Accidental Delicious

Tonight I was just going to have leftovers for dinner. That was the plan.
But when I got home at 6:00, there was a funny smell in the kitchen, and I didn't know where it was coming from, so I started cleaning. This involved pulling out the fridge, vacuuming the vents on the back of it, and mopping the floor where it belongs with bleach. Then I put it back, emptied it, cleaned the fridge and freezer with bleach, and put most of the food back (I threw a few things out, but none of them were the cause of the smell).
Then I emptied the sink, started the dishwasher, cleaned the counters and floors with bleach, and scrubbed the sink.
Then I threw in a load of laundry, and while that was going, I decided to reorganize my kitchen cabinets.
When I was done with that it was 8:00 and I realized I was hungry. And although I had a fridge full of leftovers, I decided to cook the seafood that I found in the freezer.
It was a small package of mussles, clams, calamari, shrimp and fish from the market that I had forgotten about. I couldn't decide what to have it with, so I started looking through the cabinets, and I had one cup of arborio rice left so I decided to make seafood risotto.
I apologize I have no photos- this was a total last minute decision so I didn't have the camera.
I began by sauteeing some chopped onion and celery  in a little butter (I had a little of each in the fridge, so I decided to use them up). Then I added the rice. I let those sautee for about 2 minutes, then I added one cup of chicken broth.
Once that was absorbed, I added one more cup and let that absorb as well.
Now, normally if I am just making risotto, I add a third cup of broth (or water, but broth adds more flavor), let it absorb, then its done.
But tonight I decided to experiment, so after the second cup of broth had cooked into the rice, I added the seafood (it was a small package, plus I threw in some extra shrimp that I had in the freezer) and 2 more cups of broth. I also added some salt, pepper and garlic.
Once that started getting happy, I decided I wanted it to be a little thicker, so I dissolved a small spoonful of corn starch into about a half cup of warm water, and poured that into the pot.
After a few more minutes of cooking, it was ready!
I cooked some spinach to have it with, and that was it!
And I must say, this was one of the more delicious last minute unplanned meals I have made in a while.
Isn't that always the case... LOL

Oreo balls!!!

Oh my goodness, I am giggling typing this. Oreo balls. Hehehe. This is why I call things Spherical foods. Because I am immature.
But seriously, there has been so much fuss recently over cake balls. People always seem to be making them, sometimes even putting them on sticks and calling them cake pops. I even saw small machines at Target that you can use to make cake balls. It's amazing! But Oreo balls, well, that is a whole other level of amazing. And that is a lot coming from me, because I don't even like Oreo cookies!
But what are Oreo balls you ask? And how do you make them? Well, let me tell you...

Start with one package of Oreo Double Stuff, one 8 oz. package of cream cheese, and one bag of melting chocolates (or 2 bags if you want to mix up the colors or flavors). The chocolates can be found at your local craft store. I also got some sprinkles to jazz them up a bit!

Step one: Mash up the Oreos.

You can do this by hand, or with a rolling pin if the cookies are in a Ziploc bag, but I decided to break out the heavy artillery for this one. The food processor.

Once the cookies are nicely mashed up, it's time to add the cream cheese. I dropped chunks of it into the cookies, then put the processor on "pulse" until it all balled up into one nice creamy mixture.

Next, start melting the chocolate.

I would recommend a double-boiler, but since I don't have one, I used a Pyrex bowl over a pot of simmering water. And while the chocolate was melting, I rolled the cookie mixture into balls.

Once the chocolate is melted, it's time to dip!

I recommend using 2 forks for this job. And be careful so you don't get any crumbs in the chocolate.

  

Oh, and here's a shot of my assembly station. Gotta love my tiny kitchen!

Ok, so once all the Oreo balls are coated in chocolate, it's time to decorate. Do this as soon as you can (especially if you are using sprinkles) because they will not stick to the chocolate once it cools and hardens. 

Once you are done decorating, put them on whatever serving plate you are going to use, then pop the little suckers in the fridge until its time to eat them.

And that's it!! Oreo balls!!! Not bad for my first try, ay? I will definitely make these again! Unlike cake balls, which I tried to make a couple months ago. They were delicious (red velvet covered in white chocolate), but messy. These were a little messy too, but not bad. And super yummy!!!

See you soon!

Soup please!

If I haven't mentioned it before, let me mention it now: I Love Soup.

Seriously. Soup makes me so happy, and it's something I make pretty often- especially during the fall and winter.

I just feel like it is a nice, hearty, healthy meal. And its a good way to clear out leftovers and pantry items that have been hanging out for too long.

So tonight I decided to make a batch with a few ingredients I found floating around.

I should note: I didn't end up using the peas or corn.

First step: cook the celery and onions. Celery takes a little while to get tender, so I like to start that first.

Then I cubed up some chicken thighs and added them to the mix.

Once the chicken was mostly cooked, I added some white rice, and stewed tomatoes

Then I threw in some white beans and a few cups of water (since the rice will absorb so much) and a large can of crushed tomatoes, with juice and some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Yes, I said paprika. I think it adds a certain flavor to certain things that is just so delicious.

 I let that all cook for about a half hour so that all the flavors could get real happy together, then I dug in!
And boy was it good!!!



Happy New Year!!!!

I can't believe another year has come and gone! It's amazing how quickly time flies!
2011 ended pretty good (food wise), and I apologize for not posting during the foodiest month of the year!
I was thinking about all the food that I was around last month, and was so upset I didn't post pictures of ANY of it, so I'm sorry. I will resolve to do better this year.
Like today.
Bridget and I made another one of our famous breakfasts, including a couple quick breads.
Pumpkin and Banana. Thanks to the little white dough boy...

One box, 2 eggs, a little oil and a some water, then stir! :)

Then while they were in the oven, we made a little sugar glaze. Sooo easy... 

And, if you ever run out of powdered sugar, just throw some regular sugar in a blender (or the Magic Bullet if you have one- they totally rock), and Voila! Powdered sugar!

 

MmmMmmMmm!

Then we made home fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and sausages.

Not too bad...

 So, Like I said earlier, I promise I will try to blog more this year (and not so much about breakfasts with Bridget, LOL).

I also decided I may start adding reviews of things I eat when I am out, so look forward to those additions too.

Until then.... Happy 2012!

<3

Ssssssss....oup!!!

I love soup. Love everything about it. I Love eating it, but I love making it even more. I'm actually surprised I haven't posted any soups yet (have I?). LOL
I make soup a lot in the fall & winter, mostly to clean out the fridge, freezer and cabinets of things that are taking up space. And I typically call it my "pantry special".
Tonight though I decided to make a soup based on a few recent inspirations. One being the potato, kale and vegetable soup I had for lunch today, and Two being a recent conversation with some co-workers regarding the fact that Bacon makes everything better.
So, I decided to make a bacon-kale-vegetable soup. And, to add a little whole grain to the situation, I decided to add some Qinoa.
Here goes... (I should mention that I did not add the white beans in the picture).

boil quinoa...

cook Bacon until it's nice and crispy. Mmmm! 

 

chop veggies (aka the Trifecta!)

add to bacon

Chop Kale, being sure to remove stems, then add to pot...

add broth, and cook at a metium-high heat for a while. I let mine cook for about an hour...

add Quinoa...

and Enjoy!!!

And remember: soup is a Very Easy (and quick) way to make a delicious meal with all kinds of great flavors. So don't be afraid to play around with different ingredients- even if they are just leftovers!

Until next time... Enjoy!