When I grow up I want to be...

...Ree Drummond. The Pioneer Woman herself. She is pretty close to amazing. 


There are things we have in common, for sure. 


She loves food. I love food. 
She lets her dog take over her life. I let my dog take over my life. 
She is married to the Marlboro Man. I am married to the Camel Man. 


But I have a ways to go. 


She gets up at 5am. I get up at 9am. 
She has a lot of children and a ranch. I have one dog and an apartment. 
She has a published cookbook. I have a notebook where I scribble ideas of things to make. 


If you have not read her blog, do so immediately. 


The Pioneer Woman



And do you know what else she does? She takes all her own photos, even the action shots. 
So I am working on my action shots.


I will demonstrate said action shots with the following recipe. 


Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
this recipe came from another blogger and it has a very touching story if you want to take a minute to read it.

CRUST ingredients if you want to be fancy:

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Otherwise, you can BUY A CRUST. 

PIE ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Here we go.

First, whip the heavy cream. I used a hand mixer because I am not very patient. I suppose you could be a purist and do this by hand. Be my guest.

Next, smile. You are making something delicious after all. Creamy peanut butter & cream cheese at room temperature. 

Here's a fun fact: sometimes it can be a "sticky situation" to get PB out of a measuring cup. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup and fill to the 1/2 c. line with cold water. Then plop your PB in by spoon full until your water level rises to the desired line.
Example: need 1 cup of PB, fill until the water reaches 1 1/2 c. line .
I don't know who deserves credit for this. I learned it from my mom way back. Your peanut butter will come out of the water no worse for the wear and you won't lose half your peanut butter to the measuring cup.

Mix PB & CC. Look! I'm doing it... self action shot!

Add your powdered sugar. It looked so soft and fluffy. I wanted to sit in a giant pile of it. I refrained.

Add lemon juice. 

Add vanilla. This is good non-imitation Vanilla from Mexico. It was my honeymoon souvenir. I am so lame.

Add can-o-milk. I was impressed with myself for this picture. I feel it really captures the pouring action.

Mix all these things together. There I go again with the action. I might be getting the hang of this. 

Now fold in your whip cream. I did not fold. I mixed because it was pretty and I paid for it later. This pie was a little soupy. But the next day when I made this exact same pie AGAIN I folded.  And it was not soupy. Just fold. You'll be glad you did.

Pour your pie filling into your crust and freeze or refrigerate it, but I thought it was better frozen. It doesn't get hard so you can slice it with a butter knife even straight from the freezer... and you avoid potential soupy-ness? soupiness? That looks wrong.
Also, this makes a very large pie. It's really enough for two pies, especially if you are using one of those small store-bought crusts.

I have eaten WAY too much of this pie. I won't be making it again for a while, but I will remember it when I need a no-bake dessert or a make-ahead dessert.

Odds & Ends of This & That

Since I became a part of this smart phone culture, I've really lazied up on the blogging. After all, how easy is it to snap, click share, and then let you oooh and aahhh over my culinary creations via facebook? Easy, yes. Interesting? not so much.

So this post is a tribute to my smart phone laziness. Food that I only have a pic or two to prove I made. Definitely no action shots or step by step photo instructions.

For our family camping trip I contributed, most with a few modifications from their original source:

Honey Nut Ginger Chex Mix with dried cranberries

 

adapted from the Chex Mix box

the recipe calls for almonds, but I used walnuts and most recently some pecans and added raisins

Carrot Cake in honor of my parents' 50th birthdays

 borrowed from good ole' martha stewart

& frosting too! 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake for a quick breakfast

courtesy of the blogger responsible for "Gimme some Oven"

Black Bean Burgers

There is no picture of these burgers. I barely remembered them.
First, because I nearly lost my left thumb trying to hurriedly prepare them before we left for the first leg of our long journey to Deep Creek Campground, NC.
Second, because pretty much they didn't get eaten. In typical Harris-bloodline fashion, everyone brought WAY too much food. A thing that can be said about anyone flowing down from the genes of Melda Harris herself is that we do not want people to go hungry. We obsess about food. It's pretty close to an illness kind of obsession. We talk about what we are going to eat, when we're going to buy the ingredients, who's going to make what, followed by arguments of who's doing too much and trying to convince them to do less because they are already too busy of a person, and then secretly doing more to out-do this person. For instance, there was a series of emails between me, my mom, & Janna going 'round about who was bringing what.

