Jalapeno Popper White Bean Chili

Spring is such a tease.  I may not be very familiar with the concept of 'teasing' because I am not the most flirtatious person (unlike a certain, smiling spaghetti squash-sized baby flirting through the sonogram screen) but I can tell when I'm being teased with and spring is not being very subtle about it.  With just a couple 55+ degree days in the past month, and a high of 38 tomorrow (on March 25th), and the constant restoring/unstoring of my snow boots . . . I get it.  Spring is not to be trusted.  I only hope that in a month she will have proven me wrong and shown what a wonderful, magical season she can be before she hands the days off to the heat of summer.

Parallel these irritations with Duke's unfortunate early exit from the NCAA tournament on Friday (before 2:30 pm), and I am seeking comfort in some more hearty fare.  This chili is easy, full of fiber and protein, and incredibly filling.  I made this for a couple friends and their two-year-old son.  Everyone enjoyed it -- even the toddler.  He is a budding chef, I believe, because he took the chips and salsa I had put out as appetizers and dipped the chips in the chili.  Genius.  Future leftovers will be ladled profusely over a plate of tortilla chips, topped with crumbled bacon and sour cream -- then devoured in that manner.  

As with most slow cooker recipes, it makes a ton so hopefully, once you finish the leftovers, the temperatures outside will finally be a glimpse of the warmer months ahead.  

Jalapeno Popper White Bean Chili

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 yellow onion, medium, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 bell pepper, diced

1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

12 ounces dry white beans, picked through to remove any bad beans/stones and rinsed (I used white kidney beans -- very important to rinse these!)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces light cream cheese, cubed

1 cup frozen corn kernels

In a slow cooker, add all ingredients except the cream cheese and corn.  Cook on low for 7 - 9 hours (I actually ended up cooking mine for about ten - eleven hours and it was fine).  Remove the chicken and shred into pieces.  Return chicken to the slow cooker and stir in the cubed cream cheese and the corn. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted and the corn is cooked through.  Stir to make sure everything is incorporated.  Serve with desired toppings like sour cream, cheese, crumbled bacon, salsa, tortilla chips, etc.  

Thai Red Curry Chicken

I have some explaining to do. My regular posts of the last month or so have masked what has been a pretty crazy end of 2013 and beginning of 2014.   

Robbie re-aggravated a high school back injury in December that led to meetings with surgeons and neurologists and concluded with back surgery two weeks ago.  We’ve had epic amounts of snowfall and very cold temperatures daily so it made traipsing from Robbie’s hospital back to the apartment to his mom’s hotel where he stayed for a few nights  and finally back to the apartment last weekend a bit of an adventure.  Meanwhile, Robbie is on strict orders not to lift anything over 5 pounds or do any repetitive bending.  So I have been carrying his groceries, his overnight bag to/from hospital and dealing with Newt’s needs the past couple weeks (and for the next four) all while managing a body that is 4+-months pregnant. 

Yes, that’s right, we made it ‘official’ last week after we got the additional news that the baby is a girl (at least that’s what two doctors and an ultrasound technologist reported).  We are both in awe that we are bringing a being into this crazy life we live and that we get to introduce one of our favorite cities to this small person who, we hope, will find the magic in it as much as we do.  We find it even more surreal that we are having a daughter.  We were both a little apprehensive at first – ‘Is it better or worse to live in New York City with a baby girl?’ ‘Is the name we are leaning towards going to garner criticism from our New York peers?’  And for me, being a female myself, I remember all the self-esteem struggles of middle-school years (and even those issues that remain today) and wonder if I can be as supportive a mother as my own was and continues to be.   Plus this baby, if it arrives on time, will be a Leo.  Just like me.  Poor Robbie. 

Several things are known for sure though:

·      We are blessed to be experiencing this entire process and how the body just seems to know what it needs to do – with relatively few aches and pains.  I had minimal sickness and have been feeling relatively normal with the exception of some tighter pants.  Talk to me in July though during the throes of a New York City summer.

