Failure Makes You Stronger – Say What?

As my first official return to WW, I was hit with shock when I entered my points for a Roasted Turkey sandwich from Subway. On the old plan, a veggie sandwich was 4 and now it's 6; a turkey was 5 and now 7.  Part of me forgot that I was on the new plan and had the "what the heck?" come out.  "It's supposed to be 4 for the veggie, not 6!  How can a turkey be 7?"  Points shocker has gotten to me more than I thought.

Up until I'd reached goal February 2010, life was pretty great.  I was regularly going to the gym after work (despite that the commute from work to the gym is 1 hour); both my husband and I were working.  We had a little extra money for fun.  Once I hit goal, life seemed to spiral downward and I struggled a bit to deal with my weight.  My husband got laid off and we really had to stick to budget and begin being frugal.  Frugal meant that I had to monitor how much gas I was using.  Those extra 20 miles round trip to the gym were cutting way too much into the gas bill; and eating out came to a complete halt.

After much stress and worry, along with some extra unwanted pounds, I'm back on WW, even if just for a little bit.  I want to get back in control before my weight really begins to spiral in a direction I don't ever want to go back to.

Failure has taught me more about myself - who I am and want to be.  It's taught me patience, motivation, prioritization, faith, flexibility and coupon clipping.  I've learned how I want to feel; to be motivated by my successes; and more importantly, to be honest with myself.  I've learned to treasure the little things in life and get back to my basics.

I got a happy unexpected surprise tonight as I walked from my car to my house – I found a $1 bill on the ground with no one around to claim it.  How about that?

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. 
– Joshua J. Marine

What's failure taught you?

A Sizzlin’ Fajita Friday!

Where did February go?

Every time MigL and I happen to watch Paula Deen on Food Network (let me clarify we don’t intentionally watch PD), it seems like we should ask, “would you like some buttah with that?”   We always get a kick when PD says, “ya’ll we’re gonna start this recipe by ______”.  And more often than not, it’s a stick of butter. If I got a quarter every time she said butter in a show, boy I’d be rich!  I know we’re in a recession, but pennies don’t buy much so I’ve resorted to quarters. 

1 stick, 2 sticks, even melted butter.  Isn’t that what Julia Child cooked with too and is part of what made her famous in a fanciful way?  I have a feeling that butter alone makes a name for itself; but if you’re one to sell it with everything you make, you’d practically be a legend.  I have to say butter does make omelets SO much better, but that’s another post.  I know a little butter makes the world go round, but I seriously think PD just piles that buttah on.

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to find something stable, amidst the craziness in my life.  I was tired of trying to find something to cook every day to what feels like the last minute; and with a tight budget, it can be a bit daunting.  I wanted something no-brainer.  So, I came up with Fajita Friday.  Dinner every Friday is now the official Fajita Friday; except that the last few Friday’s I’ve had some flop Fajita Fridays.  The recipes weren’t as good as I’d hoped – and then on a whim I decided to invent what a fajita should taste like.  The results were disappointing.  Oh well, there’s no learning like the present, right?

So I decided to do a little homework and found a recipe that will now become a part of my Fajita Friday.  Much to my surprise and relief, PD doesn’t cook everything with buttah.  In my search, I was looking for something quick and tasty – WITH pictures included.  It’s a crime if I can’t see what I’ll potentially be making and I’ll bypass a recipe if it doesn’t have any pictures – after all, shouldn’t the food you’re eating not only taste good but, look good too?

On a Friday evening, after a long week, who really wants to wait 3 hours or more for something to marinate - unless you’ve got the whole day off, or even an afternoon; then I’d consider you, my friend, a lucky duck and I completely wish I were you.   Otherwise, I need something quick and tasty and more often than not, I need it right away; although at times, it does take a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get dinner finished.  (On a side note, I should start eating a snack in between the time I get off work and dinner so that I’m not as hungry).

Perhaps every now and again I’ll try to find new fajita recipes to prevent from being bored; but for now this is our new favorite.  I was even very surprised when MigL got seconds!

Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas

(adapted from Food Network)

Serves 8

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fajita seasoning
2 teaspoons yellow mustard 
Dash green Tabasco sauce (or any hot sauce) 
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 large onion, halved and sliced lengthwise 
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
8 (8-inch) corn tortillas

Directions 
In a heavy duty resalable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, fajita seasoning, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper and chicken. Seal and toss the bag around to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Preheat a cast iron skillet in a preheated 400 degree F oven for at least 20 minutes, to get a good sizzle when you plate the fajitas.

