Soup and Crostini.....the perfect pair

yeah yeah tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich are the ACTUAL perfect pair, but for me, my split pea soup and prosciutto crostini were the perfect pair for me tonight.  I just downed all of it.  Would you like me to share?  Wouldya?  That's what I thought.  So, first let me start by saying I have never ever made split-pea soup so I sort of flew by the seat of my pants, but I gotta say, it came out STUPENDOUSLY!  My mom always makes bean soups and they are utterly delicious, so homey, yet so LIGHT because THEY'RE BEANS!  Her secret is to use a ham bone- where did I get a ham bone, you ask? I served a ham for Easter- DUH!  After we got all of that glorious meat off the bone (and by "we" I mean Scott- love you!), I set out to make my split pea soup.  You should have a dinner party and serve ham JUST so you can make this soup.  You will live off of it for the rest of the week.  It will save your grocery bill because it's REAL inexpensive (minus the fact that you had to buy a huge ham....we won't talk about that).

Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
* note: I doubled this recipe and I will write out the ingredients as such, but you can half this to make a normal amount

• 2 bags of split peas, rinsed and picked over (I didn't really know what this meant but just do it- if you see any beans that look like rocks, throw 'em out)
• at least 4 cups of chicken broth (that's 2 of those boxes)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and peppa

Directions for Split Pea Soup

• In a large stock pot, sautee garlic and onions in some olive oil over medium heat until onions are transluscent.  add a pinch of salt, also add your pinch of red pepper flakes
• stick your ham bone in there and add your chicken stock- if the stock doesn't cover the ham bone, add water until the ham bone is covered
• add your bay leaves
• bring your stock to a boil, then add your split peas with another pinch of salt and some black pepper
• turn heat down to low and let this baby simmer for at least 45 minutes (I think I let it go for a couple of hours)

*I'm not gonna lie, when I tasted the soup I wasn't convinced.  It was OK. I added some more salt and pepper and hoped for the best.  It's best to serve this soup the NEXT day- PLEASE let this soup allow its' flavors to marry and fall in love in the refrigerator.  Check your soup for flavorings one last time (don't be discouraged if it's not great yet) and stick it in the fridge over night.  When you're ready to eat it for lunch or dinner the next day, re-heat it and try it to see what it needs.  It should be PERFECT AND READY TO GO if you've layered your flavors the day before.  You gotta let the fridge do her thang and help out your soup!

Ok now if you're not wanting a plain ole' grilled cheese with your soup (although who wouldn't want that?), here's another option: basil prosciutto crostini.  It's not like the most ingenious thing, but man is it flavorful.  This is one of those things that you sort of build with what you have on hand. I know I'm about to sound like a foofie foodie here (yes I meant to do that) but I just happened to have fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, prosciutto, bread, and some parmesan. So here it goes:

Ingredients for Basil Prosciutto Crostini

• bread.  ideally you want a french bread or something you can use as a crostini, but I only had sourdough so I halfed it
• some prosciutto (AF ladies, this is in the section of the commissary where they sell butter)
• big fresh basil leaves
• sliced tomato
• 1 garlic clove, skins removed
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese
• balsamic vinegar

Directions

• turn on the broiler and put your bread (however much you're making) into the oven for a few minutes (like 3)
• once they're toasted, take your garlic clove and rub it vigorously all over the bread
• layer one piece of prosciutto, then a slice of tomato
• grate some parmesan over it
• stick in the broiling oven for 3 minutes or until golden and bubbly
• put those beautiful basil leaves on top and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic
• enjoy.

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimmichurri Sauce

Let me just state that as I write this all hell is breaking loose around me- the world is apparently coming to an end according to the weather man I'm listening to.  There are tornadoes in surrounding cities and hail coming our way. Ok, Ok.  I get that it's dangerous- but he's just killin' me.  So, where's my "tornado safe place" as the weather man calls it?  At my computer, thinking about food, and yes, right next to a window.  Don't worry, I'll move if I hear sirens.  All that aside, my dinner last night was delicious and I want to share it with you.  I didn't take step by step pictures because I was flying by the seat of my pants and didn't know it would turn out as well as it did...but boyyyy did it.  I kept it light (we don't do beef a lot in this house but recently I am a HUGE fan of flank steak so when we do steak I serve it with something light....like my Roasted Corn and Black Bean "salad" if you will)

