Butternut Squash Soup

I’ve been lacking in my picture-taking lately, but don’t worry life is more exciting than ever. I received a promotion at work, which means I can now travel! And I’ll be hosting events a lot more frequently. In fact, I hosted a happy hour at Macao this week, which is an awesome venue with a crazy cocktail menu. In fact, it’s more of a cocktail book. I ordered the Yellow Fever #2 by the way.

Last weekend I started the party off at Arthur’s for a double date. I had never been there before, but really enjoyed the atmosphere. The menu is a bit meat-heavy for me but the company was more than enough to make up for it. I spent Saturday catching up on chores and running errands in the city (visited the Union Square market for the first time in quite a while). On Sunday Sam and I did our own bar crawl for the first half of the Broncos game. We started at Louise and Jerry’s on Washington. Cozy, not crowded, overall we really enjoyed it. But we went to Moran’s for the second quarter and agreed it was the winner. There were more windows and the scene was more lively. The crowd was quite mixed too, which made the atmosphere more fun. At halftime we headed to Sam’s place to get dinner started. On the menu: butternut squash soup and a chopped salad (made by me earlier). We worked together to create the base, then Sam worked his magic with the spices. So good! I won’t post a recipe since I don’t know quite what Sam threw into the pot for flavor, but our technique was solid. We simply chopped up a large butternut squash, one baking potato, and one onion to saute in a large soup pot. Once the veggies started browning we added just enough water to cover the top, chicken base, and Sam’s secret spices (I know he included some sort of pepper and marjoram). We watched the last quarter of the game while everything simmered and the flavors melded together. Finally, we sent it through the blender until smooth and devoured! It was the perfect dinner for a snowy football Sunday.

Veggie Stew

I’m back! And with a bit of a recipe too! I’ve been quite busy moving (new apartment in Hoboken), working, and making my way around NYC. I finally feel settled into my new apartment and was in the mood to cook a big pot of stew for the week. Soups and stews are so tasty and comforting, but not difficult to throw together. Here’s what I did:

Vegetable Stew

Half yellow onion

1 Sweet potato

1 peeled eggplant

1 zucchini

1.5 bell peppers

1/4 cup lentils

Large can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes

Normal can of chicken stock

salt, Italian spices, cumin

     Start by cooking the lentils, but remove them from the heat just before they become al dente. The stew simmers for quite a while, so don’t worry because the lentils will have plenty of time to finish cooking. In a large pot saute your veggies in the following order; onion, sweet potato, eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper. I just chop and add as I go. After everything is in the pot and browning away I added a good pinch of salt, Italian seasoning (I just used a blend that I have on hand), and a small sprinkle of cumin. Once the veggies are good and brown (and there are brown bits on the bottom of the pan) add your tomatoes, chicken broth, and lentils. Of course, add more seasoning if you need it too. Now here’s the hard part. You have to let it simmer for at least 45 minutes. The longer it simmers the more the flavors meld together and everything cooks down to really become a stew. So freaking good!

In other news, it’s supposed to snow here on Tuesday. Luckily, my puffy coat, snow boots, and stew are ready to go.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Fudge Brownies

I experimented in the kitchen last night and had success! No photos because I forgot. Oops. But, both dishes were really tasty and got two thumbs up from both parents. Here it goes:

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2 baking potatoes (cubed)

Florets from 1 large cauliflower

1 onion, chopped

Chicken broth (enough to just reach the top of the veggies)

2 cups almond milk

poultry seasoning

salt & pepper

oregano

Ready for this? Simply add everything to a large soup pot and let it come up to a simmer. Allow everything to cook for about 30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Then use a blender or immersion blender to mix everything together. I left a few chunks of potato and cauliflower for fun. When serving, use cheese and bacon crumbles as a garnish.

Chobani Brownies

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg ( or Egg beaters)

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt

Chocolate chips

Start by creaming the sugar, cream cheese, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Lastly, stir in chocolate chips or any other desired mix-ins. Bake for 18 minutes on 350 degrees. These brownies are very fudgey and  delicious!

Race Weekend

Race weekend is here! Tomorrow I’m waking up before the sun to run 13 miles around Athens with around 2,000 other dedicated runners. Surprisingly, I’m not nervous, just excited. Since I made my goal time last year I’m simply going to focus on having fun and enjoying the new course (no more crazy hills!). I realized that I haven’t taken many pictures this week, so I’ll post what I do have.

I made a big pot of vegetable soup while I was home on Saturday and brought the few leftovers back to Athens with me. For dinner on Tuesday I bulked it up with some more veggies and broth. Note to self: make more soup.

