Asiago Cheese and Fennel...lovingly paired!

Okay, so anyone who knows me well knows I try to keep my recipes and what I order in restaurants as healthy as possible. One of those ways I try to keep calories low is to leave cheese off most anything I can: sandwiches, salads, etc. I laughed a few months ago when I looked in my cheese drawer at the insane amount of cheese I had! Now grant it, I do have a 16 month old who has a few varieties that are hers but still..there is a lot of cheese! Here is the list I have: shredded mild cheedar, shredded 2% sharp cheddar, block of white mild cheddar, brie, string cheese, snack-size cheddar, shredded mozzarella, sliced muenster, sliced mozzarella, cream cheese and one of the stars of this post...ASIAGO! Okay, so, asiago has a very distinct and bold flavor that I just love but understand a lot of people might not. I bought a large "slice" of it from the Publix deli last week for a recipe I made for my dad's birthday. Staring at the large amount I had left, I decided to try it in a few things and loved it! I also had to buy a fennel bulb for another recipe I made that same night. Fennel has such a wonderful flavor; however, it is also distinct and strong. It has an anise (or licorice) flavor when eaten raw but loses its pungent flavor once cooked and is quite light.

Asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese and sometimes is the cheese they will grate on your food at an Italian restaurant and is commonly used in Italian pasta, pizza and soup dishes. It is commonly interchanged with Parmesan and romano cheeses. It is normally bought in a hard block texture (aged and shown in picture above) but can also be bought as a soft cheese (fresh). I bought my hard textured Asiago cheese to grate in the filling of a pesto roll I was preparing, but I wanted to use the rest of it in other ways. That is where the fennel comes in.

Fennel, itself, is a plant with feathery green leaves and yellow flowers. Once we see it in the grocery store, it doesn't look as much like a plant but does have a very odd look with it's sprawling green fronds and large white bulb. The fennel bulb (shown above) is treated as a vegetable and has a very aromatic scent. I am sure there are uses for the fronds, but I didn't explore those on this first venture with fennel. I used this in a roasted red potatoe recipe and was actually a bit disappointed in how little the anise flavor came out in the dish. As it cooked, the flavor disappeared into the background leaving a very light, almost oniony flavor behind, which was fine, but I had hoped for a more distinct punch of flavor.

I was left with a huge chunk of Asiago cheese and half a fennel bulb and wasn't sure what to do with either of them. I also had several fresh veggies from the garden, so I made a spinach salad with thinly sliced fennel bulb, grated Asiago, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh banana peppers (seeded and thinly sliced). I used a tomato-basil dressing I had on hand, and we had one awesome salad! The anise flavor of the fennel paired beautifully with the Asiago while the crunch from the cucumbers and banana peppers made it a fun salad to eat!

I also used the Asiago in a rice dish a few nights ago. I made a simple pot of brown rice and used some of my favorite all-purpose seasoning, Spike, onion powder, a small amount of light butter and topped it with thin slices of Asiago, and it was delicious! Spike is a great low-sodium, all-purpose seasoning as it has about every seasoning on the planet in it without a huge dose of salt. It has 140 mg of sodium in 1/4 teaspoon as opposed to 640 mg of sodium found in a 1/4 teaspoon of table salt that lacks any other flavor other than providing saltiness to a dish. I can only find Spike at my local Publix.

I hadn't bought a new item at the grocery store in a while, so it was fun to incorporate a few new ingredients into my cooking for a few days. So, I challenge you to buy some fennel or Asiago cheese or anything new you have never tried and have at it! :)

*Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia*

Roughin' it in the Smokies

So, my silence has not been because I gave up on the blog or had nothing to write. I had a very weird time period where I was unable to log in to my account, and today..VOILA!...I was able to log in! It is unlike my very "quick to react" personality that I just decided to let it lie for a while and not freak out and start a new blog with all that would have entailed. So, I feel as though I have made progress on my own personal quest to being a more patient individual. :)

My food life has been in a bit of a drought lately it seems. The weeks come and go, and cooking with a toddler at your feet makes for very labor intensive dinner hours. I am not really into prepping food the night before, and I know that would make my life easier sometimes. However, I am also a bit prideful and want to try to figure it out with her at my feet. :) She has become much more interested in my cooking. She wanted to be picked up the other day while I was at the stove. She immediately grabbed the stirring spoon from my hand and began to stir the pot. It wasn't too hot, so I let her have at it. :) She also really likes to sprinkle spices into what I am preparing. I think I have a junior chef on my hands!

