Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice

R ecently I was asked if I would like to review SOS! The Six O'Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families by Aviva Goldfarb.

I've never accepted a request to review a cookbook until this one. The title intrigued me, and I definitely wanted to read it and cook from it.

I read some of it while I took a bath. Is that weird? I take bubble baths and read cookbooks. Very carefully.



I took a week to look over the cookbook and its recipes and I'm really impressed! I have a lot of new ideas for quick and easy dinners throughout the week, using fresh ingredients. I like that many of the recipes are vegetarian. Lately I'm feeling like I want to go back to being a vegetarian. I watched Food, Inc for the first time the other night. I mean, wow... If you haven't watched it yet, watch it. I'm definitely going to be making some changes in my diet and grocery shopping.



Anyway, other highlights of the the Six O'Clock Scramble include:

-Helping readers eat seasonally without missing their favorite foods .
-Saving money through easy, efficient planning, bulk buying, freezing and storing, and avoiding waste
Making grocery trips count with suggestions for weekly plans and shopping lists.

I chose to make Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice out of the cookbook for two reasons.


1) I had everything to make it.
2) I'm meeting Lorie of Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things today for the first time.

That's right - The biggest blogger meetup of the century is happening today.
An EPIC blogging event that no one will ever forget.

Emily
Meets
Lorie

I'm a HUGE fan of her blog and can't wait! I'll blog about our meeting soon.
I think we're hittin' up the Hemmingways buffet, right Lorie? That reminds me - I need to wash my sweat pants.

WAIT. They have a build your own burger option on the menu! This could give us some ideas for BBB. :) Oh wait - I just said I was going to be a vegetarian again.
... Right after I eat that burger.

Back to the rice and beans. They were good! I really liked this recipe. I love lime, cilantro and curry together. It made a ton though, so I froze the rest.
Nice work, Aviva! Great cookbook.


One last thing. My sister Hannah's senior prom was last Saturday night. I had to show you a picture of her in her lovely dress that my mom made, with her lovely date, Wesley. Wesley wanted to be on the blog and I was like, Sure you can!

You look beautiful, Hannah! You look beautiful, Wesley!

Then Eric took this picture of Hannah and me together... but guess who's lurking through the screen door? MOM! That is so creepy, Mom. At least you're smiling.


That's all for today! Unless you want to vote for my Avocado & Mango Lime-Grilled Shrimp Tacos in the Gorton's contest again. I know you want to! It's the last two days of voting. Thank goodness. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for voting, you guys! And if you didn't, that's okay too. Love you all!

Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice
“SOS! THE SIX O’CLOCK SCRAMBLE OF THE RESCUE. Copyright © 2010 by Aviva Goldfarb. All rights reserved.”

1 cup white rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 small yellow or white onion, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 can (15 ounces) black beans with their liquid
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salsa
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Cook the rice with 2 cups water according to the package instructions. (The rice can be made up to a day in advance.)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, and saute the bell peppers, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes until they are fragrant and slightly tender. While they are cooking, stir in the cumin and curry powder. Add the beans and their liquid, the Worcestershire sauce, and salsa and bring to a boil. Let the beans simmer for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, for about 3 more minutes until heated through. Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve it with the lime wedges.

Prep + Cook = 25 minutes
6 servings

8K Recap

S aturday morning I woke up bright and early at 6:00 AM. Err, I mean, I set my alarm for 6:00, but woke up at 6:40. It's my own fault for not setting two alarms.

That's okay; I still had plenty of time to get ready for my race. It was drizzling out and I was worried that it would start storming, but luckily the rain held off. My boyfriend, Eric (maybe you've heard me mention him before), drove me to the race while I ate peanut butter mini bagels and iced coffee for energy.

The race was held at Panera bread in Springfield, and the parking lot was PACKED with many runners. Apparently there were four hundred people who ran. A lot of them looked really professional and I felt out of place. I picked up my registration packet with my number and shoe clip. But guess what? They ran out of T-shirts. And I registered two weeks ago. I was very disappointed since this was the first race I've ever ran. The organizers said "If" they order more, they'd contact me to come pick one up.

