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a pittsburgh hippie chick's unbridled love for all things food related

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a nice stand up dinner

so it’s thursday afternoon as i begin this draft chatter offering-  i made a joke on my Facebook page earlier–  tonight would be the kick off of ‘red wine drinking’ season for me… and the reasoning went something like this. Today is the 27th, and 2+7=9, and 9 goes into 27 three times… and everyone knows that 3 is the magic number. it’s logic like this that will have me up until 1am blogging about the pink satin jacket with turquoise cuffs i had as a small child… and how great terry cloth clothing felt.  interpretation: there need not be logic for fabulous things. they just are. tonight will be filled with goodies in all elements, shapes and sizes- starting with the silver lining of being off of work until Monday afternoon. a long weekend is always a beautiful thing. i’m planning to bake up a few rustic pita pizzas for dinner, with the liquid to solid food ratio leaning toward the liquid and the lovely. we’ve been lucky enough to avoid a frost so far, allowing us plenty of freshly torn basil leaves for a topping. i love the end of the harvest when you are savoring sweet sliced tomatoes with every meal… and the crusts from pita pizzas make perfect sponges for the tomato juice on the cutting board. in my house, most meals are consumed while standing in the kitchen- my hubby and i, listening to some of our favorite tunes and watching the tiny tots be young, wild and free. it’s one of our favorite times of the day… and when it’s happening, it’s easy to see why.  yes, we may only get through one Neil Young track and half of a Ray LaMontagne before the tots request Britney Spears… but it’s all part of the charm of our off center, stand up family dinner.  i don’t imagine this part of the day would be half as fun if it weren’t for my love and passion for food. my son (3) used to ask me, “is it gonna be good mommy?” as i prepped a meal… but somewhere along our life path he stopped asking.  now he knows.  he prefers ‘linguini with red sauce’ over spaghettios if you get me.  i’m creating a food conscious little fella – but some girl, somewhere will thank me one day.  tonight there will be wine, and there will be flame in the fireplace, and the flame will be from that of the large red oak that fell on part of our house three years ago. funny how that whole event can be passed off in one sentence as i blog here, but at the time it consumed our lives to the point of exhaustion.  time marches on, and if you’re too busy sitting on your dupa watching Honey boo boo, you’ll miss the beauty hidden in these stolen moments.  sometimes i like to do a pre-blog… leading up to the evening events- and then follow up with a photog synopsis of the magic, and how it all went down.  today is one of those days.

Coppolla cab. red wine season’s first pour.

i feel like weekday dinners should be easy, but no less delicious than a weekend meal would be. anytime there’s sauce and melty fontina cheese involved, it’s bound to be fabulous. this is a meal the whole family can be a part of- kids love to spread their own sauce and sprinkle the cheese all over the top. these bake off at 375  in 7 minutes when placed directly on the rack. enjoy, we sure did!!  see our evening gallery below!

 

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insanely healthy cookies… with great taste!

say YES to these cookies!

so these cookies are an adapted recipe from a nursing buddy of mine, who saw them on Dr. Oz – if i remember correctly. the most fantastic part is… there is literally, nothing awful for you in these cookies. nothing. the worst thing is a 1/3 cup of brown sugar… which is hardly contraband, considering it’s white, refined, processed partner in crime. i have added 3/4 cup of Dark chocolate chips (i used Hershey- i think their flavor is far superior to Nestle even on the semi-sweet option) – Dark chocolate is said not only to have antioxidant properties, but can help to lower both blood pressure and insulin resistance.  it’s also been known to decrease our cravings for unhealthy foods, thus aiding in weight loss when added to a healthy diet.  this recipe came together in minutes, and is not fussy at all. it bakes up in ten minutes per batch- and within thirty minutes, you have a batch of healthy cookies to be enjoyed for several days.

You will need:

2/3 cup of natural peanut butter

2 eggs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp of baking soda

2 cups oats

3/4 cup ground flaxseed meal

1/4 tsp salt

4 scoops chocolate or vanilla soy protein powder

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together PB, eggs, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Once combined well, add all remaining ingredients. stir in chocolate chips last. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Bake ten minutes. Remove to platter or wax paper to cool completely. Enjoy!!

perfect with your morning coffee…

 

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please them always – rice side dish

so i made this rice a few weeks ago… i can’t recall what our main dish was, but this rice rode alongside it on the plate… and my hubby declared it “my best rice yet.” this made me very happy of course, so i ran to the kitchen and wrote down every step i took to prepare it, while it was all fresh in my mind. as i’ve stated in previous posts, i’m a dump cook, and i do things a little differently every single time. there’s never a ‘recipe’ is the moral of the story. i was able to recall my steps, and got it down in my idea tablet. a week later, i followed my own steps a second time, and to everyone’s delight, it tasted the same!! (novel concept)

Here it is, for all of you to savor as well. it’s an easy rice dish, and takes less then twenty mins from start to finish. perfect with almost anything from baked fish to beef tacos. when you buy the green curry paste, it comes in a small glass jar, and you can keep this stuff for a year in the fridge…. you will love it’s taste, and can use it in other recipes as well. (think chicken soup kicked up with a teaspoon in the pot!!)

