What's For Dinner?

Hi everyone! I’m Brandi, from BranAppetit and I’m so happy to be doing a guest post for Mara!

Instead of doing a normal food post, I’m going to talk about holiday strategies.

I know I’m not the only one that worries about my clothes still fitting by January 1^st – it’s so easy to indulge in everything, every day, at every meal, especially with family around!

I’m not about being super strict during the holidays, but there are a few things I try to do to keep myself on track.

1. Pick what you want the most. If you’re having a huge family lunch/dinner or are going to a work holiday lunch/buffet, scope out your options before putting anything on your plate. Once you see what’s available, you can decide what things you actually want. If it’s something you don’t enjoy or you know you won’t eat, don’t even worry about getting it!

2. Family Traditions get first pick. My one rule I do have at Thanksgiving and Christmas? I’m having as much of my mom’s fudge pie as I want!  She only makes it for those 2 holidays, so I normally have that as my only dessert during those times. I’ve never been a big fan of pumpkin pie, and the other desserts (cheesecake, etc) are usually things that I can have any other time during the year. But that fudge pie is what I want. It’s a family tradition and it’s what I love – whenever I smell that pie baking…I know it’s the holidays.

3. Drink Water and Move. I don’t normally bring workout clothes and stuff to do while I’m home. I do try to drink as much water each day that I can – for some reason, drinking water helps me remember to also try to get in some fruits/veggies every day. It’s like one habit fuels the other. Also, even though we don’t normally have “structured” workouts, we walk whenever we can and are usually running around like crazy, anyways. As long as you’re moving, that’s a good thing.

But most of all, enjoy yourself! The holidays are the times to be with family and friends and be thankful for everything you have.

And, for me, that usually includes a slice of fudge pie 

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Hello What’s For Dinner? readers! My name is Marianne, and my blog is from french fries to flax seeds. I am delighted to have the opportunity to do a little guest post here for Mara while she’s off getting married. I thought I’d bring you a couple of my favourite, easy desserts for those evening when you want a little something after dinner, but want to keep it healthy.

The first dessert I’d like to share is a great alternative to ice cream, and a favourite of mine that my mother used to make for me as a kid – Frozen Blueberries in Milk.

I don’t know if I can even call this a recipe:

·       Frozen blueberries

·       Milk of choice (dairy or other)

·       Splash of vanilla (optional)

·       Sprinkle of sugar (optional)

The best part is how the milk forms a slush around the berries as you let it sit for a few minutes.

And don’t feel limited to just frozen blueberries – it’s also great with raspberries, or any other small frozen fruit you can think of. Switch up the extracts, sweeteners, or even add toppings if you like.

The second dessert I have for you today is great for those chilly autumn evenings, when you wished you’d made an apple pie or crumble, but sadly, you haven’t. You can satisfy that craving with my simple Faux Apple Crumble.

Again, this is a pretty basic recipe:

·       1 apple, cored and chopped (no need to peel)

·       Cinnamon

·       Brown sugar

·       Granola

Mix your chopped apple in a small, microwave safe bowl with the cinnamon and brown sugar. Heat until the apple is warm and soft. Top with granola and enjoy.

This recipe works great with pears as well, and can be jazzed up with some dried cranberries or raisins, and a sprinkle of nuts (pecans or walnuts are my favourites).

I hope you’ve enjoyed my quick, healthy dessert “recipes”, and try them out the next time you are in the need of something a little sweet after dinner. And thanks again to Mara! Hope you had an amazing wedding.

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Hi everybody! It’s Laura from “Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? ” I’m guest posting for Mara this week while she is busy getting hitched. Congratulations Mara and Adam I know you guys will have a wonderful life together and I can’t believe your big day is finally here. For my guest post I wanted to share some words of wisdom from Dear Abby that have hung on my fridge for 15 years.

You might be reading it here first: I am hosting a Green White Elephant Gift Exchange! With the economy the way it is who can afford one more present for a blogger gift exchange? I can’t, but I sure do have some nice things that have been given to me that ‘aren’t quite me’ and that I’d love to give to someone else. And what’s more green than recycling a ‘not quite me’ present? Call it re-gifting. Call it recycling. Call it white elephant. Call it fun! Please join us as we celebrate a green earth friendly holiday season, re-gifters UNITE! To play along simply email me at jinxyjune@gmail.com and answer these questions:

Laura

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Ok, let’s be honest here. I’m writing this post on Wednesday morning, it’s definitely not Saturday. Well, because if it were Saturday and I was writing a post, that would be kind of weird, since Saturday is WEDDING DAY!!!!!

You saw this theme coming a mile away… WEDDING CAKES! (I’m predictable, no biggie). Sorry if I’ve posted some of these before, but hey, amazing is amazing!

