shovel-it-in

Hello two people that read this blog:

I am truly shocked at how time flies--November since my last post?!!?!?! Here's a brief summary of the Winter 07-08 forecast for central minnesota: 10-15" inches of snow bi-weekly with a 60-70% chance of flu symptoms. I truly have not seen germs pass from person-to-person until moving here. You would think I taught a classroom of 5 yr olds who refused to wash their hands, but frankly, my place of work can sometimes feel like a petri dish full of filth. No matter how many Airborne, oranges and Vitamin C drops I took, I was sick. And when you're sick, NOTHING sounds good to eat.

In my sick-dreams, I imagined eating lots of steak taco's with onion and cilantro, mojito's sweetened with honey and something like this tortilla soup. Since I knew I couldn't taste anything, I settled for the soup:



Tortilla Soup:

Saute 1 small white onion, the kernals of 2-3 corn-cobs, 1/2 jalepeno minced, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp red pepper flakes in 1-2 tblsp oil for 10-15 minutes. Add 3-4 larged chopped tomato's, 1 qt. of chicken stock (or veggie stock), 3 stale taco shells (use fresh too if you got 'em), left-over corn cobs. Stir and simmer until taco shell's melt into soup, 20-30 minutes.


**Serve with chopped avocado, cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla strips, sourcream.


The soup had the added bonus of clearing my sinus and even if I couldn't taste the fresh tomato's and corn I could feel the heat which, for a split second allowed me to taste how freakin' good this soup was. I'm not sure if this soup shorten's the length of time of any illness, but it certainly allowed me to taste something tastier than saltines. I'm excited to try this again in the Fall when local fresh corn costs pennies and they're giving away tomato's at the farmer's market.

Fall & Winter symbolize a change in the kitchen for me--oven cooking. I rarely turn the oven on in the Summer unless I'm making pizza or baking (rare). But the added bonus of ovens in the Winter is the cheap heat.

Minnesotans have a style of cooking that's all comforty in the Winter. I never heard of 'Hot Dish' until coming here---'Tater-tot Hot Dish' or 'Potato-Chip Hot Dish' just sounded like some backwoods church lady food until I tried it....crunchy soft tater-tots on top of ground meat, something green with lots of soup. It sounds ridiculous and it looks bad on a plate but there's nothing like a casserole, especially if you haven't had one in a while. So, Imani's not a fan of tater tots and I could do without the canned peas but used left over lemon chicken breasts, wild rice harvested by the father of a guy I work with, frozen broccoli & almonds to make a great chicken and rice dish. Bonus, it made the best leftover lunches.

Chicken w/Wild & Brown Rice

3-4 Chicken breasts, cooked & seasoned to your taste
1/2 cup washed wild rice
1/2 cup brown rice
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth or bouillon broth
1 bag frozen broccoli
1 tbsp sliced almonds
1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Light sour cream (I REALLY like Daisy brand)
1 tbsp of butter cut in tiny pieces
Salt & pepper
Cook brown & wild rice in 2 cups of bouillon broth or chicken broth until done (about 35-45 minutes). In a bowl, mix cooked rice, frozen broccoli, 1 tbsp garlic powder, soup, sour cream, Salt & pepper together. Pour mixture in
casserole dish lined with Pam-sprayed foil. Press cooked chicken breast on top of rice, dot with butter and bake for 25-35 minutes or until bubbly. Serve the chicken whole or sliced up with the rice. Nummy.

Lately, Imani's been on this no-salt kick. "Don't add salt to that popcorn." There isn't a lot of salt in this, I like it. Isn't there high-blood pressure in your family?"

Whatever the reason for his recent cautions, it's gotten me thinking about mortality in general. I really do want to live a long time and if a few less dashes can increase those odds, then I'll start adding more pepper.

Here is one recipe he sent, that sounds really tasted & healthy. I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as I do I'll post a picture. If you happen to try it, send a pic and I'll post it. First one to the finish line wins.
-K


Green Bean Chili
__________________________________________________________________________
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (Optional)
1 cans of nsa diced tomatoes with jalepeno (drain if it contains salt)
2 cans of nsa french cut green beans, drained (frozen works fine too)
1 (8-oz) can nsa tomato paste
1/4 cup (4 tbl) nsa chili powder (I use Spice Hunter brand)
1 tsp cocoa powder** ( I like the Dark Chocolate Powder – no fat, no cholesterol, and it’s good for you)
Water – to preference. (I like my Chili to be like soup.)

Sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper in saucepan; when soft, add meat and brown. Drain meat mixture. Place meat mixture into crockpot. Add tomatoes, green beans, tomato paste and sauce. Mix in chili powder and cocoa.

Cook on low for several hours. Or, on medium until it bubbles.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't thinking about food. I think about dinner at breakfast and I think about next weeks menu this week. I don't think there's anything wrong with being passionate about food. I do think there's something wrong with dreaming about french silk pie. That's where I'm at. A few years ago, I made a pan of really thick double chocolate brownies. Surprisingly, Imani's friend Derrell turned them down and started talking about this book "Sugar Buster's" . I assumed it was more lo-carb propaganda, but he said the book was more about how sugar is the new crack and none of us will ever be able to kick the habit since it's in EVERYTHING from Krispy Kreme's to Bic Mac's. There were some 'Fast Food Nation' references, blah, blah, I ate three brownies.

I don't know how that story is going to associate with this recipe, but I think I want to try cooking more of what below, than what I've been cooking in the past. Sometimes the cooking rut can be the pits...when nothing else tastes or sounds as good as chips & guacamole, I loose the passion for getting creative and cooking more healthfully. So, here's to Fall & Winter Sexy, fitted sweaters, black leather boots and jackets. Now fire up the grill.


Grilled Mahi

1 bunch Italian Parsley, minced
3-4 tblsp. of finely minced garlic
juice & zest of 1 lemon
2 tblsp. of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & course black pepper

Mix this into a paste that resembles pesto, spread onto 1lb or so of a Mahi fillet. Grill Mahi on top of a well oiled piece of foil (cover grill). Maybe 20 minutes (?) or desired doneness. We ate this with green & wax beans seasoned with a little lemon, s&p, & basil. Enjoy!

A LONG time ago, I spent an easter vacation in Texas visiting my Aunt Tami and Uncle Don. They had just had a baby, who is now graduating from high school next year (I'm officially old), and I got really sick due to the dramatic change in weather. I remember my uncle making a german dish w/apples and potato's and kielbasa that was really good. A while back, I asked him to give me the recipe to try, but I never got around to it. I asked him how it was with turkey sausage and he gave me these tips:
1) I put the Keilbase on top of Cold Saurkraut. The hot food on top of cold food was good.
2) I sprinkled Balsamic Vinegear on top of the disk - IT WAS GOOD! I think I am making that part of the Recipe.

Lucikly he's more on top of his game than I am, provided me with the recipe and a pic to post. Thanks Don!

Don’s German Kielbasa

One Pot Option (PREFERRED)

1 hour 15 min prep
Serves 8

1 lb Polish sausage, sliced (Hillshire Farm's Polska Kielbasa)
1/2 cup butter, plus extra-virgin olive oil, for pan
1 1/2 large onions, sliced
2 Apples (green or red – green are better to me)
3 russet baking potatoes, peeled, diced
1 16oz package of Deitz Sauerkraut (from the Cold Section)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or LESS – High blood pressure)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or MORE – I like lots of pepper)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package onion soup mix, dry
1 2/3 cups milk or half-and-half
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar

Casserole Option
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed (or Toasteds Butter Crisp)
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

For Casserole: Pre-Heat oven to 325º. Butter or spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with Pam.
For One Pot Dish
1. In a large Dutch oven on medium/high heat, sauté sliced sausage in a bit of olive oil until browned.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add butter. Sauté onions, potatoes, and apples until lightly caramelized – about 20 minutes. Add salt, pepper and onion soup mix. Stir in milk, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in Sauerkraut. Continue to heat until potatoes are tender and Sauerkraut is hot!

For Casserole:
1. After adding Sauerkraut, heat on low for 5 minutes.
2. Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly, then slowly stir in eggs.
3. In a large zip-lock bag, crush crackers with caraway seeds. Into the pot of veggies and sausage, add ½ of the cracker mixture.
4. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
5. Dust top evenly with remaining crackers. Bake at 325º for 45 minutes, or until heated through and top is golden brown.