Eric snapped some pictures of me getting ready for the race.


Lucky number 60!


Then it was time for the race to start. Unwillingly, Eric let me kiss him before I left for the starting line. ;)
I shouted, "Just let me kiss you!! Hold still!"
Then he started crying.


He sat and waited for me the whole time while I was running. Isn't that sweet? Thank you, boyfriend.

The race started and all of the people began running pretty fast. I was a little worried about how fast everyone was going. I ran with a few friends from work for a little while, and then they went on a different course for the 5K.

The race course went through some hilly neighborhoods and onto some trails as well. It was very pretty and I didn't mind running in the rain at all. I felt good and strong throughout the whole race and didn't get tired at all. The only thing I didn't like was there were no mile markers so I had no idea how far I had ran. Maybe that was a good thing though?? Before I knew it, I could see the finish line in the distance.


Action shot. Just look at that form!

I started running faster and faster, because I knew I'd have to hurry to make it in fifty minutes. What really made me run faster was the table full of bagels, cookies and croissants at the finish line.



And... I did it! I ran five miles in fifty minutes! That's not that great of a time, but it's not bad for a first race. I think. That's what I tell myself anyway.

Then I had some blueberry bagel sticks to replenish my carbs. I love blueberry bagels SO MUCH. I wish they had the cinnamon crunch bagels though - they're incredible. I went back for more bagel sticks. And then I went back for more and took them home with me.

So that's that. I ran a race! I can check that off of my to-do list. Next on my to-do list: learn to fly fish.

Spread a Little Love Today

H ey y'all. I hope you're having a lovely Saturday! (That was in my Paula Deen voice)
I ran my race today and survived. I'll write a recap of the shenanigans soon.

A few people emailed me about this Real Women of Philadelphia contest and said I should enter. I've been seeing quite a few commercials advertising it too. It's sponsored by Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Paula Deen. They pick two finalists in different categories each week from the submitted recipe videos. Then those finalists fly to Savannah for a cook-off. Four finalists win $25,000.



Well, I really don't have anything to lose, do I? Sure, why not. I'll enter!
As you know, I just bought a Flip video camera and thought I should try it out. I created a recipe for Chocolate Covered-Strawberry Cheesecake Bread Pudding and filmed myself making the dessert the other day.



It took me allll day before work to set up everything and bake and film. Recipe videos are a lot of work! I actually had a lot of fun doing this though. Win or lose I had a good time and I gained a little experience, right?



So feel free to watch the video and make fun of me! Go ahead! You know you want to! I've been laughing and making fun of myself all day. Hahaha I'm probably the most awkward person in the world, I've decided.

Bye y'alllll!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffies

Y es, more cookies. I promise I'm going to quit soon. I made these a month ago, when I first moved out. They were the first thing I baked in my new kitchen.

The day I moved out, I took an orange, a few granola bars, and a can of pumpkin with me. I'm not sure why... I think I was scared I wouldn't have food to eat. But why the can of pumpkin? It didn't make sense.

Maybe subconsciously I was thinking about baking these cookies. Muffins.
Muffin cookies.
Muffies.

These are a pumpkin muffin and a chocolate chip cookie's love children.

Eric loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. So I told him I would bake him some if he moved in with me. And that's how I sealed the deal.

I'm just kidding, of course. He really liked these. Or at least that's what he told me. I liked them too. Spicy, buttery, sugary, chocolatey... what's not to love?



I'm planning out some future projects and posts for this blog and I'm very excited! I'm going to have some good stuff in May and June, I think. Eric and I are going to New York City in a month! Also, check back this Friday or Saturday for a special little post.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffies (By Me)
Printable Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy - about 1-2 minutes. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips until combined.

