Yummy Wednesday

I'm really trying to stick to the blog schedule, I forgot last week due to being sick. But now I'm back on track! Onto a recipe I love!

I've made this recipe a few times and I love it. It's really simple and makes for a great party dish or something just to have around and take to work for lunch. I got the recipe from Ina Garten and it's great because you can really use any vegetables you want! In addition to what the recipe recommends, I've tried artichoke hearts, squash, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes, all delicious.

Ina Garten's Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

ENJOY!

Yummy Wednesday: Beef and Cheese Manicotti

So I said I would start a blog schedule and I meant it. Monday I didn't get a chance to post about books because I was just too busy, but next Monday I'll have the time thanks to the holiday.

But today is recipe day and I'm going to post a recipe. My goal is to find and try new recipes and then talk about how they go on here, but again, this week is really busy, so I am just going to feature one of my favorite recipes that I have made many times in the past with much success.

This is a recipe I got from Giada De Laurentiis years ago, when she came out with her first cookbook, Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes and I was working at a bookstore. I bought the cookbook, but it has been lost between now and then and so many moves, so now I use the print out from Food Network

Even though I didn't create this recipe, I love making and and sharing with others. I think it is so delicious and I hope you do too!



Giada de Laurantiis's Beef and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti





4 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 pound ground beef (I use really lean beef)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

14 (8-ounce package) manicotti

1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups marinara sauce (I usually use jarred sauces, my favorite is Trader Joe's marinara sauce, one day I will make my own)

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Cooking Directions

*The directions are pretty easy, the hard part is stuffing the manicottis...and it's not really hard, just time consuming*

Heat heavy skillet over medium heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil, onion, and ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meet browns and onion is translucent, like 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over a larger baking sheet (this is really important, trust me). Then cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling water for about 4-6 minutes. You want them to be slightly softened, but still really firm. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the oiled baking sheet to cool. Make sure you oiled that thing, otherwise the manicotti will stick and break apart.

While that cools, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2-2 cups mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, and parsley in a bowl. Add some garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Now that the meat is cooled, stir it into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the remaining olive oil over a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish. Then spoon about 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish.

Now here comes the fun part! Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture and arrange in a single layer in the glass dish, then spoon the rest of the sauce over the top. This takes a really long time.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese (mozzarella and parmesan) over the stuffed pasta. Dot the entire dish with butter pieces for a nice golden-y color. Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until the sauce bubbles on the sides. Once it's done, let it sit for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Springtime cravings

Maybe it's because of the change in the seasons, the warming weather, the freshness that comes along with the springtime, but I have been seriously craving (and eating) nothing but lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Lucky for me, Davis has great produce, and therefore great farmer's markets to help me stock up on all these yummy things!

As a part of being healthier, I'm really trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies. I have always liked them, but sometimes I forget and eat way too much junkier food, like chips. Chips are my downfall. And chocolate. But I'm liking how I'm feeling, with the eating healthier and the yoga and the running, so I'm really doing my best to keep it up. It can be difficult, but it's totally worth it in the end.

CUPCAKES! CUPCAKES! CUPCAKES!

In case you couldn't tell by the title of this post, I like cupcakes. Or any sweet, chocolate-y cake/cookie/brownie type thing. And for the last two weeks I have had an undying urge to bake cupcakes. So tonight I did.

For the record, I really like to bake but currently lack the tools to do all the baking I want to. Not for long though, because once I move back to Marin, I will have access (thanks Dad!) to all kinds of tools. KitchenAid mixer people! Until then though, it's had stirring and sticking to easy stuff, mainly from the box, not from scratch. Sad face.

Anyhoo, I got some chocolate cake mix, whipped frosting, and pink sprinkles and held a little baking party by myself in my kitchen. I swear that's not as strange as it sounds. I just really like to bake. And I had the kitchen to myself with no interruptions. So.

CUPCAKES!

Look how pretty they are, baking in the oven. Chocolate!

Then, frosted and pink sprinkled!

