Caramelized Onion and Sweet Potato "Pizzas"

And now back to our regularly scheduled food programming :)

I've had my eye on Erin's Caramelized Onion & Sweet Potato Tart for a few weeks now, but when I got out all my ingredients to make it tonight, I realized that I had accidentally purchased puff pastry shells and not puff pastry sheets. Not wanting to make another trip to the store, I decided to make a batch of my whole wheat thin crust pizza dough and see what happened.

In short, MAGIC.

 I rolled out the dough super thin, so when it cooked up it was crunchy and almost cracker-like.

I then followed Erin's recipe exactly and cooked my "pizzas" for about 8 minutes each (I use a pizza stone to get nice, crisp crust).

The flavors were so rich and warm and perfect for this cold evening. I was running low on Parmesan, but next time I'll be sure to use a heavier hand.

I had some beets from our CSA last week that were begging to be used, so I scrubbed them and tossed them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 minutes and then just served them with salt and pepper.

Brian loves beets. The bowl was half empty by the time I cut the pizzas and sat down to eat!

If you are here for the first time from FitBlogger, WELCOME! How are you cooking differently now that the seasons are changing?

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Me and my crockpot were at it again last night!

You'll just have to believe me when I say that we actually ate these awesome carnitas as tacos, since this is literally the only picture I took of the entire meal. I know you won't have any trouble believing me when I say that these are, perhaps, the best thing I've ever made in my crockpot.

Crockpot Carnitas
adapted from Kelle Hampton

Ingredients

• one 1lb pork tenderloin
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 jar salsa verde
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can chopped green chiles
• 1/4 cup red salsa
• 1/2 can black beans

Method

1. Put pork tenderloin and chopped onion in your crockpot
2. Pour salsa verde, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and red salsa over the pork.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours. Use a fork to shred pork near the end of cooking.
4. Around 20 minutes before serving, add black beans and stir to combine. Allow to heat through.
5. Serve with tortillas, avocado, more salsa, sour cream, etc.

Seriously, they could not be easier. If you don't eat pork (or just don't like it), I imagine you could do these with chicken as well. I would use bone-in, skinless breasts and thighs. As evidenced from my experience cooking a whole chicken in the crockpot, the meat will shred nicely (but you might need to use your fingers).

And after dinner, you can enjoy hazelnut butter on whole wheat toast with chocolate chips. Yum.

Make this Now: Pumpkin Chili and Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread

Happy Saturday! I'm sitting in my PJs drinking coffee and getting ready to tackle my massive kitchen reorganization project (only massive because I am two weeks behind)!

Last night I decided to try (never home)maker's Smoked Pumpkin Chili.

Holy moly. We loved this and will be adding it in heavy rotation to our winter meal plan. The addition of the pumpkin puree made it so thick and creamy! I didn't have smoked paprika, so I used regular and added a few drops of liquid smoke. Awesome!

I also decided to try my hand at spoon bread using this recipe from Martha Stewart's Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook (I love this cookbook!).

It was weird, but delicious. It is very similar in consistency to a souffle.  I guess technically it is a souffle since you whip the egg whites, mix them with the base, and bake!

 

Hey, check me out, I made a souffle on a Friday night!

Martha's recipe included sharp cheddar cheese and corn, so it was a really nice complement to the chili. It was a cold and rainy evening, so all in all, this was the perfect meal!

 I'll be hard at work this weekend on a few projects and some grading. Tonight we have tickets to the Quakes' first MLS playoff game against the New York Red Bulls. I hope it doesn't rain!

Bits and Pieces (& Husband's Stew!)

#1 - Are you getting dizzy yet from all the different layouts I've experimented with this week? I think I'm going to stick with this one... I think.

#2 - I have a new favorite blog (this happens like every other day, BTW): Today's Letters.

I originally found Tim and Em through The Kitchn, who linked to their freaking brilliant Campfire Orange Cakes recipe. I was immediately sucked in - they write letters to each other and are super sassy and adorable. That's a bad description, but I trust you know me well enough now to know what I like and probably have a good idea about what I mean.

#3 - For those of you who enjoyed my post on menu planning and grocery list making, you might find these sweet Meal Planning/Grocery List free downloads from avie designs fun and helpful. I especially like the "here's what I have/here's what I need" aspect.

#4 - I went to the doctor on Monday and was there for about 2 hours being poked and prodded and getting shots and giving blood and blah blah blah. Turns out I'm still anemic! And I have runner's knee! I'm going to save my thoughts on these diagnoses for later though.

#5 While I was getting all medical on Monday, B made dinner - a rare but awesome event.

This picture totally sucks - sorry!

For Christmas last year I bought Jamie's Food Revolution for B.

This is a really great cookbook for folks who are just learning how to cook/put together meals. The recipes are easy but delicious and Jamie offers lots of variations.

Take this stew recipe, for example:

Jamie provides a basic stew base and then 4 different stew options (beef & ale, chicken & white wine, pork & cider, lamb & red wine).

 On the following pages, he also offers 4 different ways to finish the stew, if you're so inclined.

