So tonight's supposed to be cold. Somewhere near 28 which for me might as well be -28 because I just don't do cold weather.

One of the redeeming parts of this time of year is that we can bring out the comfort food. Macaroni and cheese, home made ragu', pasta fagioli, and of course chili.

Chili is a favorite in this house. I've found a healthy alternative to traditional beef chili. It's by my friends at Publix.

Tasty Turkey Chili
Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 oz trinity mix (fresh diced onions, bell peppers, celery)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
1 1/4 lb ground turkey
1 (1.25-oz) packet chili seasoning mix
1 (16-oz) can chili beans (undrained)
1 (10-oz) can milder diced tomatoes and green chiles (undrained)
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce


Steps

1. Preheat large stock pot on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan and then add trinity mix and garlic; cook and stir 6–8 minutes or until well browned.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add ground turkey; brown 5–7 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until no pink remains.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer and stir 10–12 minutes for flavors to blend. Serve

Super easy and very yummy. Give it a try.

A Quick Marinara

Often times through my day I'm reminded that the best things in life are simple.

We're all in such a hurry with so much "stuff" to do that we leave no time for things that are important. Like cooking.

Almost weekly someone asks me which jarred spaghetti sauce I like the most. My answer is: none of them. If you turn the label of the most popular jarred sauces you will find a list of ingredients a mile long. A good many of them might even include olive oil!

When I point out my objections most people reply, "But I don't have all day to cook a sauce."

I say I doesn't take all day to make a good home made marinara.

Here is a great basic sauce by Progresso that only takes about 30 minutes.

1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasonings, crushed
dash pepper
2 TBSP red wine

In a large saucepan heat olive oil until hot. Add onion and garlic. Saute' until tender, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine. Simmer covered, for 5 minutes. Serve over freshly cooked pasta if desired.  Yield: about 4 cups.

One of the great things about making a tomato sauce is how good it smells. People will come running.

Dinner at six

"Ahh, the house smells so good!" Jeff walked through the back door and took a deep breath. Pork Tenderloin and roasting potatoes have a way of making your stomach growl.

One of the greatest pleasures of my life is to get that kind of reaction from people in my home, especially my husband.

There is something so comforting in a home-cooked meal.

 Cooking is an art form often neglected in our fast paced world. Believe me I understand. There are many days I head home from work so tired that I think I don't want to take the time to put together the evenings eats. But then I walk into my kitchen and everything changes. It's my space...to create, to relax and to show my family how much I love them.

It does help when I take the time to think ahead and plan.  Like tonight with the pork tenderloin. I'll make something quick and easy with the leftovers tomorrow, pork fried rice maybe...I haven't decided yet.

Here's an easy pork tenderloin recipe you can try...easy, easy, easy,

Herb roasted pork (from Publix Aprons simple meals)

 Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5–6 sprigs fresh thyme (rinsed)
6–8 sprigs fresh Italian parsley (rinsed)
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup tomato paste with Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon country Dijon mustard

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil (for ease of cleanup). Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes.
2. Place butter in large sauté pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place in pan (wash hands); cover and cook 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, to brown all sides.
3. Remove large stems from herbs; place in food processor. Add bread crumbs and cheese; pulse until finely chopped.
4. Combine tomato paste and mustard in small bowl. Place pork on baking sheet. Coat pork with mustard mixture, using rubber spatula, and then coat with herb mixture. Bake 18–20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F (for medium). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. Slice and serve.

The Perfect Cup of Cocoa

A few weeks ago I wondered the isles of my favorite food-gathering place: Publix Supermarkets, picking up items for the week's meals. I grabbed coffee, espresso, brown sugar and then paused at the wide variety of hot cocoa mixes that promise a warming brew of satisfying chocolate on a cold night.

Like most people at one point or another, I've tried them all, willing to convince myself that the watery concoction in my favorite mug delivered what the box promised.

Why oh why, do I try to fool myself? Somewhere in the recesses of my memory, a smooth, deeply chocolate, totally satisfying cup of warmth rises to the top of my remembrance. What was I, five?

Then I think about the shelf before me; watery, so I add a second packet and my cup of cocoa becomes lumpy and even grainy. If I'm cognitive enough to pick the one with the picture of beautiful marshmallow's on top, I'm even further disappointed. The chewy lumps of white melt before the cup even touches my lips.

So I gave up and left behind the dreams of hot chocolate in the evening.

Then I found something wonderful. 

That night, a very cold and rainy evening, I cleaned up the kitchen and wished once more for the kind of hot cocoa I had when I was a child.  That's when I spotted it: the tin of Natural Hershey's Cocoa.

Yep, the dry raw chocolate I use to make brownies with. On it, the recipe for one perfect cup of Cocoa. 

Here it is:    2 TBSP sugar
                    2 TBSP Hershey's Cocoa
                    dash salt
                    1 cup milk
                    1/4 vanilla extract.

Heat it in the microwave or on the stove and whisk, whisk, whisk, until perfectly blended.  Oh my, what a difference! Smooth, creamy, chocolaty and totally satisfying.

Try it! It's exactly what you need on a cold rainy night. If you want add a marshmallow, but make it a real one.

 

Genetics?

"How are you doing?" my older brother asked. Best friends since he filled my crib to over-flowing with toys he wanted to share with me, (My poor mother says she could barely see me under all the stuffed animals.) we talk on the phone at least twice a week.

"I'm, fine." I punched "speaker" on my phone so I could clean the kitchen counter while we chatted. "That ten pounds I lost last year is back and now I have to loose it again."

"Me too." Phil grumbled. "My wife, she never gains an ounce. Is it genetics?"

"No," I laughed. "I think we just love food."


I realized, in a nutshell, I had spoken a whole lot of truth. I love food. Not feeling full, necessarily, but the smell, the texture, the appearance...I love to put something really good in my mouth and figure out what went into it.  Garlic? Cinnamon? Lemon zest?

I often find myself on my day off reading cookbooks like the latest novel. I can take a recipe on paper and build it in my mind until the aroma fills my senses and my mouth waters.

The thing is, I know I'm not alone. So this blog is for all of you who struggle with weight, or life or anything else, but find joy in the art, the taste the smell or the texture of something well cooked.

Here is a toast (European butter, and orange blossom honey smeared on top) to the joy of food.

Join me will you?