My favorite time of year...

Ahhhhhh, Autumn. How I love thee. Today marks the official first day of Fall, folks, and seeing as how I love it so much, I just had to make a divine soup to commemorate it. I didn't want just any old chicken noodle soup, I wanted something new and slightly exotic, while still comforting and hearty. I was given a recipe for Thai-Spiced Salmon Chowder by a co-worker, but I didn't have some of the neccessary ingredients on hand, so I tweaked it a bit to suit what I had in my kitchen already. The results were fabulous. I can't stop eating this soup!! I made a loaf of homemade bread to go with it, and the combination is pure ecstasy. I don't know if that's because I was STARVING or it truly is that good, but I ended up eating three helpings of this bad boy, and would gladly have licked the pot clean, but I felt guilty, so I reserved some for lunch tomorrow. Here's the recipe:

Mehgan's Salmon Chowder-

Ingredients:

-2 to 3 tbsp olive oil

-1 medium onion, chopped

-3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

-2 cans chicken stock

-4 red potatoes, cut into cubes

-1 small bag of baby carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

-1 or 2 filets of salmon

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1/2 tsp curry powder

-pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

-a few sprigs of parsley

Instructions: In a medium pot, over low-medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion and garlic until the onion starts to become slightly clear. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the veggies become tender. In the meantime, heat your oven to 350F. On a lightly oiled cookie sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil as well) place the salmon skin-down and season how you like it. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the salmon is fully cooked through (will flake with a fork). Once the salmon is ready, let it set a couple minutes while you add the heavy cream and curry powder to the soup. Bring back to a boil, then add the salmon. Allow to simmer a few minutes to get the flavors to really combine. Serve garnished with the parsley.

I could eat this soup all week, and probably will, too! It's just so yummy! And the curry powder, while not overwhelming, adds that certain "something" to it, without it being overly present. Variations I've seen incorporate coconut milk in place of the heavy cream, and Thai spices in place of the curry, which I imagine is just as tasty. I'll definitely have to try that next. But, for the time being, I'm enjoying my yummy-nummy soup!!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

In a Jam...

... or jelly. Since my loving husband has robbed me of the digital camera, here's a recipe for some

really delicious salmonberry (or, any berry, for that matter) jelly that not only tastes good, but is really easy to make as well.

My birthday this year went really, extremely well. My husband had to fly out the night of my birthday, so he treated me to a nice day while he was here, and I had to take him to the airport that evening after dinner. It was barely even 6:30pm, so I called a new friend of mine to see if she'd like to make some salmonberry jelly with me. She had just won the blue ribbon at the Fair the previous weekend, so she was more than willing to show me the ropes.

I was amazed at how simple it was to make jelly. The hardest part for me was getting enough juice out of my salmonberries that I had collected this summer. See, I froze mine (it makes the skins more willing to break and release those yummy juices) but they weren't quite thawed out by the time I got to her house. I took some elbow grease on my part to get those bad boys beat into submission, but I managed!!

My first attempt came out a little on the sweet side, but I have such a major sweet tooth that I was like, "Bring it on!". Amazingly enough, I ended up giving away 5 of my 7 jars of salmonberry jelly I made to my dear friends and family, so it's a good thing I picked lots more berries this week so I can make another batch!! I've already gotten requests from all over for jars of my jams and jellies I'll be making. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, I just started doing this!

Anyway, if you've been fearing jarring/canning, trust me, if I can do it, you can do it. Just take it step by step (like a Daring Bakers challenge!!) and make sure you have adequate time and equipment and you'll do fine. Here's the recipe:

Berry Jelly-

Ingredients:

-4 cups of your favorite berries (I used salmonberries, but blackberries/raspberries/etc will do just fine), if you prefer seeds in your jam, don't strain, but if you're making jelly, then you'll need to strain the juice out of your berries and discard the pulp and seeds

-4 to 5 cups of sugar

-1 box of pectin

-mason jars (you can pick the size- mini, regular, jumbo)

-lots of water

Instructions: In a large pot, heat enough water to cover your jars. Place your jars face down, and make sure you put your lids and rings in the water too. Once it boils, allow to boil for 10 minutes (10 minutes seems to be the rule of thumb for canning). Carefully remove the lids and jars from the water and allow to rest on your counter while you make your jam/jelly. In a medium/large saucepan over medium heat, combine the juice, pectin and sugar. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Once the mixture bubbles, continue to stir for about a minute. Remove from heat and ladle into your jars (my friend used a really cool funnel for this, but you don't have to if you're careful). Fill to the lower ring (about 1/4" inch from the tippy-top) and screw on the lids and rings hand-tight, but not super duper tight. Place in the boiling water for 10 more minutes. Remove from the water and allow to cool on the counter. You'll hear the lids pop, that's a good thing, that means they're sealed. Allow to cool overnight prior to re-tightening their rings.

This was so much fun! A very girly thing to do on my birthday. I decorated mine with some flannel and ribbon. Word to the wise: when decorating jam jars, don't use slippery ribbon. You're better off using twine or something that's grippier than ribbon. You would not believe the sheer amount of expletives I uttered when trying to tie those damn flannel squares on the lids. But, in retrospect, they sure do look purdy.

