Summer Lovin

We have been working a few new recipes these days so I think it is time to put up another blog post so that I can have them as part of my online collection!  The photographers of the beautiful food have been given their kudos in the corresponding captions.  I'll kick it off with the Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Skewers we made for dinner tonight.  These were delicious and a great way to broaden your shrimp horizons...that is, if you are like me and have never grilled them before!

Michael Weschler

Next we have Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Mashed Avocado.  MAN these were delicious.  Flick and I are not generally huge fans of turkey burgers since they have such a narrow "perfect" window when they are not too dry.  These are kept moist with some grated red onion and cheddar cheese.  These will completely change your point of view on non-beef burgers, give them a chance.

Marcus Nilsson

Catfish always seems to end up with a cornmeal coating in our family - and the catfish meal we had a week or so ago is no exception.  What makes it really awesome is the Quinoa Saute that we served on the side.  This is a perfect summer side and loads you up with good-for-you quinoa and a decent serving of veggies.

The next two recipes are nods to some of the great food we have acquired from friends who have done some hunting/fishing over the fall and winter months.  Our friends up in Steamboat provided us with some amazing ground elk and elk tenderloins.  We incorporated the ground elk into our Shepard's Pie awhile back, but had been saving the tenderloins.  We finally got to cooking them and did a really simple crock pot recipe that you could easily use for a beef tenderloin if game isn't your thing.  They came out very flavorful and not tough at all - and elk is a very lean cut of meat!

The last recipe is a glaze for salmon that we have been using just about every other week on the Alaskan-caught salmon filets we were fortunate enough to receive from one of Flick's colleagues.  Neither of us are huge salmon eaters, so when we came across this recipe we decided it was the best way to prepare this amazing fish so that we could thoroughly enjoy eating it.  Happy summertime cooking everyone!

Thank goodness for Thanksgiving

We are going to cut to the chase pretty quickly here since we have a lot of material to cover.  Thanksgiving is officially over, the turkey has been consumed, pies have been polished off, and plenty of wine has been imbibed.  All in all I would say it was a pretty successful holiday.

We started our Thanksgiving with a self-governed Turkey Trot.  A nice 3.4 mile jog on the trails out near our home.  It was a beautiful morning to have everyone out and about and there were tons of other people working up their appetites along with us.  We came home and had some french toast and started pulling everything together.

The dinner assembly started on Tuesday night.  The key to these multiple dish dinner events is to get as much prep work done ahead of time as possible.  We laid out the menu and figured out what could be made ahead of time, and what would be best served up fresh from the oven.  Here is our menu:  



Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots
Green Beans
Pecan Rolls
Cranberry Apple Relish
Pear and Candied Walnut Salad
Memere's Stuffing
Applejack Spiked Hot Cider
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Mud Pie



There were 6 of us (plus Ellie) for dinner.  This may seem like an aggressive line-up, however, who wants a Thanksgiving dinner with no leftovers? Not this girl.  The make-way-ahead dishes were the Cranberry Sauce and the Mud Pie.

This was a new Cranberry Sauce for us but has definitely earned its place in the regular rotation.  It was so simple and had such great flavor.  We made it 2 days before Thanksgiving and it was all ready to go come dinnertime on Thursday night.

Mud Pie is officially part of our Thanksgiving pie tradition because it is Flick's favorite.  What is not to like about an Oreo crust filled with coffee ice cream and a fudge topping?  You can sub in other types of ice cream (mint chocolate chip and caramel jump out as good options) - but the coffee is the big winner in our household.  Since we had 3 pies in queue, we ended up making this in a non-stick cake pan and it worked out great.

The day before Thanksgiving we started in on the rest of the pies and half of the stuffing.  The stuffing literally cooks all day long, and is SO worth it.  This is the best stuffing ever, we just love it.  This is my Memere's stuffing recipe so it has been in the family for awhile and continues to go strong on the Thanksgiving table.  For the apple pie - we used the food processor with the "slicing" adapter to significantly cut down on the prep time. 





The pumpkin pie was pretty straightforward.  Even though it only requires a single, bottom crust, we made a double crust so that we were sure to have plenty of crust for our slightly large (9 1/2 inch) pie plate.  Mind you, this was determined after we tried with just a single crust and it didn't fit :)  This is why starting early is key!

Allie was in charge of making the Applejack Spiked Hot Cider on Thanksgiving day and it was a big hit.  This is something that you can assemble on the stovetop and leave simmering in the crockpot all day to fill your house with the aroma of hot cider, cinnamon, and cloves.

The turkey is done!

