Fast & Easy Dinner: Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Baked Rigatoni

My wonderful mother, Suzie Q, taught me that ANYONE can make their own pasta sauce. She is a smart lady and cooks hers the night before in the crock pot. But, because Mr. Grumpy and I spent all Sunday on the couch recovering from our 14 hour drive back from Hilton Head, I began to panic that I hadn't gone to the grocery store. Mr. Grumpy offered to jump down to the market downstairs and buy a jar of sauce, when it occurred to me that I had all the ingredients we needed to make a delicious homemade sauce ourselves. Without buying anything. Ah-mah-zing. 

Now, disclaimer that I have NO Italian in my blood, except maybe for like one of my Irish family members back in 200 AD that apparently had a love affair with a Roman soldier (this may be an exaggerated story, as it was told to me when I was 8 – a time when I had a difficult time not fabricating my stories. I have since improved… right??? RIGHT?). But, super scandalous, right?!?! I know… us Steiners are just FULL of fun.

This impromptu dinner ended up being delicious, and way better than anything we could have bought and been forced to pay $50 for dinner.

So, let's get cooking, people. 

What You'll Need:

• 1 28 oz. jar of crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. jar of zesty tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz. jar of fire-roasted garlic diced tomatoes
• 1 box of rigatoni, cooked and drained
• 2 cups of grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup of sweet red peppers, diced
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried basil, plus 1 tbsp
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley 
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper, divided
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 small cloves of garlic (about 1-2 tbsp), minced (I use a grater to mince our garlic because our mincer broke and I refused to spend money on a new one. It actually works quite well).
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Non-stick cooking spray with olive oil (Pam has this)

First, we'll start by roasting the tomatoes and peppers. I always thought this must not be a skill I knew how to do. But I love the smell and taste of roasted peppers and tomatoes. So, I improvised, and based of conversations I've had in the lunchroom at work, figured out how to roast things. First, preheat your oven to 450. Then, cut up your tomatoes and peppers. Sprinkle them on a baking dish, and drizzle them with 3 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle 1 tsp of basil, plus 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Lightly toss it with a spoon so that all the tomatoes and peppers are evenly coated. Roast (put the pan in the oven) for 25 minutes, stirring halfway in between.

In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions, 1 tbsp of basil, oregano, salt, pepper and parsley, and let it cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are see-throughy. Then, add the garlic and let that cook an additional minute, until you can smell it. Then, add the crushed tomato, diced tomato and tomato sauce and stir. Cover, and cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, RELAX. OH, and cook your pasta. That part is pretty important. Cook it for about 1-2 minutes less than the package directs.

Once your tomatoes and peppers are done being roasted, take them out of the oven, and add them into the sauce. Stir, and let that cook covered for another 6-8 minutes. You just want it to cook long enough for the flavors to mix. Set your oven heat to 350.

Next, take a baking dish and spray it with cooking spray. Add the drained rigatoni, and then slowly pour the sauce over the pasta. You'll have about 5-6 cups of sauce. Lightly shake your baking dish so the sauce moves in between the pasta and goes all the way to the bottom. Then, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese browns slightly and the sauce is bubbly.

Even Mr. Grumpy asked for seconds on this one – and despite our sore throats and his cough that we developed the last day of vacation (hoping it's not the Return of the Strep Throat coming) – it was exactly what we needed.  

Hello from Hilton Head! Vacation + Bruschetta = Happiness

I know what you're thinking – Cari, where the BEEP have you been? You haven't posted in like… a WEEK. 

Listen. I've been a little busy laying on the beach, snoozing on my raft in the pool and drinking whatever concoction our dear friend (and bartender) Dan mixed up for me. That's right, I went to Hilton Head. For seven whole days. I missed you so much it was hard to even have fun (cough, cough). 

Here are some pics of our fun times together! 

Mr G was not interested in getting a "cute new Facebook pic for my profile!!!!!" with me…

But… he did one because he loves me THAT MUCH.

We took naps on the beach…

Some were sleepier than others…

Some got Grumpy when you woke them up from said nap to get a Daiquiri refill…

We ate at Salty Dog for lunch (I had the Shrimp Po Boy! It was so delicious. We also ate three appetizers… Don't judge).