I'm looking forward to this weekend where I'll get to do some more canning, and then send them out to spread joy over the Earth! Have a good weekend!

Cheers!

~Mehgan~

From The Archives

Well, I know I had promised that since September is my month that I'd be posting a lot more, which is why it hurts to say that I am without a camera for much of this month. See, my husband had to go out of town on business and won't be returning for three weeks, and managed to make off to Yorktown, VA with our digital camera!! Luckily, though, I managed to find some old recipes that I had saved to my compter before our move to Alaska, so I'm able to at the very least, post those.

When we lived in the Seattle area, we had a Trader Joe's (my FAVORITE store, I could spend hours in there, which is pretty amazing because it was on the small side as far as grocery stores go) within walking distance of our house, and I became really used to having such luxury at my fingertips. One of my favorite meals was a variety of the basic Indian dishes they sold there. Our favorite by far is their Punjab Choley: garbanzo beans in a spicy tomato-y sauce. I'd serve it with some curried chicken, jasmine rice and a piece of Trader Joe's naan bread (we LOVE naan, and I can make it on my own using my George Forman grill -haha, I'm crafty!- but if I was in a hurry I'd pick up a bag of naan for like $2.50).

So, if you're in a pinch and you're fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, I highly suggest picking up one of their Indian Fare side dishes. You won't be disappointed. They cook up really fast (we're talking 2 minutes in some boiling water and there's your side dish) and are a nice complement to curry dishes.

Mehgan's Chicken Curry:

Ingredients:

-1 can of coconut milk (if you want to cut down on calories, you can use 1/2 can coconut milk and 1/2 can 1% or fat free milk)
-1 to 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, thawed if frozen
-1 packet of curry seasoning (believe it or not, I find my curry packets by the Mexican seasonings at the grocery store)
-pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow to marinade covered in the fridge for about an hour. In a medium sauce pan, over low-medium heat, cook the chicken until the chicken is done. Don't worry about the sauce getting thick, because you can use it on your rice, but do make sure that the sauce is bubbling so you know it's hot enough. Serve over jasmine rice, with naan and your choice of sides.

I love this dish, it's just so easy, but it tastes like it took forever in the kitchen. Judging from the photos, you can probably tell that I made this either when I first started food blogging, or during the winter months. Anyway, I hope you try incorporating more ethnic dishes into your meal routine, you'll love it!!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan

Another Year

Hello people! Well, it's my birthday again, and I can't believe it's been a year already. It seems like just yesterday I was baking up a batch of Cuba Libre cupcakes and toting them to work with me. This year is turning out to be much the same, except now I'm in Kodiak instead of Seattle, and in place of Cubra Libre cupcakes I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Red velvet is bar far my favorite cake, and cream cheese frosting just sets it off perfectly. They go together like peanut butter & bananas, Bert & Ernie, or peas & carrots.

My boss let me off a few hours early, so I ran home to bake up a batch of these bad boys, which in my world is perfect Friday afternoon. The sun was shining, and my house smelled like baked goodies. YUM! I got the recipe from one of my favorite cupcake bloggers (which, unfortunately, she's no longer posting new recipes, but has kept her site up) Chocylit from Cupcake Bakeshop.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting-makes 36 cupcakes

-3-3/4 cups cake flour

-1/4 cups cocoa

-1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

-1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

-3/8 teaspoon salt

-1-1/2 cups buttermilk

-3 teaspoons vinegar

-1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

-1/2 ounce red food coloring paste

-2-1/4 cups sugar

-3/4 cups butter

-3 eggs

Instructions: preheat oven to 350°F. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder (or cream of tarter), and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well fluffy, 3 minutes
add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended. After each addition, about 30 seconds
beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions. Scoop into cupcake tins and bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting-

Ingredients:

-12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese

-1/2 stick butter

-4-5 cups sifted powdered

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add 4 cups of the sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla (I used clear vanilla, I didn't want a brown tinge to my frosting) and beat until combined. Add more sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like, then fill frosting bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

I love, love, LOVE these cupcakes, however I forgot to halve the recipe and ended up with WAY too many cupcakes than I need (like that's ever a problem) so now my fridge is full of these pretty babies. And it never fails that whenever I go to make cupcakes, I NEVER have enough powdered sugar, so I end up with runny frosting/glaze. But, that's ok, because I tend to prefer my cream cheese frosting more on the cheesy side than the sugary side anyway.

I encourage everyone to make cupcakes for themselves on their birthday. That way, you get what YOU want and won't feel guilty about it (well, not much at least). Ok, so I'm not going to stay long, because I really must go devour one of these NOW!!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Scampi anyone?

Well, hello there! It's been a while since I've made a dish using shrimp (with the exception of the paella a while back) because I cooked so much shrimp in the summer of 2007, my husband got totally sick of it and asked that I not make anything with shrimp for a while. I obliged, but since it's been a while, I figured I'd start sneaking it back into our kitchen here and there.

