BBCP!

In my mind, and probably many others, the Holidays are equated with baking and eating. Where I grew up, it was the norm to bake holiday treats and pass them out to friends, neighbors, postal workers, teachers etc. So, each year my mom made the most delicious and buttery caramels to hand out and always kept a few for her us (not surprisingly, they were quickly devoured). This year I mentioned that I wanted to try to make the caramels so my mom passed on her recipe but warned me that they are incredibly tempremental. So, after the Great Thanksging Pie Fail of 2010 I decided to take baby steps and instead focused on an easier caramel recipe that would give me some experience and still yield an equally delicious product! Thus, Bourbon, Bacon, Caramel Corn evolved! Directions are as follows: Read recipe, drool, make recipe, continue drooling, eat finished product and either go into a food coma or the gym! Hope you guys enjoy it!

2/3 C popcorn kernels

1 lb Butter (2 sticks)
1/2 C. Light Corn Syrup

2 C. Brown Sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 C. nuts

1-1.5 lb. bacon

1/2 tbs. vanilla

1/2 C. Bourbon

Fry Bacon on stove, reserving 2 tbs. of bacon oil. Once bacon is fried, pat off grease and break into small pieces. Pop popcorn kernels in an air popper using the bacon fat as oil in replace of Veg. oil.

Cover two baking sheets with well greased parchment paper. Divide and spread popcorn onto the baking sheets. Toss nuts (I used slivered almonds) over the popcorn.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, butter, vanilla and corn syrup in deep pan over medium heat. The caramel sauce will begin to bubble and froth after a few minutes. Add bourbon slowly and stir mixture every so often until the caramel reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer (300 degrees = a caramel that has a hard crack when cooled).

Once the caramel reaches 300 degrees add the bacon pieces and the baking soda and stir quickly before the sauce hardens. Immediately spread over the popcorn and coat well with a greased spatula or wooden spoon. Add kosher salt to the top of the popcorn.

Put pans into oven for an hour. Every 15 minutes, shuffle the popcorn around the pan to help evenly coat the mixture.

Remove pans after hour and let cool. Break into pieces and let cool. Eat immediately and then hit the gym-this is NOT low calorie!

Fall into Comfort Food

It's Fall in Chicago and this means gone are the days at the beach and al fresco dining and in with the cool temperature and heavier winds (not that the Windy City is ever not windy). While I say goodbye to the summer with a heavy heart, the one thing I can embrace is the food of Fall. This is the time when people start making heavier dishes (Goulash, anyone?) and often times turn to comfort food to keep them warm on those chilly Chicago nights. I am no exception and made the first batch of my mom's classic chili and two types of cornbread for the season. What's so great about corn bread is it is exceptionally easy to make and uses minimal base ingredients, allowing you to use other ingredients to change the flavor. Below is my basic corn bread recipe and then a few ways to spice it up.

Corn Bread:
1 C. Corn Meal
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk if your waistline is forgiving)
1/4 C melted butter

Preheat oven to 425. Sift flower into cornmeal, add sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in eggs, milk and butter. Pour into a lightly greased cast iron pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Jalapeno & Cheddar Corn Bread:
Follow instructions for basic cornbread. Add to the batter diced jalapenos with the majority of their seeds. Add 1.5 C of thinly grated medium cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour into pan. Remove bread halfway through and add a thin layer of cheese to the top and a few jalapeno rings.

Honey Corn Bread:
Follow instructions for basic cornbread. Add 1/3 C honey to the batter and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Mix well and bake.

