Pancetta and Arugula Fritatta

Happy Easter!!!

 

Will post recipe later today, now it's time for BRUNCH!

xoxo

Thanks for the Love, HIPPO!!!

First Blog Article, Woot Woot!!!

 Thank you!! 

Available to read in News Stand around the Greater Manchester area & at:

www.hippopress.com

Much love & Happy Eating!!

Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf

Spicy food!! 

 My absolute favorite, in my family we have what we call Hot Pepper Wars!!

This is when my brother Jeff and I sit around our island in the kitchen and put the jar of peppers in the middle of us & we see who can eat the most.

Probably not the best idea or healthiest when it comes to acid reflux.. but it's definitely a lot of fun. Those of you who have witnessed or participated will attest. :) Yes we are kind of sick.

RECIPE:

Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf

This is a new recipe for me. Normally I always add vegetable into my meatloaf before I bake it but this time I added some spicier ingredients. 

Adding the cooked veggies makes the meatloaf so moist & delicious & healthier!

First I chopped up 1/2 onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno & 1/2 a cup of frozen corn.

Add the veggies, in a pan medium high heat with olive oil, salt & pepper, cumin & Frank's Red Hot & sautee til they begin to sweat. 

Then for extra flavor & spice add 1/4 cup salsa.

**While doing all of this pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

Take off the burner and let them cool for a few minutes. You don't want to burn your hands when you are combining it with the ground turkey.

In a big bowl combine the Ground Turkey (I like to use the 93/7 lean), one egg, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, splash of honey mustard, hot sauce and olive oil.

Fold in sauteed veggies.

And form the lovely loaf & add cheese!!

For this recipe I used Sharp Cheddar, you can really use any kind of cheese you'd like.

Pop that gorgeous creation in the oven for 30-35 minutes until cheese is bubbling & top in golden brown & enjoy!!

Happy Eating!

MELODIES:

Listening to:
I've been going back to my musicial theater roots lately & really have been re exploring one of my favorite musicals of all time: Les Miserables. If you haven't heard the music, you should. I grew up on this music and there is nothing quite like it. They just recently did the 25th Anniversary Live in Concert performance in London. It was fantastic.. I cried like 4 different times.CHECK it out!! I know they have been playing it on PBS recently, check your DVR :)

TUNES!!

Here is a recording of one of my more recent tunes:  

Another Way To See You

I love the way the vocals and guitar gorgeously compliment one another, it almost sounds to me like they are dancing together.. this tune features a good friend of mine Ron Bosse on guitar.

Kale chips to toast Spring!

Hello friends old & new,

Three days into Spring and all I think can about is walking to the Farmer's Market in Downtown Manchester and sampling the fresh local produce that NH has to offer.

This transitional season is one of my favorite, the weather gets warmer, the flowers come out and people come out of hibernation and are more cheery. :)

There is nothing quite like having organic fresh produce and goods from your local farms at your fingertips. The Kale that I will be turning into chips is from the Farm & Flower Market in the North End of Manchester, they provide a wide variety of local farms produce and goods.

Support local farms, think globally and act locally. Ok, enough jib jab.

I love leafy greens. Kale, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Arugula = Heaven. They are all delicious and have a certain spice or kick to them that really intrigues my palette.

It's a super green & in the Middle Ages it was one of the most common greens, what was once old is new again. Here is some more fun info about Kale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale

Kale is a bitter green and it's great when sauteed, added into stews, but my favorite is crisping it.
In the Organic market they sell Kale chips for up to $7.00 a bag.. Save yourself some dough and make delicious ones of your own!!

Instructions:

Ok, so set your ovens to 325 degrees.
*Grab that gorgeous head of Kale and strip the leaves from the stems and tear the leaves into pieces. Whatever size you like.
* Liberally apply Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper and Cumin to the Kale on a baking sheet.
* Pop into the oven for 25 mins turning the leaves every so often
* When the leaves are crispy and dark green color your chips are ready!
* Enjoy the chips as in or add a little Parmesan cheese to the mix.


They will not disappoint! :)

****

Today has been a chilly but lovely Spring day here in NH! The Hippo Press' Best of 2011 came out today where I won for Best Local Solo Musician, thanks for the love & support!!

 

Seeing the Kale Chips only take 25mins, I did a cover of Ben Harper's With My Own Two Hands.

BUT

My internet is being funky and won't let me upload my video or other pictures.... :( will try again later.

Song choice:
This is a new thing I'm adding to the blog...
Go out and buy or listen to Adele's new album: 21 It's magnificent. Her songwriting and sultry jazz voice captivate you from the first note sung to the very last. I've been cooking with Adele lately. Very hearty music for the kitchen.

ALSO! NH peeps, Be sure to pick up next week's Hippo Press magazine because they will be featuring an article about the blog! Or read it here: www.hippopress.com

Happy Eating!!

Snow Storm Stew & "So It Goes"

well, started my morning with learning how to use the snow blower.
By far the best instrument my fiance has purchashed for our new home. If you live in New England it's truly a necessity. And actually fun.. the thought that the snow has double outside since 8:30am, not so fun.

Super snowed in here, even more than my Blizzard Chili post...
Stay inside & snuggle with your loved one or pup, Reggae loves snow days!