I don't know about you, but I much prefer my shrimp un-breaded and not deep fried. That's unlike most people, who the only way they'll eat shrimp (or any kind of seafood for that matter) is if it's piping hot from Long John Silver's fryer and into their dinner baskets. No, thank you!

I've been craving shrimp scampi for about a week now (those darn Red Lobster commercials! we don't even have a Red Lobster here!), and seeing as how it's Friday night (and the night before my birthday) I'd give it a go. But, I didn't want your traditional scampi, laden with butter and no veggies in sight. So, I threw in a few of my favorites that I love and know would freshen up the dish. The results were delicious, and I think it has everything to do with the fact that I made sure I used a splash of the wine I just bought for the sauce.

Mehgan's Shrimp Scampi-

Ingredients:

-1 lb fresh or frozen, uncooked and deveined shrimp (if frozen, make sure you thaw them out first).

-3 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 white onion, chopped

-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

-1/4 cup dry white wine

-a pinch of salt and pepper

-two roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4" pieces

-a few sprigs of parsley or cilantro (depending on what you like, I happen to be a big cilantro fan)

-grated parmesan cheese

-2 servings cooked pasta (angel hair pasta is popular, but I used some stuff I got as a gift that was made from dried mushrooms)

Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic and bell pepper. Once the onion starts to get transparent, slowly add the wine. Let that cook down for about five minutes, then add the shrimp and seasonings. As soon as the shrimp start to get a bit pink, turn off the burner and cover (the shrimp will continue to cook even though the burner is off. This keeps them from getting rubbery). Pour the sampi over the pasta and garnish with tomatoes, parmesan cheese and parsley/cilantro.

I've seen folks cook their tomatoes for this dish, but I don't like to. I like the fresh pop of flavor they add. I served this with a simple green salad with feta cheese and homemade Italian dressing. It was fabulous! And not to mention super easy, too. Yummy! See you all next time.

Cheers!

~Mehgan~

My Salsa...

Welcome to Day 2 of My September, everyone! I can't guarantee there'll be a new post every day this month, but I'm sure going to try to post a lot more often than I have been, that's for sure.

Today, while surfing around the internet, I got to thinking about a birthday gift I just received from my lovely husband: a KitchenAid 12-Cup Food Processor (in pink, of course, to match my stand mixer). What should I make with my pretty new toy, hmmmmm? I bajillion thoughts ran through my mind, but I kept coming back to salsa. I wanted FRESH salsa, nothing pre-packaged, I wanted everything to be as fresh-tasting as possible.

I couldn't settle on just one recipe, so I decided to just wing it and threw a bunch of stuff into my food processor, and voila! Salsa! (It made me want to dance around like Eminem at the end of the "My Band" music video, but I restrained myself. If you know what I'm talking about, you're probably laughing to yourself at the thought of me dancing around my kitchen like that, going "My salsa!").

Anyway, back to the story: I couldn't just make salsa. I had to make dinner, duh! So, I decided on something easy-peasy, that my husband could totally make even if I weren't here. Also, my dear friend Angee is getting ready to prepare a dinner-date at her house for her new man-friend, and requested a guy approved recipe from me. And, since my husband gave me the two thumbs up on this one, this is the recipe I recommended to her.

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas with Homemade Salsa and Guacamole (A Mehgan Original):

Ingredients:

For the salsa:
-1 white onion
-1 jalapeno pepper, minus the stem & seeds
-3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, juices squeezed out
-juice of 1/2 a lime
-5 to 10 sprigs of cilantro (depending on how you like it)
-1/4 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp garlic salt
-pinch of pepper

For the guacamole:
-2 ripe avocados
-2 to 3 scoops of the salsa above

For the quesadillas:
-4 taco sized flour tortillas
-1 1/2 cups monteray jack cheese
-1/2 can of corn, drained
-1/2 can of black beans, drained
-1 small can of sliced olives, drained
-cumin, garlic salt and pepper for sprinkling
-a few dollops of sour cream
-softened butter or margarine

Instructions: If you have a food processor, combine all the salsa ingredients and pulse until you achieve the consistency you want (some people like it chunkier than others). If you don't have a food processor, don't worry, you'll just have to do all that chopping by hand. You can make it as chunky or as runny as you like. To make the guacamole, slice the avocados in half the long way and pull the halves apart. To get the pit out, place your avocado face up on the cutting board and swiftly hit the pit with the blade of your knife and then twist the pit out. Scoop the avocado into a bowl and mash it with a few spoonfuls of your salsa.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter onto one side of a tortilla. Place the tortilla butter-side down, then layer on the cheese, seasonings, corn, black beans, olives, a few leaves of the cilantro, then more cheese. Butter another side of a tortilla, and place it butter-side up on top of the rest of the quesadilla. Carefully flip it over and brown on both sides of the quesadilla till they're golden brown. Cut into fourths (I like to use a pizza cutter, it's faster and cleaner than a knife), and then garnish with the guacamole, salsa, dollops of sour cream and sprigs of cilantro.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I made mine a bit spicier than the recipe calls for (I made mine with two jalapeno peppers, instead of just one), which my husband loved since he loves all things spicy. This recipe gives you a lot of creative freedom: if you want more onions, go ahead, throw in some more. It's all up to you and your tastes. Lemme know how yours turns out if you do try it!!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Welcome To September

