Homemade Garlic Knots

Recently, it was one of those cold wintery nights when all you want is a large blanket and comfort foods. I made spagetti for dinner; nice, warm comfort food. However, I wanted something more than that to go with it. Something else in the comfort food line, like garlic bread. Alas, no bread in the house despite the fact that I had just gone to the grocery store! I had pizza dough though. I thought about garlic breadsticks and then remembered how much Mike loves good garlic knots from the pizzeria. It couldn't be too hard to turn pizza dough into garlic knots, right? Right.

This was incredibly simple and they turned out really pretty too. These would be a great way to dress up any dinner.

Homemade Garlic Knots

1 pkg pizza dough, room temperature
1/3 cup good olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic and a teaspoon of salt and mix well.

Tear a small egg sized piece of dough off and roll it into a cylinder about 5-6 inches long. Take the two edges, cross them over each other, pull one end through the hole and then pull both ends to make a knot. Tuck both ends under the knot and place on a oiled baking sheet. Continue until you have used all of the dough. (How many knots you get will depend on how big you make each one. I got about a dozen.) 

When you've placed all the knots on the baking sheet, take a pastry brush and  the bowl of garlic oil and brush each knot with the oil. Make sure to get some of the crushed garlic onto each knot.

Bake knots for about 12 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Packing a Carry-On for a Month in Europe

Everybody said we couldn't do it. "You'll never be able to fit everything you want to take." "You won't have room for souvenirs on the way home." "What if you need something you didn't have room to pack?"

We did it though. Therefore, here's a post about how we did it. First of all, why we chose to pack in carry-ons. While planning this trip, we stumbled upon episodes of Rick Steves' Europe TV show. Besides being super helpful about where to go and what to see, he also discusses on his TV show, his website and his travel books what to pack. He specifically talks about not over-packing and why. Photos of people struggling to lug huge suitcases around the narrow streets of Europe sufficiently scared us from packing a checked bag sized suitcase. (Let's be completely honest here...the fees for checked baggage also scared us away) We also knew that we were traveling to four countries via four flights, four train rides and 800 miles driven in a rental car. We moved around every three to four days. The idea of schlepping our luggage over cobblestone streets, in and out of planes, trains and taxis and the occasional mad dash for said plane, train or taxi also influenced or decision.

But packing in a carry on takes planning, whether it's for a few days or for a month. Deciding first of all, what kind of clothing we would need and what the weather would be like (which, by the way, varies drastically) took some time. Then there is the question of liquids. Since we would be very limited on amounts, we found ways to avoid as many liquids as we could. For example, the store LUSH sells shampoo and conditioner in bar form! One bar lasted the month for both of us and worked out great. We also brought bar soap instead of shower gels and I brought mineral makeup instead of liquid foundation and concealer since those also count towards liquids. Everything that could reasonably be bought in travel size, we bought; deodorant, face wash, mascara, etc.

Here's a list of what I packed in my suitcase:

one pair of black flats
one pair of sneakers
socks
undergarments
brush
makeup
sweatshirt
four blouses
two t-shirts
one cardigan
one dress
two belts
three camisoles
toothbrush
bar shampoo
bar conditioner
bar soap
liquids bag (face wash, makeup remover, hair serum, eye cream, various makeup liquids)
gifts for friends we were visiting (incl. two
stuffed animals)


In my purse:

jewelry
converter plugs
floss
wet ones
tissues
hand sanitizer
wallet
vitamins
book
journal
pens
pencils
pencil sharpener
iPad
charger
handkerchief
shawl
sunglasses
gum
headphones



I wore my jeans and a pair of wedges on the airplane because they were the biggest things to try to pack.

What my husband packed in his suitcase:

two pairs of trousers
one pair of linen pants
one pair of shorts
two polo shirts
two button downs
two t-shirts
socks
undergarments
one pair of boat shoes
one belt
razor
shaving brush
shave soap
Bronner's bar soap (to use as laundry soap when needed)
liquids bag (hair gel, face wash, toothpaste, face lotion)
toothbrush
three ties
handkerchiefs
light jacket
extra duffel bag (this is a light duffel that we bought at a sporting goods store. It comes in a tiny little package. On the way home, we packed the duffel full of clothes and checked one of the suitcases so that we had room for souvenirs)
two clothing envelopes (these packed his shirts and trousers so that they didn't wrinkle)

