#makedochef

I made these "bbq chip" dehydrated Brussels sprouts yesterday and they came out AWESOME. I thought I would share b/c they are wicked easy (and way better than eating a bag of real BBQ chips).

Tips:

I doubled the recipe for one (16 oz) bag of sprouts, which were already cooked. If you buy fresh, they're usually bigger, so you'd be able to make "chips" out of them; with the frozen, I just cut them in half. 

Before I started crafting my own tea, I had very expensive taste in tea, and I only bought what I considered the best tea blends. But even when I was using store-bought tea or blends, I always liked adding fresh herbs to tea -- especially iced tea. Because it takes me a few days to drink a whole pitcher, and flavors get more and more intense as the herbs and fruit sit in the pitcher. It's a personal preference, and obviously something that's not really feasible 100% of the year depending on where you live (I live in Boston and clearly our growing season is short). So I do still dry a lot of herbs. But since it's summer, I thought I would do a write-up on my own (short) experience and growing herbs and adding them to tea, and how to plan a tea-ccentric garden.

Full disclosure: this was my fist year growing anything. Up until 4 months ago, my husband and I lived in a tiny condo with not-so-fab natural light. We also have 3 cats, so the window sills were already claimed for either naps or eating of said herbs any time they were placed there. But if you have the outdoor space (and it doesn't take much), or better natural light inside and no furry friends, it's totally doable -- my point is that if I can keep things alive, anyone can.

All of my herbs were planted from seeds in late April, but you can totally buy plants that are further along as early as May. I may do that next year, so don't feel like you have to grow from seeds. I just got a little enthusiastic. Also, a tip from one urban gardener to another -- you don't need a ton of herbs, especially if you're the only tea drinker in the house (this is true even for food). They go a long way, and I find myself drying out way more than I'm using fresh. (This is not the case with fruit -- plant the crap out of those babies if you want a decent amount. I have 6 strawberry plants and I get 1-2 strawberries a day. So sad.) I only planted one seed packet of each of these.

Here are this year's choices:

German Chamomile. Note the type, because there are several different kinds of chamomile. This is the "typical" kind you use in tea. I actually haven't harvested it yet because I really need a tea ball, because the middle of the flower is made up of tons of tiny little seeds and they will definitely create dregs in the tea. If that doesn't bother you though, feel free to drop them right into your tea when you brew. Also, note that only the flowers should be harvested -- you don't generally use the greenery. 

Mint. Honestly, guys, my love for mint knows no bounds. I freaking LOVE this stuff. I put it in nearly everything I drink (except for like, beer), salads, cooking... I even baked it into most of my dog's treats. And once it starts to grow, it really takes off. My father has tried to kill an overgrown mint plant in his yard for years. It can't be done. If you have managed to kill mint, I would probably recommend that you don't have kids.

A note here -- you can tell that the chamomile and mint are in the same bin, which is about the size of a washtub. Urban gardening, ya'll. Make the most of your space. This is PLENTY of mint for a house of two adults (and 4 animals). 

My herb pot. Complete with color-coding. Clearly you can see that my talent extends beyond gardening and well into visual art. 

Yellow: Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm is pretty bad ass. It has all kind of natural health and healing benefits (you can google that ish, I'm too lazy right now), but it's also the primary herb used for lemon flavoring in tea because actual lemon is too tart. True story.

Purple: Lavender 

I'm just going to go on record here and say you are majorly missing out if you don't plant this gem. It's super hearty, and clearly can be used for way more than tea. It smells AMAZING, so if you have extra, you should clip some for your house and jus stick it in water, or even melt it into wax potpourri. But yes, it's also amazing in tea.

Red: Sweet Thai Basil

Again, a choice that I use for more than tea. I make a lot of asian dishes, and this (to me) is the secret that really pushes it over the edge. But in tea, it's great, because it is decidedly sweeter than "regular" basil and blends well with fruit, sugar and honey. 

Black: Lemon Basil

I prefer this for tea because it definitely does have a lemon aroma and flavor. It's technically not the kind you use in Italian cooking (which is straight up Sweet Basil, which is also different from Sweet Thai Basil!), but I use it in sauce and it makes an awesome pesto as well. 

White: Flat Leaf Parsley; Blue: Cilantro

I don't really use these in teas. I guess you could use the cilantro if you're feeling daring, though! But c'mon guys -- these herbs are delicious. They had to go into the bunch.

Again, I would like to stress the space issue. As you can see from the picture (and compared to the watering can next to the pot), this is not a huge space. And there are 5 different kinds of herbs here! Next year I'll probably double it so I can dry more as the season comes to an end, but I'm pretty happy with it anyway. 