After 1 year of living in Minneapolis, I finally realized why people don't move from what I like to call the artic north. THE SUMMERS ARE PHENOMENAL. Case and point, why I haven't updated this food blog in months. I've had family & friend visits, I now frequent the largest open-air farmers market in the midwest, I've seen every concert I've wanted to see, ran and hiked miles of trails and lived at the outdoor cafe's downtown. I've got to say, this place is hard to beat, and the people are some of the nicest I've met.

So I've decided to summarize my summer in minneapolis through a photo diary of what I've done and cooked this summer. I lived off of MN blueberries for breakfast by adding them to non-fat yogurt sweetened w/a little splenda and vanilla extract and topped w/granola and honey. I bought heirloom tomato's cheaper than a head of iceburg lettuce and coupled it w/fresh mozarella and basil for a caprese salad. I snapped a pic of the lunch I ate while my mom & sis visted in July. I lived off a pasta salad from the Macy's food court downtown (yes, Macy's dept. store--the BEST deli I've ever been to,hands down). I managed to recreate the balsamic-chicken pasta there: toss cooked penne, grape tomato's, parsley & basil, grilled chicken and red onion in to a dressing made of good balsamic vinegar, a little dijon mustard, lemon
juice, salt and pepper. Chill over night and the chicken really soaks up the vinegar.

I had to include a pic. of Femi Kuti's band, as this was the best show I've seen in ages.

Cheers!

For the last 3 weeks I have been fantasizing about living on a beach off the coast of somewhere warm and sunny. As a result, we've been having lots of seafood cravings---crabcakes, lobster rolls, coconut shrimp---anything symbolizing the Tropics. Imani has a secret crush on the "Barefoot Contessa" and after an episode of watching her make crabcakes and Rachel Ray inhale a lobster roll I decided to try both. I'm not one to try out pricey recipes all the time but it's tax refund time and I need sunshine and seafood, damnit.

After I got over the sticker shock of 25 bucks for 7.5 ounces of cooked Maine lobster claw & tail meat I made a dressing of light mayo, minced celery, lemon, tarragon & white pepper. I toasted some hoagie rolls stuffed them w/the lobster salad and served them up with a couple of tbsps of clarified butter. If there was a store anywhere near here that was selling fresh tail or claw meat these would have been GREAT, but the freezing really pulled a lot of the flavor out of the meat.

Next up, crab cakes. We ripped this recipe straight from Ina herself: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32263,00.html.
The cakes reminded me more of salmon croquettes rather than buttery crab---more Nashville than Coast of Maine. They were so burnt I was too embarrassed to take a pic. Not to mention the insane amount of vegetables and chopping that went into these little buggers. There could have been tuna in these things and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

The poppy-sesame seed asparagus with horseradish-soysauce dip was pretty great,and asparagus always reminds me of spring. I trimmed 6 medium spears, dipped in egg white, and then in a 50/50 mix of sesame seeds and poppy seeds. They roasted for a good 15 minutes and we dipped them in sauce made of prepared horseradish, a dash or two of soy sauce, lemon & a little lite mayo. At least I can say we ventured out---just didn't quite make it to Malibu...

Black History Month '07 was a lot busier than I anticipated. I did a little traveling home, had a few visitors, worked like a slave and battled a stomach virus. So when Lesley came to visit in the middle of a nasty virus, I didn't do much cooking. While I sucked down cream of wheat, they had pizza. If you haven't tried Jiffy's pizza crust mix you're waisting a lot of time--and taste. We pre-baked the dough so the crust was extra crispy. The next night Lesley and I managed to spend a good two hours in a high-end grocery store. She loved everything from the carpeted aisles to the decorative paper bags and insanely gourmet bakery. We came home w/fried chicken, a potato-cheese caserole, green beans w/almonds and corn. Lesley grabbed a brownie and I never found out if it was any good. I love having the kind of friends who get just as excited as I do about a good deli & produce dept. Next time we'll really go to town...

