FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

Still don’t have a dish to bring to your New Year’s Party? Well look no further because this recipe is SO good! I created it about a year ago using some leftover ingredients in my fridge but since then it’s been a staple to bring to parties, make for a simple dinner or even toss with pasta and ground beef for a hearty meal.  It is one of those dishes where you can be creative and improvise so, if you don’t have one of the ingredients I list, its ok- substitute something else (I will say, garlic, onion and tomato are essential!!)

Using olive oil and an array of veggies makes this dish not only delicious but healthy too!!

Italian Bruchetta

Serves 6-8(more if used as appetizer)

Prep Time: 20 minutes *chop chop chop

Cook Time: 40 minutes

You will need:

2 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced (with juices)

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 medium onions (I use yellow), chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (use more if desired)

½ cup celery, chopped

1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped

¼ cup capers

½ cup green olives (use more if desired)

½ cup olive oil

¼ to ½  cup dry red wine (white is ok if you don’t have red, just make sure dry)

½ to ¾ tsp salt

2 tsp dried oregano

Dash cayenne peppers

2 loaves French bread, sliced

Olive oil for drizzle over bread

 

Directions:

Sauté the onions, celery, peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and cook a few minutes (don’t let the garlic burn!) Add in mushrooms and let soften (about 2 minutes). Add tomatoes and artichokes as well as seasonings and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add wine, capers, olives. Cover and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and allow simmering for at least ½ hour to let the wine cook down.

Meanwhile, slice French bread into thin (1/4 inch or so) slices. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden brown and a little crunchy.

Serve alongside the bruschetta (can use as a dip or pre-make the bruschetta by putting about 1-2 spoonful’s on each piece of bread).

What are y'all making to ring in the New Year? 

ENJOY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
STAY SAFE

 

 

 

 

 

Hummus to me is perfect.  It is the holy sacrament of dips (ok, maybe that is a bit extreme…). It has the creamy consistency of a bad-for-you snack but guess what, it’s not!  Hummus is an ancient eastern recipe that has been around forever and has millions (ok, again, extreme) of variations to suit your palette.  It has gained more popularity in the past years due in part to its connection with the Mediterranean Diet.  There are multiple varieties in grocery stores now, usually selling for around $3.99 for a small tub. At that price you could make your own and get twice as much! Plus, by making your own you can cater it to your taste preference- nothing like buying a container of hummus only to not like it!
By making it at home you can also control how creamy or pasty or garlicky or tahini-ey you want it!

There are a few up-front costs to make hummus: tahini and olive oil. Hopefully you already have olive oil and use it as part of your daily cooking ;-) Tahini is something that is not as common to have lying around in your fridge unless you already make hummus frequently. Tahini is a paste made from hulled sesame seeds and olive oil and a very common ingredient in Middle Eastern foods and an essential one for making hummus.  You can purchase it at most grocery stores in the ‘ethnic’ section or at your local co-op. It is a little spendy- usually about $7-$10 for a jar. If you go to a co-op, you could probably purchase a smaller amount from the bulk food section.

Oh, and, you will also need a food processor or blender… Doing this by hand would take a lot of arm strength!

Hummus

Serves 8

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cook time: none!

You will need:

1 can garbanzo beans + half of the liquid

1 Tbsp tahini

2 garlic cloves

1/3 or 1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 ½  tsp salt

Directions 

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth. Add more or less of the garbanzo bean liquid if you want the dip to be more or less pasty.

 

 

 

There are many exciting things you can add to the hummus to give

 it a twist. Some of my favorites: roasted red peppers, artichoke, Greek olives, jalapeno… For this batch I added Kalamata olives, artichokes AND 1/2 of a peeled cucumber!!

MMMmmm. Serve with crusty bread, toasted pita or veggies. Keep it in your fridge as a substitute for sandwich spreads or use for a salad topper. 

 

 

 

I’m baaaack! It has been a BUSY few weeks here in Minnesota. “Wedding Season” is in full swing as well as vacation season, road construction season and now back to school season!  I was hit by wedding bells (no, not literally) two weekends in a row and one of the weddings I had the honor of being a bridesmaid! Very fun but very busy. We did a lot of quick meals and even resorted to take-out despite my meal planning expertise (ugh, the pressure got to me, I had to give in!). Hey, we’re only human.