We were out of town at the beginning of the month for a week. We stayed in a lovely cabin where I was able to prepare most of our meals, which was nice. However, one realized quickly how a completely stripped kitchen is difficult to work in to create somewhat appetizing meals. Here are a few things I did and used I used while I was "roughin'" it in my lovely, air conditioned cabin in the Smoky Mountains.

I bought regular oatmeal for my daughter for her breakfast. I went to prepare some for her one morning and realized I had not spices; therefore, I had no cinnamon to sprinkle on top for flavor. "Hmmm...what can I do to make this more appetizing", I said to myself. I decided to use some strawberry jam, void of hugh fructose corn syrup of course. :) She loved it! My husband, who is quite an oatmeal snob and only really likes the brown sugar flavored oatmeal, really liked it too and had some himself. It wasn't anything special, but it was a fun little modification.

I was able to prepare quite a few meals with a small salt and pepper, spray Pam, no-salt added Mrs. Dash and bar-b-que sauce. Cooking while on vacation saved a bundle and can sometimes be easier, especially with a toddler. The real funny part was trying to store leftovers in a kitchen with just a few tops and lids. I am also really funny about foods touching, so piling different foods on top of each other is not high on my list of things I like. Overall, it was wonderful to have a kitchen and stove and refrigerator. It just makes things a bit easier. It also makes one dig into his or her bag of tricks to see what can be created out of little to nothing.

Does anyone have any fun camping or food story from a vacation?

Mother's Day

So, it seemed like before we could wash the dishes from Easter lunches and dinners, we were already preparing for Mother's Day! A two week turn around on big holidays wasn't enough time it seemed! Anyhow, I hope you all, if you are any form of a mother, had a fabulous day and that you were pampered and made to feel special in some memorable way.

We had people over to our house that late afternoon to enjoy time together as a family. I cooked a very non-traditional Mother's Day dinner. The menu was Taco Soup (a favorite recipe given to me from my best bud Amy Cristina), corn muffins (came from a package, so I will not include that recipe :) and Magic Cookie Bars for dessert. Not a crazy menu by any stretch, but it was filling and enjoyed by all.

Taco Soup
(This recipe calls for ground turkey, but I have been making it without the turkey lately. The vegetarian version is cheaper and make for faster preparation.)

1 1/4     pounds lean ground turkey breast

1          cup chopped onion

1          (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles

1          (14.5-ounce) can sliced, stewed tomatoes, undrained

1          (14.5-ounce) can no-salt petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1          (8-ounce) can no-salt added tomato sauce

1          (15.5-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1          (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2    cups frozen corn

1          (1.25-ounce) package reduced-sodium taco seasoning

1          (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix

2          cups water

            Light sour cream

            Corn tortilla chips

v  Coat a large saucepot with nonstick cooking spray and cook turkey, onions and chiles over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink.

v  Add remaining ingredients to pot, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. For a thinner consistency, add additional water. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and crushed chips.

Serves: 6-8

Magic Cookie Bars

(This is a familiar recipe to most, but I do make a few variations with peanut butter chips in place of butterscotch. I also use light butter and fat-free sweetened condensed milk. You can crush your own graham crackers to make the crumbs, but buying the prepared crumbs really cuts down on prep for this recipe and makes it a cinch to prepare.)

1 1/2     cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2        cup light butter, melted

1           cup chopped walnuts

3/4        cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4        cup peanut butter chips

1 1/2     cups flaked coconut

1 1/3     cups fat-free sweetened condensed milk

v  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.

v  In small bowl, melt butter and stir in graham cracker crumbs. Press into pan to create crust. Sprinkle walnuts, chocolate and peanut butter chips, and coconut over crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over top.

v  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Cool at least 20 minutes then cut into desired sized bars.

Makes: 18-24 bars

Variation:

I have not tried this, but I thought about it as I made these Sunday. You could use the same graham cracker crust but use white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and omit the coconut. Then stir some slightly warmed raspberry jam with the sweetened condensed milk for a white chocolate, macadamia nut raspberry bar that would be yummo! If you try it out, let me know. :)

(Sorry for the difference in font for this the directions on this last recipe. I cannot figure out why it has done that!)

Carrots make me gag...

