Insta Roundup

Wanted to share some photos with you! Been up to a lot- a wedding trip, a sprained ankle, trying some new recipes, rehearsing OUR TOWN and working in the shop.

Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry

This is a great cause and I'm participating in Share Our Strength’s TwEAT OUT next Monday!

Haven't picked a place to eat at yet... but may have to grab some lunch at a Cafe Metro-

Here is the scoop:

Restaurants have done their part by signing up to participate in this year’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry. Now they need our help in making sure that you, your friends, and your family make the event a success by visiting participating restaurants September 16-22.

To start the week with a bang, they’re holding a TwEAT OUT all day on Monday, September 17th. Join in the fun and help spread the word about Dine Out For No Kid Hungry on Twitter and Facebook!

When: Monday, September 17, 2012 | 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST

How to Participate:

On Twitter:
Follow @Dine_Out and @NoKidHungry.
Retweet messages about the Dine Out For No Kid Hungry from these two accounts.
Use the hashtag #NoKidHungry in all your tweets
Share this tweet:

I’m dining out for #NoKidHungry this week. Join me by finding a participating restaurant in your area: http://dineout.nokidhungry.org/maps

On Facebook:
“Like” No Kid Hungry

Share news about Dine Out For No Kid Hungry with your Facebook friends:

I’m dining out this week for Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry. Join me by finding a participating restaurant near you! http://dineout.nokidhungry.org/maps

Tabbouleh Couscous- with Devo Lemon Olive Oil

My husband and I have mastered the quick weeknight dinner. This is one of the dishes we've thrown together recently.

Steak and Tabbouleh Couscous 

My husband is in charge of the meat and I make the sides. Divide and conquer!

Let's start with the side dish! We make this quite often and the lemon olive oil adds incredible flavor! We are big lemon fans.We have swapped out the Bulgar for couscous because we always have it on hand. This simple recipe is so adaptable. If you like less parsley, use less. If you want more tomato, use more!

Ingredients for Tabbouleh Couscous

1 box Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Couscous 

1 cup Parsley

1 small Tomato

1/2 small onion (could use red, white or green)

1 Tablespoon Devo Lemon Olive Oil

Water

Steps for Completion

1) Prepare Couscous per instructions on package. 

For the two of us we usually make 1/2 a cup (uncooked).

2) Tabbouleh is NEVER supposed to be made in a food processor! But oh well...

Chop parsley and onion roughly by hand or in Food Processor. 

                   

  3) Give the tomatoes a quick chop. 

4) Once your couscous is fluffed...COMBINE!

5) Add 1 Tablespoon of Devo Lemon Olive Oil and mix.
(You could also add the olive oil to the couscous when you are cooking it).

Mr. Hulse's Steak

Here are some quick directions on how to make this T-bone steak (about 1-11/2 inches thick). We used a rub on the steak, covering each side evenly. Placed it on a broiler pan with metal rack. We put it in the broiler section of our oven for about 10 minutes on each side.

ENJOY!

Devo Olive Oil provided me with a free sample of Lemon Olive Oil in exchange for sharing my recipe.  

Some Things

Another Instagram Share!

Fire Escape Jam

My husband and I moved into Sunnyside a few years ago in the fall. Come spring time we noticed a lot of small, dark berries staining the sidewalks. In fact, the berries were growing from a tree in our backyard. My husband said his grandparents had an identical tree that he and his brother's ate from. I responded by saying, "DON'T EAT THESE BERRIES! THEY MIGHT BE POISONOUS." Well, turns out they aren't poisonous. They are called Mulberries and they have a sweet, tangy flavor.

The first year I looked for recipes to cook with them. My pastry chef friend, Briar, suggested a clafoutis and jam. I made this clafoutis...which was yummy! Briar also helped me come up with a killer jam combo: Mulberry, Strawberry and Rhubarb. It is so delicious! This is my third year making it and it has even stirred a little following among my friends.

I use all the instructions that come with the pectin. I don't have a food mill, so I leave the seeds and mulberry steams. It is more like a preserve style.

Below is what you will need for a small batch of this jam next year. And some pictures!

Follow the instructions very carefully when you are canning!

And if you've never had rhubarb before- ONLY use the stalks. The roots and leaves are poisonous to eat.

This jam is delicious and makes a great homemade gift!

Fire Escape Jam

Ingredients:

2 cups Strawberries

2 cups Mulberries

2-3 Stalks of Rhubarb (only use the stalks)

1 cup honey

Pectin and calcium water (follow instructions of package. I use Pomona's Universal Pectin)

What you'll need for jam/canning:

Bowls

Masher or spoon to mash fruit

Measuring cup

Measuring spoons

Spoon for stirring

Pot for simmering Jam 

Canning Jars

Large pot for canning (I use my lobster pot)

Tongs

     (they make some for canning)

Rack for bottom of pot 

     (helps not to put jars directly on bottom of pot)

Simmering the fruit 

Boiling the Jars

Fire Escape Jam

Makes a little bit of a mess!

Emeril's Szechuan Spareribs-Shortcuts!

Ummm....you should make these! They are so delicious and will inspire your significant other to post sweet things about you on Facebook. Recipe can be found here. I highly suggest cutting down the five hour cook time to two hours with some shortcuts.

Short Cuts

-Completely make the sauce. Add the honey and sesame oil when you mix it all together.

-When the ribs were finished boiling, I added the sauce and stuck them in the fridge. 

-I let the ribs sit in the fridge while I whipped up some Potato Salad.

-I coated them with a brush before broiling for 5mins. 

I then took them out, added more sauce and broiled for another 5mins.