Fort Fun Weekend

One of my very dear friends refers to Fort Worth as Fort Fun, and whether she is being sarcastic or not, I appreciate all Fort Worth-related enthusiasm.  Hubby and I have been living here for 6 months now and have settled into a routine with favorite spots and things to do.  Although sometimes we feel like we know all we need to know about Fort Worth, there are still some surprises left as we have found out this weekend. 

Saturday we went to the Fort Worth Nature Reserve to go for a hike with Maui.  Our expectations were low, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a hilly park with plenty of wildlife.  The hike took us along a dirt path through wooded areas and fields, up canyons and down slopes.  We were impressed that this terrain existed in the Texas plains.  It is definitely a place that Andrew and I want to go back to again.

Hubby and Maui enjoying the hike.

 A clearing after a wooded trail up the hill.

 Through the trees, we could see Lake Worth.

There were some ruins on the hike.

Then today, Sunday, we stopped by the new food truck park that is located just down the river from our apartment.  We walked with Maui along the Trinity Trail and made it to the Clearfork Food Truck Park in mere moments.  Several food trucks were parked in a semi-circle around an area filled with picnic tables and music playing.  There is a permanent building that serves as a bar for all the food trucks making it the perfect place to hang out and stay a while.  Hubby had a Flyin' Hawaiian Hot Dog from the Dog Pound while I had loaded french fries (the First Bell) from First Bite Gourmet.  Both meals were delicious and made that much better by perfect weather.  This is definitely a place we will go again.

The perfect day for food trucks!

Granola Bars and Healthy Pursuits

This past weekend was the Dallas Marathon.  Hubby got into running a little over a year ago and was asked to run the 5 person relay with some of our friends.  The relay is basically a team of people that each run a leg of the marathon.  I was so proud to see hubby take on the longest and final leg of the marathon relay.  Maui and I waited in downtown Dallas to see hubby cross the finish line, which he did in respectable time.  It was a fun day that ended in the beginning of winter (it has since been super cold in Fort Worth).

Because I wasn't running in the race, I wanted to make a fun race day snack for runners and non-runners alike to enjoy.  At first I thought of some very soccer mom type options like sliced fruit or veggies or juice boxes.  Then I remembered a recipe from Laura in the Kitchen that I had been wanting to try... granola bars!  The recipe was really flexible and really easy... two of my favorite recipe descriptors besides delicious.

I used my favorite trail mix from Trader Joe's, which has cashews, almonds, and craisins.  Combining the trail mix along with oatmeal and the other ingredients, I had granola bars ready for the oven in mere moments.  The hardest part was waiting for the granola bars to cool before cutting a piece and giving it a try, but once we took our first bites, hubby and I never looked back.  At one point, he asked if we really needed to bring them since he wanted them all to himself.  Then he said that they tasted like oatmeal cookies, which is sort of true, though there are a lot more nuts and oatmeal then there is in an oatmeal cookie (and less sugar too).  They were the perfect snack for race day and for staving off hunger until lunch, which didn't happen until 2pm.

Tia Susan's Indian Corn Pudding

I had a request for the corn pudding recipe from Thanksgiving and thought I would share it with everyone since it was one of the few recipes I didn't get from an online source... and because it is delicious, and I want to share all things delightful with you.  The recipe is surprisingly easy and results in an impressively yummy side dish for any meal.

Tia Susan's Indian Corn Pudding

2 cans creamed corn

1/3 cup corn oil

1 cup yellow corn meal (I used white because that is what I had on hand)

1/2 of a small can of mild green chiles

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

3/4 cup 2% milk (I used skim, and it still worked out)

1 tbsp salt (My creamed corn was low sodium, so I didn't feel bad adding in so much salt)

Combine all the ingredients and bake in a 9x9 baking dish at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

It is just that easy.  In the picture, you can see the edges get slightly darker, but other than that, I couldn't really find another indicator of done-ness... I just took it out after 45 minutes and hoped for the best.  I hope you enjoy it!

Did I forget dessert?

So, I may have forgotten to show the finished food pictures in my last post, and I completely didn't mention dessert, which is my favorite part of the meal.  The food was delicious, but since I knew what was coming next, I held back... it helps that there would be opportunities to get stuffed on leftovers later.  Before I move onto dessert, a quick food recap...

