Jackie: Babushpug

Jackie the foster pug has now been with us for over 2 months.  She's finally getting a little meat on her bones, and is happy as can be.  Every time we come home, she chirps and squeals with delight.  Kirby is more concerned with whether we have treats for him, but we know he's excited on the inside...

While I was secretly (at least I thought) taking a picture of this outside, Will was inside shaking his head at me.  I got this scarf on clearance for $1... I couldn't resist!

Greek Night!

I was feeling a little more adventurous this week and decided to try something different.  We had "Mexican Night" several days before, so I came up with a couple recipes for "Greek Night"!  Our menu included spanakopita and a new Greek salad.  We drank red wine (since I'm not a huge fan of Ouzo), and while I should have made baklava from the leftover Phyllo dough, we had so much Easter candy in the house I just skipped the dessert.  I completely regret that, of course, because I would kill for a  piece of baklava right now.

Anyway, both recipes I'll use again.  I thought the spanakopita would be a challenge, but it was really more time-consuming than difficult.

Some tips:

• Make sure the phyllo is completely thawed before unrolling it, or it will crack. 
• Always keep the phyllo covered.  When you take out a sheet, cover the rest back up... otherwise it will crack.
• Try putting the cooked spinach in a thin, clean dish towel to squeeze out the excess liquid.  It's much easier than trying to do it with your hands.
• It's best to eat the spanakopita right after baking- don't plan on trying to reheat it the next day.  It loses all its crispness when reheated.  
• I also recommend stuffing the spanakopita extra full- they're better that way!  
• In case you haven't seeded a cucumber before, use a spoon to scoop out the center.
• Greek Night = feta galore!  Don't recreate it if you're not a feta fan. 

Here are the recipes below:

Spanakopita (Adopted and adapted from Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

1 stick + 1 T unsalted butter
1 lb baby spinach
8 oz crumbled feta
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 phyllo sheets, thawed (if frozen)

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 T unsalted butter.  Add the spinach and cook, stirring (about 4-5 minutes) until wilted.  Let cool in a strainer, then squish out any extra liquid (using the towel-method if desired).  Chop coarsely and add to a small bowl with the feta, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
2. Melt the stick of butter in the skillet you used for the spinach.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and top with a clean, damp kitchen towel.  Lay out one layer of the dough on a flat surface, with the long side closest to you (I used my big cutting board, which was pretty convenient).  Use a pastry brush to brush butter over the entire sheet.  Take another phyllo sheet and stack it on the first.  Brush this one with butter as well.  Slice the dough into 4 strips crosswise.  
4. Put a tablespoon of the spinach mixture on the nearest corner of one of the strips.  Fold the corner across to make a triangle.  Fold back and forth (like a flag) until you reach the end of the strip (see photos below if this sounds confusing).  Lay the triangle seam side down on a baking sheet.  Brush with a little extra butter.  Repeat with the remaining phyllo.
5.  Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  

Greek Salad (Adopted and adapted from FoodNetwork.com)

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise and seeded, then sliced into 1/4" pieces

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/2 red onion, diced 

8 oz feta, diced into 1/2" cubes (buy a block of feta, not crumbled)

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives (you can buy these canned at most grocery stores)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp mustard

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar, if you have it)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine the peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and onion in a large bowl.  
2. In a small bowl, combine the last 7 ingredients to make the dressing.  Whisk well and immediately pour over the vegetables.
3. Add the olives and feta.  Fold lightly to combine.  Let sit for 30 minutes before serving to allow the dressing to saturate the vegetables.

Banana Bread Scones

Anytime I have bananas that are a little past their prime, I keep telling myself I'm going to make banana bread and end up hanging on to them until they're so mushy I just throw them out.  This time I actually went through with it, but I mixed up the recipe a bit.  I decided to try banana bread scones for the first time.

Since I already had most of the ingredients, I altered the recipe to avoid going to the grocery.