So basically, over a total of about 5 pages, you have 16 different stew recipes (or permutations according to my nerdy husband) to mix and match! Brilliant.

B made the Beef & Ale stew, and it was killer (if you know me in person, you totally heard me singing the word killer!).

Here's the recipe he used:

Beef & Ale Stew
from Jamie's Food Revolution

Ingredients

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• olive oil
• 1 heaped T all-purpose flour
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• 3 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 lb diced stewing beef (we cut it down to 3/4lb with no problems)
• 2 cups brown ale, Guinness or stout

Method

1. Trim the ends of celery and roughly chop the stalks. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Slice carrots lengthwise and chop.
2. Put a Dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Put all veggies and bay leaves into the pan with 2 glugs of olive oil and saute for 10 minutes.
4. Add meat and flour.
5. Pour in the beer and canned tomatoes.
6. Stir well and season with S & P.
7. Bring to boil, put the lid on, and simmer for 3 hours (we got impatient and only cooked for 2 - you just want the meat and veggies to be tender). Remove the lid for the final half hour of cooking and add water if it looks dry. 
8. Remove bay laves before serving.

The flavors in this stew were really complex and developed - I was very impressed! We also had a crusty loaf of bread for soaking up the juices. Yum.

I imagine if you don't relish the idea of letting your stew simmer for 3 hours before dinner (like, if you get home at 5pm), you could probably saute your veggies and then throw everything into the crockpot on low for the day. You know how much I love my crockpot!

#6 - I am still slowly emerging from the avalanche of grading that buried me last week. I have lots and lots of things I want to write about though, so rest assured I'll be flooding your Google Readers soon enough!

Until then, Happy Birthday Maria!

Enchilada Lovah

Last night I made perhaps the most delicious enchiladas of my life. I was cooking at 8pm just so we would have something to take to work today so, of course, I didn't snap any pics. But that doesn't mean I can't tell you all about it so you can pick up groceries on the way home and make these tonight!

Veggie Enchiladas with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• Cilantro pesto (recipe below)
• 1/2 carton of sliced mushrooms
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup red salsa of your choice
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• salsa verde of your choice
• shredded cheese (I used the 4-cheese Mexican blend)

Method

1. Heat your oven to 350.
2. Pour a small amount of salsa verde into a 9x13" baking dish, just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the dish.
3. Mix mushrooms, kidney beans, corn and red salsa in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread about 1T cilantro pesto down the center of a tortilla. Top with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture.
5. Roll tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish.
6. Repeat with 5 more tortillas.
7. Pour salsa verde over the top, enough to coat all of the exposed tortillas (this is so you don't get any dried out tortilla corners - I hate that!). Top with cheese and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.

I've made these before, based loosely off Caitlin's recipe, but the addition of the cilantro pesto really put these over the top. I made it last week when I had a surplus of cilantro from our CSA box and didn't want it to go to waste. It couldn't be easier.

Cilantro Pesto
from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2t cayenne pepper (I forgot this!)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or almonds
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Blend cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan, cayenne, nuts, and salt in a food processor or blender. Stream in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add more until the pesto reaches your desired consistency (I used about 1/3 cup).

Even without the cayenne, this stuff is super-tasty. I'm glad I thought to use it in the enchiladas - it gives them a nice fresh burst of flavor with all the beans and veggies. It would also be delicious mixed with rice or on top of pasta instead of a traditional pesto. Oooh, or in a quesadilla! I have a feeling this stuff won't last long...

Veggilicious Fall Chili

I'm getting ready to leave for Washington DC for the long weekend and want to leave B with food so he doesn't try to survive on granola and taqueria tacos (not that he would mind).

Last week, I doubled an enchilada recipe and stuck half in the freezer, so all he has to do is let it defrost, then smother it with salsa and cheese and stick it in the oven (are you listening, honey?). Tonight, I made a huge pot of chili - perfect for this blustery fall weather!

Veggilicious Fall Chili
Ingredients

• 1T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1T chili powder
• 1T cumin
• 1 1/2t oregano
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1T chipotle peppers*
• 13oz can black beans
• 13oz can pinto beans
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 large handful chard, chopped
• Sour cream & cilantro, for garnish

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft.
2. Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash. Cook for just a few minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, chipotle peppers, beans, corn,  and chard. Stir to combine.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes.
6. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro. Enjoy!

*I buy those cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and run them through my food processor. Then, I freeze them and chip off 1T pieces as I need them (1T equals 1 pepper!). I guess if I were really fancy, I would just freeze them in 1T pieces (maybe in an ice cube tray?), but I'm not that fancy.

I also made my own bread tonight!

I have always been so intimidated by bread, but Jenna's post a week or so ago inspired me.

It was so easy! A lot like making pizza dough, but with more waiting.

I did yoga while the rolls rose.

And after dinner, I cooked up some of those frozen Apricot Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls I made a few weeks ago.

Not bad for a Tuesday.

