So what’s the deal with 2 buck chuck? Well, really it’s just a classic love story… man and woman fall in love & marry, man and wife run a prosperous vineyard, man and wife end up in a bitter divorce battle,  man sells wine label for pennies so his wife gets nothing in the divorce.

Well, that’s not quite how the story goes, but it’s my favorite version, so I’m sticking with it. But yes, Charles Shaw did exist. He and his wife did, in fact, divorce and sell the vineyard, but it wasn’t as —– scandalous and vicious as all that.

When I moved back east, I was disappointed 2 buck chuck wasn’t readily available. Only select Trader Joe’s sell wine. There is a TJ’s in NYC that sells wine but it was quite a hike from where I lived in the city at the time.  But lucky me… our new home has a brand new, beautiful Trader Joe’s less than 10 miles away that has a massive wine, beer, and liquor selection! And yes, they sell 2 buck chuck! It’s $2.99 on the east coast, but still a great deal. My favorite is the Shiraz. If a TJ’s near you sells it, give it a shot!

There are few things more comforting than something warm and delicious to eat on a bitterly cold day- especially during a blizzard!  The recent blizzard that hit Boston actually stranded me at the hospital for the weekend, which wasn’t too terrible since many of the roads were plowed when I finally emerged.

I got a second chance this weekend though, when we got a surprise 6 inches on Sunday (pretty common here, but I’m not quite used to it yet!) The snow got me thinking about making stew or chili for dinner- but then I thought of something much, much better!

Back in my Mountie days, we were pretty spoiled as far as high school food is concerned. Pumpkin pie flavored frozen yogurt, soft pretzels during break, and my personal favorite- “walking tacos”. I’m not quite sure where the name came from, except maybe that you could eat them while walking around.  These were amazing. I am willing to bet if you asked any of my fellow Mount girls, they would vehemently agree that these were the greatest thing ever invented.

It’s a taco in a bag, really. But so much more….. Half the fun is making it. You start with a bag of Fritos and crush up the chips a bit. Then add in some ground taco meat, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, beans, sour cream, salsa…… however you like your taco. Add a plastic spoon and dig in!

Matt, Mr. Bailey & I made the move to Massachusetts. A new home, new adventures, and a whole lot of snow! While I am slowly adjusting to the snow, Mr. Bailey is in heaven. He must have spent a former life as a polar bear because he is right at home in the frigid temperatures and mounds of snow.  We are loving Boston-  an amazing city complete with an unending array of places to go and things to do.  To top it off, Matt & I both have some of our dearest college friends here, which has made the move not just easier but full of good times.

It took a few months of chaos and trips back & forth to Delaware since Matt & I were switching jobs at different times, but we made it! Finally unpacked and settled in, I figured it was time I got back on here.  So stay tuned….

Garlic Lemon Spinach

Bag or box of prewashed spinach (this is easiest or get some fresh from a farm stand, but make sure to wash off the dirt!)

1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed

Salt and pepper

EVOO

1-Preheat large skillet/sauté pan on medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbs EVOO and heat it up.

2-Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes until it starts to brown

3-Place spinach in pan. Drizzle another Tbs EVOO on top plus S+P. Give spinach a few turns in the pan to coat it all. Cover pan. *Make sure to frequently turn/stir the spinach in the pan or it will burn! The spinach starts to wilt down quickly.

4-When the spinach is nearly all wilted down, turn the heat to low and add juice from one lemon. Cook another minute or so, and you’re ready to go!

*Tip: fresh garlic really makes a difference in this recipe. While I’m a sucker for the super easy frozen cubes from Trader Joe’s (which you can definitely use), once you make it with fresh cloves you won’t ever go back! To make it easier, place the unpeeled clove between your flattened (sideways) knife blade and cutting board and give it a smack and the skin will pretty much pop off, then remove skin and do this again, and you have yourself some crushed garlic.

*Spinach cooks down to about half its original volume. A large bag of spinach serves approximately 3 people as a side dish once it’s cooked.

*This can also be made with baby arugula or broccollini, which is what we used last night when Jess came over for dinner. For the broccollini, use a little less lemon juice and add some crushed red pepper flakes.

Ingredients

6 Tbs bourbon  *use one you would actually drink…. You want to enjoy it

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce  (the regular is a bit too salty)

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

6 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)

Cooking spray

4 tsp sesame seeds

½ cup thinly sliced green onion

Instructions

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large ziploc bag. Add the salmon. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

(I really really recommend using tin foil on the pan- after lots of scrubbing I still wasn’t able to get all the burnt sauce off)

Coat pan (or foil) with cooking spray. Place fillets on pan.

Broil 11 minutes until fish flakes.

Sprinkle each fillet with sesame seeds and green onions.