So, two special occassions mark Feb. 1st---my great g-ma's b-day and the first day of black history month. I rarely 'celebrate' this month other than making random comments of all of "TCB" hair grease commercials on WGN or, "Hey, look at all the black people in the FORD commercials" but I thought it would be cool to actually educate myself rather than leaving it to network TV this year. Whether it be doing some research on important historical figures or making something my great g-ma use to make (be prepared for 'snow-cream' recipes this month!) I'm feeling more and more obligated (call it 'black' guilt) to observe at least a few days this month to feel blessed that it's not Jim Crow 1950-someting-ruther. Ignorant? Maybe. But these Black-a** egg plant fritters were the bomb!

I had a 'proper' recipe for these a while back but the eggplant called to me this week when I was at the store and I attempted to remember the recipe. Here's what I came up with:
1 or 2 large eggplant cut in 1 1/2 inch slices
1 bulb of roasted garlic
olive oil
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of chopped parsely
1/2 cup of parmesean/romano cheese (grated)
1/2 cup of good feta(crumbled)
1/3 cup red bell pepper
1/3 cup of onion (minced)
2 egg yolks
salt & pepper
2/3 cups of minced mushrooms
sunflower oil

Roast the sliced eggplant and garlic covered in olive oil for about 20 minutes or until soft & golden. Chop and put in food processor w/other ingredients or just mush together in a large bowl. Mix and form into hamburger-like patties (about palm size). If mixture is too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs. Try not to make the mixture too wet, as it won't hold together in the frying pain. It should feel like cookie dough or ground beef and stick together. Fry in a hot skillet covered in sunflower oil until brown on both sides. I served this w/a dollop of sourcream and a cobb salad (boiled eggs, veggies and veggie bacon) that I failed to take a picture of because I was so hungry I was eating and cooking at the same time. The verdict? "Damn woman this is great", Imani Harris, after eating eggplant for the first time. Once you go eggplant, you never go back....it is black history month for godsakes. Hollaaaaaaaa.....

What's my number one criteria for judging a restaurant? Consistency. This is probably why Biaggi's is still my favorite Italian restaurant. The food is always consistent. The calamari is never greasy, the pasta is always al dente and the chicken florentine soup is always---florentine-y? Since I successfully have biscuit-canned out of my work clothes I've been doing some lo-carb recipe experimenting and discovered it's really not all that bad. There's a little less biscuit popping out and I certainly haven't gone hungry. I tried to recreate the chicken florentine soup at Biaggi's and it was not dissapointing at all---
1 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted & water squeezed out
chopped garlic
1/2 cup of chopped onion
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups or so of chicken broth
3/4 cups of half& half (or non-fat milk)
1/2 cup grated romano
1 1/2 cups of chopped cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
olive oil & 1 -2 tablsp butter

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil and butter. Add drained spinach and good pinch or two of nutmeg. Add chicken broth, half & half, cooked chicken. Add a little flower if you prefer it thicker and stir in 1/2 cup of romano. Salt and pepper the hell out of this (spinach can stand a bit of salt)

I threw a few crotons on top and more cheese. All in all, it was consistent.
Enjoy!

It's '07 and I haven't forgotten to about this little project---I've got plenty of posting to do and my top resolution this year is to jump on it. I'll be back after my trip to CA on the 16th. In the meantime, Gina's been ROCKIN' and I'm obssessed with her page! I'll be back!

Kira

Don't you love it when you try something new and it turns out the very first time?

As if guacamole & chips weren't addictive enough, I found another way to gorge myself on Mexican food: Spinach enchiladas. I only had them once at La Casita (Roseville, MN)and it was unlike anything I had ever had w/all my favorite flavors---spinach & cheese. I sauteed chicken breast strips w/Adobe poultry seasoning in a hot skillet, sauteed two boxes of thawed frozen spinach w/onion, garlic, jalepeno pepper,adobe seasoning salt, lots of pepper & a pinch of nutmeg. Make sure to squeeze out as much of the water in the thawed spinach before cooking so the filling isn't too runny. Added about 4 ounces of low fat cream cheese to the spinach mix & shredded the cooked chicken in the spinach. I heated up a little tomatillo salsa in a jar(salsa verde)and added a little cilantro. Spread a little of the salsa verde in the bottom of a caserole dish and fill tortilla's (I used flour) w/the spinach/chicken mix and top w/a little more salsa verde before baking at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until they are warmed throughout. I sprinkled a little cheese on top while they baked to give them that restaurant quality look. I ate mine w/a homemade pico (tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalepeno) and it's a good thing I didn't have sourcream because I would have slathered that on too. I thought it was the best thing I've had in a long time and Imani's only words were, "You out-did yourself" before going back for two more. Next time I think I'll use corn tortillas instead of flour for the extra fiber and maybe I'll try the fat-free cream-cheese. Or maybe I should leave well-enough alone.
k

