Mamma's Turkey Chili

It's the middle of November and it's still 70 degrees out - where is fall?  The leaves are changing color and falling to the ground, but the air is still so warm. I need to move back east STAT!

Boyfriend loves football - I guess most men do, but his Sundays consist of sitting on our couch watching every single game on television.  Me being the girl I am, cannot stand to watch football ALL day, so I have vowed to cook something on Sundays to take up some time and keep me entertained while the boy is glued to the television.

This Sunday boyfriend put in a request for chili.  I reminded him that it's still sunny and 70 degrees outside, but he insisted it was time for chili and rice (one of his favorite meals).   Boyfriend and I both love the mother goose's chili, so I did my due diligence and emailed Mother Goose for her recipe:

Ingredients
2 pounds ground turkey 
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic glove, minced
1/3 cup chili powder 
3 cans red kidney beans 
3 14-oz. can tomatoes
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 


Method
1. On saucepan over high heat, cook ground turkey, green pepper, onion, and garlic, stirring frequently, until all pan juices evaporate and beef is well browned (about 15 minutes). 
2. Stir in chili powder; cook 1 minute.  Drain liquid from kidney beans into meat mixture; reserve beans. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, and bay leaf; over high heat, heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in reserved kidney beans. Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer to blend flavors. Discard bay leaf
4. Serve with brown rice & cheese

Browning beef with pepper, onion, and garlic

Stir in tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, and bay leaf

Kidney beans reserved for later

The whole mixture before boiling

Adding the kidney beans 

 Boyfriend has a very specific way of putting the chili in the bowl....
* Not sure why these pictures turned out so yellow though. ugh

First comes the brown rice 

Then the cheese 

And then finally add the chili on top

Mix it all up and ENJOY!! 

Boyfriend attempted to make this recipe one time when we lived in Boston, but he somehow switched the chili pepper and cayenne pepper.  Yep, he added 1/3 cup cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder... To say that chili was spicy is an understatement!!!  We added a bunch of sugar to the chili because it's supposed to balance out the spicy, but it was still pretty hot.  Luckily one of our friends really likes spicy food, so he had enough dinner to last him a week.

This batch had the right amount of ingredients added and it was scrumptious, even if it does still feel like spring! I'm just happy to have something to keep me busy while football Sunday continues. Until next week...

Lasagna

My favorite lasagna comes from New Hampshire.  It's made in a cozy kitchen in New London by an amazing lady.  

The cold weather has spurred an early craving for her delicious, cheesy lasagna.  Due to the fact that I now live on the "wrong" coast, I had to try my skills to re-create boyfriend's mother's specialty.  For the purpose of this blog, lets call the lasagna master "D".  

Now, I can make pasta and sauce NO problem, in fact, I think I could even call it my specialty.  So I figured lasagna would be no problem. Right? Wrong!!  I e-mailed D for her recipe.  She sent back  instructions  like I knew what I was doing... Also WRONG!  In fact, because the e-mail didn't say so, I didn't know I needed to cook the noodles before I layered and baked them.  After a little insight from boyfriend, I headed out to the grocery to pick up the necessary supplies.  

My mom made home-made sauce with tomatoes from dad's garden (not something readily available in NH).  I defrosted the sauce and browned turkey.  I combined the meat into the sauce to make an easy meat sauce. Check!

D's e mail said to mix the ricotta cheese with an egg.  I was a little put off by this, so I looked it up.  Turns out everyone mixes an egg with ricotta cheese to make it easier to spread.... okkkk. 

I bought fresh mozzarella and sliced it up.  

I then put down the first layer of tomato sauce

Step #2: the noodles 

I stuck a dollop of ricotta cheese on each side of the noodles  

  

and added a bit of sauce to spread the ricotta cheese out evenly.  

Then, as if laying bricks, I filled in the cracks with mozzarella.

I repeated the layering process until I reached the top of the pan and then added the remaining mozzarella to the top. 

