Chickpea and Spinach Curry

This is some good stuff!  Of course, I am eating this recipe on my own because Grumpy absolutely dislikes chickpeas.  He did try it and said it was edible, but he wouldn't be eating it.  No big deal.  This is going to be my lunch this week for a couple of days and I'm happy with that.

I found this recipe on Cooking Light while searching for vegetarian dishes. It doesn't matter too much to me that Grumpy won't eat it because it doesn't make so much that 1 person couldn't eat it up in a few days.  Grumpy should be willing to eat chickpeas though, I have read they are good for diabetics.

Healthy and tasty, I am loving the ginger/curry flavor to the dish.  If you like chickpeas and don't mind curry flavor, then this is a definite dish to have on your regular meal rotation.

print recipe

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

February-18-2013

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoons refrigerated ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 packets splenda
• 2 tablespoons red curry powder
• 1-19 ounce can chickpeas, drained (I do not rinse)
• 1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet.  Saute onion, ginger, curry powder, and splenda for about 3 minutes.  Add chickpeas and tomatoes.  Simmer 2 minutes.  Stir in spinach, water, and salt.  Cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
Details
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 3 servings (1-1/3 cups per serving)

The Pucker Factor - Dill Pickle Martini

I hope you weren't looking yesterday to see what special thing Grumpy did for me on Valentine's Day...because we didn't do anything for each other this year.  Actually, just being together and being happy is really good enough for me any day of the week!  We have things to look forward to this year however, so we are being frugal with our pennies.

Yesterday, if there were as many sweets in most of your lives as there were in mine at the office, you might feel like a little puckering today!  The only thing I indulged in at work was a gorgeous heart shaped cookie from a local bakery.  There was a chocolate fountain set up at the office also but I avoided that area.  You could also use this as a way to get your sweetie to pucker up for you after sweetening him or her up. *wink*!

For this reason, today I am bringing to you what seems to be a bit of a controversial drink on my Facebook page.  There were some definite "no" reactions when I posted the photo, but I say, don't knock it until you've tried it!  If you like dill pickles, you should like this martini.  I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and as part of my "faceless recipe" assignment I made this drink.  My thoughts were, it can't really be that bad as its not much different from the dirty martini!  I absolutely love this drink.  I might even have one tonight!  I think this drink needs to be given more of a chance so if you try it out, make sure you check out allrecipes.com and give it a rating!

print recipe

Dill Pickle Martini

February-15-2013

not that far off from the dirty martini - and a great drink!

Ingredients

• Ice
• 3 shot glasses vodka
• 1 shot glass dill pickle juice
• dill pickle slices (to garinish)

Instructions

Fill shaker with ice.  Pour vodka and pickle juice over ice and shake well.  Pour into glasses and garnish with pickle slices.  My measurements are to our tastes.  Measurements on allrecipes are slightly different.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: 4 mini martini's or 2 regular sized martini's

Skillet Cod with Cilantro Lime Butter

I love it when I find a new recipe that is really super yummy and this cod dish is just that!  Of course, for me, the fact the recipe had cilantro in it is what intrigued me to begin with.  Grumpy, who thinks I am infatuated with cilantro (well, I am!) even liked the butter.  This was quick, easy and a great weeknight dinner.

Grumpy's favorite fish is cod, so I used cod in this recipe although you could use any mild white fish such as flounder or tilapia.  If you like the flavors of cumin, cilantro, and lime, you will love this recipe!

print recipe

Skillet Cod with Cilantro Lime Butter

February-13-2013

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 (6 ounce) cod fillets
• Cooking Spray
• 1 Lime, quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine first 3 ingredients; sprinkle over both sides of fish.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Coat both sides of fish with cooking spray; place in pan.  Cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  
While fish is cooking mix together softened butter, cilantro, lime rind, paprika and salt in a small bowl.  Place fish on serving platter; squeeze lime quarters over fish and serve with cilantro lime butter

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 6 mins Total time: 16 mins Yield: 4 servings - 1 fillet with 2 teaspoons cilantro lime butter

Siri's Heart Sugar Cookies

I am so excited about this cookie.  Its a recipe I have never made before and I found it on allrecipes.com.  The title of this cookie is Siri's Heart Sugar Cookie and I "heart" these cookies!  I love to make and decorate sugar cookies but I don't do it often because its time consuming and I can get real sick of decorating way before I am done.  But this recipe made it so easy.  Rolling and cutting these were not hard to do and the best part was I didn't have to chill the dough so that cut a lot of time off the recipe making.

I was intrigued by the recipe to start because it called for stirring some cream of tarter into the milk then adding to the dough.  My experience with cream of tarter in recipes has always been successful so I had to try it.  You add the flour to the recipe last.  When I did this, I used my hand mixer(because I was too lazy to pull out my kitchen aid) and I was able to add almost all the flour before turning it out onto the floured board.  I then kneaded in the about 1/2  of the last cup as the recipe states, using what was remaining pretty much for re-flouring the board and rolling out other batches of dough.  The dough was so easy to handle that I had no problem at all rolling and cutting each batch.

So, all that said, if you think you don't have time to make cookies for Valentines day, guess what?! You do!  With baking and decorating time, it took me about 2 hours total.  You don't have to glaze them like I did, you could frost them with a buttercream and sprinkles which would save more time.  I think it probably took more time to glaze then to mix and bake. If you do want to glaze like I did, I used my go recipe to at Our Best Bites.

print recipe

Siri's Heart Sugar Cookies

February-12-2013

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1-1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg, allowing it to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next with the vanilla extract.

Dissolve cream of tartar in milk; beat into the butter mixture.

Add 4 cups flour (mix in 1 cup at a time) with baking powder and salt; beat until doughy.