They came, they saw, they conquered---

Two great friends came this weekend to celebrate halloween and watch a mediocre concert this weekend. Ben, Heather, Imani & I all spent a beautiful Saturday together carving pumpkins and eating what will not be my last plate of vodka pasta. We made two sauces--alfredo (1 pt half&half, butter, cup of peccorino romano, italian pasta) and a vodka sauce. The vodka sauce was a store brand but Heather suggested we spice it up w/fresh diced tomato's & garlic. The result was fat-coma inducing & then we got to carving. Ben wouldn't leave w/out a caesar salad & I sopped up the leftovers w/garlic bread. We washed it all down w/my new favorite red wine, a top-shelf Chianti. Next time I'll try to make a homemade vodka sauce, but until them I'll just be adding liquor to anything in a jar under a bed of hot pasta. Come back ASAP guys! We love you!
k

I'm not sure if other families functioned this way, but when I was younger, you could always tell when the budget was tight or if Nana & Big-Mom had a good night at bingo---Good night? Fried Livers & Gizzards w/ onions from Alligators Lounge. Bad night? Neckbones & Sauerkraut. I HATED neckbones. They had a gelatinous consistency and there was always more bone than neck. I promised myself when I became an adult I would never eat or cook one as long as I lived. So what do you do when the budget is tight and you can't stand neckbones but you're palate is too mature for ramen? Chicken freakin' fajitas is what you do! For 10 bucks or less you'll never want to leave a tip at Chevy's Fresh Mex again. I had 2 bone-in, skin-on, chicken breast, 1 tomato, cilantro, onion, limes, jalapeno, corn tortilla, green pepper & 'nacho style' shredded cheese on hand. I made a salsa out of the tomato, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno & onion. Soaked the chicken in salt water for 10-20 minutes and cooked a sliced onion in cooking spray & a little olive oil simultaneously. I blistered a green pepper in the broiler by spraying w/cooking spray and cooking 'til blistery under the broiler, all the way around. Set the onions aside and put the blistery-burnt green pepper in tupperware so it's easier to peel away the blistery-burnt parts and just use the soft, roasted fleshy part. I covered the chicken w/a mexican seasoning (paprika, cumin, ground celery seed, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes & oregano)half a limes worth of juice & salt, pepper, & cooked the chicken skin-side-down in the skillet I cooked the onion. After 15 or so minutes I shredded the chicken and made a small 'fajita salad' for myself & Imani made three cheese-bomb/fajitas w/corn tortillas. It's AMAZING how you can make something out of nothing when ayou have to, and I didn't have to hide a half-eaten neckbone. Ole!!

If I've said it before I'll say it again, I could eat roasted chicken everyday. I just hate roasting the whole thing, cleaning the cavity, basting it, looking at the poor carcass w/out the head, etc. The alternative? Already cut up chicken pieces! It takes half the time as a whole roasted chicken and it's just as tasty. I've always been scared of meat w/bones in it (don't ask) but I toughen up for a good piece of chicken. I started by soaking the chicken in cold salted water for about ten minutes. My great-grandmother always soaked her chicken before she cooked it because she thought it 'pulled the blood away from the bone' so when you bite it you don't get that purple-y cooked blood thing next to the bone on the drumsticks. I just think it acts as a brine and keeps it moist and makes me feel like I'm giving the chicken a bath. I then rubbed the pieces w/half a lemon, and a 'paste' made of dijon mustard, garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper, lemon juice and half a yellow onion grated. I stuck the whole thing on a roasting pan w/a roasting rack and basted once w/a tblsp of melted butter to make the skin all brown and crunchy and tasty. It took about 35 minutes to cook in a 425 degree oven and it was the best. The brine made the chicken breasts all juicy & the dijon mustard and butter baste made the skin crispy and a little salty, just the way we like it. We ate this w/fresh green beans tossed w/garlic, lemon, a little feta and balsamic vinegar. I had a salad as well. I think Imani fell in love w/me all over again. Awwwww....
k