·      We are so excited to bring a little bit of Samuel-Mullinax blood into this world.  Twenty bucks says she’ll have dimples and a bit of wit.

·      This little girl, who we haven’t even met, is already so loved and obsessed over.  Her pictures already hang on the refrigerator and she is in our thoughts constantly.  I guess this starts the next ‘forever’ of worrying and thinking about her wellbeing.

·      The only odd pregnancy side effect was my aversion to sweets.  For the first couple of months I lost my sweet tooth and craved only salty and comforting things.  Chilis, soups, ramen bowls, etc. were all I wanted. That has since changed, which has greatly helped my daily sodium intake.

Due to this last point, and the fact that it is so cold out, Robbie and I have been exploring with more home-cooked meals.  We anticipate mealtimes will be an important part in rearing this child since, as you now, food is a pleasure for both of us and we hope to share that with her.  All signs at this point suggest Baby Girl Samuel has been enjoying them as well.

We made this dish for two reasons: Valentine’s Day and in honor of the news we will be having a baby girl -- a stretch, I know, but the coloring is more Team Pink than anything else, right?  The dish has gotten even better as each day passes as the flavors meld and merge into something a little more complex.  A fact, according to my mother, that can apply to parenthood.  Each stage of a child’s life is better than the one before it, as he or she grows, learns and develops.   I’ll be sure to report back over the next 18 years and let you know if I agree.

Thai Red Curry Chicken

Adapted slightly from Eat, Live, Run

1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tbsp coconut oil (I used refined)

3 cups coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water

3 tbsp red curry paste

2 baby bok choy, chopped

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 inch knob ginger, grated

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin discs

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp salt

cooked white rice

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add the chicken and stir, cooking until not quite cooked through. Add the curry paste and continue to sauté over high heat for another couple minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and water. Add the bok choy, bell pepper, snow peas and sweet potatoes. Bring curry to a boil (this took us a bit longer than expected.)  Reduce heat and simmer. Stir in the fish sauce, salt, lime juice and sugar. Continue simmering over medium/low heat until veggies are soft, about 8 – 10 minutes.

Serve in bowls over white rice.

Swiss Chard Casserole with Farfalle and Cheeses

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!  I hope you were able to do something civic-minded this long weekend (if you are getting a long weekend) even if it was just being kind to the opposing football teams’ fans regardless of whether your team won or lost.  As volunteer and human-rights oriented as MLK was, it is appropriate that he continues his legacy by giving us a three day weekend in January.  The man keeps on giving. 

We are gearing up in New York City for some football.  The Super Bowl teams are set and the Super Bowl-themed flags on light posts, along the side of city buses and in the subways are running rampant.  It is going to be interesting to see what the next two weeks bring us.  I promise that I will venture out to see what some of the festivities are and report back.  Either way, the weather looks like it will be a chilly one since we are hovering just below freezing for the next ten days it seems – and they are calling for six-ten inches of snow tomorrow. 

Because of the chill, I fear I’ve been inundating our dinners with soups, stews and chilis too much.  I forgot we may need to have something a tad more non-liquidy every once in awhile – you know, just to give our spoons a rest and our forks a chance to get in the game.

I found this recipe in the New York Times Cookbook (a favorite of mine) and, as expected, it did not disappoint.  It was easy to make and seemed appropriate for cold nights without making me go to bed with indigestion.  I tweaked it a bit but it came out just as I had hoped – the freshest pasta dish you can get before April when the farmers markets start being bountiful again.

