Traveling = Busy Month

I have been in and out of town- mostly out- for the past few weeks. Getting ready for our trips was a bit stressful, but once we have left I have been relaxed and am having a fabulous time.

I just wanted to share some fun foodie things from my visit to Kansas City, MO.

First my sister in law took me to the best ever farmers market. I have never seen anything like it. Huge bags if veggies for 5/$1, tubs of peppers for $1, a full spice shop, and more. I wanted to go home a cook so badly. The colors and smells there left me totally inspired. I really need to find a similar market back home...

My brother and his family also treated me to some real Kansas City BBQ. It was insane. Definitely in the top two BBQ places I have ever eaten. I had the pulled pork sandwich and I wanted to cry with every bite - it was that good.

Thank you Kansas City for teaching me how much produce G
should cost, and what BBQ should taste like :)

Creamy White Mess: Coleslaw

It is now July and to me, July is synonymous with BBQ.  What better to serve at your BBQ than coleslaw!  It is delicious with so many main courses. 
As a kid growing up, I did not like coleslaw.  To me, it always just looked like a creamy white mess on a plate.  Plus it had cabbage and carrots.  No thanks.  But I have a new found love for the stuff.  I have determined I just didn't like that store bought mess.  Homemade is so much better than the store bought kind!  Sure it still kind of looks like a creamy mess, but it has cabbage AND carrots.  Two things I LOVE.  Plus it adds a great splash of color to any plate of food. 

One of the big problems I see with coleslaw is that that said creamy mess is not so pretty on your waistline.  Built on a base of mayo and often oil, it not a friendly side dish.  So I set out to healthify it.  And that is just what I did!  I hope you enjoy it at your next BBQ and don't even hesitate to have a second helping  :)

Healthified Coleslaw
inspired by allrecipes.com

1 bag coleslaw mix
1/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup reduced fat mayo ( I just buy the olive oil based)
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBSP white vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

With a fork or whisk, mix everything except the coleslaw.  When it is blended thoroughly, pour over the coleslaw mix and toss to coat evenly.  Cover in the refrigerator and chill a couple hours.  It is key to allow it to chill for a bit so that it has a chance for the flavors to really marry.

Thankful

I have a confession; We do not have cable.  Gasp!  It really doesn't have much to do with the monthly fee - although we don't like having to pay so much mula for it.  We haven't paid for cable since 2006.  We settled on an antenna in our attic.  It is only sometimes annoying, like when a plane flies over for instance.  As long as the airport and I coordinate so they don't need to land during the Bachelorette we are all happy.  But for some reason they won't call me back.  I don't get it, I only wanted to ask.

 Someone *cough*  may have forgotten to order a Father's Day gift with enough time for it to be delivered on time, so we now have a free trial of Amazon Prime - free two day shipping is magical - One of the perks for Amazon Prime is the free shows and movies.  We are documentary dorks, so this weekend we decided to see what they offered.  (I swear my rambling does make sense...)  We came across Spirit of the Marathon.

                      photo courtesy of imdb.com

This movie was great.  I can't lie, I did doze off for about 10 mins, but such is the life of a Mother of three.  I was particularly moved by Kathrine Switzer.  She is the one who made it "acceptable" for women to run.  She is truly an inspiration, and left me wanting to write her a thank you note.  I won't tell you exactly what she did, but you can visit her website (just click on her name) to learn more about her.  After you read her story, she will leave you looking forward to your next race - because she is largely to thank for making it all possible for women. 

This weekend I am grateful we don't have cable AND that I, *I mean someone*, forgot to order a Father's Day gift.  Because without those two things, we wouldn't have found and watched this movie. (Told you it would all come together :) )

Better than Butterscotch Bars

One thing that I HAVE been doing for the past year is baking.  I can't help myself. Baking just makes me happy.  I almost get that endorphin high from it - minus building all those muscles and stuff.  Although I must say lifting those 5lb bags of flour and sugar can be a great work out.  Maybe I will start lifting those while I wait for dessert to finish in the oven!  Things to ponder while laying in bed tonight...

As I was making a "quick" trip to the grocery store for two or three things--is there really such thing as a "quick" trip to the grocery store?  I just don't think so. -- I stumbled upon 98cent Butterscotch Chips.  So besides thinking of HRG, I immediately knew I had to buy a few bags.  I kept thinking the price was wrong, my luck couldn't be that good could it?!  Lucky for me, they all rang up for 98cents.  Then my obsessive daydreaming began. From that point on, I was brainstorming all the delicious things I could make with these little beauties.  Because really, daydreaming about the possibilities was almost as good as eating them.  Almost...