 The sweet potatoes were just the right amount of sweet and so tender.

 The brussels sprouts covered in a balsamic glaze were delicious and felt sort of healthy.

 My aunt's corn pudding may have been the star of the night... there wasn't very much leftover.  =(

 The mashed potatoes filled with all things delicious were a hit and a favorite for leftovers.

 The stuffing got a golden brown crust from the final broil in the oven... tender and delicious!

 Carving the turkey while the buffet gets started.

 Turkey with the proper fixings, gravy and citrus-y cranberry sauce.

 The most delicious golden plate.

Yay for Thanksgiving food!  We are starting to miss it now.

I had made three desserts: a chocolate pecan tart, an apple pie, and a pumpkin swirl cheesecake.  It was difficult to figure out where to start, so I thought I would just have one of everything.  This was definitely the right choice since each dessert brought a little something different.  The chocolate pecan tart was filled with a chocolate ganache that melted in your mouth while the pecans and chocolate crust gave the dessert a nice crunch.  The tart more than fulfilled my chocolate cravings.

Chocolate-y goodness!

Then I moved on to the pumpkin swirl cheesecake, which I had made in honor of hubby since he loves all things pumpkin.  I loved cheesecake growing up, and when you eat a good cheesecake, it takes you to a whole other planet.  This cheesecake was surprisingly delicious (I always feel like so much could go wrong).  It was moist and creamy with the right amount of pumpkin flavor.  I savored every bite and went back for seconds later.

 The cheesecake did crack a little, but it didn't detract from the taste.

Finally there was the apple pie, a last minute edition to the dessert menu since I felt that Thanksgiving dinner needed a fruit pie for whatever reason.  My dad also happens to like apple pie, and I made sure to have chocolate ice cream (his favorite) to serve it ala mode.  I had made an apple pie once before using a combination of recipes, one for the crust, one for the filling, and one for the crumble.  I used the three recipes to make the apple pie at Thanksgiving and was thrilled when the apple pie turned out just as good as it had the first time I had made it.  It was the first dessert to be completely devoured (during a Saturday leftover session).  Hubby called dibs on the last piece, which I took as a good sign.

 Underneath the crumble lies a layer of gooey apple filling.

Our mini dessert buffet was enough to appease any sweet tooth.

Maui met my parents' dog, Spice, over Thanksgiving... let's just say they aren't best friends

Hi guys!  Such a great shot of a very fast growing not so little anymore puppy

Thanksgiving Recap

Hello all!

Thanksgiving last week was a great success!  Hubby and I are just now finishing up the leftovers from a delicious dinner.  It was wonderful to have our house full of family and love and, of course, delightful food.  Thanksgiving cooking began Tuesday night with pumpkin bread, so that hubby's pops and mom could have yummy snacks while I worked on Wednesday.  Then Wednesday night I began with desserts by making a pumpkin swirl cheesecake.  Then there was Thursday when the cooking got serious.

Thursday's feast started with a honey baked ham, salami, and cheeses... the perfect snacks for a long day of cooking.  While hubby and the guys feasted on appetizers and watched football, the ladies got to work.  I started by making a chocolate pecan tart for dessert, which was was easy and, most importantly, chocolate-y.  Then it was finally time to focus on the star of the show... the turkey.

No offense to Thanksgiving turkeys everywhere, but I love honey baked ham.

 We also snacked on roasted chestnuts...

... and brie!

 Chocolate ganache filling with pecans... yum!

 A chocolate crust for a chocolate tart.

Hubby loves his mom's stuffing, and I didn't want to disappoint on our first Thanksgiving.  Luckily, hubby's mom was there to make her stuffing and cook up the turkey just like hubby likes it.  I got some turkey tips from her and my mom as we put together the other sides for dinner.  I had made a whole oven schedule (yes, I am a bit nerdy) to figure out when to make the each side dish.  We had a roaster for the turkey, which made all the planning that much easier.

 Cooking up the sausage for the stuffing... no wonder hubby loves it!

Hubby's mom is stuffing the turkey... the beginning of a long day in the kitchen.

