Table Talk: Pad Thai with Shrimp

I have some confessions to make.  I'm not really sure what this is supposed to taste like.  I don't know that I've ever been to a Thai restaurant.  The only Pad Thai I've tasted is from a kit at the grocery store.  So I probably am not the best judge of what Pad Thai should be.  So, just keep that in mind when you read my opinion of how it came together!  Mmmkay?

Tomatoes, Squash and Fresh Mozzarella with Creamy Polenta (Or without, whatevs)

I don't want to sound like a loser or anything but I've never had polenta before.  I've never cooked it before and I've never even seen it at the grocery store before.  I was wondering if I would even be able to find it but Bob's Red Mill came through for me.

If I'm being honest, I would have to tell you that I almost didn't even make the polenta.  I almost decided that it wasn't worth buying something I knew I wasn't going to like.  Then, I realized that I'm not a five year old and that this is the reason for the cooking group to begin with.  To learn new things.  To try new things that I wouldn't normally try.  To cook new things.  To eat new things.  To not be a 5 year old.  

After a pep talk in the mirror, I tried the polenta by itself and was less than impressed and wondered if maybe I was a 5 year old after all.  Determined to try everything together before I wrote off polenta forever, I dished everything up and took a bite.  And was pleasantly surprised.  All the flavor combinations really worked together.  The juices from the vegetables mixed with the polenta and it was really good.   It's almost like America's Test Kitchen knows what it's doing.  Weird.  And the texture of the polenta was completely lost in the vegetables and flavors.  I actually really liked it and would maybe make it again.  

 If you leave the polenta uncovered, it turns into a rubbery brick of cornmeal so make sure to serve it right away. 

And this is how the rest of the family ate their vegetables. Okay, fine.  This is how Tyler ate his and the kids pretty much had noodles with parmesan cheese.  (I forgot to add the mozzarella to his plate before the picture. oops)

I know what you're thinking, I should have just made them eat the polenta.  If they get hungry enough they'll eat it right?  Well, let's just say that all of my ideas about eating from my younger years have been blown out the window.  Like with a hand grenade.  I usually make them taste it and if they don't like it, they don't have to eat it.  When an autistic kid can't handle the texture of something, I don't make him eat it.  Or he will throw up.  Yeah.  And Tyler's decided he's pretty much autistic too so he got noodles.  And I can't punish Hadlee for being the only 'typical' one around here so she got to have noodles too.  (I learned that's what you call your normal kids when you have an autistic one, 'typical'.)  Maybe now that I'm more of a polenta eater, I will convert them in the future.  Like when all their taste buds have grown up a bit. :)  And Tyler did actually try a bite of the polenta with veggies and said it was pretty good.  He liked his noodles better though. :)

If you'd like to try the recipe you can get it at Janet's blog.  She was our host for the week and chose the recipe.  Thanks for making me try something new, Janet!

Here's what I did differently this week:

Not much.  I didn't have cherry tomatoes, but we have a lot of tomatoes in our garden so I used about 4 medium tomatoes, sliced them and roasted them in the oven.  Then, cut the slices into 4 quarters each and added them to the recipe like they were cherry tomatoes.  I didn't have fresh thyme so I used 1/4 tsp dried.  Other than those things, I followed the recipe pretty closely this week!  It's almost a record for me!

P.S.  I think I said 'polenta' 3000 times in this post.

Table Talk: Southwestern Black Bean Salad

 It's my week to host and when I chose this recipe, I wanted to pick something easy.  I haven't really been feeling like spending a ton of time in the kitchen lately.  I think it's because I'm pregnant (with someone else's baby) and nothing really sounds that great.  Then, late last week, we got some devastating news.  My little baby nephew had passed away in his sleep.  It was the most heart-breaking experience but at the same time, there was such an out-pouring of love for my brother and his family, it was lovely to see.  Our weekend was spent crying and driving and then more crying and driving and I don't know that we'll recover anytime soon.  This recipe ended up being about all a person can handle after something like that.  I knew it would be easy and once I got in the kitchen to make it, I found my kitchen to be what it always is-therapeutic.  I know some people won't understand but sometimes I think cooking keeps me sane.  Once I got in there I decided to bake some bread because fresh baked bread makes everything seem a little better.  And also because I knew Calvin wouldn't be too savvy on the dinner plans but he always likes bread. :)