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Susan is a native Californian who is happiest in the kitchen cooking for family and friends. Her husband of over 40 years often joins her. Although their methods and culinary styles are widely different, they always manage to cook up something interesting and there’s usually a story to tell about the process. She can be reached by email at californiamusing@yahoo.com. Orecchiette with toasted bread crumbs and antipasto
Orecchiette (often called “little ears”) is one of those pasta shapes that most people have never seen or used. This recipe, inspired by a dish by one of our favorite Food Network chefs, Giada De Laurentis,is great served on these cooler autumn nights. Susan started by making the recipe shown here as indicated, something she had done numerous times in the past. When using panko bread crumbs like we do, be sure to add some Italian seasoning to the bread crumbs. We like the brand from Pampered Chef. Rolly of course decided he could improve on it and make it even better (hard to believe, since the recipe is really really good as is).   He thought about the typical things you’d find on an antipasto platter and selected and prepared the additional ingredients

• cherry tomatoes, halved
• green onions, sliced on the diagonal
• salami, cut into matchstick sized pieces
• kalamta olives (pitted) and slightly smashed with the side of a French knife
• artichoke hearts, halved
• mozzarella cheese, cubed

Toss with the completed pasta recipe and your meal is ready for the dinner table. This dish will hold for up to two hours at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers, as they are good reheated in the microwave or served cold (like a pasta salad). Before serving, finish as we almost always do any recipe, with salt and pepper. Our pepper grinder is full of multi colored peppercorns, and our favorite finishing salts are currently the Palm Island brand varieties, bamboo jade and red gold. Served with cheese stuffed zucchini blossoms and a nice glass of chianti, this is a meal you’ll long remember.

Note:

Customize this recipe as desired, using the ingredients you like.   Just use your imagination. Use a variety of olives (just be sure they’re pitted).   Sliced raw mushrooms or marinated mushrooms (halved) would be nice in this, as well as roasted red pepper strips. Instead of just using salami, try a variety of Italian meats like mortadella, soppressata, or cappicolla. Pepperoni would be good, too. Like pepperoncino peppers? Add them! Just think about color, size and shape when choosing your ingredients. Remember, as another of our favorite Food Network chefs Guy Fieri says, you eat first with your eyes. And this dish is truly a visual feast!

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Hi there, everyone!  This is Jenny from Colorhungry and I am so honored to be posting on Mara’s blog!  It was actually Mara who got me involved in food blogging and I will be forever grateful to her.  We became friend about three years ago (Wow! Can’t believe it’s been that long!) and I cannot even tell you how excited I am for her big weekend! I’m so sad that I can’t be there, so like everyone who reads her blog, I really cannot wait to see all of her pictures and hear all about it.  Mazel Tov, my dear friend!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and that no one is getting trampled shopping today!  Last night I went to Michael’s craft store (that’s right- i’m HARDCORE) for some special preview Thanksgiving shopping and dude.  I am EXHAUSTED.  Maybe it was the tryptophan?  Needless to say, I won’t be shopping today.  I think i’ll just spend the day in recovery from the carb overload.

Anyway, on with my post.  I have a little secret.

Before Friends, Will and Grace and even Sex and the City burst onto the scene and taught us about what it meant to be “on a break,” what it might be like to have a gay best friend, and exactly what “having sex like a man” actually entails, there was the world of Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy and Rose.  That’s right- The Golden Girls.  As much as society (and my brother) might think this is completely shameful, I have no shame in confessing that I own seasons 1-8 on DVD and watch them quite often.  I love every episode.  I tried to find one that I could put up here, but alas, I couldn’t pick just one (Yes, I am a supreme nerd.  And yes, I am ok with that fact.).

What is so striking to me is that although this show was produced mostly in the 80’s (It started in 1985- One year after I was born!), these older women were on the cutting edge- doing shows about AIDS, STD’s, weight, homosexuality, safe sex, the importance of women being able to stand on their own two feet, and showed how vitally significant a woman’s friendships are in her life.  They talked openly about sex and their sex lives and embraced their sexuality, with Blanche Deveraux leading the charge as a slutty southern belle who wasn’t afraid to play with “toys.”  They were the Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda of their day, except more witty and with a little more Bengay and dentucreme.

I don’t know what it is that I like so much, but they make me laugh, they make me cry, and they cheer me up when i’m down.  Maybe it’s the wit.  Maybe it’s the humor. Maybe it’s the cheesecake.  For those of you that are reading with scorn and have never seen this show, the secret to all of their problem solving prowess was a good cheesecake to share while they talked it all out.

Dorothy : Ohhh, do you know how many great, late night talks we’ve had at this kitchen table over cheesecake?
Rose : No. How many?
Dorothy (sarcastically): One hundred and forty-six, Rose!

