My folks had a restaurant growing up and a large part of my youth was spent prepping food with my family and our employees (friends). I could make Greek lemon rice before I was able to write in cursive. So “pilafi” is something I can make blind folded with one hand tied behind my back, it also just happens to be fast and delicious, definitely my go to side dish. Pilafi is fast, affordable, and a total crowd pleaser. The “meatballs” I made are a new recipe I decided to try because I had a few things I needed to use up and they are about 50/50 meat and veg. This is what I had to work with: pita chips (crushed to replace bread crumbs), feta, 1lb Italian chicken sausage, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, 1 can cannellini beans, frozen chopped broccoli rabe. I’m gonna be honest with you….the mix looked not so sexy….and honestly they aren’t beautiful…although I’ve never met a gorgeous meatball…I am a bit of presentation perfectionist, I was honestly not sure I even wanted to post the recipe because frankly they are homely….but sometimes it what’s inside that counts and these were filling and delicious.
• Preheated 375 degree oven, baking sheet
• 1lb ground meat (I used hot Italian chicken sausage)
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup crushed pita chips
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• ¼ cup chopped Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli rabe (you can sub spinach)
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ chopped sundried tomato (not in oil)
• Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
• I used sausage which is pre-seasoned and the olive and cheese added plenty of salt so I wouldn’t recommend adding any additional seasoning…seriously.
Mix up all the ingredients till it look basically like carnage…haha….and form in golf ball sized meatballs. Put in oven cook 30 minutes or until brown.
While they bake make your rice:
• 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed
• 1 ¾ cup chicken broth, I used salted, if you use unsalted you will need to add salt.
• Juice of one lemon
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 T olive oil
In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté onions in oil and butter till translucent. Turn heat to high, add chicken broth, when it’s at a boil, add rice and reduce heat to medium low, simmer 15 minutes, add lemon juice and turn off heat. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Enjoy!
Having a baby, moving to a new state, and neon hair color, or how I’ve adapted to seasonal affective disorder
What an incredible journey the last few years have been! Up down, round and back again, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I am really capable of in this time period. Ain’t gonna lie…it’s been tough, I’ve struggled, I’ve felt lonely, I’ve felt isolated. Living in the same place for 30 years ensures that you probably have a great network of people around you, I did, I abandoned that comfort to follow my husband’s tech dreams here in the “Silicon Forest”. I was ready, I wanted to try to see what the world had to offer outside of my O-town. I had backpacked through Europe for 45 days, I could move outta state right? I figured that all the people in Portland, OR, were liberal, friendly, hippies, with the same world views as me and that moving here would put me in a community of people who would love and embrace me instantly! Growing up, I was made fun of, left out, and was the “Weirdo”. I wanted out of the “Zion curtain”….and figured that Portland was Berkley in the 60’s. Boy was I wrong! I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck, I was disoriented, confused, had a headache from all this new oxygen, confused by all the options I had. I lived in a brand new home with all the amenities and moved to a house that was 100 years old without A/C and only 1 bathroom! I was spoiled, spoiled with family, spoiled with friends, spoiled with familiarity. The people here didn’t all say “Hi” when I walked by…in fact they didn’t even notice me! It was tougher on Ava, my daughter….and I think any parent can understand the pain felt when watching their child struggle. For some strange reason…to cope, I started to watch youtube how to’s about dying your hair neon colors, it was gray outside, I wanted some color, so if i was going to be invisible to people, I figured I would at least brighten up the landscape.
My friends and fam thought I had lost my mind….and maybe in retrospect I had, but I needed to…they say when a woman drastically changes her hair she is on the fringe! As time has gone on…I’ve realized that life is a series of trade offs….I do love Portland, but perhaps I will never have the network I had in my hometown, or have family to rely on in driving distance, I get to drink the best coffee and beer in the country, but can’t go there with my mom and sister on the daily. I don’t see the sun as often as I used to…and now I don’t really notice. I’ve learned that there are assholes everywhere, that people in mini vans all drive like maniacs, I’ve had strange opportunities come up, I’ve experienced the super highs of “almost” getting to achieve my dream just to have it escape me the next day…I’ve interviewed at Voodoo doughnuts…I ate some voodoo doughnuts. I get to pick my daughter up at school next to 45 year old skateboarding Dad doing his best impression of Tony Hawk. I’ve made a few new friends and learned to not let other people affect how I feel about myself. I’ve learned what it really means to be a “Stay at Home” mom….I’ve done karaoke like a “Glee” cast member, then vomited on myself. It’s been a fucking painful, pleasurable, ironic journey….and I can’t wait to see what’s next…Ben Folds sings “My redneck past is nipping at my heels”…I never really understood that till now. The city is my muse, in all it’s industrial beauty! I feel more motivated to express myself then ever! I can walk and get basically anywhere, eat the best food….from a cart!
