Fake Thanksgiving

Happy Fake Thanksgiving, everyone! It's a special time of year when you can't go home for Real Thanksgiving, so your parents meet you and you eat Thanksgiving food and think Thanksgiving thoughts... on November 18th (or really any day other than Thanksgiving itself).

Ryan and I just returned from Beaufort, SC where we celebrated this most joyous of newly-created holidays. Our tummies are full and we are oh so happy. It was a group effort and everyone pitched in to the feast! We had enough food for about 15 people, but, somehow the four of us managed. ;) (Leftovers are the best part of Real or Fake Thanksgiving)

So, without further ado, the menu:

Maple-Brined Turkey

(recipe here)

Roasted Fresh Ham

Stuffin' Muffins

Turnip Greens

Cranberry Relish

(recipe here)

Apple Chutney

Gravy

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

(recipe here)

Black & White Cheesecake Bars

That's one moist, flavorful turkey...

Ohhhh yeah....

Best. Turkey. Ever.

Semi-Healthy Pecan Pie! (it exists)

So, there you have it! It was delicious and (kinda) nutritious! I would HIGHLY recommend brining your bird this Thanksgiving. It was moist and flavorful, without the cost (and danger) of deep-frying. Plus, it was SUPER easy! Don't be afraid of it. I followed the recipe to a T and it came out fabulous. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, be it real or fake. ;)

~ Mari

New Favorite Thing: Agua Fresca

You may remember a previous post where I gave a recipe for cucumber, lime and mint agua fresca? Well, now I've found another: watermelon agua fresca. OH MY GOSH it's so delicious! I can't even tell you... you just have to try it. I like both of the recipes equally, so you should try them both. I just (literally about 4 minutes ago) made the watermelon agua fresca and am sipping it happily right now. Talk about refreshing!

So, here is the recipe, courtesy of the "Yummy Supper" blog:

Watermelon Agua Fresca with Fresh Mint and Lime

Ingredients:

4 cups watermelon puree ( approximately 1 medium watermelon)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (approximately 4-5 juicy limes)

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves

1/4 cup, plus 2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup water

Make a simple syrup. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a sauce pan. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. (Note: The simple syrup you don't use for this recipe can be refrigerated and and put to other uses in cocktails or to sweeten your iced coffee or tea.)

Next, Cut off watermelon rind and dice into large pieces. Place approximately 2 cups of watermelon flesh into your blender. Using a spoon, push down the watermelon chunks until they release a bunch of juice (this released liquid will help make the blending easier). Blend thoroughly. Do another batch until you have yielded 4 cups of pureed watermelon.

Juice limes and add lime juice to blender. Coarsely chop mint leaves. Crush mint with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Use a mortar and pestle if you have one, otherwise use a wooden spoon in a bowl to pulverize the mint and sugar. When you are done, you will have a well-integrated mint/sugar paste. Add paste into the blender.

Blend pureed watermelon and lime juice with the sugary mint). Add 2-3 tablespoons simple syrup. How much simple syrup you use will depend on the natural sugar content of your watermelon and your own personal preference for sweetness.

Served chilled. Always give the punch a stir before serving to integrate the ingredients.

P.S. If you want to transform this punch into a cocktail, I suggest adding 2 tablespoons rum to every cup of punch.

Hello lover.

If you're on the fence about this and just don't know if you'll like it... make it. It's the most refreshing, tasty, tangy, beverage that I've had all summer. Enjoy!

~ Mari

What To Do With Purple Hull Peas:

Remember how I asked for purple hull pea recipes in my last post? Well, I didn't get any responses (it's ok... I doubt anyone knew what to do with them)... so I made one up! (as a side note, I did find one recipe on the world wide interweb that called for "fat back." I did NOT make that recipe.) I hulled the little buggers and they looked a lot like black eyed peas... so I made a three- bean salsa that came out pretty dang good, I must say! You'd like to know how to make it, you say? Wish granted:

Three Bean Salsa

1.5 cups cooked purple hull peas or black eyed peas (to cook, just boil in salted water until tender)

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced

1.5 cups frozen corn, cooked (according to package directions)

1 container salsa

3 tomatoes, diced

juice (and zest) of one lime

1 small handful of cilantro

Salt, to taste

Smoked paprika, to taste

Ground red pepper, to taste

Chili Powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste (you can use a fresh onion, but raw onions are rough on my tummy... so I stay away)

Drain the canned beans and combine everything in a large bowl until it tastes how you want it to! It doesn't get much more simple than that! (Note: use half of the lime zest first and then taste it. If it's perfect, don't add the rest of the zest - it might be too overpowering, depending on the size of your lime)

Purple Hull Peas
(no longer in the shell)



Those are my preferred bean brands.



Spices!

Mix it all up and enjoy!

Ryan and I ate the heck out of this stuff! I used it as a side dish with some baked grouper and we also ate it with some blue corn chips (Frito-Lay brand, of course). But, I think it would be great with tacos or quesadillas or... well... in a spoon!

