Stock & Improvise with Cheez Its

I missed Days 3 and 4 and technically 5 of 40 Days of Writing for a very good reason.  My siblings, Julius, Frederick and Renee came to visit this weekend to celebrate Julius' birthday.  Since we're all a bit spread out, Atlanta makes the most sense geographically as our meeting spot.  I love spending time with my siblings.  Julius, Fred and Renee are as important and connected to me as my hands and feet.  As a quartet we create this magnetic positive energy that cannot be explained and somehow infects everyone around us.

In my current state of under-employment, it's tough when my siblings or any other guests visit because I love to entertain.  Thankfully, Grandma Mary and Mama Jan taught me 2 important lessons to adjust to budget challenges:  Stock up & Improvise!  Its funny how we often get so caught up following recipes from cooking shows that we forget to use the same skills we use to adjust to life situations in our kitchen.  Today, I prepared an amazing Sunday dinner for 6 people with food on hand and a bit of creativity.

Yesterday, I defrosted a whole chicken, pulled out the back bone and marinated it in a store bought Mojo sauce leftover from weeks prior.  I baked in a hot oiled cast iron skillet on 425 for 15 minutes per pound.  Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time for even browning on both sides.

MaryJan's Tip:  Buy chickens when their on sale and stock up.

In addition to the chicken, I cooked brown rice; a necessary pantry staple.  I normally don't use canned vegetables, but I reluctantly went for it.  I came across a large can of green beans given to me by some relative at some recent family holiday.  After a good rinse, I added a little water, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to reheat them.

MaryJan's Tip:  Always keep grains in stock and never turn down free food unless it's open, old or just gross.

Last but not least was my macaroni and cheese.  In my household, my boyfriend is king of the mac and cheese.  Normally I would let him go at it, but it was important to get dinner done in a timely manner before everyone had to part ways.  I did not have my normal cheeses or an egg to get that good ol' southern casserole consistency we love.  Instead, I had to improvise and hope for the best.  After boiling my noodles, I made a delicious cheese sauce with:

• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2-12 oz cans of evaporated milk
• 5 American cheese slices
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/2 parmesan cheese, grated
• a pinch of ground mustard
• salt & pepper to taste

Then I toasted 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs in 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Once they were nice and brown, I tossed them with 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley and 1/2 cup crushed white cheddar Cheez-Its.  Yes, Cheez-It, the baked snack crackers.  Since I didn't have my normal cheddar I needed some salt and crunch to balance out all that creaminess.   

After combining the cooked noodles and cheese sauce in a butter baking dish.  I topped it with the bread crumb mixture and baked the mac and cheese for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  If you are wondering whether it was good or not, the proof lies in the lack of leftovers.  It was a struggle to stash enough to take this photo!

Mac & Cheese goodness

MaryJan's Tip:  Assess your options, adjust, have fun cooking and enjoy your family.  No matter what the meal or budget, dinner time with family is always special. 

Grandma, Greens & Chocolate Golden Girls

I know I promised to talk about Grandma Mary and my mother Janice today, but the writing spirits led me in another direction.  This past weekend, I spent time with my Grandma Eliza.  Eliza turned 98 a little over a month ago and is still the feisty fireball she's always been.  When I go to rural South Carolina to take care of Grandma, I also spend time with her partners in crime I affectionately refer to as The Chocolate Golden Girls.  Her sister, Geneva, affectionately known as Aunt Gee, lives in the next town over on a large piece of land where she plants a pretty reasonably sized garden throughout the year.  Just next door to Grandma is Henrietta, her sister-in-law affectionately known as Aunt T.  Neither Aunt Gee or Aunt T have ever been married or had children.  Their days are filled with different activities mostly revolving around working in the church and education.  They are all characters in their own right, and when I'm in South Carolina, they keep me entertained.

