Weekly Menu Inspirations: Halloweek

This week I made my first curry! Smithcale is really the curry fan, but there was still a proud feeling into having actually made one myself instead of pouring it from a bottle.

That's my challenge to you this week: make something new from scratch! Whether it be the biscuits, curry or baked chicken; the sense of accomplishment is all the same.

So I should mention Halloween, since tomorrow is the hallowed day. I have really dropped the ball this year on the festivities. Usually I decorate the house and make our costumes, but I just didn't have the spirit to do it this year, sadly.

BUT, I am quite excited about being at home because there are a lot of kids on our block and we have candy ready! For those who don't know, my family didn't celebrate Halloween when I was a kid, I think my mother thought we would get poisoned, axe-murdered or secure our place in Hades if we did. We also lived so far out of town so that no one EVER trick-or-treated at our house.

All that explanation to say, both SmithCale and I are prepped and ready to see all those adorable kids come by, grab loads of sugar and then go home to annoy their parents!

Happy Halloween!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Monday: Quick Egg Scramble

Meatless Tuesday: Two Bean Soup with Kale

Wednesday: Red Beef Curry with Sweet Potato

Thursday: Marinated Chicken Thighs with Bell Peppers on the Side

Friday: Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms & Bok Choy

Monday: Quick Egg Scramble

Personal Note: Remember that awesome trip we took to San Francisco? We got back to our house about 11 PM Sunday night. We drug our way through Monday and I didn’t feel like going to the store just for Monday’s meal, so I just whipped up something from our fridge and created some biscuits; then called it a day. I debated about calling this recipe “Clean out the Fridge Egg Scramble” because that’s really what it was for me! I wish I had had some tomatoes and bell pepper to discard of, but I’m sure they’ll be a next time!

Plan of Attack:

1. Cook in one pan

Ingredients for 2:

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 small shallot/green onion/ yellow onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C black beans, rinsed and drained

¼ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp ground cumin

½ Tbsp olive oil

And really anything else you have laying around that isn’t bolted down

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, add garlic, chili powder and cumin cook for 1 additional minute
3. Add the black beans and any other ingredients you happen to have, cook 1 minute
4. Add eggs and scramble until the eggs reach your desired level of doneness
5. Enjoy! (maybe with a little salsa on top?)

Side Options:

Whole Wheat Biscuits

Meatless Tuesday: Two Bean Soup with Kale

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Personal Note: Even I can break the rules sometimes (that makes 2x, I do love the rules). I moved our meatless meal until Tuesday because I was too lazy to go to the store until Monday night. Breaking the rules makes me feel alive! Maybe I’ll run with scissors or never clean behind the toilet! On second thought, those sound dangerous, I’ll just go back to my crossword puzzles, but I’ll do them in INK!

Plan of Attack:

1. Prep veggies

2. Blend beans and broth

3. Cook all in one pot

Ingredients for 2:

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ C chopped yellow onion

1 carrot, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

¼ tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 C vegetable broth

½ bunch of kale, cut into smaller pieces, stems removed

1 can (19 oz or 15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

½ can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ Tbsp red wine vinegar

¼ tsp fresh rosemary chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté 5-6 minutes
3. Stir in ¼ tsp salt and garlic, sauté for another minute
4. Add in 1 ½ C vegetable broth along with the kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer 3 minutes
5. In a blender add ½ C vegetable broth and ½ can of the cannellini beans and pulse until smooth
6. After the kale is cooked after the previous 3 minutes, add the blended beans, remaining cannellini beans, black beans and pepper. Bring back to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered
7. Stir in remaining ¼ tsp salt, vinegar and rosemary
8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info:

375 calories

15.6g total fat (2.1g saturated)

45.75g carbohydrates

17.7g protein

13.8g fiber

0mg cholesterol

Wednesday: Red Curry Beef with Sweet Potato

Recipe adapted from Quick & Easy Thai

Personal Note: While SmithCale and I were in California we got to check out some really neat grocery stores, because I’m nerdy like that. SmithCale has begged and begged me to make a traditional curry. While we were there I found A.) a thai cookbook and B.) curry paste to get started. Then, we get back home and SmithCale’s coworker told us there was an asian market about 10 minutes from our house…oh well!