(i'd like to apologize for the terrible quality that is not doing the deliciousness of the food justice- i accidentally loaded it onto my computer before sending it through "instagram" and then after it was loaded, it deleted off of my phone so there was no hope.  I promise the side dish is more succulent than it looks!! and ok...i might have added too much oil but it did NOT taste oily and I ate around it...my heart thanked me)

Ingredients

• 1 package of flank steak
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley
• 2-3 cloves of garlic depending on how large they are
• canola oil
• salt- a good pinch

I didn't do anything with the steak except sprinkle some grill seasonings on both sides, rubbed it in a little bit, and threw it on a hot grill.  Flank steak doesn't take too long too cook- I'd say check it after 4 minutes per side- it should be brown and deliciously seared.  obviously it depends on how well you like your steak done, but i think 4-5 minutes per side is lovely.  When it's done, please let it rest for AT LEAST 15 minutes! This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak so when you cut it, the juices don't run everywhere- which dries the steak out, and NOBODY wants a chewy, dried-out steak!

Ok, chimmichurri sauce: toss everything except the oil (stems of the herbs are ok to include!) into a food processor (if you don't have one, you can certainly use a blender- i'd just chop up the garlic slightly before tossing it in).  give it a whirl and then slowly stream in the canola oil- enough until it looks wet- not too wet and saucy, but wet.  you'll know when this happens.  taste for seasonings and if you need more salt, add it.

note: kate, I know anthony doesn't love cilantro- but he won't even recognize it.  remember when you came to visit me in puerto rico and we went to that restaurant "raices" and ate mofongo?  do you remember the green sauce that came with it?  THAT is what this tastes like.  I made it and didn't even realize it until scott pointed it out.  The fact that he compared it to one of our favorite Puerto Rican restaurants rocked my world!


Ingredients for Roasted Corn and Black Bean salsa/salad/side dish thing

• 1 avocado, diced (it makes it...truly)
• 2 limes
• canola oil (meh, maybe 1/3 cup?)
• salt and peppa
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 ears of corn
• cilantro- maybe 1-2 tablespoons (but you can never have too much)
• 1 chopped tomatoes (whatever kind you like)
• *I would have added some red onion but I didn't have any
• *mexican COTIJA cheese (the crumbly stuff) would also be delicious in here

Directions

• char your corn on the grill when you throw the steak on- it took a goooodddd 15-20 minutes but we were also dealing with wind that kept blowing the flame out so who knows how long it will take you
• while your corn is grilling, juice both of your limes into a medium size bowl.  add a pinch of salt.
• gently stream your canola oil into your lime juice, whisking it as you pour.  taste for seasonings.
• add your cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, red onion (if using) and your corn. mix all together
• *note: here's the way I cut my corn off the cob.  Ya know that hole in the middle of your cake bundt pan?  I stick the ear on top of that to hold it steady, then I slice around with a knife and the corn has a place to fall- in the bundt pan!  It's marvelous.
• add your cheese (if using) at the end.  Yes, this could be used as a dip with tortilla chips, but it is a delicious, light and healthy side item, as well!

This is the perfect late spring/summer dish!  Enjoy!

ps: I wrote this yesterday- and then lost power and internet RIGHT before I posted it, and as a matter of fact, all hell did break loose- only it didn't break loose here in Columbus, it broke loose in Tuscaloosa.  Please pray, friends.  It is utterly devastating.  I didn't mean to take light of the situation in my above statement I'm just giving you background for what was happening yesterday- but today is a new day, and unfortunately, it's an incredibly sad day for Tuscaloosa and other cities that were devastated by these tornadoes.  sorry for my little PSA, here.  go make this dinner and enjoy- on a more positive note!

It's Bacon!!!

Today I took my last test as a graduate student.

Whooooo!!!!!

I'm done with school I'm done with school!

And it feels sooooo good.

So to celebrate I made breakfast for dinner: my fave. Scrambled eggs, cranberry orange muffins (from a mix, don't be impressed) and TURKEY BACON.

