Fa-la-la-lafels!

The best posts start with me making you want to kick me in the face, right?

I am FULL. ON. CHRISTMAS. SPIRIT.

The bug first starts oh, mid October, but I suppress it.

By November snowfall, it starts to creep in and I give in with some Christmas tunes safe in the solitude of my own car.

Come December and the start of the Advent calendar, it gets to be pretty intense.

Going to NYC and seeing the Rockefeller tree and all the holiday lights puts me in spazz mode.

And it just increases exponentially from there until alllllll I can think about is wrapping pretty presents, sitting by the fireplace, drinking buckets of cinnamon holiday tea, all the while  N’SYNC’s Christmas CD plays in a loop in my head.

I’m not pretending that it’s a classy Christmas.

One of my best Christmas gifts already? My husband willingly watched “A Muppet Christmas Carol” with me and ACTUALLY ENJOYED IT.

“The muppets live alongside the humans? And it’s like no big deal?”

While I’m sure you would love for me to go on a tangent and quote every single line from that movie, I’ll spare ya. Maybe next year.

Check out my decked out mantel! I bought these on clearance at Target a few years ago. I bought six ‘cause I wasn’t sure how many kids my husband and I would end up having. OH THE IRONY. Maybe we’ll end up getting two more dogs and calling it a full house.

My game plan is to put  a new picture in the frame each year, so then when my husband and I are 93 we can sit by the fireplace, drinking our buckets of holiday tea, listening to ye olde NSYNC Christmas record and look back on our 63 years of Christmases.

Back to my dinner creation last night.

I’m pretty sure it was last year that I was all like ‘Oh it’s going to be our tradition to have homemade Chinese food on Christmas Eve.’

Yeeeeeah. This year we’ll be doing leftovers.

But that’s ok because these are pretty stinkin’ good. Emphasis on the stinkin’. Curry powder. Garlic. Onions. TWO kinds of onions.

Plus two cans of beans.

Silent night? Not around here.

Worth it!

• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzos)
• 1 can Northern beans (or other white bean)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup ground cornmeal
• ¼ cup chopped green onion (scallions)
• ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray that down with nonstick baking spray. I used olive oil baking spray. Set that aside
2. Drain and rinse your beans. Dump them in a large bowl. I have a potato masher that I use way more than you’d think, and that worked pretty slick for this. You could use a food processer too though. Mash away with either your masher, a fork, or your food processor. It’s perfectly ok to have some whole beans left. No need to make total mush here.
3. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned. Add to bean mixture.
4. Stir in cornmeal, eggs, green onions, and seasonings. Stir until well combined.
5. Form into 8 patties and plop those on your foil-lined pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I stopped at the half way point to flip those babies.
7. Serve on a whole wheat pita with a blob of plain Greek yogurt and some spinach

Per falafel patty: 120 calories, 16 grams carbs, 6 grams fiber, 7 grams protein, 3.5 grams fat

Christmastime in the City: Part Three

For a third December in a row, my husband and I went to NYC for a long weekend. Without baby. For the record, yes, I missed him, but there was not a single moment walking around crowded
neighborhoods, navigating the subways, crammed on city buses, when I wished we had brought him.

By this trip, we had a good grasp on the food we wanted to eat again, places we wanted to re-visit, and things we still had never done before.

First stop was Chinatown to Xi’an Famous Foods. Do you think we like their noodles just a li’l bit?

Yummy.

There is a Chobani café. Yup.

Stopped at Ladurée for macarons, which I’d never had before. You guys. This is the prettiest café I’ve ever seen. The macarons are so pretty too. I got a rum, pistachio, salted caramel, and double chocolate.

Yum-meh.

Window displays at Bergdorf Goodman were stunning. I’m glad I’m not the only who appreciates infinity sparkle and shine.

Central Park selfie.

Mamoud’s Falafels in West Village. We got these to go. By 10 pm we were beat, and decided to just veg out in the hotel room.

YES WE WENT HERE SHUT UP. We wanted just a basic diner breakfast, so why not?

Went to the Museum of Natural History- our token “cultural event.”

Roar.

Also, I want a pet baby skunk-let.

And a 130 carat gemstone.

Then down to Brooklyn to Juliana’s Pizza for a margherita + meatball pizza. Yuh-may.

Monday morning we got high with a trip to the top of the Rockefeller Center building.

Went over to the Christmas market at Columbus Circle (at the corner of Central Park). There’s all sorts of overpriced gifty type things, and lots of ethnic food vendors. We split a bowl of Korean something, and then I got a salted caramel brownie krispy bar. I figured I’d walked 10+ miles so far and I earned it. Yuh-may.

Once we got back home to the land of fresh air and sandwiches-that-cost-less-than-ten-dollars, all we
wanted was plain salad and water. Gotta flush all that cheesecake from my veins.

Bye, New York. It's been real.

Why, that hardly even looks like a $40 Wal-Mart tree..

