Thanksgiving Week

I've fallen into a bad habit that involves me not cooking all weekend.

Friday night pizza with the in-laws.
Saturday night dinner out.
Sunday morning breakfast at the diner down the street.

At least my mom snapped me back into healthy eating at Sunday night dinner at her house.

A beautiful chopped salad with arugula, romaine, celery, cucumbers, apple, pear, pomegranate, and feta cheese. Topped with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette dressing from Oh She Glows.

For dinner we had grilled pork tenderloin, roasted carrots, potatoes, and onions (a family favorite), and sauteed corn and broccoli.

Jerry's plate also included a homemade kielbasa, made by a friend of my sister Kate.

Mom also had homemade cranberry and apple sauces.

The cranberry sauce was my favorite with the pork.
I loved the blend of sweet and salty at this meal.

Mom has also declared that she is not cooking again until Thanksgiving.
My brother is preparing to eat cereal and Wheat Thins for dinner.


Speaking of Thanksgiving, it is right around the corner!
Only 4 days to defrost that turkey and bake those pies!

Jerry and I eat dinner at his parent's house and then again at my parent's house.

But that doesn't mean I won't be busy in the kitchen this week!

I am in charge of a pumpkin cheesecake and a homemade green bean casserole (no canned soup involved!). And possibly a corn pudding.
Plus I always bring Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread to my in-laws.

Is there something that is a staple at your Thanksgiving table?

Groceries 101

Yesterday, I broke one of my cardinal rules of healthy eating.

Never go to the grocery store without a plan.

Bad things happen when I wander around tossing things into my cart on a whim.
So I try to keep a few things in mind when at the grocery store.  

Here are a few of my shopping tips:

1. When I grocery shop I like to have at least 3-4 meals planned out. This leaves room for dinner out one night, dinner at my parents or in-laws, and a night of leftovers. If I try to plan more than 4 or 5 meals, I usually end up throwing away food. I'm thinking of last week's beautiful escarole that went in the trash. Oops.
2. Set yourself a food budget. This is not a hard and fast rule, but I aim to spend $75/week on groceries. It's almost like a challenge when I'm at the store. Can I afford imported cheese this week? Maybe next time.
3. I stick to my list. It helps me save money on groceries, and I tend to buy fewer unhealthy foods. I am more likely to add tomatoes and milk to the list than I am Doritos.
4. Let the produce department do all the work. If for some reason I don't have a plan, I check out to see which veggies look good that day. I can always work in a protein or starch somehow, but if I start with a vegetable that looks particularly delicious, I am off to a good start on a healthy meal.

All this being said, I really enjoy grocery shopping.
So when I ventured out to the store yesterday without any idea of what to make for dinner this week, I remembered tip #4. I stocked up on vegetables and felt well on my way to cooking dinner for the week.

Last night we made killer salads with my large haul of vegetables.

I marinated some tofu in Parmesan garlic buffalo sauce, and broiled it to go on top of the salads. I even managed to get Jerry to try it! He said it wasn't his favorite, but he didn't hate it.
I on the other hand, was in love and could have eaten the entire block of tofu.  The sauce was from Harry and David, but it reminded me of the Spicy Garlic sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings. Love it!

I splurged and drizzled a serving of Marzetti Simply Dressed Blue Cheese Dressing on my heaping pile of vegetables. It was perfect with the buffalo tofu.
I added some homemade garlic croutons after I snapped these photos. Jerry and I are obsessed and pretty much never eat a salad without them.

In case I haven't mentioned how to make them:

Homemade Garlic Croutons

• Drizzle olive oil on crusty bread (we use Heidelberg French Peasant)
• Toast bread
• Rub a clove of peeled garlic on bread immediately after removing from toaster. The heat from the toast will slightly cook the garlic, making it a little more mellow.
• Sprinkle on salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, or any other flavoring you like.
• Cut into cubes
• Devour a salad big enough for a family of 4

Grocery shopping, love it or hate it?
I love it, and can wander around a grocery store for hours. My dream is that someday Utica will get a Wegman's.  Sigh, someday.....

The Light Box

Jerry built me a light box!

Materials: box, poster board, a sheet, and a lamp.

He cut out the sides and top of the box, leaving a frame.

He sprayed adhesive on the box and glued on the white sheet.

He finished by putting the poster board on the inside of the box. He even built me a stand so that my light would hang directly over the box.

Right now I have this set up in our sun room, which is perfect, since it is right off the kitchen.
Unfortunately our sun room is not heated, so I have a feeling that in the winter, I may be relegated to food photography in the basement.

Last night for dinner, I was in the mood for vegetables. After a weekend that included ice cream (as a meal), chicken wings (twice), a Reuben sandwich, and meatballs, Jerry and I decided on something light and healthy.

I made roasted stuffed pears and served them over a bed of arugula. I also had baby lettuce and heirloom tomatoes that I picked up at the farmer's market on Saturday.
Prefect for Meatless Monday.

Jerry bought a bag of local Bosc pears at the orchard last week, and I didn't want them to go to waste. These pears were still slightly under ripe, so they were perfect for baking.

Roasted Stuffed Pears 

• 2 under ripe pears
• 2 Tbls walnuts
• 2 Tbls dried cranberries
• 1 Tbls brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• pinch of salt and pepper
• goat cheese, about 1-2 oz (this would also be excellent with blue cheese)

Peel the pears and then cut them in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, leaving a little well for the filling.
Toss the next six ingredients in a bowl, so that the brown sugar coats everything.
Place a dollop of goat cheese into the pear, and then cover with topping.
Finish off with a little more goat cheese on top.
Bake in a baking dish at 375 for 30 minutes, or until pears are tender.

I sprinkled a little more brown sugar on Jerry's pear, and added some extra cheese and walnuts to the salad. I added a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, and S&P to my salad.
I loved the sweet and savory flavors of this dinner.
There were two standouts in this salad. The tomatoes, and the walnuts coated in brown sugar.
I sure will miss local summer tomatoes :(

Compared to my salad from a few weeks ago, I would say the photos taken in the light box are much better.

Spicy Caesar, Sept 28, 2011

There are no shadows in the bottom photo, some thing drove me crazy when taking pictures in my kitchen.

Thanks for your votes on the meatball photos!
I am currently debating between #2 and #3.