A Couple Tries to Lose Weight

If you're a regular reader, you probably understand why Chris and I each find ourselves at our heaviest-weight-ever. Clearly we love food (and wine!), almost to a fault, and we're no strangers to meals made with plenty of butter, cheese, breads and pastas. So now we are literally facing ourselves in the mirror and making those New Year's resolutions to lose some pounds and get healthier. We have a Wii Fit and have vowed to get on it at least four times a week. That isn't difficult; it's pretty fun and there are a wide variety of aerobic and strength-training exercises as well as balance games and yoga. The food thing, well, that's a little more difficult, but let me tell you about our decent start.

On Monday, I made my New Orleans-style red beans and rice but used brown rice instead of white. This may not seem like a big deal, but not only is it against Southern tradition, the fact is, I'm not a fan of brown rice. But sacrifices must be made, I guess!

Tuesday we had a very healthy dinner of tilapia with steamed broccoli. I'm not a fish-lover either (my friend J teases me about my "approved-foods lists") but thought I'd give it a try, omega-3's and all that. I adapted the recipe from a February 2009 issue of Cuisine at Home my mom gave me the other day (thanks, Mom!). We brushed the two fillets with a mix of olive oil and Chinese five-spice powder and pan-seared them for three minutes on each side. We made a sauce to accompany it which consisted of 1/4 cup of apricot preserves, 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, a dash of red pepper flakes, a clove's worth of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of fresh ginger, all of which we simmered in a small saucepan until it became thick (about five minutes). The five-spice and ginger offered a lot of warmth to the dish while the apricot and orange complemented the fish well, as acidity often does. The verdict? Chris really liked it and I would make it again.


Wednesday was (hurray!) a snow day and we had a gut feeling it would be, so Chris came home from work Tuesday with groceries from Hartford's Apple Tree, a famously inexpensive shop that specializes in excellent produce. We decided to do a simple, comforting, perfect-for-a-snow-day beef stew with plenty of vegetables. The beef came out a bit tough (not sure if it was the cut or the cooking time) but overall it was tasty and satisfying while being healthy and low-fat too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean beef steak, cubed
3 tablespoons flour (divided)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (we used Muir Glen Organic)
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup pearl onions
1 cup beef broth
1 cup peas (frozen is preferable but we used canned)
2 ounces red wine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 200. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof pot over medium heat. Season 2 tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper and dredge the beef in it. Brown the beef in the oil, then remove the beef and set aside. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the pot and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the remaining flour and thyme, and cook for a minute. Pour in wine, tomatoes and beef broth then add carrots, pearl onions, peas and the bay leaf. Mix well. Return beef to pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in oven. Cook until meat is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour.

Leftover-Roast-Pork Chili

I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of the phone ringing. It was a foursome of in-laws reminding me of the promise of lunch I had made to them on Christmas Day. One would think that two teachers with time off over the holidays would have been prepared for this, but of course, we had been too preoccupied by relaxation. I called my friend J for her chili recipe, knowing I probably didn't have enough time (they'd be here in an hour and a half!) but it was worth a shot. Alas, she was not home. What to do??? After a quick browse through the fridge, I knew that the leftover pork roast was my only hope. Thus was born "Leftover Roast Pork Chili." It made enough to fill five (Donnie was still full from his 6-egg-omelet-breakfast) with the other two men enjoying seconds. I served it with a 3-cheese semolina bread I bought at the local grocery store. Compliments abounded, but the best was that it was gone so quickly I didn't have time to take a good picture!

Ingredients:

1 16-oz. package Jimmy Dean Hot Pork Sausage
2 cups leftover roast pork, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (I used a red one and an orange one)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-oz. can tomato sauce
1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 14-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons oregano
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Put olive oil in a large stock pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Put in the onions, peppers and garlic into the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as Italian seasoning and oregano. Saute vegetables and seasonings for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are softened. Crumble the sausage into the pot and brown it, being sure to break down any large pieces. Add the roast pork and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add both types of tomatoes, the beans and the chicken broth. Place the two bay leaves in the mix. Stir it well and often, and let it simmer for at least 1/2 hour, up to one hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Perfect Roast Pork

We had plenty of potato pave left and have been craving roast pork since we went to my sister's, wanted to make it, and found out they had had it the night before. So we had our New Year's Day menu all set for us. We went back and forth on how to do the pork, checking out a few cookbooks and discussing the pros and cons of browning, braising, and the like. In the end, we let our instincts guide us toward our goal - a well-seasoned, juicy roast with a browned crust. The roast pork came out so perfectly and went so well with our sides that we liked it even better than our New Year's Eve dinner! Here's our "recipe":

Ingredients:

1 3-lb. pork butt

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

5-6 garlic cloves

2 cups water

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Chop the leaves from one sprig of rosemary very finely. Place the pork in a roasting pan, fat side up. Season the pork with salt, pepper and the chopped rosemary. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Add the 2 rosemary sprigs, garlic and water to the bottom of the pan, scraping up the fond and return to oven. Set oven at 250 degrees and roast for 45 additional minutes, basting every 15 minutes or so. Allow the roast to sit as you place the liquid on the stovetop and boil to reduce slightly. Serve sliced au jus with your favorite side dishes.

