Dead Men Tell No Tales

Well this weekend was a blast.  I went home to help my dad pull off his ambitious dinner menu for the Men in the Kitchen fundraiser dinner.  It was a ton of work, but super fun, and I'd take any excuse to be in the kitchen all day, especially with my dad!  I have some pictures from the event to share...enjoy!

Our theme was "Dead Men Tell No Tales: a Pirates' Fare".  We served a scallop and mango appetizer, spinach salad with shrimp, lobster bisque, coconut chicken/crab cake/black bean salsa as a main dish, and a trio of truffles, key lime pie, and mango coconut pie for dessert.  I told you it was ambitious!  Seafood, as you know, is tempermental; it needs to be cooked almost immediately before, and if it's overcooked, well, it's rubbery.  Somehow everything was perfectly cooked, even though we had to make it a little bit in advance (there was no access to a kitchen...all we had at the venue was a nesco heating thing!).

I arrived home on Friday afternoon (after a lovely tea party with my mother in law and mom :) and we pretty much hit the ground running.  My dad made everything; we were just delegated tasks.  We then spent 2 hours on how to plate the food; something I had been worrying about, but he never really thought of.  It turned out to be a fun and important part of the planning (I just didn't want it to be slopped on a plate, like food you get at a wedding).  Our main dish got pretty creative:  we made a black bean and rice salsa (similar to the one in my roasted chicken wraps with black bean salsa) and served it in hollowed out peppers.  I topped it with blue corn chips (it kinda looks like the sail of a ship, right?).

The table was a sight to behold.  My aunt, Tammy (Tete), who is a master party-decorator, came up with the red and black, over-the-top pirate table.  There were black chair covers with ruby red bandanas, a treasure chest, a sail boat, a huge flag hung over the table, jewels, guns, compasses, treasure maps...I could go on and on.  Just check out the pictures.  The other tables at the event were lovely, but my God, this commanded attention.

My dad's crew consisted of three ship mates and 3 pirates (my cousin, my brother, and his friend Carson).  Everyone had a blast, but I think the tipsy pirates stole the show.  (They bellied up to the bar between courses...).  I believe at one point they were threatening the guests with their fake knives to take another slice of bread or something.  I'm not super sure what was going on, but they were hilarious.

Everything went off without a hitch, and after hours of dishes, I headed back to Chicago.  We are already planning our theme for next year (there are a couple ideas in the works).  I'm so glad I could be a part of such a fun event for such a great cause.   Thanks, Dad, for agreeing to do this.  You did a great job!

On that note, I start my surgery rotation today.  Yep, the rotation I've been dreading since I decided to go to med school in the 4th grade (thereabouts).  I'm not a surgeon...I hate the OR...it's cold and I usually have to use the restroom like a quarter of the way through a surgery...and I tend to get lightheaded or even get vasovagal syncope (pass out)  if I stand too long without water...this will be fun.  I am excited to experience it for what it's worth, then run away fast in 8 weeks.  These will be seriously long days, so if the blog falls to shambles, well, you know where I am.

Spaghetti Pie

I'm so excited...tomorrow is my last day of neuro, and it's a half day at that!  It's been a fun rotation, but tons of work, and as cool as the brain is, I miss the rest of the body :)   I'm headed home to Rapids for the weekend to help my dad with the Men in the Kitchen adventure.  It will be such a blast!  We have tons of help and a great menu.  I'll post about our adventures.

So this recipe is one I remember from my childhood...I loved it, and how fun to have all the parts of spaghetti but in a slice!  When I make this, I prepare 2 small pans (8" cake pans), and have one in the freezer for the next week.  Each pie will make enough for 4 hearty slices.

Spaghetti Pie

3/4 box whole wheat spaghetti
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can...the only time I'll tell you that)
Salt and pepper
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 jar tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 16 oz container part skim Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta, then quickly toss in eggs and parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Spread in the bottom of 2 8" cake pans (that are greased) (or a 9x13 pan).  Top with the ricotta cheese (dot it around and spread it the best you can).

Saute ground beef; drain.  Sautee onion and garlic, then add meat back to pan.  Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and tomato paste; stir.  Split between the two pans, and top with mozzarella.  Wrap one in foil and put in the freezer for later, and pop the other one in the oven (350 for 25-30 minutes).  Cut like a pie!

Cranberry Chicken Salad

You know I'm all about fun lunches that aren't a lot of work during the workweek.  I've been getting sick of my monotonous sandwich, or soup, so I decided to make some chicken salad.  Now, tuna/chicken salads get a bad wrap as being unhealthy, and they usually are.  But how about we trade out all that gloppy, full fat mayo for fat free plain yogurt and a little bit of light mayo?  Yogurt is a perfectly great substitute for mayo, plus you get all the healthy benefits of yogurt (low calorie, good for your tummy, etc).  Trust me on this one.

Everyone, meet tarragon.

I also decided to add tarragon.  It's not an herb I cook with often (actually, I don't know if I ever have), but all the recipes I've read have tarragon in them.  Pinch off a leaf next time you're at the grocery store: it's kind of licorice-smelling.  I hate licorice, so I wasn't sure what would happen here.  It's actually fantastic in the chicken salad.  And no, it does not taste like a nasty piece of black licorice (who EATS that anyways??)