Hope you enjoy it!

~ Mari

No Campfire Required

Smore's are the quintessential summer dessert. Images of campfires and flaming marshmallows come to mind... and then that yummy flavor of crispy and sweet graham crackers with gooey warm chocolate and crunchy/fluffy marshmallows... it's pretty delicious. So, when my mom emailed me this recipe, I got quite excited: Smore's... no campfire required!

Individual Smore's Cups and Bars

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

16 snack size Hershey bars

4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom of each slot (should be 1/8 or ¼ inch thick). Take the rest of the dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8” pan.

Bake muffin tin for 10-15 minutes and the 8x8” pan 18-20 minutes or until set. Break the hershey’s bars in half and immediately put one in each of the cupcake liners. Once the 8x8” pan is out of the oven, do the same. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. (You can stick them back in the oven for 1-2 minutes if it isn’t melting)

Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 4 to 5 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars/cups tightly covered.

Mise en Place

You can take out your frustration on the
graham crackers by pounding them
into oblivion...

After you add the butter to the dry mixture

Press the dough into the bottom of the cupcake liners

Press the dough into the baking pan

All baked!

Add the chocolate...

Nice and melty!

Do the same with the large pan

Add the marshmallows!

Ta-dah! :)

So, there you have it! The most yummy of smore's... and you don't have to be outside in the woods to eat them! Now, as a VERY IMPORTANT side note, do NOT stop watching them when they're under the broiler. I repeat: DO NOT take your eyes off of them. Why? This, my friends, is why:

Is it the surface of the moon? Nope. It's a lovely lava field of flame-broiled mini marshmallows. Don't do this. You'll be sad. Remember: only YOU can prevent marshmallow fires. :)
 
~ Mari

Thai Noodle Salad

According to the radio, today we have a heat advisory here in Middle Georgia. The high is going to be 102 degrees, but it will feel like 110 degrees. Awesome. So, I wanted to share with you a very refreshing and cooling salad that can make that heat a bit more bearable.

I got the idea from this month's issue of Fine Cooking magazine (my favorite cooking mag). In it, there was a section on limes and what to do with them. (Just buy a big bag and make the agua fresca from my last post... and this salad. Yum!) One recipe that really stood out to me was the Vietnamese-Style Rice Noodle Salad. And so, I did what I do... and adapted. Here's what I came up with:

Thai Noodle Salad

1 bunch Japanese buckwheat noodles (I found them at Kroger)
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 cups shredded chinese cabbage (if you can't find this, use iceburg lettuce)
2.5 large handfuls of broccoli slaw mix
1 small cucumber, diced
3-4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and let sit. When the water is boiling, add the noodles and stir. Cook according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and toss with the sesame oil (if it isn't enough to coat the noodles, add a little canola or olive oil).

While the noodles cool, prep the other veggies. Combine everything (except the peanuts) in the bowl and toss. Serve cool and sprinkle peanuts on top (so they don't get soggy).

Cooked buckwheat noodles
(They look just like what's on the package!)

Chinese Cabbage

Mmmm...

I served the salad with Chicken Satay
and Peanut Sauce
(Courtesy of Tyler Florence)

Stay cool and enjoy! ;)

~ Mari

A Tall Drink of Agua Fresca

Chances are, wherever you are right now, it's hot outside. And heat brings thirst... and I've honestly never had a more thirst-quenching and refreshing beverage than this one: Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca. I realize it's a mouthfull (hah... I'm so punny), but it's so freaking fantastic! I don't usually post about beverages on this blog... in fact I don't think I ever have. But, this beverage deserved a post. It's from the site, Simply Recipes, and it is definitely simple to make and delicious to drink. Just make it. You'll be oh so glad and oh so cool.

Photo from Simply Recipes

Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca
1 lb of cucumbers (about 2 good sized cucumbers), ends trimmed, but peel still on, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup lime juice from fresh limes (from about 1 pound of limes, or 5 to 10 limes, depending on how juicy they are)

1 1/4 cup packed mint leaves (about a large handful), woody stems removed

1/2 cup sugar (I used agave nectar to taste)

Approximately 1 1/4 cup of water

Put ingredients in blender, add enough water to fill 3/4 of blender. Hold the lid on the blender and purée until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the purée through it, pressing against the sieve with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid out as possible. Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice cubes. Add the juice. Serve with sprigs of mint and slices of lime.

Easy peasy! Please make it... and tell me if you like it!
 
~ Mari

Easter Lamb

Remember Thanksgiving and Jamie Oliver's lamb my dad and I made? We decided to try Rachel Ray's version for Easter (it just seemed right to eat lamb after seeing all the cartoon lambs all over the place...haha). And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Rachel's lamb was better than Jamie's. A LOT better. Like... "holy crap you need to make this for your next family par-tay" better.

herb-crusted leg o' lamb

It was soooo easy! Check out the recipe here. The coolest part? You wrap the whole thing in parchment paper, marinate it, and bake it for 3 hours - which creates the most moist, succulent, and flavorful lamb ever. Period.