We only had to wait 45 minutes for a table, which was amazing because it gave us gals time to shop (below pic – my dear friends Kim and Katie)…

Mr. Grumpy and his brother, Mr Why Aren't You Grumpier (seriously, he didn't really get any grumpy genes, and I can't figure it out) were super excited when we got our table.

Then, I beat Mr Grumpy at a sick game of Scrabble. Actually that's not really true. In this photo, he was losing by 50 points, but I eventually lost to his word that included both an X, and a Y, and a Z, and a Q…. it was worth about 80 points.

Then we went to a nice dinner, and ate some amazing seafood at the Old Oyster Factory (go there. go there now. It was that good). 

Then, it was time to say goodbye, and head back to reality.

But! Not before we climbed the old historic Lighthouse (Mr Grumpy didn't want to go all the way up. Actually his exact words were, "Why do I have to pay $3.75 per person to climb up those stairs? It's not even a real lighthouse." Which is true (we learned this from our kayaking guide) but still… I just had to go and see the view. So we (he) paid, and we climbed. AND WE WERE HAPPY ABOUT IT.

Hilton Head was a blast – we could not have had more perfect weather, the food we ate was delicious to say the least, and we got to spend seven days with Mr Grumpy, his family, and his best friends and their family. It was exactly what I needed. And the best part? I got a TAN. (As tan as Irish-German girls with ginger-like tendancies can get… Aka, I'm covered in freckles). 

Each family was in charge of cooking one night for dinner. And Mr Grumpy's mom is probably the BEST Italian food cooker on the planet. She makes her sauce and meatballs from scratch, and sometimes even makes her own pasta, which is amazing too. So naturally, the Grumpy family was in charge of Italian night. She asked me to be in charge of the appetizer – bruschetta. I was nervous – there was a lot of pressure being that I am not even a speckle of Italian, and also that I've only ever helped my dear friend Robin make bruschetta and maybe made it on my own like twice (and put a jalapeno in it, naturally). So, like any good girlfriend would – I improvised people!

I knew how to make pico de gallo (obviously), so I decided I'd just make that, but with Italian-like ingredients. And man, it was a hit. (Our bartender Dan ate about 3 cups of it). 

Now, remember that this recipe serves about 10 people, so if you're just making it for your family or for you and you're super hungry, I suggest cutting the recipe in half or even into quarters.

What You'll Need:

• 3 cups of grape tomatoes, chopped into small pieces (each tomato gets cut into about 10 pieces)
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped into pieces similar to the tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp chopped fresh basil (mine were heaping)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella, chopped into pieces similar to the tomatoes
• 1 loaf french bread, cut into small pieces (about 1/2 centimeter)

Cutting everything is literally the most time consuming part of this recipe. So, start early. It took me about 30 minutes to cut everything up. Once everything is all chopped up, combine all ingredients into a bowl. Let that sit in the fridge for 2 hours prior to serving. 

Preheat your oven to 350. Bake your bread for about 5-10 minutes, until it is nicely toasted. If you're super hungry and want to eat right away, you can do two things:

• Less Desparate Option: Broil the bread for 3-5 minutes
• Super Desparate Option: Toast it in a toaster. Seriously. We did this the next day. It was awesome.

Mr Grumpy's mom helped with food styling. She's pretty good.  

And… the winner is!! (Organic Girl Giveaway Winner!)

Oh my gosh – I could not be more excited to share with you the winner of my OrganicGirl giveaway… are you readdyyyyyy? 

Congratulations, Kelsey! 

I'm sure the following will be Kelsey's reaction when she reads this…

First, denial…

Last, acceptance. 
(Photos courtsey of CSMonitor.com)

Kelsey said she'd love to go everywhere in France, and is now the proud owner of OrganicGirl Vive la France blend! 

Just email me (cari[dot]j[dot]steiner[at]gmail.com) with your address, and your greens will be on their way. Unless you're GOING to France within the next week … in which case tell me what day you'd like them to arrive. 

(Giveaway Closed!) Review & Giveaway! Darling, Let’s Go to France w/OrganicGirl (Roasted Chicken, Brie & Cinnamon-Apple Paninis, plus a Peach-Bacon Salad)

Disclaimer: I received free OrganicGirl product to review for this post. All opinions are my own. The prize for this promotion is provided by and shipped by OrganicGirl and/or its representatives.  