Swiss Chard Casserole with Farfalle and Cheeses

Adapted from the Essential New York Times Cookbook

1 pound Swiss chard

extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, drained

½ pound farfalle

2 oz. goat cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more if needed

Start with the most time-consuming part of the recipe – rinse the Swiss chard, drain it, remove it from the stems and chop it fine.  (I ended up just tearing it with my fingers because I found I worked faster that way.)  Heat a swirl of oil in a deep-ish skillet over medium heat.  (You want it deep because you have a lot of chard that takes up a lot of room before it wilts.) Add the onion and sauté until tender.  Chop your shallot.  Stir in the garlic, chopped shallot and tomatoes.   Stir to incorporate and to ensure there isn’t too much liquid from the tomatoes. Add the chard and cook for about 8 minutes, until the chard has wilted.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the farfalle until al dente, according to the package suggestions.  Drain the pasta when done.   Dump the chard into a casserole dish (mine was a little smaller than a 9 x 13 dish) and stir in the goat cheese and half the Parmesan.  Fold in the farfalle and mix with the chard mixture.  Once incorporated, sprinkle the top of the casserole with Parmesan cheese and bake about 15 – 20 minutes until heated.  Serve with more Parmesan cheese if wanted. 
 

Zucchini and Lentils with Prosciutto

I knew I could count on September to bring me crisp mornings, cool breezes and sparkling views of the East River from my office windows.  And apparently a 96-degree day thrown in just as a reminder of how this month, just like its previous brethren, can produce a scorcher or two.  Well played, September.  

But before we kiss summer goodbye, I have one more warm weather-ish recipe for you.  I like it as a transitional piece -- like a good montage in a movie. Or like your basic navy blazer.  The lentils make me think of hearty fare while zucchini screams overflowing-garden-bounty and the prosciutto says . . . well the prosciutto confirms that pretty much anything is better with prosciutto. 

So if football was on your tv for 75% of the last six days even though the weather outside was over 80 degrees, if you are pairing boots with shorts, or if you have had your first fall beverage of choice from Starbucks but broke a sweat just holding it; stand proud and enjoy this dish.  Because it glows in summer freshness but has a hint of the promise that is to come - which is pumpkin.  Lots and lots of pumpkin.

Zucchini and Lentils with Prosciutto

Adapted from Tender

For the Salad

3 Medium Zucchini

3/4 cup, small, dark green lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil

a handful of chopped parsley

4 ounces of prosciutto 

For the dressing

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove of minced or chopped garlic

Slice the zucchini into disks as thinly as you can make them while still keeping them fairly sturdy.  Mine were probably a couple centimeters in thickness.  Put them in a colander with a sprinkling of salt and set aside to drain for at least twenty minutes.  Rinse your lentils and pick over any that seem a bit out-of=sorts.  Cook your lentils by boiling them in water until tender but keep a bit of a bite.  Drain them and set aside.  Make the dressing by mixing the vinegars, oil and garlic together with a dash of salt and pepper.  Once the lentils are drained, toss them with the dressing and cover.  Rinse the zucchini and saute them in a pan with the olive oil until they start to brown here and there (I tend to not cook mine very long for whatever reason).  Sprinkle everything with parsley as you see fit.

Cast-Iron Pork Pie

One week ago when I was home in North Carolina for my nephew John’s 5^th birthday and to snuggle with this angel, the temperature was 75 degrees.  Right now?  It is 34 degrees outside in New York City and they are calling for snow on Monday.  Somewhere, someone is enjoying some lemony pasta with peas and goat cheese or some rhubarb cake.  But not here. 

I’m still stuffing myself with hearty dishes like this Cast-Iron Pork Pie from the cookbook of my new-most-favorite-daytime-TV show, The Chew.  Yes, it is pretty much the only daytime TV show I know about but when I go to the gym during my lunch break I get to watch it.  The prospect to watch the show is the only reason I have consistently(ish) gone to the gym this past year.  My workout routine consists of moving only my legs on the elliptical machine while I read/watch TV – so basically a minor step up from 85% of the rest of my life.  This is, after all, my second straight post about a TV show.

Whereas most daytime shows are talking heads, these are multi-tasking heads – primarily in the kitchen.  The show has five hosts - Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall, Mario Batali, Michael Symon and Daphne Oz.  And they all bring something different to the table (ha!).  They force their celebrity guests to be the assistant in the kitchen and share recipes, even if the celebrities admit they just order take out most of the time.