My mom started up the second batch of stuffing just before lunch so it could cook for a full 6 hours on the double boiler.  We were shooting to eat dinner around 5pm so we got our 18 pound turkey in the oven around 1:15.  We cook our turkey in a bag like this one; it cuts down on the cooking time and keeps the bird from drying out too much.  We just used the recipe that came with the oven bag and the flavor and juiciness was perfect.  Our turkey took longer than anticipated (it was still pretty cold and slightly icy when I put it in the oven) so we didn't end up eating until about 6pm, but as everyone kept reminding me, it's not that big of a deal to wait a little while longer for a delicious meal.  Tough to swallow as the chef, but it was definitely worth the wait.

While the turkey was in the oven, we made the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Our pecan rolls needed to bake for 15-20 minutes so we had to wait for the bird to come out of the oven before we could cook them.  The rolls suffered the most from the longer cooking time on the Turkey; they had risen to their full potential by the time the bird was supposed to be ready, and subsequently deflated while the Turkey was hanging in the oven.  They still tasted delicious and were a popular side on the table.

The salad and the green beans were really easy to whip together in the last few minutes before dinner.  I made the dressing and candied walnuts earlier in the morning and just had to slice the pears and toss the lettuce at crunch time.  We kept the green beans simple (just steamed them) so they were really easy to rinse, snap, and steam.

Candied walnuts for the salad

All in all it was an awesome meal with our family and it was fun and only slightly stressful to put it all together.  Remember that table that we ordered awhile back?  Well, it hasn't arrived yet so we made do with our current table and fit just fine.  All the food hung out on a foldable card table and people were free to get up and refill their plates as needed.  What a great holiday!  We have taken down the Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations, Flick went and bought some Christmas lights, and we are working our way into full on Ho Ho Holiday mode :)  I am a total dork this time of year and am so excited for upcoming Christmas's as Ellie gets more and more into the festivities.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous meal with your family and friends! 

Streamlining

I believe I have previously alluded to the book I am currently reading: The Joy of Less: A minimalist living guide.  The whole idea of the minimalist lifestyle is to live with less "stuff" which ultimately gives you more time and space to enjoy doing the things you love.  It is an idea that I have started to employ around our house (not to the extremes mentioned in the book; the only piece of furniture in the author's bedroom is a futon mattress on the floor...slightly excessive, er, minimalist).  At home, I am really trying to keep clutter to a minimum and get rid of the things that we don't really need.  There are so many ways to streamline our lives.

I have had this recipe for Swedish Meatballs cut out since we lived in Boston.  When I first started gathering recipes, I was putting every recipe that sounded good into a sticky back photo book.  Needless to say, I was filling up these books pretty quickly and still rotating through the same old recipes.  Flick suggested that I start actually making the recipes before putting them in the book so that I have a comprehensive collection of recipes that have already been vetted.  He's so smart...and that was much more efficient.  With this blog, I have found that I am able to further condense my recipe collection into my online recipe book.  No more piles of paper needed, we just keep everything organized in a nice, searchable format online.  Along the same lines, the whole goal of this blog is to share recipes that taste great but that don't require a lot of pomp and circumstance to pull together.  In theory, I am pulling together a list of minimalist dinner recipes - guess I was destined to start tracking in this direction!

A quick way to put together an after work chicken dish is with Chicken Chilaquiles.  This recipe uses rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep time and carries just a tiny bit of spice.  Don't fear the heat - we are not big spicy food fans in our family so if we can take it you know it has to be pretty mild.

Another recipe that we have had since Boston, but that I have actually been cooking for years, is Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme.  This is a good fall recipe served up with mashed potatoes and some veggies.  To make the pork chop baby friendly, we threw it in the food processor with some of the sauce and Ellie loved it.

 



Two recipes that we have previously featured but that have been out of the loop for awhile are Tuna Noodle Casserole (big hit with Ellie) and Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto.  That's right, we made a risotto after work and had it ready to go at 6pm for dinner with Ellie.  Nothing is impossible with a little bit of planning and the drive to get it done.

Gimme a break

Flick is on break from school right now.  After each quarter, he gets about 3 weeks off before the next round of classes ensue.  This period of down time is really great on a number of levels.  First of all, I love that he has the freedom to spend his nights doing what he wants (for the most part, dishes probably wouldn't fall into that category), second - I like to pretend that I am also on break (well, actually I guess I am) and can therefore slow my roll from Mach 3 down to the speed of sound.  

