My First Thanksgiving

Tips and Tricks

Guys. This will be my first year making thanksgiving dinner for my boyfriend and his dad. We've been joking that it's wife test #1. I tend to get pretty obsessive with entertaining others being perfect, so this is ranking pretty important for me. As such, I've done a bit of research on turkey-cookin' that I thought I would share!

When I first told multiple people, including my dad, that I was making dinner for the first time, they all said, "brine the turkey!" If multiple people say to do it, do it. Brining the turkey is basically marinating it, and infusing favors into the meat. I found this recipe that I'm using on Pinterest (obviously). Basically, I'm going to whip up this citrus herb marinade on Wednesday, and brine my turkey in it over night. On Thursday, I'll take it out of the brine, pat it dry, and add stuff some of the oranges, lemons, and herbs inside the turkey to further infuse those flavors. Here's the recipe I'm using:

Apple Cider & Citrus Turkey Brine with Herbs

You may have noticed that I said I was stuffing the turkey with lemons and oranges instead of stuffing. I found an article on common thanksgiving mistakes (I told you, obsessive) and stuffing the turkey with stuffing was one of them. By stuffing the turkey, you now have to cook the turkey longer, essentially drying out the turkey, in order to not have selmonella bread pudding. Yum! So, I'll be baking my stuffing separately. I'm using my grandma's stuffing recipe!

Here are some other tips from the article above:

Dry the turkey before roasting, inside and out.
Use a real thermometer.
Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.
The turkey takes FOUR DAYS to thaw, at least.

Did you forget that last one? Fret not. Buzzfeed has everything: How to Thaw a Turkey

Good luck to all you first timers! I'd love to hear the recipes you'll be using or what you're making!! Leave them in the comments below!

Make It Monday: Dinner Edition

Basil Lemon Butter Cheese Ravioli

Sometimes, you need a delicious, not-at-all-clean dinner.

Seriously. Sometimes, you just need comfort... and food. In the form of pasta. Everyone loves pasta. The boyfriend especially. The kid could live on cheese ravioli and not gain a pound. It's really annoying. This is by far his favorite meal. Since I found this recipe, he's requested it several times. I can't blame him, though. I always feel like it's really fancy when I make it! Except, it's really not. It's cheap, easy, and quick. Perfect for a Sunday night dinner!

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli

1/2 c. butter (I use Land o' Lakes w/ olive oil)

1 shallot, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Extra basil, for garnish, optional

How To:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli until done, approximately 7 minutes. The ravioli will float when done. Toss those in a colander. To keep this a one-pot meal, using the same pot, melt the butter. Sauté the shallot and garlic until tender. Mix in the lemon juice, zest, and basil. Let that simmer for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to let the flavors combine. Return the ravioli to the pot, and toss to combine the ingredients.

Serve it up hot with Parmesan and a little extra basil!

That's it. See how simple that is? And don't you feel fancy?

Enjoy!

Friday Funday!

Tiramisu Dip

I did it. I made something, I photographed it, and, now, I'm posting it. It's been a while guys, a long while. Sometimes, I'm like, "yeah! I'm going to make this and take some pictures!" Then it doesn't come out as pretty as I want, so I don't. Oh, the woes!

I'm headed to my friend's tonight for dinner, and I agreed to make dessert. She loves tiramisu, but I'm much too lazy for that on a Friday. So, let's make it a dip, which is also just perfect for summer! (In my opinion..)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 c. mascarpone cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp. instant coffee

1/8 c. chocolate chips

Vanilla wafers for dipping!

How to:

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add in the mascarpone and combine. Mix in half the powdered sugar at a time, just to avoid having a cloud of sugar in your face.  Toss in the coffee and vanilla and combine! In a food processor, pulse the chocolate chips until they're pretty fine. 

Place your dip in whatever serving bowl you'd like and sprinkle as much of the chocolate as you'd like. Serve that up with some vanilla wafers, and you're good to go!

Refrigerate if you happen to have any left over!

So, can we discuss something completely irrelevant for a moment? While working on this post, I was watching True Life. Who even knew they still made this show? Remember when it was like, "True Life: I have OCD" or "True Life: I have Tourettes"? The only problem these kids have now? "True Life: I hate my butt" and "True Life: My family hates my boyfriend". 

The epitome of first world problems...

Anyway! This recipe is amazeballs, and, hopefully, it'll pass the tiramisu lovers test! I'd love to know if you try it!

