AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!

I finally saved up enough to make this blog what I really want it to be!

You can find my NEW and very much IMPROVED blog at

http://twentysomethingandstarving.com

SEE YA THERE!

His dad’s birthday was last week, and his mom’s is next week, so we decided to celebrate all at once while we had the time to visit. Of course, this means I had to cook something  Actually, I cooked several things.

Mr. Yoder is a big fan of quiche apparently. How awesome is that?! So my Bacon, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche had an encore at breakfast time.

Dinner was Pesto Chicken Paninies (on ciabatta bread with mozzarella, roasted peppers and arugula) with Cumin Scented Sweet Potato Fries.

Ralfie wanted some chicken!!!!

Dessert? Pineapple Upside-Down Cake!

I couldn’t tell you the last time I had pineapple upside-down cake. I remember when I was little my mom made it once and I absolutely loved it. It’s such a fun dessert! To the untrained eye, as it sits in its pan it looks just like a plain old yellow cake. Flip it over – and like magic it’s a gooey, glorious cake topped with golden pineapple rings and brilliant red cherries. Yum yum yum yum yum .

Pinapple Upside-Down Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple rings, juice drained and reserved
• 1 jar maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons dark rum

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a cake pan of your choice, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and rum. (It should be sticky and syrupy.) Line this mixture with pineapple rings, placing cherries in the center of each ring and any empty spaces. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and pineapple juice and whisk until the batter is combined and free of lumps. Pour over pineapple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minuets.Be sure to loosen the edges of the cake with a knife.
6. Carefully place a large plate or platter on top of the cake pan. Flip the cake over onto the plate and carefully remove the cake pan.
7. Volia! Pineapple-Upside Down Cake!

Look at the poor tree in front of my apartment! He must be so darn cold. You can’t really see his buddy to the left, but I’m sure they’re chatting about all the snow. (Please, forgive the poor quality of the picture, I took it through my kitchen window, that’s why it looks like it was taken through a screen or something. Because it was. Anywhoooo…)

I’m sure everyone in Jersey probably has a similar view when they look outside, but I just wanted to capture the real essence of  today’s snow-day-ness.(Random Thought. Snow always makes me think of Christmas? I know it’s come and gone already, but I’ve been humming Jingle Bells all day and I can’t stop. Does anyone else have this problem?? Resume Post.)

Snow day means no class AND no work. I’ve got a pile of dishes in the sink, a room to be cleaned and homework I could get a head start on. What’s a girl to do when she’s stuck inside all day?????

MAKE QUICHE!

Delightfully comforting on such a snowy day,
this Bacon, Broccoli
and Cheddar Quiche was the absolute perfect
brunch meal.

Bacon, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

• 1 frozen, ready-made pie crust (thawed)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 slices of thick cut bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 bag steam-in-a-bag frozen broccoli (yes, that’s the technical term), prepared to package directions, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Prick the bottom of your pie crust all over with a fork (to prevent bubbles from forming during cooking) and place in the oven for about five minutes, just until you begin to smell it. Remove and set aside.
3. Place the chopped bacon into a large frying pan. Cook over high heat until brown and crispy, about seven minutes Add the red onion during the last minute of cooking time. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and pepper until it forms a smooth mixture. Add the cheese, broccoli, and bacon. Mix to combine.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the reserved pie crust. Top with remaining cheese.
6. Cook for 40 minutes or until the eggs are set and the cheese on top is melted and brown.
7. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.

This morning my tummy is still recovering from yesterday’s Super Bowl celebration. Johnny and I didn’t do anything toooooo crazy, we just had our close friend and his lovely lady over for some snacks and good times.When our friends showed up an hour earlier than I expected I hurried my little self up to get snacks on the table as fast as possible.

In all my haste, I neglected to snap a single picture of the Creole Crab Dip I made (which was totally why the Saints won by the way ) or the Spicy Boneless Buffalo Wings, or the Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Blondies. I couldn’t not share a recipe with you guys, though, so although this dip was not in last night’s repertoire, it IS in my repertoire of recipes and is absolutely divine.

Spinach and Artichoke dip is one of my favorite favorite snacks to get when I’m out to eat. It’s creamy and cheesy and the perfect companion to anything crunchy and dipable. When I finally decided I wanted to try and make it for myself at home I started searching through dozens of recipes. In all of my searching, I noticed that one of the main ingredients in just about every recipe I found was mayonnaise.