I learned a lot from watching these gals (particularly about the importance of friendships.  You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends) and I have to say that when I get older, I really hope I can be half as cool as these ladies.  Any other GG fans out there?  What nostalgic shows do you watch? I’ll leave you with a link to my favorite recipe in the world: Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake .  And the pecans?  It’s praline…need I say more?

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This has been quite a crazy week, but I wanted to take a moment and tell each and every one of you how grateful I am for all of you. It’s amazing to know that I have such an amazing support system all over the world…

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether it’s a Turkey day, Tofurkey day, Shrimpsgiving, or just an ordinary day…

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Hi there, What’s For Dinner? readers! I am Jenn from Eating Bender and am so honored to write a guest post for Mara as she prepares for the best day of her life — no no, not Thanksgiving. Her wedding, of course :) As a fellow Chicagoan and an awesome person, Mara and her friendship mean a lot to me and are definitely something to be “thankful” for on this day before the holiday!

Before I get to the food, I just want to bring up a cause that is very special to me. As some of you may know, I work in the field of public relations. One of the campaigns I am most proud of this year is the work my company is doing on a program called Tweetsgiving. You may have read about it by clicking here or here on MizFit’s blog and several others who have shown support.

Last year, the non-profit group Epic Change launched a program called Tweetsgiving that aimed to raise $10,000 in 48 hours and ultimately raised $11,000 through hundreds of small, first-time donations, thousands of tweets, hundreds of blog posts and more.

This year, Tweetsgiving, the first successful Twitter fundraiser of its kind, is back again, proving the power of social media and Twitter in harnessing thousands of small dollar donations to support a cause. You can read more about the story by clicking here . If you are interested, consider supporting the cause and share what you’re thankful for during this special holiday!

One of the things I am most thankful for in my life is my family. I am fortunate enough to be going home for Thanksgiving and am excited to share in the quality time and cooking with Papa Bender, Mama Bender and Brother Bender In honor of them, I thought I would provide a few recipes that were featured on my blog in my Thanksgiving post from last year. You may see some of these again tomorrow, but just in case they inspire some of your own cooking, I thought it a good idea to share!

The picture above doesn’t do our spread enough justice. There is a story behind each dish on the table, and some interesting recipes, too!

My dad put the stuffing directly into the turkey last year. I thought it made the texture crispier and chewier, two positive changes. His Apple-Sausage Stuffing never disappoints!

Papa Bender’s Apple-Sausage Stuffing (serves MANY)

But the cream of the crop – quite literally! – is always the Broccoli-Cheez Casserole.

It’s not exactly healthy since it calls for some good ol’ Cheez Whiz, but it’s a family staple and I can’t remember a Thanksgiving without it!

Papa Bender’s Broccoli-Cheez Casserole

Here’s what the casserole looks like prior to baking:

I volunteered to make my personal favorite parts of the meal: cornbread and sweet potatoes! The cornbread was super easy – all I had to do was add water to this mix.

I highly recommend this mix if you’re ever looking for the quickest and easiest way to make cornbread! I chose to put them into muffin tins to make them easier to serve, too.

I may have had two or three of these throughout the course of the day…

As for the sweet potatoes, I was surprised to find these staring back at me when I pulled them out of the bag my dad had picked up earlier in the week.

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but these are actually WHITE sweet potatoes. There was something about them that was a little off to me – they were almost too much like an actual Idaho potato and not enough sweet. But I did the best I could with what I had!

I cut the sweet potatoes into discs and layered them in the dish. Each layer had a sprinkle of brown sugar and light butter for flavor. I then baked the discs at 400* for 40 minutes, or until the discs were nice and soft. I pulled the dish out of the oven and topped the potatoes with marshmallows before putting it back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the marshmallows begin to brown.

Here’s what the discs look like covered with the marshmallows.

And the final product, which was very gooey!

We enjoyed our meal with a glass of Chimney Rock. We also put on some Christmas music! It was such a pleasant holiday and I savored every last laugh and bite.

A little of everything to start – of course there were seconds…and thirds!

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without dessert! For at least the past three years, it has been customary for me to make a cherry pie. It’s my mom’s absolute favorite – my grandma’s recipe. I get such a rush knowing that I’m creating something that has been passed down through the generations. It’s a very basic recipe, but it always comes out great! The outer crust is always a bit browned, but like most things in life – IT’S THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS!

BENDER FAMILY RECIPE: CHERRY PIE

Ingredients:

….