 

ingredients:

1 T olive oil (or canola… whatev)

1 cup long grain white rice (not instant)

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 can chicken broth

1/2 tsp of salt

shake of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup water

generous shake of ground coriander

1 tsp of green curry paste (Thai kitchen brand)

large handful of either chopped orange, yellow or red bell pepper- OR a large handful of fresh zucchini cut into bite sized pieces.

Here’s what you do:  Add 1 T of oil to a large non stick skillet. heat over hight heat for about 30 secs, then add a cup of long grain white rice. stir around to coat with oil. after about thirty secs, add your chopped garlic. saute, stirring frequently, about two mins.  add can of chicken broth, water, salt, shake of red pepper flakes, ground coriander, and tsp of green curry paste. stir to combine. if you are using the bell pepper- add them now. if you are using the zucchini, you are going to add this during last five minutes of cooking time.  bring to a boil, and then immediately turn heat to low and cover. set timer for 15 mins. Do not stir until done. (if you are using zucchini as your veg, add it when five mins left on timer, and replace lid. no need to stir)  stir lightly at end, check rice for moistness. allow to rest with lid on the skillet while you plate up the other food.

ENJOY!!   (no pics this time-i will grab a few with the next preparation.)

 

 

 

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for the love of BACON…

embrace the pace. bacon has taken a hot seat over the past year or two and is showing up in a multitude of products from high end chocolate to lip balm.  it’s been dubbed “meat candy” by many… and it’s not hard to see why.  i DDD you to eat just one piece!!  Americans love their bacon, and pork is wildly popular in Italian cuisine as well.  Bacon comes from the belly fat of our portly little buddy the  pig.  there are, however, healthier- less artery coating varieties- such as turkey bacon, chicken bacon, canadian bacon (still pork- but from the back of the pig), and our hippy buddy- soy bacon.  that being said, this chick will always retain her affinity for good ol’ thick cut piggety pig BACON.  this past weekend i had the pleasure of trying the Market District’s “smokehouse” variety. it was super thick, and cooked up perfectly in the oven. (which every foodie knows is the only way to cook bacon)  i aim to convert all of you pan frying, mess making, bacon curlers out there today with this blog spill.

Start by placing your bacon onto a foil line baking sheet with sides. (jelly roll sheet) you cannot do it this way on a flat cookie sheet without some type of side, or your grease will run over the edge and cause a fire.  NOT easy like sunday morning… it will be hell’s bell’s instead. ok, lay out  your bacon. (see photo)

arrange as many pieces as you can without overlapping

Next, place this tray into your cold oven, on a center rack. Yes, i meant to type COLD oven, as in… do not preheat.  close oven door, turn on your oven to 400 degrees.  set your timer for 20 minutes, and walk away.  when you return you will have perfect bacon, ready for checking. usually it will be done right at 20, but this bacon was pretty thick, and took a few extra minutes in the hot box.  i, of course, did not walk away- but got to preparing a mean french toast for myself and hubby of hipster… and well- even curly haired daughter of hipster devoured a piece come to think of it. see pics below. it was cinnamon raisin toast sliced thick, in a basic custard of two eggs, a generous drink of half and half, a heavy drop of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.  i sprinkled the finished piping hot slices with chocolate chips to allow some meltage… and then sliced some bananas and strawberries. syrup, of course without saying.  the bacon felt very at home next to this richly indulgent breakfast, and seemed to almost nestle up alongside in a spooning fashion.  it was love on a plate.  see below.  i’m hoping this blog and pics will convince many of you to put away your skillets and begin cooking bacon in the oven. next time, and forever there after.  enjoy yo.

perfectly stiff and crispy... ready to grace any bacon recipe you get into
natural partners... topping the flavor charts
focus shift... while drooling

 