Plan of Attack:

1. Make Rice

2. Prep beef and veggies

3. Cook curry

Ingredients for 2:

2 serving of your favorite rice, cooked according to package instructions

¾ C unsweetened coconut milk (we used the reduced fat version), divided

1 Tbsp red curry paste

½ pound boneless beef, such as tri-tip, flank steak, etc., cut into thin strips

¾ C chicken broth or water

1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp fish sauce

½ Tbsp brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions; set aside
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, bring ½ C coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste and cook 2-3 minutes, mashing and stirring the paste to incorporate
4. Add the beef and cook another 1-2 minutes, make sure all the beef is coated
5. Add the remaining ¼ C of coconut milk, chicken broth, sweet potato, fish sauce and sugar; bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally
6. Serve over rice
7. Enjoy!

Thursday: Marinated Thighs with Bell Peppers

Adapted from Cooking Light

Personal Note: So I was peaking in my freezer the other day and noticed I had two rouge chicken thighs waiting at the front of the cooking line looking very irritated; like an older woman giving a discerning look to a passing goth teenager. So I whipped up this marinade and let them cool their angry, uneaten thighs in the fridge while infusing them with awesome flavor!

Plan of Attack:

1. Marinade thighs overnight

2. Bake

3. Make Bell Pepper side

Ingredients for 2:

2 chicken thighs with legs attached

Marinade:

1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce

¾ Tbsp honey

¾ Tbsp peeled, fresh ginger, minced

1/8 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1 clove garlic, minced

½ Tbsp cooking red wine

Bell Pepper Side:

Olive oil or wok oil

½ medium yellow onion, vertically sliced

½ red bell pepper strips

1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 ½ Tbsp tomato sauce

½ tsp white wine vinegar

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. The Night before: mix marinade and place in a ziplock bag along with chicken thighs. Shake well to coat and place in fridge overnight.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees and place chicken thighs in an oven proof dish sprayed with cooking spray along with marinade. Bake for 45 minutes
3. When chicken is 5 minutes from being finished: heat oil in a nonstick skillet (or a wok) to high heat.
4. Add yellow onion; stir fry 1 minute
5. Add both red and yellow bell peppers; stir fry 2 minutes.
6. Finally stir in tomato sauce and vinegar; cook an additional minute. Top with green onions
7. Plate Chicken thighs and serve along with bell peppers
8. Enjoy!

Additional Side Options:

Roasted Butternut Squash

Friday: Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms & Bok Choy

Adapted from Family Circle

Personal Note: While in San Fran we also bought some Whole Wheat Udon noodles, so of course we had to try them out! We have an affinity for loads of mushrooms, so you can definitely cut down on the ‘shrooms if you so desire. If you don’t want to use rotisserie chicken then just cook your chicken in the wok before adding any other ingredients (besides oil, of course) and cook until done (3-4 minutes). Another aside, we also bought awesome reusable chopsticks! We have literally been looking for months for better quality ones that we could keep and that wouldn’t warp. We found them in a gift shop of all places. We figure if the Chinese own us, we better get our taste buds and table skills ready!

Plan of Attack:

1. Mix sauce/ prep veggies

2. WOK!

Ingredients for 2:

For Sauce:

¼ + 1/8 C chicken broth

1 ½ Tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 ½ Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

½ + ¼ tsp sugar

Dash of red pepper flakes or to taste

1 tsp wok oil

1 tsp sesame oil

¼ pound rotisserie chicken or 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 package (3.5 oz) shitake mushrooms, if dehydrated follow package directions to rehydrate before use

2 oz soba noodles/ thai rice noodles/ udon noodles cooked to package directions

1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into smallish pieces

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together sauce ingredients; set aside
2. Heat both oils in a large nonstick skillet or wok to high heat
3. If cooking raw chicken, add to wok and cook for 4 minutes until done; set aside
4. Add mushrooms to the wok; cook 2 minutes
5. Add bok choy and red pepper strips; cook another 2 minutes
6. Finally add sauce mixture along with the chicken back to the wok; cook 2-3 minutes
7. Gently stir in your cooked noodle of choice
8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info:

325 calories

5g total fat (1g saturated)

26g protein

45g carbohydrates

2g fiber

44mg cholesterol

Baking All the Rules- Whole Wheat Biscuits

Adapted from Recipe submitted to AllRecipes.com by Ruth Ann Stelfox

Personal Note: Put down the tube of biscuit dough filled with trans fat! Hurry before it ruins your arteries anymore! That’s it…nice and slow. Hold on; let me don my hazmat suit. Alright, I’ll get rid of that can for you. Whew! That was a close call! Please please please don’t buy those anymore, these are really very very simple. Not only do they take 15 minutes max (that includes cooking time), the taste is unparalleled.

