stovetop peach crisp...sort of

Every once in a while one of my experiments turns out yummy enough that I want to be sure to write it down. while I'm still eating it. between bites. so good.

In an attempt to ease out of my sugar addiction I have let me supply of chocolate chips, peanut butter, and marshmallows all run out.  In an attempt to make sure my super cute interview clothes fit when I get around to needing them, I have started counting WW points plus again. Between the points I had left and the stuff I had in the kitchen, stove top peach crisp is where I landed.

Have I mentioned that peach season is one of my favorite times in NC?  They are finally getting good, like fall apart good, and cheap. I will be eating them A LOT for the few weeks that they are really good.

What I used: (1 serving)
1 very ripe peach (it was actually a little bruised, they are so delicate, but that didn't hurt anything)
a few shakes of cinnamon
a few drops of vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/3 cup quick oats

What I did:
1. Peel the peach, then slice it thinly.  Put on the stove top in a small pan, sprinkle with cinnamon, and cook until they start to get a little juicy and sizzly (before all that juice cooks away). Dump these into a bowl.

2. Melt butter in the pan (don't bother to rinse it between), stir in sugar just until all the sugar is "wet", then throw in the oats.  Stir/crop/mash this all together. I was using a wood spatula and kept sort of chopping and flipping everything around.  Continue until everything is toasty.  I ended up with lots of loose oats and lots of very small butter/sugar/oat clumps.  Sprinkle with some more cinnamon and give it another good stir or two.  Feel free to taste this and adjust or continue cooking as needed.

3. Pour/shake topping over the warm, juicy peaches. Enjoy!

I'm telling you folks, I don't do sophisticated food but I do try to keep it both delicious and simple to make!  I would imagine a little low fat ice cream would have been good with this, if I was the low fat ice cream eating type ;)

uhm...hello?

So maybe I haven't cooked in 7 months...or maybe I just abandoned my blog as usual.

But it's summer and all semblance of structure has gone out the window.  In an attempt to produce something other than my own thoughts and words (that's actually my job, I'm not completely self-absorved) I hit the kitchen.

Yes, I find sanity in the kitchen, in producing and creating and even cleaning up.

But I also have a love-hate relationship with the kitchen. I recognize that I can use it for good or evil, to produce fuel or crap.  And I don't want to produce crap.  I want to make good things that fuel my body well so I can do good things and feel good (and wear good things!).

Did I mention that since the last post I've discovered a little gluten sensitivity (read: takes 3 days to not feel like crap after eating a piece of bread).  So that's thrown a wrench in my love of cooking/baking as well.

But I'm getting all of this figured out and hoping to keep getting it figured out and maybe I'll share it here. Though if my track record is any indication then this will last about 7 weeks, and then the Fall semester (and my dissertation, oh jeez, my dissertation) will take over.

Oh yeah, did I mention that pinterest sort of killed this blog as well! I mean, I never was one for creating things, just finding good stuff and putting a twist on it.  I can do that on pinterest and so I have actually been in the kitchen some, I just pin about it.

I do have one new recipe to share and it is perfect right now, but only if you are reading this when tomatoes are in season and super good. As per my usual, everything below is an estimation.

Fresh Tomato Soup
1/2 yellow onion
2-3 garlic cloves
olive oil (about 2 TBSPs?)
1 red pepper (or 1/2, they are kinda expensive)
3-4 Roma tomatoes
3 big heirloom tomatoes
1/3-1/2 cup half and half (though honestly its delicious w/o this)
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

This is pretty easy.  Dice the garlic and onions. Chop red pepper and tomatoes (obviously throw away the gross parts). Heat the olive oil in a big pot (you know the stock/chili/mashed potato pot), add onions and garlic stirring occasionally.  Let cook for a few minutes until onions are becoming clearish.  Add red peppers and cook until soft, like the vegetables in really yummy fajitas.  Add tomatoes, stir, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool enough to be safe in your blender/food processor, and blend in small batches to desired smoothness.  I don't really like it chunky, so I blend a lot.  Poor all the blended yumminess back into the pot and bring to a light simmer. Stir in cream.  Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.  Be careful, red pepper flakes will spice it up fast!  Let simmer to desired thickness and enjoy!  Reheats super well! I love this for left overs and even add pasta or rice, occasionally some left over chicken.