Here's my version:

Banana Bread Scones (Adopted and adapted from thekitchn.com)


Ingredients:


about 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (enough for 1 cup)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (If you're hesitant to buy an entire container just for this recipe, try using the leftover yogurt to replace sour cream in other dishes... you can hardly tell the difference!)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T unsalted butter
6 T skim milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


1 T butter (salted)
2 T skim milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar


Directions:

1. Mix the mashed bananas and yogurt in a small bowl.  Set aside.  
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Slice the butter into several pieces and add to the flour mixture.  Mash the butter with a fork until all the pieces are no bigger than pea-size.
3. Add in the banana/yogurt mixture along with the milk.  Stir until just combined.  Fold in the walnuts if you're using them.
4. Line a plate with wax paper.  Scrape the dough out onto the wax paper and pat into a 1" thick disk.    Top with another piece of wax paper, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
5. Add a nonstick liner or sheet of parchment paper to a baking sheet.  Invert the dough onto the lined baking sheet, removing the wax paper.  Slice the dough like a pizza into 8 pieces.  I recommend spraying the knife with non-stick spray before slicing- the dough is pretty sticky.  Spread the pieces out a bit to allow room for the dough to expand.  Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are brown.  Let cool.
6. For the glaze, microwave the butter and milk for 30 seconds, until melted.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla.  Stir until the brown sugar is melted (it may need to be microwaved for another 30 seconds).  Mix in 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Add more if you'd like the glaze to be thicker.
7. Drizzle each scone with glaze and serve with a cup of coffee or glass of milk.

St. Patty's in Black and White

The weather was gorgeous and the beer was plentiful in downtown Indianapolis on St. Patrick's Day!

DIY Camera Bag

I've been looking for a camera bag for a while, and just haven't found anything spectacular for a reasonable price.  I really wanted something that looked more like a purse than a big black case that screams "camera bag".  What I really love are the Jill-e bags... but $250?  I think not.

So I decided to make an attempt at a diy project.  I found an idea for the basic set-up at Vanilla and Lace, and found the perfect bag at a going out of business sale at Jule.  I paid $15 for a purse originally priced at $80.  Woohoo!  I found the material on sale for $4/yard at Hobby Lobby, and the foam was $10/yard at Joann (ugh, a bit pricey), but a yard was all I needed.  So the total came to $29- and I have some leftover foam for a future project... I'm sure I can find an idea on Pinterest!  Not too bad considering I got exactly what I wanted.

The first thing I did was measure the purse itself.  I wanted inner padding on both sides, plus a strip on the bottom.  Then a little later I decided I should make a small foam divider as well, since I'll likely be using this to tote my usual purse contents too.  This is what I ended up needing:

• two 7" x 11" foam pieces for the sides (all of these measurements will obviously depend on the size of the bag)
• 5" x 11" foam strip for the bottom
• 5" x 7" foam piece for the divider
• four 9" x 13" fabric pieces for the sides
• two 7" x 13" fabric pieces for the bottom
• two 7" x 9" fabric pieces for the divider
• about 36" of velcro to hold the foam sides into the purse (easily removable if I decide to nix the camera bag idea in the future)
• fabric glue to fasten the velcro to the fabric and purse

After measuring and cutting everything, I started with one of the side pieces of foam, and laid it between 2 pieces of appropriately measured fabric (see above).  The front of the fabric should be facing inward (against the foam).  I pinned the fabric to fit the foam piece on 3 sides and only halfway down the 4th side (one of the short sides), leaving an open space to pull the foam out.  Next I sewed the sides where I had previously pinned, trimmed the excess fabric off, and turned it right side out.  The last step was putting the foam piece back in and hand sewing the opening I had left.  I repeated these steps with all the foam pieces I had cut.  The only thing left to do was attach the velcro.  I put two 9" strips lengthwise on each side foam piece, with the corresponding velcro pieces glued in the appropriate spots on the inside lining of the purse.  It's actually more difficult to explain it than to just do it!  The pictures below should help illustrate the process.

The sides and bottom foam pieces, covered in fabric.

The divider foam piece.

Picture from my phone- camera inside.

Grilled Eggplant Burger and a Banana Split

We basically live outside when the weather gets nice every year, so this strangely summer-ish weather has led to daily grilling at our house.  Meatless grilling hasn't been something we've had to face before though.  We weren't sure how many dinner options we'd have, but I think we found a recipe we'll keep going back to.  I've eaten a lot of eggplant in pasta dishes, but if it's drained and grilled well, it tastes completely different from what I'm used to.  I'm confident that even the biggest meat-eaters will like this burger.

