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Archive for March 14th, 2009

I made a special dinner tonight for Ted and myself, courtesy of Dave Lieberman from the FoodNetwork recipes.  For Ted, I made Braised Hoisin Beer Short Ribs with Cabbage and Sesame Snow Peas.  For myself, I made sauteed Hoisin Scallops with Cabbage and Sesame Snow Peas. 

Joanne's St. Patricks Celebration Dinner

Joanne's St. Patricks Celebration Dinner

 I made Irish Soda Bread to complement and a great dessert as a grand finale. We also used Dave Lieberman’s recipe for Silky Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps.  I did make some adjustments but basically followed his recipes.

Irish Soda Bread:

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Using a bread maker, mix together  3/4 cup soy milk +1 TBS malt vinegar (or use 3/4 c Buttermilk if you prefer). Add that to the bread maker bowl and continue to add the following: 1 egg(slightly beaten) + 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds + 2 cups bread flour + 1/4 cup sugar + 1 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/4 tsp salt + 1/2 cup raisins + 1 TBS yeast.  Set on Sweet bread or cake cycle (about 2 1/2 hours).

If you make the ribs, start them about 4 hours ahead.  For that recipe, go to this link for Dave Lieberman’s recipe.  That link will actually give you this menu except for the Soda Bread, Cabbage, Scallops and dessert.

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Silky Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps.  I used 1 head of cauliflower, EVOO, 1/2 an onion-chopped, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 Qt. Vegetable Broth, 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  1 cup grated parmesan for the crisps.

To make the crisps, preheat oven to 350.Spread 1 cup grated parm on a foil lined baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. After letting cool 5 minutes, break in to pieces. Serve with the soup.

To make the soup, chop your cauliflower, discarding the hard inner core and green leaves. Saute the 1/2 onion and garlic for about 3 minutes in EVOO. Add the broth and cauliflower, bring to a boil and let boil 15 minutes until tender. Puree until smooth. Stir in  1/2 cup fresh grated Parm. cheese, salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to serve.

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The Sesame Snow Peas:  Trim ends of 1/2 lb of snow peas. In a saute pan, heat 1 tbs EVOO plus 1  tsp sesame oil and saute peas for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and hold on warm until ready to serve.

The cabbage was simply boiled until tender. I placed in an oven proof dish, salt, pepper to taste with a little SmartBalance on top. Put in a 300 F oven for 25 minutes.

Hoisin Scallops:

Wash 1/2 lb scallops. Dry thoroughly. Salt and pepper. Heat 1 TBS EVOO + a few drops of sesame oil in saute pan over medium high heat.  Add scallops and saute about 3 minutes per side, adding about 1 TBS Hoisin sauce when you flip to the second side. Serve immediately.

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What is “Hoisin“:   It’s spicy and sweet. The ingredients on the bottle are…soy sauce, cider vinegar, water, sugar, molasses, miso, thickening agents, orange juice, sesame oil, spices, and ginger. Very tasty. 

Of course there was dessert because we were celebrating…

Pistachio Ice cream with homemade Creme De Menthe Sugar Cookie in a Sugar Cone Waffle Bowl. Topped with Creme De Menthe and a little Bailey’s Mint Cream.

dscn0383The sugar cookie was simple.  You make a sugar cookie dough. When you roll it out, simply pour about 1 TBS Creme De Menthe in the middle, fold and re-roll to desired cookie thickness (about 1/8 – 1/4 “). Make cut outs and bake.

Don’t you just LOVE celebrating?  It’s too much fun in the kitchen. Have a great night 🙂

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Odd little thing about my Saturday morning runs with Shane, we run anywhere from 6  to 8 miles and when we come home I feel like I’ve accomplished so much more than after finishing my weekday workouts.  This just isn’t right. On the weekend, Shane and I are out there from 55 to 90 minutes (give or take).  During the week, I’m doing any where from 30 to 40 minutes of running or other aerobics, 30 to 40 minutes of weight training, and all that is followed by a walk or jog or walk/jog with Shane for 35 to 45 minutes.  That totals 1hr 35 to over 2 hours.  It’s really a weird situation. But that feeling of accomplishment on Saturday makes me feel very deserving of my “hungry girl” breakfast:

post run carbs, fat, and protein

post run carbs, fat, and protein

A Braeburn apple with Teddie All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter, post run.

An omelet of 3/4 cup Egg Beaters, 1/2 cup broccoli florets, 1 cup spinach, 2 cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and salsa. 1/2 an Ezekiel Pita.  Of course I wash all that down with a HUGE cup of  JOE. Ahhhh! Gotta love the reward after a good run 🙂
Hungry girl omelet
 
About last night…..
After going back and forth in emails to Nancy, we decided to get together last night for wine and dinner. We wanted to hear more about Tennessee and wish Nancy a very Happy Birthday. We met at Charlottes Creekside Inn/Restaurant. 
 
Ted and I arrived early and ordered….me:  a glass of the WORST Sauvignon Blanc ….I don’t remember the name but I wouldn’t want to slam the producer anyway…YUCK-E!
dscn0364Ted did ok with a beer that, after I had just a taste, was way to hoppy for me….
dscn0366Nancy and Bob were a few minutes late and we were getting a little hungry so we ordered the Calamari Frite
dscn0369When the happy two-some showed up we went over some wonderful photos of their trip and heard more about where they stayed and the fun they had. 
 
Bob ordered a Pinot Noir and I left that Sauvignon BLAHHH and followed suit with Bob.  The Pinot was very good.  Finally – a good glass of wine!
 
We sat to dine at about 7:30 and this is what titilated our buds…
1. The Tuscan Beans and Greens Soup:
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The soup was followed by a wonderful 2. crisp, cool salad with balsamic and oil:
dscn0371Following the salad was my wonderful 3.  entree of Salmon stuffed with crab and topped with a Bechamel sauce. I doubled the steamed broccoli instead of having the whipped potato.
 
dscn0372As usual, we had so many laughs and such a good time.  Gotta love the company of friends.
 
 
 
It’s that Green Beer Drinkin’ Day in celebration of the upcoming St. Pat’s Day on Tuesday.  Are we going downtown to celebrate?  Probably not. I have a few things on the agenda that I’d much prefer to do.  When Ted gets back from his morning coffee with the “boys”, we’ll see what his agenda says. 
 
You all have a great day and….one more thing… look at this great little freebe I received for ordering some custom tape at work….
 
GO BILLS!

GO BILLS!

If we make it to a game next season, it’ll definitely be part of my attire.

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