BBQ Apple Chicken

On more than one occasion I’ve had a freezer of chicken breasts and had to figure out what to do with them. They’re a standard item on my grocery list but I don’t always know what I’m going to make when I buy them. There’s about a bazillion possible ways to prepare a chicken breast, but I often suffer from dinner block, a common condition known to housewives resulting from too much dinner cooking and not enough creativity. 

I’m not one of those girls who blindly reaches into the fridge or pantry and makes something delicious with whatever comes out. I like recipes and while I don’t always follow them faithfully, I’d be lost without them. But earlier this year I surprised myself; I came up with something!

Todd and I were knew to life-on-our-own here in South Africa, and while at the grocery store one day we stumbled upon a brand of meat rubs. The brand was Nando’s,  a restaurant specializing in chicken meals common in South Africa as well as the UK and Australia (though I think I heard it’s Portuguese?). Anyway, we had heard great things about the restaurant but hand’t gotten around to trying it. In lieu of actually visiting the restaurant itself we picked out a rub and thought we’d give it a go for dinner one night. 

The rub is BBQ “Peri-Peri,” peri-peri basically being code for SPICY! This was before I knew that in South Africa, peri-peri is typically beyond my spice tolerance (which I used to think was pretty good). This particular rub isn’t overkill, but it still has a kick!

But let’s get back to the birth of my chicken breast epiphany. I bought the rub with the intention of “rubbing” it onto chicken, but then what? Was that going to cut it? While I was sure it would have some nice flavor I was also pretty sure it would be dry, and I do not enjoy dry chicken. I needed something to help it stay moist, but I didn’t want to actually marinade it. What to do, what to do…

And then it came to me: apples. 

I had heard of cooking apples with a pork roast so apples with chicken couldn’t be horrible. Strange,  but not horrible. I cut up an apple and laid the slices on top of the chicken, hoping it would magically do the trick and that Todd wouldn’t think I’d lost it. Just to be safe, I’d also stuffed his with cheese (can you tell I was really reaching? BBQ and cheese…what on earth?). He pretty much loves cheese. It was my insurance policy on the meal.

When the timer dinged and the moment of truth was upon me, I was pleased :) Todd liked my little concoction so well, he said he wouldn’t mind having it often. It became one of his favorite ways we do chicken, as a matter of fact. Who knew?! I think baking the chicken in our little convection oven went a long way in helping it stay moist, so if you have a small family and a toaster oven, consider baking a few chicken breasts in that! 

Since it’s often proven successful at our house, I thought it was time to share it with yours, just in case you get a case of dinner block sometime ;) 

BBQ Apple Chicken

-Preheat Oven to 375 or 350, wherever you would normally cook chicken. 

-Take thawed chicken breasts and coat them in a BBQ rub or seasoning. While I doubt you can get Nando’s in the States, it looks like Wal-Mart carries a McCormick BBQ rub, but any one will do. 

-After coating chicken breasts, set in baking dish. Place apple slices along the top, either flat, or slightly stacked (as shown in picture). I recommend using a bigger apple than what I had on hand.

-Bake for 25-30 minutes,  or just until done. Don’t let them dry out on you! 

That’s it! Simple? Extremely. Now go use up those chicken breasts you’ve been meaning to cook :) 

An easy, fantastical soup!

Because it's fall in the world of my dear readers, I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe I came upon during my fall, which was earlier this year. I was perusing Pinterest when I first saw it, and the title was intriguing: lasagna soup. I love lasagna, but my dairy intolerance keeps me from sampling more than a bite or two (or five) from Todd's helping.

I was probably skeptical when I read through the recipe, wondering where the "catch" was. I mean, could it really be a dairy-free soup that actually tasted like lasagna?

The truth: yes it could.

This recipe is easy, delicious, and possesses that rare gift of living up to its name. It really does taste like a classic lasagna! I don't follow the recipe perfectly...for example, we don't do peppers and I buy two cans of whole tomatoes and blend them to liquid instead of doing anything diced. I don't like chunky vegetables in my soup. Also, why on earth go to the trouble of breaking up lasagna noodles? I throw in a couple handfuls of bow tie pasta and we're quite happy with the outcome. I add some extra water sometimes, but that just depends on how thick/thin you prefer your soup.