I get a new perspective on the world, and I really have more drive then ever to succeed at whatever I damn well feel at the moment! I do hate hair bleach though…so I guess the “neon” was a phase! I’m currently back in black and don’t plan on going back to the blondeside ever again. Ava is thriving…reading, writing, loving school and her new friends! Ari can walk, do a lil’ talking and jumped in the water at cannon beach…life is a beautiful journey and I’ve took the road that I was supposed to…now if only I can talk Jarom out of wanting to find a job in Bejing! Cheers….live in the moment, choose to be happy, we humans are amazingly adaptable creatures.
Super easy Asian slaw with homemade Tahini Dressing (Vegan and Gluten Free)
With summer just around the corner, I want to post some recipes that won’t interfere with our quest to look in swimming suits…of course they have to be delicious too! So here is my latest obsession. If there is one thing I have always hated it is store bought mayo. I don’t understand the appeal, it tastes like bland goo, it fattening, and it spoils at room temperature. Unless I am making my own fresh with olive oil I don’t use mayonnaise at all. So in lieu of mayo I usually always use a vinaigrette, but sometimes folks will complain that they miss the “creaminess” that mayo adds. The thing I’ve been obsessed with is tahini, it is often used in hummus, but lately I have been experimenting with it in other applications. Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds it is strong, nutty, and rich, almost like peanut butter, but is more easily blended with other flavors. It’s vegan and won’t spoil if you are serving it at room temperature. By itself tahini can be way too heavy and rich, but I was inspired by the Tahini garlic dressing at Whole foods and I bought a bottle….but at $3.99 for 8oz I wanted to find a way to make my own. Whole foods uses liquid aminos in theirs and nutritional yeast. I didn’t have either on hand so I subbed in soy sauce and used some siracha to spice it up. This recipe makes a ton and it is good in the fridge for a week or longer. I make my dressing in a big mason jar and use a hand held blender. Super easy, you can of course use blender.
1/2 cup Tahini
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic more or less to suit your taste
2 tbsp vinegar, cider is good, I had red wine and it worked great
3 tbsp soy
2 scallions chopped
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp sciracha
blend together until smooth, that is it! WARNING: This stuff is super addictive!
To make the slaw, I got a bag of slaw mix at the store and grated 1 cup of jicama mixed in 1/3 cup of the dressing. I added sesame seeds, cashews, cilantro, and some scallions. As delicious as this recipe is, it also just happens to be vegan, and depending on the soy you use can easily be gluten free! Try this recipe at your next pot luck! Summer is just around the corner and I hope you try this slaw in place of the usual mayo based variety!
15 minute Pad Thai
Have you ever ordered Pad Thai and ended up with a clumpy, soggy, orange mess? I have. This isn’t always the case but I have tried many a bad pad if you know what i’m sayin. There is the most amazing Thai cart downtown and they make great food on the cheap, we are talking $5 for fresh made, authentic food. I can’t always make it down there so I have started experimenting with my own version. Using and utilizing what is best of the season and using a stir fry technique it all comes together fast and with a little practice quite easily. Get familiar with your local Asian market, talk to the shop keep, get to know the products, research and then you can make a fast and easy meal for you and your family that is restaurant quality, without the extra salt, and expense
Vegan Red Lentil and Barley Soup
Well I am venturing into the unknown for me, VEGAN! I do cook some vegetarian dishes on meatless Mondays, but by most accounts I don’t cook vegan. Lately, I’ve been researching dairy and have cut most of it out of my diet (I am struggling with cheese and yogurt!) and I have noticed I feel better since avoiding milk, and Ice Cream, and going for non dairy options. The first story I remember hearing as a kid (and basically bi-monthly my entire life) was how as a baby I had a milk allergy, and my mom couldn’t feed me formula(she thinks nursing is for the clinically insane, she is a rather busty gal and found it impossible) or soy so I had to be on raw goats milk….she said I screamed for three months straight until she found the goat’s milk and honestly I found other things to scream about since then…haha, I do think that the American diet is too rich in dairy food, and that exploring non-animal calcium sources(almond milk is amazingly high in calcium) is something we all should do not only for health reasons but sustainibility, not meaning you stop dairy all together, but just reduce the amount.
10 cups veg stock or water or both or add some tomato juice, basically 10 cups of liquid that is tasty
1 cup pearl barley
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, you will notice I use these often to get a rich “meaty” taste
1 cup red lentils
1 large or two small potatoes I have russets I need to use up so that is what I’m using, they break up more in the soup so if you prefer you can use a waxier potato like yukon gold.