 

This recipe is from Michael Symon—the meat lover of the group. You can make it vegetarian by substituting some hearty veggies like eggplant or winter squash.  (Oh, you don’t have eggplant in your store anymore?  I’ll ship you some.) Already the recipe has kale, onion and celery but it is still quite porky – and not in the movie sense.      

Cast-Iron Pork Pie

Adapted from The Chew Cookbook

½ pound bacon, medium diced

2 pounds ground pork

2 large onions

2 cups kale, roughly chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Large pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup aged Cheddar, grated

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a cast-iron skillet, brown the diced bacon and pork.  I just bought a ½ pound pack of sliced bacon and cut the bacon with some kitchen shears over the pan so the dices fell directly into the pan.  Then all you have to do is discard the (now cut-up) package the bacon was in.  Once the meat is browned set aside.  To the skillet, add onions, kale, celery, garlic, cinnamon, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Let sit for 4-5 minutes then add the meat back into the pan with a splash of water.  Mix the ingredients together and add the parsley, mixing once more.  Turn the heat off and spread your mashed potatoes over the mixture. Sprinkle this with the cheddar cheese and bake 15-20 minutes until golden. 

Beef and Sausage Stew

Another cold spell is coming!  Now that we are in the middle of February, I am making sure to milk all these cold days for what they are worth.  After last week's snowfall (9.5 inches!) and Sunday's high temperature expected to be below freezing, I am living it up. Before I know it I'll see nothing but double-digit numbers that begin with 8 or 9 in the forecast with equally as dismal humidity and air pressure numbers.  (I watch a lot of "Wake up with Al.")  And I'll be reminded of how gross the human body can be when one doesn't take a shower three times a day like I do between the months of May and October.

Speaking of how gross the human body is, apparently they get very disgusting on a cruise ship that's lost all power and is floating through the Gulf of Mexico.  Probably not the greatest vacation ever but I bet there was never a group of people more excited to see Mobile, Alabama in recent history.  Other wacky news includes the meteor that HIT. EARTH.  I should note that I am not, in any way, an expert on astral things other than my obsession with Van Morrison's Astral Weeks album but, knowing how big the universe allegedly is, this story scares the beejezus out of me.   Now I have to add 'meteor' to my 'things-to-watch-out-for' list when I walk out of my house every day.

Oh, and Duke beat UNC in basketball this week.  This was neither wacky, nor unexpected but I wanted to make sure I included it.

So let's have some stew!  This stew has half a dozen types of meat in it.

Not really, just two - but they are two substantial meats. Although it was delicious, I would leave out one of these next time and save my arteries the agony.  I would also use precooked sausage (as the recipe calls for but which I failed to notice).  I used homemade sausage that had not been cooked and this certainly added a richness to the stew that is probably not expected when you follow the original directions.  And in typical winter weather fashion, this is a slow cooker recipe.  

It will be a sad day when I put it up for the season.  Side note - I spy Newt.  

Beef and Sausage Stew

Adapted from Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-puprose flour, divided

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 can (16 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice, undrained

3 red potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced

1 cup chopped leek

1 1/3 cup sliced white mushrooms (I added these, the original recipe called for a chopped onion)

4 ribs celery, sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons water

Put 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper in a large sealable bag.  Shake so it is well mixed.  Add beef.  Shake again until beef is coated with flour mixture.  Put beef in your slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients except the 2 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of water.  stir well.  Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 12 hours or on high 4 to 6 hours.  One hour before serving, remove the lid and skim of any excess fat should you have used uncooked sausage (like I did).  Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with the 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.  Stir until becomes a paste.  Add the paste to the stew and mix well.  Cover.  Turn slow cooker to High and cook until thickened.  

Thai Coconut Lentils

I love weekends.  Adding an extra day makes them even better.  I start them off with a list of all the things I want to accomplish and then, inevitably, I end the weekend on Monday night watching the Bachelor  and thinking about how I only marked off a quarter of what I had planned.  Let's hope I at least spend some time watching the Inauguration (or at least the assessment of Sasha and Malia's outfit choices) and do something for humankind in honor of MLK Jr. Day.  