We ate the salmon with broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and a little cous cous on the side.

what you need:

1/3 cup EVOO

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp paprika

S&P

½ cup plain greek yogurt *I used 0% fat for a slightly healthier dressing

1 green pepper, seeded and sliced into rings

1 onion, sliced into rings

1 lb. skirt or flank steak **my store was out so I used top sirloin

Pitas

1 tomato, chopped

Bunch watercress, chopped *or baby arugula

what to do:

1…..while preheating grill or grill pan, make the marinade: whisk EVOO, garlic, & spices.   ****Take about 1 Tbs of this marinade and set aside in a separate bowl. To the Tbs of marinade, add the yogurt + 2 Tbs water. Mix. Set aside as dressing for later.

2….Using the original marinade (NOT the one with yogurt), coat onions, peppers, and steak.

3….Grill pepper, onion, and steak on grill pan until lightly charred (about 4 minutes a side for veggies; length of time for the steak will vary depending on thickness and how well done you like it; about 5-8 minutes a side)

4….Set the meat aside to rest.

5….Grill pitas, about 1 minute per side.

6….Slice the steak

7….Make your gyros…. Fold pitas in half and fill with meat, veggies, tomatoes, watercress, and top with yogurt sauce.

This dinner serves about 3 (you could stretch it to 4 but it is so good you aren’t going to want to share!) and takes 30-40 minutes to make from start to finish. Enjoy!

steak gyros

All you need is 1 block of cream cheese, some shredded cheddar cheese, and a can of Hormel chili (no beans).

In a pie dish or other shallow baking dish spread out the cream cheese covering the entire bottom. **It’s not necessary but letting the cream cheese come to room temperature makes it easier to spread.  Next, layer on the chili. Top with a pretty thick layer of shredded cheese.

Pop into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted- you want it to just start bubbling a tiny bit. You can microwave it instead if you are in a hurry but it melts better in the oven.

Dip away……

Our friend Jess -and Matt’s cousin- came over for dinner recently.  She lives down the street and is always busy (I wish I could bottle some of her energy) but we love when she can come over for some good food and good wine and great company. Luckily for us she runs the best cheese shop in little Italy and always brings us lots of delicious goodies! Check out the link to M. Fierro Cheese….

A while ago I ripped a recipe for chicken tostadas out of a magazine and came upon it again the other day so I decided to make them.  I have a habit of saving Mexican recipes but don’t always get around to making anything more than tacos or fajitas. When I lived in Los Angeles, I ate more than my share of delicious Mexican food. My favorite was actually from the tiny stand at the bottom of the hill a few blocks over or after the Spanish mass at church once a month. After remembering all that good food, I decided it was time for some Mexican food for sure. The tostadas were actually pretty simple to make and ended up being really good.  (this recipe is adapted from Cooking Light, serves 3-4)

What you’ll need:

Low fat sour cream -2 to 3 Tbs

Low sodium chicken broth- 2 to 3 Tbs

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Vegetable oil- 2 tsp

Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper – pinch or 2

Salt and pepper

1 ripe avocado (I used the packaged avocado from Trader Joe’s)

Flour tortillas- regular or whole wheat

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno (or some jalapeno rings from the jar), minced

Shredded lettuce

1-2 tomatoes

Shredded cheese (Mexican blend or any kind you like)

2 or so cups of Rotisserie chicken * I had a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs so I used them instead but you can use any kind of chicken you have around. Just cook it and shred it up.

What to do:

1…in a blender or food processor, combine the first 7 ingredients and puree until smooth. Add s&p and cayenne to make it as spicy/salty as you like. I like it with a little extra kick. Set aside. Chill if you like.

2…heat a large pan. Add a small bit of oil or cooking spray and brown tortillas. Set aside.

3…in the same pan add a little more oil plus garlic and jalapeno. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Add in chicken and cook a few minutes until heated all the way through (if you have raw chicken, cook it all the way through!).

4…make your tostadas! (the fun part) Make them however you like them. Pile on the chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and pour on some sauce or lots of sauce (it’s good!)

If you like beans or rice with yours, add those too. I like extra sour cream on mine.….. below is a recipe for Mexican rice that I put on ours. In my opinion, you really can never pile enough on….. Enjoy!

Mexican Rice

¾ cup uncooked long grain white or brown rice

1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth

½-1 green bell pepper, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

½ tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Put everything in a large pan. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

I’m back at it… finally! After almost a year back at the books, a career change, a new job, and a move, I’ve gotten settled into things.  It took me a bit longer than I hoped, but so it always goes. Every time I move I swear that I’m going to get things put together and organized right from the start, and it just never happens.

I’ve left the Philadelphia area, but haven’t gone too far.  Matt and I and our spoiled puppy, Mr. Bailey are living in Delaware and I’ve started an amazing job in the ICU at the children’s hospital.