During my last trip, Aunt Gee insisted that I come to her house to get some greens from her garden.  Since there were bags and bags of lovely frozen mustards and collards all over my grandmother's freezer, I figured she only had a nice bag or two of cut and cleaned greens for me.  Aunt Gee greeted me with her pleasant, sing-song voice that always made it easy for me to visualize her greeting her students back in her teacher days.  After a thirty minute conversation about church happenings, recent deaths and town gossip she presented me with 4 heads of fresh collards, 6 small cabbages and then walked me to the garden to pick a bag of mustard greens.

The next day it took me hours to cut, clean, blanch and bag the greens for freezing.  Here were my results.

It's hard to tell, but this bowl has a couple of pounds  of collards, mustards & dark green cabbage leaves.

Sometimes, it takes a dose of home and some hard work to remind you just how much care goes into creating your food.  It also makes me appreciate my country girl roots and the people who take time to share simple foods.  These fresh greens have been more delicious than any greens I could buy anywhere else and have truly been a treat for my stomach and soul.

Back in the Food Writing Groove

Sometimes it takes a kick in the butt to get you back in the groove.  This one politely comes courtesy of my good friend Kate and her 40 Days of Writing Project.  The hardest thing about writing a blog is making time to do it.  I love talking about food and I even cook dinner at least 3-4 nights each week, so I constantly have content in my brain.  By the time I've prepared the night's meal or thought about how I came up with it, I'm too tired to go back and write about it.

Just so you know, I didn't create this blog because I had some time on my hands on a Friday night.  There was true intent from the beginning.  I created this blog to share my love of cooking with those that are cooking challenged or simply uninspired.  I wanted a place to laugh and be honest about cooking gone wrong and cooking gone extremely right.  Most of all, I created this place as a dedication to the 2 women who inspired me to be the food nerd I am today; my late grandmother Mary and my mother Janice.  (I'll tell you more about these lovely ladies tomorrow.)

Today my friends, it's time for a change.

I am challenging you and others to take on the 40 Days of Writing and commit to your passion.  I commit to bringing you the content that makes me happy and hopefully inspires and entertains you along the way.    Most importantly, I challenge you to cook dinner and enjoy it as a family.  Happy Writing!

Utter Randomness: Halloween Candy Cake

For the record, I am not a baker.  But every once and awhile I get inspired to test my ability at following directions and go for it.  Last night, I finally got annoyed with the remains of my Halloween candy bowl and was determined to find a use for them.  You'd have thought I bought icky candy from the amount of people that have bypassed the remaining 15 bite-sized candies that were strategically placed on the bar.  And so, with 10 Milky Way bars and 5-3 Muskateers, I went on a recipe search mission.

My search left me panting over The Pioneer Woman's photos of her delicious Milky Way Cake from her aunt's recipe collection.  The recipe was pretty simple and best of all didn't require 2 uneven round cakes and another lopsided frosting debacle.  (I'm having flashbacks to this past Christmas' layer cake. No photos available.)

As much as I love the recipe, I had to make some budget-friendly adjustments.

Recipe Tips

• Since I didn't have buttermilk or 8 additional full size Milky Way bars, I used Ghiradelli's Grand Fudge Cake recipe because Ghiradelli cocoa is one of my personal pantry essentials.
• Unlike the recipe, I used a greased 11x13 glass pan and it worked perfectly.
• I didn't quite have 2 cups of powdered sugar.  That's a failure on my part for not looking at the sugar but using my mental kitchen instead.  To account for that, I only used a tablespoon of sugar and added a big scoop of hot fudge topping to make sure it was sweet enough.
• I substituted regular milk for almond milk just to see how it would turn out.  (Yes, it's almond milk from my Whole Foods Market pantry essentials!)
• Since I didn't have the oooey gooey cake recipe, I poked holes in the cake before pouring the warm icing on top to get the sticky goodness all through the cake. 

Halloween Candy Cake 

Grand Fudge Cake

3/4 cups Unsweetened Cocoa

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups almond milk

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 11x13 glass pan.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk (starting and ending with the flour mixture), while mixing on low speed. Continue to mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.