Yep, you heard me. Turkey bacon. Sounds weird? Sounds gross? Do I sound like Rob Lowe from Parks and Recreation? Anyone? Nope. It's not gross. It tastes goooood and... are you ready for it?

35 calories per slice. Not bad, huh?

I felt soooo East Texas sittin' there at the stove with my fying pan... like I was reconnecting with my roots.

Go eat some turkey bacon.

Chocolate Pudding Wedges with Cinnamon Toasts

don't judge my presentation- what it lacked in presentation, it made up for in rich, delicious flavor!

I love any chance I can get to try new recipes, so when I had a meeting at my house this week, I knew I was going to make dessert so I got out all of my dessert recipes (well, almost all) and sifted through them and this guy came out on top.  It's thick, creamy, not too sweet, and delicious on top of those cinnamon baguettes.  The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, and I was tempted to try it with semi sweet, but my friend Evelyn told me it'd probably be too sweet- and she's probably right, although next time I might try doing half bitter sweet half semi sweet. The original recipe, however, is pure delectability, so try it first, and then play around depending on your chocolate tastes :) This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens February 2010 magazine (one of the pages I probably stole in a doctor's office or something)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's brand)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 10 oz. bittersweet chocolate (60% to 62% cacao...I have no idea why it's so particular.  just go with it)
• 2 tablespoons of dark rum, optional
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (plus about a tablespoon or two)
• 1/4 stick butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (btw, I keep my butter at room temp.  It's safe. If you use salted, don't add the salt, if you use unsalted, obviously, add the salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 12 baguettes sliced diagonally

Directions

• In a large heavy saucepan, whisk the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  
• Add 1/2 cup of the milk.  Whisk to a smooth paste.  Turn on the stove to medium-high heat then whisk in the remaining milk and whipping cream.  Stir constantly until pudding thickens and begins to bubble at edges (this took me about 5 minutes- don't be discouraged if it takes a bit- but make sure you keep stirring until it thickens).  Then, stir 30 seconds more.
• Add chocolate, stir 1 minute to melt.  Remove from heat; stir in rum and vanilla
• Transfer pudding to a lightly oiled 9 inch deep dish pie plate.  Cool, uncovered, for 2 hours at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate over night.
• For cinnamon toasts, combine the room temp butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt (if using) with a fork until well combined.  
• Spread the butter mixture over the baguettes (you can also keep this butter recipe and use for muffins, breads, etc.  your husbands/wives/children/girlfriends/boyfriends/whoever will LOVE you)
• put the baguettes on a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes
• to serve, DON'T DO IT LIKE I DID. it looked ugly.  INSTEAD: slice them up, they will look prettier.  I was trying to be rustic but it just looked like a big blob- thank God it tasted good!  anyway, slice 'em up like a thick piece of pie, and serve alongside the baguettes. 
• spread the chocolate wedges over the bread and enjoy!

If people weren't around me, I would have licked the plate.

Dolmades: Little Packages of Greek Goodness

Meredith’s recent post “Greek Fare” really got me in the mood for some Greek food. It was my turn to cook for small group this week and as I was brainstorming for what I could make to feed six people, my mind kept turning those roasted potatoes and tzatziki sauce that she made. I love anything with a yogurt base. I obsessed over this meal all day on Tuesday… my mom and Meredith can tell you… I was calling them in between classes and on breaks trying to think of what I could serve as a main course and how I could make my own pita bread. I finally decided to give myself a little challenge and make dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves. If you look at my class notes for this past Tuesday, the margins are filled with ingredients that I was considering filling the dolmades with. Wednesday was my birthday, so I decided to give myself a little gift and skip class to cook :) Praise God I did! It took me about five hours... a task that is certainly not for the faint of heart. In the end, however, it was totally worth it. I had so much fun making them and they were absolutely delicious. If you’re interested in spending an entire day in the kitchen making delicious treats to impress your friends, too, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

- A jar of grape leaves (I found them in the international section of my Kroger)
- I cup of cooked basmati rice
- 1 lb of ground sirloin steak
- 8 ounces of feta
- 3-4 large lemons
- About two cups of organic flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
- Lots of fresh oregano (I don’t know how much… I cut some from my garden)
- A package of chopped hazelnuts, toasted
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil


Directions:

1.Cook the rice according to package directions

2.In the meantime, cook your onion in a large saucepan with a little salt and olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and sirloin until the beef has browned all the way through

3.Combine the cooked rice, sirloin, onions, garlic, feta, parsley, oregano, hazelnuts, and the juice and zest of two lemons in the food processor and give it a little whirl (you will probably have to do this in batches). After you’re done take a little taste and see if it needs any extra seasoning.

