Pepperplate and New Recipes

Have you heard of Pepperplate? We hadn't until we visited with my mentor teacher and his wife in Vermont. They've been using it and gave us a quick demo.

Pepperplate is an app for your ipad/android/chrome device, and also has a website that you can log into. You can upload recipes, create automatic shopping lists (that have been so handy while grocery shopping) and share the recipe easily.

Over the last month Tom and I have been trying out a bunch of new recipes. I have fallen more in love with recipes from Marin Mama Cooks  and we cooked up a bunch of her recipes a few weeks ago. Once I know I like a recipe it goes straight into my Pepperplate account. For a while I only had Jacquelyn's recipes in there, but we have since added our usual dishes and a few new ones to try.

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We had our first Trader Joe's experience last Sunday and came home with all of the fixings to create meatball subs. My mom used to make porcupine meatballs growing up but we always bought regular meatballs pre-made. This time, Tom was the chef and he was excited to try out the new recipe.

Pre-Oven

Let me tell you, these meatballs were amaaazing! And the subs were incredible. We may never buy a package of meatballs ever again!

Have you tried out Pepperplate?

Where do you normally keep recipes? 

I started this blog as a way to remember recipes, but Pepperplate is so much easier!

Chive and Butter Noodles

Chives, butter, and noodles. I love them separately and I love them together. Especially when they are the base ingredients in a delicious dish that I made Saturday night.

The recipe came courtesy of Pinterest, but is from This Blog here. I had to run out to a local organic store to purchase nutritional yeast, but substituted spaghetti for the soba noodles. I had never heard of soba noodles prior to this recipe and did not care to try them. Spaghetti worked out just fine. 

Tom and I loved the meal. It was delicious and much healthier than the packaged mixes you might find in the pasta isle of a grocery store. They have much less sodium, fresh ingredients, and are packed full of flavor. Trust me, this will be made again, and again, and again! I may decide to double the chive/butter recipe next time in order to increase the chive/butter to noodle ratio. 

Chive and Butter Noodles

Adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought 

Ingredients

• Spaghetti/Angel Hair pasta (enough for two people)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 a red onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons chives, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped finely

1. Cook pasta according to directions. 
2. While pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the chives and minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
4. Add the nutritional yeast along with salt. Immediately add the 1 tablespoon of unmelted butter, and cook until butter has completely melted. Remove from heat.
5. Toast walnuts in oven by broiling for a few minutes. Be sure to watch them so they do not burn. Remove from oven, and chop finely on a cutting board. 
6. Once pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the noodles to a bowl. Pour the chive mixture on top and stir to incorporate the mixture into the pasta. 
7. Serve pasta on plates/bowls and sprinkle walnuts on top. The walnuts give a good crunch to the noodles. 

Enjoy!

We enjoyed the noodles along with fresh cherry tomatoes that we picked up at a local Farmer's market on Saturday. Cherry tomatoes always make my heart happy, but I must confess, they were not as the delicious as Pete's Green's tomatoes that we enjoyed last year. Oh how I miss their CSA.

Chicken with Pepperoni Sauce: Weirdest Looking Dinner Ever

Tuesday night I had the opportunity to make dinner using a recipe that Tom had found this weekend: Skillet Chicken with Pepperoni Sauce. When I asked him what it was, he said it was like pizza!

Ok, but doesn't pizza have dough? 


Yeah, that's why the recipe doesn't have pizza in the name. Because it isn't pizza.

I went along because I like pepperoni, we had chicken in the fridge, and I cannot resist melted Mozzarella. The verdict: It was actually quite tasty and I would certainly make this again.

We were able to use more of the Vermont Smoke and Cure Pepperoni from the pizza making in this recipe. Now we only have one package left. This could potentially be a problem, but fortunately we'll be making a VT visit soon and can pick up more.

Throw that pepperoni in a pan with some olive oil and garlic, and let it cook up for a 2 minutes (stirring frequently).

After two minutes, it's time for some pasta sauce. Turn the temp to medium low and let that simmer for 5 minutes. This is when the chicken strips were started, seasoned with pepper, and cooked for 3 minutes on each side. 