I. HATE. MAYONNAISE.

Don’t ask me why. I couldn’t really tell you. Aside from the fact that it’s absolutely awful for you, averaging at around 100 calories per tablespoon and having little to no redeemable nutritional value, something about the way it jiggles and stares at me and – ugh – it just really grosses me out. So I decided, forget you mayo and forget you recipes, I’m coming up with my own.

The recipe I’m sharing with you is all my own. I replaced the *shudder* mayo with nonfat yogurt to lend a creamy texture without all the fat and repulsiveness and I added some white wine to thin out the mixture while adding a lovely, more sophisticated zip to the dip. The red bell pepper was another touch of mine because I love the sweet crunch it adds to the finished dip and because it’s my recipe and what I say goes. Heh.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

• 1 package frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and drained of all liquid
• One 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• One 6-ounce container nonfat yogurt
• One 8-ounce jar marinated artichoke hears, drained and chopped
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ of a small, red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large sauté pan, add the spinach, cream cheese, yogurt, and artichokes. Over high heat, stir until the ingredients become a smooth mixture.
3. Add the wine and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
4. Add the bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and parmesan. Mix to combine.
5. Pour the mixture into a 9 inch pie plate or baking dish. Top with mozzarella and more seasonings if desired.
6. Bake at 400° until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.
7. Serve with carrots, celery, and homemade pita chips!

I spent my whole morning/afternoon baking a pear and almond spice cake that was inspired by the apple almond coffee cake of Inspired Taste. It turned out quite nicely, but oopsies, I didn’t snap a picture that did it justice. Add that to the fact that Johnny and I were starving and each shoveled down two pieces and watched Scrubs reruns until it was finally, you guessed it, dinner time. Typical. Ha.

I didn’t have much to work with, but surprisingly I had all the right things to make this delicious dish. Looks freakin’ awesome, doesn’t it? Johnny went back for seconds, so I knew I did good. And just in case this photo doesn’t do it justice…

EXTREME CLOSE UP!!!!

From start to finish this probably took about 25 minutes to make. The longest part is waiting for the pasta water to boil! I guarantee you, anyone can make this for a hearty, satisfying meal any night of the week!

Penne with Sausage, White Beans and Spinach

• 1/2 box of penne pasta (Ronzoni Smart Taste, I’m tellin ya guys, It’s the best)
• 1 lb hot italian sausage
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup baby spinach, washed and torn
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded italian cheese (whatever you have on hand will work perfectly)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Cook the pasta for about 7 minutes, so it’s just shy of being cooked all the way through.
2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, brown the sausage in a large frying pan. When brown on all sides, remove from pan and slice into 1/2 inch slices (the sausage will still be raw in the center). Return to the pan with some olive oil to finish the cooking process.
3. Add the cooked pasta, beans, spinach, garlic and remaining olive oil to the pan with the sausage. Stir well to combine and top with cheese.
4. Cover the pan with a lid and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, covered, or until the cheese is melted. (Or if your pan is ovenproof, place in a preheated oven at 400º  until the cheese it melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes.)

5 Great Food Smells! It is definitely a really hard decision to make.

Next to impossible, really.

After some serious soul searching, I was, indeed, able to narrow it down to five…ish…

The Winners
(in no particular order)

Cinnamon Rolls
(this smell will FOREVER remind me of Sunday mornings at my dad’s house )

image courtesy of saltyspoon.com

Fresh Basil, Hazelnut Coffee, Caramelized Onions & Buttermilk Biscuits
and because I feel bad leaving these other guys out…

The Runners Up

Movie Theater Popcorn & Chocolate Chip Cookies fresh from the oven

What do you think???
What are your top five???

Oh, snow. That’s what I woke up to this morning. Little fluffy flurries falling from the sky. (Heh, that was so something Dr. Seuss would say.) Though in retrospect it could have been much worse, being that it’s pretty much all melted now, but from the moment I stepped outside for work this morning I knew it was a soup night.

But what kind of soup Jen???

First and foremost, a delicious soup. (Duh!) A soup that will fill up my fussy fiancé who insists soup should never be a meal without a sandwich to accompany it. And perhaps, a soup with a little sass…kinda like me!  So I decided on Chicken & Corn Chowder!

I’d never really made chowder before.

Ever.

Chowders are notoriously heavy from all the cream that’s typically included in them, and though they’re nice once in a while, I usually avoid dishes with cream as a main component. (Thank goodness I don’t like alfredo sauce, right?)