Credit:  Adapted from Ghiradelli Grand Fudge Cake recipe

Icing

10 bite-size Milky Way bars

5 bite-size 3 Muskateers bars

1/2 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp hot fudge topping

dash salt

1 tbsp almond milk (more if needed)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped pecans

To make the icing, melt the candy bars with butter  (in a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat). Add remaining ingredients and stir over low heat. Add more milk if needed.

Pour over the cooled cake and allow to set. Cake will be very sticky! Don’t expect neat, perfect slices.

Credit: Adapted from Tasty Kitchen Milky Way Cake recipe

Pouring the icing on this cake was just plain sexy.

The icing created yummy gooeyness throughout the cake.

The perfect bite

Easy Pantry Black Bean Soup

If there's one thing I love, it's new kitchen toys.  If I only had 1 hour to grab things before leaving my house forever, my chefs knife, food processor and stand mixer would be at the top of my list.    Somehow along the way I've missed one crucial gadget that I kick myself for not having.  If you don't listen to anything else I say, please BUY A SLOW COOKER!

Today's recipe is a simple Black Bean Soup that uses black beans, vegetable stock and diced tomatoes from my Whole Foods Market pantry essentials.  It works great in a slow cooker but if not, a large pot works great too.  The recipe below is vegan, but by adding with some chopped smoked ham or smoked turkey it adds a little something more but isn't necessary to enjoy this soup.

Don't forget to send your recipes using the pantry essentials for a chance to win a $50 gift card from Whole Foods Market Ponce!

Black Bean Soup
1 cup black beans, soaked (I do this overnight. An hour at the least)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
32 oz. vegetable stock
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp oregano


Slow Cooker directions
Put all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.


Pot directions
Drain soaked black beans and remove any damaged beans.  Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Add garlic and cook until softened.  Add beans and remaining ingredients to the pot.  Allow beans to come to a boil, then turn it down to simmer on low for 2 hours.  Enjoy with cornbread and a couple of shots of hot sauce.

I added a little smoked ham but it didn't need it.

What's better than skillet cornbread to warm up a winter soup dish?

Vodka & Quinoa Make a Healthy Dinner

A few months ago, a friend, who shall remain nameless, visited my home and brought a bottle of cheap vodka.  No offense to any of those bottom shelf vodkas, but experience has taught me that quality vodka yields better recovery results.

Since no one in my house, or anyone who visits is willing to drink this vodka, I had to come up with a way to use it.  I decided to incorporate it with today's recipe and had amazing results.  In addition to using the vodka, I had to make sure this recipe was easy, delicious and not so far on the healthy eating side that my boyfriend would turn his nose up.  You just can't make a Southern, meat-and-potatoes man eat quinoa without a little bit of hesitation.  I settled on this delicious Spicy Shrimp & Quinoa recipe.  I used vegetable stock, quinoa and sundried tomatoes from my Whole Foods Market pantry essentials.  Hopefully it will also make you want to lick the pots clean and get rid of some cheap vodka.

Recipe Tips

• Be careful on the chiles, please.  I used 2 and it packed quite a bit of heat.  If you have kids, you may want to only use half or less.
• Infuse your sundried tomatoes and vodka the night before or the morning of.  They should infuse for at least an hour.

Spicy Shrimp & Quinoa

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (without oil)

3/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
1-2 chiles, chopped (make it as spicy as you can handle)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Place sundried tomatoes in a bowl.  Add vodka.  Cover the bowl and allow tomatoes to infuse vodka for at least 1 hour.  Prepare quinoa according to package directions using vegetable stock.

Remove sundried tomatoes from the vodka and chop.  Save the liquid.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and chiles and saute until softened.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Remove pan from the heat and add sundried tomatoes and vodka.  Return pan to the heat and allow the sauce to cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the alcohol to cook out of the sauce.  Add tomato sauce to the pan.  Season shrimp with remaining salt and pepper and Italian seasoning.  Once sauce begins to simmer, add in the shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are no longer translucent and have turned pink.  Serve shrimp over quinoa.  Add a salad for a complete meal.

