my contribution to the holidays

I’m very iffy on Christmas spirit this year. One second I’m loving Christmas and the time I finally have to relax and visit some family. I’m known for sneaking looks at my presents and not sleeping the night before Christmas. But another second, I’m ready for it to be over. There’s so much drama related to Christmas and I don’t have the energy to assign dishes, wrap presents, and figure out the ever-changing plan for when everyone is showing up at everyone else’s house.

Too much work.

Plus, my mom is verbally not looking forward to the holidays since my brother Hunter is deployed. Last year he was deployed in Korea, this year in Afghanistan. And apparently I’m chopped liver. I kid, I kid.

Well yesterday I made an attempt at being spirited and finally made the sugar cookies my mom had been begging me to make. The pictures are a little sparse because a) I forgot to take them and b) I got distracted and went skiing halfway through making them (no joke).

I’d like to thank my best friend Tiffany’s husband, Johnny, for lending me an extra jacket!

But here they are, in all of their sorta holiday glory! Get out your butter!

Peppermint Sugar Cookies (makes 15-20 cookies)
For cookies:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 egg
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup flour
For icing:
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 T heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. When well combined, mix in the vanilla, peppermint, and egg. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mixing slowly, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough has formed. Roll the dough into balls (smaller or larger to suit your taste, but I recommend ping-pong size) and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes until edges are just brown. Remove from oven and cool on a cookie sheet. They will be nice a chewy! After the cookies have completely cooled, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract for the icing, drizzling in heavy whipping cream to give it the perfect icing consistency. Once satisfied with the texture, add in the food coloring (optional) and mix well. Spread icing on cookies — lay it on thick! Enjoy!

another year

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of my father’s suicide. I cannot believe it has been 3 years. Some days it feels like yesterday, some days it feels like a lifetime ago. November 21, 2008 changed my life forever.

For the past 3 years, I have cried nearly every day. Sometimes, there were happy tears upon remembering a stupid joke my dad told. Sometimes, there were big, heaving sobs of pure grief and sadness. But in the past 3 years there’s been one feeling that has stayed with me: guilt.

I have felt incredibly and inexplicably guilty for my father’s death. The day I found out that he had willingly ended his own life, I started to believe it was my fault. I started regretting all the things I could have done, all the signs I had ignored. I was miserable knowing that he had been so miserable and I had done nothing to help.

In the past year, I’ve come a long way with accepting his death and releasing myself from guilt. Sure, I still have days where I cry about what has happened and fail to understand why it did. But most of the time, I am happy knowing my dad is at peace at last and is smiling down on me, cheering me on with everything I do. I bet he really likes Rahul, even though he’ll never get to meet him. I bet he thinks I’m crazy for running a half marathon. I bet he’s so proud of me for going to graduate school.

3 years ago today, when I was told that my dad was dead, I was on the way to DC, a weekend trip to visit the National Zoo and some museums. Tomorrow, I leave on a plane to go to DC and visit the man who I am desperately in love with. He lives 3 blocks from the National Zoo. Life is funny, isn’t it?

Tomorrow I touch down in DC and complete what I was incapable of doing 3 years ago. Today I forgive my father and myself. Today I take another step further in a life I now have to live without my father. Today I try to be happy and remember what an amazing man he was. 

Rest in peace Daddy. I will always love you.

<3 Christopher Arthur Gleason 2/10/63 — 11/21/08

happy Veteran’s Day!

Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served and are currently serving our country! 

Today is particularly bittersweet to me as my own brother, Hunter, is a soldier! He’s deploying to Afghanistan in a matter of weeks so I am taking a quick trip home to Virginia this weekend to send him off right! We’re doing this the Southern way: too much food, beer, and crazy relatives.

Fun fact: this picture was taken in May 2010…. which was also the last time I saw him! I cannot believe I’ve gone a year and a half without seeing him! 

Have a great weekend!

old school tacos

When I was growing up, about once a week we had Taco Night, and it was one of my favorite nights of the week.

My mom would buy a packet of taco seasoning from the grocery store that she mixed with ground beef. My brother and I were in charge of preparing the condiments, so we would pull out all the bowls in the cabinet and fill them with shredded cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. We always had soft taco shells (for my brother, Hunter) and hard taco shells for me!

Now, as an adult, I tend to go to the grocery store and buy random things without meals in mind. As I stared at the ground turkey I had in the refrigerator, visions of Taco Night swam in my head and I knew I had to find a way to make my own taco meat!

