Little Bites of Heaven

So here's a rundown of my weekend: Friday night, Jared and I tried a new Indian restaurant in Layton, Taste of India. Yes, Indian has arrived in Layton! The restaurant is on Woodland Hills Drive, near Sego Lily Day Spa. The decor is nice and simple reds and golds, the staff is friendly, and the dishes are superb. I departed from my usual order of chicken coconut korma, and I tried the lamb rogan josh, cheese naan and mango lassi. Everything was delicious and I'm sure I'll be back there again, take out or eat in. After that Jared and I drove over to DSW and to my amazement what did I see? Red Mango, my favorite fro yo place just opened near Cafe Rio, about a week ago. I was so excited I went in for a small cup and then I promptly dumped my cup on my lap in my new clean car! Oh well, I'll be going back there often enough.

Saturday my friend Jen had some friends over for pizza and a movie. We watched Australia and drooled over Hugh Jackman - Hot! I brought over some Scotcheroos. These just weren't ordinary Scotcheroos though, the yum factor was hopped up with Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos. David Lebovitz is a favorite blogger of mine, he's a cookbook author living in Paris, and he created this Triple Chocolate Scotcheroo recipe. These are to die for, and be warned, they are very addicting. Here's the recipe, and yes, I sprinkled them with a little sea salt, not necessary, but I liked it. Enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 cup (200g) sugar
1 cup (320g) light corn syrup
1/2 cup (130g) peanut butter
1/2 cup (130g) Nutella, or a similar chocolate-hazelnut paste
6 cups (200g) crisp chocolate-flavored (or mixed with plain) rice cereal (I mixed half and half)
6 ounces chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or 1 cup (165g) chocolate chips
1 cup (165g) butterscotch-flavored chips
optional: fleur de sel or flaky sea salt

1. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 qts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and rice or corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.

3. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a clean, dry bowl set over a double boiler or microwave, stirring gently until smooth and well-blended. Spread over the rice cereal mixture, sprinkle lightly with salt (if using) and cool until set.

Serving: Once cool, cut into small bars with a sharp knife. These are pretty intense and certainly on the sweet side, so bite-sized portions are in order.

Hot Russell is Back

Did you know that Gladiator is one of my favorite movies? I think I've watched it about a billion times. Russell Crowe just does it for me. How could you not love the general who became a slave, the slave who became a gladiator, the gladiator that kills the evil emporer (creepy to the max Joaquin Phoenix)??? Well lately, let's just say Russell hasn't had any "hot" roles. Although I'm excited to see State of Play, I'm hearing good things about it. So how excited am I to see the USA Today spotlighting the new Robin Hood movie, opening next May 2010, starring Russell Crowe in all his hotness, paired up with his old Gladiator director, Ridley Scott. You bet I'm excited, do I have to wait a whole year???

I Heart This!

This season on PBS, Masterpiece Theatre has had some amazing productions. Early in the season they did Tess of the D'Urberbilles (a favorite of mine), Wuthering Heights, and an encore of Sense and Sensibility. For the last half, Masterpiece has been doing Dickens and I've been loving every presentation. On their schedule is Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Little Dorrit and The Old Curiousity Shop. I'm halfway through Little Dorrit, and it is definitely a classic. I've never read Little Dorrit but I love the movie so much that I'm sure it will find it's way on my "to read" list. I was looking at Amazon and they will soon release the ultimate Dickens Fix: The Charles Dickens Masterworks Collection including Oliver Twist, The Old Curiousity Shop, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and Great Expectations. The Amazon price is $80.99, and the release date is May 5, 2009. Guess what I'll be doing on May 5th?

Dinner in 20?

Here's a recipe for Black Bean Tacos that I tried last night for dinner, it super quick (think dinner ready in 20 minutes), and super tasty. I saw the recipe for these tacos in Bon Appetit magazine and quickly glanced by. Surely it was too simple to be good? Well, then one of my favorite bloggers, Smitten Kitchen, did a post about these tacos and raved about how delish they were. Then I saw it posted several times on Tastespotting, and I knew I had to try it. The only thing I did different was I had some pinto beans in the fridge that needed to be used, so I substituted them, but I'll be sure to try black beans next time.

Oh, have a failed to mention my new addiction? My friend Jen hooked me up with Tastespotting and I've been hopelessly addicted since. She sent me a word of warning, and I will send one too, enter at your own risk, once you visit this website you won't be able to leave. Tastespotting is a compilation of photos and recipes from that vast world of food blogging, full of yummy-licious food. Now you've been warned.


Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Preparation:
Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you and I hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Book Review

Here's a book that is a MUST READ. I saw Still Alice, written by Lisa Genova, at Barnes and Noble a while back and it intrigued me but since I already had my arms full of my allowable book quota I didn't buy it. Then, last week I was wandering around again, saw it, and bought it. I intended to put it in my "to read" pile but I started reading the first page and I literally could not put it down.

Still Alice is the fictional story of Alice Howland, a highly successful professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard, married to a professor at Harvard as well, with three children. She's about to turn 50 and starts to notice odd things with her memory, she's forgetful and sometimes disoriented. She chalks it off to menopause, not getting enough sleep, or stress. However, as the severity of the memory issues increase, she makes an appointment with a neurologist at a memory disorders unit. "Alice, you have early onset Alzheimer's disease."

This book is written from the perspective of Alice so it portrays her descent into Alzheimer's and how it affects her relationship with her husband, her children and her colleagues. The author paints an incredibly intimate portrait of Alice and her family. Sometimes, I felt like I shouldn't be there listening in on their private conversations, an intrusion. There were many times that I wept for Alice and her family. I don't have any personal experience knowing anyone with Alzheimer's, but this book affected me deeply and was so touching. My grandmother has a mild to moderate form of dementia and it really helped me appreciate what she goes through sometimes. I think the next time she forgets something or asks me the same thing twice, I will have more compassion and understanding and patience. A reviewer, Beverly Beckham with The Boston Globe, wrote, "After I read Still Alice, I wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, 'You have to get this book.'" I think that sums it up.

How Adorable Is This?

How cute would this be on your Easter table?

Perfect Roast Chicken

Here's an old standby recipe of mine. I especially love to make a roasted chicken on Sunday (like this last Sunday), and serve with mashed potatoes and vegies. I love this particular recipe because the chicken is always tender and juicy, with crisp skin, and very flavorful. I like to buy the 2 pack of chickens at Costco. At $6.00 per chicken, this makes for an economical (and yummy) meal.

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 6 lb.)
1 T. butter, softened
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry (including cavity) with paper towels. Cut onion into thick 1/4" slices and place them in 2 rows in a heavy duty roasting pan to form a bed for the chicken to rest on. Place the chicken on onions and tuck tips of wings under the bottom to keep them from burning. Put garlic cloves and thyme sprigs into cavity. Roll lemon on counter and pierce several times with a fork. Put lemon in cavity. Spread butter over entire exposed surface of the chicken. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Bake for 1 1/2 hours (I generally find the length of time to be spot on). When you take the chicken out of oven let rest on cutting board for about 15 minutes before carving. You can take the drippings from the pan and make a gravy if you like. When carving I like to squeeze some of the lemon over the chicken.

Thomas Friedman is My Idol

I was reading the newspaper on Sunday and saw that one of my idols, Thomas Friedman, was going to be speaking at Abravanel Hall on Tuesday night. So last night on a whim I went and bought a cheap seat and had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Friedman speak. If you haven't heard of Thomas Friedman, he is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the New York Times and he has written several books about world affairs. Some of the topics he has covered include the Middle East conflict, the cold war, U.S. domestic policy and foreign policy, terrorism, and global warming. For those of you local here, his column often appears in the editorial section of the Deseret News. I have always been a fan of his work, when he speaks - I listen. I like his world view and his arguments always make sense to me. Last night he spoke about his latest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, which I haven't had a chance to read yet. Last year I read another recent book of his, The World is Flat, and I learned a lot from it. Now I just need to put Hot, Flat and Crowded on my reading list!

Gettin' Away

Last weekend I just had to escape so me and the girls (Jen and Amy) got out of town and headed to St. George where it was a little warmer.  It was so relaxing and we did a whole lot of nothin'.  We tried a really good Thai place and, of course, In-N-Out.  Shopping, hot tubbing, the movie, hiking, napping, like I said - a lot of relaxing.  Saturday morning we drove out to Snow Canyon and hiked around the Petrified Dunes.  I love it down in southern Utah, I love that vast ocean of red rock.  All in all, it was the perfect weekend to relax with great friends.