Fancy Pants, Easy-to-Make Side Dish

Whew, it's been a LOOOONG time since I last posted. My absence is certainly indicative of my lack of time these days, which is why it's so important to have quick and very easy recipes! When I cook a big meal for my friends or family I generally tend to focus on the main dish. But, as any real chef (not me) will tell you, sides and garnishes are equally as important. They help round out a meal and should be just as tasty as the main event but, it can be hard to focus a large amount of time and effort on them. Thus, a very simple, easy recipe for Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, something that is incredibly delicious but you can do blindfolded:

1 Bunch of Fresh Asparagus (I prefer thin stalks)
Thinly sliced prosciutto
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Clean Asparagus and cut off ends. Separate into bunches of 4-5 stalks, depending on thickness. Wrap one slice of proscuitto around the middle of the asparagus bunch, place seam side down in a glass pan. Continue with the remainder of the asparagus. Once all bunches are placed in glass pan, lightly salt and pepper stalks and drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the pan. Place in oven and bake for apx. 15 minutes or until light brown and slightly cripsy.

Cool Down with Some Heat!

In hopes of warm weather I have been test-driving a few new tropical fruit recipes. The first recipe is a Mango Chutney that tastes great on top of fish or chicken, in tacos or as a dip. I like my food spicy so it has a bit of a kick! The second is actually just a Pineapple snack (Vietnamese street food) passed on to me by my Vietnamese friend.

Mango Chutney

3 Ripe Mangoes
2 Granny Smith Apples
1/4 C. Chopped Red Onion
1/4 C. Chopped Cucumber
1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Lime Juice

Chop the Mangoes and Apples into small chunks. Combine with Onion & Cucumber. Toss in the Cayenne Pepper and top off with lime juice to taste.

Sweet & Spicy Pineapple

1 Pineapple, sliced
2 Tbls. Salt
Sriracha

Combine salt with several drops of Sriracha to be used as a dip for the Pineapple!

Quasi Love Affair with Greek Yogurt

If yogurt was the popular group in high school, then Greek Yogurt would be the Queen of it all. Everyone is talking about Greek yogurt. There are those who revere it, those who can't stand it and those who want to love it. I fall, somewhat regretably, into the latter.

After hearing about the amazing qualities of Greek yogurt and just how good it is for you, I finally decided to dig deep into my pockets (anything over $1 for yogurt is expensive to me) and splurge. I bought two different brands-one plain and one with honey and couldn't wait to get home to dig in and instantly feel healthier and look skinnier (we can dream, right?). My expectations were high when i tried the first spoonful and, unfortunately, the yogurt did not live up to them! Normally, I am not a texture driven eater but the texture of the Greek yogurt really threw me for a loop. It was much denser, almost like sour cream and had a bit of a tangy flavor. After a few more tries, I decided that I didn't dislike the yogurt but I wasn't going to be nomming on it every morning for breakfast and spreading the word on it's brilliant powers!

Thus, I'm left in limbo. I have two tubs of very healthy yogurt that I can't bring myself to eat. What do I do? Instead of just tossing it I've been searching for creative ways to mix it into my diet. So, below are a few super-quick recipes using the Greek yogurt.

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

1 Serving of Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/5 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Apple, sliced

Combine Greek Yogurt, cinnamon and vanilla. Refrigerate for five minutes before eating.

Greek Yogurt on Toast

1/2 Serving of Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tbls Fruit Preserves (I love Blackberry or Raspberry)
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon

Combine yogurt, fruit preserves and cinnamon to create a light spread for toast.

Avocados for the Rest of Us

Spring weather has finally arrived in Chicago! And yes, I mean rain. But, with rain comes the promise of gorgeous summer weather, weekends spent lounging on North Ave. Beach and cravings for refreshing meals and snacks. So, what better ingredient to focus on than Avocado? It's a healthy vegetable that contains monosaturated fats-the good kind!

Most of us get our avocado fix from nomming guacamole. I am guilty of this as well, so I've included my own Spicy guac recipe:

3 Ripe Avocados
1 Lime, cut in half
1/2 C. Diced Tomatoes
1/4 C. Diced Onions
2 Tsp. Dried Red Pepper Flakes
1.5 Tsp. Finely chopped Cilantro (If you don't love Cilantro (like I don't) this is optional)

Scoop out Avocado from the skin and begin mashing in a bowl. I prefer chunky guacamole so I gently mash the vegetable. Add tomatoes, onions, red pepper flakes and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice into guacamole and serve. To preserve the guacamole, add an avocado pit to the mixture.