Berry Cheesecake Salad (Red, White and Blue)

Are you still deciding on your 4th of July menu?  I, personally, like to wait until the last possible minute.  I'm one of those people.  Decisions are hard for me.  Especially really big ones, like menu finalization.  I have to think about it for a few days and weigh all options before committing.  Some people might say it's smart planning to look at every angle.  Others might say I should just make up my mind already and quit being such a procrastinator.  (I tend to fall in with the latter crowd, I don't know what my problem is.)  Well, if you're anything like me and you're still looking for ideas for what to take to a barbecue or what to make for guests, this 'salad' is super easy and a complete crowd pleaser.

Table Talk: Buffalo Chicken (Sticky Finger) Salad

I'm not a huge buffalo wing fan.  Mainly because I'm the biggest sissy ever when it comes to spicy food.  Ever.  There might be something wrong with my taste buds, I don't know.  I knew right off the bat that I wouldn't be making this full-spicy, since I have issues.  When I read through the recipe, and it said to use specifically-'Frank's Hot Sauce'- it reminded me of THIS recipe for Winger's Sticky Fingers that I've been wanting to try.  I thought it might be a nice compromise for my sticky situation.  (See what I did there?  Yeah, I'm also a dork.)

It was perfect for my family and me.  Tyler normally likes buffalo wings but the kids weren't going to eat something too hot and this seemed to be a perfect balance to please everyone.  It had a little bit of heat and just enough for me.  The dressing and the veggies toned it down a bit in the salad and made it perfect.

Here's what I did:

I used chicken tenderloins and cut them in half lengthwise. 

 Michelle mentioned in her post that the cornmeal mixture kind of fell off the chicken after cooking so I decided to experiment and see if I left the chicken in the cornmeal for a while, if it would stay on the chicken better.  I prepared the chicken first and left it coated in the bag for probably 20 minutes, while I got everything else ready for the salad.

 For the sauce- 1/3 cup Frank's Wing Sauce, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup brown sugar (the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups but I didn't think the extra half cup was needed and I was right-it does happen sometimes.)  Mix all together in a sauce pan and bring to boil.  Boil 1 minute and then remove from heat and set aside.  {Next time I would half this mixture, I had quite a bit left over but I've heard it's good mixed with Ranch.  If I do leave these proportions, I would reserve half to mix with Ranch and dump half over the chicken}

Once everything else was ready, and the chicken had become one with the coating, I tested my theory and cooked the chicken.  I used a bit more oil than the recipe stated, maybe 2 T altogether, but probably because I had more coated surface with my smaller pieces of chicken.

 Once the chicken is browned and cooked almost through, add the sauce and stir and turn to coat the chicken.

 I would have liked blue cheese dressing but I know my family would have not appreciated it (mainly Tyler) so I whipped up a simple, light Ranch dressing to go with it. {1/2 cup light sour cream, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, juice 1/2 lime, 3 T cilantro-combine in food processor or blender, add water to thin to desired consistency}  More kid friendly, ya know.  To make myself feel more adult-ish, I added some goat cheese to my salad.  It was a good call.

 I'm happy to report that the coating stayed on the chicken.  I decided I really liked this method of cooking the chicken and pouring the sauce over it.  I will be doing that everyday in the future.

If you'd like to try the recipe, you can visit Michelle's blog for the recipe, she was our host for the week.  Thanks for picking such a fun recipe Michelle!

