The Last 48 Hours

It is my final countdown to 30. While it is hard to believe my roaring 20's will soon be over, I must say that it isn't so bad. I realized that in the last ten years I am in a much better place. For instance, I'm married, have a house, and I have a job. I have a suitable car that gets me around and I'm much more responsible. Not to mention the fact that I am much more comfortable in my skin. Now, I really could kick myself for every thinking I was "fat" ten years ago because it really wasn't responsible. My thinking has changed and I really try to do what is best for my body because I like my liver and want to be around for my husband and children.

Now for the good stuff. Because I've learned in my life that you can have really good stuff without starving. One of my favorite comforts, pizza. I think if I ever own a restaurant someday, I will serve pizza. Especially, these guys:

Recipe #1- Spiced Pear Flatbread w/ Goat Cheese and Mustard Cream
Adapted from Bon Appetit September, 2009 Woodberry Kitchen


Mustard Cream:
6 T. heavy whipping cream
3 T. dijon mustard
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. honey

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. I whipped the cream using an electric mixer until it had soft peaks and then folded the rest of the ingredients in until combined. This will act as your sauce.

Spiced Pear Topping:
2 ripe Bosc pears sliced thin
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
2 C. fresh baby spinach
8 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Flatbread:
1 package pizza crust mix
1/2 C. warm water

Follow the directions on the package for the mix. I used a generic Hy-Vee brand and rolled the dough out very thin into a 12" disk. Bake the crust for 5-7 minutes or until very light brown. Remove from the oven and spread the mustard cream and add the toppings. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Recipe #2- Sicilian Sausage Stuffed Pizza
Adapted from Weight Watchers Pizza, Pizza cookbook


1/2 lb. Italian chicken sausage (I use the Isserino brand. You can find this at Super Target)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
2 packages pizza dough mix (make two separate crusts following package directions)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Cook sausage until lightly browned; transfer to a bowl. Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet. Cook until mushrooms are golden. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the mushroom mixture to the sausage and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, stir in the cream cheese and Parmesan until thoroughly mixed.

Roll out one disk of dough for the bottom crust in a 12" circle. Spread the filling onto the dough. Leave 3/4 of an inch from the edge. Brush the outer edge with water.

Roll out the second disk of dough into a 12" inch circle. Place on top of the filling. Press the edges together to seal. I pulled the bottom crust and folded the top crust to make somewhat of a braid. Cut 5 2" slits in to the top of the dough to let the steam out while baking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let the pizza cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. I served my pizza with a side of marinara.

Enjoy!

Blizzards & Birthdays

We are in a real blizzard right now. Not just a lot of snow. An actual blizzard.

These images are of the backyard and our lovely patio area that were once green and filled with lovely summer scents. It seems all too long ago.

Clearly school was cancelled and Justin decided to stay home too since his office was going to be closing early. This morning before things really picked up, I decided to take a trip out to the DMV and renew my license. Yes, it is another sign I'm nearing 30. I must say, this wasn't a wise decision. My Iowa roots sometimes cause me to forget that snow and city drivers do not mix. I was able to dodge many poor driving situations; however, the little Corolla could not handle turning left while going down a hill. Luckily the Corolla and I are safe, but I am missing a hubcap from sliding up onto the side of the road. I was able to back out and drive home without any damage to my tire. I think there was enough snow that it caused a little bit of padding while I slid up onto the curb. Thankfully, all is good except for the hubcap. I can live without a hubcap.

In other news, my long time, best friend Jen turned 30 and had her party over the weekend.
Her sunny outlook, great sense of humor, and ability to turn any day into a party make turning 30 seem awesome! One of her friends made her this amazing gluten free cake. Kristy will be opening up her own bakery, The Upper Crust, in Creston very soon.
Happy Birthday Jen!!

When Life Gives You Boueuf, Make Bourguignon!

Lately, my hormones have been out of control. Not to get personal or anything; however, it is giving me some beef and has put a damper on the baby making department for a couple of months. So, life gave me some beef...I made Boueuf Bourguignon.

For my birthday last year, my mother gave me the famed Julia Child cookbooks. I had not made anything and was waiting for a special occasion. While this weekend wasn't anything special, I did put myself to work in the kitchen. Justin and I enjoyed the results!

The recipe is fairly labor intensive if you make everything as it calls for in the recipe, including the braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. I served the entree with parsley potatoes. And no meal like this is complete without a little something for desert: Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes, courtesy of Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009.

While I may be lacking in the presentation department, I served the desert in coffee mugs. The cake is really like hot chocolate you can eat with a spoon! So good!


Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cub unsweetened cocoa
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cub unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (2.6 ounce) bar dark 71% chocolate, finely chopped

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour and next four ingredients.