In his messenger bag:

iPad
journal
pens
pencils
headphones
sunglasses
camera
charger
old iPhone (we took this to use while out on the town to check directions or email when we found free wifi instead of taking having to take our iPad out with us)

Mike was going to need a suit or a suit jacket at times so instead of trying to pack that, he wore a cotton suit on the plane. He said it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

The way we packed our clothes was by laying same size clothing, i.e. all the t-shirts or all the camisoles, together and rolled them. We stuffed our shoes with the littler items and put them on the bottom of one side of the suitcase. The rolled clothes went on the other side. All the other stuff got tucked into the spaces and the thicker clothing, such as my sweatshirt, got laid over the top of everything. 

Obviously we didn't pack enough clothes for an entire month. We basically packed enough for a week and did laundry over there. Since we stayed with friends in a few places, we did laundry there. Once we dropped our laundry off at a laundry service and paid for them to do it. (It was about $15, but worth it since we didn't have to waste valuable tourist time doing it ourselves) And a couple of times, we washed things in the sink at the hotel.

It worked beautifully! Having nothing but carry-ons allowed us to move around without worry. It also makes us feel like we can pack a carry-on for almost any trip!

P.S. Our trip was tremendously spectacular!

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

I never saw the need for a slow cooker. I never registered for one when I got married and I've never bought one. To me, a slow cooker was something you only used to make beef stew, which I detest. However, a dear friend of mine asked if I could come up with some recipes for her slow cooker. And since she is now a proud mama, I think her slow cooker might come in handy a lot in the future. So for her, I borrowed my Mama's slow cooker.

Since it's warmer weather, I decided not to start with a soup or stew. After much scanning of the web, I discovered that one can cook a lot of chicken in the slow cooker and use it for a bunch of recipes. I decided to try cooking chicken breast and then shredding it.

This recipe was AMAZING! The chicken came out tasting like a southwestern rotisserie chicken. It was so moist, it just fell apart. I had no idea such delicious chicken could come from a slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

2 - 3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup favorite Italian dressing (I used Trader Joe's Tuscan Dressing)
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp Adobo Seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

In a bowl or large glass, mix together the dressing, broth and spices.

Place chicken breasts in your slow cooker and pour the dressing mixture over the top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I cooked it for about 7 hrs.

When chicken is fully cooked, remove from slow cooker and shred.  To shred it, I take two forks and pull them in opposite directions  through the meat. As I said, it will be so moist and tender that it will fall apart.

Okay, so now I am left with 3 lbs of shredded delicious chicken...now what?
The first thing I made with it was Chicken "Tostadas". I also made BBQ chicken sandwiches. I will link both recipes to this one.

The chicken is also fabulous on salads or eaten plain, and it makes a great chicken salad. Add a little mayo, salt, lemon pepper seasoning, scallions and chopped celery.

For the two of us, this recipe made enough chicken for three days of lunches and dinners. I may have to go get myself a slow cooker...we'll see.

Gluten-free and Lactose-free Orange Mango Creamsicle Smoothie

Summer is around the corner and warm weather automatically makes me think that I need to get back to making smoothies. I can't bring myself to drink slushy ice drinks when it's 20 degrees outside, but now I can't get enough of them. Usually I make mine with a blend of frozen berries, frozen mango and fresh spinach with orange juice as a base and sometimes protein powder. I swear that you do not taste the spinach at all and then I feel as if the smoothie is healthy and good for me as well as delicious.

I stumbled upon this great idea for a creamsicle type smoothie and modified it a little. I don't know if it really qualifies as a 'healthy smoothie'. It's certainly healthier then a creamsicle milkshake or a pint of ice cream but on the scale of smoothies, I would classify this as healthy dessert. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's super healthy for you and I'm just completely fooled into thinking it's dessert by how utterly fabulous it tastes. It also makes for a great drink accompaniment to a summery light lunch or dinner. Regardless of what you make it with, it's good.


Orange Mango Creamsicle Smoothie

1 - 1 1/2 cups vanilla coconut milk
1 can orange juice concentrate
1 cup frozen mango pieces
a dash of your chosen sweetener ( i used agave but honey or sugar would work too I'm sure)
a little of your favorite protein powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. Serve in pretty glasses. Enjoy. I would say that this probably makes 4 - 8oz servings but let's be honest, you'll drink the entire thing by yourself.

ps. the next day I needed to make this again but I only bought one can of concentrate. so I froze regular orange juice in an ice cube tray and used that instead. It worked just as well. The only difference was that it wasn't as sweet as the first one.