Featured ingredient: Quinoa

Featured Ingredient: Vegetable Broth

Vodka infused Sun dried Tomatoes 

Delicious results!  Spicy Shrimp & Quinoa

What delicious quinoa recipes do you have?  Don't forget there's a $50 gift card from Whole Foods Market Ponce up for grabs!

Cook Healthy & Win A Whole Foods Market Gift Card

Planning is the key to any healthy eating New Year's resolution.  If you waited until January 1st to figure out your approach, you're already a week behind.  Beginning next week, we'll work together on your healthy eating plan with the help of a cool promotion going on at Whole Foods Market.

Whole Foods has selected 23 pantry essentials they say are key to creating a healthy, budget-friendly pantry.  The list, found on their blog, includes lots of beans, grains, etc. that total less than $50 and can be the main ingredient or help stretch any meal. 

Starting Monday, we'll feature recipes using their pantry staples and challenge you to do the same!  We'll have some wins and misses, but fun no matter what.  Send me your best recipe featuring the pantry essentials, and the best one will receive a $50 from Whole Foods Market Ponce!  Please don't try to use them all at once, that's just gross.  Please do use as many as you'd like and have fun.  

Cooking: Rookies Welcome

As 2012 began, I started off with 2 major food successes.  In one day I made the best collard greens and fried chicken ever.  

Here’s what I learned:

1. Brining chicken is the best idea ever.  (More on this topic in later posts.)
2. Collard greens mixed with mustard greens are an amazing combination.

I’m definitely not a chef but have had the pleasure to see many of Atlanta’s best in action.  I’ve watched my share of cooking shows and competitions and thought “I could never do that.”  Then reality hits and I know that I, as well as most of you, are not trained chefs, but we all have to eat.  

So many of us have made cooking a low priority on our To Do List.  We grab fast food and take-out because it’s convenient and don’t take care of the inside of our bodies as we should.  How much take-out and fast food can your health handle?

Today I challenge you to start using your kitchen as more than a storage room for take out containers, but to turn on your stove and cook!  Cooking is full of failures and successes, but if you’re not willing to experiment, you’ll never figure out what works for you.  

MaryJan’s Meal Plans is here to help you through your food journey.  Ask questions!  Share your successes and failures.  I’ll definitely do the same and help you find the answers.  This is for you; a hard working person just trying to make good food on your level.

Get your spatulas and fire extinguishers ready. 

Recipe Remix: Black Eyed Peas

If you followed tradition and enjoyed the obligatory collard greens and black eyed peas for New Year’s Day, you’re probably stuck with a large container of leftover peas.  Your patience can only deal with the leftovers for a day, so what do you do with the rest?  

The Vat of Black Eyed Peas

After putting some aside in the freezer, I was still left with a quite a few peas.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but black eyed peas are just something I cannot cook in a small quantity.  After doing some research and experimenting, I came up with several ideas for black eyed pea salads, soups, cakes, fritters and hummus.  My favorite of them all is the Black Eyed Pea Dip recipe below.  The luscious creaminess of the peas and the kick of hot sauce make a thick and tasty dip that you will want to eat off your fingers.  I also love it because it’s easy and uses things I already had in my kitchen.  I love hummus, but who has tahini around on a regular basis?  This dip is a great alternative.

Dip in Mid-Pulse.  Make it as smooth as you like.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

2 cups leftover black eyed peas, room temperature or slightly warmed

1/4 cup parsley

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp garlic, smashed

1/2 cumin

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1/2 tsp salt (you made need more depending on the seasoning of your peas)

1/2 tsp pepper 

3-4 shots of hot sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until combined.  Serve with carrots, cucumbers, radishes or pita bread.

Carrots are the perfect utensil to get this to your mouth