Speaking of The Bachelor.  I am extremely excited about this season.  I have been a loyal viewer of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise since Season 2.  I watched through college when my older and wiser sorority sisters would have viewing parties of the show and explain this is how not to go about getting a guy and then have kept watching over 20 seasons later.  I remember every moment on this list like it was yesterday and I loyally follow many of my favorite contestants as they continue to make their way through life.  Except Jason.  I am still hurt about that one. 

You may wonder why I'm talking about my dedication like it's something I'm proud of.  I will remind you that I can't make it through a weekend to-do list so 25 seasons of a tv show is pretty impressive. 

Granted, the show is incredibly entertaining.  It's a great mixture of hot and spicy romance with sweet and tender moments.  And then the contestants themselves are often a train wreck which makes all of us look better.  I make Robbie watch it so he knows how lucky he is.  And then I feed him this dinner.  Perfectly appropriate for your next Bachelor viewing party.  It is hot and spicy from the curry and pepper while sweet and tender from the coconut milk and sweet potatoes.  Maybe it could be the next contestant on the Bachelor.  Someone get Chris Harrison on the phone.  

Thai Coconut Lentils

Adapted from Pinch of Yum via Tasty Kitchen

1 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ heads green cabbage, chopped

3 cups cubed sweet potatoes

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoons salt

1 can Coconut Milk, 14 ounce

1-½ Tablespoon Green Curry paste 

½ cups Crushed Peanuts For Topping

Rinse your lentils well to avoid any gritty taste in the final product.  Cook the lentils in a pot of boiling water until soft, for about 45 minutes. Drain the water and set  lentils aside. While lentils are cooking, saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the cabbage and stir fry until the cabbage begins to soften.   If you would like more cabbage, you can add it here.  The cabbage gives this dish a lot of heft.  Remove from heat and set aside (or add to the bowl of lentils – everything will be added back into the pan momentarily).  Add a little more oil to the pan and add the sweet potato. Season with the cayenne, chili powder, and salt—or any other seasonings you like. Add the coconut milk and simmer the squash for 8-10 minutes or until soft but not mushy. Add the green curry paste and stir until mixed in with the coconut milk.  Add the cooked cabbage and lentils to the squash and gently stir to combine. Top each bowl with chopped peanuts if you desire.

Edamame Chicken Stir-fry

Christmas is one week away!  The city is decked out. Presents are bought and shipped.  The kitchen at work is overflowing with deliciousness from colleagues and vendors.  Our Christmas Tree is filled with holiday cards.  In light of recent events, we are using this time to appreciate what we have and not what we don't have -- something we should do more often.  We are very lucky in our fifth floor two-by-four 'pent house.'

Newt feels otherwise.  We have been waging a three-week battle because the placement of our Christmas tree required that we move Newt's litterbox four inches to the left.  Apparently this has shattered Newt's world and he is agitated and will stand in the litter box and meow and do things that require Lysol and an entire roll of paper towels.  (I'll stop there since a food blog is not the venue for this story).  Our counter-insurgency method was to just move his litter box entirely.  Away from the tree.  And into the fireplace.  Incredibly, he seems to have calmed down.  Apparently Newt's middle name is Scrooge.  And let's hope Santa knows we will be in Virginia for Christmas and doesn't try to come down our chimney.

For the sake of not having three straight cookie posts, I decided to throw in a savory recipe.  Even though it is December and I usually live off of cookies, chocolate, and Red & Green M&Ms the entire month, I will need some protein in some form other than nougat.  This recipe is quick to throw together and you can personalize it according to your preferences.  Don't like Snap Peas?  Leave them out.  Add zucchini instead.  Don't like Chicken?  Use shrimp.  Or pork.  

Or nougat.

Edamame Chicken Stir-fry
Adapted from Devilicious!  A cookbook by Newton-Conover High School Alumni
For more information on this book, check out my friend and fellow-blogger's post about it here.  Side note: This was one of her recipes in the book.  Thanks Sharon!