Spring Rolls

If there is one thing I crave about Chinese food, it would be spring rolls. I love them. Sometimes I try to convince Mike that we need to order Chinese just so I can have spring rolls. I have now discovered that that is no longer necessary as I can now make them whenever I want!

Who knew that the local grocery store carried both spring roll wrappers AND bean sprouts?? Okay, apparently a lot of people knew it but I didn't. I made this discovery while grocery shopping with my Mama, who was not nearly as excited as I was about this. Now, if I had discovered really good Thai-style peanut sauce, she would have felt differently. Alas, that seems to be eluding us. I digress.

Anyway, this turned out to be one of those great moments in culinary trials. You know those days where you say, "Okay, I'm going to make this but I highly doubt it's going to work." And then...it turns out to be more spectacularly delicious than you could even have imagined? This was one of those kind of moments. Added bonus: incredibly easy!

disclaimer: These are probably far from authentic. Nor is this probably the right way to do any of this. But it tastes good. 

Spring Rolls

1 package egg roll wrappers
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced and then sliced again (photo below explains what I'm talking about)
about 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
a few tbsp olive oil
a little bowl with about 1/4 cup water and a heaping tsp of flour added to it
a few more tbsp olive oil

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute till slightly golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are becoming soft. Add bean sprouts, carrots and cabbage and stir again so everything gets along well.

With the lid to your saute pan ready, pour in soy sauce and immediately cover to trap the steam. Keep covered for 1 minute. remove cover and stir  again. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Pull out one egg roll wrapper. Lay it diagonally with one cover pointing towards you. Place that little bowl of flour water near you as well.

Add about two tablespoons of filling to the center of the wrapper and spread it out lengthwise.

Lift the corner that is pointing at you, fold it over the filling and lightly stuff the corner under the filling.

Now grab the corner on the left and fold it towards the right side like one side of an envelope, making sure to stuff any escaping filling back in. Also make sure that there isn't a little hole near the bottom fold or there will be filling escape-age later.  Repeat with corner on the right, folding it toward the left, thereby completing the bottom portion on an envelope.

Now, dip a finger in the flour water and swipe it across one side of the flap portion on your envelope. Dip again and swipe across the other side. This will provide a nice seal. Think of it as envelope glue, but tastier. Now take both your hands and grasp the bottom portion of the envelope with filling and roll it towards the flap, all the while making sure to lightly squish all the filling in and creating a roll. Press down the flap to ensure it is sealed and set aside.

success!

 

 

Repeat until there is no more filling left. I usually get about four rolls out the above recipe but it may depend upon how full you make the rolls.

Now to cook them. In a skillet or saute pan, heat a few tbsp of olive oil. (you could probably also use grapeseed oil or other oil with a higher smoke point)  When oil is hot, place your rolls into the oil gently, so as not to splash. Fry about 2 minutes per side or until each side is golden brown (keep an eye on this because they can burn quick). Because this is in a pan and not a deep fryer, the rolls will be slightly rectangular but, oh well.

When all sides are golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

Dipping sauce possibilities: There is of course duck sauce, located usually in the ethnic foods aisle of most groceries. Trader Joe's sells a positively delightful Sweet Chili Sauce that compliments this perfectly. Or, if you want to go completely from scratch and make one yourself, try my recipe for sweet chili sauce that I made to compliment homemade chicken nuggets.

Hope you enjoy these.

The Perfect BLT

The quintessential summer lunch food... It's not summer... It's cold and rainy and dreary and not at all the season for BLTs. But in the modern world who needs to follow to strictures of our parents that said you can only have chili in the winter and potato salad in the summer.

I'm ready for warmer weather. I feel as if I've spent the last four months in a frozen state. Don't get me wrong, I love winter and snow and cold weather. But when it's bone chilling cold and it isn't snowing, it's time for spring.


 I wanted to jazz up the traditional BLT a little bit. But I also didn't want to get too far away from the traditional as Mike is a purist when it comes to his BLTs. So his was made the traditional way and to jazz up my own, I added avocado slices. Let me just tell you I will never, I repeat, NEVER, eat a BLT without avocado ever again. The creaminess of ripe avocado balanced with the other ingredients so well, it was amazing!