And they are delicious! I only ate two (shocking!) but they are moist and the frosting is divine. I finally satisfied my cupcake craving, and the results were magical.

P.S. I also ordered a copy of Bossypants yesterday and should be getting it soon! I read the first two pages in Urban Outfitters yesterday and was cracking up, so I'm really excited to actually read the whole thing. Tina Fey, I love you!

Oh I do love a good buffet!

One thing Davis does have is a mighty fine Indian buffet. And sushi buffet, but that's for another post. Yesterday was turning out to be a lovely day, and I went and met up with Alex and Cat to partake in the deliciousness of Kathmandu Kitchen all you can eat lunch buffet. It was delicious.

 

Though, I must say, Indian food is incredibly delicious, but it really doesn't photograph well, does it? But oh, that naan! The korma! The fried chicken thing! So wonderful. And pigging out at a buffet with friends? Even better!

More adventures in the kitchen

Yesterday was just one of those days where cooking seemed like the appropriate thing to do. So, following my pancake breakfast extravaganza, I conducted some more food experiments. I made this AMAZING beet and quinoa salad. Seriously, it was so incredibly good and I wanted to keep eating it, but I was sooo full.

Tasty looking, right?

Quinoa and Beet Salad
6 small golden beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby arugula
2 ounces feta cheese
black pepper

1.) Steam beets until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer them to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil and the red wine vinegar; mix in garlic, salt and little pepper. Let it site at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
2.) Meanwhile, cook the quinoa per package instructions: usually 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and let cool.
3.) Remove the crushed garlic from the beets, and add the quinoa, arugula, and cheese to the beets and stir well. Season with a little more vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

I cannot stress how good this turned out! It was so refreshing and so filling, definitely something I will be making again as the weather begins to get warmer. Also, it keeps really well for a couple of days and gets even tastier because the vinegar and oil sort of marinate all the other ingredients, infusing them with more flavor. It made for the perfect leftover lunch today. Delicious!

Bagel adventures and some froyo, yo!

I, along with my friend Alexandra, have been conducting bagel experiments several times a week during my brief break between classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Today was, of course, no exception. So after our history class, Alex and I trekked off campus, through downtown Davis to the yummy Posh Bagel. And it was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

My bagel: pesto with butter, tomato, onion and cucumber...basically a food-gasm

Alex's bagel: sourdough with butter and cinnamon sugar. She also got a mini cheese bagel with mustard. YUM! 

We have tried many a bagel over the course of the quarter, such as: blueberry with peanut butter, asiago with cream cheese and lox (YUM), pesto with just butter (YUM), chocolate chip with peanut butter, jalapeno with jalapeno cream cheese, and so many more I can't even remember them all. This Monday will be our last day of classes, so our last day of bagel experiments, which is sad. But really it just means that I need to think of one epic bagel so I can go out with a BANG.

Anyway, after bagels we decided to get some froyo at Cultive, yo. It was 11:30 in the morning, but man, I needed that froyo.

Cinnamon bun and cupcake flavored froyo with fruity pebble and cocoa pebbles. Yeah, I know I pick awesome flavors

 And it was good...so, so good. 

Tonight I'm off to Sacramento to visit my cuz, Miranda, and we are gonna go eat even more yummy food thanks to a gift certificate I have to this fantastic restaurant, Chops, and I'm excited. They have calamari. And mini sliders. And delicious fancy cocktails. So expect some pics posted tomorrow (taken with my new fav Instagram. I'm a little obsessed with it, can you tell) of all the deliciousness we experience.

Cheers!

Something I love: FOOD

I'm really into food, and some days I actually get to make things instead of resorting to frozen dinners from Trader Joe's (which I love). An sometimes I get excited (only a little) when I make something and then I get to sit down and eat it. Silly, but it's one of the little things I take pleasure in amongst all the stress in my life right now.

I know, I know, I didn't "make" the last two things, but opening and eating them made my day sooooo much better. How awesome are Girl Scout cookies? Don't they just put a smile on your face, just thinking about their deliciousness?