Once the pasta sauce mix has simmered for 5 minutes, remove from heat and add in a bunch of fresh, chopped basil. Let that sit until the chicken is ready.

The recipe called for the chicken to be cooked in a skillet, therefore, allowing you to add the sauce mixture to the skillet, to top that with Mozzarella, and then to easily put the whole thing into the oven to broil for two minutes. We decided to transfer our chicken and toppings to a glass pan and it worked just as well.

The finish product is below. It is certainly not the fanciest looking meal but it turns out to be a quick, tasty, easy weeknight dish with a bunch of flavor. It is also good for those who can't eat the gluten-filled dough of a pizza - it's a dough-less pizza!

A Need to Refuel

Yesterday was a hot one, reaching almost 100 degrees. In the morning I did a 3 x 1600m workout at 10k pace (as well as a warm-up and cool-down), and by the time I got home it was 91 degrees. Even Wilson wanted an escape from the heat!

Days like these bring on the leg sweat. It doesn't happen during the run. It always happens when as soon as I get inside. It's quite annoying, because even if my body is begging for me to sit down and relax, I can't. A seat on the floor would result in a puddle being left or me sticking to the floor, and a seat on the couch would only make me hotter, therefore prolonging the situation.

I couldn't help but get a little jealous of my 19 year old self yesterday. Six years ago I was training for cross country season. Each time I finished a run I would head to the freezer and pull out chocolate ice cream. I am quite confident that I had a chocolate milkshake after at least 60% of the workouts that summer. Talk about delicious refueling!

Unfortunately, I can't do that anymore. After yesterday's workout, I so badly wanted one. But there were two problems: 1) I can't really eat ice cream and 2) I think the ice cream would have melted before I could get it safely from the store into our apartment.

Instead, I made a piece of toast with peanut butter and chose a healthy option of fruit salad.

My 19 year old self would have been so disappointed.

Anyway, let's talk about refueling a little more.

I didn't know much about refueling after runs while I was in high school. It wasn't until UVM that I began to learn more. The biggest thing I took away was that you need to get something in you within 30 minutes of ending your workout. And that's pushing it. The sooner, the better.


Monday night I failed to refuel properly, and I paid for it yesterday with a slow warm up and very heavy legs.

Monday night: I ran in the evening for once and did a strength training workout. Instead of getting food in me, I took a shower, knowing that 1) it was almost dinner time and that I would be cooking up something soon and 2) Tom would be home very shortly and I didn't want to greet him with disgustingness.

We ended up going dinner and choose Noodles & Company (I was super excited!). Food was pushed back a little further, meaning I did not make the 30 minute time frame. I ordered the Japanese Pan Noodles, which I LOVED. However! This is where my post-workout refueling was also weak. I opted for no meat.

BAD IDEA!

Your body needs protein after a run. In fact, you usually need a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein (hence the reason why chocolate milk is always encouraged for athletes). It is so important for athletes to get in carbs. Our body breaks the carbs down into sugar to use during exercise. Muscles deplete their energy stores during a workout and can't wait to replenish them. In order to be ready for your next workout, it's crucial that you get food in you right away. Especially if you're doubling up on workouts each day.


And don't think that sports drinks like Gatorade will always do the trick.

I trained for my first marathon while studying abroad in Spain. I went to the store one day after a 20 miler to get Gatorade (yes they had it!) and was so disappointed when I turned over the bottle and saw that there were only 60 calories per serving and NO protein! Better yet, now they're coming out with low-sugar options? You can bet that the next time I had a long run I had a stash of chocolate milk waiting for me in my room. And I'll add another random fact in here - milk in Spain is NOT refrigerated, meaning I could pack chocolate milk in my suitcase and bring it with me to my marathon!

What it comes down to is you need to fuel before AND after you workout in order to feel your best and to make sure your body is prepared to work again. You do not need to eat an entire meal after a workout, but you need to give your body something to work off of.

Therefore, I am adding yet another goal to this week's training: make sure I properly refuel after runs! Thankfully, chocolate soy milk exists, so I will still be able to enjoy that chocolate deliciousness on these hot summer days.