Hello there, everyone! I'm very happy to welcome you to MY month, yes that's right, September is my month! My birthday is this month, and I am a true September baby to the bone. As well, I did some modeling in the past and got chosen to be Miss September for our promotional calendar, so right now our calendar in the kitchen is showing my bright shiny face. And one last thing, I also got married in September, so this month holds a special place in my heart. So, in order to ring in the new month in a big way, I decided to make a dish that I've never tried before (never cooked it, let alone eaten it anywhere), yet I've been wanting to make for a long time.

I've been eyeing different variations of tagines since I saw an episode of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" back in June when he made a trip to Morocco. I had a tough decision to make: should I make it vegetarian (which is how I've been eating lately) or should I make it the traditional way with lamb? I decided to make it the traditional way, even though it almost made me pass out when I had to slice the meat off the lamb shanks last night!! It was worth the effort, though, because the result came out delicious! The lamb was tender and flavorful, thanks to marinading it in the olive oil and spices overnight, and the rest of the dish just came together so beautifully. Besides ommitting the meat, there's not a thing I would change about this recipe.

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com (one of my favorite places I turn to for new recipes) and only had to tweak a few things here and there due to availability to products here in Kodiak. So, without further ado, here we go!

Lamb Tagine (adapted from Allrecipes.com):

Ingredients:
-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
-2 teaspoons paprika
-1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1 pinch saffron
-3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
-3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
-2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
-1 package baby carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
-3 cloves garlic, minced (I used some already minced garlic from a jar)
-1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I ommitted this)
-1 lemon, zested
-1 (14.5 ounce) can homemade chicken broth or low-sodium canned broth
-1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste (I instead used a small can of tomato sauce, to create a more saucier dish)
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
-1 tablespoon water (optional)

Instructions:
Place diced lamb in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and set aside. In a large resealable bag, toss together the paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ginger, saffron, garlic powder, and coriander; mix well. Add the lamb to the bag, and toss around to coat well. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This is VERY important so that the lamb becomes nice and tender and infused with the spices.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of the lamb, and brown well. Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining lamb. Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger; continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Return the lamb to the pot and stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, tomato paste/sauce, and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender.
If the consistency of the tagine is too thin, you may thicken it with a mixture of cornstarch and water during the last 5 minutes. (I didn't need this last step, it thickened up just fine on its own).

I served this with some herbed pine nut couscous, and it was dangerously delicious!! My husband and I actually ended up arguing over who got to bring the leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch! (He ended up winning, for the record).

It is my pleasure to welcome you to My Month-September, and hope you enjoy your stay with me this month, because there is plenty more to come, my friends!!

Cheers!

~Mehgan~

Daring Bakers Go French!

Hello again, folks! It's time for another Daring Bakers Challenge! And this month, we go to Meeta (from the blog What's For Lunch Honey?) and her "Sugar Daddy" Pierre Herme and his chocolate eclairs.

I admit, when it comes to Daring Bakers Challenges, I always have a mini-panic attack when the recipes are announced at the beginning of the month. I mean, you just know the recipe is going to be about 4-5 pages long (sometimes longer), but still, I always have my super-wince ready.

This month's challenge was special to me, because I got to make my eclairs in my new kitchen!! I was so stoked when I saw that my new kitchen is about twice the size of my old one, with a gas range and stellar lighting (for taking those glamour shots of my food, of course).

I shouldn't have been afraid of this recipe at all, it was super easy. I took the advise of my fellow DBers and took the steps one at a time. I made the choux pastry dough the night before I assembled the eclairs, and they baked up like a dream. I warn you, if you do freeze your dough beforehand, allow them to bake about twice as long as the recipe calls for. If you want the recipe, go on down to Meeta's blog, I have it on my personal blogroll, as well as the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

Here's a nice shot of these babies just before they came out of the oven.
And after glazing, my little eclair sitting pretty, just waiting to be eaten up with a nice cup of tea.
I also made cream puffs. Those little devils! I can't stop eating them!! I like how in this pic, you can see the delish vanilla beans in the pastry cream. While we're on the topic of pastry cream, I pretty much wore about half the pastry cream when I was piping it into my eclairs. The darn tip on my frosting bag was so narrow, that instead of the pastry cream wanting to pipe into the eclairs, it decided to squirt itself back out the other side and onto my arm. Several times. I'm lucky I had enough leftover to finish the challenge!

If you haven't yet, you really should try this recipe out. You will NOT be disappointed! I'll be taking these darlings to work with me, because as my husband puts it, "Those are dangerous!" I am not to leave any in the house, they must all come with me to work, haha. Anyway, enjoy!