Wait — you thought I would actually tell you?! It’s not a top secret recipe, but I feel I must leave some room for suspense. Until tomorrow…GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

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Hi everyone! I am so excited to be guest posting for Mara during her wedding week. If you are like me, I’m sure you can’t wait to see her incredible pictures and hear all about the day.
I happen to be a newlywed myself. The first year of marriage has been a whirlwind, and I must say that I am most proud of saving my husband from his daily dinners of plain egg whites, plain whole wheat pasta, and plain turkey burgers. I find nothing wrong with these foods, except that he would mix them all together. He ate this every single night, with the exception of a pizza or occasional grilled chicken salad from a restaurant close by.
Not to mention, he smells a heck of a lot better now that he is no longer eating egg whites every day. Not much better, though.
I am a firm believer in moderation, and have a pretty big sweet tooth. My husband and I both enjoy being active and exercising, but we also love to eat. We prepare most of our food ahead of time, but I do love to cook dinner every night. Cooking is relaxing for me, and my husband thoroughly enjoys eating flavorful dishes. And I enjoy him not smelling like eggs. It is a win-win situation.
Recently, I made Onion and Apple Smothered Chicken. The crisp apples and soft onions created an incredible texture with the chicken, and the sauce I prepared them in created a sweet and tart ‘gravy.’ We ate it with a side of my favorite, perfect smashed potatoes.

Onion and Apple Smothered Chicken4 chicken breasts 1 medium apple, chopped1/2 sweet onion, sliced3 tablespoons olive oil2 eggs, lightly beaten1 cup flour + 2 tablespoons1/2 cup apple cider vinegar1 1/2 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Preheat oven to 400.
Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Crack eggs and lightly beat in a bowl. Place 1 cup of flour on a plate, and season with salt, pepper, or spices if you’d like. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then dredge through flour to coat. Place in skillet and let brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Once chicken is brown, place in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add apples and onions, and saute for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add apple cider vinegar, and let bubble and boil to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Use a wire whisk to scrape any bits of flavor from the bottom. Add chicken stock. Whisk in flour and brown sugar. Taste, and add any salt and pepper if needed.
Remove chicken from oven and pour onion and apple sauce over chicken.

The Best Smashed PotatoesServes 6-8 3 lbs baby yukon gold potatoes1 stick unsalted butter1/2 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cut baby potatoes in half, and add to a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain potatoes, then add back to the pot on low heat. Add butter and heavy cream, and mash for 1-2 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve warm.



We always like to have a bit of dessert, so these Sin City cookies are the perfect, light treat.

Sin City Cookies2 egg whites3/4 cup sugar1 tablespoon cocoa powderpinch of salt1 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375.
Beat all ingredients together, except chocolate chips, until stiff peaks form – about 6 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop in spoonfuls on a baking sheet.
Place in oven, turn off oven, and let cookies sit inside for 8-10 hours.
This is perfect to do while you’re sleeping!

I enjoy a lot of variety with dinners, so we rarely make things twice. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I must say that the potatoes are incredible. Do you have any favorite dinners or side dishes? Let me know.

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Hello, “What’s For Dinner” readers! I’m so thrilled that Mara invited me over for dinner tonight. Can you believe her wedding is in just a few days?!?! How exciting!

Although our tastes are a bit different (I’m a vegan and she is an omnivore), Mara’s culinary creations always look so mouthwatering and delicious. So, I wanted to throw together a dish that will hopefully be enjoyed by omnivores and herbivores, alike!

One of my favorite pre-vegan dishes was Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes. It never occurred to me to recreate this dish until recently, when my husband was served some at a restaurant and it looked ohhhh so good!

Instead of being jealous, I got even and made my own recipe that’s not only veganized, but is much more heart-healthy (no butter or cheese) and the nutritional yeast is not only chock-full of B-vitamins, but has more protein than meat! I’m so in love with this dish that I plan to make it in mass quantities to serve to my 30+ relatives at Thanksgiving!

“Cheesy” Scalloped Potatoes

* 1 1/2 c. cashews

* 4 T. lemon juice

* 4 T. nutritional yeast

* 2 T. tahini

* 1 c. almond milk

* 1 tsp. red wine vinegar

* 3 T. olive oil

* 3 big squirts mustard

* 2 tsp. paprika

* 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric (this combined with the paprika turns it a lovely yellowish-orange color just like you in the original, cheesey dish)

* 2 tsp. sea salt, or more to taste – I like mine on the salty side

* pepper to taste

* garlic to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until completely smooth and mix with thinly sliced potatoes (I like Yukon Gold) in a baking dish. If you are using a blender instead of a food processor, soak the cashews in water for a few hours before hand which softens them slightly and makes them easier to blend. Coat with a topping of bread crumbs and seasonings (I used various Italian seasonings). Bake at 375 uncovered until the potatoes are cooked through, about an hour.

Enjoy! Thanks again for having me over for dinner Mara, and have a wonderful wedding this weekend!

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