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The Green Mango

this past saturday found us enjoying an incredibly flavorful Thai meal at the Green Mango in Regent Square. (a Pittsburgh suburb)  i had done a bit of research on the place, and read some fantastic reviews… leaving me not a single reason as to why it shouldn’t move to the top of our short list for datenite. hotbox hipster and hubby of said hipster are the parents of two cutie patootie preschoolers, who happened to be spending the night at mimi and pappy’s for the night. begin datenite for two thirsty for fun thirty somethings.  knowing that The Green Mango was a BYOB, (with no corkage fees, PS) we parked on South Braddock and headed to D’s six pack and dogs for some take out brew. we mix and matched a six pack of IPA’s for him and Belgian whites for her, and walked on over to the restaurant straight away with the ice cold treasures. There was a bit of outdoor seating, maybe six small tables in all, which were all occupied around 7pm when we rolled up. we easily secured a small table for 2 inside, and were attended to immediately with glasses for our beer and menus in our hands. waters came a minute later, and we were allowed to place our appetizer order shortly thereafter. the service was ultra attentive… even for clearing plates and empty bottles. We ordered both the Tofu summer rolls as well as some spring rolls… both were fabulous.

Tofu Summer Rolls

the dipping sauce had some crushed peanuts atop, and it lent a lovely sweetness to both. next up was the Tom Yum soup with chicken. my sinuses immediately kicked into gear and i felt amazingly alive while eating this spicy bit of genius. The broth was maybe some of the best i’ve tasted, ever. i am longing for a bowl of this soup right now, no joke.

Tom Yum soup with chicken

i honestly could have stopped here and been utterly satisfied, but it’s just not my style. gluttony rocks, and how. placed before me shortly afterward was a steaming plate of drunken spicy noodles with chicken.  it’s a plate of wide noodles that are ever so slightly oily, and both spicy and sweet all at the same time somehow… with bits of fresh basil, napa cabbage, tender and juicy chicken, and thai chili bits all throughout…. words fail to describe this masterpiece of a thai dish folks…. you need to order it.

Spicy Drunken Noodles with chicken

word of wisdom, i ate maybe a fourth of it and took it home. day 2, saute a half of a small zucchini cut into small bite sized pieces for a minute or two, and then add your left over noodles. place lid atop, adjust heat to medium, and set timer for two minutes. plate your food and enjoy for the second day in a row.  our beers tasted like heaven with the spicy food, and the atmosphere in this quaint little place was very relaxed. we will be back… oh yes sir, we will be back.

<a href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/270710/restaurant/Pittsburgh/Regent-Square/The-Green-Mango-Edgewood”><img alt=”The Green Mango on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/270710/biglink.gif&#8221; style=”border:none;width:200px;height:146px” /></a>

 

The Green Mango on Urbanspoon

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salmon- done right, done easy.

salmon. it’s thick, it’s pink, and it’s bursting with flavor. and don’t even get me started on it’s nutritional benefits. ok, get me started.  did you know that a  measly 4 oz serving of wild salmon provides a full day’s requirement of vitamin D? not many foods can make that claim. that same piece of fish contains oodles of omega 3 fatty acids (lowers cholesterol),  B12, niacin, and selenium (makes your hair shiny), and is an excellent source of B6 and magnesium. it’s thick like a steak, and it’s a fish that even ‘non fish lovers’ can love.  it helps strengthen the heart muscle, and it’s known for helping your brain work better and improving  your memory. why, i ask then, would you not want to eat this bad boy at bare minimum- once per week??   in my house, we’re trying in earnest to subscribe to this thought process.  three out of four of us heart salmon more than a back alley hooker loves crack.  we purchase a  one pound piece (sometimes wild, sometimes farm raised) and rub it down with olive oil and salt and pepper. move your oven rack to the top position to utilize your broiler properly. set broiler to high, and let preheat a few mins. line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. and place metal cooling rack on top. position your salmon in the middle, and cook for 8 minutes or so. remove pan from oven, and carefully with a firm spatula… free up salmon from cooking rack and flip over quickly like a pancake. cook other side under broiler for four minutes. (note: this was a thick piece of salmon, and these time frames yielded a well done fish. if you like it a little more rare, please tweak accordingly.)  remove to cutting board and let rest a few minutes. serve however you see fit. i like it over a bed of orzo, or sometimes with a gorgeous salad plate.  however you plate it up, this power  house’s health benefits are too fabulous to ignore! it’s the perfect addition to your healthy lifestyle.

drizzle the salmon with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
what it looks like after 8 mins under the broiler at 495 degrees. ready for flipping now.
serve it a little something like this... and watch them smile and giggle like a school girl.
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make ahead sausage and cheese fritatta

if you need to host a brunch for any reason, and are in need of an epicenter recipe… use this winner- and branch out in several directions from there. it’s an easy, no fuss, make ahead recipe that is sure to please the masses. the trick is in the sausage. yes-sir-eee, the pig saves the day once again. buy bob evans ‘sage’ flavored. it suits this recipe perfectly, and lends the perfect savory tang you’re after. this recipe is truly versatile, so much so that i’ve once even used some left over garlic bread in it, as well as pre-chopped frozen red and yellow peppers. whatever veggies and herbs i have on hand, that’s what is going into the egg mix. (within reason) the nice thing is that it has to sit in the fridge over night… allowing no stress for you come the next day when you’re ready to eat. simply take it out of the fridge one hour before you’re ready to bake it, and allow it to come to room temperature a bit. It bakes for 50 mins to one hour, and you want to serve it shortly after taking out of the oven- for the best taste. it’s great with a few drops of hot sauce on top, salsa,  alone, or even with Pittsburgh’s favorite condiment, Heinz ketchup.

