack the eggs and whip together until smooth. Mix in the half & half and herbes de provence. Start slicing up the goat cheese into small wedges.

Next, heat up your frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. When it’s hot, pour half the egg mixture into the pan. Using a fork or spatula, lift edges up as they cook to allow the egg liquid to flow under. Once it is nearly finished cooking (only a small amount of the egg liquid remains), place half the goat cheese slices down the middle. Fold the sides of the omelette over onto the goat cheese and flip over the entire omelette afterwards. Plate omelette. Repeat with remaining egg mixture and goat cheese.

I’m still trying to master the perfect omelette, but here are my pictures of my two attempts yesterday. Don’t worry if your omelette doesn’t look perfect- it will most likely still taste delish.

Enjoy!

-M

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on January 1, 2010

Happy New Years Everyone! My roommate and I, still in our pj’s trying to get over last night festivities, are making this soup tonight called Minestra with Sweet Sausage from the Every Day Rachel Ray Magazine and 30 minute meals. I don’t use Rachel’s recipes a lot because she doesn’t include the calorific information but this is one recipe I really enjoy. Served with nice crusty bread it’s a delicious pick-me-up on a cold winter day

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans
2 bunches escarole, coarsely shredded
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken stock
3/4 cup whole wheat penne pasta or ditalini pasta
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Grated pecorino-romano cheese, to top

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and escarole; season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Add the chicken stock and 2 cups water, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Uncover the pot, stir in the pasta, lower the heat and cook until the pasta is al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon peel. Top with cheese.

Enjoy!

-K

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on December 31, 2009

Before the holiday season is officially over, I wanted to post my most requested recipe during this time of year (perhaps more towards Thanksgiving time, but this would be a lovely Christmas or NYE dish to make). This is a great item to make if you are asked to bring dessert to a party. It’s ready to serve and you don’t have to bog the host down with getting in some oven-time to heat up the dessert. In my opinion, pie can be a little much after a big meal and this dessert alternative is a refreshing change of pace.

Ingredients:
1 16oz can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 package vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling for 4 servings
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 cups heavy or whipping cream

Directions:
In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix pumpkin, pudding mix, milk, vanilla extract, cinn, ginger, cloves and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar until well blended.

In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate 1 cup whipped cream for garnish. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture

Spoon pumpkin mixture into eight 10 oz goblets (I just used small plastic wine glasses if transporting); cover and refrigerate until read to serve. Pumpkin mixture tastes best if refrigerated for at least 30 min prior to serving.

To serve, spoon reserved whipped cream onto pumpkin mixture; sprinkle with sugared pecan.

Sugared Pecans:
1/2 cup pecans chopped
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

In 2 qt saucepan (Med high heat) cook pecans until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat, stir in sugar until it melts and evenly coats pecans. Cool.

When I am bringing it to someone’s house, I’ve found that those clear plastic wine glasses (no stem) work nicely. I cover each cup with saran wrap, put it on a large tray, and take off the saran wrap before serving. Also, put the dollop of whipped cream and sugared pecans on right before you wrap it up so it doesn’t lose it whippiness…

-m

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on December 31, 2009

Well unlike M’s goals, not all my goals for 2010 are fun, but that is my problem most of the time… I have too much fun! My goals are all broken down with steps and tips I need to take in order to fufill the goal. Hope my goals help you to create your own.

New Year Resolutions

1.) Make more healthy homemade lunches and dinners

Eat less processed and high sodium foods
Plan out menus before going to grocery store
Use all my new cookbooks I got for Christmas
Create my own recipes

2.) Get more fit and be healthier.

Write down everything
Go to the gym 4-5 times a week (atleast 30 minutes of aerobic)
Start running
Go to classes at my gym

3.) Save more money

Spending less money on alcohol and eating out
Try to get fixed expences like gym, cable, rent cheaper
Spend less on grocery
Buy less clothes, make-up, and accessories.

4.) Read more books

Frequent the Library
Find series that I like

5.) Join an outdoors club so I can go hiking, skiing, and do more outdoorsy things. This is hard to do on your own when living in the NYC area without a car.

6.) Think of a business plan that I can eventually start up on my own

7.) Blog !

Happy New Years Everyone!

-K