While hubby's mom put together the stuffing, I started on my Aunt Susan's corn pudding.  The corn pudding is one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides, and I was excited to share it with hubby and his family.  Hubby loved the corn pudding and has already asked to have it again.  We will have to find more reasons to have this decadent and corn-y dish.  After the corn pudding, my little sis, Shorty, helped me make the mashed potatoes, which were full of all things delicious like bacon, butter, cheese and sour cream.  From mashed potatoes, we moved on to sweet potatoes, which attempted to be healthy but were cooked in butter in maple syrup.

 Roasted potatoes plus...

 ... Bacon, butter, salt, sour cream, cheese and chives...

 ... Equals guaranteed delicious-ness

 I was so glad to have help in the kitchen... thanks ladies!

 The sweet potatoes look so innocent...

... until they got covered in a maple syrup and butter sauce.

While side dishes were going in and out of the oven, I started on an orange zest spiked cranberry sauce.  It was my first experience with making (and possibly even trying) cranberry sauce, and I was very surprised at its sweet tartness.  Another hubby tradition is pumpkin soup, so in went the pumpkin and spices and broth (and some heavy cream).  Dinner was slowly coming together.  I cut a corner and made a delicious cornbread mix from a box.  I had discovered it last year when I had it at hubby's parents' Thanksgiving and fell in love.  My family fell in love with it too.  The last thing in the oven was the brussels sprouts with a balsamic reduction.  While the sides were warming and the turkey was being carved (hubby got a lesson from his pops), I put together a salad (possibly the one thing at dinner that didn't have butter).

 I love the color of freshly washed cranberries.

 We bought our brussels sprouts on a stalk, which was a first for us.

 Hubby was kind enough to help take all the sprouts off the stalk.

Once all the food was done and hot and ready to go, we all sat down to dinner.  My mom set the table beautifully, and my new owl salt and pepper shakers from hubby's parents were the perfect addition to the table.  Beaujolais nouveau filled our glasses as we took our first bites, and I was relieved to see happy and satisfied faces at the table.  After a day full of cooking, the meal was a success.  And it was a success the next day as leftovers (and the next day and the next). 

 After its time in the roaster, the turkey took a final spin in the oven to brown the top.

 Hubby gets a carving lesson from his pops.

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. The gravy turned out pretty well, though we did add some fresh turkey juices to help thin it out a bit.

Make Ahead Gravy aka Thanksgiving is coming!

As I may have mentioned before, I am hosting Thanksgiving this year for hubby's folks, my folks, and my little sister.  I have spent countless hours pouring over recipes trying to find the perfect combination of side dishes and desserts and snacks.  Then once I had a list, I changed my mind and looked at more recipes.  It has been an ever evolving process, but one thing has not changed... the gravy.  For fear of ruining Thanksgiving dinner, I have been practicing some of the side dishes, and I have actually already made the gravy.

I found this recipe online for make ahead gravy.  I thought the idea was great since gravy is always the last thing you have to do, and after that much cooking, all I would want to do is sit and eat.  Because of this, making the gravy ahead of time is a perfect way to taste the gravy and not have to worry about putting it together at the last minute.  While my mom was in town, I decided to make the gravy since I hoped her previous gravy experience would help us ensure ultimate delicious-ness.

In order to make gravy, you have to start by making turkey.  We got some white and dark meat pieces at the store without much difficulty.  Little by little, we went through the instructions, which didn't always make 100% sense, but after some improvization, we came up with the gravy.  It was creamy and tasty with garlicy twist thanks to some added garlic powder.  Once it had cooled, we put the gravy in a freezer safe bag to wait until Thanksgiving.

 We cooked up some turkey using the drippings and pan crustiness for added flavor

 We boiled the bones and some vegetables to make turkey broth

 After lots of stirring and thickening, the gravy was ready

We'll see how it actually turns out with the turkey and such this Thursday.  I will be taking lots of pictures as we prepare Thanksgiving dinner (so glad I will have my helpers).  Can't wait to share them with all of you!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Menu Preview...
Turkey (of course!)
Yvonne's Italian Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Make Ahead Gravy
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Aunt Susan's Corn Casserole
Brussel Sprounts wiht Balsamic and Cranberries
Pumpkin Soup
Salad
Apple Pie
Chocolate Pecan Tart
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

We'll see how much of that list actually happens... lots to do between now and Thursday!

