Bead-a-thon

I haven’t had much to post this week, but this weekend I have a lot going on, so you may see some new posts on Monday. Ginny (another MEF of mine) is coming to visit from the-land-of-my-former-life this weekend. Actually, she’ll be on her way here in just a few short hours. The game plan this weekend is two-fold.

1. BEADS. Lots and lots of beads. Last time she was out for a visit, Gin ordered some beads from a nearby bead store that had a process they use to make beads out of dried flower petals (eg. From funerals, weddings, etc.) and I have since accumulated the supplies to put together something like 5 bracelets, 4 bookmarks, a necklace, and a number of other things, including silver bails that need to be put on about 15 stone pendants she has picked up recently. We’re going to be busy beaders this weekend. The picture above is just SOME of what we will be working with!

2. FOOD!!! Naturally, that is always a must when we have a visit, foodies that we are. However, this time it is going to be something special. As a treat for both of us, we are attending a steak and wine pairing demo in St Louis. This is courtesy of my sister, who is sending me to the event as a birthday gift that I haven’t had a chance to redeem for about three years. (Thanks, sister!)
Check out the description of this class…..

STEER ME TO THE BEST STEAK ENCORE It is always an honor to have the incredible talents of chef Lou Rook and wine aficionado Glenn Bardgett of the acclaimed Annie Gunn's grace our kitchen. The amazing duo steers this class in the right direction on premium beef and interesting wine pairings. Enjoy exquisite beef including Japanese A5 Kobe, Akaushi pure breed American Kobe, USDA prime aged strip loin, and USDA prime dry aged strip loin, all with delicious side dishes.

Now, doesn’t THAT sounds fabulous???? I will be sure to (try and) take pictures so you can all see what we get to eat!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Mommy, PLEASE?

If I've ever seen the "Mommy, PLEASE?" look, this is it....

Mommy, pleeeeasseeeeeee can I have a puppy?

Asian Sesame Chicken Bites

My BA (Beadaholics Anonymous) group at work got together this weekend for a few hours of beading and girl-time. If there is one thing we know how to do well where I work, it is eating. So, naturally, we all brought a little something to snack on for the event. I am still pushing myself hard with the Biggest Loser challenge we are doing at work, so I tried to come up with something at least remotely healthy to contribute. I chose my Asian Sesame Chicken Bites (sometimes done on skewers). This recipe is adapted from one I found on Kraftfoods.com, and I am posting it with one disclaimer. It calls for a package of Good Seasons Asian Sesame Dressing mix. However, this mix is hard to find. I don’t know if its that they stopped making it or it can only be found in certain markets, but I get so many requests for this that the last time I found it, I bought a case of 24 packets. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I run out. Still trying to adapt the recipe so I can make it without the packet.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of all fat and cut into bite size chunks
1 packet Good Seasons Asian Sesame Dressing mix
½ cup honey
2 TB soy sauce
¼ orange juice concentrate
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 TB creamy peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix all the above ingredients together to form the marinade. If you really want to be lazy, buy the pre-cut skinny chicken tenders at the grocery. Save ½ cup of the marinade for dipping. Put all the raw chicken in the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Leave in refrigerator at least a half hour, but up to several hours.
At this point, if you are using the tenders, you can skewer them lengthwise to serve as an appetizer, or leave them as tenders for a main dish. Heat a little vegetable oil in a large skillet and add the chicken a piece at a time, shaking off any excess marinade. Saute on all sides until nice an golden, then add a little of the leftover marinade and heat through so that it glazes all the chicken bites. Serve hot with the reserved marinade on the side.

Fit for a King (size)

I had planned to pace myself, doing one border a night and getting my quilt done by Friday, Sunday at the latest. But no, if you know me, once I get close to the finish line, its just a sprint from there and there is no stopping me. So, in true form, I was hunched over the sewing machine last night and again this morning, putting the remaining strips of material on it. I nearly tore a few of them back off in frustration. Something about this particular size quilt, it was just the right length and width that almost every border I put on ended up with the seam in a bad place, usually right in the corner. If I had planned better (or bought more fabric to begin with – except that I bought all there was) I could have cut along the length and avoided seams altogether. But, since there wasn’t enough fabric on the bolts to do that, I had no choice. I know you can’t tell in the picture, but contrary to my husband’s beliefs, this quilt will win no honors at the County Fair this summer. Too many technical imperfections. Oh well! It will still keep us warm this fall!

I still need to take it to the quilter, so you’ll see this bad boy make an appearance again, but not for awhile. I need to save up some money first. This being a king size, and since I’m going to have custom work done on it, its going to cost me a pretty penny to have finished. But, at least I can cross it off MY project list!

Now my new problem is…..these colors don’t really go with my bedroom walls. Guess I’m going to have to re-paint this summer, too.