Spread 1 cup flour onto a flat work surface. Roll the dough out on the prepared surface; cut out in desired shapes until all dough is used.

Bake on non-stick baking sheets in preheated oven until cookies are set in the middle, about 12 minute.

Details
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 32 mins Yield: 3 dozen assorted sized cookies

Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

Its been a long time since I've made muffins for the blog.  Back when I first started this blog, I made them all the time!  As a matter of fact, that is what the kids at Clarkson used to look for in the office, was muffins!  Well, in my search of recipes on allrecipes.com, I came across a new recipe called Cute Cranberry Tangerine Muffins.  After reading the recipe, I decided it was one that I was willing to try.  However, since I still had blood oranges I decided to use them since I didn't have tangerines.  Then, at the last minute, right after I stirred in the cranberries, I decided to grab the bag of mini chocolate chips in the cupboard and put about 1/3 cup in the mix.

These muffins are tender on the inside with a crispy top - and I love them that way!  I just have a few things I might do different next time.  I'd probably reduce the heat to between 350 and 375.  Original recipe calls for 375 and I felt that they were getting a little dark around the edges before the inside was completely cooked.  I also think I would reduce the sugar to start - to at least 3/4 cup and if still too sweet for me, drop to 2/3 cup.  I think they were sweet to me because of the chocolate chips, but even with out them I would probably cut the sugar just for my own taste.  I also added a teaspoon of vanilla to the milk mixture.  The recipe didn't call for a flavoring and maybe it didn't need it, but after tasting the batter, I figured it wouldn't hurt.  All in all, this is a great keeper recipe!

print recipe

Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

February-9-2013

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup blood orange juice
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• blood orange zest from 3 oranges (or 3 tbsp if you want to measure)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (if your worried about too dark muffins, reduce heat to no less than 350 degrees F). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Place dried cranberries and blood orange juice in a glass 1 cup measure then microwave for 90 seconds; remove from microwave, stir, and set aside to cool.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Using hand mixer, mix butter, blood orange zest, and sugar in a separate large bowl, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat eggs into butter mixture, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.
Gently fold flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with milk in two additions, until batter is just mixed. Fold cranberries and juice into batter. Fold in chocolate chips.  Using large cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.Bake in the preheated oven until muffins are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove and place on rack to finish cooling (if you can wait that long before eating one!)

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Blood Orange Martini and Happy Birthday Grumpy!

Happy Birthday to my Grumpy Hubby.  While he may be mellowing out more as he ages (he he) he still is his Grumpy self for the most part.  Just not as strong.  I thought to celebrate his venture into the land of no going back, I would share with you this formerly faceless recipe from allrecipes.com.  For those of you who don't know what a faceless recipe is, it is a recipe that does not have a photo connected to it.  Well, this yummy drink now has a photo attached and I guarantee that if you like this kind of beverage, you will like this particular one!

The original recipe called for tangerines, but I had these gorgeous blood oranges that I just couldn't resist using for this martini.  So raise your glass with me and wish Grumpy a happy one today!

print recipe

Blood Orange Martini

February-7-2013

adapted from allrecipes.com - Vicki's Tangerine Martini

Ingredients

• 4 ounces fresh squeezed blood orange juice
• 2 full shot glasses vanilla vodka
• 1 shot glass triple sec
• ice

Instructions

Fill drink shaker with ice.  Pour in vodka, triple sec and blood orange juice.  Shake well, strain into martini glass and garnish with slices of blood oranges.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: 2 regular sized martini or 4 mini martinis

Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham

You don't find much in the way of ham recipes on my blog.  Mainly because its not something I like to cook.  I think in all the years Grumpy and I have been together, I've baked a ham a total of 3 times.  Three times in 13 years.

Every once and a while though, I will hear in my head Grumpy reminiscing about boiled ham, cabbage, and potatoes with carrots that his mom used to make.  So, I thought I might have that as another meal after we tried this ham recipe out.  This recipe for Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham was found on Cooking in Stilettos - the blog that was my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month of January.  Aly, the author and cook of all things delicious on her blog is from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love :)  I wonder, do you know there is a Philadelphia NY too?  :)  There sure is.  But its not the scene Aly sees every day.  Its just a small little hokey town between Gouverneur (another small little hokey town) and the "City" of Watertown.  :)  Not that any of that means anything to many of you.  Alas, I'm off topic.

I had some homemade cider that Dad had given me when I was home over Christmas and some Jim Beam in the liquor cabinet.  That's all I needed (besides buying the ham) to make me decide I was going to try this recipe out.  We had ham left over for scalloped potatoes, and I used the last of it up in homemade bean soup.  Needless to say, we did not let this ham go to waste! I only made one change, and that was I went with maple syrup in place of brown sugar.  Love how the flavors penetrated the ham!

If you haven't visited Aly's blog yet, make sure its a stop you make!  She has a great variety of delicious recipes on her blog!

print recipe

Cider Bourbon Glazed Ham

February-4-2013

Ingredients

• 4-5 pound bone in ham
• 2 cups apple cider, divided
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup bourbon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line your roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.  Place the ham in the roasting pan, cut side down.  Pour 1 cup of the apple cider over the ham and place in the oven.

Let the ham roast in the oven for 45 minutes while you prepare the glaze.

On a stove, in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the remaining cider, maple syrup, mustard, garlic and stir to combine. Let it come to a boil and then turn off the heat.  Add the bourbon. Return to the heat.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until it is reduced by half.  When it is reduced, set aside a small amount for serving.

After 45 minutes, remove the ham from the oven and flip the ham so it is resting on its side.  Glaze the ham and return to the oven, continuing to baste about every 15 – 20 minutes until the ham is fully heated through and the glaze has formed a nice coating.

Remove from the oven, let rest for 10 minutes and carve.