Plan of Attack:

1. Mix dry ingredients

2. Cut in butter

3. Add milk and form biscuits

4. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Ingredients for 6 biscuits:

½ C all-purpose flour

½ C whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ Tbsp sugar

¼ + 1/8 tsp salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

½ C buttermilk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. In a medium bowl add both flours, baking powder, sugar and salt; combine
3. With a fork or pastry blender cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs
4. Stir in buttermilk and mix just until combined
5. Turn out dough onto a clean, floured surface; knead gently about 8-10 times
6. Roll dough into about 3/4” thickness, use a 2 ½” biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass) to cut into 5-6 biscuits
7. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (or pizza stone, yes I said pizza stone)
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown
9. Enjoy!

Food for better options,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

to San Fran and back again: wine and woods edition

Ever since we had decided to go to California there were two things I HAD to do. See the redwoods and go to some wineries.

On Friday we joined a tour that took us to Muir Woods, unlucky for us, it was sprinkling pretty good when we went. But, even that did take away the awe-inspiring size and beauty of this forest. If you ever get a chance to go, please do! Pictures just can never do them justice.

We learned that a tree about the size of the one below can easily be 1000+ years old!

Did I also mention they're TALL

Saturday we joined another tour to go to three wineries around the Sonoma and Napa Valley areas. Cale and I are such nerds and we enjoyed the informational aspect of it all. We learned the difference between red wines and white wines, the names of the different grapes used to make the various wines and also learned we both really don't appreciate red wines because of their tannins (makes the wines dry).

First winery of the day: Jacuzzi.

They said that this was the same family that also invented the Jacuzzi tub.

Then we went across the road to Cline Winery, which has ties to the Jacuzzi winery. This is when it started raining fairly heavily.

Final winery of the day located in Napa Valley was Madonna Estates, and our favorite! It was still raining, so we didn't get to see the full estate, but we found our hands-down favorite wine. They were the first winery of the day that had sweet white wines, so we bought a bottle of Muscat Cannelli. It was very sweet, just like us.

Food for Learning,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

to San Fran and back again: entertainment edition

So what did we do in San Francisco?

Well it included planes.

I have to preface this picture with a story. We left our house about 5:30 to go to the airport to make our 9:30 flight, this was our first mistake. Traffic was AWFUL. We boarded the flight literally 5 minutes before take-off, and even now I have NO idea how we made it.

Trains!

On the way to SmithCale's past in Orangevale, we stopped in Sacramento at the Train Museum. It was sooo cool. They are decommissioned trains there including engines, dining cars, sleeper cars, etc.

Ahh, the joys of self timer.

Large WWII ships. Don't look too closely at the upper righthand corner, a lady forgot her top....sailors.

and cars!

We rented a car to get to Sacramento. Since we are currently car browsing it was nice to drive a different car to see how we felt about it. The Jetta is very nice, but I think we're more into the more trunk space department.

Another adventure with the self timer.... I'll work on that

Everything had character, even the roads.

I feel in love with the seagulls! They're soooooooooo cute! I wanted to shove one in my bag.

No explanation needed.

Chinatown!

Have you ever tried See's candy and saltwater taffy, they're the best!

And, of course, full of nostalgia. This is a picture of SmithCale with the house him and his family lived over a decade ago.

Another bit of history, California sourdough....should have brought some home too. At least we got an order form!

Food for Adventure,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Weekly Menu Inspirations: to San Fran and back again, food edition

I know y'all are starving because I haven't told you what to eat! I'm sure you have made do. SmithCale and I decided that after almost 4 years of marriage we should take an honest-to-goodness vacation.

Not the kind where you go see family or are in a wedding. Those are nice, but sometimes you need some space from the people you're obligated to love (<-- please note that was sarcasm!)

Click on Monday/Tuesday for a regular recipe, and click on the other days to see more pics!

