St. Patty's Cheese Pie

For St. Patrick's Day, Ryan and I had our friends, Liz and Jordan, over for dinner and green beer (light colored beer mixed with 1-2 drops of green food coloring). Ryan made some delicious club steak, and I made the following cheese pie for dessert. It was delicious and so beautiful. :)

St. Patty's Cheese Pie

1 (9") graham cracker crumb crust
1 (8oz) package Neufchatel 1/3 less fat cream cheese or regular cream cheese
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla extract
Green food coloring

In a large bowl, beat neufchatel cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and 2-4 drops green food coloring (to make a light green color). Pour into graham cracker crumb crust. Smooth top surface. Drip 3-4 drops of green food coloring on top. Swirl with a knife until desired pattern. Chill 4 hours or until set. Pie fully sets up over night.

Herb Roasted Whole Chicken

Mmmm! Chicken! Served with green beans, butter and garlic pasta, and salad. Delicious!

Herb Roasted Whole Chicken 

1 Whole Chicken
3 T Rosemary Infused Olive Oil
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 springs fresh thyme
1 small onion
1 small lemon
5 garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
Handful of cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub rosemary infused olive oil between flesh and skin. Stuff, onion, lemon, and garlic inside of the chicken cavity. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Chicken right before he oven-bathed :)

Julie & Julia

Ryan and I watched Julie & Julia last night. It reminded me that I had a food blog. :) Julie was way more dedicated to her blog than I am to this one. She probably also had 20 times more readers than me, but I realized how much I miss making new dishes. I really haven't made anything new in 2011; hopefully that will change. And hopefully I'll remember to take pictures and post the new dishes on here. Sorry to my five or so readers. :)

8 Layer Dip

It's Super Bowl time! Okay, I'm not a huge football person, but I do love to eat! So, I made a variation of this 7 Layer Dip. Here's mine:

8 Layer Dip

8 oz refried beans
1 c colby jack cheese
1 c pepper jack cheese
8 oz sour cream
2 avocados
salt
pepper
lemon juice
ground red pepper
1/2 c salsa
4 oz sliced black olives
2 roma tomatoes, diced
3 green onions, sliced

Mash avocados; add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and ground red pepper to taste. Spread refried beans in the bottom of a 9 inch round pan (or something close to that). Sprinkle 1/2 c colby jack and 1/2 c pepper jack cheese over beans. Spread sour cream over cheese. Spread mashed avocado over sour cream. Spread salsa over avocado. Sprinkle the rest of both cheeses over salsa. Top with black olives, tomatoes, and green onions. Serve with chips!

Oatmeal Waffles

This morning, I made waffles for breakfast.  I cheated and used pancake/waffle mix, but I didn't quite have enough batter for both Ryan and me to eat.  I ended up grinding some oats to a fine powder using the coffee grinder.  I added the powder to the batter along with a little more milk and oil to give the batter the correct consistency.  I topped my waffles with peanut butter, a little syrup, and strawberries!  This gave the waffles a savory, sweet, and fruity flavor.  They were delicious, but the oats made them a bit more crumbly than I'd like.  However, I think they filled me up better than regular waffles, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay full longer.  So I consider them a success...just wish they weren't so crumbly.  Also, now I really want to try some other waffle recipes.

Home-grown

Mmmm!  I love home-grown veggies!  My container garden has been through a lot (including a move to a new state), but it has survived.  I have ONE pepper and lots of tomatoes.  I also have three tiny cucumbers!  My yellow squash has flowered at least three times, but not squash yet.  My zucchini died...as did my radishes and green onion.  My carrots have lots of green leaves showing, but I'm too scared to pull any up yet.  Here are some pictures:

Cucumbers (3 little ones)

Sweet Pepper (only 1)

Tomatoes (multiple cherry and regular-sized ones)

Basil (also in the container: cilantro, parsley, and oregano)

The tomatoes are DELICIOUS!  I can't wait for the green ones to turn red...they're not producing fast enough for me.  Hehe.  :)

Beef and Kale Stew

I was never a fan of stew, but here I am giving it a second chance.  And I'm glad I did.  This has to be the best stew I've ever had.  Other ideas for this stew include adding cremini mushrooms or serving it over cooked quinoa.

Beef and Kale Stew

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 T garlic powder
2 t dried thyme
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried oregano
2 large carrots, slicked
2 large celery stalks
1 lb beef stew meat
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c beef stock
2 T marsala wine
4 c thinly sliced kale
1 T red wine vinegar
Sea salt (total of about 1 t) and pepper

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, green onions, garlic, and some sea salt; saute for 5 minutes.  Add dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, carrots, and celery; saute for 5 more minutes.  Then add stew meat, and continue to saute for an additional 5 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, beef stock, and marsala wine; bring to a boil.  Then cover and reduce heat to low or medium-low.  Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the kale, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Cooking the veggies!