Monday, February 21, 2011

A Greek Cowboy Dinner

Sometimes culinary creativity is born of necessity. For example, I had spinach in my kitchen that would spoil unless I found a creative way to use it. Viola! Spinach-feta popovers to go with my white chicken chili. It's Mediterranean meets West, Zorba meets McLintock.

First, the chili:

Chili Blanco con Pollo

1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
14 ounces chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
6 sprigs fresh oregano, stems removed
8 leaves of fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
45 ounces great northern beans (3 cans drained and rinsed)
16 ounces frozen white sweet corn, thawed
olive oil

Lightly oil the pottery of your slow cooker with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix onion, garlic, broth, spices, herbs, salt and pepper sauce in the slow cooker. Add chicken, and cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours (or until chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear). Remove chicken, and shred the meat from the bone using 2 forks. Discard bones and return the chicken meat to the cooker. Stir in beans and corn. Cover and cook on low for another 30-45 minutes, till hot. Tip: when the chicken is falling off the bone, you can begin shredding the meat from the bone. Cooking time will vary for each slow cooker, and for me, the chicken was ready at 3.5 hours.

Yields about 10-12 servings.

Now, cowboy meets Greek
Spinach-feta popovers

2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 cups fresh spinach, steamed or sauteed

Preheat oven to 450.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and oil. Add the flour and salt and beat till smooth. It's okay if there are clumps, and it's important to not overbeat. Add the feta and stir just till combined. Fill each muffin tin with 1/8 cup of batter, add a tablespoon of spinach, top with 1/8 batter (tins should be 2/3 full). Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 325 and bake for 25 minutes more, till tops are golden brown. Do NOT open the oven while these are baking, or else they'll fall. Remove from the oven and prick the tops with a toothpick to let steam escape. Makes 12 popovers.




Zorba meets McLintock
Originally uploaded by MrsPath

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The nonchalant plea for play

This is quite possibly my favorite photograph of Nola yet. It's a very typical pose she'll make when wanting to play but not getting what she wants, such as when I'm snapping shots instead of tossing the ball.

Another title for the picture could by "Catahoula indignation."

The depth of field appeals to me also. The only thing I'd change is the lack of contrast, but there's not much help for that in the living room with a white dog and a beige carpet.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Birthentines v3.9

It's my birthday. Normally, I write about cooking, snapping photographs, or dogs. Today, it's me...and my life in pictures...or more accurately my birthday in pictures.

Here it is...To start, birthday cake/cupcake for breakfast. Yep.
A very decadent treat, but then again, it is my last 30-something.

Then, play with Nola. I just had to get some time with my best gal pal in the world.

Then, some shopping at TJ Maxx (where I found a new dog bed for Nola for
under $50), and then sake it to me, baby! sushi and hot sake at 'How do you roll?'

The slammin' salmon...I highly recommend it if you like your sushi rolls to have a kick.

And after getting high on sushi and sake...shoes....shoes! and more...SHOES!!!
My S alliteration is complete with sushi, sake and shoes :-)






















For dinner, Protein 2000 and a much deserved bubble tea @ Veggie Heaven



...and to end the day, Gnomeo, Gnomeo. Wherefore art thou, Gnomeo?


Oh but it's not done yet. Tomorrow night, we're going to see the White Ghost Shivers. :-)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Veggie Joes...with a twist

In the crock pot this week, lentils!

I'm trying out a slow cooker recipe for veggie joes, a vegetarian take on the sloppy joe. No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I do like to try new and interesting foods. Lentils are tasty, and sloppy joes are also a tasty item. So, the idea of making a sloppy joe from lentils seems pretty good to me. They'll be full of protein and healthy carbs, too.

I did tweak the recipe...as usual. It called for ketchup, and I never have this in my house. I fact, I never eat it when out either. There is just something about a sugary tomato paste that doesn't appeal to me. I also reduced the Worcestershire sauce and added a new spice...dum-da-dum-dum! Curry. Why? Lentils. That's why. Lentils scream to me that they like curry, and I never deny a food its heart's desire when it screams like that.*

Here's a picture and the recipe (for prosperity and in case I decide to make it again)

Veggie Joe Masala
2 cups dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
4 cups H2O
6 medium carrots, chopped
6 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups of chopped tomato (or 12 oz can of stewed tomatoes)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Heat the lentils and H2O to boiling. Reduce the heat. Then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix the remaining ingredients with the lentils in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

To serve, stuff a pita pocket with 1/2 cup, or you can use burger buns.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Snowless snow day

I had a snow day yesterday, sans snow. The city of Austin had rolling blackouts, and my office had to close because of the power outage. Between the office never being able to heat up and the server having to reboot every 30 minutes, there was just no point in being at work.

So, I stayed home, watched Groundhog Day and baked. The first step was deciding WHAT to bake though. It was 20F, and I didn't feel like bundling up for the grocery store. Instead, I looked in my pantry to see what I could improvise. I found white chocolate chips and pecans...and that was as far as my eyes had to search. It was an easy sell for me. No snow on a snow day = white chocolate then. Fair enough. :-)

To spruce up this combo, I used Mexican vanilla and cinnamon, and here is the resulting recipe:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups (12-oz. pkg) white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small
bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract
in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour
mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by rounded
tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on
baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The cookie...well...it just might be my new second favorite. I'd say favorite, but the snickerdoodle will always have my heart. This was a really, really good cookie though, proof being that there are no more left today. :-)