Place heaping tablespoons full of dough onto cookie sheets, placing an inch apart. Lightly wet hands and flatten cookies slightly, to a 1/4-inch thickness. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden and set. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen muffies

Marshmallow Fudge Brownies

I

M y first (only?) race is this Saturday at 8:00 AM. Ugh, that is so, so early. That means I have to get up at like, six or seven. That's wayyy too early for me. But that's okay. After the race I can stuff myself with bagels and then go back to sleep before work.

Yes, bagels. The race is sponsored by Panera bread. Ahhh yeah. Blueberry bagels are my favorite. I wonder if I should stuff myself with bagels before I run? You know, for extra energy? I think I'll drink shots of espresso too. Hopefully I won't vomit all over the race course.

Are my two Springfield readers running the race? No? All right then.
I decided to run the 8K (5 miles) to challenge myself. I've been running a lot lately, but I don't feel like it has been enough. The most I've ever ran consecutively was four miles. I think I'll be okay, though. I'm running with a friend who runs marathons all of the time. Hopefully she'll keep me going. I'm aiming to run the race in 50 minutes. We shall see...

After this I probably won't run more than once a week. I really don't think it's for me. I prefer aerobics and strength training. And spinning! I just took my first spinning class two weeks ago. It's fun... it's fun if the music gets you going. The class isn't fun if you have to listen to slow country music. Have you taken spinning? Those jump things are HARD.

Running makes me hungry. Like, really, really hungry. When I get home I'm starving, and grab the nearest food item available. So the other day I ate ten or so of these brownies when I got home.

Nah, not really. Just five or six. Gotta watch the ol' figure.

I needed to get rid of a bag of mini marshmallows, so I thought why not melt them into the butter and chocolate and make brownie batter?

And so I did. These were really good fudgy brownies, but I'm not sure the marshmallows did much. I was hoping the marshmallows would make the brownies a little chewy, but the only difference I could see was the brownies seemed fluffier.
Oh well. These were still very good, and I used up the bag of mallows.

I have a few more hodgepodge posts, but then I'm getting into some retro/old fashioned summer desserts.

Marshmallow Fudge Brownies (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup chopped chocolate, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 11x8-inch baking dish with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; reduce heat to medium low and stir in marshmallows until melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and well combined; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda until combined. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until creamy - about 1 minute. Beat in eggs until well combined - about 2 minutes. Beat in sugar and vanilla until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Beat in melted chocolate mixture until just combined. Stir in pecans until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes, evenly top with chocolate, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set and well risen.

Cool completely before lifting out foil and slicing into bars.

Makes brownies

Honey I'm Nuts About You-Wheat Krispie Treats

T hank you for all of your meal suggestions. They really, really helped me and gave me some ideas. Hopefully all of your comments helped some others as well.

Here are the most popular suggestions for quick, easy & healthy dinners:

-Stir fry with vegetables and rice/pasta
-Quesadillas
-Veggie wraps
-Panini/grilled sandwiches
-Salads with vegetable/chicken
-Eggs or omelettes

I didn't think about this, but keeping certain condiments and sauces on hand can make meals a little more interesting. Hummus, salsa, teriyaki and soy sauce, jarred pasta sauces and salad dressings are all useful. I definitely need to buy some salsa. When I lived at home we always had a jar of salsa in the refrigerator... and tortillas. Packages and packages of tortillas - we really like Mexican food! :)
Salsa is a healthy, affordable way to spice up quesadillas, soups, vegetables, and grains - not to mention it's a good snack with tortilla chips.

-Many of you use George Foreman grills or indoor grills for cooking sandwiches, meat, and vegetables. I'm thinking the "Griddler" might be a good investment... I obtained a gift card from Williams Sonoma, months ago, and have yet to use it.

-Another useful tip: when you do have time to cook, make big portions and save the leftovers and feast on them all week. Most of you already know that tip, haha. I don't usually get sick of leftovers, so I could definitely do this.