What are your favorite post-run/workout fuel choices? Do you make it in the 30 minute time-frame? 

Lovin' Pizza!

Tom and I love to make homemade pizza as a quick weeknight dinner. It's fairly quick, extremely tasty, and provides us with awesome lunches for the next day.

On Sunday I made two batches of pizza dough that will create four delicious pizzas for us, using the recipe from Baking Illustrated. I wish I used this book more than I do because it is phenomenal.

I love how a bowl full of dough can go from this.....

To this...... In only 1.5 hours!

I let the dough sit for about 10 minutes before either using it.....

....or packing it up into single-pizza sizes to freeze. They're wrapped with plastic wrap and then popped into a freezer bag. It's so helpful for those weeknight - quick dinners. As long as we remember to take it out of the freezer before we go to work. 

Tom thought I was crazy to purchase a package of Vermont Smoked Pepperoni before we left, but I am soooo thankful I did. I love their pepperoni on our pizza. We usually make pizza's with what we have around the kitchen. The normal: onions, garlic, green pepper, basil, pepperoni, and of course - cheese! Mozzarella, Cabot Extra Sharp, Parmesan, and Provolone!

Even after making pizza for the last few years, we have yet to purchase a pizza stone. Guess what will be added to our "New-Apartment Shopping List"? 

It's been quite interesting the last two weeks to be at home so much. I am applying for teaching jobs in the area during the day, and by 5pm I'm whipping up something to eat for dinner. I'm not quite used to having this amount of time off, but it is nice to have a few hours to plan a meal, go shopping for it, and to actually cook it. I know for now I need to enjoy this freedom. So for the moment, I imagine we'll be putting the pizzas aside as I try out some new recipes!

Deliciousness: The Prohibition Pig

Tom and I paid a visit to Waterbury last evening to have dinner with a good friend of ours, Matt. Matt was in VT for the week and we were fortunate to have the chance to meet up with him before we left. We needed someplace between Milton and Montpelier, so Tom decided that we would check out the new restaurant, The Prohibition Pig.

He made a good choice.

This new restaurant takes the place of the Alchemist, which was flooded last August during Tropical Storm Irene. It looks quite classy inside, with a darker interior and jars of pickled vegetables along the walls. Their wine and beer list is quite extensive, providing many options for diners. I opted for a Vermont brew, the Hill Farmstead Florence, and was very pleased with the choice.

Barbecue is not always my thing, but it was last night. I ordered their house burger, served with pimiento cheese, a fried green tomato, and house smoked bacon. The burger was sandwiched between a sweet potato bun and was accompanied by a house pickle. It was the most delicious burger that I have ever eaten. Although I wanted more after taking my last bite, it was the perfect amount that left me satisfied after the meal.

The boys ordered apple cider donut holes and a bowl of maple, bourbon, and bacon ice cream. I nabbed one of the donut holes, but cannot tell you why I decided not to try the ice cream. Again, very tasty.

Question for you: What is the most unique burger combination you have ever had?

Grilled Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwhich

Last Sunday (4/29) I successfully made a tortilla Española for dinner. Normally I destroy the tortilla when I flip it, it comes out burnt, or the flavor is just bland. This time I made sure to really salt it, cooked it on low, and didn't bother to flip it. Instead, I put a lid on the pan and cooked it for 20 minutes. Perfecto.

By Monday I was craving more Spanish-style comida (food). More specifically, I was craving a bocadillo de jamon y queso (Serrano ham and cheese sandwich), but was lacking the authentic Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.

I discovered the next best thing: A grilled Mozzarella sandwhich with Red Hen bread, basil, tomato, and prosciutto! It was amazing, and so much better than the American grilled cheeses.

Fun fact: Growing up we knew grilled cheese sandwiches as "Toasted cheese sandwiches". My mom broiled them in the oven, toasting them, rather than grilling or frying.

Anyway, to make this sandwich it is quite simple:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Butter two sides of really good bread (I used Red-Hen)
3. Lay 1-2 pieces of prosciutto on each un-buttered side of the bread.
4. Lay slices of fresh Mozzarella on top of the prosciutto
5. Cover the cheese with fresh basil leaves.
6. Put the two halves of the sandwich together, making sure the butter is facing outward.

1. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Place sandwich in pan and cook for 3 minutes, until crispy and slightly toasted. Flip and repeat for other side.
2. Place sandwich onto pan and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted. 
3. Remove from oven (careful - it's hot!). Open sandwich and place slices of tomatoes between layers of basil leaves.

Apparently my Spanish-styled food cravings did not end last week. This Tuesday I was whipping up some Valencia-styled paella. I wonder what the next dish will be!

General Tso's Chicken

Sometimes I wonder why books are only $2 at the Christmas Tree Shop. And sometimes I actually get the chance to figure out why.

I once got a cupcake recipe book there that had a recipe for chocolate cupcakes but showed a photo of a vanilla cupcake. Ooops!

And then there was the book that Tom bought last year titled, "30 Minute Meals: A Commonsense Guide".

30 Minute Meals my butt! We've only cooked from it three times because it's taken well over 1.5 hours to make each meal!

So I will warn you, this meal could take a while (because you need to marinade the meat!). It will also take more time if you find out that you don't have Chinese rice wine as soon as you get home from the grocery store, causing you to have to go back out to get some.

Was the recipe worth the time? Maybe. It was a good recipe and it certainly had a little spice to it. What's even better though, is that you know exactly what is in it (unlike some of the Chinese food you may get when you order out).

General Tso's Chicken
From 30 Minute Meals: A Commonsense Guide

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons lite soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• The zest from one orange
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili flakes (or red pepper flakes)
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped ginger
• 1 cup scallions, diced, plus extra to garnish
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Jasmine rice (or any other rice)

1. In a medium bowl combine the rice wine, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (the rest of the soy sauce and sesame oil will be used later in the cooking). Add the chicken, toss to coat, and marinade for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
2. Be sure to begin cooking the rice at the same time you begin heating the oil in step number 3.  
3. Heat the peanut oil on high in a large nonstick pan (or a wok if you're fancy enough to own one!). Remove the chicken from the marinade and stir fry it for two minutes at a time. You will need to work in batches. Chicken should be browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to drain in a colander over paper towels. 

1. Once all of the chicken is cooked, drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan. Reheat the pan over high heat. Add the red pepper flakes and ginger and fry for 10 seconds. Add the chicken back into the pan, as well as the scallions, sugar, orange zest, remaining soy sauce and sesame oil, and salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes. 
2. Serve chicken over warm rice and garnish with extra scallions. 

Cheesy Eggplant Parm

A few weeks ago I posed a question on Facebook: "I have an eggplant and don't know what to make with it. Any suggestions?"

People responded immediately with ideas like stuffed eggplant, moussaka, roasted eggplant on pasta, eggplant rollatini, and of course - eggplant Parmesan. 

Last time we made eggplant parm we didn't want to finish it. This time, we had a real winner. It was plate of ooey-gooey-cheesy deliciousness!

Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (or 2 smaller), thinly sliced

1 egg, beaten

1-2 cups bread crumbs

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (Bove's Garlic Lovers or San Marzano Tomato Basil were delicious choices)

3 garlic cloves

8 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese (more for the cheese lovers)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dried basil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Set up workstation: sliced eggplant, egg bowl, bread crumb bowl, baking sheet. Dip eggplants in egg and  breadcrumbs before laying on baking sheet.
3. Bake eggplant in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, and bake another 5 minutes. 
4. Cover the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with spaghetti sauce. Add a layer of eggplants, followed by half of cheese and all of garlic. Repeat by adding another layer of sauce, eggplant, and remaining cheese. Sprinkle dried basil on top. 
5. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. 

Serve with pasta and enjoy!

Sunday Soup: Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is my last day of "freedom" before all of my college classes begin: Two education classes at UVM, one Special Ed class at CCV, and an Earth science class at CCV. 

Starting tomorrow, Tom and I will need a lot of easy meals. We're both in our busy season and I have a feeling there won't be much time to cook. Below is a quick Sunday soup recipe that doesn't require much work, perfect for all of the other busy people out there. The hardest part is cutting the butternut squash and making sure you have the top of the blender tightly secured before blending. 

