the week dedicated to tomatoes

my family came down to visit me on saturday and my mom brought me a trash bag full of tomatoes, and all sorts of different peppers. in an effort to not let any go to waste i've been making anything i can, eating all i can and pawning off some tomatoes to co-workers.

ive always wanted to make fresh homemade salsa and i desperately wanted to use my new juicer i got at springfield last week, and after a long day at work monday, i lit some candles, flipped on some music and chopped.

homemade hummus

it is insane how much better homemade hummus is than store bought hummus. after my first attempt of using yeast went awry when i tired making homemade english muffins, i decided to make something new that didn't require baking or waiting three hours for yeast that never actually rose.

after way over indulging myself when i was in california for the last part of august and beginning of september, i have been eating healthy, waking up with sessions of yoga and jogging in the crisp air around goodale park. this hummus is a killer addition to my 'think healthy' mindset i've recently been diggin' on.

fanastic journal for recipes

it's been a whole 15 months to the day since i graduated college. since then i've turned 23, resigned the lease on my apartment, opened a 401k, and recently been promoted.

my next venture? a recipe journal.

i love this leather bound one i found on etsy.

how amazing?

strawberry cream cheese muffins

so, strawberrys are 4 packs for 5 dollars at giant eagle right now. what?

in an effort to not let them go to waste i made strawberry cream cheese muffins tonight.

i have meant to be preparing for our weekend camping/white water rafting trip in WV this weekend, but i thought a strawberry muffin for breakfast sounded brilliant.

i will prepare tomorrow.

cream cheese lobster pizza

i originally set out to make cream cheese lobster wontons, however the crappy giant eagle by my apartment doesn't carry wonton wrappers. kayla made a cream cheese crab pizza one time this past spring, so when i saw the package of lobster and the package of cream cheese in my fridge, i had a stroke of genius.

this pizza is delicious for dinner, delicious for lunch, and delicious for lunch the day after that.

i made bread.

whole wheat beer bread.

ha.

super easy.

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 tbs sugar

3 packets of active yeast

12 oz beer

combine all dry ingrediants

add beer

mix well

and put dough in glass bread pan

place in cool oven and set to 350.

back for 45-50 min.

i colored my hair while i waiting for the bread to be done baking.

and went on a hot summer night walk with em that ended with 2 glasses of shiraz.

the bread was so good for breakfast.

sweet potato echiladas

quite possibly my favorite thing to make.

usually includes nice night with friends and lunch for the next three days.

ingredients:

3 medium poblano peppers

2 sweet potatoes

can of black beans

red onion

(i used a 1/4 of an onion because of picky friends)

olive oil

cumin

fresh cilantro

(i didn't use this time because i blindly picked parsley up)

whole wheat tortillas

enchilada sauce

first, coat the poblano pepper lightly with olive oil and broil on a baking sheet on high.

this makes the skin bubble up and turn a little charred and will set off sensitive smoke alarms when you turn them over.

it is annoying.

while the peppers are broiling cube the sweet potatoes up.

when peppers look like this, place in a large ziplock freezer bag.

this makes the skin really easy to peel off.

dice onion and peppers.

then combine all ingredients in a bowl.

roll mixture in whole wheat tortillas, place in a glass dish,

cover with enchilada sauce and cheese.

this was the exact monday night i needed.

cherry oatmeal bars

work, travels, birthdays for the past three weeks have kept me really busy.

yesterday i finally had time to go to the grocery store, get some food to actually make my fridge look like someone eats in my apartment, and bake.

i found this recipe but made a few of my own touches.

you need:

1 cup flour

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 baking soda

1/8 salt

1/2 butter (room temp)

cherry preserves

i pour myself a nice glass of peach tea.

put on my pretty little apron a very special girl got me in boston,

and put on some music.

combine dry ingredients in a bowl, making sure all brown sugar clumps are broken up.

with your hand, smoosh the butter in.

using half the mixture, crumble into a greased glass baking dish and then press down.

spread preserves on, and then crumble the rest of the oat mixture on top.

bake at 350 for 35 min.

there you have it.

eggplant parmesan..mm

emily, kayla and i ate at spagio in grandview this past weekend and ordered this amazing eggplant-balsamic pizza. it inspired me to create an eggplant parmesan for dinner on monday.

you'll need:

an large eggplant

olive oil

marinara sauce (i used my homemade)

fresh parmesan cheese

oregano

pepper

mozerella cheese

slice eggplant 1/4" thick

in a big pot, bring water to boil and set in eggplant slices and let stand for 5 minutes.
this basically softens the eggplant so it isn't so raw.

put a layer of sauce in marinara at the bottom of a glass dish and nicely layout eggplant slices.
coat with more sauce, parmesan, oregano, pepper and top with mozerella cheese.

i totally over indulged in this but i would offically eat eggplant parmesan over chicken parm anyday.

bbq chicken pizza

after a long night of apples to apples and multiple bottles of wine, i am so unbelievably lazy it isn't funny. starving, i chilled out to Animal Collective "Merriweather Post Pavilion" and made a bbq chicken pizza.

what you'll need:

pizza crust

two chicken breasts

bbq sauce

onion

green onion

cheddar and mozzarella cheese

prepare the dough. aka just follow the directions on the box.

i added oregano and cracked black pepper to the dough for some extra zing.

cook the chicken breast throughly on a george foreman type grill.