1/8 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry wine
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 packet Splenda
8 oz. chicken breast, sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil (I used light)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 c. frozen edamame
2 c. snow peas
1 c. mushrooms
1 c. shredded carrots

Combine hoisin sauce, sherry wine, rice vinegar and Splenda in a Ziploc bag.  Add chicken to the bac and let it sit for 30 minutes.  Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a skillet and add chicken.  Cook until just done, then remove.  Heat remaining teaspoon of the oil in the skillet.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook for just a minute.  Add vegetables and stir-fry for several minutes until desired tenderness.  Add reserved chicken with any extra marinade you have and cook through until hot.  Serve with rice.  

Coconut and Basil Steamed Mussels

How are we feeling? Have we eaten enough the last few days?  I know I have.  I started eating at a Thanksgiving pace on Veteran’s Day so I should probably get it together before the onslaught of Christmas.

Here’s an easy, light dinner for you (me).

I was pretty nervous about cooking mussels.  My previous experiences with non-shrimp seafood dishes had turned out well (here and here) but I was still anxious.  What if I can't tell if they are open or not and I butcher the 'throw-away-any-mussels-that-don't-open' rule?  What is this debearding business?  How strict is the rule about soaking them in water to remove any salt water?  And so it went. I even planned this dish around vacations.  I purposefully waited until all travelling was over for a bit before making these because I didn't want to cause a bout of food poisoning for Robbie or me.  Bless my heart.

Once we - (let's be honest, this was my paranoia) - once, I figured out the perfect timing to prepare the meal, I ignored my fears that had been harboring (ocean reference!).  I didn't do any debearding as I didn't see anything that seemed to need any debearding and I didn't soak any mussels in water.  Just a quick rinse turned out to be ok for my batch of mollusks.  And, those little suckers are pretty transparent.  This may come as a shock to you, but I could clearly tell the open mussels from the closed ones and was able to throw the latter out accordingly.  

And it's been some time now and no one has gone to the hospital.  I'd say we narrowly escaped that one.  

Coconut and Basil Steamed Mussels

Adapted from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/4 cup shallots, minced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup light coconut milk

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 pound of mussels, scrubbed and debearded (if indeed, you see beards)

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.   (Side note – I love any recipe that lets me use my Dutch oven.)  Add oil to pan. Add shallots and garlic and cook until tender.  Tear your basil.  Stir in coconut milk, water, chicken broth, newly-torn basil, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce and Sriracha.  Bring this mixture to a boil.  Add your mussels to the Dutch oven and cover.  Cook about five minutes or until shells are open. Discard any unopened shells – whether or not they are open will be very clear to you.

Divide mussels between 2 serving bowls and keep warm. Bring broth mixture to a boil once more and cook for five more minutes.  Divide sauce over each bowl (or until you have your desired amount – it makes a lot of sauce).  Serve with a chunky piece of bread because I hear that is what you do with mussels in order to soak up the delicious sauce.  Rice would also work.  

Pork and Rosemary Stuffed Peppers

I remember the day I discovered the Game Show Network.  I spent hours watching back to back episodes of retro Press your Luck (No Whammies!), Super Password (with that creepy whisper-y voice) and Family Feud (I enjoy episodes featuring all four hosts).  I then introduced the channel to my grandmother, and we would watch the shows together after school.  I am not sure she enjoyed this as much as I did, but she was a good grandmother and humored me.

My favorite shows were the winning combo of $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids.  A quick run through of how this one worked in case you were doing more important things between the years of 1973 and 1988:  two contestants are paired up with two celebrities (usually the most popular soap opera actor at the time) and a category is chosen by each pair.  Words or phrases associated with that category are described by one player, without saying the word, and the other partner has to name the word being described.  Each word guessed correctly equals a point.  The non-celebrity player with the most points win.  An example of a category could be "Twinkle, Twinkle" and then a clue would be "Something in the sky" and the answer would be "Little Star!" but it has to be yelled enthusiastically and in a staccato-like fashion.  You would now have one point and would go on to guess things like "Your child's eyes," "Christmas lights," etc. -- all from clever clues your partner shouts at you. 