"I've got sandwich stuff"
"I'll bring all the meats and fixins for the grill"
"I'll bring all paper goods etc"

This type of thing is normal, I think. Then I start reading some blogs about things I want to bring so I add a few more things to the list. Then my mom starts adding things to her list but not telling me and then she confesses at the campsite it was because she thought I was doing too much and she wasn't doing enough. Then Janna shows up with way more than she committed to including but not limited to these really delish PB&J bars and a loaf of to-die-for Banana Bread and snacks and drinks and way more that I cannot even remember. All the while I was just trying to bring more so that it would take the burden off of my mom who amazingly works triple time every week and Janna who was making a pit stop in the ATL so she should have just been able to have fun and not worry about the status of her cooler ice :)
Well, many who have gone before us have done this same thing and we vowed we would not over-pack the food next time, but I can pretty much guarantee we will have forgotten this debacle by then and do it again.


And probably some other things but I can't remember anymore and there is no photo evidence.

These are some chicken packets full of veggies and lemons and spices that were spot on.

These are some chicken wings that we did not even need, but we cooked them and then ate them cold on our hike the next day.

This is that carrot cake after 2 days in the car. It really was delicious though.

This is LG & JW filling their plates with boston butt sandwiches, greek salad & baked beans.

This is our food tent on the left. Tent #1 of our 5 tent complex that housed all of the too much food that we brought. Notice how my mom is in there hard at work and AY & MG are playing a game of ladder ball. This is camping.

You're only 5-7 ingredients away from great food!

[I started this post weeks ago... but better late than never I'd say!]

Refreshed by a weekend of great country music & spa treatments I bring you two excellent and easy dishes.

Goat Cheese Marinara

I first fell madly in love with this flavorful little delight at  Twist: a tapas cafe. My bestie and roomie of some years loved to frequent this joint for a special event or just a guaranteed good meal. It was always the first thing we ordered... no questions asked.
I thought to myself, "Self, this can't be rocket science, let's give it a whirl."
And whirl, I did.

5 Ingredients to d.e.l.i.s.h.

Olive Oil, Basil, Minced Garlic, Goat Cheese, Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 (I'm pretty sure I did 350, but it's been a while... oops)

Pat your goat cheese into about a half inch thick patty in the center of a shallow dish.

Pour marinara sauce around it like a moat. 

Sprinkle with basil.

Bake for 20ish minutes until a little bubbly.

While it's baking, slice a loaf of good bread.

Make a little paste with the minced garlic and olive oil.
Brush onto some of the bread slices.
Slide these into the oven for about 8 minutes.

Notice how my stoneware is gaining a little character! yay!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ever need a dinner that isn't the same old thing but also doesn't require much thinking?
I sure do. Adam will tell you he could be happy eating the same four things forever: mac n cheese, quesadillas, fettucini alfredo, chicken parmesan. Not this gal. I need variety... it is the spice of life after all.

7 ingredients to [insert 7 letter word for good food here. Sorry folks, my brain has left the station]

Spaghetti, Eggs, Olive Oil, Parmesan, Chopped Ham, Garlic, Sour Cream

The nice thing is that pretty much this whole recipe is pantry staples. Except the ham. I don't always have ham. But I froze a few slices after the last time I made a little spiral ham and they came in pretty darn handy.

Boil your noodles according to package directions. 

Drain & save some of the liquid. I saved most of it, just in case but you only need 1/2 c. or so.