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 small roma tomatoes peeled and diced
1 Tbsp or to taste good salt free curry powder
1 jalepeno diced (I took out the ribs and seeds in mine, I have lil ones to feed)
a few sprig dried thyme, some flat leaf parsley and some thai basil, these are added at the end…mix and match what you have on hand.
2 Tablespoons soy
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
Method:
In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot cover your dried barley with water and add dried porcini bring to a boil and set aside. Prep all your veggies, add the lentils to the barley and cover with water, bring to a boil again then reduce to low and add stock, veggies, curry, and thyme. Simmer till lentils are nearly dissolved, add soy and vinegar. I finish mine with a drizzle of good olive oil, cracked pepper and crusty bread. Seriously delicious!
My Award winning Beef souvlaki recipe, 2008 Utah State fair blue ribbon winner!
My family history includes a lot of souvlaki, one of my first memories is sitting on the prep table at my parents restaurant/lounge in Ogden, UT watching my Mom season huge tubs of cubed pork or turkey. My mom isn’t actually Greek, she married one, so her recipe was perhaps a bit unorthodox for most traditional recipes. My Mom never made souvlaki with beef, she made it with elk, deer, what have you for all our Utah hunter bar patrons who would bring in their recent kill and have my Mom fix it in her special way. When I told my Mom that I was going to enter the 2008 beef cook off with a souvlaki recipe, she thought I was nuts…but in true competitive spirit I did anyway…and you know what? I won…a $300 prize, my largest prize to date.
This recipe is really easy and I noticed today at Costco I found prime yes “PRIME” grade cap sirloin, which whenever they have it is my favorite thing! $7.99 a pound this sirloin is a bargain, keep in mind it usually requires a bit of trimming and they are usually not a consistent size…which is perfect cuz I will be cubing it! So let’s get this party starrted shall we?
2 lbs cubed sirloin
1/4 cup good quality soy sauce
juice of one lemon or lime…I had a lime
a few drizzles olive oil
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon each sea salt, black pepper, granulated garlic (use two fresh cloves if you prefer)
2 Tablespoons flat leaf parsley
Mix in with the meat and marinate overnight or at least 30 minutes and skewer on bamboo skewers. I broiled mine in the oven for about five minutes, it was perfectly mid rare….you should never eat a prime cut more cooked then that…or don’t bother have a hamburger. HAHA! But seriously this is a very easy and delicious recipe, you can use this marinade on other meat as well, and I served my souvlaki with cous cous (seriously the easiest and tastiest starch out there) and some roasted asparagus since it is peak of asparagus season. If you use good ingredients you don’t need to be too fussy, just be straight forward and use good technique. Yassou!
Lock, Stock, and Pho Ga.
Who’s got a freezer full of chicken bones, some veg, a stock pot, and three hours? This gal! Yes that’s right I am making stock today. A basic chicken stock is a skill that imperative for the home cook. If you buy the box….we all have, its okay…you really lose out on all the flavor and money saving that can be utilized with this simple technique. There are plenty of good recipes out there, but as with most cooking it should become something you don’t need to look at a recipe for and that you can mix whatever you have on hand to make your own concoction. I have three rotisserie chicken carcasses I’ve kept in the freezer, some beet greens, a bag of pork trimmings, tops to some carrots, half a onion, 5 cloves of garlic, knob of ginger, celery hearts, green onions, thyme, green (tough) part of leeks…you see I used to watch Jaques Pepin’s PBS cooking show when I was young (the one where he cooked with his daughter, who was lacking in the skills department), one of the episodes he just went off on the most awesome tangent about utilizing everything in the kitchen, vegetable peelings, citrus peels, etc. It was awesome, and never has Jaques advice gone on deaf ears, just watching him was so inspiring to me and I basically learned that stock is way to get the flavor out of the inedibles and upcycle them into something that is awesome…STOCK! Depending on what you are going for you can switch ingredients as you see fit. I’m using my stock to make Pho Ga (chicken Pho) so I will adding star anise, fish sauce, a little palm sugar and a few other Vietnamese ingredients, if you are making more of a traditional stock you don’t need to make these additions. I am currently obsessed with Vietnamese cookery right now, so I am making mine in “Pho” style. 
Fill your stock pot with your ingredients….add cold water….put on stove over medium high…don’t boil it! Boiling makes your stock cloudy….you must adjust temp to keep at a consistent simmer. Keep an eye on it….skim any gross looking crud off the top…after three hours of this, drain and strain. I like to refrigerate mine overnight so that any remaining crud and fat rises to the top, solidifies, and can be easily removed (also note: Your stock should now have a soft set “Jello” like jiggle…that is collagen which is a good thing)…now its party time! 