In my mind, 'our' breaks are my chance to get caught up on all of the things that have been put to the back burner while Flick is in class and studying every night.  I like to disillusion myself into thinking that I am going to weed the entire front lawn, iron all 54 shirts in the ironing pile, clean things that have been gathering dust, hang some photos on the walls, and have dinner ready at a reasonable hour (all on the first day).   The problem with this line of thinking is that it makes my 'break' anything but a chance to reset and gear up for the next quarter.  So, this time around I am testing out this whole, enjoy-a-break-for-what-it-is thing.  It's hard!  As someone who relishes in getting things done, going to bed without feeling as though I have made a major dent in my to-do list stresses me out.  Something I clearly need to work on because that list is not going anywhere.  

Along these same lines, I think it is important to take a break from cooking every now and again.  I know that I lay the whole 'home cooked meal' thing on pretty thick but we like going out to eat or ordering a pizza just as much as the next busy family.  For me, it is so much more enjoyable when it is a treat rather than the norm.  Flick and I had an AMAZING dinner last night out on the town in Boulder (thank you SO much to the VR crew for all your love and support and especially to Charles for babysitting Ellie!).  We went all out and felt great about it because it is something that we really never do.  It is important to take care of yourself, whether it be a random day off from work or a much needed date night with your partner.  Burnout and staleness can happen in any aspect of your life and it is up to you to be self-aware enough to know when it is coming.  Spice it up to keep it fresh.

Starting next week we will be back to working in the new recipes.  I am FINALLY at the end of my conversion over to the new site (woohooo).  There are a few loose ends (mostly in the dessert category) to tie up but the major players are all prettied up and ready to go.  Thanks for hanging in there through the whole process...

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Thai Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

Tuna Noodle Casserole (camera shy :) )


Turkey Meatball Reuben Subs

Vegetable Burritos with Cheese

Changing of the seasons

After what feels like 5 years of oppressive heat, it is finally "cooling down" a bit in Boulder.  Yesterday I wore a SWEATSHIRT while eating dinner outside and had to close the windows a bit at night...big doings!  I couldn't be happier about it.  Understand that we are still hitting the 90s on a regular basis, but with these cooler nights, I know sweet relief is just around the corner.  In honor of this realization, I bought a down jacket on Steep and Cheap (love it when Patagonia pops up on there) and  started looking at skis for this season.  That's right, mama's gettin' some new fat skis this year, look out.  Of course, this pretty much guarantees a repeat of last years snow (or lack-there-of) for Colorado (sorry everyone), but I am due.

With cooler weather comes a whole new arsenal of recipes for me to work into the dinner rotation: Chili, beef stew, pot pie, roasts, and dishes involving winter squashes and apples (pies and cobblers anyone?).  Don't get me wrong, I love the rush of inexpensive, fresh produce that fills the supermarket shelves in the summer, but by the time September rolls around, I am ready to change gears.  This is what I love about the seasons.

Seriously, what is better than this?

Once I am through moving my recipes to the new site, get ready for some of our favorite comfort foods and fall dishes to start making an appearance.  Anyone have some good Halloween costume ideas?

 
 Enjoy the meals this week!

Curry Spiced Noodles (apparently I have some work to do with my photos)

Filets and Spinach with Balsamic Vinaigrette

 Heavenly Honey Chicken

Italian Meatball Sliders













Fall Veggie Curry over Cashew Coconut Rice

Just throw some cheese on it...

Ellie had her 9 month wellness visit this week.  I know, 9 months already!  She is no small fry either - 75th percentile for both height and weight.  Love it - nothing better than her cute little belly and strong "skiers" legs (no pressure Ellie, I swear).  As we were reviewing her milestones, Dr. B asked how she was doing on solids - "Is she eating all of her vegetables?".  I replied with an enthusiastic "Oh yes, she loves everything she has tried so far - especially if you put a little cheese in it".  Back it up - really Michelle?  Ellie will eat her vegetables as long as they are laced with delicious, creamy, clog-your-arteries, cheese?  I am reminded of a commercial for Flick's favorite salad dressing that has always driven me nuts:

I wonder why the kids in "Hidden Valley" can't get enough of their vegetables (and yes, I do enjoy Ranch dressing)?  Needless to say, Ellie's mashed potatoes and peas did NOT have cheese on them at lunch that day.  She ate them, but gave me the stink eye the whole time.

The urge to add cheese to everything is something that we are very aware of in the Flickinger household.  Many so-so recipes have been miraculously "saved" by shreds of mozzarella or a few shakes of parmesan.  Even meals that taste great sometimes get the "What kind of cheese do we put on this?" question.  Did I mention that we both have high cholesterol?  These days I am really trying to draw out the flavors in recipes that need a little something, rather than just ensuring everything tastes like the cheese of our choice.  The 3 meals for this week that include cheese are supposed to - so if you feel the need, add a little more, but remember that cheese is only 1 of the ingredients.