Sources:

Sauce:  Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

Dressing:  Girlplusfood Original

Salad:  The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Kale, Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Light Poppy Seed Dressing

 I really liked this salad.  Like, really liked it.  Tyler, on the other hand, wasn't as in love as I was. He has a block when it comes to fruit in a savory (at all) salad or dish.  The bacon and strawberries together totally threw him off.  And he didn't think strawberries belonged in a salad with lettuce.  I don't know, man.  I"m slowly breaking him down but we're just not to the strawberry/bacon/lettuce point yet.  He ate it though.  I took his strawberries and he seemed to be content with the remainder of the ingredients together.  I didn't complain.  This salad had a bit of everything to tantalize taste buds and it was pretty healthy.  I will make it again (because I loved it and every once in a while I make something I love and tell the rest of them to deal with it) and just leave the strawberries off his salad.  This was a perfect light evening meal but I wouldn't say no to it at lunch.  I can see us making many more salads like this for summer.  And I'm hoping to have avocados coming out of my ears because we have a lot of trees in our yard.  I'm getting excited!

White Chicken Enchiladas (Lightened-up) with Corn and Avocado Salsa

The other day I got a hankerin' (have I told you that Tyler, my husband, wants to be a cowboy now?  Just practicing.) for chicken enchiladas.  Which is weird because I keep telling people (including myself) that I don't really like Mexican food.  I could be in denial.  I went looking for a recipe but it started to seem like a lot of work to try and find one that fit what I wanted.  One of my stipulations was the it would be semi-healthy.  We are trying to be good over here, ya know?  After searching for a few minutes I decided I was bored with it.  I would just throw a few things together and could make it how I wanted it.  Guess what?  This time, it worked out.  These were delicious and only ended up being about 375 calories per serving (2 enchiladas).  I was pretty pleased with them so I thought I'd share.  If for no other reason than to have the recipe next time I want to make these.

Table Talk: Sauteed Pork Chops with Quick Apple-Ginger Chutney

I knew I would like this week's recipe because I really like the combination of apples and pork chops.   And this didn't disappoint.

I couldn't find boneless pork chops.  I bought a roast and sliced it into chops.  It would have been better with a tenderloin, but I couldn't find one of those either.  And when your kids are relay racing through the store, sometimes you just have to grab something that says 'pork' and get the heck outta there.

I was a little nervous to brine my pork.  The last time I soaked a turkey in brine it turned into a ham, no joke.  (I was not happy.  It was the worst day ever.  I love turkey and tolerate ham.  And it was Thanksgiving.  The pilgrims didn't serve ham at Thanksgiving!)  When I saw brine in the recipe I had flashbacks to that horrid day, but then I saw that it was only for 30 minutes to an hour and not 3 days.  And also, it's already a pork product, right?  Ham goes well with apples.

Guess what!  They stayed pork chops.  Weird, right?

I didn't feel like my chutney really 'thickened' but it got to the point I was worried that there wouldn't be any juice left if I didn't say enough was enough. 

I would make this again for sure, I liked the ginger in there but I might add a little less next time and maybe try to puree the chutney.  Can I call it a 'chutney' if I puree it?  Tyler isn't a fan of cooked fruit with meat, but he really liked the sauce.  Or I guess I could just double the sauce ingredients and not give him any 'chunks' on his plate.  Or I could just tell him to eat it and quit being such a baby.  And maybe I could stop rambling.

If you'd like to try this week's recipe, you can get it at Michelle's blog (or you can buy the book).  She was our lovely hostess for the week and chose the recipe.  Thanks for the great pick Michelle!

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts (and how I lost my mind)

When I was about 5 or so, my mom made me eat a beet.  I had the kind of parents who made you clean your plate and we were having beets that night.  I am pretty sure they were the canned variety and I sat there with a beet in my mouth, refusing to swallow it, for at least a half an hour.  I thought they were so disgusting, I couldn't imagine letting it go down the hatch.  If I would have been thinking less like a 5 year old, maybe I would've just hurried and swallowed it and not savored the horrible taste for quite as long.  Instead, I turned it into a traumatic moment and have steered clear of beets, in any form, since that day.  