Our tree might not be mighty.

It may not be full and lush.

It might spend 11 months out of the year crammed in a cardboard box in the basement.

It may reek of synthetic highly flammable materials.

But it's ours. And I am nothing if not nostalgic for all the ornaments on the tree. Won't you stay for a quick tour?

First came hubs and his li'l baby boy ornament. 1981. Woof. Old. 

Then 3 years later came my first Christmas. 

Love this. 

Heck yes, Beauty & the Beast ornament. 

My homemade ornament.

My husband's homemade (censored) anatomically incorrect ornament. BOYS.

Mexican painted ornament bought on our honeymoon. Kind of a buzzkill when I got home and found the "Made in China" sticker.

Awww, baby's first Christmas. 

So that's that. I can't wait 'til the day that Mac comes home with a homemade ornament he made in Sunday school. Not looking forward to the day when he thinks fake blood, genitalia, poop, etc. are appropriate holiday decor. 

BOYS.

Anyway. With the Christmas stuff all set up, I've been in the mood for comfort food. I've had a need for things with seed. 

Wait, scrap that last one.

I found a recipe on CookingLight.com and I was super jazzed to make it- butternut squash risotto. Buuuut upon reading the instructions I saw it called for a pressure cooker. 

Sorry, but pressure cookers scare the bejeezus outta me. And I'm pretty sure they're expensive. I adapted this to be stovetop and it worked just fine.

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Risotto

• 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1"-ish cubes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped baby portobella mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (short grain)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Spread squash cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil. Stir to coat. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until starting to brown. 

2. Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic. Once that sizzles, add mushrooms and stir for 1 minute. Add rice. Stir for 5 minutes. 

3. Add 1 cup of broth. Stir continuously until liquid has been absorbed. Add another cup of broth. Stir continuously until liquid has been absorbed. Keep doing this. Stirring is your workout today- forget the treadmill. 

4. How's about you go check out that pan of squash? Maybe stir it up so the cubes get cooked evenly.

5. Hope you didn't forget about stirring. 

6. After you've added all four cups of broth, and it has been subsequently soaked up, go ahead and turn off the heat. By now the squash should be done. Stir in to rice & mushroom mix. Add Parmesan and pepper. Stir until combined. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 400 calories, 12 grams protein. 

This recipe is easily tweak-able. You could sub onions or asparagus for the mushrooms, and feel free to add as much or as little squash as you'd like. 

I went light on the fungi. I'm just not that into 'shrooms, man. 

Stirring all this risotto will burn 83 calories. 

Roasted squash

Ta da! Maybe next week, if you're lucky, I'll give you a tour of our mantel. 

Deck the halls with lots of...turkey

It’s the moooooost wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the year!

Totally not my fault for singing Christmas tunes yet. If the radio station is already playing it, you can’t judge me for listening.

And singing.

Ohhhhhhhh holy niiiiiiiiiiight!

Ahem.

So Thanksgiving is this week. And for as many hearty recipes as you read, there’s an equal number of “enjoy your holiday feast without packing on the pounds!” kind of recipes.

Guess which camp these recipes belong in.

Seriously, let’s all enjoy ourselves, but the whole unbuttoning your pants and beached whale-ing yourself on the couch is not fun, nor is it attractive.

I’ve rounded up some neat recipes that are traditional enough to pass inspection, yet healthy enough to not induce guilt.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sausage-and-apple-stuffing-bites

Dietitian swap? Instead of white bread, use 100% whole wheat. Instead of regular broth, use low sodium, and instead of pork sausage, try turkey.

 

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/f466928f-a799-4cdc-89ba-1e0bbedf878b

Dietitian swap? Let’s just skip those fried onions altogether. If you’re feeling fancy, try making your own crispy baked onions. Just slice an onion thinly, dip in a whisked egg, roll in whole wheat bread crumbs, and bake at 400 degrees ‘til crispy. Use this to top a bag frozen green beans, half a can of low sodium cream of mushroom soup, plus a cup of chopped mushrooms.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pumpkin-mousse

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. Love the pumpkin, hate the crust. So this recipe bypasses that, ridding a ton of excess fat. Plus you can serve it in individual ramekins, preventing a super-sized portion.

Enjoy Thanksgiving, eat up, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be setting up your Christmas tree as soon as the table is cleared.

Fa la la la laaaaaa, la la la la!

I get by with a little help from my thesaurus

Remember when it was cool and fresh and fun to use the term EPIC FAIL?  Then like most things, once the moms start saying it, it is super lame and old news.

Wait, I'm a mom now.

EPIC FA- I’ll cut myself off.

That’s how one could describe my latest new recipes though. I was super jazzed to try some new things this week, you know, to deliver on promises of tasty/easy/nutritious enough things that you no doubt have come to expect.

Right?

(Chirp, chirp)

RIGHT??

First up, I tried making a chicken & jalapeno slow cooker lasagna.