Fluffy Pumpkin Cake

Ok, so just a quick post from a quick experiment before I get back to the less-than-sane amount of work I have right now. Since this is my blog, can I gripe for like two seconds? I have no idea how I am going to get a dissertation grant proposal, a manuscript, all my finals/final projects, and all of my grading done by Dec. 9th...and all that only to start my competency exam reading which I have not been able to touch...oh Jan. 11th, you will be a good day! Ok, ok...#firstworldproblems for sure! I love what I am doing, I actually want to spend time on all the work I listed above, I just am useless after about 12-14 hours of work and I need about 30 hours a day!

So, now that you are stressed for me, go make this and don't even feel guilty for cutting yourself a large slice!

What I used:

1 box of angel food cake mix

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

about 1/2 cup of water

splash of vanilla (literally, I just splashed some in, maybe about a TBSP)

pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to taste (I tasted the raw batter until I liked it)

Optional (choose 1 or 2)- chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, pecans, cool whip

What I did:

Preheat the oven to 325 and spray a 13x9 pan with non-stick spray. Note that the batter puffs up and would likely boil over a smaller pan! Dump angel food cake mix and pumpkin in a large bowl (it will puff up). Add water, vanilla, and about 1 tsp. of each pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir until combined, then taste test the batter. Because this is an angel food cake it will have that slight sour taste, so you can add more spices if you want to down play that. The pumpkin flavor did not come through much for me when I tasted the batter, but did once it was baked. Pour this in the 13x9 pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the center is set and slightly firm to the touch.

Optionals: Chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or pecans- approximately half-way through the baking time sprinkle 1/2 cup on the top of the cake...by not stirring them in you make the cake look prettier and get a hint of the flavor with less calories!

Cool whip- allow cake to cool and then top with cool whip as you would icing. Sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. If you serve the cake warm you could top individual pieces with the cool whip.

This was great- fluffy and light and probably perfect for ending a Thanksgiving Dinner! It did seem to get gooey as time went on, so unfortunately this is probably one to make the day you plan to serve it. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Chunky Chili

Ok, confession- I've been withholding this one. Not because I don't want anyone else to enjoy it- and you will enjoy it! But I've been a little busy with classes and teaching and grants and...I digress. So I made this a couple weeks ago, loved it, planned to share it, but didn't. Then tonight I pulled out the frozen half of the batch and had some for dinner- and here I am deciding that the dissertation grant can wait, this is too good not to share! Like pumpkin spice latte good! Like Hershey's dark chocolate Kisses good!

What I used:

• 3 slices turkey bacon
• olive oil
• 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (I suppose you could use chicken breasts, but thighs are cheaper and flavorful!)
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• cumin, salt, pepper
• white cooking wine
• 1/3 white onion, diced (less if you are not a big onion fan)
• about 1/3 cup diced green pepper
• 1 15oz can chicken broth
• 1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz can creamed corn
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• McCormick White Chicken Chili packet
• McCormick Chipotle Grilling marinade (ok, its something like that)
• flour (optional)

What I did:

In a large stock/soup pot (i.e. what you typically make chili in) cook turkey bacon until crispy (or as crispy as turkey bacon gets). Remove and set bacon aside, but do not rinse pan...there won't be much fat but you want whats there. Add just about 1 tsp-1Tbsp of olive oil (more or less depending on the fat in the pan). Add chicken and garlic, salt and pepper (err on the side of too little seasoning) the chicken, then cook until chicken appears cooked but not brown on the outside. Add peppers and onions and continue to cook adding about 1/2 cup of wine before the chicken gets browned- you want it juicy! Add broth, fill the can with water and add that. Bring to a boil and add potatoes and cook until potatoes are al dente, adding water if needed. Reduce heat to low simmer and add 1/2 the McCormick White Chicken Chili packet, 1/4 the Chipotle marinade packet, beans, cooked turkey bacon (torn into bite sized pieces) and creamed corn. If you want it thicker, mix about 1/3 c flour and 1/3c water together in a bowl, then stir into pot. Just simmer until reduced to your desired thickness. Check the flavor and you can add more of the packets or more salt and pepper as desired. It will have just a bit of a peppery kick.