Friday Favorites

1. The Wedding!

It's finally all done, and it was beautiful! My friend looked stunning in her dress. 

2. Tomato & Basil Hummus

Stop it. I've slathered this heavenly stuff on anything I could get my hands on. 

3. Mr. Cheese O's

I found these in the natural section of Kroger, and they were amazing! Crunchy little cheesy quinoa rings with 10g of protein!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Quinoa Taco Bowls

As discussed (several times), I'm a Mexican food junkie. So naturally, I'm a Chipotle fan. However, they're typically super busy, and it isn't as healthy as I wish it would be. They definitely have guac going for them, though. But, why pay $8/bowl when you can make it at home for much less and make it healthier? Plus, you can add in some toppings that maybe they don't have. Black olives. I mean, come on. Black olives are a necessity.

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Quinoa

1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper

2 tsp. Chili Powder

2 tsp. Fajita Seasoning

1 tsp. Paprika

(The fajita seasoning and paprika I got at Penzey's. You can totally omit the fajita seasoning and add in more of the others, or omit completely.)

Toppings:

Romaine lettuce

Mexican-style cheese

Plain Greek yogurt

Black olives

Any other toppings of choice

Here's the quinoa I used. It's amazing, and it added the best flavor to the bowl.

How To:

Cook the quinoa according to the instructions. If you can't find that kind, you can always use normal quinoa! In a small pan, dump the corn and diced tomatoes and green chiles in, and stir to combine well. This makes a super simple corn salsa. I don't add anything to this, I just let it heat up. In another pan, combine black beans and spices. I didn't drain my black beans. Let these sit and heat all the way through, about 10-15 minutes. Now, in your serving bowls, put about 1/2 cup of quinoa in the bottom of the bowl. Top this with the bean mixture, then the corn salsa. Then top it with lettuce, yogurt, black olives, cheese, and whatever else you desire! If you're a meat eater, it would be so easy to add in some seasoned chicken or beef.
Easy peasy and healthy!! (:

What're you going to top your burrito bowl with!? 

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Vegetarian Tikka Masala

I may have mentioned before that we love Indian food. I love that they have soooo many vegetarian options, no matter where you go. It's common to eat vegetarian there. Plus, anything that isn't typically vegetarian is super easy to make it veggie. Just toss in some cauliflower, potatoes, and chickpeas in place of chicken. Boyfriend loves Chicken Tikka Masala, so I made this veggie recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can chickpeas
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. heavy cream
Basmati rice, cooked

How To:

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil. Toss in the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, and sauté these until the onions are translucent. At this point, add in the crushed tomatoes, spices, and sugar. Bring this to a low boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Now add in the cauliflower and chickpeas. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream, and stir this up to combine well. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, and allow this to simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
Serve this up over warm basmati rice with a nice piece of garlic naan on the side!

What's your favorite ethnic food!? Tell me about it in the comments below. (:

Friday Favorites

1. Fall Scents

I'm so excited for the fall line at B&BW. They're my favorite.

2. Soup

Spoiler Alert! This shit is amazing. Look for it soon. (;

3. DIYs

Have I mentioned fall is my favorite time? These are my favorites. You'll finally get some DIYs!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Black Bean Tacos

Don't mind the huge camera shadow.

Well, good afternoon! Can I tell you all that my week, thus far, has been sooo busy? I started my new job at the state, and it's just.... The building is a maze straight out of J.K. Rowling's brain. It might just be that everything looks the exact same, but still. With a new job came new hours! I now start at 7:45am! Woo! So that means I can either get my ass up at 5am to go work out, or I can work out after work and not get home until like, 7pm. Yeah, no thanks. Boyfriend can't fend for himself, and there's no way I'd want to cook. Remember when I said I'd rather get up early to workout? I got my wish.

Anyway, I think in every food post, I talk about how I love Mexican food. Whatever, it's delicious. A lot of people don't like the meat crumble substitute. That's fine, I get it. The texture is a bit different than ground beef. Boyfriend and I personally don't mind it, but sometimes I wanna switch it up! As mentioned several times, boyfriend loves black beans. I love refried beans. So, I made a healthy combination of the two! I used this in place of my taco meat, and it was soooo good! It makes a pretty good amount, which I'm ok with. I like using the leftovers in my egg wraps in the morning. Protein on protein.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilis)

2 cans black beans

2 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

How to:

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil and toss the onion and garlic in. Sauté until fragrant and slightly brown. Pour in the rotel and simmer for about 5-6 minutes. Mix in the black beans and allow them to heat up for about 3 minutes. Using a potato masher, begin to smash the mixture up. As the mixture heats through, it will become easier to mash. Mash until the bean mixture is at a consistency you like. I like to leave it a little chunky. Add in the seasonings and stir to combine. Let that simmer to reduce the amount of liquids.

