Culinary Compositions

After many comments, praise and encouragement, I've decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to things I make in the kitchen.  Please "like" Culinary Compositions on Facebook.  It's a place where I'll post photos and recipes.  I hope to inspire others to spend more time in their kitchens at home creating tasty dishes from scratch instead of eating out all the time or eating something that came from a box.  Always pursue happiness and health!

Advice

Today I'm holding on tight to a piece of advice I heard from another Medical Spouse right before Residency started.  She said, "Love the man, hate the Doctor."  I just knew I'd have to remember that phrase sooner or later.  Well, the time has come.
My DH informed me this morning that the vacation time he requested won't exactly work out as planned.  Yes, I know the key word is "request", but it's usually not difficult for them to get that requested time off.  We each have $250 in SW LUV vouchers we can use towards our next flight.  Spring break was when we were planning on using them for another vacation.  Well, it turns out that it's not going to work out that way.  The DH is scheduled for Jeopardy during the back half of March.  He's already tried swapping with the person who has Jeopardy during the front half, but apparently he has vacation plans for spring break too.  At this point, our only option is to try to pay somebody to cover his jeopardy and then hopefully make the money back by taking somebody else's Jeopardy.  
If you don't understand all of the "doctor" scheduling, it's alright. I don't get it much either.  All I know is as of right now we won't be able to vacation together.  So, I'm remembering "Love the man, hate the Doctor." 


On a positive note, I made a wonderful breakfast for myself this morning.  I mean, I always eat a wonderful breakfast, but lately it's been egg whites and some low-fat cheese.  This morning I'm suffering from a horrible migraine and didn't feel like eating the usual.  
I would post a photo of my breakfast, but I ate it before I could snap one.  Oops.  I enjoyed Fage Greek yogurt (lower in sugar and higher in protein than other yogurt) (1/2 a small container = 3.5 ounces of Fage) with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 pump SF vanilla Torani, fresh blueberries, 1Tbsp. old fashioned oats, and a few almond slices.  It was crazy good!  You should definitely give it a try!  

From The Kitchen

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes 

I made for David's Birthday (July 3)

Recipe by Martha Stewart

(mine look different because I used my cupcake corer and then filled them)

Patriotic Strawberries 

for Independence Day 2011

Homemade Blueberry Pie 

with 2 pounds of fresh blueberries I purchased at Sams.

Roasted Tomato

Clean and slice tomatoes.  Lay them on a parchment lined pan.  Drizzle with good quality EVOO and balsamic vinegar.  Add some crushed garlic, basil, and thyme.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  Peel if desired.

These were amazing!  

Banana Cupcakes 

with PB Frosting

Mmm.....  I'll have to post the recipe for this one later.  

Low-Carb Sushi

I LOVE sushi, but it is by no means healthy for this non-carb eating girl.  After discussing sushi over lunch with a friend the other day, I was REALLY craving it.  So, this is what I had for dinner that evening.

It's zucchini, cream cheese, smoked salmon, and avocado.

You could make this by using cucumber, shrimp, crab, asparagus, etc.

Do yourself a favor and try it because it's 

absolutely delicious and cures that sushi craving.  

On Top Of Spaghetti!

April Fool's Day hasn't ever been something I've participated in or celebrated.  So, I decided to change things up a bit this year.  
We had another teacher luncheon at school where we all bring stuff to share.  I brought spaghetti and meatballs.  Take a look...... 

Okay, okay... It was really spaghetti and meatball cake.  And don't worry, there wasn't any meat involved. 

I used a basic boxed white cake mix (nothing fancy) and baked it in a 9x13 pan.  Once the cake was completely cool, I made my homemade vanilla (sorry, but I think almond frosting is gross) frosting and placed it in a quart-size ziploc and cut off a small corner.  Then, I randomly piped out the frosting to look like noodles.  The "meatballs" were made of peanut butter, honey, and oats.  They were formed into the "meatballs" and placed in the fridge to chill and keep a good shape.  Finally, the meatballs were placed in a bowl of strawberry preserves and then placed on the cake.  