This freezes and reheats well and has a very comfort food feel, but for what I typically budget for dinner in terms of WW points. I'd serve it with a salad or a fruit salad as it's pretty heavy...filling and delicious! Enjoy!

No sanity. But yummy Veggie Beef Stew

I like this recipe. It's homey but feels healthy because it's jam-packed full of veggies. It's a lot of work, but I've found it to freeze well so I make a big batch. You could add or subtract veggies as you choose, but be brave here! The veggies you aren't as excited about will likely be hidden in all the other good stuff! Oh and the prep takes a while with all the chopping, then it cooks for a while and the longer it sits the better the flavors come together so start this one before you get hungry! In honor of the first pot of the fall season, here ya go.

What I used: (these are approximations, you don't actually have to weigh the veggies)

1 lb beef (I usually go eye-of-round or anything marked "roast"...I'm not butcher case savvy)

2 med. size sweet potatoes

16 oz. potatoes (4 small or 2 large)

2 carrots (about 7 oz., so a bunch of baby carrots)

30 oz beef broth

1 packet McCormick Beef Stew mix

1/3 green pepper

1/3 white or yellow onion

1/2 of a small-med butternut squash

1-2 cups fresh or frozen green beans (if you have to use cans add them in the last 5-10 mins)

any other veggies you like! I've considered corn (same as green beans) and broccoli

1. Clean and chop carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash into bite size pieces. Set aside.

2. Trim and cut beef into bite size pieces. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat a large pot and brown beef pieces in this pot.

3. Add beef broth and 1 cup of water.

4. Bring to a low boil. Add carrots. Carrots seem to take the longest to cook.

5. Clean and chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces. Set aside.

6. Add potatoes and butternut squash to pot. Add seasoning packet as well, and more water if needed. You can bring up the boil a bit as it will cool back down every time you add new veggies.

7. Clean and chop pepper and onions into bit size pieces. Add sweet potatoes, peppers, and onions to pot. I know the sweet potatoes seem really hard and you think they should go in with the carrots, but trust me they cook fast and then sort of turn to mush. This isn't a bad thing and seems to help thicken the stew, but adding them late will leave some of them intact.

8. Finally add the green beans (and any additional frozen veggies). Let this simmer down until the stew is someone thick. Left overs will get thicker. Don't simmer too long or all your veggies will get soft. Check the potatoes once in a while- they are a good indicator. You'll want to stop before they are mashed potato soft.

Enjoy!

Outta Eggs Kitchen Sink Cookies

Today I felt a little like Amelia Bedelia...I was running late, lost my ID, accidentally work my old navy flip flops with dress pants (hard to remember to swap shoes after taking the dog out), got DRENCHED in a downpour (like pants soaked from cuff to zipper drenched), and then had my workout in the indoor pool thwarted by outdoor lightening. Sheesh.

So I went home (and put on comfy dry clothes) and made cookies. I couldn't decide what kind, so I just started adding stuff. And I was out of eggs. And you know what- they're delicious. Now I am posting a pseudo-recipe, but only to inspire you to give it a try yourself! I'm amazed what cookies can hold up to.

On an related note, comfy/stretchy/drawstring shorts were made for I-made-cookies-cause-my-workout-was-cancelled days.

Here's what I used: (approximately)

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

some vanilla (literally just splashed a little in)

a BIG spoonful of peanut butter (maybe 1/2-2/3 cup? I also gave a little to the dog)

some malted milk powder (1/2 c.?)

1/4 c. water (may not need depending on how dry everything is)

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. self-rising flour (though I think you could sub in regular flour and some baking powder, or not run out of eggs)

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

2 c. quick oats (I'm finding most of the oats work for most baking)

1 c. chocolate chips

craisins (1/2 c.?)

shredded coconut (1/2 c.?...you get the idea-I have no idea how much!)

2 Tbsp. sunflower seed kernels

10 kraft caramels town into little pieces (about 4-5 pieces each)

1 c. rice crispy cereal (yep!)

