Ten Minute Decadent Popcorn

Things have been 'busy' in the Red Door house this week. Too 'busy' to explain, yet not interesting enough to bore you all (or you three??) with the details. That said, 'busy' has never kept me out of the kitchen, and the intensity of said kitchen's productions may have been far less time consuming as of late, but were still quickly consumed by occupants, babysitters, and visitors alike.

I actually feel guilty calling this a "recipe,"as it is more of a "conglomeration." It was also an absolute favorite at the appetizer table. Salty & Sweet -- can you really go wrong with such a combination? Easily doubled, Easily altered -- my suggestions? Improvise! The butterscotch chips were a last minute decision (by The Husband) and took this from 'good' to 'great!'

Ten Minute Decadent Popcorn

10 cups air popped popcorn, cooled and buttered (or microwave buttered popcorn, popped and cooled)

three handfuls mini marshmallows

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 bag dark chocolate melting chips

Olive oil, as needed

1 cup pecans, halved

Spread waxed paper on two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. 

Sprinkle popcorn on waxed paper, followed by marshmallows, pecans (& anything else you can think of)

Melt butterscotch chips in double boiler or slowly in microwave. Add olive oil as needed for 'drizzleability'

Drizzle melted butterscotch over popcorn.

Repeat with dark chocolate, attempting to drizzle chocolate in places the butterscotch missed.

Cool 1-2 hours or until chocolate has hardened.

Break into pieces and store in airtight container until ready to serve.

 Easy, right? 

Lentil Tacos

Four years ago, I could not have picked a lentil out of a lineup, muchless provide any guidance on cooking one. Not that I would now consider myself any type of legume expert, but let's just say that more often than not there is a lentil leftover of some sort in our over-crowded, stainless-steel (translation: fingerprinted) refrigerator.

What are they? Technically, lentils are a legume - rather than a bean, they actually grow similiar to a pea. Most grocery stores stock standard brown lentils and red lentils; however I was lucky(?) enough to drop a pretty penny on some beautiful french green lentils while visiting Whole Foods in a substantially-sized city earlier this week. I like to buy them in bulk because they are generally cheaper and there is less packaging waste, however one pound bags are also often found in the supermarket aisle near the beans.

So, why lentils? They are a quick fix for many of the nutrients my nearly-vegetarian diet is missing. Lentils are high in protein, iron, B vitamins and folate. All important, many tough to acquire from a heavy vegetable diet like ours. But more importantly to me personally, they are very high in cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber and prevent blood sugar peaks after a meal. As someone with uncharacteristically high cholesterol and some other fun genetic maladies for another day, I need to be diligent about such things. Crafting health benefits into things that also taste wonderful is an added bonus.  

The other nice thing about this recipe is that it's a conversation starter and a crowd pleaser. The Husband loves it. The Little One uses her little fingers to pick them up one by one. A few of our more carnivorous friends claim that they do not even miss the meat; however in the nature of full disclosure, they could have just been being kind! If you're interested in additional favorite lentil recipes or unsolicited nutritional advice, be in touch! And without further ado..

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup fresh salsa

For assembly:
(our creations usually depend on what is in the pantry, but a few ideas) 
-Tortilla shells
-Fresh guacamole
-Taco sauce
-Lettuce
-Shredded cheese

Preparation:
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender.
Add lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano; cook for an additional minute.
Add broth; Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until lentils are tender.
Uncover, cook for 6-8 additional minutes or until slightly thickened.
Fold in your salsa. 
Assemble tacos and enjoy!


Source: Unknown. Passed along by a wonderful friend.

Lentils

Saturday Reflection

Highlight: I have been wishing for a full length wall mirror for our back entry hall for what seems like years. Er.. it actually has been years. In my defense, it is a tough space to fill -- the diagonal wall is nearly 5 feet wide, so many beautiful mirrors fell out of contention due to not being substantial enough to fill the space.  Initially, I did find a beautiful bronze mirror at Hobby Lobby that I had placed on my Christmas list for the past two or three years. Christmases came and went.. Aerogardens, Microwave Bacon Crispers, and American Flag Sweaters.. but no mirror. Santa was missing my heavy hinting.

One frustrated Tuesday morning last November, I found myself standing in the bathroom, teetering in my high heels on the edge of the bathtub, attempting to determine if these shoes did indeed match my outfit (not something you want to notice on the walk from the car to your office..). I declared aloud to whoever could hear me (hello, neighbors..) that "THIS IS THE LAST STRAW! Santa is bringing me that mirror!" I cleaned the stroller and carseat out of the back of my car and drove to Hobby Lobby to bring home said mirror, only to discover that the very product I had had my eye on for the past 24 months was now no longer carried in the store. Really?!

One month and 25 questionably-coordinated outfits later, I was out for a wonderful lunch with a friend at Carmella's Italian Bistro (yumstown, I wish they could cater my life..but I digress..). In a post-prandial haze, the Little One and I stumbled into the new Appleton location of Kirkland's. We meandered through the front of the store aimlessly, then spotted a beautiful domino of full length wall mirrors leaning against the back wall. And as they say when important things happen.. "the rest is history.."

