August 19, 2010

This time of year is really hectic for most of us moms; on top of normal chores, we’re clearing our kids’ closets and drawers of clothes that no longer fit, shopping for new clothes, school supplies, backpacks, and trying to stock the pantry with all the goodies needed for breakfasts, school lunches and/or after school snacks.

I do LOVE shopping for school supplies; the whole excitement of it brings back fond memories for me and I sometimes wish that I was still buying pencil boxes and crayons, but I won’t delve into my obsession with school supplies today. Instead, let’s talk about making sure we have what to need to assure that our kids start out each morning with a healthy breakfast.

I don’t have little ones in elementary school or middle school any more and I really miss those mornings when I used to pack the kids’ lunches and put little surprises or notes in their lunch sacks. Since those days are long gone for me and my high-schooler won’t take a sack lunch anymore, it’s more important than ever for me to make sure he has a good breakfast before he leaves every morning.

I’ve always tried to make sure that my kids don’t start the day on an empty stomach or with something sugary. Both can lead to problems with blood sugar levels and make it hard for the child to concentrate during school.

For adults, eating a healthy breakfast also has tremendous health benefits, but specifically here’s what Mayo Clinic says about the benefits for children.

Benefits for children

Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

• Concentrate better
• Have better problem-solving skills
• Have better hand-eye coordination
• Be more alert
• Be more creative
• Miss fewer days of school
• Be more physically active

My family would probably tell you that I sound like a broken record when I say “You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve said that.

Obviously on those early morning school days, breakfast needs to be quick, and most importantly, a healthy combination of whole grains, low fat protein, low fat dairy, and fruits and/or veggies.

Here are a few of my favorites.

• Oatmeal with fruit and almonds. (To me, this is a perfect breakfast.) I like the McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal but Quaker Oats Quick One Minute Oats is also a great choice. The Quaker brand actually has one more gram of fiber and protein than McCann’s. After cooking the oatmeal, I add some cinnamon and top with blueberries or sliced banana and sliced almonds.

• Scrambled eggs or egg beaters with 2% cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. It’s so quick and easy to make a great breakfast burrito. If your child is open to it, add just a little fresh chopped spinach when you scramble the eggs. (This can even be done in the microwave.)  Then put a little grated cheese on top, scoop into a tortilla and roll it up. I buy a low sodium ham from Trader Joe’s that I sometimes add to this.

• Fresh fruit salad. I make fruit salads all the time and both my guys love it for breakfast. Have your berries and grapes washed ahead and if adding pineapple, it’s quicker if that’s cut up the night before. We like blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, grapes, mandarin oranges, and pears, but you could use any of your child’s favorite fruits.

• Whole wheat or multi-grain bagel. We are really liking the new Thomas’ Bagel Thins. The Whole Wheat ones are great but the Everything Bagel Thins are our favorite. These toast great and aren’t as heavy as a regular bagel. They’re perfect with just cream cheese or even better as a breakfast sandwich with an egg and a piece of healthy ham and low fat cheese.
  

• Yogurt with berries and granola. We also love yogurt at my house for breakfast. I mostly buy the Trader Joe’s brand and instead of granola, I sometimes toss in some Kashi Heart to Heart cereal.

• Eggo Nutri-Grain low fat waffles. It doesn’t get much easier than this.  These frozen waffles are quite good; I have one most mornings after my yogurt and fruit.  I try to find something other than syrup to offer with a waffle and I’ve found that these are great with a little almond butter spread on top.

• Banana and granola bar. If your child is running late and insists that he/she doesn’t have time to sit down for breakfast, then stick a banana and a granola bar in their hand on the way out the door. It’s definitely better than a Pop Tart. There are many nutritious choices for granola bars these days. My favorites are the Peanut Butter Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars.
  

All of these choices take five minutes or less to prepare and when served with a small glass of low fat milk and/or orange juice, it’ll jump start your child’s day and allow them to get through the morning with enough energy to last them until lunchtime.

~LilSis

August 6, 2010

Even though we’ve had unseasonably cool weather this Summer in Southern California, I realize that in some parts of the country there are still many of you experiencing record high temperatures. I feel for you, I promise!

Summer is actually my favorite season but I know, from spending most of my life in Texas, that the last thing anyone wants to do in that kind of heat is to cook. So, I thought this might be a perfect time for a Summer Salad Roundup.