Grilled Eggplant Burger (Adopted and Adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4" slices
salt
olive oil
1 tomato, sliced
1 bunch of basil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
fresh mozzarella cheese- at least 4-5 ounces- sliced into irregular chunks (I always buy the 16 oz packages, because I don't think it's possible to have too much fresh mozzarella)
about 3 T balsamic vinegar 
6 small buns (I seem to always forget about these)

Directions:

1. Lay out all the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels.  Generously salt both sides of each piece, and let sit to drain.  After about 10 minutes, use another layer of paper towels to pat the excess moisture out of each slice.  (You don't have to complete this step, but I recommend it if you don't want a squishy eggplant burger.)
2. Meanwhile, add the thinly sliced onion to a bowl, and cover with the balsamic vinegar.  Toss to coat.
3. Set the grill to medium heat, and close the lid.  Use a pastry brush to slather oil on both sides of each eggplant slice.  Add to the grill, and close the lid.  After 3-4 minutes, turn the slices.  There should be some pretty nice looking grill marks, otherwise they're probably not ready to turn (see photo below). Close the lid for another 3-4 minutes, and remove the eggplant to a plate.
4. If you'd like, add the buns to a cooler part of the grill to toast up a bit.  I used the top rack (you can see it in the first photo below).
5. Top each bun with a couple of eggplant slices, tomato, 2-3 basil leaves, mozzarella, and a few onion slices.  
6. If you're like me: After you've enjoyed your burger, keep in mind that you've eaten a lot fewer calories than you would have if you had eaten a ground beef burger... and finish the meal with a banana split topped with hot fudge sauce and strawberries!

Underused Ingredient: Barley

I'm a big fan of whole grains, but barley really hasn't ever been on my grocery list.  I substituted it for brown rice at dinner a few days ago, and I've decided it's completely underutilized.  At least in our house. It reminds me of sticky white rice, which I would prefer over brown rice if it was a whole grain.  Cooking it is pretty similar to cooking couscous or rice.  Boil about 3 cups of water, add a cup of pearled barley, and let simmer for about 35 minutes.

I was also surprised to learn that it's higher in fiber and lower in calories than brown rice.  A cup of cooked brown rice has about 216 calories, 3.5 grams of fiber.  A cup of cooked pearled barley has 193 calories, but 6 grams of fiber.  Compare that to a cup of cooked white rice, which has 205 calories and less than a gram of fiber.  With all the evidence showing that fiber helps lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels in those with type 2 diabetes, prevent colon cancer, and aide in weight loss by making you feel fuller longer, how could you not want to get more in your diet?!  And a cup of barley provides approximately 1/4 of the recommended amount of fiber adults should get in a day.  Not bad!

So here's to barley- not just for soups anymore!

Some of my bulk grain jars, from left to right: wheat berries, pearled barley, couscous.

Grilled Cheese Makeover: Smoked Gouda & Pear

Before you consider making this, realize that you will never be able to eat a plain ol' grilled cheese again.  At least not without dreaming of smoked gouda and pears.  The smokiness of the cheese and sweetness of the pears meld into something amaaaazing.  This really doesn't require a recipe... but here it is anyway.

Grilled Smoked Gouda and Pear Sandwich


Ingredients: 


about 4 oz smoked gouda
1 Bosc Pear
4 slices whole wheat bread (okay, it doesn't have to be whole wheat, but we're packing our bodies with gobs of cheese... let's do it a favor and give it some fiber)
3-4 T margarine


Directions:

1. Slice the cheese into irregular chunks- no bigger than about 1/3" thick.  You can take the outer "skin" off the cheese first, but it isn't noticeable on the sandwich.  Peel the pear and cut it lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices.  Spread a thin layer of margarine on 1 side of each piece of bread.  
2. Heat a skillet on medium.  Lay one piece of bread, margarine side down, onto the skillet.  Cover with gouda slices and top with pears.  Add another piece of bread, margarine side up.  Let brown and flip to other side. 
3. Toss onto a plate and repeat for the second sandwich.  I HIGHLY recommend this sandwich with a glass of dry red wine, if you're a wine person.  Mmmmmm...