Next week's preview: soup, stirfry and thai!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Meatful Monday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread

Tuesday: Broiled Tilapia Gyros

Wednesday: Osha Thai Restaurant

Thursday: Elephant Bar

Friday: Miyabi Sushi

Meatful Monday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread

Personal Note: Because of last week’s beany end, and sense we vegged 3x, I promised SmithCale we would forego the meatless and opt for meat!

Plan of Attack:

1. Cook Bacon and Chicken

2. Decorate Naan

3. Bake

Ingredients for 2:

1 whole grain Naan

1 slice bacon

1 chicken breast, cubed

½ tomato, sliced

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp ranch dressing

1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high and cook bacon until crispy; roughly chop and set aside
3. In the same skillet add the chicken and brown on all sides and cook until thoroughly cooked, about 4 minutes
4. Prebake the Naan bread for 2 minutes
5. After the bread has been prebaked, top with ranch dressing, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, bell pepper and onion; bake for an additional 5-6 minutes
6. Enjoy!

Tuesday: Broiled Tilapia Gyros

Adapted from Cooking Light

Personal Note: So as promised I used the last of the Naan bread! I love seafood by SOMEONE else in the house is allergic to shellfish, sort of. He refuses to go to the doctor and taint his perfect non-attendance for the last decade? He has tummy reactions to shrimp and most fish. We’ve found he can eat tilapia and tuna, so this is what I make! If you love Greek food like we do, you’ll enjoy this. You won’t even have to put Windex on it. (Big Fat Greek Wedding, anyone?)

Plan of Attack:

1. Make the Tzatziki (yogurt spread)

2. Broil Tilapia

Ingredients for 2:

Tzatziki-

½ C greek yogurt

1 tsp dill

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 garlic clove (or more if you prefer), minced

Fish-

2 tilapia filets

½ Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

Gyro Topping-

2 Flatbreads/gryos/Naan

½ English Cucumber, sliced thinly

4 tomato slices

2 thin slices of red onion

Instructions:

1. Preheat Broiler to high (if available)
2. Prepare fish: place fish on a foil wrapped baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning on both sides
3. Broil for 6-7 minutes or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork at the thickest part.
4. While the fish broils, mix the tzakziki. In a small bowl combine yogurt, dill, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and garlic; stir. OR for a smoother consistency combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
5. Spread Tzakziki onto a flatbread, top with fish and other toppings
6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

479 calories

16.8g total fat (3.7 saturated)

46.1g protein

39.7g carbohydrates

9.4g fiber

88mg cholesterol

538mg sodium

Wednesday: Osha Thai Restaurant

So on our first night we used TripAdvisor on my iPhone to find a thai place. One that was ranked fairly high was in the business district downtown. So we strapped on our jackets and walking shoes and walked over 1.5 miles, and it was WELL worth it!

We started with spring rolls. Be still my heart!

SmithCale had a curry. He has a curry problem, being that he always wants it!

I had a mango salad! It was amazing. It was shredding cucumber with red onion, cashews and shrimp, it was very spicy and fun to try something I would have never had ordered a year ago!

Thursday: Elephant Bar and Grill

We went to Orangevale (close to Sacramento) to SmithCale's old stompin' grounds. He and his family moved there in the mid-90s for a while. We went by his old house, neighborhood and school.

We started with breadsticks and marinara. Ehh, they were so-so. Kinda floppy. Maybe that's a gross description.

We SHARED a Chicken Caprese, they were nice enough to put it on two separate plates! This was so nice because usually I feel like a leach eating off SmithCale's plate.

I had to add this picture! I was taking a picture and he thought I only had his hands in the picture so he didn't smile, but why did he have to look SO sad??

Friday: Miyabi Sushi

I wanted Sushi from the moment I landed in California! I love it. But before you start making nasty faces, I have tried sashimi (being the raw fish version), my true crush is crab. And since I overshared about SmithCale's shellfish issues, I never get to invite this beloved food into my house.

Edamame to start. Followed down by some Chardonnay and Sake.

SmithCale had an Udon Noodle Soup which was awesome! Glad we bought some Udon Noodles back with us. Longview hasn't caught up with the Asian times yet.

Ready to drool? If you're like Wendy Williams, get your coffee filters back (anyone else watch the Dish??). I had a Muni Roll, named after the bus system, with crab and avocado on the inside and baked scallops on top. It really hit the Sushi Spot!!