Ok, so your herbs are growing and look like they're ready to use (for me up in New England, that began around Memorial Day). What now? Time to harvest! The most important thing I can say about harvesting simply, DO IT. Do NOT be afraid to cut back your herbs. In fact, be afraid to let them grow too long without cutting and harvesting. If you let edibles grow too long, they go to seed and won't continue to grow any longer. In order to keep them alive and producing, you actually have to harvest them regularly. With most herbs, you should cut below the first or second full set of leaves. Pruning will also keep your herbs fully and "bunchy," instead of tall and lanky. With chamomile specifically, simply cut the flower right off at the top fo the stem. (I've even heard of people with a larger crop simply going in and using their hands as "rakes" to simply rake the flower heads right off). 

After harvesting (and WASHING, of course!!) you can either drop them into a tea ball to steep hot tea, or I drop them directly into a pitcher when I make iced tea. I'm a bit picky about when I drop the herbs in - I make my iced tea by brewing hot tea first, then I add ice to cool it down. I usually add my herbs before the ice, but after it's cooled down a bit. If you add them right after you put the hot water in, you will probably burn fresh herbs. No bueno. You can also dry them, of course. Because I have such a small garden, I simply cut the herbs as they get a bit tall for my taste, and lay them on my counter for a day or two. If you have a large garden, you can gather a decent handful, tie together and dry anywhere (some people hang them upside down, I just put them on the counter). 

This meal is a combination of a bunch of different recipes that don't really make a meal on their own.  I should be forthright and say that I did NOT make ravioli from scratch, because that shit is cray.  I bought (the super yummly) butternut squash rav from Trader Joe's, and because it's fresh pasta, it really needs to be used w/in a few days.  Things get crazy once Adam and I start the work week, so I figured tonight was a good night to use the rav (and avoid "snacking" all night during the Pats' game).  

Normally I would do an olive oil-based dressing/sauce on squash rav, b/c I don't like to cover up the flavor (usually an olive oil and sage or cream sage sauce).  But we also had raw chicken breast that needed to be used up, so I decided to do chicken meatballs in a tomato sauce and create a heartier meal that we could stretch out into left overs.

I used a variation of Martha Stewart's chicken meatball recipe and then a variation of this quick marinara sauce to simmer the meatballs in until we were ready to eat. 

Martha Stewart's Chicken Meatballs

1 lb boneless, skinless thighs, cut into chunks -- I only had chix breasts, and only about 1/2 lb.  So I basically cut this recipe in half. Also, make sure your chicken is RAW. The recipe didn't state this.

1 slice white bread, crumbled -- I NEVER have white bread in the house, so I went wheat.  I also suck at ripping bread, so I legit smooshed it into a ball and used a cheese grater to creat my own breadcrumbs.  Also... breadcrumbs.  There's no shame in them.  I believe about a 1/4 cup would be a slice of bread.

1/4 cup milk -- LOL, I just realized I completely forgot to add this.  OH WELL!

1 egg white -- I used the whole damn egg.

1/4 cup grate parmesan -- or, shake cheese ;)

3/4 tsp dried oregano -- I eyeball that shit.

Salt & pepper to taste

How to Make-Do For Chicken Meatballs: Chop the raw chicken in the food processor to your liking.  I used the chop-for-just-a-second-at-a-time method.  You know... press the button for just a sec, another sec, etc.  Mix it around, repeat.  I wanted nice chopped chicken, not raw chicken puree (gross!). Recipe says to add everything to the food processor, but I transfered the chix BACK to a bowl, added all the ingredients, and used a spoon to "fold" it all together.  NOTE: I had to add more than one slice of bread (I actually supplemented with bread crumbs) because I had added a whole egg but I had only about 1/2 of the chicken I needed.  They came out fine.  When you're making meatball, you want them to end up the consistency of... hmm... oatmeal cookies (?) when you get ready to form them into meatballs.  If they're too wet, they won't hold their shape when you saute or bake them. Shape into balls any size you desire (heh).

Add some oil to a sauce pan, and once it's HEATED UP, add the meatballs.  This is really important when you're sautéing something that may stick to the bottom of the pan (I have a stainless steel pan -- if you have a nonstick, this step is not quite a vital). Allow meatballs to brown for about 7 minutes on MEDIUM, tossing/shifting pretty consistently for an even browning. (Note: I prefer to finish cooking my meatballs IN my sauce.  If you have kids, you might want to consider cooking them a bit longer.  I would wager that my meatballs are NOT cooked all the way through when I add them to the sauce.)

  How to Make-Do For a Quick Marinara: I always make my own marinara sauce and pizza sauce.  I can't STAND how sweet the "ready-made" sauces are, and, honestly, it really takes hardly any time at all.  Having tomato puree, diced tomatoes and whole peeled tomatos in cans on hand has been a life saver for me many a time.  I highly recommend adding them to the staples in your house.