-Buy produce from ethnic and farmers' markets. The Springfield farmers' market started up last weekend, and I think I'm going to swing by on Saturday and stock up on vegetables. Maybe I'll find something unique!

Anyway, that last post was very helpful to me, so thank you. And wow - I didn't know there were so many almond milk fans out there! I'm buying some as soon as possible.

Lastly, a certain "Canadian anonymous" in the comments section gave me a direction to go in with the puffed wheat. They left a a recipe that reminded me of rice krispie treats, and used butter, sugar and corn syrup. Apparently these treats in Canada are considered trashy. Trashy treats.



I'm game for some trashy treats. I didn't use the recipe, but created my own and made them more like rice krispie treats. "Honey I'm Nuts About You-Wheat Krispie Treats." Whahahaha. How do you like that title? That's just nutty.

I melted butter, almond butter, marshmallows, honey, and a little bit of salt in a saucepan, and then stirred in the puffed wheat and some toasted chopped almonds. Then I spread the mixture into a lined 8x8-inch pan and let it cool before slicing.

This is such an easy, stupid recipe. But you know what? They were kind of good and addicting. The treats tasted like Honey Smacks cereal. Who doesn't love Honey Smacks?! And that amped-up looking frog, high on sugar, corn syrup, and honey.

Honey I'm Nuts About You-Wheat Krispie Treats (By Me)
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups puffed wheat
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds, toasted

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter and almond butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows, honey and salt, and stir until melted. Stir in puffed wheat and almonds until combined. Press mixture into prepared dish. Cool completely before lifting out foil and slicing into bars.

Makes 9 big treats

Randomnezzz

I tried Kefir for the first time the other day. Have you heard of Kefir before?
Nooo, not THIS Kiefer, silly. Heh heh heh heh. I'm so funny.

It was recommended to me by my sister, Hannah. It's a thick-yogurty drink that's supposed to be good for you. I opened the bottle up and took a whiff out of it and was surprised how strong it smelled. It smells like really off buttermilk.

When I drank it by itself it was pretty strong and I didn't enjoy it. But poured over oatmeal it was quite delicious. Like yogurty-oatmeal. I don't know if I'll buy it again, though. I've been experimenting with different milks lately... I try a different one every week. I tried lactose free milk last week, and now I'm on to my new favorite: vanilla soy milk. That's the kind of crazy stuff you can do when you live on your own!! Should I try almond milk or hemp milk next week? :)

Milk goes well on cereal. Blueberry Morning, Banana Nut Crunch and Maple Pecan Crunch are my favorites. That's a bag of puffed wheat I bought. It was a dollar, and for some reason I felt compelled to buy it. But now what to do with it?

I think I might love oat bran and oatmeal even more.


Put a spoonful of a nut butter of your choice in your oats and you have the breakfast of champions.


Don't forget the fruit. I bought this bag of dried fruit at Sam's, and it has some good stuff in it. Peaches, apples, plums, apricots, pears... have you ever had a dried pear before? They're even better than regular pears.


I have no trouble figuring out what I want for breakfast, snacks, and desserts, but when it comes to dinner, I'm a bit of a mess. I need food that's affordable, healthy, and quick to prepare. I get home after work around ten or eleven at night, and I'm usually too tired to put a lot of effort into something. I refuse to eat at the restaurant I wait tables at. Everything is fried. Everything.

I can't buy produce in large quantities because it goes bad before I can use it. I've been randomly tossing things in the cart when I go grocery shopping. Frozen vegetables seem like a good idea. They're fairly cheap and I don't have to worry about them going bad.


I've been buying canned beans and soup, too. I have fallen in love with chick peas. I think they're SO good. I haven't tried the Boca burgers yet. I'm having trouble getting excited about them. The mini Mama Mary's pizza crusts are good for quick and easy dinners.


I don't eat a lot of meat, so I rely on whole grains, pasta, rice, etc. And boxed mac and cheese. Oh come onnn! You're telling me you don't like Kraft?