I used to play along by turning my back to the TV so I couldn't see the word printed at the bottom and try to guess it before the actual players in the studio could.  I'm sure my grandmother found this just precious.  

When I made this recipe, I thought about how timely it was considering these peppers are stuffed just like turkeys and stockings and other holiday items like my festive skinny jeans (particularly stuffed after all the food I eat).  This made me naturally start shouting random words to Robbie like "Thanksgiving turkeys!", "Christmas Stockings!", "Bell Peppers!" until he got up and left the room.  If only he could have heard the game show theme playing in my head and he would have realized the appropriate response would have been "Things that are stuffed!"  But not everyone spent a large percentage of the afternoons during their youth watching the Game Show Network.  Their loss.  Literally -- Robbie has zero points in this game.

Pork and Rosemary Stuffed Peppers

From Nigel Slater's Tender

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 bushy sprigs of rosemary

2 large tomatoes, chopped

12 ounces chopped pork

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

5 - 6 medium sized bell peppers

Freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a pot of water to boil. While water is boiling, cut your peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white parts.  Drop your peppers in batches into the boiling water and boil until slightly limp, about six minutes.  Set pepper halves onto a baking sheet, skin side down.  Pour oil into a saute pan and saute your onion until softened. Remove the stems from the rosemary leaves and chop. Add the minced garlic and rosemary to the onion mixture until soft and fragrant. Stir the tomatoes into the mixture.  Cook for another few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the minced pork and breadcrumbs.  Cook for a few more minutes until the pork is slightly browned.  Remove from the heat.  Divide the mixture into all the pepper halves.  Drizzle with olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.  Cook for 35 minutes or until desired doneness.   

Chocolate Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

When Robbie and I got married, some of my favorite gifts were recipes that were collected at bridal showers and given as gifts during the wedding festivities.  This recipe was one of those and came from a dear family friend (Hi, Ms. Wicklin!) who is both a talented artist and a fantastic art teacher.  She is one of those family friends who you get to know through your parents and as you get older, you continue to refer to them as Mr. or Ms. and they continue to insist that you call them by their first name but you just can't do it because you refuse to admit you are a contemporary of other adults.  Maybe that's just me.  

This recipe was ideal for our apartment living since we don't have a grill but we do have a fantastic grill pan.  We also do not have a good circulation system in our apartment as the moment I threw this flank steak onto the pan, those spices created some impressive fumes that led to a major coughing fit.  I realized my mistake was using chili chipotle powder instead of ancho chili powder and did not thoroughly mix the spices and marinade. First time marinating meat.  Rookie mistake.  This led to a steak that did not have equal disbursement of the flavors and created bites that were much more fire-y than others.  The cocoa actually helped meld the spice out which was an unexpected outcome.    

Luckily, we used Newt as our 'canary in the coal mine' and since he didn't keel over from the spicy air, I knew we were going to be ok.  Even if we did eat it over by the open window.  The salsa in this recipe was a winner.  The fresh tang of the pineapple complemented the heat of the steak perfectly and the avocado added a buttery texture to the sometimes tougher flank steak cut.  

Chocolate Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa
From the Kitchen of Ms. Wicklin

4 tbs. white wine vinegar
2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. ancho chili powder (or chipotle chili powder if you want a spicier, smokier flavor)
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
2 lbs. flank steak

Mix the vinegar, cocoa powder, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. When thoroughly mixed, pour the mixture into a plastic, resealable bag. Add the flank steak. Refrigerate for one to two hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade and discard left over marinade. Using a grill pan, cook over medium high heat – about 4-6 minutes on each side. If you are using a smaller flank steak, the time should be adjusted to 2-5 minutes. Make a small cut into the middle of the flank steak to get a sense of how done it is. Leave on longer if you prefer a more well-done steak.

Pineapple Salsa

1 whole pineapple, peeled and diced
1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tbs. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving with the flank steak.