Chris' Potato Pave

Back when we were dating, Chris made me a Valentine's Day dinner that neither of us will never forget. I had had a bad day at work and a long meeting after that. It was sleeting and I had to drive from CT to MA and I was not happy about it. Chris called my cell to inform me about the main course - lamb chops and potato pave. I remember saying something sarcastic; at the time I was not a fan of lamb, and I equated potato pave with potatoes au gratin, also not a favorite of mine. Chris remembers me scolding him harshly on his lack of romanticism, cooking me a dinner of foods I don't like, etc. etc. I'm sure it wasn't all that bad... But anyway, I apologized profusely, especially since the dinner was amazing, and potato pave has since become my favorite Chris dish of all time. It's ridiculously unhealthy, full of heavy cream and cheese, and it takes a lot of effort, but for once in awhile or special occasions (like New Year's), it rocks.

Special equipment: Loaf pan lined with aluminum foil, mandoline, cheese grater, brick or other heavy object that fits in the loaf pan. See picture for layering technique.

Ingredients:

5-6 potatoes (we used red potatoes this time)
1 pint heavy cream

2 cups grated parmesan

black pepper

butter

Butter all sides and the bottom of the aluminum-foiled loaf pan. Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, then soak in the heavy cream. Layer the sides and bottom of the pan with one layer of potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the potatoes with a thin layer of parmesan cheese and season with black pepper. Fill the middle of the loaf pan with several layers of potato-cheese-pepper until the pan is full and/or you are out of potatoes. Top with cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, put a brick or other heavy object on top of the pave and chill (Note: we often make this in the winter and chill it by placing it in some snow). When you are ready to eat the pave, flip it and peel off the foil (see picture). Serve it in slices that you've browned in a frying pan.

Happy New Year!

Chris and I have stayed in almost every New Year's since we bought our home. My friend J calls New Year's Eve "amateur night" - when the younger crowd goes out for overpriced and underwhelming meals, drinks too much and then hits the road as soon as the ball drops. I prefer to be home eating something that took too much time to make but was worth it, drinking a nice bottle I lugged home from somewhere I traveled to that year, and avoiding the highway at all costs. This year was no different, other than a 10 p.m. walk in the bitter cold to the neighbors' where we played Rock Band 2 for a few hours (who knew I was such a great lead vocalist and Chris was such an amazing drummer, ha ha) and toasted the New Year with good friends.

For dinner, we made our own version of Beef Wellington. Much to my foodie friends' chagrin, and often, disdain, I don't like mushrooms which are a main component in a traditional Beef Wellington. I offered to eat them in the spirit of epicuriousity but Chris gave me an out - we decided to substitute chopped sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic, thus turning our Wellingtons into an Italian accompaniment to the 2001 SuperTuscan I brought home from Italy this summer. With the beef, we had green beans tossed in ghee and my favorite dish that Chris makes, potato pave. The recipe for our Italian-style Beef Wellingtons (let's call it "Beef Wellingtonio!) is below, and I'll post the pave another time. I wish all my readers a Happy 2009!

Ingredients:

1/2 package puff pastry sheets (thawed)

2 4-oz. sirloins

1/2 head roasted garlic

4 pieces sundried tomato

2 slices proscuitto

2 tablespoons red wine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 beaten egg yolk

Season the steaks with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil and put in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes (for medium rare). Take out the steaks to cool. While the steaks are cooling, saute the sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic in the butter and red wine for 7 minute, stirring often. Lay out the proscuitto and spread the tomato-garlic mixture over it. Place the steaks on one side of the proscuitto and wrap it, with the tomato-garlic mixture, around the steak. Cut the puff pastry sheet in half and lay one steak in the center of each sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk and wrap the pastry around the steak, crimping the edges well. Brush the entire thing with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Stuffed Pizza

After a long evening of shopping for our Christmas Eve party, Chris and I wanted something to fill us up. We were thinking ahead and bought a 1 1/2-pound pizza dough at the grocery store along with everything else that was on our holiday checklist. I know we've blogged pizza numerous times, but I swear, this one's different! We split the dough into two pieces, about 2/3 and 1/3 size each. Chris stretched each piece of dough the way he does, and we lined an oiled and heated cast iron pan with the larger dough, sides and all, allowing a bit of overlap on the top. In order, we topped it with layers of the following: olive oil, slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, sliced pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella. Then we put the smaller dough on top as if it were a pie, folding over that extra overlap from the pan-lining dough. We let it cook for a couple of minutes on the stovetop then flipped it (very carefully!). We topped the previously-bottom-but-now-top-dough with a little more sauce and shredded cheese and put the whole cast iron into a preheated 500-degree oven for 10 minutes. I turned on the oven light and we sat in front of the stove, watching our creation bubble and brown, our stomachs growling in anticipation. After it cooled a bit, we cut it into six thick pizza slices that were oozing piping hot sauce and cheese. It was the kind of pizza you needed a fork and knife to eat. It was filling and delicious, and with a bottle of cheap chianti, our dinner was everything we wanted it to be.