 

It wasn't too long before I had concocted a sugary recipe in my head.  I wanted a blondie like bar on the bottom, with a soft caramel like gooey middle.  I was nervous as I am new to the whole developing a recipe from the scritch scratch of my own brain.  But I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I knew they were a hit when I headed out the door with a plate of goodies and was quickly asked whether my plate had the bars.  When I replied with "Yes, but there are more in the fridge."  I was met with "Good, cause I was downing those last night!"

FABULOUS.

Better Than Butterscotch Bars

 Yields 24 bars

Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter - softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate (or semisweet) chocolate chips - divided
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

 Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

In a small bowl flour, salt, and baking powder.  In large bowl cream brown sugar and butter.  Add vanilla and egg until combined.  Slowly add the flour mix until it is fully incorporated. 

Reserve 1/2 cup of the brown sugar mixture, and then press the remaining mix onto the bottom on the prepared 9x13 dish.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top and gently press them in - feel free to add more!  Place in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.  Just until you can see the edges are getting feeling the heat :)  It will not be baked all the way through at this point.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler put sweetened condensed milk and butterscotch chips.  Allow the chips to melt completely, then remove from heat.

As soon as you pull the pan out of the oven, slowly pour the butterscotch goodness over the top.  Then sprinkle the reserved 1/2 up of dough and 1/4 cup chocolate chips (again feel free to add more!).  Return the pan to the oven, and cook for another 15-18 mins.  The edges will begin to look darker, but don't worry - it will be ok!

Allow the pan to cool, then place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours, or even overnight!

I personally liked them better the next day  :)

Then dive into the caramel like goodness. 

Hiatus is over

I took a break from blogging for a little while.  OK, it was a year, but who is counting?  But I think I had a pretty good excuse.  But you tell me, is this excuse enough?

It took us a long time to get our sweet baby A here, but we couldn't be more thrilled!  She is growing fast and makes us smile every time she flashes her dimples.  Can I say the birth of our third child was every bit as special as the first.  In fact, I think it just gets better because we know how much there is to look forward to!

Unfortunately, I had to take a break from running during my pregnancy as it caused my hips and back too much pain, and other exercise brought on lots of braxton hicks.  But I suppose that is what happens with pregnancy #3!

Now that she is almost three months old, and we have adjusted to life with three, have a little more sleep, and our sanity is back, I feel like I am ready to blog again.  I have been planning my come back for months, but it is now official.

I only have one thing left to say,

"Hello blogging world!  I'm BAAAACK!" 

Rock my world

This week has been - to say the least - mind blowing. There have been huge highs, and some lower than low points.

Two surprises - one amazing!

one AWFUL.

I never saw these things coming. Like a deer in the headlights they hit me.

Goals for this week:

Hold my children a little tighter

Let my husband know I love and appreciate him more

And lastly,

get my husband healthy! (his health this weekend was the 3 surprise...)

Chicken Tikka Masala w/ Basmati n Tumeric Rice

Jay and I love cuisines from around the world. We are fortunate in that the area we live has many great restaurants, including several Indian places. We have come to really enjoy Indian food! So a couple of weeks ago, I set out to make Chicken Tikka Masala. To say we enjoyed the meal would be an understatement. We loved it! I was very pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was, especially when I cut a lot of the fat and calories. We have already made it again, so that makes it twice in about 2 weeks. Obviously we liked it :) I hope you like it too!

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from AllRecipes

serves 4

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

pinch ground red pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 TBSP miced fresh ginger

**

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

**

Sauce:

1 TBSP butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup half and half (or 3/4 half and half, 1/4 whole milk)

1/4 cup chopped fesh cilantro (oprtional)

In a large bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Stir in chicken, cover and refigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat a grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard the marinade. Grill until jices run clear. It only takes about 5 minutes per side.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Saute the garlic and jalapeno for about 1 minute over medium heat. Season with cumin and paprika. Stir in the tomato sauce and half and half. Simmer on low until the sauce begins to thicken, around 20 minutes. Then add the grilled chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes. Pour over rice tumeric basmati rice (recipe below) and garnish with cilantro.

Tumeric Basmati Rice

Mealplanning101

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

pinch salt

1/4 TBSP (so a little less than a tsp) tumeric

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Pour rice, water, salt and tumeric into saucepan or rice cooker and stir a little. Simmer until done (I use a rice cooker, so I just push the little button down :) )

After the rice is done, mix in the peas, and serve! You could also mix in raisins before cooking if you want to add a little sweetness. If I can convince Jay to like raisins more I will try this next time!