Cheers!
~Mehgan~

Pass the Paella!

Hello, my friends! At last, we have moved into our new house in Kodiak, AK, and my new kitchen is divine!! Thank goodness our new house came with a gas stove, I cook so much better using a gas range than an electric one. It's taking us a while to unpack all of our stuff, but I made sure to unpack the kitchen first!

I remember, on one of our hotel stops on the way from Haines, AK to Homer, AK, I was staying up late one night and caught an episode of "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" on the Food Network, and his challenge was paella. I didn't stay awake long enough to see how Mr. Flay did with his, but I did end up dreaming about blissful platefuls of warm, spicy paella. And I've never had any until I made some tonight!!!

I know for certain, I will be making this again. I know there's some speculation going around the 'net about whether or not you need a paella pan to make a good paella. Well, I don't have one, I made mine in the largest skillet I had on hand, and it turned out just fine. I even had that yummy scorched bottom that everyone raves about.

I got the recipe from trusty ol' Allrecipes.com, I just searched for "paella" and about 1,000 recipes came up! I searched around for the one that best suited the ingredients I already have on hand (like we all do, lol), but I still had to go and get more seafood. I love that with this sort of recipe, you can tweak it a little here and there to suit your needs. My needs being that I had to include a whole grain (I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley with barley and radish seeds, too), ginger (I added about 1/2 tsp of ground ginger) and citrus (the lemon slices, which when cooked are super easy to squeeze all the yummy juices out of) for this month's Royal Foodie Joust. I haven't been able to participate in Jenn the Leftover Queen's Royal Foodie Joust in months, simply because this move really threw me for a loop cooking-wise.

I'm very happy with how this turned out, and like I said, I will definitely be making this again!! Here's the recipe (with my little tweaks added in):

Seafood Paella (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
-4 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
-1 (5 oz) package uncooked Mahatma saffron rice

-7 oz Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley
-5 cups chicken broth
-1/2 cup white wine
-1 pinch saffron
-salt to taste
-ground black pepper to taste
-1/2 bag of frozen baby octupus, thawed and cut into 1 inch pieces
-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
-1/2 cup frozen green peas
-15-20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
-1 lemon, sliced

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in paella pan over medium heat. Add in onion, garlic and bell pepper; cook and stir for a few minutes. Add diced chicken and rice; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 1/2 cups stock, wine, and saffron. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 15 minutes; stir occasionally.
Taste the rice, and check to see if it is cooked. If the rice is uncooked, stir in 1/2 cup more stock. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Stir in additional stock if necessary, up to 2 cups additional stock, 5 cups total. Cook until rice is done.
Stir in octopus, tomatoes, and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Arrange shrimp and lemons on top. Cover with foil, and leave for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the lemons become slightly tender and the shrimp are nice and pink, it's ready to serve!

Next time, I'll definitely add chorizo sausage, some mussels and perhaps a little bit of cilantro. I think I'll also substitute regular brown rice for the Trader Joe's Medley, it seemed a bit off in texture due to the radish seeds. Otherwise, it was a pretty wonderful meal!! I can't wait to have some more with some homemade sangria!

Cheers!

~Mehgan~

Still In Transit

Greetings everyone! Just popping in to let you know that no, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, the husband and I are still in the process of moving into our new place in Kodiak, AK. Our new house won't be ready for the next few weeks, so we're staying in a hotel till then, which means (sadly) no cooking for me. And I'll tell ya, I'm so sick of eating out!!

I will give you some recommendations for yummy places to eat in Alaska, if you're interested:

1. Crabbie's in Homer: Fantastic smoked salmon chowder. Their Crow's Nest chicken is super yummy, it comes with garlic mashed potatoes on top of their gorgeous sea glass plates. Their halibut & chips is to-die-for. They also have a great dish where they batter some crab and lobster pieces and fry them up. Very yummy.

2. The Sourdough Express in Homer: FABULOUS breakfast! Tons of organic choices. Their business started a couple decades ago when they rolled into town in a Sourdough delivery van with $48 in their pocket and a dream in their hearts. And here we are in 2008, and their Plain Jane breakfast had me wanting more and more. I also ordered a side of their French Toast, which was divine. If you go there, definitely have some of their jam on your sourdough toast, you'll thank me. Oh, and don't forget to grab a piece of their carrot cake on your way out!

I'll have more recommendations once we eat out a bit more at places I like (there have definitely been some lackluster dining-out experiences on this trip, I'll tell you what!!). Thanks for being so patient everybody. Oh, and I'm sorry I missed this month's Daring Bakers Challenge, but, fingers-crossed, we'll be moved into our new house in time for me to complete August's Challenge.

Cheers!
~Mehgan~

I'll Have The Haggis!

Greetings, ladies and gents! My husband and I just recently returned from a week-long holiday in Scotland, and I have to say, I completely fell in love with every bit of it. From the city to the country, it didn't matter, I loved the whole thing!

Before we left, everyone we know asked us if we were going to eat some haggis while we were there. I always replied with, "Of course!" How can you go to Scotland and NOT eat it? That's like going to Mexico and not eating a burrito, come on people!