I put the lasagna in the oven to bake for about an hour.

Boyfriend came home from basketball a VERY hungry boy.  He was so anxious to try the lasagna, he refused to let it finish baking, and removed it from the oven after about 45 minutes.  Since everything was cooked before it went into the oven, I didn't see any food safety issues with taking it out early.  

I personally like my lasagna a little crunchier on top and at the edges.  Since this one didn't get to bake the full time, it was a  waterier and more runny that I would have liked.  

As you can see in the picture above, the whole thing was kind of watery.  I'm unsure if it's because of the short baking time or because I used home-made sauce from fresh tomatoes.  I will have to try again the next time I want lasagna.  OR I will hop on an airplane to New Hampshire and have the REAL thing with some REALLY great company!  


Boyfriend and I have to plan our trip back east soon... I definitely cannot make it through winter without lasagna! 

My Adventures Eating Out

I started a new job at the beginning of June with has left me with little no time to blog or cook.  Due to my new time crunch, I have found myself eating out more and more - great food... bad for my waist line!

► My good friend Kitchen M invited me to be her guest at the Cookbook Release Party at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, CA to taste some of the cook book recipes paired with delicious wines. 

The vineyards are beautiful and the grapes are growing big in preparation to be picked in the fall.

Domaine Chandon is known for their sparkling wines, so they had mostly green grapes in these vineyards.

The event was spectacular and the food and wine pairings were delicious.  Every bite I took sent a rush of tastes to my mouth - I could not get enough!  The best (most unexpected) part of the evening was that I got to take a cookbook home signed by the head chef of Etoile and the author of the cookbook! I doubt my culinary skills allow me to actually cook any of the fabulous recipes, but the pictures in the book are very pretty!

My Favorite dish of the night - Braised pork with beans and couscous

► In the same week, my friend 'CAL' and I decided to try out the new Morimoto restaurant in Napa.  The service was absolutely terrible and their excuse was that they "just opened" - not impressed!  The food was pretty BLAH overall, but we did have a great appetizer and drink (and company!). 

Hamachi Tartare appetizer

White lily - shirayuri: shochu, calpico, yuzu juice and lemon juice

These two items were noteworthy, but the sushi we ordered was nothing special, and definitely not worth the higher price of eating a Morimoto's restaurant.  Unfortunately I do not think I will be visiting this restaurant again any time soon!


► In search of some good sushi, 'CAL' and I visited Mas Sake in San Francisco.  We began our meal with some edamame and a delicious cocktail. 

 Mas Tini: Nigori, peach schnapps, pomegranate juice, and fresh lime juice.. YUM!

We then enjoyed an appetizer and some sushi rolls.  The combination was simply divine and every bite was just as delicious as the first... definitely got our sushi fix from this restaurant.  I will absolutely be visiting this sushi restaurant again!!! No words to describe how much I enjoyed the ecstasy roll. I think I could eat it for dinner every single night from now on!

Sushi cupcakes

From left to right: shana roll, ecstasy roll, and three amigos

Close up of the ecstasy roll - no rice! 

Pizza, Pasta, and more Carbohydrates - Rome

First, I must apologize for the lack of posts by RD'lite. I have not been doing much cooking at home and have not been inspired to cook or blog - until I got an opportunity to travel!

I was lucky enough to visit Italy for 10 days in May. In typical RD fashion, I took pictures of (almost) everything I ate. There are way too many pictures and meals for just one blog post, so I have decided to blog the major cities separately. This first picture is not of food, but of the coliseum which was one of my favorite sights in Rome. I didn't know until I got home, but It's one of the seven (and I think now 8) wonders of the world - Thank you Boyfriend!
Now on to the food... In Italy they begin dinner with an appetizer - usually antipasti, followed by a small pasta dish, and then a main entree (usually meat and potatoes). The salad comes after the main course and then dessert to finish. There is always bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar on the table, and the bread basket is rarely empty. Yes, you read that correctly, that's a whole lot of carbohydrates! Pasta, potatoes, and bread in one meal - I have no idea how the Italians are so skinny. During the entire meal, they serve copious amounts of delicious wine which is also super cheap (<>

Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers and who knew it could get even better?! I didn't know that bruschetta came with anything other than tomatoes, and maybe some cheese. Artichokes were in season during my visit, and the Italians sure cooked them every which way. They even put it on bruschetta - so delicious!
For the second course I had the most wonderful gnocchi I have ever tasted. It was so light and not too filling. Just absolutely perfect with the bolognese sauce! Unfortunately, Italian food is not as photogenic as it is tasty. I was so full after my appetizer and pasta dish that I couldn't order a main course also. Come to think of it, I don't think I got past the pasta part at any meal.
AHHH probably one of my favorite parts of being in Italy - the WINE! This bottle is only half of a liter of the house wine. They literally poor the wine out of the barrel upon ordering it - so cool. I also found it funny that in America, we have special glasses for different types of wine. In Italy, they pour the wine into water glasses. They also give you a glass that's really used for water, but it's much smaller than the one that's meant for wine.
During my trip, a typical brunch for me was a salami and cheese sandwich or slice of pizza. They had these delicious sandwiches all over the streets in little snack cafes for about 3.50 euros. The pizza I speak of is not your typical slice of NYC pizza, but more like a little personal pizza - so cute.
I visited an outdoor market in the middle of Rome that looked much like the farmer's markets in the US. The market was bustling with both locals and tourists, and there were only a few foods I didn't recognize.
These tiny artichokes were in season, and I have never seen such small artichokes before. Restaurants fry the whole thing and it can be eaten with a fork and knife rather than each leaf individually. A much more civilized way of eating artichokes if you ask me.
Still not sure what these red and white pods are... if anyone knows, please let me know! They look so cool though. I have to assume they are some type of bean though.

These were the biggest beets I have ever seen! Don't they look delicious?
More artichokes - never seen them on stems in Safeway...
This last picture of fruits and veggies in a store front was taken in Siena. A very cute hill town. This picture is such a dietitian's dream - check out all those colorful fruits. I was very surprised how available fresh fruits and vegetables are on the streets and in markets, yet how uncommon they are as part of a meal.

Much more revelations about Italians, Italian food, and pictures to come in my post about Florence - Stay tuned!

Florence Favorites

At last I have a minute to sit down and write about the food in Florence. It has been so long now that I hope I have not forgotten all the details.





This first picture is a delicious bread and tomato soup. I was expecting something more like an onion soup with a piece of bread in it, but what I got was quite different. The soup is mostly tomatoes and olive oil with what tasted like the inside of a french roll soaking up all of the yummy juices. The taste was wonderful, and I loved the consistency, but I have a feeling soggy bread is not a consistency that most people enjoy.


Like all other meals in Italy, this one too was filled with carbohydrates.


The next course was a beef and asparagus roll (much like a meatball with asparagus in it) accompanied by potatoes and of course a marinara sauce. My brother and his friend ordered a ginormous steak that had to be shared. The thing must have been like 2 lbs. The funniest part was that the waiter brought out the steak to the table raw so the boys could check the quality. Like they would have known what they were looking at one way or another! There were tables of people all over the restaurants sharing these huge steaks and literally gnawing on the bones to make sure they got every since bite of meat... gross!
Brother and I visited Pisa for the day so I could bravely climb the leaning tower. During the 2 hour wait before I could go up, we enjoyed some pizza on a side street. My pizza had olives, onions, and artichoke hearts. I ordered a 'personal size' pizza, but it was still way too much for me to eat in one sitting. Not the prettiest pizza I have ever seen, but very tasty. Of course, I found the food market in the middle of the city and had a field day taking pictures of all the crazy foods I discovered. While Italian food is based on carbs, they also incorporate some wacky parts of animals...
The picture above is of what I assumed to be cripe... Since I don't know Italian, it was very difficult for me to decipher what they were actually selling. The stuff (I can't even call it food) looked like that I imagine the adipose tissue under human skin to look like - YUCK! I guess it's lining of stomach or intestines or something. Whatever it is, it does not look appetizing to me!
Sun dried tomatoes - not my favorite food, and I always pick them out of whatever I eat because I just don't like the consistency, but they do add great taste to almost any dish!