*Tortilla chips are, obviously, the preferred accompaniment. However, guacamole tastes just as delicious on vegetables like carrots and celery. I also like to spread a little guac on my sandwiches in place of mayo or butter.

Copy-Cat Cooking

I got back to my apartment late last night after job #2 finished. I was about to fall into a much needed sleep when I, stupidly, checked Netflix and noticed that Julie&Julia was available to watch instantly. So, at 11:15pm I started watching and lo & behold, come 2:15am I was not only in love with Julia Child (again), I was also starving and craving being in a kitchen.

Thus, as of today, I am promising myself that I will at least ATTEMPT a few of Julia's delicious recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I can't promise I will be as successful or endearing as Julie but I can certainly try! So, bare with me when I post my experiences with Julia's recipes-it certainly won't be earth-shattering information, but if nothing else, entertaining fails for you all to read about!

Mashed Cauliflower

It's finally sunny (sometimes) in Chicago. The winter blues have left and before we know it, summer will be right around the corner! What a wonderful-oh crap, this means beach & bikini weather is right around the corner too. Welp, time for a few tasty, low-cal recipes to segue into warmer weather and slimmer figures.

Mashed Cauliflower doesn't exactly sound appealing. I admit, when I heard my sister-in-law's family was bringing it to a Thanksgiving dinner I was slightly repulsed. However, spoken from the mouth of a convert, it actually tastes delicious and is so much healthier than mashed potatoes! Plus, it's really quick and you can experiment with other ingredients.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 med. Cauliflower head (makes apx. 1 lb. of florets)

1/2 C. Skim Milk or Fat Free Half and Half

2 tbls. Butter

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp. Minced Garlic or Garlic Powder

1/2 C. potato buds (optional) for texture

Steam cauliflower until tender. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mash with hand masher or in a food processor.

An Indian dish with a twist of Turkish

Blame it on my current schedule, but lately, I've only been able to cook dinner once a week (shameful, I know). So, by the time Wednesday rolls around, I'm craving bold flavors without the ridiculously high amount of sodium found in lean cuisines and other frozen dinners. Last night I married my love of Indian food with my love and craving for Turkish food by making Aloo Phujia with lamb. The flavors were bold but not overpowering and the lamb satisfied my carniverous cravings. Even better, it took me 30 minutes to make and was filling!

Aloo Phujia with Lamb; Serves 4

1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

1-2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed (small)

1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

1/2 tsp. Tumeric

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1/2-1 tbls. Cayenne Pepper

1-2 Tomatoes, chopped

1-2 lbs. Ground Lamb

1. In large saute pan over medium heat, lightly brown onions in oil.

2. Stir in tumeric, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add tomatoes, stir and cover for an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

4. In separate pan, brown lamb.

5. Serve lamb over potatoes.

Zucchini Two Ways

Every trip to the grocery store I find myself drawn to the same vegetables in the produce aisle. My fridge sees a lot of mushrooms, carrots, asparagus and lettuce. However, lately in an effort to branch out I have been buying zucchinis. Zucchinis are great because you can find them, basically, year-round, are inexpensive and can be used in a number of ways. Below are two very easy dishes that incorporate zucchini.

Zucchini and Pasta Toss

Farfalle Pasta

Arrabiata sauce

Zucchini

Cut zucchini into 1 in. pieces. Lightly fry on stove top over olive oil and season with a pinch of kosher salt, fresh minced garlic and ground black pepper. Cook pasta as directed on box and toss with the fried zucchini and sauce.

**This is a really great meal that kids enjoy

Zucchini and Patty Pan Squash

3 Zucchinis

3 Patty Pans

Cut the Zucchinis into rounds, apx. 1/2 in. thick. Cut patty pans into 1/2 in. chunks. Place in small casserole dish and lightly cover in olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 25-30 (or until golden) minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and drizzle with lemon juice and freshly grated parmesan cheese.