Here's an opinion: If you don't have any basil (either fresh or dried) then just wait to make it until you do. I think it "makes" this soup.

I sprinkle Todd's serving with cheese and leave mine without and we both feel like we've eaten a real lasagna dinner :) Easier to make than a real lasagna (unless you're doing Stouffers, and who doesn't do Stouffers? I'll rephrase: easier than homemade lasagna), fewer calories, and it hits that it's-fall-so-I-want-soup craving.

Need I say more?  Go check it out here!

And no, this is not my picture. I got it from the link with the recipe. My soup is not quite this picturesque :)

http://thedeenbros.com/index.php/recipes/recipe_detail/bobbys_lighter_tastes_like_lasagna_soup/

Biscuit Success!

I'm a Pillsbury/Cracker Barrel-kind of-biscuit girl, and before I moved to Africa I don't know that I ever seriously considered making my own. But, they don't sell those convenient little refrigerator tubes here (you know the ones: you have to peel slowly and wait for the inevitable explosion that nearly gives you a heart attack every time) and it will be a long time before I see another Cracker Barrel.

My first (and I think only) attempt at homemade biscuits several months ago turned out in little, not-fluffy things that I would sooner call a crumpet. I've never had a crumpet but I imagine they are something like that first batch of biscuits. We ate them, and while they weren't horrible, they were a far cry from my biscuit goals. I assumed biscuits were too difficult for a non-perfectionist like me to get "just right." I found another recipe online and pinned it to my Pinterest Breads/Breakfast board, a tribute to what I assumed would probably always be a dry, crumbly and not-very-delicious pipe dream.
Well. That was all before today.

My friend and kindred spirit raved a couple weeks ago about a batch of biscuits she'd made that had turned out wonderfully. Words like "fluffy" and "flakey" were used and they were enough to lure me back onto the biscuit bandwagon. I asked her to send me the recipe, and today I finally got up the nerve to make them.

And let me just say, it can be done!

If you've never made biscuits before, this recipe does a good job of stressing what I consider to be the most important factor: don't overdo your dough! Old hat to the seasoned biscuit baker, but valuable information to the novice. I also put my butter in the freezer for a few hours, just to make sure it was good and cold. Whether or not that helped I know not, but I doubt it hurt anything. My friend suggested that butter temp was important so, I froze it.

I followed the recipe in accordance with the instructions for using a food processor. I don't think my food processor is very good, but after I added the buttermilk (I made mine with milk and vinegar, another well-known tip if you're familiar with baking) things started to come together—literally. I think my chunks of butter were too big, so they didn't blend in very well. In the future I'll try to cut those smaller. Oh, and I didn't have a biscuit cutter so I used a coffee mug. They turned out bigger than I would have liked but that's just a matter of preference.

Another trick to biscuits, which I first read on a Paula Deen recipe, is to have them touch in the pan while baking. I think this definitely makes a difference. I didn't have a round pan big enough to bake all the biscuits so I used a 9x13 glass baking dish, which turned out to be a bit too large. Naturally, not all biscuits were able to touch other biscuits on every side, but those that were seemed to rise better.

I'm so pleased with the texture of these! They were just as fluffy as any Cracker Barrel biscuit and tasted fabulous with honey and butter, which is my favorite way to eat them :) (Another favorite is with Cracker Barrel apple butter, but believe it or not, I didn't have any of that on hand) As a side note, I don't think I added the full amount of salt and in the future will measure to make sure I get the whole teaspoon in. I think it could have used more than I eyeballed.

Here's a link to the recipe my friend and I used, and I highly recommend you give it a try! It was fast, easy, and most importantly, successful! I also threw in a picture of one of the biscuits from my batch. It's not beautiful, or anything...but somehow, that didn't seem to matter :)

Produce Paradise

I love produce, and here in South Africa we're coming in to the most glorious produce season! After a *short* winter of mostly apples and bananas, I now load up my grocery cart with peaches, strawberries, tangerines, watermelon, and whatever else looks tasty.

Oh, and I buy the odd vegetable but that's not important.