Phew, now that THAT'S out of the way… let's talk about France. AKA, one of my favorite places on the planet. Now I know what you're wanting to ask me, "Cari, did you go to France and have a 10-day middle-school style love affair with a bleached-blonde-hair boy named Nicolas (pronouced Neec-oh-LAH) and wish you never had to return to the states?" Um, I would say SOME of that is true… But, I did get in trouble for talking too loudly during our tour of Versailles. I also misread a menu and ordered horse, instead of steak… and then two hours later proceeded to go horseback riding. Very traumatizing. But despite my completely unromantic trip to France at a ripe 14 years of age, I did come back completely in love with the culture. What can I say? France and I share a certain… je ne sais quoi … about us. Maybe it's because I used to be la canadienne .. er Canadian (a story for another time…). 

So, when OrganicGirl reached out to me, and I perused their website only to find they had a product called Vive la France… well, I just had to try it. Let me tell you first about OrganicGirl (right now they're mostly focused in greens for salads and yummy cookin') – they have such a great story. They are a group of men and women in California who literally police the BEEP out of your produce. This means that when you buy a container of their product, it's been washed three times before being packaged; it's completely organic; and it won't be brown the day after you buy it. Which is awesome because I think I have probably wasted like $300 alone this year buying lettuce in plastic containers that gets slimy on day two, and I'm left to ponder whether I should suck it up and eat it, or throw it away (Mr. G usually makes me throw it away, though he's very grumpy about wasting food). 

I went ahead and tried the Vive la France blend, which is a combination of mâche rosettes, baby chard, baby arugula and radicchio. It arrived today, and I was well-prepared. Of course, it took us like 45 minutes to track down our security dude, Chris, to unlock our package from his super stealthy case. But it was worth it – these greens are seriously delicious. Typically when we buy lettuce at the store, it's wilty and not very crunchy. The Vive la France mix was crunchy and slightly spicy (likely from the arugula). And we all know I love me some spice. So, I took Mr. Grumpy on a trip to France (aka, our super European couch), and made Roasted Chicken, Brie and Cinnamon Apple Paninis, plus a Peach-Bacon Salad avec Lemon Vinaigrette. L'awesome (that's not real French, ok?). 

Want to know what is EVEN MORE L'AWESOME? One of YOU lucky readers is going to win a package of Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl JUST LIKE ME! I know, you're thinking – this simply cannot be true. How can I be so lucky? Well, you can, my friends. You can indeed. How, you ask? You can enter my giveaway in three ways:

• Follow me (@carijeanne) on Twitter, and tweet at me using #homewithyou with what you'd most like to see if you visited France. Feel free to leave a comment below with the link to your tweet for an extra entry. 
• Leave a comment below with your French vacation dream – where would you most like to go? The south of France? Nice? Paris? The Spanish border? French Canada? 
• Like OrganicGirl on Facebook or Pinterest, and leave me a comment below saying you did it! 

The giveaway will close on June 22 – so get to commenting les petite chous! If you do all three, you earn three entries (meaning your chances will be INCREASED!). Best day ever, right? May the odds be ever in your favor, friends. I will announce the winner the week of June 24 here on my blog (and on social media too, obviously, because I will be so excited that I'll just want to share it with everyone). 

Now that I've talked your ear off, let's get cookin'! (Let's start with the panini!)

Roasted Chicken, Brie & Cinnamon-Apple Panini

Every holiday, I make baked brie, which uses candied apples (like you'd put in a pie), crescent dough and brie. It's my sister Erin's favorite. In fact, one holiday I failed to make the brie, and she felt that warrented not speaking to me for most of Christmas. I have to agree – the brie really makes Christmas feel warmer. 

So, this little sammy is just like that slice of heaven, except I'm totally going to blow your mind by taking it out of the crescent dough, and putting it onto bread. Whoa. Right? It's seriously delicious.  