I wanted something that would warm my bones, but I didn’t particularly feel like having something really heavy tonight, so rather than the typical heavy cream chowder recipes call for, I used some creamed corn, reduced fat cheddar cheese and a little 2% milk to give my soup the creamy consistency of a chowder without weighing ya down. The end result was absolutely to die for; sweet from the corn, smokey from crispy bacon, spicy from some cayenne pepper and green chilies, and salty from some tortilla chips I sprinkled on top. This soup is the absolute perfect dinner for a cold winter night cuddled up on the couch with an episode of Friends and your love bug… (that last part, well, maybe that’s just for me ).

Chicken & Corn Chowder

• 3 strips of bacon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 of a small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 (6 oz) can diced green chilies
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can sweet corn kernels (don’t drain it!)
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese ( I use the 2% milk kind)
• Salt to taste

In a large pot, begin by cooking the bacon on high heat
until the fat renders and bacon is crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan and set it on a plate lined
with paper towels to drain any excess fat. Crumble when cooled and set aside.

Add the butter, peppers, onions and green chilies to the pot.
Let cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
Sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well,
until the flour becomes a lovely golden brown color.

Add the stock, both cans of corn, the chicken and the potatoes to the pot.
Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Once the soup beings to simmer,
add the milk and the spices to the pot,
stirring to incorporate.  Then mix in the cheese.

Let the soup simmer another 10 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with crumbled bacon,
scallions, tortilla chips and, yes,
MORE CHEESE!
Heck! Top this soup with whatever your heart desires!
(mine desires lots of cheese!)!

*happy dance*

Anywho, I’m taking six classes this semester and I’m still working at the bux about 30 hours a week. Always the busy bee I am, but not too busy for dinner I say!

I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the store this week, (well actually, Johnny picked it up for me because there were none at the store when I went shopping and I was sad so he came to my rescue the next day – hooray! ) shredded it up and popped it in the refrigerator to have on hand for an easy meal or two this week. At about six dollars for a whole chicken large enough to feed a family of four (or two people with big appetites) , it’s definitely a bargain.

I struck a new level of brilliance with tonight’s meal. I’m modest, I know. But honestly, these enchiladas were the best I’ve ever had outside of a mexican restaurant … and with only six ingredients, they could not have been easier to make.

The Simplest Enchiladas You Will Ever Make

• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning (and however much water it calls for)
• 1 8-oz can diced green chilies
• 1/2 jar of salsa
  ( I used Pace Hot Picante Sauce and it was just the right amount of spicy)
• 1 block of pepper jack cheese, shredded and divided
• 12 corn tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large skillet, combine the chicken, green chilies, taco seasoning and water. Heat over medium high until hot and the sauce is thick. Remove from heat.
3. Heat tortillas in the microwave 4 at a time for about 20 seconds or until pliable. Add about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and a teaspoon of cheese to each tortilla, being careful not to overstuff them. Roll tightly and place, seam side down, in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Repeat until all 12 are complete.
4. Cover evenly with salsa, spreading it out with a spatula all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place into the hot oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

The Result

Spicy

Cheesy

Perfection!

See look! Me - really freakin' excited!

As soon as I got back to my apartment I had to make something. There was no other option. It was completely necessary to christen it, and to do so with something scrumptious while simultaneously attempting to stick to my New Year’s Resolution.

What to do, what to do?

The pantry pickings were slim. Johnny and I picked up a few things from the grocery store, but nothing too extravagant. I saw some molasses leftover from the tasty ginger snaps I made during my christmas cookie extravaganza and that’s when it clicked, gingerbread muffins! Om nom nom!! (Actually, my first though was gingerbread CAKE, but then I shook my head at myself and decided muffins would be a wiser decision…)

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Walnut Muffins
with Cinnamon Orange Glaze

For the Muffins:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsulphered molasses
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda, mixed into one cup of boil water
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Icing:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• The juice and zest of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• pinch of nutmeg

Begin by mixing together the oil, sugar, and molasses.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add the flour and the oats, followed by all of the spices, vanilla, and orange zest.Slowly mix in the water and baking soda mixture.Gently fold in the walnuts.
Transfer the batter into a greased or lined muffin tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° until fragrant or
when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Remove muffins from tin and let cool for about 10 minutes before glazing.
For glaze, whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, add some more juice or water.
Drizzle over muffins before digging in!