Sit. Stay. Good blog.

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted any recipe posts lately, it’s because I’ve started another site dedicated to healthy cooking, eating and living. I decided to split things up a bit because that stuff is appealing to a wider audience that might not be interested in more mundane details about my life in Kansas City.

I’d love for you to visit and take a look: Sit. Stay. Cook.

If you have any healthy-type topics you think I should cover, I welcome the comments and feedback.

Thanks – I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

It’s catch-up time, and that usually means a bulleted list. It means a bulleted list this time, too.

• We’ve been sticking pretty heavily to our “what’s next” philosophy. Why, just yesterday evening we replaced a couple of switchplates in a redecorated bathroom, re-hung a ceiling light, replaced our doorbell (it had been broken for years), assembled a new floor lamp, and Mr. Awesome mowed the yard and bathed the dog before I got home from work. We’re sleeping really well at night
• Since cancelling cable television service about a month ago, we have not suffered from a loss of anything to watch, especially since we signed up with Netflix again, primarily for their Instant Play feature. After breezing through The IT Crowd series for the second time (what a fantastic show), we are currently absorbed by the Up Series from the BBC. This series follows a group of children every 7 years, starting in 1964 when they were 7 with 7 Up. The series is currently on the 49-Up installment, and we’re up to 42-Up, which I’m anxious to watch tonight.
• A couple of weeks ago, we went to St. Louis to see the always delightful Kate Miller-Heidke perform at The Old Rock House. The show was great, and the venue was great, too. The trip also gave us an opportunity to visit the Arch and Citygarden and take pictures like this one:
• A rainy day last weekend afforded us the opportunity to make a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The museum is free, so really, if you haven’t been in a while you have no more excuses. Go there and enjoy stuff like this (we took our fisheye lens because everything is more interesting in fisheye):
  

  Little smurfy slaves for the afterlife.

  
  

  Woah. My digits are so cool.

  

  It's Dudley Moore!

  There are so many great pieces at the gallery. I want to post more, but I won’t inundate you. Maybe later. In the mean time, get thee to the museum!

• I recently discovered a culinary treat that is as easy as it is delicious. Are you ready for this? Take two or three frozen bananas and toss them in a food processor with a couple big tablespoons of reduced-fat peanut butter and a splash of soy milk. Puree until smooth, then freeze a bit more until it reaches the consistency of… BANANA SOFT-SERVE ICE CREAM! Yes, you can make something that tastes remarkably like real ice cream without any cream or ice or an ice cream maker or anything usually associated with the creation of ice cream. Except for a freezer, of course. Serve with a drizzle of (sugar-free for me) chocolate syrup and a little bit of crushed graham cracker crumbs and holy shitballs is that good. It’s so good I broke out the cussing.
• One day until Lilith Fair, and we’re still trying to decide if Metric is worth the price of admission and the oppressive heat. A couple more listens to Fantasies might make up our mind… it’s a terrific album and I highly recommend it.
• I finally beat the computer at Scrabble on my iPhone. On Hard. Thanks, 104-point word, ICEBREAKER.

It’s finally happening.

We’ve lived in our current house for 10 years, and have been accruing stuff all that time. Our three bedroom home had gradually turned into a large storage unit for things we thought we needed. First the garage, then the small basement, then one, then two of the spare rooms became catch-alls for things, old and new, that we figured we’d sort out eventually.

Eventually.

Eventually isn’t an actual time, you know.

Eventually never comes around.

What I’ve learned in the last year or so is that Eventually is a lie we tell ourselves to put off the inevitable. I’ll eventually lose weight. I’ll eventually get out of debt. I’ll eventually de-clutter my life.

Eventually. No more Eventually.

We have moved on to What’s Next?

What’s next? Should we clean out this closet? Learn how to make great Vietnamese spring rolls? Throw away the decorative fountain that broke six years ago? Cancel cable? Move that piece of furniture into a usable place? What’s next?

What’s Next is giving us the ability to look at what we need to do and take it a piece at a time. There’s no start date or end date, no ultimate goal in mind other than moving past the things that were going to get done Eventually and going on to the next necessary task.

In the last month or so, we’ve cleaned out our garage and basement from top to bottom, organized our closets, beautified our lawn, made countless little repairs around the house, and thrown away more junk than I thought possible.

Last week, after a 3-month daily countdown to the day our contract expired, we were finally able to cancel our cable television service. We kept internet service and lowered our bill by $80 a month. This wasn’t a difficult decision – since rearranging furniture earlier in the year, we hadn’t had cable TV hooked up to a television and for the last few months, haven’t missed it. We either watch it online or download it.