Today Todd emailed me with an offer to go grocery shopping after he left work if I would send him a list (I LOVE when he does that :) ). I was so happy when I opened the bag filled with produce and lined it all out on the counter to admire. It's magic waiting to be eaten.

In addition to the fact that the stuff flat tastes good, it's crazy cheap too. Back home produce is not nearly as affordable, and I'm convinced that's why people don't eat as much of it. That stuff's expensive! Especially things like fresh berries. Fresh berries are a joke to buy in store. Last summer I was buying little tubs of blueberries and raspberries about once a week and rationing them on my salads. I probably paid $4 or $5 a piece for them. Yikes. (disclaimer: you don't really see blueberries here...I asked a friend about them and she told me of a store that sometimes carries them. I have found  "canned" blueberries for making muffins and I still pay about $4 for them. I have not, as yet, either seen or asked about raspberries).

While I won't list everything we got with its respective price, I will share what I consider to be the best value (though it's all a great value!).

You'll have to forgive me; I don't know exactly how big this is, but those are Todd's hands holding what I consider to be a really big tray of strawberries! There's not a weight on the package or I'd tell you what it is. Just take my word that that is a bunch of strawberries. And the price for such a huge pile of delicious? About $2.50! It looks like it's going to be a week of strawberry-topped oatmeal for me :) 

If you're hungry for it, you better make it yourself

Have you, as an American, read much of anything on American culture? Me neither; not until yesterday anyway. Here’s what I learned and what the rest of the world can learn about Americans at Everyculture.com

“Americans eat large amounts of processed, convenience, and fast foods. The average diet is high in salt, fat, and refined carbohydrates. It is estimated that 60 percent of Americans are obese. The preference for packaged and processed foods is culturally rooted. Americans as a whole enjoy the taste of hamburgers, hot dogs, and junk foods. Processed foods generally are perceived to be cleaner or more safe than unprocessed foods.”

Well. You can bet I was hot. This isn’t necessarily new information, or anything; the stereotype has long been established. Since our arrival in South Africa, several fast food=American comments have come up. In the early days of transplant, I was in a shopping center with a woman who asked me if I was hungry for some KFC, which we could see from the car. Um, not really? I mean, I know they have good biscuits but I can’t even tell you the last time I ate at KFC in the states. Since moving here I’ve had it once and that wasn’t because I picked it. We were carpooling on a long road trip with someone (who also asked if I wanted KFC) and that was the best option. To be fair, I had a grilled chicken wrap (ok, and some fries and Todd and I shared a Sprite) which was really very nice. I might try it again sometime. 

But that’s all beside the point. What this post is really all about is the delicious sausage biscuit pictured below, and a theme that has come up repeatedly in my ZA experience: If you’re hungry for it, you better make it yourself.

Pretoria is a big city, but it’s no Kingsport, TN., and by that I mean you can’t just find everything you want. Even if you can find it, sometimes it’s just more money than you want to pay. Since being here, we’ve made: tortillas, Bisquick, gnocci, biscuits, breakfast sausage, pizza sauce, pizza dough, salsa and chicken broth. Some of these things are non-existent (like Bisquick and breakfast sausage) and some are more than I care to spend, no more work than they are to make (like tortillas and pizza). Others, like gnocci, I just didn’t bother to hunt down. They may be out there somewhere. 

But back to the sausage biscuit. It’s amazing to me that here, in what could almost be called the "meat capital of the world," there’s no concept of breakfast sausage. You can buy a beef “sausage” that resembles a bratwurst and is often served at braais, but no Jimmy Dean specials floating around anywhere. It’s really unfortunate. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a homemade sausage recipe and was hit over the head with the realization that one can make one’s own sausage! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before; it’s just a matter of blending meat with spices. Nothing too gourmet about that. 

While I’m thrilled to know it worked I will admit that I’m not quite happy with it yet. It was tasty, to be sure, but still just a tad off. This might be due to the fact that I didn’t have plain marjoram on hand, just marjoram in an Italian spice blend. It could also be due in part to the fact that the only ground pork I found at the first store (little sausages in casings called "porkies") was already lightly seasoned. I found some plain pork at another store, so I’ll try that next time. 