I've taken one actual spring break trip during college. A few of my best girlfriends and I piled into a car and drove 12 hours to the North Carolina coast and I spent a week in a beach house with only 50 bucks in my pocket. Even when broke I still found a way to eat really well and I believe this was on one of my "I'm a vegetarian" stages. We went to a little deli in Chapel Hill and I had one of the best sandwiches I'd ever had---it was a vegetarian gyro made w/tabouli and green peppers. I tried to re-create this sandwich w/some leftover tabouli and cucumber sauce. I stuffed a pita pocket that I cut off at the top to make me feel like I was eating falafel at Haddads in Peoria. Stuffed the poor thing w/hummus, tabouli and topped the whole thing w/homemade cucumber sauce. I would definitely add strips of green pepper next time and a little lettuce at the bottom for extra crunch. The cucumber sauce was mild but I definitely could have stood for a little more garlic and oregano. It was tasty and it brought me back the time Leah kicked my a** playing Ms. PacMan at Ava's cousin's wine bar, & singing "I'm on the edge of the world" barefoot on the beach....memories...
k
Tabouli:
1 cup bulgar reconstituted in 1 cup of boiling water. Add diced tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of minced garlic, chopped kalmata olives, feta cheese, juice of 1 1/2 lemon, large handful of chopped parsley (or more), tblsp or two of mint, salt & pepper. Mix and refrigerate over night.
Cucumber sauce:
mix greek yogurt & l.f. sourcream, minced garlic, pinch of oregano, lemon juice and 1 grated cucumber (squeeze the water out w/a coffee filter or cheesecloth). Add lemon juice to get to desired creaminess

I had the grand idea of making cupcakes this weekend---really fancy hostess-like cupcakes. After 1 1/2 hrs in the kitchen, I now know why I would rather buy them already made. The batter was really easy (1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar, tblsp vanilla, 4 eggs, 1 can of hershey's syrup baked at 325) but I could have taken them out a little earlier to keep them moist. The chocolate frosting was actually a ganache (1/2 cup cream, 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips melted) and I poured it over the cupcakes when they were cooled. Now the hard part: The filling and white squiggly line icing on top. I tried melting white chocolate w/heavy cream...too wet. I tried making a 'frosting' w/powdered sugar, butter and the white chocolate mixture and beat until 'stiff'. I piped a little of it into the cupcakes and piped the rest on top to make the ho-stess like squiggles. The problem? The white-chocolate buttercream filling was a little too loose and melted upon entering the cupcake but it stuck pretty well to the outside as a squiggle. They taste pretty good (a little sweet!!), not as good as the original but good enough to cure any chocolate cravings. They're definately impressive-looking and if I had a baby/wedding shower to go to, I would probably bring them. Try it at your own risk!
k

I've been broke. Dead broke. This is nothing new coming out of 6 years of school, but moving to a place where there is everything to do and no money to do it makes me a little resentful. Nonetheless, the "City Pages" which is the equivalent to the Chicago "Reader" has a coupon & critique of every restaurant/deli/food shack worth going to. There was one for a place called "Holy Land Grocery & Deli" which is a seven minute walk from our apartment that has always tempted me, maybe because Imani shouts "JIHAD" every time we pass it, but it was time to scrape up the quarters and check this place out. The coupon was for a free-range, veggie-fed, Amish-farm raised whole roasted chicken for $4.99. For 2 bucks more you get the dinner, which included "the best hummus in Minneapolis", small salad, garlic potato dip & flat bread. The chicken was the most moist, crispy-skinned, juiciest chicken I've ever had. The garlic potato dip was for the chicken and I only wish there was more of it. It had the flavor of garlic and butter mixed with mashed potato's that had the consistency of a thick potato soup. The hummus was a little odd---a bit more sour than I'm use to...maybe it was a tahini overdose but it didn't sit right with me. I made a Caesar dressing and had a big plain salad w/everything. It was the best 8 bucks we've spent since we've been here and we will definitely go back to try the falafel & gyro lunch buffet!
k

Coming off of a long week of eating out, no exercise,loads of beer and a heavy-duty hiphop show (Rakim show @ First Ave.!!), I decided to clean up my act and clear out my system by making the first of many batches of turkey chili tonight. Nothing reminds me of fall and colder weather more than a big, hot, smoking pot of chili and I normally only make it when the weather turns. It's the one part about living farther north that I think I'm REALLY going to like---stews, soups and chili. Imani suggested we make a double batch I'm all for having ready-made lunches on hand. It's TRUE, chili just gets better the longer it sits in the fridge waiting to be re-heated and devoured....you can half the recipe for a normal apetite, but I could eat this at least 3 days in a row.