Here’s something valuable I learned recently: I used to think the number of “must-see” TV shows I couldn’t miss was somewhere around 10 or 15. Now, that number is around 5 or 6. It’s incredible how “must see” something is when you have to do a tiny bit of legwork to watch it.

It’s finally happening. We’re finally getting organized, and the remarkable part is that both Mr. Awesome and I actually get excited when we ask What’s Next? Take it a piece at a time, and any task is completely doable.

What’s Next?

Dinner. That’s what. For dinner tonight, we’re making one of my favorites: salmon with leeks and balsamic sauce, served over grains. We typically make couscous with herbs and cheese with this dish, but tonight I’m going to try Seeds of Change Uyuni Quinoa & Whole Grain Brown Rice that I picked up at Costco.

This dish is really, really, REALLY easy. It literally comes together in 10 minutes, and tastes like something you’d pay big bucks for in a fancy restaurant. If I could eat only one salmon dish for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Honey-Balsamic Sauce

Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 8 per serving

Cooking spray
1/4 tsp. olive oil
4 leeks, chopped, white and light green parts only
4 6-oz salmon fillets, with or without skin
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium-high heat; add leeks, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

Sprinkle fish with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from pan; set aside, and keep warm.

Add vinegar, honey, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper to pan. Cook over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until reduced by half. Divide leeks evenly over fish; drizzle with sauce. Yield: 4 servings

A few weeks ago, we went to Texas for some music and fun. To be quite honest, Texas wasn’t quite what I expected. It met, exceeded, broke and refined some of the stereotypes I held all at the same time. And really, that’s all I have to say about Texas. I have some pictures that I haven’t unloaded yet, and I’ll post some when I get around to it. As you can tell, Texas left an enormous impression on me. /end sarcasm.

ANYWHO, this weekend is our annual foray into the outdoor life that is Camp Bacon. Two days of camping, drinking, eating, drinking and more eating. What’s a girl who’s trying to eat healthier to do at an event called Camp Bacon? Well, for starters, I’m bringing my Awesomesauce cookies, so there will be at least one healthy option. I know someone else is bringing veggies, so there’s another. And pork is the other white meat, right? So how bad can that be?

Earlier this week, I had a craving for peanut butter cookies, which usually don’t even register on the healthy scale. But these are different – they’re not terrible for you, and have some really interesting and surprising touches that make them real standouts. They look like regular peanut butter cookies, and even taste like them, at first. Then you get the sort of nutty creaminess of the pureed chickpeas, then the hint of heat from the cayenne – the humble peanut butter cookie is transformed into something really special and great.

Spiced Peanut Butter Cookies
Servings: 30 cookies

1 c. canned chickpeas, not drained*
1 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper (or coat with cooking spray); set aside.

*Drain chickpeas and reserve liquid. Pour 1 c. of chickpeas into a  measuring cup and pour in enough chickpea liquid just to cover the beans; puree chickpeas and their liquid in a blender or mini food processor.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream peanut butter, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; mix well again. Add pureed chick peas; blend thoroughly with mixer. Add flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne; mix again.

Shape rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough into small balls. Place dough on prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2-inches between cookies.

When a cookie sheet is filled, press each ball down with palm of your hand to flatten. Then flatten cookies even more by making cross-hatch marks with back of a fork that’s been dipped in just a bit of sugar.

Bake until cookies turn slightly golden, about 11 to 14 minutes depending on desired crispness. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Our recent trip to Chicago was really, really great. Some tidbits:

• On the recommendation of some friends and TripAdvisor, we took an architecture river cruise and LOVED it. I can’t recommend it highly enough – make sure you bring a camera (and a coat, if it’s a chilly day like we had).
• The Museum of Science and Industry is really cool, and even better when it’s free, like it was on the day we went.
• Public transportation in Chicago is outstanding. We parked early in the morning and took trains and buses just about everywhere. Get a 3-day pass and go to town!
• Millennium Park is beautiful and worth a visit. If you’re lucky, you’ll go on a quiet, chilly morning and get the Cloud Gate all to yourself:
• Make a reservation to eat lunch at Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill. I didn’t know what real Mexican food was until we ate there. HINT: cheese was conspicuously (and pleasantly) missing from our plates). This is me trying to figure out how I’m going to eat my mole enchiladas after just downing the best ceviche ever created (those are Mr. Awesome’s catfish tacos in the foreground):
• Shedd Aquarium is beautiful, the sea otters and the sea turtle are mesmerizing, but thank the universe the Fantasea show only costs two dollars. I know what Frontera Grill did with all the cheese that’s missing from their food – they shipped it off to Shedd and Fantasea was formed out of it. What an cornball show. If you go, sit in the front row so you can at least get a glimpse of a penguin.
• Oh yeah, and we saw four incredible Ben Folds shows (one was in St. Louis) – numbers 32, 33, 34 and 35! His cover of Dresden Dolls’ The Jeep Song was particularly great, as was hearing these other songs live for the first time ever:
  - Jackson Cannery
  - Video
  -  Don’t Change Your Plans
  - Mess
  - Carrying Cathy
  - Fired
  - Time
  - Wandering
  - Songs of Love
  - Practical Amanda (from new Nick Hornby collaboration due out in September)
  - Say Yes (Elliot Smith cover)
  - Twin Falls (Built to Spill cover)
  - The Jeep Song (aforementioned)
  - Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
  - Long Tall Texan
  - Chopsticks (Liz Phair cover)
  Whew!
• The drive back to KC flew by, thanks to podcasts of This American Life. INDESPENSIBLE on a road trip. Seriously.

