Birthday Dinner

Hello! I hope everybody enjoyed their midweek Fourth of July parties. Did anybody else wake up the next morning thinking it was Monday? It’s funny how a holiday in the middle of the week can throw things off kilter. I admit, since I've been on break from school, all the days just seem to run together. I guess that's the beauty of summer though.

Let's talk about birthdays. Birthdays can be very strange events. Some people greet them with excitement and eagerness, planning everything from the cake to the guest list. Others look at them as simply another year older - another chapter in their book that is being written with every day that passes. For the most part, my family falls into the latter category. We never were the type of family to make a huge production of birthdays; there was no massive "super sweet 16" party or a house full of teenagers and loud music trashing the place. Instead, they were usually intimate including only family and close friends. Sometimes it was just family. For my parents it was one of two options: stay home and cook a meal or go out to eat. This year was no exception. For those of you fortunate enough to know my father knows that he is a man of little fuss. His birthday was this past week, and as per every year we ask the millionaire dollar question - "Would you like to go out for your birthday, or eat at home?" Every year it's the same response, "What does everybody else want to do?" You can only imagine the frustration that comes with the indecisiveness. After a couple minutes of discussion there is a decision. This year he requested a large salad (he is complicated to cook for...AKA a picky vegetarian/vegan). A salad he said. I walked away grumbling because I was hoping for some answer other than a salad, something with a little more pizzazz. 

And so started my search for inspiration..and a recipe. Cooking for a vegetarian/vegan can be hard. Trying to find a variety of foods that aren't repetitious can be frustrating; and then you have to verify that it is what that person is wanting. I stumbled upon a recipe for stuffed peppers and knew it was exactly what I was looking for. They're hearty, packed full of protein, but not too heavy. We have made stuffed peppers before with soy Chorizo, but my father gets burned out on pseudo meat quickly so I had to find another protein substitute. One of the great things about this recipe? You steam the peppers in the microwave for about 7 minutes, drain, cool slightly, and stuff! How easy is that? The stuffing alone would make a wonderful side dish to any meal. I halved the recipe and used 1 orange and 1 yellow bell pepper. The recipe called for Orzo pasta and sun-dried tomatoes, but we didn't have any on hand. So I opted for brown rice and omitted the tomatoes. I would suspect you could use tomato paste if you are in a pinch. I subbed the 1/2c Orzo for 1/2c of short grain brown rice.

The peppers are wonderful hot or cold. You know how some dishes just taste better the next day? Next day leftovers anyone? This is a recipe I will definitely be keeping on hand for future reference. 

For dessert, instead of the traditional birthday cake, I baked a simple zucchini bread. He loved it just the same (I guess I should mention he isn't a huge fan of cakes? Unless it's a carrot cake..without frosting). 

Enjoy!

"It takes a long time to grow young."

~Pablo Picasso

Greek Stuffed Peppers (with my alterations)

Original recipe from EatingWell

Serves - 4

Total time - 40 minutes*

Ingredients:

4 yellow, orange and/or red bell peppers

1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo (I used 1/2c brown rice)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), chopped (I left this out)

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached. Remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers cut-side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are just softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. (If using brown rice, bring 1 1/2c water to a boil. Add 1/2c rice and pinch of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 40 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.)

3. Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.

4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, chickpeas, 1/2 cup feta, tomatoes (if using), vinegar and salt; cook until heated though, about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle each pepper with some of the remaining 1/4 cup feta.

*If using brown rice, allow 1hr for total cook time. 

Summer's End

Whew!! First week of school down and only 15 more to go. The mad rush of back to school is always a challenge, and getting back into the swing of schedules and hitting the books is no easy task either. It feels like you are running non-stop until the weekend. Work hard, play harder, crash and burn, repeat. That's my week in a nutshell. Everybody needs some down time. That's where you learn to treasure every minute of the weekend. But why is it the weekends seem to come and go like a whirlwind? Before you blink its over and your hectic week starts all over again. Is it just me, or does summer seem to be getting shorter and shorter every year?

All the hours spent sitting in class, standing at work, and helplessly trying to please everybody started to catch up to me. I couldn't stare at another wall for another minute. I had to get outdoors to breathe.

This evening, I pulled my bike out of the garage, dusted it off, and too myself on a much needed ride through the neighborhood. The outdoors have always interested me, and being outside in the woods always gave me the feeling of being so small. As if the woods could swallow you whole. Taking a minute, I stop to take note of my surroundings. The sun is just beginning to set, birds are singing in the trees, kids are out playing in the yards, dogs are barking, bonfires burning, and the grills are a blazing. The purple and pink subtle clouds in the sky reminded me of cotton candy. I use to love staring at the clouds, wondering what it would be like to jump on one. The smell of hickory, cut grass, and the damp, humid air reminds me of being at camp. The hours spent running around with friends, playing hide and seek in the woods at night, and roasting hotdogs over an open fire. The days spent without a care in the world, without any responsibilities, or sense of time...when I never wanted to grow up. Those are the days I wouldn't trade for anything. These aromatics of summer are one of my favorite elements.

I no longer dread the thought of summer coming to an end, but see it as the end of a chapter in my life. Now I look forward to each season, wondering what my story will unfold into. I come away from this summer learning 3 key things: you can't settle for anything less than you deserve, you can only help people so much, then the rest is up to them, and that you can't please everybody. Sometimes these are hard lessons to learn, but better learned now than later.

I wanted a no-fuss kind of meal for tonight. Every so often I'm in the mood for a casserole, and where better to turn to than Southern Living. I am a firm believer in their casserole recipes. They remind you of what your grandmother use to make. This recipe was in the March issue of Southern Living Comfort Food magazine. (This is a great source for your staple comfort food recipes such as fried chicken, coconut cream pie, egg salad, etc.) What I really appreciate is that these recipes call for items that you normally have on hand in the pantry. As a plus for families, they are kid friendly.

Seeing that there are only a couple of people in my house that enjoy casserole, I only made half of the original recipe. I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the store and just shredded the breast meat. I am not a huge fan of dark meat, and avoid it whenever possible. I would recommend picking up a chicken unless you have a couple hours to spare, or just love to roast your own chicken.

Don't worry if you find yourself without the exact spices it calls for. Both coriander seeds and marjoram can easily be substituted for the oregano and cumin. Use regular chili powder in place of the Mexican chili powder if needed.

Since I couldn't find lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips, I used green chile tortilla chips.

My casserole took exactly 55 minutes to cook. This was long enough for the chip topping to dry out and form a nice crust, yet not long enough to dry the whole dish out. Make sure you let it stand for 10 minutes as the directions say. This helps the filling set up and form some shape.

There were so many flavors in this dish, its hard to pick one to start at. Lets start with the soup mixture. The combination of cream soups is a perfect match. Add a little tomato with green chiles, bell pepper, and spices, then you have the ultimate soul warming combination. Its thick, hearty, with a little bit of kick that gradually builds with every bite. Throw in some chicken, cheese, and top with a layer of chip. HELLO! Those are the elements of everything a proper casserole should have. It was the perfect ending to an evening of reflection.

Recipe for Quick and Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Makes 8 to 10 servings. Prep: 30 min.
Cook: 17 min. Bake: 55 min. Stand: 10 min.


2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10-oz) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 (2-lb) deli-roasted chicken, skinned, boned, and shredded
3 cups (12oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, saute 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, and next 6 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionaly, 8 minutes.

2. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture, 1 cup cheese, and half of tortilla chips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cheese.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until bubble. Stand 10 minutes before serving.