when done, in a bowl pull the chicken apart with two fork and smother with some bbq.

use 1/3 cup of bbq sauce and spread over crust.

cover with the cheddar and mozzarella cheese, add onions and bbq chicken mix.

and bake for about 15 min.

a perfect dinner to a miserably lazy, rainy sunday.

courgette bread

apparently courgette is the british word for zuchinni and personally i think it sounds alot more lovely than zuchinni. so that is what i will now call my zuchinni bread; courgette bread.

i made courgette bread muffins for my merchants birthdays last week.

i'd like to share.

what you'll need:

one courgette (the vegetable formally known as zucchini)

three eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 2/3 brown sugar

some vanilla

one cup whole wheat flour

two cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking power

one teaspoon baking soda

one teaspoon salt

lots of cinnamon

the recipe is so easy it will blow your mind:

in a large bowl beat eggs and oil, add in the grated courgette, brown sugar and vanilla.

stir well.

blend in baking powder and soda, salt and flour.

add as much cinnamon as you want (i add alot).

bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.

if you really want to get fancy - you can add cream cheese frosting on top.

you wont regret it.

the fix for starvation central.

i woke up sunday morning, refreshed and feeling 100%. i went on a brisk walk around goodale park around 9 after i naturally woke up at 830, came home, made coffee and a breakfast of champions.

kayla em and i went flea marketing, thrifting and targeting all day and i was ravenous by 5.

because i held myself over with crackers i was able to make myself the best chicken dish i have ever had.

pepperoni stuffed chicken breast.

what you'll need:

1.) music

i listen to the passion pit station on pandora.

2.) two large chicken breasts.

3. pepperoni.

4. fresh mozzarella.

5. quarter of an onion (maybe more if you like onion)

6. flour

7. one egg

8. bread crumbs

9. olive oil

chop up the onion

i got to use my chopper i got from ikea - it was really nice.

slice the two chicken breasts diagonally creating four pieces

then slit the breast so you can easily stuff it with the pepperoni, onion bits, and pieces of mozzerella.

dust the pieces with flour, dip in the egg, and then dip in the bread crumbs.

then, in a skillet, brown both sides of chicken piece in olive oil until golden brown.

place pieces in a glass dish and cover with marinara sauce, shredded mozzerella and red pepper flakes (if you like spicy like me).

bake in 350 degrees until chicken is cooked throughly.

mm. honestly hit the spot.

tangerine bread.

so a couple weekends ago when kayla, em and i went to cinicinnati for the weekend we listened to regina spector on the way home. the song "that time" inspired me a couple weeks ago to buy a box of tangerines.

so cheap and juicy!

well a couple weeks have passed and it is down to the next day or two to finish them up.

so i found a amazing recipe for tangerine bread.

what you need:

1.) someone like kayla - a bestfriend - who will watch you sing and dance to the Crash Kings which was played of course in preparation for saturdays CD101 fest.

2.) all windows OPEN. its spring - let the breeze in.

3.) 1/2 cup butter

4.) 3/4 cup white sugar
5.) two eggs
6.) one tablespoon (or so) grated tangerine, rind
7.) one and 1/4 cups flour

8.) one 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
9.) 1/4 teaspoon salt
10.)1/2 cup milk

beat butter and sugar on high till fluffy - add tangerine zest - continue to beat.

mix all dry ingrediants in a seperate bowl.
then add half dry ingrediants and 1/4 cup milk to egg/sugar mixture and beat till smooth
repeat.

cook on 350 for about 35 min.




optional:
i added a tangerine glaze to the top of my bread.
heat three tablespoons of suagr and the juice of three tangerines on high - then reduce to a simmer until it turns a syrup like mixture.

you can pour it on but i used my new silicon brush to brush the glaze on.

springtime in the city.

spring is coming on strong in columbus and it is so intoxicating. i no longer have my heat on which will for sure give me a break on my electric bill. i now spend evenings with a couple windows open and i really have to say, there really is no smell like the smell of spring.

on the occasion that i got the sound on my cable box fixed, gossip girl was back on, and what we thought an episode of niptuck, i had kayla and em over for dinner and wine. i thought of it as a recoop from the night before where an hour and a half of hot yoga had us questioning life.

if there is one thing i know, is that my friends and i are borderline obsessed with just about anything pesto. so i decided on pesto stuffed shells.

ingredients

1.) music - entire phoenix discography - shuffled.

2.) 15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese

3.) 1 fresh mozzarella ball

4.) 1/2 cup basil pesto

(i used classico - its the best premade pesto - hands down)

5.) 1 large egg

6.) about 2 large handfulls of spinach

7.) olive oil

8.) indefinet amount of pasta sauce

(i used my homemade marinara from the other day)

9.) a box of jumbo shells

first, take the mozzerela ball and pick it apart into tiny little peices.

then, combine ricotta cheese, basil pesto in a medium bowl.

finely chop spinach.

add to cheese/pesto mixture and add the large egg.

the egg helps keep te misture together while it bakes.

boil jumbo shells until firm to the bite. you dont want the shells to become too soft or they will rip when you try and stuff them with the cheese/pesto mixture.

once shells have cooled, spoon the cheese pesto mixture and place them closely together on a olive oil baking pan.

then just pour red sauce over the shells to your liking and let bake for 30 min at 350 degrees.

serve with a nice glass of red and good friends.

prefect spring wednesday evening