Like I told my husband before I served him up a plate: “well, it’s food.”

The problem ended up being all the veggies I used- the slow cooker concept works for lasagna, but the high water content of the fresh tomatoes and zucchini I added made the middle noodles totally soggy and mush, while the cheesy top later got totally overdone.  The flavor was great though, and when I make it again I’ll just use the oven.

ASTRONOMIC FLOUNDER.

The next recipe bomb was a one-pot chicken spaghetti bake that I found over on BevCooks.com. Except as I was prepping I realized I didn’t have any chicken. Or mozzarella cheese. 

I found some ice-crusted meatballs in the freezer, chopped those up to sub in for the chicken, and topped it with Monterey Jack.

“Honey, here’s another meal of…food.” Again, I’ll have to make this again but actually have the ingredients on hand.

 I didn't even bother taking a picture of this one.

HUMONGOUS FIZZLE.

Then there was the slow cooker honey glazed chicken. Here is my beef with the current American work day- allllllll of the slow cooker recipes I find are meant to be cooked for 7 hours. So by the time I finally get home, it’s all burnt and crusty and mushy at the same time. Even though I have a programmable slow cooker and it turns itself to “warm” after the 7 hours, the residual heat continues to cook it a bit.

 “Dearest honeybuns, here’s another plate of…food.”

SIZABLE BLUNDER.

All is not lost though, as I did make a winner of a dinner last Friday night. It’s kind of a weird meal though. Not gonna be for everyone, though everyone should consider trying it.

Pasta-less Pad Thai

• 1 container extra firm tofu, rinsed and excess moisture patted out
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil (or other oil)
• 5 medium zucchini
• 1 Daikon radish
• 1 bottle of spicy peanut sauce
• Bean sprouts (optional)
• Chopped peanuts (optional)

1.     Cut up your tofu in half inch cubes. Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Saute tofu until golden brown, stirring often. It’s ok if it crumbles apart a bit.

2.     Remove from heat. I added a blob of sriracha 'cause I like it extra spicy. Using a vegetable peeler (or your super cool VEGGETTI), make “pasta” out of the zucchini and the radish. If it’s any consolation, I had no idea what a Daikon radish was before making this recipe. 

3.     Add your veggie “pasta” back to the pan, cover, and heat on low for a few minutes. You don’t want the veggies to actually cook, but more just to heat up. Top with peanut sauce, sprouts, and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

If you’re going to have leftovers, I’d recommend *not* adding the peanut sauce to the veggie/tofu mix- store them separately, then combine when you’re ready to reheat. Otherwise things may get mushy.

This tasted really really good- clearly I took the lazy way out by buying premade peanut sauce. I’ve made homemade in the past, and you’re certainly welcome to mix up your own (a little PB, a little sriracha, a little broth). The veggies really do make it seem like you’re eating pasta.

Another bonus: each serving is only 300 calories, 23 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of protein.

WINNING!

Wait, is that word over too?

But I neeeeeeeed to keep my stacks of old magazines

Holy shamoly it has been too long since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy. The generic excuse everyone uses. Busy. 

Bizzy. 

BIH-ZAY.

Doing all sorts of important things, like working. Working. And then for variety, more working. And if I’m being honest, having Gilmore Girls on Netflix now is also crowding my schedule.

As a result, not only have I been post-less, but I’m pretty sure A&E has a camera crew somewhere down the block ready to film a new episode of Hoarders.  Must. Clean. House. This. Weekend.

So here’s a slew of pics to summarize the past two weeks.

Sunday Funday Baking Day.

“Wait, did my eye look weird?”

“No more weird than my face.”

Cinnamon rolls. Raspberry jam. Mixed berry jam. Tomato sauce.

Tore up the kitchen some more. New cabinets should be less than two weeks away. Then it’s just the simple tasks of screwing in all the repainted handles, staining the lower cabs dark, and painting all the uppers white, and ripping out and replacing the old floor tiles.

No big deal.

On Halloween, Happy Pumpkin turned Furious Pumpkin in less than 60 seconds.

Husband turned 33. He chose Chinese take-out for his celebratory dinner, and I also picked up a cannoli cake from Whole Foods. His gift? All-weather floor mats for his car. For the record, he may be all adult and stuff and prefer practical gifts, but I still prefer fun and frivolous gifts, mmk?

As for food, apart from Sunday Funday Baking Day, not a whole lot has been going on. I’ll be eating Mexican Couscous for the 13^th meal in a row.

Why can’t cooking, home decorating, and online shopping be a full time job that pays six figures?

Anyway, here’s the part where I should promise some tasty upcoming recipes, huh?  On tap for soon-ish includes a one-pot chicken pasta dinner, slow cooker honey-glazed chicken, and a vegetarian pasta-less pad thai.

‘Til then, happy Friday.

(And if you have a shovel to help me dig out of our hoards, c’mon over)