4.Now that your filling is all ready, carefully remove the grape leaves from the jar and soak them in a bowl of cold water. This will make them easier to deal with. One by one, take a grape leaf out, place it shiny side down on your board, and cut off the stem. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the leaf and wrap it up like a little package, making sure to tuck the filling in tight. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but you’ll find a rhythm. It makes A LOT of dolmades.

5.Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven with some lemon juice and olive oil. Cover the bottom of the dutch oven with a single layer of your wrapped dolmades. Put the top on, turn the heat on low, and steam the little babies for about five minutes. Do this with all your dolmades.

6.They’re ready! You can serve them immediately hot, or you can make them a day ahead of time like I did and serve them cold.

I served this with the roasted potatoes and tzatziki sauce that Meredith posted about before. I also made some easy flat bread by combining a cup of whole wheat flour with ¾ a cup of water and a little salt. Roll it out and bake it for about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough. Dane and Julie brought a Greek salad and we had a feast!

Seared Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

I cannot tell you how much I love making this mango salsa.  I have to wait until spring/summer time to make it when the mangoes are ripe and a tropical dish works, but it's a family fav.  This dish is RIGHT up my flavor alley.  Thank you, Jesus, for creating mangoes.  The mango salsa recipe is from Ina Garten and she serves it with seared tuna, which would be RIDICULOUSLY amazing, except for I can't afford tuna so we went with some pork tenderloin! It's also yummy over chicken, or any kind of fish.  I doubled the recipe below- I'm showing you the original, but I highly recommend doubling it!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for searing
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small diced
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves 
• pork tenderloin

Let's talk about how to cut a mango.  It's quite the science.  Based on cutting this lovely fruit along with the ginger, jalapeno, and onion, I'd give yourself about 30-40 minutes to prep for this meal (it's worth it!!)

slice it all the way around cross-wise with a sharp knife

peel those 4 sections.  depending on how ripe your mangoes are, you might be able to peel it easily with your hands.  or just use a knife.

this is a pretty ripe mango- I've seen riper, but you're basically looking for something with minimal green (none would be preferential) and red/orange skin.  moving on.

start slicing the mango CAREFULLY.  it is SLIMY so be CAREFUL! I IMPLORE YOU! cut around all sides, then chop 'em up.  it can be roughly chopped.

now for the Directions:

• preheat the oven to 350
• prep all your chopping for the mango salsa
• get a sautee pan nice and hot with some oil- a couple tablespoons.
• dab your tenderloin with some paper towels so you get any moisture off (remember, things that are moist do not sear well!)
• season the tenderloin generously with salt and pepper on all sides
• the pan should be smoking at this point
• add your tenderloin (or tenderloin(s) if 2 tenderloins come in your packages...or do they all come that way?) and sear on each side for about 3 minutes
• after your pork is nice and brown on all sides, toss the pan in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a thermometer (stuck into the pork) reads 165.  
• let the pork rest for at least 15 minutes under some foil- DO NOT CUT THE PORK. i repeat: DO NOT CUT THE PORK. it WILL dry out if you do!
• while the pork cooks in the oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat
• add your chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno
• sautee all together until onions are transluscent, adding your salt at this point
• add your chopped mangoes, orange juice, brown sugar, a touch more salt, and pepper. you may need more brown sugar depending on how ripe your mangos are (ie; if they are not super sweet, you'll need to add a bit more sweetness)
• let this cook down for about 15-20 minutes. 
• it will look fairly chunky, like this:

• 
• i blended half of it and added it back to the pot to continue to reduce so it was more saucy
• when you're ready to serve it, add your wonderfully fragrant chopped mint (I used more than the recipe called for because I love the stuff)
• serve with rice.  i cooked the rice according to the package and added some more chopped mint.  oh, and for some wonderful flavor, you could cook the rice in coconut milk.  it's so stinkin' good.

for some added color (mine wasn't very vibrant), you can add some saffron to your cooking liquid before adding the rice- or some turmeric for that deep gold color

•  i also would serve a steamed or roasted asparagus or a nice salad with this for your green.  my friend victoria made some delicious collard greens (the first time i've had them!) for supper club when i served this and they were delicious, too.

it was pretty stinkin' delicious.

here's to you, Kate

This is the one time where I will treat this like a blog, as opposed to a normal food blog.  If you love Kate McKinney, too, please keep reading :) (that should be all of you, even if you don't know her!)