Todd whipped up the biscuits and they were ok, but not as fluffy and wonderful as I had dreamed. I hope to fix that next time as well. I’ve found Paula’s recipe, y’all; my hopes are high ;) 

As we sat down to eat this homemade breakfast-for-dinner, Todd and I had a little exchange that went something like this:

Me: *sigh* “It will be nice to be home and go to Wal-Mart and get all this stuff ready to go.”

Todd: “Well, Americans do love their processed food.”

Point taken. It appears that in this my thinking is just as American as Everyculture.com claims and I’m determined to change, at least a tiny bit. A few items on my list of future homemade conquests are: breadcrumbs, ravioli, and sausage gravy. Take that, processed food!

Um, also...it’s important to note (both for my readers and my mother-in-law, lest she think her son will become a member of the 60% obese American population at my hand) that Todd and I do not indulge in the typical fatty, junkfoodie American fare all the time. Roasted vegetables and seasoned chicken breasts grace our table often :) 

For the Love of Mexican Food

Mmm...Mexican food. I love it, and I’m afraid I took it very much for granted in America. It may come as a surprise to you, but mexican food is not a universal cuisine. South Africa does a lot of things, but it cannot do mexican food. 

A few weeks ago, while we were still living with a very generous Afrikaans family and taking turns cooking, we decided to do a taco salad night. It was on my and Todd’s night to cook, so we were in charge of shopping for supplies. Easier said than done. We scoured three very crowded grocery stores to get the handful of ingredients we needed to put together an authentic mexican meal, and even then it wasn’t perfect. Taco seasoning is really hard to come by. We settled for fajita seasoning, and that isn’t abundant either; we just happened to stumble upon it. 

One doesn’t find cilantro here either; it’s called coriander. I’d heard of coriander before, but had no idea what it tasted like. Now I know :) 

Salsa is another anomaly. We’ve heard you can find it, but actually finding it is another story. 

And tortilla chips...just don’t hold your breath when you go looking for those. Some stores have a bag or two to choose from, but it’s never a guarantee. The ZA natives go for Doritos. Doritos! Just keep swimming...

So, it goes without saying that when we get a craving for a taco (and let’s be real, that’s often) we know it’s time to roll up our sleeves. For your viewing enjoyment, here’s a pictorial documentary of our time in the kitchen this evening :) 

Todd is the chopper in this house. Here he's prepping the tomatoes for pico!

I think I can trace my wish to own a food processor to my Rachael Ray days. We bought this one (and a ton of other stuff!) off a couple who was returning to the States.

Combining tomatoes, onion, coriander, lemon juice, taco seasoning and a pinch of salt. Delicious!

While Todd made the pico, I was on tortilla duty. You can find tortillas here but I have no idea what they would cost, and I don't think you can get them just anywhere. So, I tried making them myself. 

The directions said to roll them into seven-inch circles...I just rolled them until they were really thin in whatever shape they chose.

Mexican from scratch. Brace yourself. 

A feast fit for a king! Ok, so it doesn't look like feast fare, exactly, but it was delicious, Doritos and all :) I ate entirely too much, but what else is new? 

Weapon of Choice

It was a rainy Monday late-morning in the fair kingdom of Overbeek when the lunch moster came creeping round my kitchen. I could have unsheathed one of my usual combat techniques: opening a can of Progresso Light series soup (an easy, tasty lunch I enjoy often), but I felt a more interactive weapon would serve me better. I decided, rather, to wield *pause for dramatic effect* the Chicken and Dumpling.

Of course, in order for this weapon to have been at my disposal at all, prior planning was required. That morning I'd secured a fine rotisserie poultry at my local edibles supplier, and was, at the moment of the attack, attempting to prep it for consumption. My fingers worked deftly, scavenging the little bird for the meat, discarding the bone and other less useful matter.

Having sufficient chicken in my possession, my next step was to compile the soup component of the dish. I wrangled open a can of Mr. Swanson's chicken broth, poured it along with some water over the meat, lightly salted and dry-onioned it, and ignited the electric stove, hoping a boil would quickly ensue.

Not one to usually fail me, the stove top did its work in a most prompt fashion, which kept the lunch monster at bay, for the time. The true test was yet to come.