Here are just a few of my favorite Summer Salads.

Ceviche Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Green Chili

Egg White Salad with Spinach, Feta Cheese, and Parmesan

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

Spinach and Orzo Salad

And, last but not least, this is absolutely, positively my most favorite summer salad EVER! And yes, I do realize that I’ve shared it here before, (more than once) BUT there’s no way that I could leave it out of this Summer Salad roundup.

In the Summertime, I make this almost every time we have  friends over and I take it to almost every get-together we attend. You can’t go wrong with this salad; just make sure you use fresh mozzarella and the best tomatoes and basil you can get your hands on!

Insalata Alla Caprese

These Summer salads are super simple to put together and perfect to take to any Summer barbeque or picnic.

Stay cool and have a great weekend!

~LilSis

July 11, 2010

I didn’t even know that they still made Pop Rocks until a few weeks ago when a friend of ours brought them out at the end of a party. (Yes, we tend to get a little silly sometimes.) These little popping candies bring back some fond childhood memories for me so when I stumbled across Noble Pig’s Firecracker Cupcakes recipe with Pop Rocks, I knew that I would be making them soon.

By the way, Noble Pig’s Firecracker Cupcakes garnished with blueberries and raspberries are the most gorgeous cupcakes that I’ve ever seen!

I made my simpler version, Funfetti Firecracker Cupcakes last Sunday for our 4th of July Party but in all the excitement of getting ready for the party, I didn’t get photos taken of that batch. So, I decided to make them again since these fun cupcakes don’t have to be made exclusively for the 4th of July. They could bring a bang to any holiday or birthday celebration.  What kid doesn’t get a kick out of of Pop Rocks? (And most adults love them, too!)

Note: I don’t do a lot of baking from scratch, so this is my easy, breezy, simple way to make these cupcakes.

Funfetti Firecracker Cupcakes
(adapted from Noble Pig)

One Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/3 c. oil
1 c. water
Pillsbury Whipped Supreme Cream Cheese frosting
One 1.75 oz Betty Crocker Rainbow Mix sprinkles
Assorted colors of Pop Rocks
Various candies or fruit

In a large bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water and mix for two minutes on low mixer or whisk by hand for two minutes. Fold in the candy sprinkles. Line cupcake pan with baking cups and fill with batter. Bake at 350 degrees until done. If the cups are filled 2/3 to the top, the cupcakes should take 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

I prefer to fill the baking cups almost all the way to the top so they take between 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

When you're talking about cupcakes, a muffin top is a good thing!

I could actually enjoy one of these cupcakes just like this without the frosting, but decorating these cupcakes is where the fun comes in!

Frost the cupcakes or pipe on the frosting as I did and then sprinkle the tops with various flavors of Pop Rocks. I found a variety pack at Walgreens that contained one of each flavor: Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tropical Punch.

(I thought the Watermelon flavor in the green packet would turn out to be green Pop Rocks, but they were also pink like the Strawberry flavor.)

To achieve a good firecracker effect, sprinkle the Pop Rocks on just before serving. The moisture is what makes the candies pop, so they will start popping immediately.

How’s this for a big teenage boy bite?

It’s like a little party of explosions going off in your mouth!

Later this week, I’ll be sharing with you another fun Pop Rocks recipe. Ever tried a cocktail beverage with Pop Rocks?

~LilSis

July 7, 2010

I noticed on Woopra the other day that someone got to BigSisLilSis.com by typing “adam richman weight gain” into Google.  I’ve never ever mentioned those words, I swear, Adam!  You know I love you!

That started me thinking though.  How much has Adam actually had to eat in the last 2 full seasons, plus what we’ve seen of Season 3 so far?  Here’s what I come up with:

Amarillo:

• Spicy “burger from Hell” at Coyote Bluff
• Barbecued ribs at Moose’s
• Golden Light’s Albuquerque (Frito pie)
• Chicken-fried steak at Youngblood’s
• 72-oz. Steak Challenge at the Big Texan (72-oz steak, dinner salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, and dinner roll in under one hour)

Anchorage:

• Massive sandwich at West Rib Café and Pub
• Mountainous breakfast with sourdough pancakes at Talkeetna Roadhouse

• 6-lb. Kodiak Arrest Challenge at Humpy’s Alaskan Alehouse (6 lbs. of Alaskan King Crab, salmon cakes and reindeer sausage)