I had 1/2 of a can of tomato puree left from the lentil soup (recipe will post tomorrow!) that was now simmering in the crockpot, so I made-do as follows:

1/2 can (14 oz) of tomato puree

1/4 cup parm cheese (grated or shake)

3 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP of the world's best pizza sauce (which I happend to have a mason jar left of in the fridge and needed to use up)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder (b/c I was too lazy to cut fresh garlic)

salt & p to taste

A hearty handful of spinach -- I ALWAYS add spinach to marinara sauce.  It's a great way to get some extra veggies in there for everyone, and you hardly notice it's there. It cooks down in minutes in a sauce, so even if you're pressed for time, you can do this!

Throw all that shit in a sauce pot, simmer simmer, COVERED.  

Once ingredients are blended (maybe, 20 min @ med-low), add the chix meatballs.  I like to let it simmer for @ least another 1/2 hour -- you may need to add some water or chicken broth to the sauce, since some of the water will probably evaporate.  Adding the chicken broth will also avoid having to add any extra salt. It depends how thick or thin you want the sauce.

This is a recipe I adapted from a recipe on The Sandwich King on Food Network. Pasta salads are one of my favorite things to make because I feel like, with a little creativity, you can make something truly unique and unexpectedly yummy.  Per usual, I did not have all the ingredients I needed for this salad, but I did have most of them, so I suppose this is kind of cheating.  Although, in my defense, pasta salad is really pasta.. and veggies... and given my obsession with always having a variety of frozen veggies on hand (and you should too!), it was kind of a given.

Speaking of veggies, I went heavy on the veggies and lighter on the pasta.  Personally, while I'm not crazy about eating a plate of cooked spinach, I LIKE veggies when they are cut (slightly) with something.  So I try to get the most of out that by letting up on the carbs and filling us with veggies.  Here's how we made do:

For the salad:

- 8 oz (1/2 bag) of pasta of your choice.  (We went with gluten-free rice pasta, because I can find it for a STEAL at my local Christmas Tree Shop, and I like to keep something gluten-free in the house for my aunt and cousin, who both have Celiac disease.)

-  Approx a cup of frozen peas, defrosted (cook for 2 min in the micro)

- About a half large container of grape tomatos (or a pint, if you both a smaller batch), sliced in half or fourths.  

- Approx a cup of frozen (or fresh) ROASTED peppers*

- 1/4 cup dill (I used dried)

For the dressing:

- zest and juice of one lemon

- 2 TSBP honey mustard (recipe said dijon, but I didn't have any)

- 1 garlic clove, chopped (there was supposed to be a shallot in the actual salad, but #1, I don't like shallots, and #2 because of that I didn't have one)

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

*A note on roasting -- because I'm such a huge advocate of frozen veggies (way less cost, and just as nutritious), I had to figure out a way to "roast" frozen veggies.  Here's my method for most veggies: spread veggies, frozen, in ONE layer on a baking sheet -- if you have parchment paper, I would recommend using it -- spray with cooking spray, lightly salt and pepper.  Cook in oven for about 20 minutes.  They will come out toasty and brown*

Did you guys ever do this as kids?  (Or now, WITH your kids??) Breakfast for dinner is a fun way to shake things up, and is arguably still nutritious (depending on what you serve, of course, but if it's ok @ 10 am why not 6 pm??).  Here's what we did for dinner last night:

Blueberry Waffles

Blueberry waffles or pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast foods of ALL TIME.  I LOVE the way the berries burst while you're cooking, and the flavor is sweet without being overpowering (which will save on all the sugar from the maple syrup!).  Here's the recipe we used, which came w/ our griddler (please note that the waffle attachments need to be purchasedseparately!):

2 1/4 cup flour (whole wheat, folks -- it's your friend!)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp of each: salt, baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

8 oz of blueberries (or however much you'd like)

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup veggie oil

Mix all that shit together.  Don't worry about mixing the dry ingredients first, blah blah -- they're just waffles, people. Spray down your griddler w/ non-stick spray for good measure. Use ladle to spoon in waffle mixer (it's not a huge deal it is goes over the side of the mold, but your waffles won't be a "neat" looking, if that's your thing.

Here's the kicker, though.  The griddler says 3 minutes should cut it.  I say 7, esp if you've added fruit.  Because the fruit is moist, it will take longer to cook, but even without the fruit, I found that 3 minutes lead to softer -- dare I say, LIMP -- waffles.  I'm not passing judgment if you like that sort of stuff, but I like a nice crispy waffle on the outside, soft on the inside.  If that's your thing, set the griddler for 400 and cook for 7 minutes, not 3. ** Leftovers Tip!  Crispier waffles can be reheated in the toaster!**

Griddler Bacon

Remove waffle attachments and insert regular griddler attachments.  Snap in run-off tray, as this will avoid greasy bacon.  Adam and I like our bacon crispy, so we cooked 4-5 min.

Eggies 

I happen to like mine just barely cooked over-easy, Adam like over-medium.  Salt & pepper, etc.