As is always the case when I select this particular weapon, I saw that it was time to consult Lord Bisquick. A finer authority on the delicate art of dumpling making I doubt one could easily find. He was a tremendous aid in the speedy development of a fine batch of dumpling dough, which I dropped atop the boiling chicken soup in clumps of varying sizes. The only thing to do now was wait.

Once the dish was complete, I valiantly sparred with my recurring opponent, ultimately vanquishing it for the time...though, vast experience has taught me that it can never be completely overthrown. Even now, as I sit typing this account of tasty success, I can sense it approaching...

Here is the recipe for Chicken and Dumplings, as provided by Lady Overbeek (my mother-in-law). As you can see, the version I made was a little less involved as I used pre-cooked chicken that did not have to be removed from the liquid and cut up. Either way will work, but I like short cuts.

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

Boil chicken breasts about 20 minutes until done, remove from liquid and cut into bite size pieces. Return chicken to broth and bring to a boil. Mix together Bisquick mix and milk until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling broth. Reduce heat, cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. 

Can you see the steam rising from that bowl?! I am a huge CnD fan, and this recipe is so terribly easy. I've been on a CnD kick for a little while. It's probably what I'll whip up again today to ward off the inevitable lunch monster :) 

Do I have an inner vegan?

Before you deduce something false from the title of this post, let me assure you that I am far from being vegan. On the contrary, I enjoyed a completely fabulous Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken salad from Panera the other day...for the fourth time in a week (good thing my addiction is a salad, no?)


My interest in the vegan diet is twofold: first, Todd decided he wanted to eat lighter on the nights we don't go for a run and second, I'm attracted to a diet that includes absolutely no dairy.


I'm always looking for an excuse to buy a good cookbook, so my first step in the vegan venture was finding one on the subject. After flipping through several at BAM, I came home and ordered The Complete Vegan Kitchen by Jannequin Bennett (it was half the price to get it used from Amazon, and that's with shipping). The first part of the book explains veganism and discusses nutrition, ingredients, tools, etc. I love books that read like textbooks, so I wanted one that had a good "getting started" section.


Vegan diets differ from vegetarianism in that no part of any animal is permitted for eating. That means that in addition to any and all meat, no fish, eggs, or dairy are allowed. Even honey and gelatin are no nos. Because I am only interested in eating like a vegan occasionally, I don't intend to follow all the rules. I'm ok with meatless dinners, and I already do without dairy on a daily basis, but eggs...I just don't think I'm ready to lose those.


The meal you see pictured below is called bulgar pilaf with cashews and oven-roasted tomatoes. Roasting tomatoes in the oven is an hours long process (I'd give it a good three), and it took all that was in me to give it a try. I was the kid (alright, and now I'm the adult) who picked out the tiny chunks of tomatoes from spaghetti sauce and pushed them off to the side, so bringing myself to biting into one of these things was a psychological battle.


I confess, I'm still not crazy about eating tomatoes in anything but the sauce form, but this dish was extremely low-cal and filling, a combination for which I'm willing to make mega sacrifices. And I enjoyed cooking with cashews. I'm a nut lover and have never used them before in a savory dish...maybe I should explore those posibilites.


Not pictured here but also on the vegan menu that night was dairy-free vanilla pudding, also from The Complete Vegan Kitchen. Pudding is a less than picturesque dessert on a normal day, but whip up a little sugar, cornstarch and soy milk and the delicious but gelatinous blob you're left with is better experienced in person. Really, though, I do recommend it. I have always liked pudding, but since declaring myself allergic to dairy in middle school, it's been one of those pleasures I've lived many years without. The vegan alternative is tasty, just not as creamy (for obvious reasons) as the "real thing." I've learned that one must let go of expected texture and taste issues if one wants to be happy with substitution. No muffin labeled "gluten-free," no ice cream labeled "dairy-free," and no burger labeled "meat-free" is  going to be quite like you remember their non-allergenic-conscious counterparts. It's best to accept that as early as possible.