Here's what I did:

• preheat oven to 350ish
• combine sugars, butter, vanilla, and milk. If this is liquidy hold off on the water, if not add it.
• stir in peanut butter and malted milk powder.
• add flour, then add baking soda on top of this, then sprinkle with salt, THEN stir to mix in wet ingredients (this is how I avoid the "use two bowls" method). This should still be somewhat runny, definitely easy to stir and not what you'd describe as doughy. If a doughy ball seems to form when you are stirring, then you need to add the water.
• Stir in oats, then stir in chocolate chips, craisins, coconut, caramels, sunflower seed kernels, and anything else you are adding that won't get soggy (M&M's, raisins, peanuts, etc.). Last, gently stir in rice crispy cereal (and anything else that would get soggy or crushed- I was wishing I had thrown in potato chip crumbs for a salty touch).
• Taste the dough. Go ahead, it's eggless. See if you want to add more vanilla, peanut butter, or malted milk to change the flavor. Then drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Bake approximately ten minutes, or until top and edges are golden brown. Note- this will not puff up or set like you expect from cookies. As a matter of fact, if you try to eat one immediately after removing from the over you'll need a spoon (which I highly recommend!). However, when you return 1/2 an hour later and the cookies are completely cooled you will be able to remove them from the cookie sheet and store/eat. I think it almost becomes a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a brittle of sorts.

So easy, so good, so random. Enjoy.

Chicken Taco Soup

Incase you are thinking "she said she tried 5 recipes, but she only talked about two" let me mention that the malted milk chocolate chip cookies were good, though you wouldn't be able to identify that extra special taste as malted milk if you didn't know. I might add more next time. I also tried to make macarons which will require another attempt and the white nectarine galette (but with the peaches and nectarines I had). Funny thing about the galette- I took it to a gathering, then left before we cut into it so I have NO IDEA how it was. It turned out too juicy, but I think it's because I swapped out the 4 small white flesh nectarines for 4 large, juicy nectarines and peaches. It looked good though.

Ok so the soup. I got a recipe for something similar while looking for some "lighter" options, but adjusted it for what I was trying to clean out of the pantry. (The previously mentioned cousin Mandy also sent me a similar recipe that I'll have to try out as well! She really needs to be a guest blogger here; I'll get on that.)

It was good, tasted really fresh, and had just enough spice. I added some sour cream to top off my bowl and it was delicious; next time I might add some guacamole. I'm excited to have left overs for the next few days. The original recipe said it made 4 servings, but I think it will be 6-8 for me (as a main entree). And this one is obviously an easy one to edit to your liking! Enjoy.

What I used:

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into smaller-than-bite-size cubes

salt & pepper

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 a green pepper, diced (could have used more if I'd had it)

2 tsp. cumin

3 large or 6-7 small tomatoes, diced (you could used canned if needed, 2-3 cups)

1 c. salsa

4 c. chicken broth

10 oz. corn, I used canned, you could go frozen or even fresh

10 oz. black beans, rinsed (or whatever the regular size can is)

you could add cilantro or lime or both, but I don't like cilantro and I didn't have any lime :)

What to do:

Spray a skillet with cooking spray; salt and pepper and brown the chicken in the skillet. Set aside. Wipe and spray the pan, add a little olive oil if you like (my sister says I put olive oil in everything, but it's the good-for-you oil!), and cook the garlic, onion, and peppers. Sprinkle these with cumin and cook until tender. While the peppers and onions are cooking, start a soup pot heating with the chicken stock. Once this is lightly simmering, add tomatoes, salsa, beans, and corn. Once cooked, add the garlic, peppers, and onions as well as the chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until you are ready to eat.

You can cook of liquid or add liquid as you choose, but know that this will be a runny soup with a clearish broth. I wasn't sure about the liquidyness at first, but it was really good. And then I added the sour cream which made it creamy; you could add some cheese too if that's your style.

This dish required a lot of chopping/dicing which I always find sanity-inducing. It's so methodical! Enjoy!

Sidenote: I made my own granola bars last weekend and, while delicious, they turned out pretty crumbly. I'm going to try again to try to get them to hold together better and then I'll share my recipe with you.