So this Christmas, with the help of the Husband, Santa answered my pleas for bringing more natural light into our back hallway. Today the mirror officially moved to her new home, and we're all very happy. The Little One spent twenty minutes getting to know the new baby in the house; The Husband enjoys not having to 'waste electricity' and turn lights on to walk through the back hall, and I can see that my red flats absolutely do not match the red cardigan I was trying to pull off today. Knowledge is power.

January.

I'm a firm believer in that old adage:

"shoot for the moon.. blah blah blah .. land among the stars." 

I'm also a firm believer in boiling things down to simple terms that often sound so easy that your eye glosses over the text and you nod in agreement without really letting the information sink in. So I repeat, and emphasize .. read this next bit aloud if you must.. setting goals for oneself yields ridiculously higher outcomes than not doing so. 

Easy. 

Oh, and incentives help, too!

The word 'goal' often sets people off straightaway.. goals don't have to be huge.. studies would show that it's actually better when they're not! Have you ever written yourself a list of things to do for the day and then added things in there like "drink coffee" and "get the mail" just so that you had an obvious daily task to put that glorifying strike through? If so, you know what I mean. If not, try it! Psychological dark chocolate for the over-achiever...

One more thing before I get off my motivational soapbox. Goals need to be measurable, specific, and achievable. I have typed that phrase so many times to my graduate students that I can do it with my eyes closed, but what does it mean? 

Examples 

Poorly worded goal: "Understand how to bake bread with yeast." 

'Understand' is tough to measure

Better: "Bake loaf of yeast bread."

Poorly worded goal: "Spend more time with family."

What is 'more'? Once per week? Once per month?

Better: "Visit at least one family member each month."

We've never really been into "New Year's Resolutions" per say at the RedDoor house, but we are into small, measurable, achievable lists. My such list for January:

-Take vitamins and fish oil daily.

-Cook, Sit, and Enjoy five family dinners (1/5)

-Cook with fish at least once. 

-Email to my daughter once per week (more on this later, stay tuned..) (2/4)

-Orchestrate Interactive Dinner Party 

-Make and Attend an Eye Appointment

(Red: Not Started/ Yellow: In Progress/ Green: Complete)

Short. To the point. Keeps you easily accountable. Avoids overwhelming weight of huge New Year's Resolutions.

Easy. Now you try! What is your January list?

Day 1.

Today, it's 2011. Day 1. Day 1/1/11, to be exact. I only have eleven minutes (no one-related pun intended, It's seriously 11:49pm, CST) left in this day to get this off and running, so here goes nothing.

It's been nearly two years since I have ventured into the virtual vulnerability of the blogging world. I've imported some recipes from a former life, but today is Day 1: I'm giving myself a break. I cannot crank out the work of 4 people in one day. I cannot cook three square meals and work full time and categorize my recipes by both season, vegetable, and flavor palate. (Lesson 1: I'm a perfectionist. Like, a textbook organize-my-life-I-love-lists-98%-is-not-good-enough perfectionist. I'm working on that). I cannot function on 4 hours of sleep and 5 cups of coffee. I will not read each magazine that comes through my mailbox and try each recipe that I have collected for the past 10 years.  But what I can and will do is enjoy the time that I do have to cook, to work, to craft, and to spend with my sweet little family.

I've been hemming and hawing about blogging for what seems like years. Sometimes I think it sounds like just another thing to add to my to-do list.. sometimes I read other's blogs and think that I have something to share.. and somewhere in my head a nagging voice has been telling me to hurry up already and give it a try - quite honestly, my crutch has been that I was never really quite sure what kind of a blog I wanted this to be..


.. a food blog? nah.. my photography really isn't up to par ..
.. a family blog? eh.. there's Facebook for photos and we really haven't been doing anything remotely bloggable lately..
.. a crafting blog? .. fun, but at the rate I've been going, there would be approximately 4 posts per year.
.. a professional blog? .. risky, with disclaimers and whatnot..


I started to consider what my favorite blogs were, and the answer is the ones whose authors seem real.. those blogs that give me creative ideas to institute in my own life.. those that are beautiful (sorry reader, I'm no graphic designer..) and the ones where a motivated author thereby motivates me.

So what kind of blog is this? It's mine.

Red Finger Shrimp

Don't make this when your husband's boss comes over for dinner, or when your wife wants to have a very romantic dinner. Choose guests who you know well and don't mind getting their hands messy, as these shrimp need to be peeled prior to eating. I've trialed "cleaning it up" by using peeled, devined shrimp, but the flavor is compromised. So just roll with it, shove up your sleeves, and enjoy!

Red Finger Shrimp

4 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp (or frozen shrimp, thawed)
2 lemons, cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic chopped cloves
3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Crusty French bread

Place shrimp in a 13- x- 9-inch pan; top with lemon wedges and bay leaves.

Combine butter and next 6 ingredients. Pour over shrimp.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 35 minutes or until shrimp are pink, stirring every 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve with bread and lemon wedges (and napkins).

Hiatus..

Communication is on hiatus as we are in limbo for the next 40 days. We are relocating from Washington to Wisconsin with an interim at a Marriott Residence Inn..

I plan to attempt a cooking feat or two in the hotel room kitchenette, however I make it a point to only blog things that are .. well.. "bloggable" so perhaps we'll all be surprised by dinner a'la hotel room.

Stay tuned though, many more great things to come from our new and improved kitchen in a house with a Big Red Door!