Heat a skillet, add ham just long enough to warm it up (2-5 minutes).

Add the pasta and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl combine the cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and garlic. Combine well. Add the reserve pasta water to the egg mixture. Combine well. Add all this to your pasta and ... you guessed it, Combine Well.

And there you have it. Spaghetti Carbonara.

Borrowed from Cooking Light

Starvin' Marvin

I'm sure you've all been super worried that we have been s t a r v i n g here on Argyle Street. I assure you this is not the case. However, we have been pretty darn hot. The air temps, high humidity, and the lack of a/c in our kitchen have kept me from cooking as much as usual and when I have braved the elements I've been trying to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.
Lucky for you (and us) it's a cool and overcast 75-ish today and I embarked on a calorie-conscious meal this evening.

So, what have we been eating since it's been so hot? Well, Adam got a new grill and that has been pretty awesome. Before we only had a rather large charcoal grill, which tastes delicious but is kind of a pain to fire up for just us two. Now, we have a fancy shmancy portable gas grill that is quick and easy.
And when grilling fails, we ask Buddy & Jasmine to share their kibble. JK

Adam went out of town for a few days and I made some really yummy lamb meatballs with couscous and steamed veggies. The grease from the meatballs dripped onto the bottom of the oven. That was bad. It was at this point I realized I didn't have any oven cleaner and didn't have a car to go to the store, so I "green cleaned" the oven by sprinkling a serious layer of baking soda all over the bottom, spritzing it with water from a spray bottle until it was paste-like, leaving it overnight, and wiping it out with a sponge. Overall, pretty pleased with the results of that endeavor.

Enough chit-chat, let's get down to the grub:

Pork Saltimboca
slightly adapted from Cooking Light


5 center cut boneless pork chops
1/2 c. shredded fontina cheese
5 super-thin slices of prosciutto
sage

Pound  the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap.

Place one slice of prosciutto, a little blob of cheese, and sage on each chop.

Fold the chop over like a sandwich and secure with a toothpick.

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Dredge the chops in flour. 

Sprinkle with s&p.

Heat olive oil in a medium pan.

Cook chops for about 2 mins on each side, remove from pan.

1 c. white wine

1 c. chicken broth

more sage

Add 1/2 c. white wine to the pan, scraping all the leftover goodness into the mix.

Drink rest of wine.

Let wine reduce to about 1/4 c.

Add 1 c. chicken broth, bring to a boil, let reduce to about 1/2 c. 

Add sage.

Return chops to pan to get hot and juicy (2-3 minutes).

Serve with polenta or pasta.

We just finished eating something wonderful. I mean this was really top-notch if I do say so myself (and I do!) While I was eating I was wishing there was more and then considering starting another batch for tomorrow. No joke. The thought of making this again immediately did cross my mind. But tomorrow is softball night so we won't really be home for dinner and I don't have any chicken that is not frozen.
So, the memories of this dinner will have to do for now... and luckily I can relive it for you right now.

Since I last posted, I made a repeat (herbed chicken parmesan), a really bad attempt at a light alfredo sauce (this was all documented but the household vote was that it should not only be omitted from the blog but I should also "throw that recipe away"), some yummy salads, a coffee cake, and an apple-strawberry yogurt smoothie.

Also, I should note that I have been freezing single serve portions of the leftovers and using them as grab & go lunch items. It's nice because I'm not eating the same thing two or three meals in a row. Instead, I stop by the freezer on my way out the door, pick one of the several options, and by lunch time it is usually thawed or close to it.