Atlanta:

• Chicken and waffles with soul legend Gladys Knight

• 11-lb. Carnivore Pizza Challenge at Big Pie in the Sky (30-inches of meat-laden pie)

Austin:

• Texas-sized donuts at Round Rock

• All-you-can-eat barbecue plate at the Salt Lick

• Don Juan Taco Challenge at Juan in a Million (eat 8 massive breakfast tacos as fast as you can)

Baltimore:

• Pit beef at Chap’s Charcoal
• Blue crabs at Obrycki’s

• Great Steak Challenge at Steak and Main

Baseball Stadiums:

• Homewrecker hot dog

• Burger served between 2 donuts
• Fifth Third Burger Challenge

Boise:

• Double Big Jud with burger patties the size of Frisbees
• Spicy habanero pizza from Flying Pie
• Johnny B. Goode Challenge at Rockies Diner

Boston:

• Traditional New England clambake from the Barking Crab

• Spicy feast from Hell from East Coast Grill
• 12-lb. Eagle Challenge (5 lbs of hamburger with 2 lbs of bacon and cheese, and 5 lbs of fries)

Boulder:

• Wing King Challenge at West End Tavern (50 wings in 30 minutes)

• Mountain Pie at Beau Jo’s

• Saddlebags at The Buff (a secret recipe of pancakes with bits of bacon and sausage cooked into the batter)

Brooklyn:

• Gargiulo Burger from Brennan & Carr (tender roast beef on top of a cheeseburger)
• Brooklyn’s best Sicilian pie from L&B Spumoni Gardens

• Suicide Wings Challenge at Buffalo Cantina

Charleston:

• Oysters served by the shovel
• Fried chicken sandwich smothered in sausage gravy

• Spicy Tuna Sushi Challenge at Bushido Japanese Restaurant (3 pounds of sushi!)

Chicago:

• Lucky’s Overstuffed Sandwich Challenge (eat 3 of their monster sandwiches in an hour)
• Italian beef from Al’s

• Famous deep-dish pizza from Gino’s

Cleveland:

• Greek gyro bursting with savory beef at Steve’s
• Polish Boy from Hot Sauce Williams (kielbasa sausage buried by fries and slaw, stuffed in a bun, and drenched in spicy barbecue sauce)

• 5-lb. Grilled Cheese Challenge at Melt Bar & Grilled (3 giant slices of bread with 3.5 lbs and 14 varieties of cheese, plus fries and slaw)

Columbus:

• Thurmanator burger at Thurman Cafe
• Half pound cream puffs and all-you-can-eat-sausage buffet at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus

• 2-1/2-lb. Dagwood Challenge at Ohio Deli (2-1/2 lb cold cut sandwich with fries in less than 30 minutes)

Denver:

• Cricket Burger at Duffy’s (half-lb. patty with choice of 21 different toppings)

• Rocky Mountain oysters
• Breakfast Burrito Challenge at Jack-N-Grill  (7 potatoes, a pound of ham, 12 eggs, a whole onion, cheese and chili)

Detroit:

• Triple Threat Sandwich (bacon, ham and pulled pork)
• Coney dogs
• World’s biggest burger at Mallie’s Sports Grill and Bar

Durham:

• Burgers at Wimpy’s Grill

• Chopped barbecue and smoked ribs

• Doughman Challenge (running, swimming, biking, and eating at 5 places)

Hartford:

• Woody’s loaded Deputy Dog (a foot-long hot dog topped with pulled pork, melted cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce), and 2 ft Works Dog with every topping
• Steamed cheeseburgers
• 10-pound Super-Stuffed Pizza Challenge at Randy’s Wooster St. Pizza Shop (4 pizza doughs packed with meats, cheeses and veggies)

Hawaii:

• Pipikaula short rib and kalua pig
• Loco Moco (a burger dish topped with fried eggs and gravy)
• Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge (3 pancakes, 14 inches wide, covered in toppings in less than 90 minutes)

Las Vegas:

• Hottest crawfish in the country

• Fried chicken benedict and a stuffed egg burger at Hash House A G0 G0

• Big Badass Burrito Challenge at the Nascar Cafe (6 lbs and 2 ft long, covered with melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream)

Little Rock:

• Quadruple Hubcap Burger at Cotham’s Mercantile
• Huge community barbecue at the Osborne Family Farm
• Shut Up Juice Spicy Pulled-Pork Challenge at The Mean Pig BBQ (super spicy pulled-pork sandwich)

Los Angeles:

• French dip at Philippe’s
• 5-lb. Manuel’s Special at el Tepeyac (designed to feed 2 to 4 people)

• Special Number 2 (a spicy Ramen made with 10 different chilies)

Man v Food Live:

• Don Shula’s 48-oz Steak Challenge (Adam’s the first to finish it in 20 minutes)

• Joe’s jumbo stone crab claws

• Supermoon Perro (a Colombian-style hot dog topped with bacon, potato strips, 5 different sauces, and a quail egg)

• Sarussi Original (a massive 16-in., 2 1/2-lb. Cuban sandwich)
• 10-lb. Mother Burger Challenge

Minneapolis:

• Juicy Lucy (burger with the cheese on the inside)
• Lutefisk at Landmark Grill

• Meterbratwurst Challenge (a meter-long 40-oz bratwurst with 2 sides)

New Jersey:

• Gigantic Strombolis from Stuff Yer Face (their biggest ‘Bolis are 18 inches and weigh 2 lbs)
• Fat Sandwich Challenge at R.U. Hungry grease truck (5 fat sandwiches in 45 minutes)
• Triple-decker deli sandwiches from Harold’s Deli

New Orleans:

• Po’ boys at Mother’s Restaurant
• Seafood at Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant

• Coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde
• 180 oysters in the Acme Oyster House Challenge (15 dozen in under 1 hour)

New York:

• 1-lb. sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen
• Soul food at Sylvia’s
• Hottest curry in the country at Brick Lane Curry House

North Carolina:

• Chicken biscuit sandwiches
• Whole-hog barbecue
• Hot dog Eating Challenge (17 hot dogs in under 1 hour)

Philadelphia:

• Italian roast pork sandwich
• Mt. Vesuvius at Franklin Fountain (a mountain of homemade chocolate ice cream erupting with hot fudge, brownie chunks and whipped cream)
• Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge at Tony Luke’s (2-1/2 lbs. of beef over 1 lb. of cheese, fried onions and a 20-inch roll)
• Italian ice at John’s Water Ice

Pittsburgh:

• Scorching Atomic Hot Wings Challenge (150,000 Scoville units)

• Sandwich from the famed Primanti Brothers, served with fries on top of all the other fixings
• Hearty breakfast at Deluca’s Restaurant

Portland:

• Plate-sized mancakes (a stack of 13-inch pancakes)
• Doughnuts shaped like voodoo dolls, and a maple bacon bar

• Great Balls of Fire Challenge at Salvador Molly’s (5 blazing hot habanero fritters)

Richmond:

• Buz and Ned’s hickory-smoked spare ribs
• Black Sheep’s battleship size sandwiches (2-ft long, 2-1/2-lb. monster sandwiches loaded with toppings)

• Stupid Wings Challenge (8 jumbo wings drenched in habanero, cayenne and pure chili extract)

San Antonio:

• Lulu’s Bakery and Café’s 3 1/2-lb. cinnamon roll

• The Police Chief Special from Lulu’s (48-oz. chicken-fried steak)
• Big Lou Pizza (a 42-inch, 3 1/2-foot wide, 70-lb. mega pizza piled high with toppings)
• Four Horseman Challenge at Chunky’s Burgers (a half-pound burger topped with the spiciest chilies in the world, including the infamous ghost chili)

San Diego:

• Surfin’ California Burrito from Lucha Libre (filled with steak, shrimp and french-fries)
• Tri-tip barbecue and ribs

• Ironman Challenge at the Broken Yolk Cafe (a 6-lb. breakfast served on a 15-inch pizza pan: 12-egg omelet with chili plus a mountain of home fries and 2 biscuits in less than 1 hour)

San Francisco:

• Mission Style Super Burrito

• Kryptonite Sandwich from Ike’s Place
• Kitchen Sink Challenge at the San Francisco Creamery (2-gallon sundae heaped with 8 softball-sized scoops of ice cream, 8 servings of whipped cream and 8 different toppings including sprinkles)

San Jose:

• Baby back ribs from Henry’s
• Burritozilla from Iguana’s (a 17-in, 5 lb burrito)
• Hellfire Hot Wing Challenge from SmokeEaters (a dozen wings drenched in lethal sauce that isn’t even on the menu)

Sarasota:

• Homemade pies (cherry pie, shoofly pie, and peanut butter cream), and more!