I heart polenta

Thanks for all your sweet comments on my Marie Claire drama response. It is so heartwarming and exciting to know that there are so many other great ladies (and gentlemen!) out there who share a lot of the same ideas. I hope we can all move forward with honesty!

---

It is officially FALL out here in California (totally crazy, since just last week it was almost 100 degrees)! It's currently a blustery 62 degrees with rain on the forecast for Wednesday! I decided to make a quick and filling Ellis favorite for dinner tonight: Parmesan Polenta with Eggs and Roasted Mushrooms.

I don't know why I don't make this more often; it is so good and literally takes 20 minutes, including prep! It's even faster if you buy your mushrooms already sliced, like I did this week because I was totally lazy.

 Mmmmm.... mushrooms!

 Even better - ROASTED mushrooms!

This is one of those meals that, when I tell B I am going to make it, he goes "Yesssss!" and runs around the room like my students when they get an A on a test.

 Parmesan + Polenta

Parmesan Polenta with Eggs and Roasted Mushrooms
from The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 1 lb mushrooms
• 2T olive oil
• 1/4 tsp pepper flakes (we like our food spicy, so I use a heaping 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 c polenta
• 1 c milk
• 1 c water
• pinch salt
• 1/2 c shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 3 eggs
• chives for garnish (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Chop mushrooms (if necessary!)
3. Toss mushrooms with oil, pepper flakes, and salt on a baking sheet.
4. Spread in single layer and roast until browned, about 10 mins.
5. Meanwhile, whisk polenta, milk, water, and salt together in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, covered.
6. After reaching a boil, turn heat to low and let sit with lid cracked for 5 minutes, or until thickened.
7. While polenta is cooking, heat nonstick skillet over medium heat and crack the eggs so that they are sunny side up. 
8. Cook about a minute and then add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet. Water will sizzle - cover so the yolks steam and set to your liking.
9. Mix Parmesan into polenta, plate on a dish, spoon mushrooms over and top with egg. Garnish with snipped chives (I've never done this, but it sure sounds good!)

Oh, and in case you were wondering - here are the remains of the carrot cake I ate as "pre-workout fuel." It got me through my 40-minute spin session wonderfully.

Just being honest. :)

 P.S. One day, I will update my recipes page. Wouldn't that be nice?

The Little Engine that CAN

Sorry to hit you with such a bummer post last night. I try not to take things my students say and do personally (especially since so many of them are not mature enough to make good decisions about their words and actions 100% of the time), but it's hard sometimes. I'm happy to say that this morning I am feeling much better, thanks in part to this:

I have a a confession: I don't like Starbucks very much. But come fall, like many, I am all over the pumpkin spice latte. I can't help myself!

Did you know that today is the first day of fall? Last night, B and I celebrated by making a very fall dinner, Heather's Roasted Acorn Squash Chili!

I think I roasted my squash a little too long because it was very mushy and kind of fell apart when I stirred it into the chili, but overall this was a really yummy dish. I especially love the roasted squash seeds on top!

In other fall news, I picked these up at Safeway last weekend:

Hello, lover...

I'm planning to make a batch of Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins this evening. Yum!

As many of you know, I teach junior high English. This is actually my first year teaching at the junior high level - for the last three years I have taught high school, mostly 9th and 12th grade. Teaching junior high has been fun, but also challenging for me. I have to be a lot more sensitive when I am giving student's consequences for bad behavior because they get their feelings hurt very easily (and I have a tendency to be sarcastic). There are also a lot of touchy-feely community-building activities that we are expected to do with our Advisory class (it's kind of like homeroom and meets once a week), and I am not a very touchy-feely person. 

Yesterday, we had one of those activities. I went into it thinking, "Well, at least the kids will be occupied during Advisory!" but it actually ended up being a really cool experience. Basically, the kids were given strips of paper and were instructed to write down things they are good at on each strip of paper. On one strip they had to say one activity they were good at, on another one academic thing they were good at, on another what their family would say they were good at, and on another what their friends would say. Then, they linked all their papers together to form one long chain that I put up in my room:

The idea, of course, is that we're all good at many things and that we are all connected somehow. Very touchy-feely. :)

As I struggled to stand on the top rung of my ladder and staple this massive paper chain to my wall (all the while thinking, I am totally going to fall and get hurt and no one will even know because my classroom is hidden and no one ever comes out here), I thought about how neat it was that my students had the opportunity to reflect on positive things in their lives. Their strips said cute things like: reading, making people laugh, listening, playing soccer and funny things like: doing my hair, texting, riding a bike with no hands, eating pizza.

We focus so much on the things we can't do. I can't run a sub-8 minute mile. I can't swim in open water. I can't do math. I can't find the time to get all my laundry put away before I have to do another load. It's kind of a bummer! Today I am going to celebrate the things I can do.

• I can be a great wife.
• I can teach 150 seventh graders how to write analytical paragraphs (it's hard!)
• I can cook a lot of things.
• I can be in control of what my family eats.
• I can run a half-marathon.
• I can read really fast.
• I can, I can, I can...

What can you do/What are you good at?