When we got back home, I was really happy to cook again – I missed it! We had grilled chicken with a spice rub from Penzey’s, some mashed sweet potatoes and I made a really delicious quick brown bread, the recipe for which follows below. This bread is dense, but not heavy, and is just wonderful with a touch of buttery spread. Mmm… It reheats nicely in the microwave, too.

I have a picture somewhere, but I haven’t uploaded it yet. It looks like the bread from Outback Steakhouse, only slightly lighter in color.

Sweet Brown Bread
Servings: 8
Weight Watchers Points: 1.5 per serving

1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, zest, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, molasses and brown sugar. Pour over the flour mixture, mixing quickly to blend (do not overmix).

Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

We’re heading to Texas next week for more shows, food and fun. Yee haw!

This weekend we head off to the Windy City for several days of food, music and fun. Lots of chicken sandwiches on the road, sushi, a trip to Frontera Grill and other surprises await. We might even take in a show or two (or four). But as excited as I am for our trip, I’m really going to miss cooking for the next week.

I’ve gotten to the point with cooking that there are very few places I like to go out to eat any more. I can put together something delicious and far healthier at home for a fraction of the cost, and have fun doing it. It is so very satisfying to sit down to a meal I’ve put together myself and realize it looks every bit as good as something I’d pay good money for in a restaurant. Then to take a bite and go, “Wow – this is GOOD!” It amazes me every time. Even when I get a good meal out somewhere, I still miss the feeling of having made it myself.

That said, I am looking forward to new tastes, new places and several days of not having to put together a shopping list

While I’m away, you should cook one of my favorite meals: Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Thyme and Garlic and Creamy Polenta with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis. (I think it takes longer to type out the title of the dish than to make it.) These two dishes are great accompaniments to other things, but they go especially well together.  The mushrooms can marinate while the polenta cooks, then you broil the mushrooms while the polenta rests. Make sure to use plenty of fresh thyme – and save some to sprinkle over the whole thing before serving. We have this a couple of times a month – I hope it finds a way into your rotation, too! I think we made this twice before we considered it is meatless – the mushrooms are so… so… meaty, that we didn’t miss not having chicken or fish on the plate.

So good - you will forget it is healthy!

Creamy Polenta with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
Servings: 6
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving

1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded and chopped – jarred is just fine
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 3/4 c. water
1 3/4 c. skim milk
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. polenta, preferably stone-ground
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish

In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted red pepper, garlic, basil and 1 Tbsp. of the water. Process until smooth and set the coulis aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, remaining water, olive oil and salt. Whisk in the polenta and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the polenta begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and resume stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Add the coulis and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges and sprinkle with thyme.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Thyme and Garlic
Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 1 per serving

2 Tbsp. vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large portobello mushrooms, brushed clean and stemmed

Combine the stock, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme and salt in a large zip-lock bag. Arrange the mushroom caps in one layer in the marinade, turning once to coat. Seal the bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate the mushrooms at room temperature, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare a hot grill or broiler, and lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Positon the cooking rack 4 inches from the heat source.

Arrange the mushrooms on the rack or broiler pan and grill or broil, turning often, until tender, about 4 minutes total per side.

Using tongs, transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board. slice thinly and serve warm.

Ah, spring. I can’t believe it’s finally starting to prevail against the long and cold winter. I’m really looking forward to getting out for some walks, taking photos, getting some yard work done, and cooking with some fresh, spring-y produce.

I’m lucky enough to work across the street from the Discovery Center, so daily walks (when the weather cooperates) have become my thing over the last few weeks. I love seeing the ducks and geese and squirrels and whatnot celebrating the arrival of a new spring season. I also love that I have a peaceful, serene place to go to get some mid-day exercise. I may curse the building I work in for being in disrepair, but location-wise, I couldn’t be happier.