Now, in essence, this isn’t a difficult dish and hardly a “recipe”, but simply because it took me straight back to childhood I had to share it with y’all. It was delicious with whole wheat tortillas in tacos and even better the next day as a healthy taco salad!

Taco Night Turkey (serves 4)
1 lb lean (93/7) ground turkey
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 T chili powder
1/2 T cumin
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne (add more or less for spice)
salt & pepper
In a skillet, combine raw turkey and onions over medium heat. Stir occasionally, browning the meat and cooking the onions. When the turkey is almost fully browned, after about 5-7 minutes, stir in the spices, adding salt & pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and reduce the heat to medium-low, mincing the meat into small crumbles as you stir. When the meat is fully browned, about 10 minutes total after starting, and the spices are uniformly mixed. Serve hot in tacos or cold in a taco salad!

a soup I actually like

It isn’t a secret that I don’t really care for soup. I have very few recipes for soup and its very rare that I order it at a restaurant. It’s a texture thing. Aside from heavy chowders and chilis, I really only like thick, puree type soups like tomato.

Well I had been staring at a big butternut squash that I bought and was quite unsure about what to do with it since I’ve had a lot of roasted squash these days. I had a flashback to the days when I lived with Mona and Jeff, the parents of my two best friends, Harris and Jeremy — Mona used to make a butternut squash soup that was really yummy!

I had no idea what went in hers but decided to follow my instinct and just make a simple puree soup with minimal ingredients (my new favorite concept) and lots of pure, vegetable flavor.

My only complaint about this whole venture? The mess! I had to blend the soup in my blender in 3 different batches because the blender wasn’t big enough and it just caused a huge mess. But, this mess was well worth it because the soup was great! I packed it up and took a small batch over to my friend’s house for girl’s night of low cal cooking, wine, and Sex and the City!

Butternut Squash Soup (serves 8)
1-1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and roughly chopped into large chunks
1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 large, sweet apple (I used Pink Lady), peeled and roughly chopped
6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
pepper
Prepare the squash, onion, and apple. In a stock pot, combine all of the produce and cover with 6 cups of stock. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. When the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat slightly for a more gentle boil. Allow the produce to boil for about 20 minutes. When you press on the squash with a spoon or spatula, it should be tender and easily break. When the squash is tender, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender or a standard blender and blend the soup, adding pepper to taste at this point — if using a standard blender do it in batches and put a dish towel over the lid because it will still be HOT! Combine the batches of blended, pureed soup and eat up!

my fall favorites

I suppose it is “fall” now, being that we have had weather consistently in the high 80′s for the past week.

And fall makes me think of comforting foods, prepared lovingly by my family. I was looking through some old pictures and was reminded of these foods.

So here are my 3 favorite fall foods… plus bagels because I just love them so much.

First up: My Aunt Nell’s Classic Apple Pie

Next, we have Hot Virginia Dip. Oh how I long for it…

Now for my Mama’s (Famous) Mac n Cheese (and my most popular recipe ever!)…

And now for the bagels… Oh the bagels!

Feed some friends this weekend! Happy cooking!

a meal of remembrance

In January, I was told that my Aunt Nell passed away. She’s not really my aunt. In fact, I don’t know her relation to me, no matter how many times my grandma has explained it to me. All I know is that she lived in my hometown, was a fairly close relative, and she constantly called me by my mother’s name. She was kind, sweet, and fiercely independent. She contributed such recipes to my life as apple pie and sour cream pound cake.

I was feeling a little homesick and flipping through the family cookbook when I stumbled upon a picture of Aunt Nell and realized that I have been meaning to make her crab cakes and think of her since I got the news of her passing. As Rahul and I wandered the grocery store in debate of what to make, it seemed clear: Aunt Nell’s Crab Cakes.

These crab cakes are loved by all who cross their path. They aren’t filled with breading and unnecessary stuff. They are crab cakes in their most natural form and I am obsessed with them.

Please, for my sake and for Aunt Nell’s sake, treat yourself to this meal. It was a delicious way to remember someone dear to my heart and enjoy a food that truly reminds me of growing up in the Tidewater of Virginia.