Good friends of ours have two boys. They recently told us a very funny story about their oldest who is 4. Apparently, he has taken to having a flare for the dramatics recently. So, at the table the other night, he did not want to eat his baby carrots, so he decided to make a statement and gag on them. I believe he was just dipping them in ranch dressing, but he wasn't a huge fan apparently. I applaud them in their efforts to help him enjoy veggies though! Keep up the good work guys. :)

It got me thinking about my next post. What is it about vegetables and kids? Is there some inherrent response within them to detest and despise veggies? I know my mom was a bit rough on us growing up. She had me eating kale, with little to no seasoning at the ripe age of 5! Romaine lettuce was one of my biggest enemies at that age, too. One of my better stories that lines up with Will's is when I would take bites of salad and ask to go to the bathroom and then spit it out in the toilet. Well, it didn't take too long for my mom to wisen up to my ways and finally followed me on my journey to the place where the lettuce got its freedom and found me out. I was busted, big time! Oh, beets were another terror on my list of gross foods. I have to say that I am open to trying most anything and enjoy ethnic and a variety of foods, but I can still say that I do not like beets, kale or romaine lettuce. Sorry mom! :)

In honor of all children who so selflessly have tried and continue the fight for vegetables to gain their freedom, I made my Honey Glazed Carrots for dinner last night. It is a pretty basic recipe but with a little flare from just a little curry powder. Do not be afraid to use curry. Also, you don't have to be making an "Indian" dish, per se, to use it either. It is a beautiful flavor that can accent a variety of foods without causing explosions in one's mouth. If you don't like too much heat, only use a sprinkle, but with the amount that I use in this recipe, there is little to no heat added, just a fun hint of flavor that leaves your family wondering what is different about these carrots?

Honey Glazed Carrots

 1        (16-ounce) bag baby carrots

 1/2      cup water

 1         tablespoon light margarine or butter

 1/2      teaspoon seasoned salt

 1/4      teaspoon curry powder

 2         tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)

 2         tablespoons honey

  

v  In a medium saucepan, bring water and carrots to a boil and then lower to a simmer. 

v  Cook until almost all the water is gone, just enough to cover bottom of pan and carrots are desired texture, 10-15 minutes.

v  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.

Serves: 4

Hint: This recipe is wonderful the next day as the carrots have time to drink up the honey and sugar.

Variation: Cinnamon Sugar Carrots

2          tablespoons brown sugar

3/4       teaspoon cinnamon sugar

            Substitute regular salt for seasoned salt

            Omit curry powder

What are some of your memories of foods that grossed you out as a kid?

Food brings people together

As most of us prepare for Easter weekend, many of us will partake in a meal, whether we prepare it ourselves or just gobble it up and praise the cook who takes hours of his or her time preparing it, we will eat belly-warmin', home-cooked food. Isn't it funny how food has always been, since the dawn of time, and will probably always remain at the center of our culture and cultures worldwide? We seem to find any excuse to get a group of people together to share in food, be it appetizers or a turkey dinner. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, new jobs, new babies, new houses, sporting events and holidays with food. People now like to have dinner parties to watch a favorite show. My roomate in college, Amy, and I would always make black beans and rice for dinner on the nights when The Bachelor was on television. What I feel underlies this way about us as a people is tradition and stability. The coming together of people over a meal, be it two or two hundred, promotes bonds of ideas and feelings. When you sit at a table with family or friends, you can look around at each person and feel connected to them as your share in a meal with them. Time stands still for a few short minutes as everyone eats and enjoys flavors new or old to them and has the ablility to relax. In our fast-paced society, I don't think many of us know how to take a minute and breath. I am definitely calling the kettle black on this one. I am definitely the one who likes to stay busy and serve and make sure presentation is set for all. But, when I do just sit and relax and enjoy the event, it sure does make an impression on me and stays with me in my memory. The value of a meal in someone's home goes far beyond satisfying the sense of hunger and reaches in to the emotions and sense of belonging with those you choose to serve. So, if you are the one cooking this weekend, then hats off to you and try to stop for a moment and enjoy your guests and realize what you have done for them. And if you are the lucky ones who just get to enjoy the fruits of the cook's labor, then remember to thank them graciously for their work. Happy Easter!

Bland food makes for boring meals

Recently, I have had the opportunity to talk with a few of my friends about their eating styles and their desire to make food more interesting in order to stay more motivated to eat healthier. I find that when someone desires to eat healthier to lose weight or just to live a healthier life, they can tend to get stuck in a rut of a piece of barely spiced, lean chicken, steamed broccoli and rice. No matter how much you can eat the same meal over and over again, you will get sick of that and "fall off the wagon" and go back to the yummy comfort foods that normally aren't the best for you.