I wasn't sure how the cake would go over at school.  It made for some interesting looks and comments, but was the only cake that was completely demolished.  So, for as "weirded out" as some may have been, it must have tasted pretty good.  hahahaaaa...

Hope you had a Happy April Fool's Day! 

Seuss!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!  

It's Read Across America Week 
and today is Dr. Seuss' birthday.

We've been celebrating all week at school.  Tomorrow we are supposed to dress up like our favorite Dr. Seuss character.  I won't be dressing up as anything in particular, but I'll be slightly jazzed up for the occasion.  ; )

I baked and decorated sugar cookies inspired by "The Cat In The Hat" for a few of my fellow teacher friends.  
I hope they enjoy them.  

Cookie Tips:

The "hat" was achieved by using a mitten pancake mold from Crate and Barrel.  I simply cut off the thumb and cut of a bit of the top portion to achieve a smaller size (aka get more cookies out of the batch). 

I use Wilton's coloring and #3 Wilton tips 
(should have used #2).

I also use LOTS of toothpicks. 

Check out sweetopia.net for cookie/icing recipes.

Hello, March!

Today is the first day of March.  It's this very month that we'll find out where Dave matches for residency.  I can't believe this is actually happening.  March 17 can't come soon enough!


Here are some random thoughts that have been running through my head today:

• I currently wish I were sitting with my favorite med wives at Cheesecake Factory reminiscing, laughing, crying, and chowing conquering a big slice of cheesecake. 
• I hope my latest clothing order will be delivered before I leave for STL, but that's not realistic.    
• I wonder if they prescribe short-term anxiety medication?  
• I need to schedule a hair appt and get beautified before my trip.
• I hope I return from my trip with the best news ever.
• Did I really just spend that much on food coloring?  
• I wish I could lose 8-10 pounds in the next 1/2 weeks, but that's not going to happen.
• I have been enjoying chocolate for medicinal purposes. 
• I LOVE new boxes of crayons.
• I should write lesson plans with activities that require me to color more often. 
• They should put 2 red crayons in the crayon box.
• I can't wait to see my friends on Match Day!  = )

Cheesecake substitute...

SF Mocha Ricotta

Ingredients

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

2 pumps SF vanilla Torani syrup 

(a Splenda packet works too)

1 tsp. cocoa powder

Directions

Mix ingredients well.

Top with pecans (optional)

Valentine Cookies

Valentine M&M Cookies

Source: Unknown

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. light brown sugar

2 eggs at room temp.

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 c. flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 c. pink M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides.

Add in vanilla, turn mixer on medium, 

add eggs one at a time.

Add in salt, baking powder and soda.

Slowly add in flour and most of the M&M's.

Place dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls, place on a greased cookie sheet, press extra M&M's into the dough 

so they are on top and visible.

Bake for 14 minutes, or until golden and puffy.

I also baked more of my PB Banana Oat Cookies.  

*Both batches of cookies were prepared for tonight's PLC Meeting.

They were a hit!

Today was a 12-hour work day.  I taught all day and then we had "parent conferences" this evening. While most elementary teachers had conferences, I had my PLC (Professional Learning Community) meeting (3 1/2 hours).  Call me crazy, but I LOVE these meetings.  We all learn so much from each other by sharing lesson plans, trouble shooting, going over technology, etc.  I'm so blessed to work with such wonderful musicians and teachers.  

SD #7: From The Kitchen

I woke up super hungry today, so I made the most delicious lunch using a new recipe.  It's times like this when I'm most excited that I most always have fresh spinach in my fridge.  I wouldn't know what to do without it these days.  ; )

Hawaiian Pizza

(Low Carb)

I highly recommend trying out this recipe.  It was outstanding and I can't wait to make it again.  In fact, I purchased another huge tub of fresh spinach at Sams today. Mmm...