Aunt Nell’s Crab Cakes (makes 8 )
16 oz jumbo lump crab
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour plus extra
salt & pepper
vegetable oil
Pick through the crab meat to make sure it does not have any stray shells. In a mixing bowl, combine crab, evaporated milk, eggs, and the salt and pepper until well combined. Stir gently so as not to break up the crab too much. Add in the flour slowly, mixing gently until the mixture begins to hold together lightly. You may need to use more or less flour, depending on the moisture in your crab. Using a cast iron or heavy skillet, coat the cooking surface liberally with oil. Heat on medium to medium high until the oil is glistening and sizzles when you drop water into it. Be careful with hot oil! Form the crab mixture into loose patties and carefully place into the hot oil. Cook each cake for 3-4 minutes, then flip and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to absorb excess grease. The cakes should be brown and crisp, but not over fried. Remember: the crab is cooked already so don’t overcook! Serve with lemon slices as crab cakes or on a roll as a crab cake sandwich!

holy stromboli!

In light of Mother’s Day this past weekend, I wanted to share one of my mom’s favorite foods with y’all. After a phone consultation and her insistence that I remake a traditionally unhealthy classic with a lighter version, we decided that our favorite comfort food would be the best: stromboli.

Stromboli, in essence, isn’t that unhealthy. It depends on what you fill it with and some self-control with the portions of cheese, but it was not hard at all to make a filling, healthier alternative to a greasy, cheesy, oversized restaurant stromboli.

Now, I used goat cheese (in addition to skim mozzarella) because I’m obsessed with the stuff, but my mom hates it so if I were actually making this for her in person I’d omit that. But if you like goat cheese, I recommend a hearty sprinkle of the crumbled stuff for some added creaminess in your stromboli.

Also, if you live alone as I do, you can definitely make all 3 strombolis at once and pop them in the fridge or freezer to eat later in the week. Or you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze it for any time. It makes the perfect dough for both strombolis and personal pizzas!

Individual Whole Wheat Stromboli (makes 3)
Dough:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 tsp yeast
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp olive oil + extra
1/2 tsp salt
Filling:
mozzarella cheese
goat cheese
turkey pepperoni
onions
mushrooms
In a mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, brown sugar, and 1 tsp olive oil. Mix gently and let yeast become foamy. Using a dough hook, slowly mix in flour and salt until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl and put a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl. Replace the dough in the bowl and roll it around in the olive oil so it is fully coated. Cover the bowl with a cloth and allow the dough to rise for an hour. Once the dough has risen, flour a board and knead the dough gently. Divide into 3 equal parts and roll each out into a circle (hint: use a pie plate!). Place all desired filling ingredients onto one half of the dough and fold the dough over the filling. Press the dough together tightly with your fingers. Brush a bit of additional olive oil over the dough and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat for each stromboli. Bake at 475* for 10-12 minutes until the dough is golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately with marinara sauce for dipping on the side.

my Mama knows best

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about my Mama here on the blog. I’ve talked about our drive from Virginia to Texas when I moved. I talked about our trip to San Antonio in March for my Spring Break. I’ve made her meatloaf, her mac n cheese, and a host of other dishes that I grew up eating.

I usually call her “Mama” but when I’m trying to get something out of her or I’m in need of a hug, I call her “Mommy”. And sometimes I call her just plain “Mom” but not often. And I only call her “Mother” when I’m annoyed or trying to get her attention when she isn’t listening to me.

I don’t look much like her, but I share some of her strongest character traits, such as never being afraid to speak my mind, compassion for others, and crying too easily. She’s short. All the best advice I’ve ever received has come from her. She taught me about the wonders of washing my face with Noxema. She still lets me sit in her lap. She has an affinity for horrible reality television. She knows every word to Les Mis and taught them to me by age 10. She held my hand at my dad’s funeral. She’s loved me unconditionally since all screaming 7 lbs of me entered the world 22 years ago. She even put up with me during my horrible teenage years when I told her that she loved Hunter more and I rolled my eyes at her more than I did anything else.

Last year on Mother’s Day, I graduated college and made her cry. This year on Mother’s Day, she has one of her kids at home (my brother got home Friday after being deployed overseas for a year!), but I can’t be there with her. I don’t know if we’ve ever spent a Mother’s Day apart. She’s probably crying again this year. This year, she’s still putting Hunter and I first and being the incredible mother she always has been. If there’s one thing I know, it is that Mama knows best. 

I love you, Mama. Happy Mother’s Day!

happy Easter to me!

Happy Easter, Passover, and springtime! It has been consistently over 90* for more than 2 weeks here in Texas so I know spring is in full blossom (along with the flowers and pollen!).

I got a fun Easter surprise this weekend from my Mama…

Now I shall go curl up and read this cover-to-cover and patiently await the next issue in the subscription.

I’ll be back tomorrow for our regularly scheduled programming.