For a side dish, I wanted something light and healthy to balance well with the BLT, not the usual potato or pasta salad. A quick Internet search brought up the idea of a citrus-y fruit salad to "balance the saltiness and grease of the bacon". Sounded good to me.


Perfect BLTs with Fruit Salad
 (for two)

6 strips good bacon
4 slices good white bread
1 ripe beefsteak tomato, sliced thick
one handful of lettuce, your favourite
half ripe avocado, sliced
mayonnaise

Cook the bacon.

I use the Alton Brown method of cooking bacon. The method is placing a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and placing the strips of bacon on the cookie sheet. You then bake the bacon at 375 for about 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking.

I love this method. Not only is the bacon not swimming in its own grease while cooking but it also minimizes the smoke created by cooking bacon. As I have said before, tiny kitchen, no windows, no vent, equals fire alarm going off whenever there is smoke in the kitchen. And nothing says heart stopping like a fire alarm going off in a quiet, tiny space. I digress. 

While bacon is cooking, slice your tomato and avocado and gather up the lettuce and mayo. You are going to want to assemble the sandwiches as soon as the bacon is done cooking so that everything doesn't get cold.

I also used this time to assemble my fruit salad. I used the fruit that I had in the house at the time.

1 apple, diced
1 grapefruit
a handful of strawberries, diced
a handful of blackberries

Mix together well. I also added a pinch of sugar just to slightly sweeten the grapefruit juices.

Anyway, before the bacon is done, toast the bread slices. I don't have a toaster (they take up valuable counter space) so I use a griddle pan with the teensiest amount of butter on the pan just to get the bread slices to brown a little.

When bacon is done, remove it from the oven. Assemble the sandwich... Spread mayonnaise on each slice of bread. Then add the lettuce on top of the mayo. (I do this so that the lettuce pieces stick to the mayo and don't fall out of the sandwich later.) Top the lettuce with tomato and top the tomato with the bacon.

 I fold each slice of bacon in half like a slight V shape and layer two slices vertically and one slice horizontally so that there is equal bacon coverage on the sandwich. Now, on the other half of the bread, place the avocado slices evenly over the mayo and then place that on top of the rest of the sandwich. With a sharp knife, carefully slice sandwich in half. I say carefully because you don't want to lose anything out of the sandwich and you don't want to squish it.

Serve immediately with a large scoop of fruit salad.

Fried Goat Cheese (or why to eat more salad)

As the title implies, fried goat cheese is a great reason to eat more salad and frankly, I need reasons. It's not that I don't love salad, I do...when other people make it for me. I hate making salad. It never tastes as good as the restaurant kinds. Granted, I realize that's because the restaurant kind is full of eight syllable, multi-hyphenated, chemical substances; but it tastes good.

However, after figuring out this recipe, I now make more way salads. Every salad I make tastes unbelievably good as long as there is a medallion or two of fried goat cheese included. This is a great addition to the Spinach Strawberry Salad. These also look super elegant when placed atop salad in their own little salad bowls.

Fried Goat Cheese

1 small log soft goat cheese (not feta)
breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup flour
3 tbsp grapeseed oil or olive oil
a sharp knife
paper towel
bowl of hot water, not boiling, just hot

Place breadcrumbs, egg and flour in three separate small bowls. Dip your knife in the hot water for a few seconds to get the metal warm. Wipe dry. Using the warm knife, slice one 1/4 to 1/2 inch medallion off the goat cheese log. Wipe off whatever cheese stuck to your knife and dip it back in the hot water for a few seconds. Wipe dry. Slice another medallion off the goat cheese log. Repeat the above until you have enough medallions or you use all the goat cheese.

Now treat the medallions like you would bread chicken cutlets....flour first, shake off excess...egg second...breadcrumbs third. Repeat with each medallion and place them all on a plate. Cover and put in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

(While they are chilling, prepare all the rest of your salad.)

Get out your saute pan, add the oil and heat the pan at medium. When oil is nice and hot (I sprinkle a little water in it and if the water spurts and steams, then it's ready) add your breaded medallions. Don't crowd them. Fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown on each side. Serve immediately, while still nice and hot, atop your favorite salad.

Yum... I'm making this for dinner now.