I picked up my graduation tickets on Tuesday- so weird! Luckily the job hunt is starting to make some progress. I’m so ready to get the show on the road.

This little gem was given to me in my human sexuality class. Makes me laugh!

Overall, this week ended up being one of the best I’ve had in a long time. I received good news on the job front, cooked some good meals (and pumpkin bread!), and watched plenty of “How I Met Your Mother”. Addicted to that show. Today I’m running errands before heading to the runners expo, then having some friends over for a Hocus Pocus viewing. I’ll post tomorrow after the race. Wish me luck!

 

Irony

Want to hear something ironic? It’s a bit of a story, but here I go. I had to go to the main Scripps office in midtown today for orientation, but I arrived super early. What do you do in midtown when you have an hour to kill? Go to the Today Show! Guess who was there?! Bobby Flay and Giada! I couldn’t help but laugh to myself that my first celebrity chef sighting occurred at the Today Show and not the Food Network. I did spot someone at the office today, but I’m keeping it a secret. It wouldn’t be fun if I gave away everything.

Anyway, I’m officially a Food Network intern! By that I mean my first day of work was yesterday. Everyone is so incredibly nice and I even met one of my marketing idols today. They kept me pretty busy, which I love. And I get to run errands all over the office which is nice. Except I kinda got stuck in an elevator today, but I don’t worry, I eventually made my way out.

After work I met two friends in Chinatown for dinner. I’m really getting the hang of this whole subway thing. So convenient and efficient. Atlanta, you need to catch up. Here’s a picture of the Pi Phis before Paige joined us.

For dinner I ordered Mushroom and Vegetable Soup with Rice noodles. So comforting and delicious, especially since my dad got me hooked on mushrooms.

Now I’m just chilling and playing with some S.W.A.G. that I got today. I can’t believe I get to see my cousins again on Saturday! Three cheers for New York!

Mini Vacation

Whenever my parents come to Athens for a visit, it makes the day feel like a mini vacation. Pi Phi had Daddy/Daughter weekend on Friday and Saturday, so my dad came up to spend the day with me. We actually ended up not going to any Pi Phi events, but we had a great time anyway. He arrived around lunchtime, so we promptly made our way to Big City Bread to grab a bite. I had only been here once before (with my mom late at night last year), so experiencing it on a Saturday afternoon was a new experience. We both quickly decided on the manhattan clam chowder once we realized it was the soup of the day. I grabbed a nice booth while he put in our orders and the soup was served soon after.

This soup was delicious! I loved the big chunks of veggies and clams because it made the meal much heartier. The focaccia served on the side was delicious too. We both polished off our bowls, then returned to my apartment to park the car. We walked around downtown and stopped by Yoforia so my dad could see the new location. We split a small cup of dark chocolate and strawberry yogurt. The sun felt so good that we decided to eat outside and walk around some more. Later on that day we stopped by the Pi Phi house, then made our way to the Terrapin Brewery for the tour and beer tasting. Here are some pics from the tour:

I would definitely recommend the tour because it was free and I learned a lot about the company. The actual tasting area is pretty cool too. Everything is inside of the warehouse and there is also an outdoor area that would be perfect for the summer. On our way out we ran into my roommates, who were celebrating a birthday. I felt bad that I couldn’t hang out with them, but my dad and I had to make our way to meet up with people for dinner at Trapeze.

We eventually found a parking spot downtown then met my best friend and her dad for dinner. I ordered the chopped salad while my dad got the reuben. Everyone enjoyed their meal and agreed that we would definitely visit again. Unfortunately, my dad had to head back soon after dinner, so my friends, Colleen and Chris came to hang out with me. We watched The Help (fantastic movie!). I had such a fantastic day and am thankful for having such a wonderful dad and great friends.

 

Just Like Giada

What a lazy, rainy day it’s been. My Saturday started with an early workout and a semi-family lunch at the Last Resort. Love that place! I ordered the Southwestern Grazer salad, which is a bed of romaine topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and black bean relish, carrots, and avocado. Delicious! The rest of the afternoon was spent cooking, studying, and cleaning. For dinner I decided to put together some vegetarian chili. I made it for my mom last time I was home and haven’t been able to get it out of my head. The thunderstorms outside convinced me that it truly was meant to be a chili night. I cranked up the Pavarotti Pandora station and cooked myself a giant pot of comfort

Vegetarian Chili

1/4 onion

1/2 eggplant

1 sweet potato

1 squash

1 bell pepper

1 cup mushrooms

small handful of seitan

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans diced tomatoes

chili powder

ground cumin

salt

pepper

I always start by sautéing the onion and adding the sweet potato shortly after. Once the onions are translucent I add the vegetables in the order that they take to cook. You can use whatever you have on hand, so I listed my inventory above. I also like to add corn and zucchini when I have them. Once all of the vegetables are cooked, add the seitan and spices to taste. I always add the chili powder and cumin until the chili taste is strong enough for me. I also add in other spices like oregano and blackened seasoning when I have them. Add the tomatoes and black beans, then stir the mixture together and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. The flavors will meld together and you’ll be left with a comforting bowl of chili that is also great for you!