Hawaiian Pizza

Spinach Pizza Crust

Tomato Paste

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 

Turkey Ham (from Aldi; very lean protein)

Pineapple Tidbits (rinsed with water to get rid of as much sugar as possible)

Spinach Pizza Crust

by Yourlighterside.com

1 cup loosely packed, fresh spinach
1 egg
1 cup loosely packed mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop the fresh spinach leaves (or pulse in the food processor). Mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Spread dough on a lightly sprayed pizza pan (I use olive oil Pam). 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. 

From here, you can freeze or top the baked crust with ingredients and place under a broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Makes one, 12" crust.
Nutritional information for the entire crust: Calories: 323, Carbohydrates: 5, Fiber: 1, Net Carbohydrates: 4, Fat: 19, Protein: 32


I also baked the rest of the cookies and decorated them today.  Here are a few photos taken with my iPhone...

I'm about to try a cookie for sampling purposes.  

I'll be sure to post the recipe soon if it's worth sharing. 

To Be Continued..... 

SD #6: From the Kitchen

I made my special sugar cookies on snow day #6.  After making a batch of those, I decided I wanted to try making chocolate rolled cookies.  Here's a photo of the cookie dough taken with my iPhone....

cookies.... to be continued.

The past few snow days consisted of too many poor food choices.  I wouldn't let myself fall into that trap again.  So, I've decided to post my "Daily Eats" again for a few days.

DAILY EATS

Breakfast: Green Monster Smoothie-  1/3 frozen banana, frozen blueberries, fresh spinach, golden flax, vanilla protein powder, unsweetened Silk soymilk, water, and ice.

Lunch:  Green Monster Smoothie- same as breakfast, but in a fancier cup

Dinner: egg, 2% string cheese, Laughing Cow cheese, and baby carrots

I went to bed hungry.  : (  

Jenn's Natural Protein Bars

A friend of mine is currently on the South Beach diet and is having great success.  In fact,  I'd even say that she's enjoying it.  ; )  I'm so proud of her!  Anyway, she was interested in my running protein bar recipe I posted the other day but was curious as to if it could be modified to be more South Beach friendly.  This would mean replacing the Jif PB and the honey with natural PB and agave syrup.  I felt like needed to figure out these modifications myself.  Oh, darn!  ; )

It turned out that some measurement modifications were necessary, but I think it was for the better.  The natural PB is a much sturdier PB and I couldn't get near the amount of oats stirred in, which means less carbs.  The fewer carbs the better in my opinion.

Here's what I came up with today...

Jenn's Natural Protein Bars

(South Beach Friendly)

Ingredients

1 cup natural creamy peanut butter 

(I used Trader Joe's PB. Ingredients: Peanuts, salt)

1/2 cup agave syrup (I used TJ's)*

1 1/4 cups protein powder (I used GNC)** 

1/3 cup quick oats (I used Walmart's Great Value)

2 Tbsp. flax seed (Whole Foods)

Directions

Microwave peanut butter and agave syrup in a microwave-safe bowl for about a minute. 

Stir well and add protein powder and flax seed until well blended.  

Add oats and stir well.

Mix might be kind of crumbly.  

Pour mixture into a lightly pammed 8x8 pan and pack mix down. 

Chill for about an hour and cut into bars. 

I get up to 36 bars out of this recipe.  

They are small, but are rich and filling

These freeze well!

I took these protein bars (along with non-diet friendly items) to a "girly party" tonight with a bunch of girlfriends.  Not only were these things disappearing, but they were disappearing FAST. The women loved them and couldn't believe they had protein powder in them.  Several women asked me for the recipe.  

Moral of the story: I should probably be more confident about my "healthy" creations and encourage others to be healthy with me.

Nutella & Dark Chocolate

Today, Feb. 5, is World Nutella Day.  This was the perfect excuse for me to create another recipe. Sadly, my first attempt was a disaster.  I tried baking cookies with Nutella, but they didn't turn out at all. That was my first official failed creation.  My recipe creating was on an incredible no-fail streak, so it was about time.  It actually feels good to mess up in the kitchen for once.   