Homemade Marshmallow Stars

I will never be the same.  I really don't know how else to say it.  

I can't believe we have been eating store-bought marshmallows for so long when we could have been eating these.  And I wasn't expecting to feel that way.  

I really thought they wouldn't be much different taste-wise but I wanted to make marshmallow shapes. I was especially worried after working with the gelatin.  The smell of that stuff just makes me want to throw up a little bit.  So I was smelling that and thinking:

This is going to be disastrous.

These are going to taste like pure gelatin (gag)

I am going to end up just using store bought mini-marshmallows.

...and a few other things that I won't bore you with.  I was wrong on all counts.  I feel like I have never truly had a marshmallow until now.  And it was easy, almost too easy.  If you have a candy thermometer, a mixer and a brain, you can pull these off. 

You don't have to cut these into stars.  Candy cane shapes would be so cute with some peppermint flavoring and food coloring in the recipe (There's a recipe HERE for peppermint marshmallows that would be cute as candy canes).  Christmas trees would be cute too.  I just liked the idea of stars and I happen to have small enough cookie cutter that would work for what I needed.  My cutter was just shy of 2 inches (from the top point to the bottom point) and I got 77 stars and a bunch of scraps that were turned into mini-marshmallows.  You can also just cut these into squares and not worry about the shapes at all.  They are so good, they don't need a shape. :)

Homemade Marshmallow Stars

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 1/2 T)

3/4 cup cold water

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

cooking spray 

18x13 pan

tin foil

wax paper

Line an 18x13 pan with tin foil and spray well with cooking spray or brush with canola or vegeatable oil.

In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, 3/4 cup water, corn syrup and salt to a boil over high heat.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and continue cooking, without stirring until mixture is 238 degrees (or soft ball), about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile add 3/4 cup cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle with gelatin.  Let soften 5 minutes.  Attach whisk attachment to mixer

Once sugar mixture reaches 238, turn the mixer onto low speed and slowly add the sugar mixture to the gelatin mixture.  Gradually raise the mixer speed to high.  Beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes.  (It helps to set the timer for a reference.)  Bowl should just be warm.  Slowly beat in vanilla and combine.  

Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top with a grease spatula.  I also greased a sheet of wax paper and placed it over the top and smoothed with that, then removed it.  Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup powdered sugar over the top of the marshmallows, and flip onto counter top.  Remove foil and sprinkle another 1/3 cup powdered sugar over the marshmallows (so now both side have powdered sugar).  Add remaining powdered sugar to a plastic bag.  Cut marshmallows into desired shapes, add a few at a time to the bag with powdered sugar and toss to coat all sides of marshmallows.  Roll remaining sheet of scraps into a roll and cut into desired pieces, coat in powdered sugar and store.  Can be stored in airtight container for 4 days.  

These are good just to eat, good in hot cocoa.....

And I checked to be sure they were good toasted and they were freaking amazing.  Seriously.

These were part of my Christmas gifts this year (the stars anyway, the mini marshmallow scraps were saved for us to use), hopefully in a day or two I will share the rest. I am sure you are super prepared and already ready for Christmas, but if not, maybe this will give you an idea or inspire something similar.  Oh and these are gluten and dairy free!  These would make a great gift by themselves, maybe just cover them with chocolate and put them in a cute bag, or you could turn them into the these marshmallow pops.  Any recipe that calls for marshmallows has to be 20 times better with homemade used instead.

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Bake 52: Creme Caramel

I went through a phase a few years ago.  And when I say 'a few' I mean like 8 years ago.  I was going to perfect flan.  It took me numerous tries and a few different recipes and techniques to realize that I just don't like flan.  I am not sophisticated enough for it, I'm sure.  Our friends were kind enough to sample my limitless attempts and say nice things, but I think we were all in the same boat.  When Tyler got home today he was hoping that he was seeing Creme Brulee.  When he realized it was something more flan-like, he wasn't super excited.  It's not that this is super gross, it tastes pretty good, except maybe a little egg-y.  It's sweet, it's dessert, I think it's more just a texture.  It's not creamy like creme brulee is, it's hard to describe....Maybe the texture of soft tofu?  There is also a recipe in the book for flan, so forgive me that I keep comparing when that's not actually what this is, it's just super similar.