While the lamb was marinating in it's little pouch (and the lemon, EVOO, and fresh herbs were permeating the meat), we all went out on Dad's boat for a little jaunt on Houston Lake. It was the perfect day to go - it was sunny, not sweltering, and no one was out!

The parents! :)

Rollin' down the River
(or lake, rather...)

Lily pads!

Soaking up some rays

Moi

Enough of the beautiful outdoors, right? Back to the meal...

After we baked it for 3 hours...

It's like opening an Easter present!

Ohhhh yeah...

I forgot to mention we did eat things other than lamb on Easter (lol): Mom's homemade tabbouli, sweet peas with sauteed shitake mushrooms, and fresh baked sourdough bread. Also- Rachel's recipe had a minty shallot sauce that one would serve with the lamb. I think I could have bathed in it. No joke.

I can't take this picture. I must look away.

I had to end on this picture. I'm literally laughing out loud right now at my father's face. :) I think it sums up the whole occasion! Happy eating, everyone!

~ Mari

BLTA (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado Salad)

The BLT is arguably one of the best sandwiches ever. Let's face it: bacon is arguably one of the best things ever. So, I decided to make them for dinner last night. Then I started thinking... how could I make a healthy version of the classic sandwich? Now, I certainly can't take the fat out of the bacon, but I used low sodium bacon. Then I thought about creating a salad version of the tastiest of sandwiches. The majority of the meal is fresh and tasty boston lettuce and arugula and instead of two huge pieces of bread, I made croutons!

BLTA Salad

1 small head boston lettuce
A few handfuls of arugula
1 tomato
1 avocado
4 pieces low sodium bacon
3 slices bread (I used homemade sourdough, but any good stale bread will work)
1-2 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt & pepper
spices to taste
dressing of choice (I made a homemade honey mustard vinaigrette)

Put the bacon in a cold pan and turn up to medium-high heat. Once they are crispy and browned, remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel to cool and crisp-up. Wash, tear, and dry the lettuce. Dice the bread slices, tomato and avocado. Take the bread and toss it with EVOO, salt, pepper, and spices (I used dried italian herbs). Saute them in a pan or pop them in the oven (on 400) for about 10 minutes - until crispy. Now, assemble the salad! Toss everything together and add the dressing!

There it be! :) Enjoy this sandwich-turned-salad guilt-free!

~ Mari

One-Pan Meal: Broiled Salmon with Mango Salsa and Broccoli

It's mango season, folks! Who's excited? The Smiths, that's who. I made this yummy (and easy) meal tonight and thought I'd share! The best part? It only uses one pan to cook in! (Ok - technically there is also a pyrex baking dish involved, but most of the cooking is done in one pan) The salsa is sweet and tangy, the salmon is moist inside and crispy on the outside, and the broccoli is fresh and crunchy. It's a good mix, I must say.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/4 cup salsa (I used the Publix brand... it's delish)
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Have I mentioned how much I love mango?

Broiled Salmon

1 large salmon filet (with skin on one side)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 limes, juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate (I always keep a can of this in the freezer - it's great stuff!)

Combine all ingredients (except salmon, of course) in a gallon ziploc bag. Swish them around to mix. Put salmon in the bag, skin side up. Allow to marinate 10-15 minutes on the counter. For the next steps, look at the broccoli recipe below.

Let's make a marinade!

Just like a bubblebath...

Crispy Broccoli

1 large head broccoli, washed and cut into florets
salt & pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Put broccoli in a microwaveable dish (I used an 8x8 pyrex). Put about 1/8 inch of water in the dish. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cling wrap and microwave for about 1.5 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green and crunchy.

McSteamy

Prepare a sheet pan with two pieces of aluminum foil. Turn the edges up on all sides so that the flavors won't combine in the oven. Put the broccoli on one side and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Take the salmon out of the bag, slice it in half (lengthwise) and place it, skin-side down, on the aluminum foil.

It's almost like two mini sheet pans in one!

See? One pan?

Preheat the broiler (on high). Put the pan in the oven and check the broccoli after about 7 minutes (it's fast, I'm tellin' ya!). If it's browning nicely, just pull the mini aluminum foil pan out with the broccoli on it. Let the fish cook a few more minutes (maybe 3) and check it. When it's really browned on top, take it out and let it rest for a few minutes.

Browned tips = deliciousness

All that's left is to... eat it! Get that salsa out of the fridge and plate it up! I served mine with some crispy flour tortillas (I literally friend strips of flour tortillas) and we were happy campers!

I love making things that taste so good and aren't rough on the waistline! Speaking of waistlines... did you notice no starch in this meal? That's my new thing. I'm trying not to make a starch for dinner because I figure we get plenty during the day (cereal for breakfast...sandwich for lunch...granola bars for snacks... you get the idea).

Hope you enjoy it!

~ Mari