The first place we ate haggis at was The Royal McGregor on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. We saw a sign out front that claimed that it was "The best haggis on the Royal Mile", so naturally, we had to try it.

We were not disappointed. I loved all the different elements, the neeps (turnips), tatties (potatoes) and haggis combined so well together, and while the haggis itself was pretty spicy, it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. We found ourselves wrestling for the last bite.

A few days later, we had another opportunity to try some more haggis. This time it was at a lovely place in St Andrews (can't recall the name, I should have written it down), so if anyone from Scotland recognizes the plating of this dish and knows where we got it, feel free to let me know. It was in the hotel bar/restaurant across the street from Drouthy Neebers.

Again, we were not disappointed. I don't see why so many people shy away from haggis, it's really delicious! I'll admit that I was a bit nervous at first, but once I had it, I knew that I was nuts for having been so apprehensive. I've heard of people eating haggis for breakfast, too, and can totally imagine doing that myself, with some toast, eggs and coffee. Oh yeah, that sounds yummy.

So, take it from me, if you've ever wanted to try haggis, but have been turned off by all the rumours, have no fear. Just go for it! You'll thank me later.

Cheers!

~Mehgan~

Daring Bakers Go Danish!

Well hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to another Daring Bakers challenge! I was actually frightened when Kelly from the blog Sass & Veracity announced this month's challenge: Danish Braid. See, I joined the Daring Bakers after they did the croissant challenge, and I was actually glad, because I fear the flaky, crusty pastries. I don't know why, but they just make me really nervous. You know how some people feel really freaked out about using recipes with yeast, well I get scared with recipes that have anything to do with flaky layers. I don't know why, but maybe it's an internal fear of failing and having my dough come out flat or unflaky.

As you can see, mine came out just fine. More than fine, actually, it turned out FABULOUS! I was so proud of it, a little solitary tear came out of my eye. I just couldn't believe I did it! I thought that I would screw it up for sure, but it came out of the oven perfect. I was shocked!

You can find the recipe on Kelly's blog either in the Daring Bakers blogroll or in my own personal blogroll to the side. I suggest that if you do decide to make this Danish Braid, that you read the recipe thoroughly before starting out, set aside a day/day and a half for it, and follow the recipe exactly. The results are well worth the effort.

I made two different kinds: the standard apple, and then what I like to call a Red, White & Blue Braid (Raspberry, Cream Cheese and Blueberry). I made the apple one for my sister's birthday party, which was a murder mystery dinner called Murder at the Deadwood Saloon (SOOOO much fun!). I saved the other one for us to eat for breakfast as a little treat over the weekend.

We're right in the middle of our move up to Kodiak, Alaska, so if it seems like I'm scarce this next month or so, that's why. I'm really going to strive to not miss next month's Daring Bakers challenge, but forgive me if I do!! As of June 16th, all of our stuff is en route to Alaska, including our kitchen stuff. I might just have to commandeer my sister's kitchen for a weekend in order to complete July's challenge, so here's hoping!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Hello Cupcake!

I am so excited to tell you all (those of you that do read this blog, I have no idea how many/few of you do) that I have finally made it down to Hello Cupcake in Tacoma, WA. This being our last few weeks in the continental US, I figured I had better get my rear in gear and finally experience all those things as a foodie I've been meaning to.
Hello Cupcake is one of those quaint little cupcakeries that you can smell its deliciousness from down the road. I had my window down in my car on the way there, and as I was parking on the street out front (I was so lucky to have found a spot so close!) and the vanilla-cakey-smell wafted into my car like a tantalizing-treat-wave. I had been hiding where we were going from my mom, niece and nephew, but there was no hiding it from them by the time we parked.
The inside of the shop is so welcoming, like your favorite cafe that you can bring a book to and just curl up with a latte and a cupcake and enjoy your afternoon. From their adorable cupcake mosaic tiled entryway, to their pastel colored plates, they are everything you would expect from your favorite cupcake shop.

I got a dozen cupcakes, so I could experience some variety. I got six red velvet (my fave), one vanilla & vanilla, one double chocolate, one vanilla on chocolate, one chocolate on vanilla, one coconut, and one carrot cake. The coconut was yummy, I liked the frosting better than the cake itself though. The carrot cake wasn't spicey enough for me or my family, but the cream cheese frosting was yummy. I really liked the vanilla on vanilla one, the cake was nice and soft and the buttercream was super delicious. But, like I said, the red velvet was my personal fave.

I even managed to snag one on my way out the door from my sister's house this morning, and it got to ride in its own personal cupcake holder (I have changed the cupholder in my Audi to a cupcake holder now, lol). It looked so cute riding there, I was half-tempted to just leave it, but I knew it would go bad and I would be sad about that.

If you're in the Seattle area, I highly suggest stopping by Hello Cupcake, even if it's just to smell the cupcake aroma outside the cafe. Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Congrats To A Favorite!!