Now that this first wave of weddings are past us I can catch my breath and do some cooking before the next wave (3 weddings in September…) hits! After such a busy few weeks and a cold spurt here in Minnesota, I was craving a not-so-healthy-but-sorta-healthy comfort food: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Yum.  I had a ton of spinach leftover from one of the many wedding gatherings and instantly thought of my favorite dip. Usually, people use frozen spinach but fresh spinach is excellent to use in this recipe if it’s available. The spinach cooks down quite a bit, so you’ll need a good amount. The not-so-healthy part of this recipe will definitely be the sour cream and mayonnaise. There are no great substitutions that taste the same. Low fat versions of either work fine but please don’t use ‘fat free.’  Fat free tends to use more sugar and non-food ingredients to make it ‘taste’ like fat. Instead, control the amount you consume instead of trying to trick your body (trust me, your body will find out and it won’t be happy..). Ok, here’s the recipe:

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Serves 8 (as an appetizer)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

1 (16oz) large container of fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ lemon, squeezed

8 oz shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend

Dash of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Chop spinach, water chestnuts, artichoke and onion and place in large bowl. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and mix well (I used tongs). Make sure all of the spinach is coated. Add seasonings and mix again. Place in a small (9x9) baking pan or glass casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 425 and bake uncovered for  an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

 

 

Over the weekend I hosted my sister’s “Vintage Circus” themed baby shower. She is having a little boy (Leonardo or “Leo”) at the end of September!  A vintage circus was the perfect theme for a baby named Leo (the Lion!).  Again, the theme guided the party planning but I did not go overboard. I found some vintage clowns at a thrift store; a toy carousal that I spray painted and I used popcorn holders as a vase for flowers. I also set up a tent outside and decorated with draping fabric and ribbons. I spent about $50 on all of the decorations…not bad!  Instead of getting to carnival-y on the food I went for fresh and summery. I also didn’t do anything too heavy because my Aunt Lin made beautiful and decadent circus cupcakes for desert!

Here was the menu:

Caprese Salad and baguette

Fresh Spinach Dip and veggies

Torta di Riso (My grandmother’s Italian recipe)

Fresh Fruit

Pesto Green Beans**

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

 

The menu was the hit of the party. The combination went well together and left people satisfied but not overly full. I will share the pesto green beans recipe. This was a hit and I used the pesto that I made last week and picked up green beans at the farmer’s market the day before.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while I was making this dish, but it is very simple so I think just following the recipe you will do just fine!

Pest Green Beans:

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

You will need:

2 lb green beans, stemmed

1/2 recipe Presto Pesto

1 cup fresh parmesean cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Remove stem tops from green beans. "Blanch" green beans in the boiling water (leave beans in water no more than 2 minutes or until they turn a bright green- you want them crispy and NOT cooked or mushy).  Drain beans. Return beans back to pot.  Add pesto and parmesean cheese and mix well (I used tongs to do this). Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle walnuts over the top as garnish. Refridgerate until ready to serve (could be eaten warm too but works very well as a cold salad).

Enjoy!

(I'll leave you with a picture of the cupcakes, so cute!!)

 

 

 

 

No doubt this upcoming holiday weekend will have you running between bbqs, beaches and bonfires! I know that’s what we will be doing. The tricky part with holidays is getting off your normal routine. When I’m off my routine and on the go, that is when I am reaching for fast, convenient and UNHEALTHY foods (take for example, potato chips and dip). Soooo, what to do?

Well, we are in luck because it is BERRY SEASON! Delicious, healthy, anti-oxidant rich berries are abundant and available for a fast, convenient and HEALTHY snack (desert, salad, etc etc).

I was just at the store and picked up a carton each of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and paid just under $6.00! That is just as much as a bag of chips and dip, if not cheaper! Mostly, I like to have the berries washed and stored in a container in the fridge for convenient snacking but if you want to get a little more creative (and add some protein and more fruit), check out this tasty treat:

Berry Banana Split

(serves 1-2)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: none!

You will need:

½ carton blueberries

1 whole banana

2 medium-large slices of watermelon

¾ cup vanilla yogurt

1 Tablespoon pecans

 

Slice the banana length wise and place on plate. Fill the center with blueberries (you can add any kind of berry you want!). Place the watermelon slices (remove from core) on each end of the banana. Top with vanilla yogurt and sprinkle with nuts.

 

This is a very flexible dish. You can substitute any combination of berries and use different flavors of yogurt and nuts. Make it fun and make it work to suit your tastes and what is around in your kitchen!

Happy weekend!

 

 

This past weekend I threw my friends a 'couple's shower' for their upcoming wedding in August.

A couple's shower is a fun alternative to a bridal shower, as it involves both the bride and groom. We still played shower games and had delicious food but it was fun to get the 'men' involved!

 

Whenever I throw a party, I like to have a theme in mind. I try not to get too crazy or obsessed with the theme but it is a nice way to stay focused throughout the party planning. I decided on a "retro barbque" theme for the party. My friend is having some vintage elements to her wedding,  so I thought it would be a nice tie-in to the big day. Also, since it was a couple's shower and both men and women were attending, it was fun to play with the male/female roles, especially of that time period (let's just say I wore an apron!).

 

When I went shopping for the party, I hit up a few consignment/thrift stores in the area and that is where the theme exploded! I was able to get all of the prizes for the games (vintage cook books, old schwin bike tire, aprons etc) as well as fun serving dishes and trinkets for decorating from that era. All together, I spent just over $75 for all of the prizes and decorations! There were almost 30 people at the shower, so that was a bargain.