Freezer Meals: Part 4

This is the final installment in my freezer meals series, though I'm sure other freezer meals will pop up again.  This past week, we made the fig balsamic chicken, which smelled incredible and had a tangy (but not overly balsamic) flavor.  Given the chicken's flavor, I had spent the last two weeks trying to come up with side dishes and pairings that would keep us from getting bored of it.

Let's start from the beginning, I had seared the chicken and cooked up the onions before freezing them.  Then the day before it was time to cook them, I put them in the fridge to defrost.  Once defrosted, I put the chicken and sauce ingredients in the crockpot for a long day of cooking.  I did a combination of chicken thighs and breasts in hopes of getting moist results while still being sort of healthy.  The thighs nearly fell apart in the slow cooker becoming very tender while the breasts were good (but not as delicious).

For its inagural night, we served the fig balsamic chicken with stir fried vegatables... this side dish is becoming a house favorite.  It was a perfect combination with the sauce from the chicken adding an extra dimension and flavor to the vegatables.  The following night we added the chicken chopped into pieces to pasta with tomato sauce.  Again, the chicken and whatever sauce came with it made the pasta sauce more complex and flavorful than it otherwise would be.  I had the chicken for lunch one day, and at that point, I reached my maximum of eating the chicken for one week.  Hubby, on the other hand, couldn't wait to have it again for dinner.

The following night, hubby was craving Chinese food, and I was hoping to avoid the chicken for a fourth meal.  Then it hit me... fried rice!  When I was a kid, we had come up with our own ad hoc way of making fried rice, which was a great way to use day old rice and make an easy dinner.  In our case, I had to make fresh rice, which is not as good as using leftover rice for whatever reason.  I made the rice and stirfried together the chicken, some cubed ham, a scrambled egg, and a pea and carrot frozen veggie mix we had on hand.  I was pretty impressed that we had all the basic ingredients I would usually add.  I mixed the rice with the stir fried mix and added soy sauce.  Voila!  Fried rice!  Hubby was very impressed with my thrown together dinner concoction, and I was impressed that the chicken tasted quite good in the rice mixture.

The chicken's grand finale in fried rice!

Bagels... the last frontier

Many of the local magazines have been putting out their "Best of 2012" lists.  I love reading these issues because it gives me a feel for new places to check out.  Hubby and I were pleasantly surprised that we had tried some of the better rated establishments in the Fort Worth area and were very excited to try some of the other recommended eateries and activities. 

I have written at length about our love of bagels.  This is one of the culinary cravings we have, and the one food related thing we miss most about New York.  While Einstein's is fine (and their schmears are delicious), their bagels don't have the chewy outside that true New York bagels are known for.  In reading one of the magazine articles, hubby and I found out about Boopa's Bagels.  This bagel destination located in a strip mall by an Alberston's in Northeastern Fort Worth is the closest we've come to New York bagels.  They make "authentic water bagels," and hubby and I now know that's how it's done after our at home bagel making experience.

Hubby had a pumpkin bagel and an everything bagel, and I ordered a sun dried tomato bagel as well as a Boopa bagel, which Boopa's describes as the sweet everything bagel with raisins, cinnamon, nuts, and oats.  We don't normally order two bagels each, but the bagels were smaller than what we would normally have.  Also, Boopa's was a bit of a drive.  I think hubby calculated it to be 17 minutes door to door... much different than walking downstairs to our bagel place in NYC.  We wanted a good sample to determine whether or not it was worth the trip.  In the end, I think the trip was worth it.  The bagels were good, but definitely not something we will do every weekend.  They were good enough to get our NYC bagel fix and will be there when the next culinary craving comes.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it is full of bagel delicious-ness inside.

 This is as close to the bagels as you'll get this post because we were so hungry that we forgot to take pictures.

Freezer Meals: Part 3

After a week of lamb ragu, hubby was ready for something new.  This past week's freezer meal was the baked penne pasta.  Although it has a different name, it is essentially a version of baked ziti, and, therefore, it was delicious.  I had frozen the dish right before it was ready to put in the oven for it's final bake.  The day before we were ready to eat it, I put it in the fridge to defrost.  Once defrosted, it was a 40 minute bake away from being dinner.