Today is my best friend in the entire world's 24th birthday.  Every time I introduce Kate I ALWAYS say "this is kate, she's my best friend. we learned how to walk together."  It's been 23 years of a friendship- and not just any friendship- a friendship that has withstood the test of time.  No matter where we have been- Tyler, TX and Peachtree City, GA, Sky Ranch, Memphis, TN and Lagrange, GA, Galeana, Mexico, Houston, TX and Columbus, MS, we have remained THE best of friends.  Kate has been my go-to person for 23 years.  The person who I know without a doubt will listen to me without judgment, the person who will give me tough love when I need it (and probably get kind of a high pitched voice and laugh a bit while she does so), the person who I can be the most vulnerable and honest with (besides my husband- don't worry, honey), the person who I can actually treat like a sister and even when we have to "process" things together (that's our term for working something out) there's never a moment where it's stressful because we know we're like sisters- we're in this for life! 


The most fascinating part of all of this- our friendship I mean- is that the odds were against us!  I mean, I moved away when I was 7- what 7 year olds keep in touch and remain best friends?  We did.  Not only was there distance, but kate was a "toot" (as we Texans say- it means to be mean) to me as a kid- I mean, a real TOOT.  She's grown up into quite the opposite, but even if she was a toot I have a feeling we'd still be besties :)  Our moms  helped foster our friendship because they are great friends and took us to the beach pretty much every year and we also went to camp (Sky Ranch- you who have kids- SEND YOUR KIDS!!! it's the best, most impactful summer camp EVER.  Correct me if I'm wrong, KK, but that's where we BOTH accepted the Lord, right?)  But still- we could have remained just good, family friends whose families get together once a year- but we didn't- we developed our friendship outside of our families on our own and THANK GOD WE DID because I couldn't imagine my life without my sweet KK.  Our friendship has developed and grown as we have.  We've gone from talking about boys, school, friends, to talking about husbands, social work, and lots, and LOTS of food (there have been many other topics in there but we won't go there).  Quite literally we talk on the phone an average of 2x a day- and sometimes about nothing! but it feels weird if a day goes by where we haven't communicated, ha!  She's helped me analyze every situation in my life- no matter how big or small- and if you know me, you know that I am an obsessor and have to analyze every nook and cranny of a situation before I feel resolved.  Kate does that with me.  One of my favorite things about Kate is how we laugh together- it can be so random but we both will laugh at the dumbest thing for like 5 minutes straight.  It won't even be that funny (and I can't even think of an example) but we just GIGGLE.  She has brought so much joy- and PEACE- to my life.  We have been attached at the hip- although those hips have been miles apart- for 23 years.  Here's to another 60+!  I love you, Kate!  Happy Birthday to the best friend God could ever give someone (again I will say, besides our wonderful husbands! but you gotta have your girl).  I could probably write a book including funny stories and pictures and everything I love about Kate and am grateful for, but I'll settle with this blog post for today.  That did give me an idea though....kate, shall we write a book someday?  hmm.....

I didn't write any of this as eloquently as kate would, and i'm sure as the day progresses I will think "I COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THAT!!" but kate, know that you are one of the most important people in my life and i just adore you.

Here's a birthday song I learned in Puerto Rico that I like to sing to everyone when it's their birthday:

Cumpleanos a ti, cumpleanos a ti, cumpleanos a ti, cumplanos a ti (ok here comes the good part- the rhythm changes but you won't be able to tell that, sadly):

feliz, feliz en tu dia.  amigita que Dios te bendiga, que reine la paz en tu dia, y que cumplas mucho mas!

i love you with all the fibers of my soul, KK!  thanks for being my besty :)