While talking with my friend Letitia about her desire to change her eating habits in order to be healthier, we talked about this concept of boring food. I asked her what she did with her vegetables and how she seasoned them to make them more appetizing. When I suggested adding rosemary to her green beans, she said she had never thought of that before. She asked me to post my recipe that I make on a very regular basis. I call it "Rosie's Rosemary Green Beans". If you have never tried pairing rosemary and green beans, try it this week (or when green beans are on sale in your grocery store :) and let me know how you like it.

1          pound green beans, rinsed and ends snapped

1          tablespoon light butter

1/2       teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

1/2       teaspoon sugar

1/4       teaspoon salt

v     Place green beans in large nonstick skillet in one inch water over medium heat and cover. Steam until desired texture. Add in butter and melt. Sprinkle with rosemary, sugar and salt. Stir until green beans begin to brown. Serve warm.

Serves: 4-6

Another aspect we talked about was spices. If you are anything like me, you don't like to spend $3-$4 on a bottle of a spice and not like it or use it. Admittely, I have become quite a spice junkie. I have an enormous collection of spices and mixtures. I like to pick them up whenever they look interesting, especially on vacation. I remember a trip everytime I use it in my cooking. The way I started out my collection was buying one new and different spice a month and trying to find a few uses for it in my cooking. Voila, I now have an entire shelf in my cupboard dedicated to these tiny bottles filled with yummy goodness. I love having spices and flavors on hand when I need them. I find if I have it on hand, I will use it as opposed to having to buy it in order to make a dish. It's all about convenience, right?!

If there are foods you have questions about like "what do you do with a butternut squash?", leave a comment, and I will post my ideas and any related recipes I have made up with the ingredients you are interested in. It's all about investigating flavors and trying new things.

Your favorite food memories...

I had a wonderful trip to the grocery store yesterday. For the most part, I always enjoy grocery shopping. Sometimes I dread going but always seem to enjoy my time once I get there. It took some getting used to when I had my daughter. Her carrier was too big to fit on the top of the cart, so I had to fit it in the body of the cart. Let me tell you, those first 4-5 months, we were on quite the budget because I could only fit about $40.00 worth of groceries in there because she took up so much room in the cart. :) I was excited once she could sit up in the front of the cart with me so she could look around and enjoy the sights of the food and that I got my space back and didn't have to go three times a week to keep enough food in the house! She really enjoys looking at the food, and sometimes has to sample a few things before we make it to the checkout lane.

All that to say, while grocery shopping solo yesterday, I sat in front of an item that I have looked at for years with wondernment. Have you ever seen that bread in a can that is sold near the canned foods? It's brown bread...in a can! I have always been puzzled by the concept of bread in a can. I have seen it for years and always wondered, "Who eats that?!". Well, I decided to ask the question of my mom. I called her when I left the store and asked her if she knew anything about this bread in a can business. She laughed and proceeded to tell me about her fond memories from her childhood of that exact item. She said it was always present at special family meals and that when eaten with cream cheese, it was to die for! She said it was very moist and must have gobs of molasses in it because it is very dark. She then went on to tell me a few other items she remembered eating as a child and what great memories it brought to her of her and mom. I plan to buy some of this bread in a can the next time I am at the store and eat some with my mom to bring back a warm memory for her. :)

I began to think of foods I ate when I young that bring back fond memories. One food is avocado. My mom would split an avocado in two, pierce it with a fork and sprinkle soy sauce on it...yummo! She and I would share that as a special treat. I wasn't allowed dairy when I was young, but every now and then, my dad would let me have a snack size container of Haagen Daz. He sold it in the health food store, and I would always salivate over it in the freezer section. So, when I got one of those, I savored each bite like it was my last meal. My dad lived on a huge piece of land in Hawaii that had mango trees on it. We would sit in the tall grass and eat mangoes until we were sick! We would also grill fish on the weekends when I would stay with him, nothin' like Hawaiian Mahi-Mahi over charcoal. Those foods can take me back to being a young girl in Hawaii, and I can almost smell the same smells and feel the air that surrounded me as a child. Those are wonderful memories that will be with me always.

So, I have a question then for you? What are your favorite food memories?