 

The food was a classic spread from a 1960's back yard barbque. I found a recipe box  (which I later painted and refurbished as my gift to the bride) with classic recipe cards from the 1960's. Jack pot! I was able to use the recipe cards as decoration for the table as well as used some of the recipes to make.

 

For appetizers:

Bacon wraped waterchestnuts

Deviled eggs

Hawiian meatballs

 

The spread:

Beer brats and burgers on the grill

Grandma Dot's Potato salad

Colslaw with kiwi

Calico beans

Tuna with noodles

Jello salad suprise

 

Dessert:

Pineapple upsidedown cake

Classic coconut creme cake

Ice cream

 

Drinks:

Classic coke and diet coke (in retro bottles with straws)

Fruit punch (served in a punch bowl!)

Iced tea

Coffee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shower was a success and people really enjoyed the food and their retro gifts! In my next post I will share some of the fun recipes...any in particular you'd like me to share?

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

No matter what part of the country you live in, fresh corn is available now.  We had our first local corn this weekend and it was so delicious!  In fact its good enough to plan a party around- so we did. 
 
                                                      
As you know, when seasonal foods are at their peak, not only are they most flavorful, but also the best buy.
You can prepare it by shucking it and steaming or grilling it.  (We have a good tip for cooking it in the microwave on our First Kitchen DVD).
To grill it with the husks off, brush the corn with a little oil and place it on the grill. Cook about 10 minutes turning occasionally.  When some of  the kernels are slightly brown, it is probably done.  Serve with butter, salt and pepper. 
Or one of our favorites to add a little pizzaz is Lime Butter.  Melt 1/2 cup of  butter, add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice,1 teaspoon lime zest and  1/4 teaspoon paprika. Pour over cooked corn and serve.
                           
                                              
Okay what more do you need to have a party??

After a summer of outdoor activities, eating healthy fruits and vegetables of the season, not to mention free meals with the ‘rents- things are about to change.  

Does this sound familiar?

·      Late night studying  -and snacking

·      Late night studying- and sitting, sitting

·      Partying -and snacking and consuming caloric beverages

·      Grabbing quick and cheap meals in (or out) of the cafeteria

This can add on the pounds.  No wonder the term the freshman 15 has caught on.   But with a little planning, this does not have to happen.

Sure we can give you a list of what to avoid, but we’d rather talk about what you can do.

While studying and snacking, maybe try a yogurt and pretzels or an apple and string cheese as an alternative to the many trips for chips or candy bars from the vending machine. How about a party where you make our own pizza? A simple prepared crust with lots of healthy ingredients – It is not only good for you, but it takes the focus off of only eating and/or drinking. 

The cafeteria is a handy place eat, but know their sneaky philosophy – they put the dessert out first and when you are hungry they are tempting.  Dessert is ok, but let’s not make it the main item on your tray. 

These are just a couple of hints, but as recent graduates we know a few more trick that we can share with you on our First Kitchen DVD

Good luck!

Does it seem like you have a million graduation parties to attend? Your cousin from high school, your sister from college, your friend from graduate school or maybe even you!  Graduation is a time of celebration and change and central to every graduation party is the food, which, if you aren’t mindful about how much - can change your figure.  Buffet tables lined with taco bars, dessert trays, foot-long sandwiches, chips, dips and cheeses could make anyone weak in the knees…or should I say mouth.   Don’t worry!  You don’t have to steer clear of the food table…just don’t become it’s best friend! 

Fill up on fun, not food using these simple tips:

 

-Don’t go to a party hungry…there is no doubt you will eat more than your share and maybe catch a few looks after your 4^th trip down the line.

 

-Use a small plate.  This will make it look like you have more than you really do.

 

-Drink ...WATER.  Don’t fill up on alcoholic drinks or soda.  Those both have a lot of calories and can increase the amount of food you consume…use moderation (trust me, you don’t want to start dancing on the buffet table)

 

-Head for the fruits and vegetables.  Choose dishes such as the grilled vegetables or fresh fruit bowl to go wild, not the tray of brownies.

 

-Socialize!  The more people you talk to, the less time you’ll have to eat.

 

Lastly, don’t forget to bring a gift for the hard working graduate.  Everyone appreciates a reward for his or her efforts.  Rather than giving the typical card-with-cash, try something more creative….

The FIRST KITCHEN DVD is a perfect gift for a graduate whether high school, college, or even grad school.  It is a great tool for getting started in the kitchen and learning how to cook tasty, healthy, inexpensive and easy food in the comfort of your own kitchen.  Let the FK team help you make this graduation season easy and rewarding…you may even get invited over for dinner after they’ve watched the First Kitchen DVD.

 

To order go to: http://www.firstkitchencooks.com/fk-shop.html