Greek-style Chicken Kabobs

Marinade coming together

[adapted from allrecipes.com/cooking light message boards]


3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/3 cup fat-free crumbled feta cheese 

• lemon zest 
• juice of half a large lemon
• sprinkle of dried oregano, rosemary, and basil
• dash of salt & pepper
• skinless, boneless chicken tenders
• half a red onion, cut into chunks
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• yellow & red bell pepper, cut into inch-ish pieces

combine everything but the veggies & chicken in a shallow dish

send the chickies for a swim in the marinade (I left them overnight)

soak your wooden skewers

thread your veggies & chicken (cut into cubes if you prefer) onto the skewers

grill, baby, grill

serve with on a fluffy bed of couscous

enjoy!

that corn hiding in the background jumped on the grill (it didn't go with the meal, but we couldn't leave it hanging

Starting to try new foods

In our house growing up my mom had a phrase to get us to try new foods that has stuck with us all.

"Try it. You might have grown a new taste bud." 

I recently discovered a taste bud that is oh so fond of V8 V-fusion drinks. I know I don't get enough fruits & veggies in a day and these are delish!

This juice doesn't just look delightful, my friends.

Also, in an effort to satisfy my craving for salt & vinegar chips (stop the rumors right there- not a pregnant craving, I always love these) & to meet my calorie-counting needs I tried POPchips and whoa mama! they are go-od!

I should put some of those google ads at the bottom of my page so I can at least make a little moolah for my product endorsements. Maybe if V8 & POPchips have a surge in sales in the Chicago market they'll come knocking on my door with one of those giant checks!

Well, let's see... what else have I made in the last few days?

Banana Bread
adapted from a bunch of websites & my brain
warning: i'm starting to feel a little wacky, there is definitely chair dancing* going on while i write this one

*chair dancing: the act of dancing from the waist up while sitting in a chair. often includes swaying, head bobbing, and finger pointing

[preheat your oven to 325]

1 stick of room temperature butter (yes, I'm still working through my freezer stash of buddah)
1 cup of granulated sugar (I was really tempted to type sugah just now)

[whip those together]

2 large eggs aka grande juevos

[whip those in one at a time until you have some fluffy goodness]

3 ripe bananas (more than a few brown spots if you know what I mean)
1 tablespoon milk (a splash will do)
a serious sprinkle of cinnamon

[mash 'em till the sun don't shine]

[combine the fluffy goodness with the mashed mess]

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon each of baking soda, baking powder, salt

[combine dry ingredients]

[bring the whole gang together until just combined]

[Grease a loaf pan: I got to debut a new pampered chef loaf pan courtesy of mi madre]

[bake for an hour-ish until an unused toothpick comes out clean]

Let it cool for 10-15 minutes

While this was cooling I toasted some chopped walnuts (bake them on 350 for 7ish minutes to let the flavors take on new life)

Then I served warm slices with the nuts, honey, and butter. 

Obviously you could add the nuts in during baking if that's your style.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT-

I was recently presented with the prestigious Wife of the Week Award.

It was super exciting. I was nominated for making a weekday morning breakfast.

I made it to feed my hubs & start his day of right, but also I really needed to make something fatty on my new baking stone so it could get seasoned and biscuits were a recommended item. 

Biscuits, cheesy scrambled eggs, jonagold apple

the Start of Grilling Season

With the advent of warmer weather, I put a grilled meal on the docket. But I forgot that we live in Chicago and you can not count on warm weather or sun. Wednesday night in Chicago it was raining and cold. But, bless his heart, Adam fired up the grill and weathered the storm to make dinner.

Grilled Chicken (marinated in Italian dressing, a favorite easy marinade)

Grilled Polenta with parmesan & parsley

Steamed Broccoli

Clearly, I have a sack of polenta to work through now. 

Grilling it was simple enough. Basically, you whip up a batch just the same way you would if you were going to serve it porridge-style (a la last week's recipe). Then pour it into a greased 9x13 and refrigerate it until it is firm. Then slice, brush with olive oil, & grill to perfection.

The best thing about grilling chicken is the leftovers. I mean, seriously, what can't you do with leftover grilled chicken breasts? Just a few old standbys:

• grilled chicken caesar salad
• grilled chicken panini
• grilled chicken quesadillas

On Thursday for lunch I made the most delightful salad. Regretfully I didn't take a pic and it is long gone!