Summer flew by and the holidays came quickly this year, not leaving me much time for blogging, but things are starting to slow down a little and I have every intention of (finally) getting caught up on posting the small stack of recipes I have made over the past few months. Stay tuned……

A few years ago when I lived in Manhattan I was exposed to some of the craziest food fads and newest diets.  A nurse I worked with was obsessed with a new blog called Hungry Girl. She got daily emails with info on new grocery items, “bad” foods, low fat foods, and recipes remaking delicious (but fattening) foods in healthier ways.  She finally got me to sign up though I never actually made anything.  The only time I tried it out was one year after Thanksgiving.  There was a recipe for a guiltless chocolate cake (really? I’m already skeptical.)  The recipe called for chocolate cake mix and a can of pureed pumpkin. I had some leftover from the pumpkin cheesecakes I made (definitely anything but guiltless) so I gave it a shot. Let’s just say that was the last time I checked out Hungry Girl for a while. I’ll give her credit for ambitiousness, but this girl is never that hungry or that desperate.  The whole thing minus one bite went straight into the trash. (As a side note, I’m a bit of a chocolate snob, but if you really really want some good chocolate, you aren’t going to get your craving filled with that.)  MY next chocolate cake was filled with eggs and butter.

This past week I happened to see that Hungry Girl now has a spot on the Cooking Channel.  Since I have an addiction to this channel I checked it out.  Stir fried broccoli slaw— no thank you. But the Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo caught my eye.  It actually had nothing to do with looking for a healthier fettuccine alfredo (I’m pretty sure when we eat it we all know we’ll be breaking the scale) but I am lactose intolerant so her version looked like something I could actually eat! (me? fettuccine alfredo?  I almost didn’t believe it).

So last night I gave it a shot…. with a few of my own alterations. (tofu noodles? No thanks. Bring on the carbs please.)  I do usually have laughing cow cheese in the fridge- this stuff is awesome- and I had whole grain fettuccine noodles so I only had to get 2 things at the store.  I added in some broccoli I had in the freezer and next time I think I will toss in some chicken.  I have to disclose— I made 3 times the amount of sauce! Yikes! But I had leftovers and this is so low fat that really I wasn’t worrying about it. (and sorry, but Hungry Girl, if you’re trying to make over alfredo, it needs to be creamy with lots of sauce.)

Here it is:

1 package pasta noodles- any kind (or tofu shirataki if you’re down with that)

3 wedges Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese (the real recipe calls for ½ a wedge?!?!?! definitely not enough)

6 teaspoons reduced fat grated parmesan cheese (or parm-romano mix)

3 tablespoons fat free sour cream

Salt & pepper

Frozen broccoli

Boil water & cook noodles. Steam or boil broccoli while cooking noodles.

In a bowl, mix all the cheeses together. Microwave 30 seconds or so and mix together until creamy. Heat longer if needed. *will melt more when you add it to hot noodles

Drain pasta & broccoli. Mix together. Add cheese and mix everything together. Throw in some salt & pepper.

Overall, if you’re looking for fettuccine alfredo, this isn’t going to cut it. But, if you’re like me and want something cheesy but can’t handle all the super creamy stuff—this is definitely a good substitute.

8 ripe plum tomatoes*

½ cup olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, chopped*

12-14 slices of prosciutto (thin)

Pizza crust**

*you can use canned tomatoes, pre-chopped garlic (Trader Joe’s makes awesome frozen cubes of chopped garlic), dried thyme (but use less- about 1 tsp)

**home made or store bought; I like Trader Joe’s Italian style ciabatta flatbread

Preheat oven to 325. Chop up the tomatoes. Add garlic, thyme, s & p, and ¼ cup oil. Mix together. Brush each side of bread with the rest of the oil. Cover with tomato mix. Top with prosciutto. Bake 20-25 minutes until warmed through. At the end, put under the broiler for 4-5 minutes to brown a little.

*this also tastes great cooked on the grill

Around my birthday this year I had some friends over for a BBQ, as I often do.  In my opinion there is no better way to celebrate than with friends, food, cold drinks, & lots of citronella lanterns. I switched up my pasta salad this year and added some roasted peppers. My friend Mia asked for the recipe, so here it is…..

Roasted Pepper Pasta Salad

1 box (12 oz) pasta – rigatoni, penne, or any other small shape

2 large bell peppers (any color), roasted  *or 2 jars of roasted peppers

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup EVOO

1 lemon (juice & zest)

8 oz mozzarella balls

fresh basil leaves

salt & pepper

cook pasta according to package directions. drain & set aside.

to roast peppers: preheat broiler. cut peppers in half, remove stems & seeds. place peppers cut side down on broiler pan (line with foil for easier clean up). broil until blackened: 7-8 minutes. remove from pan, place in a bowl & cover with plastic wrap while hot. set aside for 10 minutes then remove & peel skin off.

slice peppers. add garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mozzarella, pasta, salt & pepper. toss together. chop up basil leaves & sprinkle over.