Food on Fridays

This job sure is keeping me on the go... or behind my desk... or in bed trying to get some rest. Working full time and commuting like I do every day is tiring! But do I ever enjoy my weekends! I just LOVE when Friday (my weekend) rolls around. I love the chance to sleep in a bit, have a nicer breakfast and coffee, catch up on chores around the house, and COOK! I went through a few of my old cookbooks and magazines and made a list of some recipes I would like to try. It was rather cold last week, so I was really craving some good warm comfort food. I bought ingredients for two new recipes, but only got around to making one. But oh, it was good. It was a recipe for White Bean Turkey Chili. I found it in an article about what to do with your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. Since I didn't have any leftover turkey but I did have chicken breasts in my fridge, I made it with those instead. It was super delicious. I am moving this soup onto my 'favorites' list. It is thick, hearty, spicy, and smooth... and healthy!!! It uses my new favorite toy - the immersion blender - to thicken/smooth it out. I ate leftover soup for the week and they were fabulous too. I highly recommend giving this one a shot.

WHITE BEAN AND TURKEY CHILI
(from Cooking Light, November, 2006)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cups diced yellow onion (about 2 medium)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1/2 cup diced seeded plum tomato (about 1)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden. Add chili powder, garlic, and cumin; sauté for 2 minutes. Add oregano and beans; cook for 30 seconds. Add broth; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes.

Place 2 cups of bean mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Add turkey, and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Add diced tomato, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.

Coffee, of course!

It's been a while since I've had a proper coffee picture on here and I don't want people to start thinking that I don't like coffee or something, so here we go. Yummy. Isn't that nice?

It's Here!

The weather has changed.
The chill in the air.
The leaves begin to dry.
The time has come.
Today is the day.
The first soup of the season.

That is my poem accepting the fact that summer is gone and we will only see cooler days from here on out. Making my first soup of the season is a sure sign that I am embracing the new season, even if I am scared of the winter that is to come. This afternoon I mixed up a delicious pot of lentil soup. I do love soup and hope to make many dishes of it this year. With my new job I don't have a lot of time to cook during the week, so my goal is to make a few things over the weekend that I can eat throughout the week. By the way, I have Friday off - so this is technically my weekend.
I enjoy having a day off that most everyone else has to work. Although my favorite thing to do is hang out with my friends, it seems that when we are off work at the same time all we do is hang out and I don't get a lot done. This way I can take care of my business on Friday: cooking, laundry, shopping, etc. Then I will have Saturday to spend with friends and have fun. Ah, the organized life I have thrown myself into. It is amazing how having less time makes one more organized. Funny how I get much more accomplished when I have much less time.

Well, the soup is done and I think I need to test it out. And I have to say: I just love Hamilton Beach Immersion Blender. It is nearly the best thing on the planet. I use it at the end of the soup-making process to make it creamier...mmm... time to taste test. Bon appetit!

a bite of the apple

For no reason at all I am up extra early this morning. I don't know what that's all about. Oh no! Maybe I am turning into my mom, the way she gets up way too early. Speaking of Mom... I had a couple of visitors last weekend. Mom and Dad came up for their first visit to the Big Apple! We had such a great time. They arrived on Thursday night, just in time to pick me up from work. Over the next two days we spent time seeing the sights of the city and hanging out in my apartment. We really hit a lot of the spots. Of course I took them to Times Square where we HAD to visit M&M World and the Hershey Store! And Mom and I being the shoppers that we are had no choice but to hit every floor of the world's biggest store - MACYS!!! Of the other highlights I'd say going up in the Empire State Building, which I had done years ago, but was a real treat. In the past I had been at night, but this time we went during the day. I could pick out a lot of places from up there. That day there was a chill in the air on the street, but up 80-some floors was quite brisk! Plus the wind was blowing all around! But it was still a great experience to go up in such a landmark and look out over the city.

Also I took them to an opera at the Metropolitan Opera. I figure since I work there and was able to get amazing seats for an amazing deal that they should check it out. We went to Barber of Seville, which was the first opera for both of my parents. I was a little nervous because some people have negative reactions to opera (just because it's opera) or find it boring and want to sleep through the entire thing. In my opinion, Barber of Seville is very accessible and a great first opera. Besides, if you are going to give opera a try you might as well start at the top with the Met. Well, they loved it! I was so happy that it was a success... despite traffic and parking issues.

Lastly, on their way out of town Sunday evening I made them stop at Junior's for a slice (or two) of world-famous cheesecake. We split a slice of original cheesecake and one of strawberry. Paired with a cup of coffee was just perfect! Needless to say, we had two empty plates in front of us in no time at all! New York cheesecake is an absolute must. The texture and flavor just can't be beat.

Those are some of the highlights of our little vacation in the city. I love living in a place that can turn into a vacation for me. New Yorkers rarely go to the places that tourists visit. We have different neighborhoods and in general try to stay away from those busy areas so our lives are more 'normal' and we aren't always fighting through the crowds. Because of this, the city can be instantly transformed into a different place when visitors come and we DO go to those places and see our home from a different perspective. Kind of cool. Well, I'm up early and don't think I'll be going back to sleep, so I might as well go on in to work. Early in means... early out!!! I can handle that!!!