Mom's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

It's a busy week for most people, and that includes us right now. Chris has been doing research for a paper and presentation he has to do to finish up a graduate course, and I'm doing my best to finish up the holiday "stuff" that needs doing. Dinners have been either quick, easy, purchased elsewhere, or a mix of all three. It's also a stressful time, however, and that means we're both yearning for good comfort food loaded with carbs. That brings us to tonight's meal - my mom's homemade macaroni and cheese. Comfort food is the "it" thing these days, with upscale restaurants serving their own versions of pot pie, meat loaf, and even casseroles, and there are plenty of schmancy mac-n-cheese recipes out there, but nothing compares to this one, which produces a very creamy, very satisfying, very comforting meal or side. Thanks, Mom!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk
8 oz. Velveeta, cut into cubes

6-8 slices American cheese

1/2 lb. pasta (a shape that would hold the cheese sauce well, like elbows or shells)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375. Boil water for pasta and cook pasta according to package directions; drain and pour into 1 1/2 quart oval oven-proof casserole dish. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Add milk and Velveeta. Cook over medium heat, stirring until cheese is melted and you have a somewhat thick cheese sauce. Pour sauce over pasta and mix together. Place slices of American cheese on top in one layer. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

Pot Roast and Christmas Decorations

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." at least at our house, as we scheduled our decorating for this weekend. The freshly cut Douglas fir is resting in its stand, awaiting lights and ornaments. The house has decorations in every room including sage and pine-scented candles that are giving our home not only its holiday scent but also a cozy, warm glow. As we scurry around setting everything up, we needed an one-pot wonder of a dinner and so we chose the ultimate in this category, Pot Roast.

We season our 2 and 3/4-pound roast with salt, pepper, and a few shakes of dried thyme, and brown the top and bottom for several minutes each. Then we put it in our small roasting pan so it fits snugly with several baby carrots (about 2 cups) and Yukon gold potatoes (about 3/4 lb.). We add 1 1/2 packets of Lipton onion soup mix and 1 1/2 cups of water and roast it in a 425-degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. Then, just to brown the fat a little, we stick it under the broiler for a couple minutes.

The fragrant cooking smells fill the house as we decorate, and when it is time for dinner, we enjoy a traditional meat and potatoes feast that was easy, filling, and just right for a chilly Sunday afternoon.

Champagne Risotto with Bay Scallops

We're turkeyed out, as most people are by now, I think. We made our stock, had a pot pie, made soup, and now we want something that doesn't resemble poultry of any kind. When I stopped by the local Price Chopper on the way home from school yesterday, I saw bay scallops on sale for $4.99 a pound. I love scallops, and prefer the large sea scallops most of the time. But the price was right, and I had in mind to make a risotto with these sweet little shellfish gems. The constant stirring was a happy chore, since the result was a good, creamy rice dish.

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2/3 cup arborio rice

1 cup Champagne

1 14 1/2-oz. can chicken broth

3/4 lb. bay scallops

1/2 cup grated Grana cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the green onions and saute them until they are soft, only about a minute. Add the rice and saute for 2-3 minutes until well mixed. Add the Champagne and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is almost evaporated, stirring often. Slowly add the broth, a few ounces at a time, stirring often and each time simmering until the liquid is almost evaporated (about 20-25 minutes total). By the end of the broth, the rice should be tender. Add the scallops and simmer until they are cooked through. Then add the cheese, stir to mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy.

Chris's Rich Turkey Stock

We didn't host Thanksgiving, nor did we bring anything homemade. I know, weird for a couple of self-professed foodies, but that's the way it went this year. My parents hosted Thanksgiving and did a fabulous job as always (thanks, Mom!), sending Chris and me home with plenty of leftover vegetables, turkey meat, and of course, the carcass from the bird. Over the weekend, Chris got to work making his homemade stock by putting all of the following ingredients in a large stock pot and simmering it for hours and hours. We used it as the base for two delicious leftover meals: pot pie and soup. It was a deep brown color and had rich turkey taste. For the turkey pot pie recipe, see previous post HERE, as I pretty much followed the same recipe.

Chris's Rich Turkey Stock Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass (with the "good" meat cleaned off) cut up to fit in the pot

1 Vidalia onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 quart vegetable broth

1 1/2 teaspoons celery flakes (or use 2 chopped celery stalks if you have them, which we obviously did not)

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 bay leaves

1 sprig of rosemary

salt to taste