Sweet Find

I want to get the word out, if you are looking for some unique and personalized custom made jewelry, look no further. Check out this blog:

http://kporiginals.blogspot.com

My sweet cousin Kenna makes really unique initial pendants. She just started a blog to showcase her designs and if you like something you see you can go ahead and order it. One of her ideas I really like is you can give her your meaningful photos and have them made into a pendant. For my Grandma's 100th birthday, Kenna made her a pendant with a photo of my grandma and grandpa early in their marriage. It is a treasure! So if you're looking for a special gift for someone or you just want to treat yourself, check out this blog!

Goodbye Fabio

Last night was the first part of the finale on Top Chef. I have been rooting for Fabio all season, but alas, he made a good run and was eliminated. So SAD, and now we're left with crazy Carla, cocky Stefan, and Hosea (who I think if given the chance would like to knife Stefan in the back). But back to Fabio, I HEART FABIO! He has been so entertaining to watch all season, this guy cracks me up. His accent is adorable and it makes his comments even more hysterical. So, in honor of Fabio I thought I would post some of his better quotes of the season:

It doesn't matter how many dragoon you kill, it just matters that you bring home the preencess.

Colicchio. He is like Pope to me.

There is no freakin' blue food.

end of story....

Do I know how make hot dog? No! I know how make sausage!

I'm 30 years old and I have to sleep on the BUNKY bed.

Describing his car: it is a piece of...poo.

Here's 2 variations:
I could serve monkey ass on a clam shell and my team would win.

But I'm a chef. There's nothing that can stress me out. If they gonna give me monkey ass to fill with fried banana, I'll come up with something anyway. It's not a problem.

This is Top Chef...not Top Scallop.

And finally, the last 2 are my favs:

No way, hospital? I'll chop it off and sear it on the flattop so it doesn't bleed anymore, and tomorrow I'll deal with my finger.

I got so many kick in my ass, that sometime when I'm in the bathroom, I still pull shoes out of my ass.

End of story... now vote for Fabio for fan favorite!

2 for 1

Here's a couple of recipes that I made recently that I think are winners. The first recipe I found in Cooking Light Magazine, it was easy, economical, and low in fat.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1 c. preshredded 4 cheese Mexican blend (I used cheddar)
1/3 c. fat free milk
1 egg
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 - 14 oz. can cream style corn
1 - 8.5 oz. box corn muffin mix
1 - 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 - 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast (I used about 3 c.)
1/2 c. fat free sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. combine 1/4 c. cheese and next seven ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top each serving with 1 T. sour cream.


I was watching Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals the other day and she was making this Chili Suizas Bake. It looked so delish I had to try it last night. Just an FYI, ground chicken is really hard to find. I went to several stores and apparently they don't offer ground chicken because of some health code. I ended up going to Marberger Meats in Bountiful (a great butcher shop BTW), and they ground me some fresh chicken. I think you could try this with ground turkey, but I prefer the ground chicken. This ends up being kind of like a chili/soup with the chips and cheese on top - kind of like a chili version of Enchilada Suizas. Yum - O!

Chili Suizas Bake

3 large poblano peppers (I didn't find poblanos so I ended up using anaheim peppers)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs. ground chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 large or 16 medium to small tomatillos, peeled, rinsed and halved
1/4 c. cilantro, a handful
2 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. honey
salt and pepper
1 lime, juiced
1/2 c. sour cream
3 c. lightly crushed tortilla chips
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

Heat the broiler to high. Place the poblanos under hot broiler and char until blackened on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Leave the door of the oven cracked to allow the steam to escape. Place the peppers ina bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. All the peppers to cool enough to handle. While peppers char, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and lightly brown, 3 -4 minutes. Stir in onions, jalapeno and garlic and cook to soften onions about 5 minutes. While onions cook, place tomatillos and cilantro in the food processor and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillos into the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chicken stock and honey, season with salt and pepper and simmer chili 10 minutes.

When poblano peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off, remove seeds and chop, stir into chili. Remove chili pan from heat and stir in lime juice. (at this point you could either leave the mixture in the skillet, or put into a 9 x 13 pan - I used the 9 x 13). Add dollops of sour cream on top of the chili, placing spoonfuls evenly across the pan. Cover the pan with a layer of crushed chips and top with swiss and monterey jack cheeses. Place under broiler until brown and bubbly. Serve from hot skillet, spooning chili into shallow dinner bowls.

I served this with chopped red onion and avocados.