My integration of vegan dishes will be slow, I'm sure, as my body considers most vegetables to be foreign matter. One step at a time. :)

Bran' New Favorite

While trying new recipes is something I do frequently, only occasionally do I hit upon a real winner. And when I do, I feel absolutely compelled to share it! The most reent treasure I encountered was Low-Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins, from Undressed Skeleton.


I love bran muffins and this lighter, healthier version tastes exactly like the muffins I grew up eating, just with fewer calories (ding ding ding!!) While the blueberries were an interesting addition, I found that they didn't really do much to enhance the overall experience. I have another actual blueberry muffin recipe (I'll share sometime) that I like much more when Todd wants to enjoy a good blueberry muffin (his favorite). But as far as bran muffins go, I don't think you'll find better.


I got 15 muffins out of the batter, but I suppose if I'd been consistent I probably could have gotten a few more...they just would have been a bit smaller than I like my muffins. I put a wee dab of butter on and enjoy a completely delicious (and low cal!) breakfast!

Low-Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins

Calories: 123 | Total Fat: 0.9g

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or use paper muffin liners. Mix together wheat bran and milk, and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat in bran mixture. Sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into bran mixture until just blended. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped.

For many more healthy recipes, visit Undressed Skeleton.  :) 

The Hobby Hunt

 “All young ladies are accomplished! They sing, they draw, they dance,speak French and German, cover screens, and I know not what.” --Charles Bingley, Pride and Prejudice, 1995 A&E Miniseries 

I was starting to feel very under-accomplished this week; one can only get so into washing dishes and folding laundry. So I set out to find myself a hobby. No, literally. I literally “set out” and went looking for a hobby. 

I started at Michaels, the craft store, which should make you laugh. I am about the least crafty person there is but I thought it was worth a shot anyway. I went to the back corner of the store, under a sign that said “Yarn,” and surveyed the row upon row of knitting needles. I’ve attempted knitting before, but never with any amount of success. I strain my eyes, neck and fingers trying to worm a slippery strand of yarn around an even slipperier pair of oversized “needles” (they call those things needles), all the while trying to keep count of how many stitches are in my row without dropping any of them. It conquers me every time.

I was sitting on the floor, reading through a beginners knitting book, and was really leaning towards giving it another shot when I realized how absolutely like punishment it seemed. The more I tried to make sense of the confusing instructions and indiscernible diagrams that accompanied them, the more my head hurt. I decided against putting myself through the torture again. At least for now. 

I left Michaels, my head spinning with gibberish like “casting on” and “binding off.” I decided to stop off at Books-A-Million and see what I could find there. It turned out to be a pretty god place to find a hobby. I saw books on jewelry making, gardening, flower arranging, letter pressing, soap making, origami, mosaics, “creative reuse” (fancy way of saying recycling, I think), mini-book making, and pottery. So much to choose from and still...nothing. 

My visits to book stores inevitably lead me to the cooking section, and it is here that I finally felt myself back in familiar waters. It might not be the most rewarding hobby, or have the most permanent results, but it is one in which I have gained considerable ground over the past couple of years, most recently in the bread making department. 

I’ve put my quest for another hobby on hold for now, deciding rather to continue my pursuit in bread art. Here are my latest masterpieces. :)

Cranberry Cinnamon bagels. Not the pretties thing to make, but Todd said they tasted good. I made this out of the leftover dough from my original artisan loaf (pictured in my previous post, My "What About Bob?" Moment)

After half a century of eating anything she liked, my mother contracted a bizzarre collection of food allergies, among which is gluten. This gluten-free brioche loaf gave her something other than cardboard to eat her non-red lunch meat and goat cheese (also thanks to allergies) sandwiches on.

You can't help but feel a little gourmet when you make something called Pear Tarte Tatin with whole wheat briche. It's especially good with whipped cream. :) 

With my leftover whole wheat brioche dough, I whipped up these sticky buns. They were about as good as they looked.

All of these recipes (and many more!) can be found in the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. 

The Evils of the PB&J

Near the end of February, I was faced with a devastating fact: I weighed more than I did in high school. No, it didn’t really come as any surprise, but all those years of staying off the scale because “weight doesn’t matter” hadn’t paid off. I was really unsatisfied with the way I looked and felt most days, and decided enough is more than enough.