Place butter in a large bowel; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars, beating until well blended. Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until blended. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among 10 4 ounce ramekins on a jelly roll pan. I used coffee mugs and filled them half full. The recipe does call for ten; if you serve the desert in the mugs, it will serve around four to five. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. I stuck mine outside in the frigid air for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Let the ramekins or mugs stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350 for 21 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty on top. MMMMMMMmmmmmm! Delicious!

The Rusty Nickel

I do not want the blog to turn into an advertising page; however, my sister-in-law deserves a little post time.
Last year, she decided to turn her garage into a business for selling holiday decor. Her passion and talent has now expanded to an entire shop dedicated to selling holiday decorations, candles, and treats. The style is known as "primitive." This means, taking something that is old, antique, or what the average person might sell at a consignment shop, and with simple additions and updating makes something totally new and enjoyable in your home. Some people will even buy the stuff that isn't genuine and pay top dollar for something that is not even the real deal.
My mother-in-law, cousins on the married side, and other investors have also contributed to the success. If I lived in the area and had more money to spend, I too would be a frequent shopper.

Are you interested now?? Where is this coveted shop you may ask? It is in Manly, Iowa. It is just slightly north of Mason City. Take the exit for Highway 9 east off I-35. Follow Highway 9 until you get to Broadway Street. Take a left on Broadway and another left onto East Main Street. It should be the nicest looking building on the south side or left side of the street, painted a lovely shade of dark blue with a sign that says "The Rusty Nickel." No matter what, you can't get lost. It is small-town Iowa:)

Walk it Out!

Over the holidays, we had a guarenteed white Christmas. We started our trip in Manly, Iowa where the snow was piled as high as the bottom of the railroad crossing sign.
That didn't stop us from having a happy holiday though. Next, we headed to State Center, Des Moines, and then Ames where we spent the following week until my sister Erin's wedding on New Year's Eve (more pictures to come). Everyone got plenty of toys from Santa including our little niece Adylyn.
All the snow; however, did create a little bit of cabin fever. So, I've been walking it all out. Really, you can't ask for better weather for this time of year in Kansas City! With above average temps in the lower 40's there is no excuse! Today we were back to work. Justin enjoyed the treadmill over his lunch hour. As a teacher, I am not blessed with an actual hour for lunch. Regardless, I came home and hit the trails for a brisk 40 minute walk. Hopefully, I can stick to it or at least get some physical activity after work when the weather is not so pleasant. Happy trails!

The First of the Gourmet Club Recipes

Yesterday I decided to tackle a new project...The Gourmet Club files.

What are The Gourmet Club files you ask? Is it totally top secret? Did you join some secret society? Well, yes the files are sort of a secret, but not totally, as I would not be sharing them on a blog. Did I join a secret society? Yes, but that was 10 years ago when I joined my sorority:) Here is the true story. When my Grandma and Grandpa Calderwood were living in Monmouth, Illinois, they joined a gourmet cooking club. About once a month, the club would get together and cook a meal according to a theme. Everyone was assigned a task such as beverages, desserts, main course, side dishes, appetizers, etc. My grandparents saved every menu from every dinner. Each menu has countless stories and the files are a big deal in our family. I was fortunate enough to have the files passed down to me. One of the most popular dinners my grandparents attended was the Viennese Dinner and the Doboschtorte.
This recipe is not for the faint of heart or for those who are concerned with their weight. There is 1 1/2 lbs. of butter in this recipe; however, the work that goes into making this masterpiece burns at least a quarter of the calories one would consume after enjoying this cake. I now understand why people love their Kitchen Aide mixers, as I do not own one and spent over 25 minutes beating and creaming the frosting and filling for the cake. My grandfather always said it was worth it and he is right. Just look at this beauty!
To accompany the dessert, I made Wiener Schnitzel and a salad. Who knew Wiener Schnitzel is not really a sausage or hot dog? It is actually a cut of veal that is breaded and pan fried similar to its American cousin Chicken Fried Steak. The flavors are brightened; however, by marinating the cutlets in lemon juice. Overall the meal was a great success. My grandfather told me before he passed to take the recipes and enjoy them. I am certainly looking forward to future gourmet meals.

ISU Homecoming

Last week, Justin and I decided to head back to Ames for Iowa State's homecoming weekend. It seemed appropriate since the Cyclones were playing KU. So, feeling the need to recharge our batteries a little, I took the whole day off and Justin took a half day on Friday. This let us leave by 1:30, which lent itself to very light traffic and daylight driving. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing good friends, family, the crisp fall weather, and of course the victory over the Jayhawks. It was a very good weekend:)