2 pounds of lean ground turkey
1 large onions, chopped (about 3/4 cup?)
4 cloves of garlic (through the press)
2 mid sized green peppers
1 pound of petite diced tomato's
15 ounc. of canned tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounce or so?) can black beans,drained
2 cans (15 ounces?) red kidney beans (one drained, one with juice)
1 jalepeno, minced
chili seasoning
salt-free mexican seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes

After I season the ground turkey a little with seasoning salt I added the garlic, green pepper and onions. Toss in a good helping of chili seasoning, dump the canned tomatos and sauce and then I start checking the stuff for seasoning. We like it burn the back of your throat hot so I add a good tsp or two of red pepper flakes and a jalepeno w/out the seeds for extra heat. I thought it was a little bland this time so I sprinkled in some salt-free mexican seasoning I got by the ounce at Rainbow Foods store here. Next time I am going to try using fire roasted can tomato's for an extra layer of flavor. I also adjust the salt w/seasoning salt if it's too bland and added a little water to 'juicy' it up. I bring it to a boil and then simmer w/a lid for at least 20 minutes. Tonight I topped it off w/reduced fat cheddar, a dollip of light sour cream and a little grating of the ol' romano cheese block. The romano cheese made it taste rich and really cheesy; it's so sharp a little goes a long way. After two helpings Imani and I could start a 2 person marching band, but MAN was it good.

Hallelujah I have a kitchen! Our first week night dinner in our brand new place I made a version of my friend Nicole's Shrimp pasta recipe. I made it extra decadent by adding something like a bruchetta side dish to it, because you can't have TOO many carbohydrates...
Nicole is one of the best cooks I know and made something similar to this dish with fresh shrimp, red pepper flakes and probably a few other secret ingredients. She's also the queen of the porterhouse porkchop, but since I live w/ a non-pork/beef eater...
....I omitted the red pepper flakes because I haven't stocked the spice cabinet yet, used frozen cooked shrimp and used the leftover chopped tomato and onions to make a a make-shift bruchetta topping on top of the tasty baguette that was too pretty to pass up at a fancy supermarket I discovered in Roseville called Byerly's. Here's a rough draft of the recipe...
2 pints of cherry tomato's
3 or more cloves of garlic (minced)
i/2-2/3 cups of sweet white onion
A gob of italian seasoning (2 or more tblsp)
1 -2 lbs of cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
1/3 (or more) lb of cooked whole wheat pasta
1/2 of a squuzed lemon

I sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil first until light golden, add the chopped cherry tomato's & all the juice that comes w/it, sprinkle it all with italian seasoning until I can 'see it' (my great-grandmother has used those words to me, and now I get it) , salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, add in cooked shrimp until it's warmed through, usually a little more italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and add the cooked pasta in small increments to the shrimp/tomato/onion/garlic skillet. I usually don't like this too dry and adding the pasta in small increments into the skillet helps me adjust how 'saucy' I want this dish to be. We think it's perfect a little 'dry' and not like a marinara but a 'seasoning' to the pasta. I squeeze a half a lemon over the whole skillet and much to the chagrin of proper Italian protocol, grate a little romano cheese over the whole thing. Because everything's good w/cheese, including shell fish. I served this with a cheesy, alfredo like broiled crostini for Imani (cause he can never have enough cheese) and topped my toasted bread w/the left over tomato's & onion seasoned w/balsamic, olive oil & garlic. (My cheese crostini is a little burnt--still learning how to time the broiler here---give me a break it's a new kitchen!!) I almost forgot about the cheap wine we had to go w/it (Sauv. Blanc)
-k