That’s when Todd saved the day (as he is prone to do) by showing me MyFitnessPal.com and introducing me to the concept of the calorie. This is pretty basic, folks, but the light hadn’t flipped on for me before this point. The secret to losing weight is to eat fewer calories than your body burns! Tada! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :)

Well...not exactly.

While this was a “clicking” moment for me, and while it did spark a two and a half month serious diet, it was extremely difficult. The first few days were literally painful. I felt tired, had terrible headaches, and no energy. My stomach was shrinking though, and within a week or two, the pain was pretty much gone. But oh...it was rough.

God obviously gave me the self-control needed to make it through the first couple of weeks...feeling hungry all the time is agony. But...the converse? The part where you watch the scale tell you how much weight you’ve lost?? A new wardrobe was a given. And oh, when you can buy jeans off a smaller rack, that’s a good feeling. :) 

Calorie counting is an aggravating art...to loose weight, I couldn’t eat more than a whopping 1200 a day. Lest you think that’s not a big deal, let me put it in perspective: a serving of peanut butter, or two tablespoons, is 190 calories. Have you ever tried to put just two tablespoons of peanut butter on a sandwich? It’s like trying to roll up a snowman with the flurries native to the greater Tri-City area; it turns out brown, undersized and held together with grass. No, I’m thinking the normal person puts more like four or five tablespoons of peanut butter on a sandwich, and then there’s the bread (ranging anywhere from 60 to 100 calories a slice, depending on the kind) and possibly jelly (approximately 50 calories a tablespoon). One average PB &J could easily eat (no pun intended) nearly half of my daily calorie allotment! 

The calorie counting made the biggest difference in my weight, but it also made me conscious of how helpful a good workout could be. If I did a workout that burned 200 calories, that’s 200 more calories I could eat in a day. Handy. :) I already exercised most days, but while I was dieting (and now, as I continue to be careful) I make an effort to be active for a portion of just about every day. 

So to sum up, my weight loss journey started as a realization that I was overeating every meal of every day, and was not getting nearly enough exercise. The change happened when I began eating smaller portions, and cutting out empty calories. I started my tracking process on MyFitnessPal.com, but only used it initially...I then just kept a rough track of what I ate in my head. 

I’m pleased to say that I’m happy with my weight and have maintained it for almost two months now! Praise the Lord! Goodness knows, I wouldn’t have had the willpower to succeed unless he had granted it. :)

This is one of my favorite summertime lunches; salad with blueberries, raspberries and pecans, with a side of tuna. :)

My "What About Bob?" Moment

My favorite Bill Murray movie is What About Bob? While I expect most have seen this hilarious flick, the premise is that Bob (Murray) has about every fear you can have, the most extreme of which is not having a psychiatrist to visit daily. Until he finds Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), Bob never tried anything new, or even normal. But, when he follows the Dr. on his family vacation, he finds himself in all kinds of previously-terrifying situations. 

One of my favorite scenes in the movie (and they’re all good) is when Bob allows himself to be convinced into going sailing with Dr. Marvin’s daughter, Anna, and her friends. The scene shows him literally tied to the mast saying, “"I’m sailing! I’m sailing! I’m sailing!… I’m sailing! I’m sailing! I sail! I’m sailiiiiiing!" As he disembarks the boat, he says to Dr. Marvin, “Isn't this a breakthrough, that I'm a sailor? I sail? I sail now?”

Well...let me share my latest “sailing” experience with you...

I bake bread! I’m a bread baker! I bake bread from scratch! With yeast and flour! I’m a bread baker! BRRREEEAAADDD BAAAAKER!

When I go through my list of wifely things that I never expected to do, bread baking and sewing were (sewing still is) at the top of the list. Bread baking scared me, primarily because I felt like it was too much work and required a bread machine. However, I recently learned that making lovely loaves (pictured below) is easy, fun, and potentially nutritious. 

The book that caused the breakthrough is Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. The book is about 300 pages and reads like a bread textbook, complete with lots of recipes for whole wheat, whole grain, and gluten free breads (among other treats). The book is part of the “Artisan Revolution” and is actually the sequel to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I went with the sequel because of its claim to produce healthy breads...I try to be semi-conscious of what I ingest. 