I have admired Rachel's blog, Coconut & Lime, ever since I can remember. And, her Four-Year blogiversary is coming up. In honor of that, she's hosting a Blogiversary Contest! (details: http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/05/blogiversary-contest.html) Of course, as an admirer, I couldn't NOT participate, she has come up with 700 original recipes!

I thought long and hard about this one. What makes me think of Rachel's blog. Well, the first thing I made from her list of recipes were her Rum & Coke cupcakes. I've actually made them several times, so I thought I might make cupcakes. But, I'm pretty much known to bake cupcakes quite frequently, and lately I've been in sort of a cookie rut. My last few batches of cookies have been botched so horribly, I couldn't believe they came out of my kitchen.

Well, these babies pulled me out of my rut! Just in time for our bake sale at work, too! So, here's my recipe for my Welcome To Paradise Cookies:

Ingredients:

-6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

-1/3 cup shortening

-1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

-1/3 cup granulated sugar

-1 egg

-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 cup shredded coconut

-juice of one lime

-1 1/3 cups (8 oz pkg) Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts & Premier White Chips (new from Hershey's)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and shortening in a large bowl until well blended. Add the sugars; beat thoroughly. Add egg and vanilla; beating until well blended. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt; then gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in the coconut, lime juice and baking pieces. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet onto a wire cooling rack. This makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

These cookies went over really well at my work bake sale, especially with my co-workers whose favorite cookies are white choc & macadamia nut. The coconut & lime were a wonderful addition. I feel like I should add them to everything now!

~Mehgan~

And I'm Late Again!

Well, folks, due to techinical difficulties over the weekend, I was unable to post one of my most-looked-forward-to posts all month! My wireless router was being difficult (read: acting like a petulant little child) so when I went to post, my internet went caput.

That being said, I am SO HAPPY that I'm able to post about this, because this was sort of my idea (with the help of a few other newbie Daring Bakers). See, I suggested on the Daring Bakers forum that we start way back at the beginning of Daring Bakers and do what we affectionately call Double Daring Bakers, or DDB for short.

See, in the beginning, there existed our dear Daring Bakers co-founders Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, and they decided to make the same recipe at/around the same time, and then post their results on their respective blogs on the same day. And the rest, as they say, is history. Ever since I became a Daring Baker, I've wanted to try my hand at previous challenges, so what better place to start than at the very beginning with the First Daring Bakers Pretzels?

Here's the recipe:

Hot Buttered Pretzels
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion.

For the dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
1 cup warm water (you may need a little more)
For the pretzel topping:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
kosher salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Instructions: Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Work the ingredients together until you can form a ball. If the dough is very dry, add a bit more warm water until it comes together. The dough will look messy, but don’t worry about it.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, and then folding it back in onto itself. Push the dough away again and then fold back in. Continue this motion, working the dough until it’s smooth. This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a mixer with your dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes).
Once the dough is done, sprinkle some flour on the dough and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. It will rise considerably.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and set aside.
Divide your dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rope that’s roughly 24 inches in length. (Don’t make it too long or your pretzels will be too thin.)
Taking hold of the ends of the rope, cross the rope over itself to form a circle with about 4 to 5 inches on each end that are sticking out. Twist the ends over themselves and secure each end on either side of the pretzel.
Carefully dip the pretzel in the water and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Sprinkle the pretzels with the kosher salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
Put the pretzels in the oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pretzels so that they don’t burn.
Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with the butter. Keep brushing them with butter until you’ve used it all.
Serve the pretzels warm with plenty of mustard or another condiment of your choice.

I went a little wild and made cinnamon & sugar, cheddar & parmesan, garlic salt, and regular kosher salt pretzels. I'm thinking I should have double the recipe, because these did not last long in my house! I even took some of the dough and rolled it into long breadsticks for dipping in our soup, and they were delicious. I love how simple these are to make, you pretty much just throw everything in a bowl, let it rise and bingo, bango, bongo, you've got pretzels!

They're almost simple enough to make you want to make them on a weeknight for a little midweek pick-me-up. I also love that they can be sweet or savory, and you can forgo the butter step if you're trying to stay a bit on the healthier side. Very versatile, and VERY tasty!

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Daring Bakers Go To The Opera!

It is a fresh start to the Daring Bakers this month, as we've gotten our own website! If you go www.thedaringbakers.com, you'll find our new forum, where non-Daring Bakers and Daring Bakers alike can discuss their favorite topic: food. However, to view the Daring Bakers forum for the challenge of the month, you must first become a Daring Baker, and the details are explained on the website. So, if you've been lurking and want to join, then hop to it my friend!

This month's challenge had me quite intimidated. First of all, our lovely co-founders of the Daring Bakers, Ivonne of the blog Cream Puffs in Venice, and Lis of the blog La Mia Cucina, were hosting this month's challenge, so I knew it was going to be a doozy. Second, when they announced the challenge and that it would be a French pastry, I got really nervous, because I know how painstakingly intricate French pastry making is. And thirdly, the recipe itself blew me away: FIVE pages of recipe, and that's at 10 pt font, too. I knew I had my work cut out for me, indeed.