I thought it looked cool in the ramekins ready to bake.  And usually when working with hot sugar/caramel, I end up with a giant blister somewhere, but not this time!  Lucky!

 If you like flan and are sophisticated enough for this kind of thing, you might love this recipe!

And as an added bonus, it's gluten free.  I think that's one of the reasons our hostess for the week, Michelle, picked this recipe.  You can find it at her blog.  Thanks for hosting this week Michelle and picking a fun recipe.

Salsa Chicken in the Crock pot (or slow cooker)

 Since our move started, I haven't really been feelin' it when it comes to cooking or menu planning. And that means that just about every night is like an episode of Chopped around here.  I rummage through the pantry and fridge to find anything that will go together and then I throw it all in a pan to make dinner.  Sometimes we end up with things we have eaten before and sometimes a whole new creation is born.  And sometimes we decide that we really need to go shopping because the creations are getting a bit out of hand.  

Fresh Corn Soup

So the picture doesn't really do it justice, but this soup was completely delicious.  I love fresh corn in the summer and part of me wondered if it was a form a blasphemy to add fresh corn to a soup rather than just cooking it and eating it with butter.  I was worried it was going to decrease the awesomeness of fresh corn somehow.  I was wrong.  There are few ingredients in this recipe yet it's so flavorful.  The fresh corn flavor was preserved and complimented by the creaminess of the soup.  Everyone loved it.  Instead of straining through a mesh strainer like the recipe states, we just served it after processing and it was delicious.  I am not sure the straining is necessary, but use your judgement there. :)

Chick-fil-A Sauce

{I was going to make waffle fries but I am still scared of my mandolin since the 'accident'}

I don't hide the fact that I am in love with Chick-fil-A.  And most of the time I take it upon myself to bring up Chick-fil-A Sauce in every conversation I have, whether it's relevant to the topic or not. It's my favorite fast food place to visit and when we/if go, I get fries (with 80 packages of Chick-fil-A sauce) and a Diet Coke with lemon.  Have I mentioned I quit drinking Diet Coke?  It's been 2 weeks and I have only had one.  Does that count as quitting?  It's a miracle really and now I am going to try moving mountains with telepathy.  Anything is possible.  

Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

We have eaten this twice now.  The first time was a night that I was just in a hurry to feed everyone and myself before there was a giant meltdown at my house.  Probably by me.  Just one of those nights.  Of course, I didn't feel like taking pictures, I just wanted to feed everyone and put them all to bed.  I knew we would have it again but I had ideas on how to make it a little better.  This time, I felt like it was just how I would want it.  I am all about stir fry dishes lately.  Maybe it's because they are quick, but flavorful and healthy-ish.  {If we left out the rice I am sure it would be even healthier but I've heard we all need a vice. ;)}

Fresh Corn Salad

If you like corn at all, you need to make this.  ASAP.  I took one bite at dinner about a week ago and said, "Is it just me or is this salad freaking delicious?"  Yeah, it's freaking delicious.  And I don't often say the 'f' (freaking, never the other one) word.  I reserve it for special occasions such as this.  Tyler doesn't care for fresh parsley so he would have been fine if that was left out but I liked it.  To make the salad extra delicious, make sure you wait and cut the corn from the cob after preparing all the other ingredients so it stays as fresh as possible.  

Patriotic Pavlova

We got home from our trip yesterday.  I am not sure why sitting in a car for hours on end makes me tired for days to come but I guess that's a lot of work for me.  Just sitting there.  Every once in a while turning my head to yell something at my kids in the backseat.  Not because we have a huge car and I have to yell for them to hear me but because we have a tiny car and everything they do starts to get on my nerves by the 11th hour.  The end of this trip marks the 8 billionth mile we have traveled since we got married.  And as of right now, going even to the grocery store seems too far.  (Although I did grudgingly go to the grocery store this afternoon, it was beyond ridiculous around here before that.)  