I did, however, use the rest of the Nutella to make a dip.  It would go fantastic with fresh strawberries or bananas, but I will be serving it with graham crackers at a party tonight.  The dip consists of Nutella, Philadelphia (no substitutes!) cream cheese, a splash of half and half, and a dash of salt. I whipped it all up with my nifty KitchenAid hand mixer and stuck it in the fridge to keep chilled before serving this evening. (And no, this stuff isn't low-carb or healthy by any means, so I don't eat any more than a small sample.)

Nutella Dip

Ingredients: 

Nutella

Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Half and half

Salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine equal parts Nutella and 
cream cheese in a mixing bowl.  
Mix well and slowly add  half and half (doesn't take much) 
to make it smooth and creamy.  
Add a dash of salt to taste.  
Refrigerate. Stir well before serving.  
Enjoy with fresh fruit or graham crackers.

Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate is my absolute favorite.  And yes, I've eaten Godiva and numerous imported European dark chocolates, but TJ's is still my favorite.  Meet the beauty I purchased before moving back to OKC....  

17.6 glorious ounces of 72% Dark Chocolate

(cue sound effects:  "oooooooohhhhhh, aaaaahhhhhhh")

 "Hello, Love!" 

 Melt nothing but the best.

    

Dark Chocolate Peanut Clusters 

(Ingredients: TJ's Peanuts and TJ's 72% Dark Chocolate)

I also made...

 Almond Clusters

(Ingredients: Raw Almonds and TJ's 72% Dark Chocolate)

A taste of heaven!

PB Banana Oat Cookies

This is a recipe I came up with recently and have been working on perfecting during my snow days.   My husband loves these and has been requesting them since my first experimental batch.  It really is the only cookie he wants to eat right now.  

My Father In-Law came over for a bit today and had a sample.  He loved them so much that he ate several more cookies and told me he must have the recipe.  He was amazed that they are free of butter and flour.  

These cookies are "healthy" compared to the normal cookie. There is NO butter or flour.  The worst thing about it is the brown sugar, but 1/2 cup is not a lot when it's spread out over 2 dozen cookies.  The recipe only calls for 1/2 a banana (1 whole banana is just too much in my opinion).  If you don't care to enjoy the other 1/2 immediately, wrap it up and stick it in the freezer for your next Green Monster Smoothie.  If you are craving chocolate, feel free to add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli are my fav!).

I hope you enjoy these "healthified" cookies.  Be sure to let me know what you think!

Jenn's PB Banana Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Jif & will be experimenting with TJ's natural PB soon)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated Splenda for baking

1 large egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 banana, mashed

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except oats and nuts. 

When blended, mix in the oats and nuts. 

Using your fingers, form 1-inch balls (dough will be very wet and sticky) and place onto an un-greased cookie sheet. You don't want to make them too big because they do spread. 

Bake for 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet. 

Makes around 2 dozen small cookies.

Snow Day #2 Update

"These pretzels are makin' me thirsty!"

David and I were bad... REAL BAD.  We made pretzels today in 3 different varieties; original, cinnamon sugar, and savory (with Penzey's Sunny Paris seasoning and their granulated garlic). These were ridiculously good.  The recipe can be found at Allrecipes.
This weather and the snow days are not good for our waistlines.  At least we're creating memories together while he's still in town.  

Snow Day #2

It's still cold.

 Heatwave! 

I made homemade protein bars last night.  Yum!
I'm still working on perfecting the recipe, 
but here's what I have so far....

Jenn's Running Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (heaping) honey*
• 1 1/4 cups protein powder** 
• 1 1/3 cups quick oats
• 2 Tbsp. flax seed

Directions

• Microwave honey and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl for about a minute. 
• Stir well and add protein powder and oats until well blended.  
• Add flax seed and stir well.
• Mix might be kind of crumbly.  
• Pour mixture into a lightly pammed 8x8 pan and pack mix down. 
• Chill for about an hour and cut into bars.  
• I get about 25-30 bars out of this recipe.  They are small, but are rich and filling.
• These freeze well!

* The honey (glucose) will be burned off quickly during a workout.

** I combine vanilla and chocolate protein powder.  Banana is great too!