I won't post the recipe here, as it is quite long and I don't want your eyes to turn square just reading it here! If you hop on over to either Ivonne or Lis's blogs (in the blogroll) you'll be able to find it there.

The only trouble I had with this recipe was that I burnt one of my cakes. Lucky for me, I was able to improvise by halving the rest of the recipe, since I made the cakes first. I just made a mini-Opera cake instead!

I feared that the cake would turn out tasting like cardboard or too sweet or not have enough flavor, but it was none of those things. I chose to make my syrup with Grand Marnier liquer, and added some lemon and lime juice to my buttercream in order to give it some punch and pizzazz. I'd have to say that my favorite part, though, was the white chocolate glaze, it was so yummy. I'm a big fan of white chocolate, and for some reason, it always reminds me of Easter, since my mom used to always get me white chocolate Easter bunnies every year. I took this lovely cake to dinner with my mother in-law and some of her friends and extended family, and it went over really well. And it never fails that when I serve a Daring Bakers challenge to my family, they always end up asking for the recipe, and this was no exception!

The recipe is a wee bit time consuming, so it's probably easier to take it easy and go one step at a time, but it's really worth it for the oohs and aahs you'll get. Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Now THAT Is Breakfast!!

I love when my mother in-law comes into town! Not only is she amazing, and sweet, but she always introduces me to new things. I figured that this time around, I'd introduce her into something new as well. See, in our family, I'm pretty well known for my desserts, I can always be counted on to bring a scrumptious after-dinner treat, so I've really been trying to buff up on my breakfast skills, too.

I saw this recipe on allrecipes.com during Mother's Day weekend, but I was out of town on Mother's Day (don't worry, I was with my mom, we were just staying at a hotel on the other side of the state) and have kept the recipe printoff floating around in my purse since then. I looked forward to making this for my mother in-law all week.

Creme Brulee French Toast (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup (I used maple syrup instead)
6 (1 inch thick) slices French bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brandy-based orange liqueur (Grand Marnier®)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Remove crusts from bread (I left mine on, and they added a nice chewiness to the french toast), and arrange in the baking dish in a single layer. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, orange brandy, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover, and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the dish from the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature. (I carefully flipped the toast at this point, so that it was evenly coated on both sides).
Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and lightly browned. (You might want to set the oven to broil for the last 10 minutes or so, until the tops are lightly browned and crisp).

My thoughts: Super duper yummy, soft yet crispy and chewy. To the pre-baked mixture, I added a pinch each of cinnamon and cardamom, which made this taste so breakfasty and nice. As you can see, I added some sliced strawberries and bananas, so we weren't haivng just bread for breakfast. This dish creates its own syrup, and I actually added a bit more Grand Marnier to the mixture, because I really wanted to have that flavor come out. Be warned, though, this will make your baking dish terribly sticky, so you might want to line it with some tin foil. And if you choose to broil it at the end of baking, do NOT bake this in a Pyrex dish, because broiling will cause it to shatter. This would make a really great breakfast for a special occasion, or for whenever you want something other than pancakes or bacon & eggs or regular French toast.

Enjoy!

~Mehgan~

Let's Have Soup

Do you ever have those days when you look in your kitchen and are completely dumbfounded as to what to make for dinner? I had a day like that today. I was just so sick of making the same old stuff over and over (can you say "rut"?).

I had been searching forever for a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, but nothing I found seemed to sound like it would turn out like theirs. I wanted something hearty, slightly creamy, kind of spicy, and totally yummy. So, I decided to adapt two or three recipes I found online, so I could make my own with what I had in my kitchen.

Mehgan's Zuppa Toscana:

Ingredients:
-1 lb spicy ground sausage (I like to use the SPICY kind)
-6 red potatoes, thinly sliced (you can peel them if you want, but I left the peel on)
-1 medium onion, diced
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
-3 cans of chicken broth
-1 cup heavy cream
-2 bunches of kale

Instructions: In a stock pot, over medium heat, brown the sausage with the red pepper flakes, onion and garlic. Add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer. Add half the potatoes and return to a simmer. Reduce heat slightly and cover. Once the potatoes become soft, add the other half (the first half of potatoes will help to thicken the soup). Once the second half of potatoes is fork-tender, add the heavy cream. Let simmer 5-10 minutes. Add the kale just prior to serving.

My thoughts: This was probably the most amazing last-minute meal I've made in a LONG time. I must thank my big sister for helping me with this recipe, because that girl sure does know her potatoes! She was right there the whole time, helping me chop and dice and stir. And even though it was still pretty warm in our house (the temperature was pushing 80F when I got home from work), it was still nice to have a meal that wasn't super heavy and didn't leave me feeling weighed down (not to say that this was the most diet-friendly meal on God's green Earth, but you know what I mean). Anyway, this soup only takes about an hour and half to make from start to finish, which isn't too bad, since you don't have to babysit it the whole time. Plus, it tastes so close to the "real thing" that you'll really like the fact that you didn't have to pay $6 a bowl for it. Enjoy!

~Mehgan~