Happy lunching!  PS:  have you missed Lady Bug?  Here she is, in her "breakfast and lunch position."  When Peter is eating, she curls up in his lap.  She never tries to take anything, she just enjoys the free smells :)

Cranberry Chicken Salad
1 lb cooked, cubed chicken
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup light mayo
2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped tarragon
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and cranberries.  Fold in remaining ingredients (you could also use celery, walnuts, whatever!) and chill.  Serve in a sandwich, with lettuce, crackers, etc.

Tiramisu

Ah I told you, med school would catch up with me.  I'm sorry for the late post...I meant this to be done by Valentine's Day as a dessert for you and your sweetie, but you know, 13 hour days of rounding, rounding, rounding leaves little time for blogging.

Would you like a quick synopsis of my neuro rotation?  It's a consult service, which means we get a list every day of patients that someone thinks need to be seen by us (and I use the term "us" loosely).  They give us new patients, and follow-ups from yesterday, and send us out into the wild.  I go all over that sprawling hospital.  One unit, called the ASHU (say it, don't spell it.  I say, "getsundheit" everytime a resident says we're going there) is basically in Springfield, IL (literally, a 15 minute walk from anywhere else in the hospital).  We, the lowly third year medical students are the consults, and trust me, this was comical on my first day (HOW do I check reflexes again?  What do you mean, "where is the stroke?"  Somewhere in his brain, I guess?!?).  Then we meet up with our residents and attendings (the people with any knowledge and power) and round...for the next 8-10 hours).  Round means walk around and see patients.  I have 6.5 days left.  I'm not counting though...

Anyway, who loves tiramisu?  It is a classic Italian dessert that means "pick-me-up", and rum/coffee soaked lady fingers should do that!  By the way, lady fingers are little spongy cookies you can buy in the bakery department of your grocery store.  Just ask if you can't find them.  Yes, you need them to make this, and no, you can't use oreos or something.

This dessert actually gets better the next day, so feel free to make it ahead!  I've also lightened it up...original recipes call for mascarpone cheese, which you can find in your regular grocery store, but it's full fat, and in the interest of saving my young arteries, I thought I'd try it with fat free cream cheese (but I kept the egg yolks...those are good for your hair :)  It worked really well!!!

On another side note, check out this little turkey...I'm working on a rag blanket, using my fancy dancy sewing machine, and I was trying to cut out the fleece portion.  She decided it was too snuggly to pass up, and laid right in the middle.  She did sit up for a picture though.

Tiramisu
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee
12 oz fat free cream cheese
1 vanilla bean, seeded
2 Tbsp rum/Kahlua, etc
2 packages Lady Finger cookies
1 dark chocolate bar, finely chopped
Cocoa powder, for dusting

In an stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar for 5 minutes until pale.  Whip in 1 Tbsp coffee, vanilla, and vanilla bean.  Beat in cream cheese until smooth.

In a shallow dish, combine remaining coffee and rum.  Get an 8x8 or 9x9 pan out, and dip lady fingers in coffee mixture for 1-2 seconds (don't let get too soggy!).  Place in the bottom of the pan to form one layer.  Add half of the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly.  Top with half the chocolate bar.  Repeat with lady fingers and top with remaining cream cheese mixture.  Top the whole thing with remaining chocolate and dust with cocoa powder in a sieve.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, then serve!

Stir Fry

My mom was recently in town, and we went to a super fun Asian restaurant (I say Asian because they really didn't subscribe to a particular region, like Thai, Chinese, or Vietnamese...).  We enjoyed some super fun dishes, and she was asking me how to prepare a stir fry at home.  Well, here we go!  It's less of a recipe and more of a method.  Sometimes, I'll add in a spoonful of peanut butter to the same sauce recipe, and it's kind of a Thai thing.  Whatever, it usually ends up tasting great!

This recipe is literally a "whatever you have in your refrigerator that maybe going south" type of recipe.  Sometimes I'll have it in our "plan" to make this, but usually I'll get in a little over my head with the produce buying, and this is a great way to utilize said surplus.  It's also super fast, doesn't require much thinking or planning (PERFECT when you are thinking about the brain all day...ugh), and is a hearty and healthy one pot wonder.

I didn't happen to have fresh ginger (I thought I bought some, but it fell out of my cart or something...fail), but I would highly recommend buying some for your stir fry night.  You don't have to buy a big hunk at the grocery store; just break off however much you need (get about an inch; it will cost you literally $0.07.)  Then remove the outer skin with a sharp knife, or better yet a vegetable peeler and grate on a microplane.  Easy!