Since we are fresh on the topic, lets start with the Pizza Margherita.  This was a good one - we used a fresh dough ball from the grocery store and pre-baked it a bit before adding the toppings.  The balsamic finale is the perfect touch and really took this pizza to the next level.

We fired up the grill and broke out the skewers for some Chicken Kabobs on one of our 90 degree days.  You really cannot go wrong with kabobs - there are a plethora of combinations of meats, fruits, veggies, and fish that you can make work.  For this concoction, a little fresh pineapple is great on the skewer with the onions and peppers.    

When it came to fish this week, I went to the grocery store without a specific fish recipe in mind.  I bought what was on sale (Cod) and came home to find a recipe.  Since we have a pretty robust collection of "staple" ingredients, I figured we would be able to come up with something.  We ended up with "Fillets and Spinach with Balsamic Vinaigrette" from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I should probably use this and the Betty Crocker cookbook more frequently; we always get good results with their recipes.

Turkey Meatball Ruben Subs is a whole new way to use ground turkey in a meal.  I felt as though the meatballs in the original recipe were on the dry side (there were no breadcrumbs, eggs, or milk in them).  One of the reasons I sometimes shy away from turkey burgers/meatballs, is that they tend to be on the drier side, given the lower amounts of fat in the meat.  A dry meatball is not a happy meatball.  There is no reason they cannot be just as good as their beef counterparts, so I tweaked this recipe and they came out a whole lot better - they even stood up well to the microwave when re-heating for leftovers!

We'll round out with Parmesan Polenta with Spicy Sausage.  Make only as much polenta as you will eat in the one sitting; it is much better when made fresh and only takes 5 or so minutes to whip up a batch for the leftover sausage sauce.  Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!

Well worth the wait

These days, the week prior to leaving on a trip is somewhere between circus and total chaos in our house.  Hence - the blog post just did not happen last week.  With a baby in tow it takes a minimum of 3 days to prepare for a vacation and when you throw in that baby being sick, work, school, mani/pedi (we were in a wedding - gotta have nice nails!)...time just really gets away from you!  Congrats to Mark and Tara on their beautiful wedding weekend and I hope that they are both relaxing on a peaceful beach in Hawaii....ahhhh.

When can we go?

I assure you that these meals were worth waiting for and you won't be disappointed if any end up on your table this week!

Let's start off with Italian Meatball Sliders.  We really loved these - this was a new recipe to us and it made enough for lunches during the week.  I couldn't find slider buns at the store so we just used smaller hamburger buns and they turned out just fine (we made the patties a little bigger as well).

Our meatless meal was Vegetable and Rice Burritos with Cheese.  These were nice and hearty for a veggie only burrito and we both agreed that this was a "keeper".  I was very careful not to over-stuff mine (for the sake of taking a picture) but Flick got a little aggressive with the fillings on his:

I'm way to full...

His required a fork and knife - mine came out well but doesn't stand out much against our burrito-wrap colored plates...a better photographer would have anticipated this and had an array of beautiful bright colored plates to display these tasty morsels on...we are a one-type-of-plate family:

Camouflaged

Antipasto Style Penne made for some delicious leftovers at lunch one day during the week.  I have made this both with the prosciutto crisped up and with it plain.  Both are fine but I definitely prefer it to be broiled a bit.  It is less stringy...I am a person who loves my bacon just to the edible side of "burnt to a crisp".  Limp bacon doesn't do it for me and I think prosciutto falls into that same category.

We tried Coconut Curried Pork, Snow Pea, and Mango Stir Fry this week.  This was a big hit with both of us - it is becoming apparent that we both really love curry dishes with a coconut milk base.  Mangoes are in season now so it is the perfect time to try this meal (so get after it!).  We have had this recipe in our book for ages and for whatever reason,  I have always passed over it.  I am so glad it is part of the rotation because it made for a delicious meal!  We served this over a sticky, long grain rice (I made a big batch and we used the leftovers in the aforementioned burritos later in the week).

Onto our fish meal: Cornmeal Crusted Catfish.  I never really had catfish until living out in Colorado but have come to include it as a regular player in our fish dinner category.  We design this meal to fully embrace the southern-style preparation for this fish (served with baked beans, slaw, and corn on the cob).  On a night with more time, we have cornbread too and it is just divine.  If you are a little unsure of catfish - use another mild, white fish (orange roughy would work really well too).

Hopefully you find these meals to be well worth the week delay in posting them!  It was great to catch up with everyone at the wedding and thanks to all who are following the blog.  I loved hearing from you about it and it means a lot to me to know that you are enjoying the posts.  Can't wait to see you all again soon!  Enjoy!