This is a perfect winter soup that is full of flavor. Tom doesn't particularly enjoy squash, but did enjoy this dish. I got the recipe from Whole Living's list of 2012 detox, which means that not only does it taste really good, but everything in it is really good for you.

 Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Adapted from Whole Living

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of ground cloves

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 Granny Smith apple

4 cups chopped butternut squash

3 cups water

salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in 5-6 quart pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes. Add  spices and cook for about 1 minute. Add carrots, apple, squash, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil before lowering heat. Simmer, partly covered, for about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Pour soup into a blender and puree. You will need to divide the soup in half and do this twice. 

Enjoy!

Sauteed Tarragon Chicken

I know what your next chicken dinner should be.

Friday night I discovered my new favorite chicken recipe. Seriously, it's going to take a lot to beat this one.

Perhaps one of the reasons I love it so much is that it called for sweet paprika. The only sweet paprika I have is from our trip to Spain. Once I figured out how to open the can, Wilson and I couldn't get enough of it's aroma (he would not let me cook in peace). It is by far one of my favorite spices to use in cooking.

"The aroma of fire. The color of the sun. The taste of the race (?). The force of wind."

The recipe is from Marin Mama Cooks. She has very helpful step by step photos on her blog. Make sure you have at least four chicken breasts. We only had two chicken breasts in the freezer and I was too lazy to get more. Normally that's fine because I rarely finish eating one. However, this time I had to refrain from gobbling mine up and attacking Tom's. The tarragon, yellow curry, and paprika were just so flavorful. 

I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it as much as I did!

Dinner Recipe: Teriyaki Salmon

Today was my final day of vacation, and I am sad to see it go. I studied for the Praxis (my license exam) and got to see my old roomie and name buddy, Danielle. 

Last night Tom cooked a de-li-cious Teriyaki salmon that he found on allrecipes.com. It wasn't too fishy like salmon can sometimes be. I absolutely recommend that you try this recipe. The marinade made all the difference, and was especially good as a dipping sauce.

We had a side of salad which took up more than half our plates. I have fallen in love with salads all thanks to one thing: toasted almonds. Our friend Ara made a salad with them back in October and I was hooked. Prior to almonds I suffered as I ate salads. Now I can't get enough!

What are your favorite salad toppings? 

New Duds Chili Cookoff

Do you like Chili?

I wouldn't touch it when I was little. I had a weird thing where I wouldn't eat the foods that my dad ate. Peppers, onions, pickles, frog legs, Italian sandwiches, you name it. He thought I was the pickiest eater. I thought he just ate weird things.

Little did he nor I know that I would be dating a guy that LOVES chili. The first time I ate it was my senior year in college. Or perhaps it was our junior year. Anyway, that's when Tom started his chili-making tradition and since then it has earned a place at our dinner table each winter. 

Yesterday New Duds hosted their THIRD ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF!!! (Can you tell that I was excited about it?)

There were 13 different Chili recipes to try and this year was by far the best tasting year. I had five favorites, each very different from the others. It was difficult for me to make my voting decision. 

Tasting plate # 1

My favorite was from this guy, Ben. His chili, called "Good Mems", included chocolate and Heady Topper by the Alchemist. His lime croutons were absolutely delicious, and were perfect with the chili. We couldn't stop munching on them after the judging. 

More photos from the event are on the New Duds Facebook page. 

Tom didn't compete this year but tested out a new Chili recipe a few weeks ago from Tracey's Culinary Adventures: her Slow Cooker Tequila Lime Chili.

It was delicious! It had a touch of tequila and lime and the spice was perfect for Dani's tastebuds. We even made it a second time so we could have more left overs. And no chili would be complete without cornbread.

I used the cornbread recipe from Baking Illustrated. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is an awesome baking book and would make a great Christmas gift for the baker on your list! I have yet to come across a bad recipe. In fact, I don't believe it's possible for these people.

Oh, and remember how I wouldn't touch the foods my dad ate? I now love all of the items I listed. Except for the frog legs....