However…

Even those of us who are trying to live healthier have sweet tooths. I know I do. So what’s a trying-to-be-healthy girl to do when a sweet craving comes on (one can only eat so many grapes)? Why, make cookies, of course!

These cookies are, by far, the best cookies I’ve ever made. And they taste even better when you realize that they are not terrible for you! As I’ve said before, and I’ll say again – just because something isn’t bad for you doesn’t mean it tastes bad. Not only do these NOT taste bad, they taste better than darn near any cookie out there. Make these, and you won’t go back to the basic, high-fat chocolate chip cookies. I promise.

Lynn’s Awesomesauce Cookies

Servings: about 40 cookies
Weight Watchers Points: 1.5 per cookie

3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk chocolate chips
3/4 c. peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sugars, butter, applesauce, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool on a rack and enjoy!

Brag time.

I’m finally down to fitting in a jeans size I can’t remember wearing since high school.

I wore a shirt the other day for the first time that I bought 3 years ago – at the time, I thought I’d fit into it “eventually.”

I’m actually looking forward to summer for the first time in many years, because I’ll be able to wear short-sleeved shirts without feeling self-conscious.

AND – how’s this for TMI – I have now lost enough weight that I finally had to invest in new bras.

I’m not done yet, but I’m getting there. If I have any regrets, they are that I didn’t do this 10 years ago, or even 2 years ago. But I’m doing it now, and every day I’m healthier than the day before.

Okay, enough bragging. Well, maybe not quite. I finished a sewing project the other day – I made a set of sushi-themed dinner napkins for some friends and gave them to them when we met for a sushi dinner at Sakura:

How do you say "cute" in Japanese? Kawaii! Thanks, Google!

That was such a fun project! I’m working on another set in a different theme right now, and have lots of ideas for projects waiting in the wings.

With the weather getting nicer, it’s going to be harder to find time to spend sewing, but I’ll make it work. Especially since Mr. Awesome and I started a marathon of Lost last week (thanks, Hulu!). We hadn’t watched the show, so we started watching over the weekend and have made it almost to the end of Season 2. Our goal is to catch up by the time the finale airs, but that’s ambitious. Lost is like a Dan Brown novel – every episode ends on a cliffhanger so you can’t wait to get to the next episode. We’re liking it a lot – DON’T TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!

Speaking of the weather changing, with spring trying desperately to make an appearance, I thought I’d try coaxing it on with some artichokes, tomatoes and fresh basil. The resulting dish is one we’ll be making again. It’s easy, healthy and, most importantly, delicious.

This has it all – the richness of salmon, the freshness of basil and tomatoes, the savoriness of artichoke and mushroom, and what isn’t great about pesto? Nothing, that’s what.

Pesto Salmon with Roasted Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

We served this tasty salmon with Buttery Herb Couscous.

Servings: 2
Weight Watchers Points:  9 per serving

2 c. fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (9 ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and rinsed
1 small package mushrooms, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 (6 ounce) skinless salmon fillets

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an appropriately sized baking pan with cooking spray.

In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, walnuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and salt to taste. Blend until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Toss the artichoke hearts, mushrooms and tomatoes together and arrange in 2 separate mounds in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Place one salmon fillet on top of each vegetable mound and season with salt and pepper. Spread the basil mixture on the fillets.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the fillets are no longer translucent in the center and the fish flakes when pressed with a fork. Serve immediately.

Inspired by a post over at reddit.com, we took advantage of an abundance of empty computer boxes from work and made Grizz his own Tower of Power!

We’ll be expanding it outwards and upwards in the coming days, but for now he seems pretty content with the current results.

In other news, I roasted my first chicken the other night and, despite my noobish self roasting it upside down, it was delicious. Cook and learn, right?

We’ve been keeping up with the cooking of new stuff lately, and in that spirit, I will share with you one of the hits. Luckily, there have been very few misses. Aside from being tasty, this dish has the distinction of having one of the funniest names around.

Singapore Chow Mai Fun

Just like in a Chinese restaurant, only no fortune cookie.

Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 5 per serving

5 ounces mai fun (rice sticks or rice noodles)
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3/4 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp. sugar
6 ounces lean ground pork
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat; add the mai fun and soak until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Spray a wok with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir-fry until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and curry powder. Stir-fry until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the noodles and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

NOTES: This dish tasted just like something you’d get from a good Chinese Restaurant. The ground pork is so juicy and different from the normal protein we usually use. The noodles are so good in this, too – a nice change from rice. Be careful not to add too much heat or it will become overwhelming. Trust me on this.