Heat the outside grill or a large indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the hot grill, discard the marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Slice the chicken into strips.

In a large skillet heat up the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and fry the onions and bell peppers until crisp-tender with some salt and pepper.

Wrap the tortillas in a paper towel and warm in the microwave for 1 minute. 

When you are ready to serve, remove the cast iron servers from the oven and quickly arrange the meat and peppers and onions on it (wait for the ooh’s and ahh’s!). It will immediately start to sizzle from their fat and moisture. Serve sizzling immediately with the warm tortillas and other accompaniments.

Latin Cook’s Notes
Oh man, dinner was fajita-licious!  While I was preparing the marinade for the chicken it smelled so good; but you have to wait until it’s ready to cook (when all of the flavors have marinated) to have something incredibly great.  I think the kicker was the mustard – since I didn’t have any lemons, I wondered if this might do the trick – and believe me, it does.  You’ve GOT to try this out.  There was a pretty good party in my mouth!

The intimidation of new foods

I have been afraid to cook certain foods.  I can’t tell you what they all are because I don’t know all of them yet and am discovering them as I go.  Celery root and butternut squash were intimidating once…until Sunday night.  Why is it that the unknown is scary and intimidating and fear can take a hold of your life?  And I’m not just talking about cooking; but trying something new every once in a while can be healthy and a great change of pace…like...

having fun with your fruit .  Thanks to my mother-in-law, she got me this cute vegetable peeler!

Two days ago I finished listening my first “foodie” book.  Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs was an incredible first read in this type of genre.  Augusta “Gus” Simpson is a famous TV chef with two grown daughters.  She finds out her show “Cooking with Gusto” is going to be cancelled on the Cooking Channel and she finds ways, desperately, to keep her show.  Much to her dismay, she ends up hosting a cooking show with Carmen, “Miss Spain”  turned chef who appears to be in it for herself and makes sure everyone else know it.  The book is a bit slow and the characters are confusing at first but it has good drama; however, this type of genre now intrigues me to delve into “foodie world” just a little bit more.

It all happened by accident a couple of weeks ago when I was perusing through the audio books at the library and the title caught my eye.  Who doesn’t like comfort food, whatever it may be?  Once I read the brief introductory, I knew I had to listen to this.   Since December of last year, I’ve gotten hooked on audio-books.  First came Eat, Pray, Love, then The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  And since I finished Comfort Food this week, I’ve felt like something’s missing.  The audio-book is like my travel buddy.  I listen to it on my commute to work and it even makes me laugh.  OK, I admit, I may sound a little cuckoo.  But I enjoy being entertained on my beautiful drive through Napa Valley, at least for an hour a day.

My friend Tanya sent me a note last week to say that she had celery root.  Boy was I glad!  For the longest time, I’d been excited to try out something new.  I’d found a recipe I’d wanted to try in case she had extra celery root she didn’t know what she wanted to do with.  So on Wednesday I went to her house for our weekly workout and not only did she kindly give me the celery root (as promised ), she also donated a butternut squash!  Not having ever dealt with either, I was curious to find what recipes I could make with these ingredients.  Out of curiosity, I decided to Google both at the same time; and lo and behold, I found the recipe below that fancied my inquisitive mind.

Looking through the recipe I was a bit crushed (no pun intended) to find that I didn’t have sage.  Oh boy.  Luckily, cooking means you can make anything and everything your own, whether you have a spice or not.  I found this amazing website called The Cook's Thesaurus that provides substitutes for spices.  What a lifesaver!

Don’t mind me, I may be a bit naïve about this,
but celery root smells like…get this…celery.

Beautiful butternut squash

Butternut squash seeds which I mean to do something with
and then realized I had thrown them away

Celery root and Butternut Squash just out of the oven!

 

Butternut Squash and Celery Root Soup

(adapted)

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 6 cups)
1 celery root, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
2-3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash and celery root with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. In a single layer spread on a baking sheet, or two. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 25 minutes.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté onions, red pepper flakes and rosemary until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and roasted vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and puree thoroughly in a food processor or blender. Add additional salt if necessary.   Return to the pot to reheat, and serve.