• Mystery Challenge at Munchies 420 Cafe

• Old Salty Dog (a foot-long hot dog, dipped in beer batter and deep-fried)

Seattle:

• Award-winning burgers at Red Mill
• Mountains of ultra-fresh seafood at the Crab Pot
• Southwestern Exposure Challenge at Beth’s Cafe (12 eggs packed with chili, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese)

Springfield:

• The Horseshoe at D’Arcy’s Pint
• Corndogs at Cozy Dog Drive-In
• Firebrand Chili Challenge at Joe Roger’s Chili Parlor

St Louis:

• Monte Cristo hot dogs and oak-roasted pork loin entree from Iron Barley
• Big Ben from Pappy’s Smokehouse (6 lbs of pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, loin ribs, and 4 sides)
• Crown Candy’s Malt Milkshake Challenge (5 malt shakes in 30 minutes…almost a gallon of milkshake!)

Tucson:

• The President’s Plate at Mi Nidito (bean tostada, birria taco, chile relleno, beef tamale and carne seca enchilada)
• Sonoran hot dog wrapped in bacon and covered in all the fixins
• O.M.G. Burger Challenge at Lindy’s Diner (12 patties and 12 slices of cheese)

Washington, DC:

• Jumbo fish sandwich at Horace and Dickie’s
• Half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl
• Colossal Challenge at Chick & Ruth’s Delly in Anapolis, MD (1-1/2 lb sandwich and a huge milkshake)

Ok, so all of you guys who’re hatin’ on my boy, Adam, consider this.  Would you gain a pound or two if you’d just eaten all that?  Hmmm?  I’d say Adam looks pretty ding dang good.  Plus, he’s got awesome hair, so stop the hatin’.  Maybe you’re just jealous that you don’t get paid to eat? 

Eat on, Adam!  We can’t wait to see what’s next on your menu!

~BigSis

June 15, 2010

Man v Food!  Man v Food!  Man v Food!  Yes!  It’s finally time for season 3, and Adam’s back with a vengeance for vittles!  Woo hoo!!

What’s Man v Food, you ask?  Only the coolest, funnest show on TV, that’s what!  Adam Richman is our host, and he travels the country sampling the biggest and most fabulous, crazy food you can imagine.  Oh yeah, and he gets down with the wildest food challenges ever!

Why should you watch Man v Food?

• Adam Richman is adorable!  He’s cute, he’s funny, he can eat like a son-of-a-gun, and he has great hair!  Yes, we have a little crush on him!

• You get to see unbelievable food, without traveling all over the ding dang country yourself, and you can eat it all vicariously through Adam without indigestion or weight gain!

• It’s just plain great TV!  How fun is it to watch a guy try to beat the Big Texan challenge in Amarillo (season 1)?  That would be a 72 ounce steak with a salad, potato and roll.  In one hour.   In that challenge between Man versus Food, Man definitely won!

Where do you find Man v Food?  On the Travel Channel; new episodes begin Wednesday June 16 at 9 pm E/P and 8 pm C.  Be there, and set your DVRs!

~BigSis

May 29, 2010

Spinach and Orzo Salad

Still need a quick and easy idea for a side salad to include in your Memorial Day menu?

This is the perfect salad to take to an outdoor cookout or to pack up individually for a nice Summer picnic.  Since there’s no mayo in this herb vinaigrette-dressed pasta salad, it lasts up to two hours at room temperature and up to four hours on ice packs.

I just made this salad and am taking it tomorrow to serve at our Memorial Day cookout. It turned out awesome and I think it’ll be even better tomorrow after the flavors have a chance to meld together overnight.

If you saw my Toasted Orzo soup recipe that I made recently, you know that I’m a huge fan of orzo pasta. And even though you could make this same recipe with different pasta noodles, the orzo was perfect in this salad. The only thing I changed in this recipe is that I used fresh basil instead of dried.

Spinach and Orzo Salad
(Sunset Magazine May 2010)

1 c. orzo pasta
3 T. each olive oil and red wine vinegar
1 tsp. fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. fresh ground pepper
1 qt. lightly packed baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 c. slivered sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
12 pitted kalamata olives, sliced

Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper and reserve.