Check out all of those fresh lettuces. I don't think I would even know where to begin making a salad with all of those options!

This next picture depicts my favorite part of the market - watching them make pasta!

The machines they use look exactly like the ones I had as a child to 'make pasta' out of play dough. Too funny. Spaghetti anyone?
WARNING: these next pictures depict items I would NEVER consider to be food and you could not pay me all the money in the world to eat them. Again, due to my lack of Italian skills, I'm not totally sure what they are, but I did take human anatomy so I can take a guess...
Hooves, or brain?
Tongue and more minced meat?

Definitely some liver, and not sure what else... But it doesn't look very appetizing to me.

Ahhhhh. Much better, back to the carbohydrates! PASTA!!! How amazing does the fresh spaghetti and ravioli look? This was at the store front of the previous pictures where they were making it. Looks very different than the packaged crap we get in our grocery stores.

Since Italians have such great pasta and bread, it's no wonder they also have delicious pastries! All sorts of cookies with jelly, chocolate, and nuts. I could have eaten these all day!

More cookies - YUM

And just in case you were enjoying the pasta and cookie pictures too much and getting hungry... back to the meat!

I guess you can tell that the chicken is fresh since it still has its head, feathers, and legs. And for the LAST meat picture... hanging, drying meat. As much as I love salami, I'm not a fan of the thought of meat hanging to try out for ages... But hey, who does like aged, dried meats?

The produce in the market looked fabulous - so fresh and plump.
There were also large stands of dried fruits and nuts. It's like the bin candy stores we have here, but will fiber filled naturally sweetened fruit rather than high-fructose corn syrup filled candy! I got a big bag to take with me for my long day of adventures around the city.
I think this is a jelly dried fruit salad. And of course, Italian wine - so good and so cheap!
Like every market I've been to anywhere in the world, this one had beautiful flowers!

I loved the coffee in Florence. You literally walk up to a bar and order your coffee. The only thing I knew how to get was a cappuccino- and I had no idea how to order non fat milk - so I was drinking regular cappuccinos daily. They were small, wonderful, and only 1 Euro. People stand at the bar, drink their coffee / cappuccino quickly and then leave - very different than the Starbucks we have here. Come to think of it, I did not see one Starbucks in Italy - their coffee must not be good enough for Italians...
Bags of nuts and grains looks so healthy and much more appetizing to me than the meats and 'other' parts of animals.

ahhhh the gelato. I discovered pink grapefruit gelato and I think I died and went to heaven. It has to be the most wonderful and refreshing sweet I have ever tasted. I mixed it with the yogurt flavor and I just could not get enough. It was too hot while I was in Italy to have any type of chocolate or nutty flavored gelato, so I just stuck to my yogurt & grapefruit. I did try tiramisu one time and it was equally wonderful, just not as refreshing as my concoction! I ate gelato at least once and sometimes twice every day I was there - It's amazing I didn't come back 15lbs heavier!
More cookies! These butter cookies were dipped in chocolate, or filled with apricot jam (my favorite) and super crunchy - cheap too! I got all of these for less than $0.50 US.
Last but not least - my risotto. All other nights I enjoyed pizza or pasta, so on my last day in Florence I insisted on finding some risotto. This is risotto with mushrooms. I was surprised that Italians don't make risotto with tons of cheese like we do in America. I actually don't think it had any cheese - mother goose approved! I enjoyed every bite and it was a fabulous way to end my food adventures in Italy!
I loved all of the food in Italy and plan to visit again for more eating and wine drinking! Ciao!