Onto the recipe & music! I've learned with both life & music, improvisation is key. So if something looks wrong in the recipe, it's not... I just am snowed in here in NH & had London Broil & Chicken Broth. :)

Snow Storm Beef Stew:

1 London Broil Steak: cubed, (enough for 6-8 servings of soup) seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, Frank's Red Hot
Core veggie ingredients of soup: 1 large onion 4 stalks of celery & tons of baby carrots
1 jalapeno
1/2 Summer Squash
1/2 Green Pepper
1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup of frozen butternut squash
Additions:
1 32 oz container of Chicken Broth Reduced Sodium
1/4 alphabets pasta
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
Olive Oil

Roasted veggies added: didn't count them amount... Brussels sprouts, kale, garlic
Baking sheet: 45 mins 325 degrees Dressed in Olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin

Instructions:
2 turns of Olive Oil in a large pot on medium high heat
Add cubed steak & Frank's Red Hot... let the steak cook & brown
Add core veggies & let the them soften.
Next add the rest of the vegetables to the mix & once they have cooked through pour the entire container of Chicken Stock & crushed tomatoes.
Let the soup come up to a boil & then add the Alphabet pasta

Once you've done this add the roasted vegetables to the soup.
The soup will thicken up beautifully & smell incredible.

The tune:

"So It Goes" 

I am kind of cheating on being creative today... 

I wrote this tune in late August right after my fiance & I found out we were going to close on our first house!.. So I was day dreaming in the summer sun about our lives together & wrote this in about 5 minutes... There is a line about some day being husband & wife.. well little did I know then, that I was to get engaged a week later!!

Here is the newest version that I recorded today while the soup was cookin' up: the video is sped up for some weird reason.. trying to figure it out ;)

 

Hope you enjoy your yummy meal & this sweet reggae tune!
Happy Eating & New Year!!

Impromtu dinner party for 7 & Electric Woods!

yesterday morning, I was bbm ing my best friend & bridesmaid Amanda (who is pretty much my other half) while working out & we decided to have a last minute dinner party at my new home. She lives in Newmarket & is getting her Doctorate in Fresh Water Biology, so amazing. She is saving the world one micro organism at a time.

So this dinner party worked out beautifully because I had arranged to start my side music project with my cousin Cody yesterday as well. So yes, there is a new tune with this fabulous recipe.

Cody & I began writing around noon & set the melody, chords & lyrics to the first verse & chorus & realized we were starving. So we headed downtown to Republic, one of the best all organic restaurants I have ever been to. Everything there is farm to table & local within NH & Maine. Incredible food, vibe & mimosas.. with prosecco.   Check it out: /http://republiccafe.com/

So we dined on cold antipasti consisting of whipped spicy feta, hummus & curried cauliflower & heavenly bread. & freshed squeezed oj & prosecco mimosas. Note: they serve water in the Patron bottles. Those of you who know me, know I would welcome Patron by bottle. :)

And we finished our second Verse!
After being fueled by Republic, we came back home & did a demo recording of the tune.

We are Electric Woods & this is the Wildflower sessions.

 

Dinner guests: My best girlfriends & bridesmaids: Amanda Murby, Meghan Shea & Autumn Rose Clarke, My fiance Bill Seney, my cousin Cody Booth, Bill's bestest : Jon Stillman in town from CO 

& of course the pups: Reggae, Ava & Maggie Mae

Dinner:
Herb salad: 
With 2 pears, 1 cup of walnuts & 1/2 cup of gorgonzola cheese.. we ended up adding tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, cranberries- Mana brought these lovely additions. It was fantastic.

Dressing: 1/2 cup of olive oil, half of a lemons juice squeezed, splash of white wine vinegar, salt & pepper.

Pan seared Tilapia:
6 filets, lightly dressed with Olive oil, cumin, chile powder & salt & pepper.
8 -10 mins on medium high in pan coated with olive oil, cook til golden brown.

Roasted Vegetables: recipes courtesy of my Aunt Dee Dee
2 Red Peppers
6-8 Brussel Sprouts: quartered
1 Yellow Onion
2 cups of Kale chopped
1 head of Cauliflower
1 Summer squash, chopped
3 cloves of Garlic

Pre heat oven to 300- 325 degrees. Chop veggies to your liking & dress with olive oil, cumin, salt & pepper. Pop into the oven for 1 hour... be sure to turn the veggies a few times within the hour.

Super easy, healthy & delicious.

Glorious drinks that accompanied dinner:
Barefoot Bubbly: Brut Cuvee $8.00/bottle fantastic price & taste
Martini & Rossi: Asti
Salmon Run Cold Brook White Wine

Here are the yummy images:

The food was delicious, but the company was better.

Beautiful way to end 2010 with my best friends & loved ones.

Happy Eating & New Year!!

Adventures with the crock pot & snow bound

Blizzard Chili & Winter Love

First entry & well I'm snowed in here in New Hampshire and loving it. There's about a foot on the ground, it's gorgeous! I just got a crock pot for Christmas, something that I've always wanted but never had for some reason. They are marvelous & looking forward to exploring different recipes to make in that glorious pot.

Nothing better than to warm up with some chili!

1 lb of 93% Ground Turkey
2 oz pancetta
2 15.5 oz cans of Black Beans
1.5 cans of Stewed Mexican Tomatoes
1 cup of medium Salsa
1 yellow onion
1 jalapeno
2 carrots
1/2 green pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of corn
Condiments & such: liberally use these
Cumin, Chili powder, Franks Red Hot, Black Pepper, Olive Oil, Few tablespoons of Flour for thickening agent & 1/2 a bottle of Beer (your choice)& feel free to enjoy the rest of the brew :)


Add meats, season them as you like & let them cook up nice & slow. Then gradually add onions & garlic.. Let this set for 15 mins to marinate. Remember, this is a slow cooker! Then stewed tomatoes & salsa & rest of veggies. Let these beautiful creation cook up for about 40 mins & then add the BEER & flour. 


And let that baby slow cook.

 

Happy Eating!!

So here is the melody part of the recipe:

This little ditty is called "Winter Love", written while the chili was cookin' away

Enjoy!