OK, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED: 


1 lb of bulk sausage (i love Bob Evans Sage sausage in this recipe)

9 eggs

3 cups skim milk

1.5 tsp dry mustard powder

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

10 slices white bread, crust removed (or left on, both ways are delish) and cubed (feel free to use some stale ital. bread from dinner two nights ago as well.) 

bell pepper (diced) – i like red or  yellow or orange in this.

handful of chopped fresh spinach leaves if you have them

small piece of onion finely diced (if you have it)

Brown and drain the sausage. set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk. Add seasonings and bread cubes. Fold in sausage, cheese , peppers, onion and spinach or herbs. Place in your 9×13 glass pan (i use a big round dish and it works out perfectly and looks amazing upon serving.) refrigerate over night. remove from fridge one hour before baking. bake at 350 for around 55 mins. Cool just slightly before serving.

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embracing social media. period.

giddy up. i’ve discovered Tumblr. a place where i can unleash all of my food pictures without restraint.  i went with the hotboxhipster title, and plan to link the two social media sites so they’re nearly seamless. you can jump into my blog from Tumblr, and vice versa. it’s also much easier to upload video clips there, so i’m planning to start some vlog snippets… just some ten second kitchen shenanigans… allowing the world to meet the real me. the dumb ass. the mad hatter.  like when i’m deciding on chinese takeout, and i become a short asian man who is repeating the order… (begin funny voice) ‘ahh… Happy Family… excellent choice, uh huh uh huh….’  or when i have a mouth full of brownie and i start fake crying about how the world is against me and my only friend is the brownie. i love acting like an ass, it puts me in such a great mood. my favorite thing is when hubby breaks into full out yinzer mode and starts conversing very loudly with me. i crack up every time- and it makes any situation hysterical. i’m gonna get him on my page- for shiz. so yeah, Tumblr. it’s cool, i dig it. enjoy the pics yo. www.hotboxhipster.Tumblr.com 

 

 

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Beef Vegetable Soup

here is the full written recipe for the Beef Vegetable Soup that i have video blogged (see right) in a 12 minute format. there is a lot of chopping, and in retrospect, i should have made it a five minute video by using the fast motion setting upon editing. there’s always a next time. well, not always… but with most things there is. the key with this soup is to not speed through the cooking time, as it is a vital component in achieving a super tender bite of meat in each spoonful. you want something close to a high simmer, if there is such a term.  i literally ate the entire pot of this soup that i made recently… over the course of four days. my son helped a bit, and had two or three servings. daughter and husband would not eat any. daughter because she’s picky… husband because he does not care for soup as a rule. i was happy, frankly, to have it all to myself. i love knowing exactly what went into it, and knowing every single bite is going to be hearty and delicious.

OK, HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:


fill a large soup pot (i use an 8 qt stockpot) a little over half full with warm water. Begin trimming your beef cubes (2 # pkg) to bite size pieces. Add to water once trimmed. Turn on high heat under the pot. Cut a small head of green cabbage into bite size pieces (ok to just use 3/4 of the head if you feel like too much cabbage for  your liking) and add to pot. Open and add entire 28 oz can of whole tomatoes to pot. Add four beef bouillon cubes to pot. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to this ‘high simmer’ i spoke of earlier. Cook for 2 hours, stirring a few times and skimming top of pot occasionally if film develops.  

After two hours, begin to add other vegetables:

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (just rip a bit off and chop- no need to measure); five peeled and diced carrots, celery + celery leaves, 1 large diced onion, 1 diced fennel bulb, one diced sweet potato, and whatever else you want to add. other options could be a quarter cup of barley, a can of corn, a half cup of frozen peas, etc.  Add salt, pepper, and dried thyme to taste throughout cooking time. start off with a teaspoon of salt, and a half tsp of pepper, and then go from there.

Bring to a boil after adding all of these items. Reduce heat immediately to medium, and cook for another half hour or until veggies just tender. Around last three minutes, add some chopped zucchini.  serve this soup over any kind of noodles you like, or just as is. i used little ‘italian hats’ pasta this time, and my son thought that was the bee’s knees.

enjoy!!

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