Before digging into my bowl of chili, I had a small salad as an appetizer.

Finally, the star of the show:

My laundry is almost done and my homework is complete. I have an exciting week ahead of me, which means I’ll hopefully have some good stuff to post later.  😉

The New Golden Three

When I was home during the break, my dad and I usually split dinner duty. He’s always coming up with new combinations that I would never think of. One of my new favorites is his stir fry. Usually he includes bok choy, water chestnuts, and other delicious veggies. But the secret is in the sauce. He combines lemon juice, worcestershire, and soy sauce in the pan while the veggies cook. I’ve used the sauce for two days in a row now and it’s delicious every time. I was going to take a picture of dinner, but completely forgot. At least I snapped my lunch. I made a tomato soup with diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and some spices. Perfect for a rainy day.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

A week from today I’ll be back at school. I can’t believe how fast the last three weeks flew by. I definitely need to savor this last bit of my break. I started the day by going to Atlanta Fitness to do some time on the elliptical. Upon my return home, I gathered the ingredients to make seitan and got busy. Just in case you don’t know, seitan is a meat substitute that is made from wheat gluten. It’s loaded with protein and works in most meat dishes.

Seitan

1 cup vital wheat gluten

3/4 cups broth

2 tbsp liquid aminos

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garlic powder

Additional broth to poach seitan dough

Start by combining the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, then knead for a few minutes. Let sit for five minutes and knead some more. Next, break the dough into 3 pieces and try to flatten out each one. Add the dough pieces to the broth and simmer for about an hour. That’s it! And it worked pretty well.

After lunch I ran some errands with my mom, then went back to Atlanta Fitness for some yoga. It was a great class and was almost completely full. The first 30 minutes focused on strength and the last 30 minutes focused on stretching. My dad requested chicken tortilla soup for dinner, so I created a wonderful recipe that is now his favorite. I am now a soup master!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 large cans chicken broth

1/2 onion

1 tsp minced garlic

3 chicken breasts

fajita seasoning

4 stalks celery

1 can shoepeg corn with chipotle

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 roma tomatoes

1 handful fresh cilantro

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

generous pinch dried oregano

generous sprinkle ground cumin

avocado (optional)

brown rice (optional)

Start by adding the onion and minced garlic to a large pot. Then add the chicken breasts with the fajita seasoning and put a lid on the pot. Chop the celery and add to the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it and allow it to cool. In the meantime, add the chicken broth, corn, black beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and finely chopped chipotle peppers. Shred the chicken into large pieces and add back to the soup along with the oregano and cumin. Bring the mix up to a strong simmer, then turn the heat down low. Serve with avocado and brown rice.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My dad makes the best chicken noodle soup in the world and that’s a fact. Over the years I closely watched him work his magic in the kitchen in hopes that I too would one day become a soup master. He came down with a cold this week, which meant yesterday was the perfect time to try out my chicken noodle skills. I arrived home from work, went to the gym, then rushed to the store to get my missing ingredients. Egg noodles. Check. Chicken broth. Check. Chicken. Not quite. I got up to the register and realized that the chicken breast was actually $9. I looked at the wrong price. Oh well. I would still make chicken noodle soup somehow.

Chicken Noodle Soup

5 stalks of celery

4 carrots

poultry seasoning

pepper

large can of chicken stock

3 cups water

egg noodles

barley

already cooked chicken breast (I used leftover chicken from the night before)

parmesan cheese

oregano

Start by browning the chopped carrots and celery in the soup pot with some pepper and poultry seasoning. Once the veggies are soft, add the chicken broth, water, egg noodles, and barley. Let the mixture come up to a slow boil, then lower the heat down to just keep it warm. Chop the leftover chicken and add it to the soup with a few sprinkles of parmesan cheese and oregano. It’s great to make a big batch so that you have the leftovers throughout the week.

I made my eggnog poundcake for work last week and have been wanting to bake something else ever since. So, tonight I tried an almond lime glaciers recipe except I used clementine zest instead of lime zest. Still turned out yummy, and I got a picture too!