Latin Cook’s Notes:
I found that I didn’t need to add any extra salt or pepper after roasting the veggies in the oven.  The chicken stock had plenty of sodium to add to this soup.  I found it easier to blend ONLY the vegetables in the blender and add a little bit of the liquid from the soup as opposed to blending EVERYTHING together with a hand blender or food processor.  It made the soup less mushier and smooth enough to swallow.  It wasn’t thin like a broth or thick like a stew; it was smooth-soup goodness.  Oh yeah, minor detail - I also added 2 tablespoons of butter and stirred it into the soup until it completely melted.  Practically anything is better with butter, in moderation, right?

An apple scrumdiddlyumptious treat

Lately I’ve been a sucker for anything donuts.  It’s taken a lot of self-restraint to not go into the donut shop every week and buy a chocolate glazed donut, mainly because finances are tight and I don’t want it to become an addiction, just an occasional treat, when chump change is available.  Have I mentioned I’ve become somewhat of a chocoholic, thanks to my wonderful husband?

So when I came across this recipe I just had to make this.  Although it doesn’t have chocolate it looked awesome and my mouth watered when I read the ingredients.  I had ALL of them!  It’s a definite bonus these days not having to go to the grocery store, simply to buy a spice.  If I see a recipe and I happen to have all of the ingredients, I for the most part won’t hesitate to make it.

The recipe below is more like muffins more so than donuts as the recipe title might say.  I was very surprised by MigL when he said he actually liked them, seeing that we, OK I, had to do some QC, quality control.  LOVED this one.  I think this will be my next not-so-sweet go-to treat.

Baked apple donuts with cinnamon and nutmeg
(courtesy of www.homecookingrocks.com)

Ingredients
2 apples (I used Brae burn apples)
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon powder

Directions
Peel and roughly chop the apples.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Rub the butter against the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Beat the egg. Pour in the milk and stir lightly. Add the chopped apples to the egg-milk mixture.

Pour the apple-egg-milk mixture to the flour-butter mixture. Stir (a fork is most useful) just until blended. Do not over mix. The batter will be a bit stiff.

Form the batter into loose balls and place in the holes of a muffin pan. If you’re not using a non-stick pan, brush the holes lightly with softened butter.

Bake at 350^oF for 25 minutes.

While the donuts are baking, prepare the topping. Measure the sugar and cinnamon powder into a bowl. Stir to combine.

When the donuts are done, remove from the oven. Use a teaspoon to remove them from the pan. While still warm, dip the tops in melted butter them dredge in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

The Best Vegetarian Chili I’ve Ever Had

Chili.  It’s what’s been on my mind all winter and have been wanting to make the perfect chili.  I’d tried making recipes before but none seemed to satisfy my idea of chili.  And then, this weekend, I found it.

This is by far the best vegetarian chili I’ve ever eaten.  If you get a chance, you’ve GOT to try this out – paired especially with warm garlic Naan bread (I like Trader Joe’s garlic Naan – found in the frozen section).  It’s absolutely magical.  MigL and I split the last (and only) piece of Naan bread.  We definitely wished we had more. 

Last night I also tried making Giada de Laurentiis’ Herbed Flatbread.  I didn’t care for this, even though I thought it might pair well with the chili.  Perhaps the flatbread will suit your taste buds.

Get ready for a slightly spicy, meat-free, optional, veggie-filled soup that will satisfy your soul and make your cold-filled evening something to talk about. 

Vegetarian Chili
(courtesy of CHOW)

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, medium dice
1 carrot, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bell pepper, medium dice
1 zucchini, medium dice
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. chili powder
2 (15-oz.) cans light kidney, dark kidney, or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 (28 oz.) canned chopped tomatoes
Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Quartered lime pieces, for garnish (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled queso fresco, for garnish (optional)
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid or a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the bell pepper and zucchini to the pot and season with salt and pepper.  Add the cum and chili powder and stir to incorporate.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are knife tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the beans, water, and tomatoes with their juices and stir to combine.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer until the vegetables are soft and the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve and garnish as desired.

Latin Cook’s Notes

I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies (unbeknownst to me, MigL had grabbed this kind of tomatoes at Trader Joe’s – he didn’t know I was planning on making chili and it was FANTASTIC).  I also made some black beans from scratch and used those instead of canned (in a large pot, cook raw black beans with 3 crushed garlic at medium high heat for about 1 hour to 1 hr., 10 min., stirring occasionally; make sure to add plenty of water, otherwise you’ll end up with burnt beans – trust me, I’d forgotten to add more water and got said burnt black beans.  It took forever to scrub the pot and dinner took approximately 3 hours because of this).  Top the chili with shredded Cheddar cheese.  Buen provecho!