Roasted Turkey BLTomato Jam
Awe the sandwich! What is more American? Everyone loves em’ and the sandwich can be suited to any taste. When making a sandwich the most important part is the ingredients, one of which is bread. I am using Franz’s Western Hazelnut bread…its amazing, and has all kinda of interesting seeds and things, also it is a local company! Next player in our sandwich is a whole roasted turkey breast! None of that pre-sliced, salt liquid stuff, real deal cut it yourself turkey breast! Bacon, nuff said, I’m going to use baby arugula as my “L” and for the “T” I am going to make a roasted tomato “jam”…I don’t really like raw tomatoes…something about the under ripe grocery store variety of my youth has turned me off on them. Many tomato jam recipes call for sugar…I will be leaving that out…basically I roast tomatoes with garlic and onions and mash it with a fork…presto! On a baking sheet lined with parchment, place 5 sliced vine ripe tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 1 onion or 2 shallots sliced, 2 springs of thyme, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. In a 375 degree oven cook “jam” ingredients for an hour, after an hour stir, then turn oven to 450 for about 10 minutes. Let cool,add 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar,mash with a fork…put in a mason jar…donzo. 
That is the hardest part…haha! While your tomatoes cook throw your bacon in on a sheet pan and cook for about 25 minutes or so (check often) when crispy, drain, set aside. Toast your bread (if you like it that way) and assemble! Easy and elegant! 
Look canned soup….it not me, it you! Vegetable beef barley, get outta that can and into my pan!
We’ve all done it….I was basically raised on the stuff, you might still have a can or two in the pantry right now…(horror movie suspense music..dun dun dun!) Canned soup! Those chubby lil’ Campbell’s soup kids staring at you…so cute, nothing unsavory could be lurking in that aluminium can…right? Wrong. In September 2012 a cancer advocacy group released a study that found Campbell’s soup cans to have the highest levels of BPA’s then any other soup brand. BPA (bisphenol A), a commonly used additive in food packaging, mimics human estrogen and is thought by some health advocates to be harmful to health, after a great deal of consumer backlash, Campbell’s never admitting any wrong doing, begrudgingly took BPA out of the can linings. Now if that isn’t enough for you let’s consider the sodium and quality issues….if you buy your own ingredients, you control what you and your family eat. Less processing means healthier and more nutrient dense product. Now if you know how to can at home this would be a great recipe to do that with…keep in your pantry and heat and eat your own soup anytime! The pan I made was so popular with my family that I didn’t have any left to store, kids love this soup! This recipe can also be altered for all diets with a change up in proteins or vegetables, I was chatting with a vegan mom on the playground the other day and we were discussing how in other cultures meat is condiment not the focus of a meal, this recipe is a great example of that concept. Shall we begin? I think we shall.
Mise en Place:
next in the mix goes your frozen veggies and a quart of good beef stock, or veggie, as long as its a good quality most varieties should work. Add your pre-cooked pearl barley (put 1 cup of barley in a rice cooker with 3 cups of water, I also like to add a few tablespoons of dried porcini mushrooms to add depth and flavor, also you could use porcini as your “meat” flavor if you wanna make this vegetarian)
Makes about 10 servings and as always use this technique to create your own favorites! This was the classic I wanted to upcycle and I’m sure if you try this you will have great results! Kick them Campbell’s kids to the curb!
Martha Stewart helped make me the person I am today! And why that is “a good thing”.
Damn that Martha Stewart! In the 90’s Martha Stewart was the prima culinary goddess of the mass media (t.v) with the burgeoning internet playing a role, she became a lifestyle brand superstar. She also did sometime for white collar crime…which gives her some thug cred…kinda cool. I recall watching her program and feeling like “who’s life is really that perfect?, Who’s biscuits are so golden?, who can cut paper and make a flower vase?” in other words inferior….I would sit and yearn for just a ounce of her organization skills, a pinch of her garden prowess, and her collection of cast iron. Martha’s homestead, ever so fabulous, with just a hint of shabby chic, who can forget her “Macgiver”-like repurposing skills! Of course I later realized that you can’t believe everything you see on T.V. and that she had 45 interns cutting paper and polishing her pans. Look at how food has become a pop culture interest, I think Martha Stewart was a big player in making the “homemaker” something that can be marketed and shared with others. Homemaking has become a interest and is taken seriously(look at the popularity of the homemaker blogs)! Home cook talent shows have become rather popular and being able to cook is viewed as a “cool” thing…I think a lil’ thanks for this should go to Martha…perfect bitch! Ha ha!