Another break from school has come and gone and today it was back to classes for the hubby.  It really went by in a flash, as it always does.  Some of our friends had a get together tonight to commemorate the start of another year.  They said to bring a side dish.  Doesn't dessert count as a side?  I really think it should also count as a main dish.  I have had this pavlova in my head since I saw this post the other day and knew if I made it for our family alone, I would eat it by myself.  

I have previously mentioned my love of pavlova.  And if you haven't tried it yet, I really don't know what you are waiting for.  I thought it would be an especially nice treat to bring because one of the guys can't have gluten.  (You really should have seen how excited he was when he found out it was gluten free.  It was worth it just for that.)  It is easy to make and everyone was impressed by it.  I felt a little guilty about how impressed they were knowing how little of my time it really took.  It does bake for 90 minutes and have to cool after that but it requires few ingredients and is simple to put together.  I understand your reservation, it has a weird name but you are just going to have to get over it!  

I am all about fresh fruit desserts right now, I can't seem to get enough.  The texture of the actual meringue is lovely.  It's light and pillowy with a slight crunch and then it melts in your mouth.  And not at all what everyone will expect you to bring. :)  It's traditionally shaped as a circle, but I opted for the rectangle since I had the flag theme going.  You can really put any kind of fruit you feel like on top, this is just what I used today.  Previously, I baked it at 200 for 90 minutes, turned off the oven and let it cool in the oven for 2 hours.  It seemed to crack less using that method and it stayed more white in color.  Today I was in more of a hurry and baked it at 225 for 90 minutes, then removed it from the oven to cool completely.  Either way works but if I have time, I will opt for the former.

Patriotic Pavlova

ingredients:

6 egg whites

1/4 + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

topping:

large container of cool whip

1/4 cup sugar

8 oz cream cheese

Fruit:

watermelon, cut into star shapes with cookie cutter.

strawberries (about 3/4 to 1 cup chopped)

blueberries (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 200 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla to the bowl of your mixer.  Mix on medium speed until frothy and light.  Add sugar a little at at time until all combined.  Turn mixer speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. (about 5-10 minutes)

Spread into desired shape on parchment paper.  The meringue should be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.  My rectangle was about 9x13 inches.  Bake for 90 minutes, then turn off oven temp and allow to sit in the oven for 2 hours.  Remove and cool completely.

For topping:

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cream cheese until smooth and combined.  Mix in Cool Whip and refrigerate about 20 minutes.  Spread onto the cool meringue.  

Top with chopped strawberries, watermelon and blueberries.  Serve immediately.  (Since it was a rectangle, we cut it into squares)

Now if only I could sleep for a week to recover from all that hard sitting and yelling work I have been doing. ;)  Oh and on top of that, I picked now to try and quit drinking Diet Coke.  Feel free to shoot me in the head.  Anyone?

Bake 52: Coconut Macaroons

I have decided that coconut macaroons are way easy.  Which is weird.  I didn't think they would be.  They have very few ingredients, one of which I am leaving out next time (the salt) and they really don't take long at all to put together.  And they seem somewhat healthy if you don't count the sugar and the chocolate I dumped on top.  

Bake 52: French Macaroon Sandwich Cookies

 Um.  I don't know.

I don't know what these are supposed to taste like.  Or be like.  I am thinking I might not be a delicate enough flower (or flour since we are cooking, ha!) to make this kind of thing.  A few of them made it through the process looking perfect, and then I would gouge them with my finger or something (as you can see in the photo).

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

If it wasn't completely obvious before this, we are a family of pasta lovers.  This is our favorite Alfredo sauce.  It's delicious, easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  I don't normally keep heavy cream on hand and this recipe doesn't require it.