Done! Now pile the bean mixture on some tortillas (I used soft, whole wheat), add some corn, lettuce, cheese, and greek yogurt! Or, ya know, whatever you like on your tacos. (:

Om nom nom nom.

How do you switch up your Mexican dishes!? I'd love to know in the comments below!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Veggie Pot Pies!

Hellooooo, there! I was working out last week, watching The Food Network (makes perfect sense, right?), and I they were making chicken pot pies. I miss those things... but I don't have to! Feeling inspired, I added it to this week's meal menu. I plan our dinners out weekly, because I'm slightly OCD and I just like to have a plan (and a grocery list).
So, anyway. This is something that turned out to be pretty easy, and you could totally add boiled, chopped chicken if you wanted that. By the way, I end up using only 3/4 a can of corn, because I eat it... I can't help it.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

3 red potatoes, cubed

3/4 can corn

3/4 can peas

3 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

2 c. milk

2 tsp. celery flakes

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Biscuit dough of choice

How to:
Preheat the oven to 350, and begin boiling the potatoes until tender. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Toss in the carrots and celery, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Set aside the carrots and celery in a bowl. In the same skillet, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, and let that cook for about 5 minutes (don't let it burn!). Slowly add the milk, whisking while you pour. Let that cook until it thickens, whisking occasionally. By this time, your potatoes should be done. Grease 4 or 5 ramekins, and place the potatoes in the bottom of them. Once the roux and milk has thickened, mix in the celery flakes, garlic powder, carrots, celery, corn, and peas. Let this mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. Time to assemble! Spoon the veggie mixture and liquid into the ramekins. Top with biscuit dough, and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the biscuit is golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!

I kind of just adore little ramekins.

Who's going to try this and what would you add!? It turned out wonderful. Both boyfriend and his mom loved it. 

I'd love to know if you try it!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Jalapeño & Garlic "Cream" Pasta

It's Wednesday... right?

Don't mind me. I also just realized I didn't put up a Friday Favorites post last week. What?!

So, here's a vegan recipe that turned out way better than I had anticipated! This recipe is wayyyyy simple and quick to make on a busy night.

Boyfriend and his mom liked it! That's a real win, I tell you. Let's get to it.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

For the sauce:

4 Tbsp. raw cashews

2 Tbsp. flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 jalapeño, seeded

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 c. almond milk, unsweetened

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

How to:

Cook pasta according to the box. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the carrot and red pepper until tender. While that's going, literally throw all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender and blend until it's at a sauce consistency. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on the veggies and mix all the components together. Heat the pasta for about 5 minutes, and it's done!

I served ours sprinkled with some Parmesan, because I can't resist cheese to save my life.

Let me know if you try this and how it turns out for you!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Vegetarian Sausage Gravy & Biscuits

This is another one of boyfriend's favorite meals that he always breaks diet to eat. His belly typically doesn't appreciate that. So, I've vegetarian-ized it! It is completely boyfriend-approved. He said it tasted just like the original, and he loved it!
Vegetarian- 1 Carnivore- 0

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour (I'm using whole wheat)

2 1/4 c. milk (I'm using skim)

(^I forgot to put it in the photo! D:)

3 Morningstar sausage patties, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Your favorite biscuits

1 tsp. cornstarch (only needed for desired thickness)

*eggs pictured for my scrambled eggs. I was scatter-brained last night!

How to:
Start by baking your biscuits according to the package.

Heat up your sausage and mince it. It doesn't have to be perfectly tiny pieces!

As we did in the recipe for Mac & Cheese, melt the butter in a sauce pan and whisk in the flour, making a roux. Cook that for about 5 minutes, whisking continuously.

Add your milk and whisk until smooth.

Toss in your minced sausage and continue to heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well. The gravy should be getting thicker as it cooks. If you like your gravy a little thicker, then go ahead and add some cornstarch at this point.

Once your biscuits are nice and golden, you can assemble!

I served ours up with some typical scrambled eggs. It turned out amazing. Boyfriend says it tastes exactly like the original!

As always, let me know if you try this and how it turns out for you! This is a great substitution for vegetarians who miss some of their old favorites!