Stir Fry
Veggies (red peppers, shredded carrot, a bag you get from the grocery store, whatever), about 3 cups
Protein (shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu, you name it)
Extras (peanuts, water chestnuts, edamame, bean sprouts)

For the sauce:
3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Squeeze of honey
2 tsp lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Grated ginger
Crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt)

For serving:
Brown rice
Whole wheat pasta
Udon noodles
Cilantro

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a tupperware or mason jar.  Shake vigorously.  In a LARGE skillet or wok, stir fry veggies on high heat, adding oil or chicken stock as needed to keep from burning and sticking.  When almost crisp-tender (we're not going for limp vegetables here), add in protein (thinly sliced if beef or chicken) and cook while moving everything in the pan frequently.  When cooked through, stir in sauce and cook until thickened.  Serve over prepared brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti, udon noodles, or whatever you'd like!

Whoopie Pies

Truth:  I've never had a whoopie pie before.  These are apparently a staple Southern dessert, and I've always wanted to try them.  This weekend was my chance.  I had 1 measly day off from work (boo...), but really, really wanted to bake.  I found a bunch of recipes that were "make from scratch", but I truly didn't feel like going all out.  I cheated and used a boxed cake mix (gasp!)

These are...fantastic.  They are essentially little cakes that are the size of cookies, with a wonderful creamy marshmallow-ish goo in the middle.  I decided to dye it red, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, but you could leave these white, or whatever you want.  I've also seen recipes where they used different cake mixes (spice cake, white, funfetti, anything!) so get creative and use what you like.  Store them in the refrigerator, as the middle gets a little soft!!

Also, obviosuly, don't try to frost these while the cakes are warm.  The marshmallow-cheese mixture will melt and be all over.

Whoopie Pies
Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

1 box cake mix (I used milk chocolate)
1 box (3.5 oz) sugar free instant chocolate pudding
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream
1 8oz package light cream cheese
4 oz Cool Whip (half a container)
1 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare cake batter according to package directions, except reduce water to 3/4 cup.  Beat in pudding mix (dry) and melted chocolate.  Scoop onto prepared baking sheets, leaving a lot of space between each one.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set.  Cool on cooling racks.

To make frosting, beat marshallow cream, cream cheese, vanilla extract and food coloring until smooth.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Refrigerate until ready to make cake sandwiches.  Then just spread a bunch of the marshmallow stuff on the flat side of one cake, and top with another!

Shrimp, Tortellini and Spinach

I started my neurology rotation this week, and so far, it has been bearable.  I'm not the brain's biggest fan, but I know it's extremely relevant to any field (especially peds...they have big heads and tend to hit them often...and seizures) so I'm soaking up every bit I can.  We are a consult service; so the neurology team gets "consulted" to any part of the hospital and they send us students out to do a full exam/figure out what's wrong.  Most of the time I can get away with saying, "stroke vs TIA or a seizure...or high blood pressure", but I'm getting better with the subtle signs and broadening my differential diagnosis a bit :)  We don't see any kids (there's a special peds neuro team), so that's sad, but oh well!

Really,  just dump the whole bag in there!

I digress; This recipe has been a go-to of ours (ie, mine) for quite some time.  It's fast, and it has a whole bag of spinach in it, so it can count as a salad serving too :)  Don't let that freak you out...wilted spinach is great, and a good source of vitamins and fiber, so don't you dare leave it out.

Shrimp, Tortellini and Spinach
Adapted from kraftfoods.com

1 package whole wheat refrigerated tortellini
1/4 cup roasted red pepper or light italian viniagrette
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 lb shrimp
1 bag (6oz) baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed.  Drain and set aside.  Heat dressing over med-high heat.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Stir in spinach, stir until wilted.  Stir in shrimp and cook until just opaque (a minute or two).  Add pasta and basil, toss, and simmer until sauce thickens (about 3-4 minutes).

The Basics: Chocolate Chip Cookies

No matter what cool new recipes I find, Peter always gets most excited about chocolate chip cookies.  Plain, old chocolate chip cookies (referred from here on out as CC cookies).  I can't argue with tradition, and they are delicious.  The difference between "fine" and "oh my God these are the BEST!" CC cookies is not a recipe, but techniques!   I'm not going to regurgitate the recipe for chocolate chip cookies here.  Buy a bag of chocolate chips, then follow the back.  It's the best recipe and works perfectly every time.  There are a couple of tricks that I find make the best cookies.  Let's get baking!

First of all, did you know that you can make cookie dough ahead of time and store it in the frige or freezer in a tight container?  Then you can bake off just a couple cookies at a time, or get a head start on that treat day you're supposed to be a part of in the middle of the busiest week ever.

Secondly, don't overbake your cookies.  This means removing your cookies from the oven BEFORE they look done.  They don't have to be raw, but when you take them out, you shouldn't think, "Hey, those look perfect" because think about it; the pan they are on is still hot.  The cookies are still hot.  IE, they are their own oven and will continue cooking until they cool.  Science.  If you follow this step, your CC cookies will be soft, chewy with a slightly crisp bottom, instead of a molar-breaking hard calorie bomb (It will still be a calorie bomb, I can't fix that).

Thirdly, utilize air cooling racks for reasons mentioned above, especially if your cookies get a little too done in the oven.  Air can get underneath, so the heat will dissipate instead of sit under your cookie and steam them from the bottom up.  That gives a mushy cookie...we want one that's....well, not mushy.

See?  Moist, chewy, delicious chocolate chip cookies ARE possible!  Good luck everyone!!