Texican Stuffed Peppers

Texican Stuffed Peppers
I have a pretty consistent library of main dishes that we rotate through our menu, but there are a few items on there that we don’t make as often as the rest, for various reasons; either because they are too labor-intensive to do on an average weeknight, or because we just don’t like them as well. Stuffed Peppers is one of those dishes, for the latter of the two reasons. Its ok, just not very exciting, and neither of us are big fans of green peppers. I use red or yellow bells when I can get them, but those have just been too pricey the last couple of years to get them often. So last night, when I rattled off the menu for this week, it was no shock to see the look of complete disinterest on M’s face as the words “Stuffed Peppers” crossed my lips.
Sitting in my office, I was thinking about how I could switch it up a bit and make it more interesting. Then my mind wandered to the obscene amount of chorizo that I continually returned to at the store when I was doing my weekly shopping last night. I ended up leaving without any, as I didn’t have any plans for it in the menu this week, and since we’re getting a half a beef soon, I can’t justify putting anything in the freezer right now, even when it is on sale for a really good price.
Then, the two thoughts ran together! Stuffed Peppers…..Chorizo…..Stuffed Peppers…..Chorizo…..STUFFED PEPPERS WITH CHORIZO! I try to save new recipes for nights when I know I have plenty of leftovers in the fridge, just in case the hubs hates it or it just downright BOMBS, and tonight just happens to be one of those nights. SO I am off to the grocery at lunch today to grab a few more ingredients, and I am hoping that this is successful enough that maybe I can put stuffed peppers back in the rotation more often.

Out of respect for my MEF, I won’t call this “Mexican” stuffed peppers, because this is nothing like their version of stuffed peppers.

Flash forward a day - here is how I made the peppers!

Texican Stuffed Peppers
4-6 bell peppers
1 pound chorizo
1 can chopped green chiles
1 package Spanish Rice or about 3 cups, if you make your own (see recipe below)
2 cups pepperjack cheese, shredded (or enough thick slices to cover the peppers)

In a large sauté pan, brown the chorizo and drain off all the grease. While the meat is browning, cut the peppers in half (top to bottom) and clean the seeds and spines from the insides. In another pan, prepare the Spanish rice as directed on the package (or, if you are making your own, start the rice before you even brown the meat). When the meat is cooked and drained, add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Mix in the can of green chiles.

Fill each of the peppers with the mixture. If there is any extra filling, just put it around the peppers in the same pan, or make a separate pan of just the filling. My hubs likes it that way and he’ll take a fork and just eat right out of that dish! Top with cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. I should note that I prefer my peppers to still have some crispness to them, but if you like yours softer, just let yours cook longer in the oven.
Spanish Rice (props to my MEF for the directions for her Spanish rice!)
1 cup medium grain rice
2 cups chicken stock
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Garlic
1 small Onion, finely diced
¼ tsp Black pepper
8 ounce can Tomato sauce
Brown the rice in a little butter and then add the cumin, garlic, onion, black pepper, and tomato sauce. Once the rice is thoroughly coated, add the chicken stock. Once you put the liquid and spices in (be careful, the water will flash boil when you put it in) stir it up really well, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

NOTES: In retrospect, shredded cheese would have melted better, but I was in a hurry at the store and took the easy way out by having the deli lady slice me some thick slices. I intended to add a can of Ro-tel to the meat mixture, but after adding the rice, it really didn’t need the extra moisture, so I left it out and opted for the can of green chiles instead. This was a very flavorful dish, but we are spicy food lovers, so next time I make it I will probably add some hot peppers to the mix as well. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Just a Side-Note

If you haven't been seeing my Twitter updates, I got all the blocks for my quilt sewn together last night and this morning, and now all I need to do is put the three borders on sometime this week and get it to the quilter! YAY!
In other news, I was sitting there sewing last night and I sent a Tweet out about my progress. Shortly after that, I got an email notification that KonaBayFabrics is now following me on Twitter (must've done a search on fabric, or quilting, or something). Having worked in fabric stores in the past, I am familiar with the company. Then a thought occurred to me, and I looked down at the pile of fabric on my lap. Yeah, at least two of the materials in my quilt are Kona Bay fabrics.
Ironic, no?

Artichoke Pesto with Ciabatta loaf

This is adapted from Giada di Laurentiis’ recipe for Artichoke Pesto on Ciabatta, which I adore. I made this once for a shower I was asked to bring a dish to, and I have not stopped getting requests for it since then. Even people who proclaim not to like artichokes just love this dish. It’s a no-fail appetizer!

Artichoke Pesto on Ciabatta
1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley parsley (heavy stems discarded)
1 bunch cilantro leaves

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (be careful not to burn them like I did this time! I ended up using pecans because I didn’t have any more walnuts)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic (if you are using fresh, stick to just 2 cloves. Even if you LOVE garlic, like I do. Trust me, if its fresh, 2 cloves is plenty)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan

1 (12 to 16-inch) ciabatta loaf, cut in half, lengthwise, and slice each half in half again to make four long pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or more, as needed)

In a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, cilantro, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Run the machine to finely chop all the ingredients, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Mix in the Parmesan. Add more olive oil, as necessary to achieve the right consistency. Place the pieces of the ciabatta loaf (yes, my grocery store actually HAS ciabatta loaf!) on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees until the edges just start to brown, about 5 minutes. I use my kitchen sheers to snip the loaves into slices after toasting them. Serve alongside the pesto.