Freezing the pasta did not affect the pasta overall.  Next time I would be more careful to wrap it since some reorganization and shuffling in the freezer caused some corners of the foil to lift up.  This and not enough sauce around the edges led to some crunchier pasta bits, but I happen to like my baked pasta with a bit of a crunch.  Other than that, the dish was fabulous.  It had the flavors of the sausage and sauce and tasted just as good as it smelled when I first assembled it.  Though you know what I say, how can something with pasta, tomato sauce, and sausage not be deliciosus?  Hubby and I easily finished the dish over the course of the week and didn't mind it even as a leftover.

I forgot to take a picture the first time around, but here is my second helping... yes, it was that good.

Happy Halloween!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their Halloween evening.  Hubby and I celebrated Halloween over the weekend at a friend's party.  I had spent all week planning my costume and purchasing the necessary supplies to make it come to life.  Then I spent most of Saturday putting everything together.  I hadn't finished watching this past season of Project Runway and decided to have a Project Runway mini-marathon as I sewed together my costume... very inspiring.  Two sweatshirts, 4 boas, and lots of thread later, my ostrich costume was complete.  Hubby went as a safari goer... I love couple costumes!

 Happy Halloween!

Freezer Meals: Part 2

So, you saw me make and prep all the different make ahead meals.  Now, it's time to eat!  We started with the lamb ragu which smelled too good to freeze.  The only step left to do was put it in the slow cooker for 10 hours.  Luckily for hubby and I, that is about the time we spend away at work.  Before I left, I turned the crock pot on, and hubby came home for lunch to take out Maui and stir the ragu.  When I got home, I gave it another stir and took Maui for a another walk.  The smell of the ragu cooking all day made the house smell delightful.

The ragu hanging out in the crock pot.

The lamb ragu is more like a sauce than a stand alone dish.  The recipe online suggested serving it with pasta, which I thought would be mighty delicious.  We decided to start the week off healthy, serving the ragu over stir fried vegetables.  The next day, hubby had the ragu over pasta while I met my dad for dinner in Dallas.  Then I had the remaining ragu over homemade pumpkin gnocchi... yes, I said homemade.  That night, hubby had the pumkin gnocchi with a maple goat cheese sauce I came up with on the spot.  The lamb ragu was delicious and had a slight sweetness from the wine.  It made a perfect sauce and accompaniment to the dishes it was paired with.

 The sauteed veggies were a delicious side for the ragu.

 Hubby bought a loaf of bread, which was perfect for soaking up the sauce.

Ok, I know you're curious about the pumpkin gnocchi.  I had made them once many years ago and lost the recipe.  When I had made them the first time, I don't think I had really ever eaten gnocchi, so I had nothing to compare them to.  Since then, I have eaten (and fallen in love with) gnocchi.  Gnocchi (and pasta in general) is fairly easy to make as far as ingredients go... just flour, egg, mashed potatoes (or pumkin or ricotta), and seasoning.  That's it!  I think these things are pretty easy to have on hand, especially if you used canned pumpkin.  The most difficult part of making pasta is having the right proportions, which depends on multiple factors.  I don't know the secret to this yet, but my trial and error hasn't been too bad. 

I got some guidance from an online recipe and started making the gnocchi.  In Cooks Illustrated, I had just read about the perfect pumpkin bread and how part of the secret is cooking the canned pumpkin a bit to remove any off flavors from the can.  I improvized (hubby says I am always tweaking recipes) and cooked the pumpkin a bit adding some creamy goat cheese to give it flavor and milk to add back any moisture lost in cooking.  Once I had my pumpkin ready, I began mixing together the other ingredients.  I ended up using more flour than this recipe called for, but my dough was still super sticky.  In the end, the pumpkin gnocchi was a hit.  The recipe made enough that I froze my leftover ones to be cooked up on another day.

Cooking the pumpkin for a little bit helped remove some of the tinny taste from the canned pumpkin.

Adding milk and creamy goat cheese restored moisture and added flavor.  I also added nutmeg and cinnamon here.

Mixing up the dough.

 Making the gnocchi took time.

I ate my gnocchi with the lamb ragu.

 Hubby ate his with a maple goat cheese sauce that almost made it taste like a cinnamon roll.