Drain pasta, rinse with water until cool and drain again. Add to bowl with dressing and gently mix in spinach, tomatoes, and olives to combine. Add more salt, if desired.

(Photo credit: Sunset Magazine, May 2010 issue)

~LilSis

May 18, 2010

Around this time of the year, there are usually signs of Spring in the air, right? I guess it all depends on where you live because May can bring some strange weather in some parts of the country.  I remember our last year in Upstate New York, it actually snowed on Mother’s Day and I had already planted my herb garden. I was not a happy camper. That had obviously never happened to me in Texas. Not that Texas has fantastic Spring weather either; humidity, thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, you name it.

For us here in Southern California, May and June are the only two dreary months of the entire year. We call it May Gray/June Gloom because for most of the day we’re covered in the infamous Southern California “marine layer.” So far this month, we’ve had our fair share of foggy, gray days. We haven’t see the sun at all for about four days now.

I’m not complaining, though, I promise!

You don’t have to tell me how spoiled we San Diegans are when it comes to weather; I know it. I consider us extremely lucky to be able to live here where it’s perfect weather almost year round.

So, are you wondering why the heck I’m talking about the weather instead of the soup? Well, with no sunshine during the days, we are still having some pretty cool nights here; in the low 50s. That’s why I’m still in the “soup making” mode instead of in my Summertime salad mode.

I don’t make too many Rachel Ray recipes, but yesterday I was in the mood to make homemade soup for dinner and I didn’t want to spend hours making my usual chicken vegetable soup. The dreary gray days can put me in a little bit of a funk and yesterday, I wasn’t in an energetic enough mood to start with a whole chicken and have to deal with de-boning it.

I bookmarked this recipe when I first saw it on Taste and Tell because I knew it would come in handy on a night when I wanted to make homemade soup but something a little quicker and easier than some of my recipes.

Toasted Orzo Chicken Soup
(adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray February 2010)

Two 32-ounce containers low sodium chicken stock
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (I used chicken tenders)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. baby carrots, finely chopped
1 cup sliced Shitake mushrooms
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 cup frozen edamame
1 cup frozen corn
1 can petite diced tomato
1 tsp. Penzeys Shallot Pepper
1 tsp. low sodium Spike
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

In a medium pot, bring the chicken stock and chicken to a simmer. Lower the heat and poach the chicken for approximately 12 minutes. (The chicken tenders take a little less time.)

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter to melt. Add the orzo and cook, stirring, until deeply toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the olive oil to the soup pan. Add the carrots, mushrooms, shallot, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Return the orzo to the pot.

Remove the chicken from the stock. Skim and discard the fat from the stock; transfer the stock to the soup pot. Chop, dice or shred the chicken and add to the soup with 2 cups water. Bring the soup to a boil and cook until the orzo is just tender, 5 minutes. Add the edamame, corn, and tomatoes during the last minute of cooking. Turn off the heat; stir in the parsley and lemon peel. Serve immediately.

Notes: I made several changes to the original recipe, but that’s why I love soups, they’re easy to adjust according to your own taste. I doubled the liquid and the orzo because I knew the original recipe would not be enough for my big eaters. I also added some extra garlic, eliminated the zucchini and used edamame instead of peas and added some diced tomatoes and mushrooms. And I had to add Shallot Pepper and Spike like I do in every soup recipe that I make.

My version didn’t turn out very soupy because the orzo really absorbs most of the liquid, but it didn’t matter, we all loved it anyway. It was more like a big bowl of pasta instead of a bowl of soup! And, I’m so glad that I decided to leave in the lemon zest. I’ve never added lemon zest to a soup before and I almost eliminated it, but it really did add such a fresh, great flavor to this soup!

~LilSis

May 3, 2010

Is it really May already? I must say this every month, but it does seem like time is flying by faster than ever before.  I know we had an early Easter this year but where did the rest of April go? We’ve got Mother’s Day already right around the corner and before you know it we’ll be celebrating Memorial Day and the Fourth of July!