The method is super easy to follow and and the results are truly picturesque, not to mention delicious (also important). The secret is to make a large batch of dough on one day, without kneading, and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. Pull off a hunk, let it rest, and presto! You’re ready to bake homemade, healthy bread that looks like it came from a bakery! You wouldn’t believe all the corners you can cut in the bread process, and still end up with great bread! You don’t have to proof the yeast, knead or punch the dough, or poke a rising loaf. Could it get any easier?

I’ve only tried the master recipe so far, but there are sooo many others in the book that sound amazing. I really hope you’ll check out the book, or at least the website, and see for yourself just how easy this stuff is and be able to say along with me...

“I bake bread!” :) 

Pizza...pie

Today was a day of firsts in the kitchen!

A few weeks ago, I found a book called “Mini Pies” published by Love Foods and ordered it online. I failed to note that the book was out of stock and it took it forever to finally arrive, but it was worth the wait. This little gem of a cookbook contains recipes for a variety of tiny pies and tartlets from cherry cream to Mississippi mud, but the one I picked out from the beginning was key lime. Todd loves key lime. And as he is a man of many likes but very few loves, I really try to play to those. 

I decided to try these miniature pies out for my friend’s shower tomorrow (yes, one of the friends getting married...surprise surprise), as she is a big fan of the KL as well. The picture in the book has lovely little graham cracker crust cups filled with beautifully pastry-bag pushed filling, and a light lime zest garnish. I couldn’t resist fantasizing about how perfectly artistic my rendition would be, which was a bad idea. I really should have known better. As much as I like to cook, and as often as it comes out pleasantly edible (I have had my flops...), I can never make things look pretty. It is the bane of the utterly unartistic. But they are sooo cute in the book. 

Anyway, the part that had me worried was the graham cracker crust, a mixture of light corn syrup (and by “light” they mean light in color...that stuff is definitely not light in anything else!), melted butter and powdered crackers. After I combined it and plopped (my signature move) little balls of it into a mini muffin tin. Todd gave me the brilliant idea of pushing another muffin tin on top to mold the crust to the cup! He’s such a genius. After I got it started with the tin, I finished forming with my finger tips and the back of a small spoon. Pop them in the over to bake for a few minutes, let them cool, and presto!  Little graham cracker crusts! I was really impressed with how well they turned out, and held up. I removed all of them from the tins without breaking a single one, and for this aesthetically challenged girl, that’s an accomplishment!

The filling, unfortunately, was a less successful venture. The ingredients were just heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and zest. I wondered how that combination would thicken, and with good cause; it never did. 

There are a couple of possibilities here: either I didn’t whip the heavy cream long enough to allow it to thicken, or my limes were extra juicy. Regardless of the cause of the failure, the result was a bowl of limey liquid and an emergency trip to the grocery store. I ended up going with a cream cheese based filling, which still included sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and zest. It created a thicker filling, but still not the right consistency for a pastry bag presentation. So, I just used my old standby technique: the 

highly technical plop. 

Here’s the finished product; I'm really rather pleased :)

Friday nights are traditionally pizza nights at the Overbeek house. Usually this means throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, but tonight, I used a recipe my highly resourceful sister-in-law was good enough to provide. Just yeast, sugar, salt, vegetable oil and white/wheat flour go into this tasty vehicle for sauce, cheese (not for me, thanks) and meat. And I do mean meat. I better not find a vegetable on my pizza. Actually, just keep them off my plate altogether. 

While Todd and I are generally carnivorous, we rarely ever cook with red meat. I have discovered that turkey will work for just about anything. For tonight’s pizza, I cooked up some italian turkey sausage. I also use turkey for tacos, burgers and meatloaf. It’s leaner and I really prefer the taste. 

The crust was super easy to make, and takes next to no time at all if you have a KitchenAid mixer. Like my mom does. Maybe I made my crust at her house. Maybe not. 

Put a jar of my mother-in-law’s homemade pizza sauce on that delicious white/wheat crust and you’ve got...pizza Friday! 

Meringue

I am not a chef, cook, or gifted culinary artist, but I have recently diagnosed myself as a food enthusiast.