So today, my question to you is, what is your favorite quick and easy meal that's affordable and healthy? I could really use your help! I have a feeling I'm going to run out of ideas for food, fast.

What did you eat a lot when you moved out on your own?

That's enough meaningless jibber jabber for today. I need to work on organizing this. What a mess.


*** Voting Updates ***
-Congrats to David Lebovitz who won Best Baking and Desserts Blog on Saveur. Thank you to all of those who voted for me!

-My Avocado & Mango Lime-Grilled Shrimp Tacos still need your vote! I'd really appreciate it. You can vote once a day until April 30th. Yes, this is the longest voting contest ever.

Carrot Cake Crisps

I had a wonderful Easter the other day. It was a beautiful day and I got to spend time with Eric and my family. It was also my mom's birthday... the day after the baby was born. Isn't that crazy?

I almost always bake the cake for everyone's birthday. I decided to bake my mom a hummingbird cake for her birthday. A hummingbird cake has banana, pecans, pineapple, and a little bit of spice in the batter, and is frosted with cream cheese icing. Sounds amaaazing, right? Unfortunately, I had to bake the cake after a long night of waiting tables, and I was already exhausted. I tried creating my own recipe, but I failed miserably. The cakes were too thin and I overbaked them. the sides of the cakes got a little bit crispy, so I tried cutting them off. But then the cake wasn't round anymore, and it looked sloppy. So I chucked the whole thing in the trash. The flavor of the cake and frosting were really nice, though, so maybe I'll try again.

The next morning I went to the grocery store and bought a carrot cake for mom. :(
I didn't have a choice! Please don't judge me.

I hope the gift I bought her makes up for bringing a store-bought cake. I bought her a gift card to get a spa pedicure! Oooh. I think I'm going to go with her. Whooooo hooooo. I've never had a pedi before.

Anyway, it was a very nice Easter. I got to hang out with my family, AND Eric's family. I got to eat a lot of barbecue and baked beans. Lots and lots of beans.
My grandma and her husband, Elmer (my step-grandfather?), came down for an Easter visit.

Elmer is quite a character. He turns ninety next month and spends his time driving his minivan around the country with my grandma in the passenger's seat. They often stop to eat at buffets. Elmer's favorite foods include pork chops, corn, and candy corn drizzled with chocolate sauce. He likes to wear suspenders and cowboy hats every day. He enjoys reading Harlequin romance books.

This was his current read:

Is that the Great Wall in the background? I think this one might take place in China. How intriguing!

I googled it - it takes place in Hong Kong. Click here for full description.

Grandma and Elmer visit Mexico quite frequently. I'm not sure what they do there, except buy stuff. They brought us this giant Pooh pinata. I had Eric pose by it. He's a good model.


Other Easter activites included Peep eating. Mmmm Peeps. Who likes Peeps? Raise your hand!

I used to like them. Now I have one, and that's enough.




We had our annual wheelbarrow races, of course. Followed by the potato sack race, and the fifty yard dash.

Just kidding. That would be fun, though. If I have a family one day, I'm going to force them to particpate in family activities.

By the end of the day I was exhausted and couldn't hold my eyes open any longer, and fell asleep in this picture.


I'm dreaming of cookies.



What a day, what a day. So I don't have a hummingbird or carrot cake recipe for you today, but I do have another cookie recipe. Carrot Cake Crisps are crispy cookies made with grated carrots, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, spices, toasted coconut, toasted pecans and raisins.

So good. SO good, people. You need to try these cookies immediately.

Carrot Cake Crisps (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup crushed pineapple
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, brown sugar and maple syrup until creamy - about 1-2 minutes; beat in vanilla and egg until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Beat in carrot, coconut, pecans, pineapple and raisins until combined.

Drop flat, round spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets, about an inch apart. Bake 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown and firm. Turn oven off and leave cookies in oven for 1 hour or until crisp. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 20 cookies