Quick & Delicious

I love couscous! That may be a silly thing to say, but it's just so yummy, I can't help it. ;) I have recently discovered Israeli/Pearl couscous, and it has quickly become my favorite. While it is super delish eaten hot with meat and veggies, I love to turn it into a cold salad, because it's soooo yummy and healthy!

Alright so here is my "recipe" for a quick and delicious Couscous salad:

~ 1 box of Israeli couscous, cooked, and cooled down
~ 2-3 grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces, cooled
~ fresh crisp veggies, diced (I love cucumbers, red or yellow peppers, and white or red onion)
~ your favorite creamy salad dressing (Trader Joe's Greek Feta Dressing is the shiz, and will pretty much season the salad perfectly. Ranch dressing works well too, but I found I needed to add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and white vinegar for the flavor to really pop.)
~ crumbly cheese, like feta, blue, or parmesan (optional)

• Combine the couscous, chicken, and veggies in a large bowl and mix together.
• Add the dressing a little bit at a time, stirring everything together, until it's as moist as you would like it to be.
• Taste test - add any salt, pepper, garlic, etc. if needed.
  
• Add/top with cheese, if using.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour, so the flavors can really soak in. I'm not quite that patient, but I definitely notice better flavors when I have the left-overs the next day.

You can serve it with some bread, or on top of some leafy greens, if you like, but I just like it served in a mug with a spoon. :)
Bon Appetit!

Today

This video is stunning, Kristen Stewart is lovely in it, and the song itself really resonates with me today...

Recipe Update

So I tried this recipe again tonight, and went for a "primavera" style with grilled chicken on top. It turned out amazing! :)

After reading the pasta boxes, I decided to go with a linguine noodle - it's not as thick as the fettuccine, but not as thin as the angel hair, and is a good fit for cream sauces. I made the sauce just like the last time, but this time, when I returned the sauce to the skillet I added corn, peas, and carrots (which I sliced into strips and blanched in the water with the pasta, for the last 5 mins) before adding the parmesan cheese.

Add a couple of slices of french baguette and you are set for a great meal! My mom loved it too. ;)

Thank You Trader Joe's Cashier...

So the other day when I was out grocery shopping, I never expected to be told about a life changing sandwich... But that is truly what happened.

Patrick, my cashier at Trader Joe's (who hopefully doesn't mind me using his real name), noticed I was buying pimento cheese (srsly TJ's is THE SHIZ!), and he asked me if I'd ever made a.... wait for it... GRILLED PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICH!!

I know, right?! I too was struck by the "why did I not think of that before?!" factor. I mean it is cheese after all, and the grilled cheese is the all-American sandwich. Well Patrick continued to tell me that he, like "most Yankees," doesn't really like pimento cheese (Attention any Yankee readers: Is this true?! Y'all ARE CRAZY! Go eat some pimento cheese for goodness sakes!). But, his wife convinced him to try the Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich at their local pub, and he was converted right then and there! So, of course I HAD to have it for dinner that night! Now, the only bread I had at home was Russian black bread, which I was afraid would over power the pimento cheese, but TJ's is really flavorful because they use aged white cheddar and a bit of cayenne pepper, so I took the chance...

First I had to decide between my George Foreman Grill, or my cast iron skillet. I decided to go pure old school, and picked the skillet. I put it on the stove to heat up, and melted a little butter in it to swirl my bread around in (I think it works better than trying to spread the butter on the bread, because my bread always crumbles). Then I assembled my sandwich, placed it in the heated skillet, and put a lid on top. I find this helps make sure all the cheese melts, and you don't end up with a cold, un-melted middle.

So each side needs about 2-3 mins depending on the type of bread you use and the thickness of the slices. Russian black bread can be a little dry, compared to other bread, so a little more time with the lid on helped soften it as well. Ok once the sandwich was cooked, I removed it from the skillet and placed it on my bamboo cutting board, where I let it set for a minute before cutting it in half, on the diagonal of course. I seriously could not wait to taste it... and it was AMAZING!

Seriously, I want to try so many other combos now - different bread, different pimento cheese. I think it would be amazing on sourdough or Italian bread, with a more traditional pimento cheese... Yum! Leave a comment if you have a combo you think I should try - especially if you've made one before or had one out at the pub. I want to hear your experience!

A Recipe...

or as I am now calling it - A Revelation!

Do you like guacamole? You know, the yummy green stuff at Mexican restaurants made from avocado?! Ok good. Now, how you ever made it yourself?! Oh you have... well then I guess I'm the only doofus that hadn't until this month! Seriously, what took me so long?! Best. Snack. Ever!

So, on the off chance there are other people out there like me who have not make their own guac (yeah it's cool enough to get it's own nickname), I present you with my simple, versatile, and extremely delicious recipe!

Simple & Delicious Guac

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 extremely ripe avocados*
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lime
dash of salt
dash of black or white pepper
1 tblsp. olive oil**
splash of white vinegar**

Appliances:
Food processor

Step 1: Put the onion in the food processor and pulse the life out of it. You want the onion to basically be pulversized, so all the juices come out, and so you don't get a giant bite of onion (unless you like that, then you can mince up some extra onion to stir in at the end).

Step 2: Peel and remove pit from avocado. Place the avocado in the food processor; add the garlic. Pulse until smooth.

Step 3: Place avocado mixture into bowl (preferably one that has a tight fitting lid). Squeeze the juice of the lime, salt, and pepper into guac and stir. If using, add oil and vinegar as well. Cover with lid (if possible let out as much air as you can), and refrigerate for 10-15 mins, or until cold.

Step 4: Serve with chips and enjoy!

*My avocado was in the fridge for like two weeks, because I kept forgetting to use it. Best accident ever actually, so you're going to want to buy your avocados in advance. It seems to be difficult to find soft ones at the store, so don't expect to go out today and have guac tonight. Apparently you can quicken the ripening process by placing the avocados in a paper bag with an apple or banana (or both). I have not tried this, but many people on Google tell me it is so (and the internets never lie, right?!).

**If you don't expect any leftovers, omit these ingredients, as they are for preservation purposes only. The oil and vinegar slow down the browning of the avocados.

Now, that was just my recipe using what I had around the house. This recipe is pretty versatile, IMO, so here are some suggestions of things to add:

-Cilantro: I actually have cilantro now, and plan to add some to the next guac I make.
-Jalapeno (or any other peppers): Want an extra kick? Throw in some peppers!
-Tomato: This is a fairly common addition to some guacamole. I don't really like them, so I didn't add them.
-Black Beans
-Corn

Really, you can add pretty much whatever you think will be tasty! :)

Leave a comment if you have a guac recipe I should try, or an extra ingredient I just have to add. Enjoy!

MC: Day 30

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Ack, seriously? My brain can't remember that far back!! Lol *Goes checks iTunes downloads and YouTube favorites* Ok so I'll have to do two, 'cause yeah...

#1: I thought the girl was Haley from Paramore the first time I heard this song on the radio. When I found out it was Demi I had to give the girl props...



#2: I know what everyone says about this girl and this movie, but honestly, I loved this song and the movie... Still do. Don't hate! :P




And thus ends another 30 Day Challenge. Hope you all enjoyed my music choices, and even if you didn't, I hope you at least enjoyed checking them out every day. ;) Thanks for joining me on this adventure - it was a blast!

MC: Day 29

day 29 - a song from your childhood

Come on now, you know you loved this song too! When my local radio station does '90s weekends now, they play this song and I roll down my windows and BLAST it! It makes me super happy... ;)