But before we get ahead of ourselves, we’ve got Cinco de Mayo sneaking up on us in just two days. So, whether you’re looking for an easy appetizer to take to a party or you’re cooking for a large group of friends and family, here are some of our all time favorite recipes that are perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese

Ceviche Salad with Avocado, Cilantro and Green Chile

Super Simple Guacamole

Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chilli

Homemade Pita Chips

(This is a terrible photo, but this soup is perfect topped with grated cheese, sour cream and toasted tortilla strips)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Classic Tortilla Soup

Spinach Mushroom Enchiladas

Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Pepper

This next recipe is one of Bry’s favorite appetizers but every time he makes them they’re gobbled up so quickly we never have time to take a photo! Yes, they’re that yummy!

Bry’s Stuffed Peppers

15 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 pound Italian sausage
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 pound bacon

Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Clean out seeds with spoon. Set aside on foiled lined cookie sheet. Saute sausage and drain. Add the cream cheese to the sausage and mix well.  Spoon into peppers and wrap 1/3 slice of bacon around each pepper. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 – 30 minutes. Put under the broiler for a few minutes to further brown the bacon, if desired. Drain on a paper towel, then serve warm.

And, lastly, we can’t forget about something sweet.

Mexican Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Hopefully, we’ve given you a couple of ideas to help you with your celebration, but whatever you decide to do on Wednesday, have a safe Cinco de Mayo!

~LilSis

April 27, 2010

When we were on our tour of downtown Chicago last week, we happened to pass Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill on North Clark Street. We all wished that we could stop and eat lunch there but we knew that we didn’t have time so we’ll have to plan that for another visit. Passing Frontera Grill reminded me that I bought Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday cookbook sometime last year and have yet to cook a recipe from it.

I decided to browse through his cookbook yesterday to find something to make as a side to go along with the Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I had planned for dinner. And since Cinco de Mayo is only a week away, I thought this would be a great time to try one of his recipes.

I ended up making the Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chili. Rick Bayless says that this is one of the most versatile dressings that he makes and that grilled onions and radishes have gone into the roasted garlic-dressed romaine salad at Frontera Grill since the day they opened. He also suggests that it’s great on top of a salad of sliced tomatoes and cilantro, which is what I decided to do. This recipe makes about one cup.

This recipe was quick and easy yet had a terrific flavor because of the roasted garlic and chiles. Salad dressing is not the best recipe for photographing, but this dressing was perfect drizzled on top of this tomato and cilantro salad.

Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chile
(from Mexican Everyday)

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (I only used 1 serrano)
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
Salt

Set a small dry skillet over medium heat. Lay in the unpeeled garlic cloves and the chiles. Roast, turning frequently, until soft and blotchy brown in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool until able to handle, then slip the skins off the garlic and roughly chop the chiles (no need to remove the seeds).

Combine the garlic, chiles, oil, vinegar and a scant teaspoon of salt into a blender jar or food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and season highly with additional salt if necessary. Pour into a jar and secure the lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well immediately before pouring out.

~LilSis

March 31, 2010

I can’t believe Easter is just four days from today! If you’re like me and don’t enough time to make a cute Easter Bunny Cake or Easter Basket Cupcakes, here’s a quick and easy candy treat.

I decided to try two different versions of the Easter Bird’s Nests. They’re a little messy, but I think they turned out pretty cute.

For the first batch, I used this recipe that calls for butterscotch chips and peanut butter. If I made these again, I would just eliminate the peanut butter. These were more gooey and took longer to set than the ones with just the chips.

Bird’s Nests

2 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. peanut butter
2 c. Chow Mein noodles
Any egg shaped Easter candy (I used Robins eggs and M&M’)

Cover a baking sheet or pan with waxed or parchment paper. Either melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave (heat 1 minute, stir, continue heating in 10 second increments until melted and smooth.) Stir in Chow Mein noodles. With buttered fingers shape mixture into one big nest or individual ones. Place on prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm. Fill with jelly beans or other candy.

For the second batch, I simply melted 2 cups white chocolate chips and added 2 cups Chow Mein noodles. I thought the little white nests would look cute with some grass inside them so I made some green grass by adding a few drops of green food coloring to a little coconut and shaking it up inside a baggie.

I think that I like the white chocolate version better but I could have used an extra cup or more of Chow Mein noodles because they seemed a little runnier than they should have been. These firmed up really quickly though which makes it easier to get them decorated if you’re in a hurry.

So, what’s next in our Easter treat lineup? Come back tomorrow to find out!

~LilSis