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl 
• 1/4 lb of brie
• 1 green apple
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon, divided – plus 1/2 tsp extra 
• Juice from 1/2 orange
• 2 cups organic, unsalted chicken stock
• 1 chicken breast
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 slices of fresh ciabatta bread (DS pronounces like CHEE-AH-BAHTTA bread. And I think it's awesome)
• 1 tbsp butter
• Baking non-stick cooking spray

First, you want to cook your chicken. I did mine in the crock pot the day before. First, combine 2 cups of chicken stock, chicken breast, rosemary, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Let that cook on low for 2 to 2.5 hours until fully cooked. Let it cool enough that you can shread it with your fingers. Completely shread the chicken. In a small bowl combine 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground coriander and ground cumin in a bowl. Sprinkle it over the chicken, and toss until the chicken is coated. Add salt & pepper to taste, as needed. 

Next, preheat your oven to 375. Spray a small baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut your apple into long, thin slices. The thinner, the better. They cook faster that way. Next, take your half of an orange, and squirt the juice over the apples. This is a trick Suzie Q taught me because I used to think that when apples turned brown, it meant they rotted. This was obviously an exaggeration, but she would help me out by putting juice on them to keep them looking normal. Toss the apples until they've been coated evenly with the juice. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and the remaining cinnamon (1 tsp). Sprinkle slowly over the apples, tossing the entire time to ensure they get nicely coated. Place the apples uncovered in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and stir. Return the apples to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Coat one side of each slice of bread with an even layer of butter. Begin warming a pan with grill marks (seriously, what are these things called), over medium heat. Have another pan handy (can you tell I  don't have a panini maker?). Next, cut up your brie into long slices, about a centimeter thick. Place evenly over a slice of ciabatta bread. Next, place the cinnamon apples on top of the brie. Add a layer of chicken, and finally cover the top with Vive la France greens. Smoosh the second piece of bread on top. Repeat on the second – so you have two sandwiches. That was kind of obvious…

Now, place both sandwiches on your pan (butter side should be down, obviously). Place another pan on top of your sandwiches and gently press down, for about 3 minutes. Flip your sandwiches, and repeat on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and let your sandwiches sit until the brie cheese is melty and gooey and ready to be devoured. 

Peach-Bacon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette 

To go with the paninis, we had a lovely Peach-Bacon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Ok, I know you're wondering why on earth I would ever put peaches and bacon together. Well, just as Mr. Grumpy and I go together (even though I'm sweet like a peach, and he's salty like a slice of bacon), so do peaches and bacon in real life. I'm serious.

What You'll Need:

• 2 cups Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 peach, cut into slices
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp Lemon & Pepper Seasoning (from McCormick) 

Note: I adapted the recipe for the Lemon Vinaigrette from Martha Stewart. She's really great, isn't she? 

First, put 1 cup of greens in each salad bowl. Place slices evenly on each salad. Crumble the bacon over the top. 

In a small jam jar, combine dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, McCormick seasoning, and lemon juice. Close the lid tight, and shake until combined. This makes about 4 tbsp of dressing. Dress your salad – we put about 1 1/2 tbsp each on the salad. And, voila! As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetite!"

 

To learn more about OrganicGirl and their products, you can check them out online too at www.iloveorganicgirl.com. 

Work with Me + A Disclaimer of Sorts

I am always interested to hear about products that you think I would really like. That does not include cans of anchovies. Or anything related to laundry because, despite my awesome washer and dryer, I really suck at laundry and nothing you can give me will fix that. But, if you feel you have a product that fits the content of my blog, I accept products for reviews and giveaways. 

Please know this blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. The reviews are written strictly by me and are completely based on my opinion and the product reviewed.

I am not paid to write posts. For product reviews in which the product is supplied to me as a gift by the company to test and review, I will clearly state that at the top of each post. Otherwise, if I mention a company by name and there is no disclaimer at the top of the post, I am merely writing about something I like just because I think you should know about it.  

If I do receive products as a gift to review and test, it will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. This blog does not currently accept advertisements. 

For questions about this blog or if you’d like me to review one of your products, please contact me at cari (dot) j (dot) steiner (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Happy Birthday Red Velvet Cupcakes + DIY Coasters

I don't know if you know this, but Heidi Klum's favorite cupcake is Red Velvet (or it was in 2008 when I was interning at her agency)… No big deal, guys. I've shared a cupcake with Heidi Klum. What have you done with your life…? Ok, fine. We didn't SHARE one cupcake. Like, she brought red velvet cupcakes into work, and then watched as I ate one. But still…  

Anyway, so when I asked Robin what she wanted to eat at her birthday party, naturally her answer was Buffalo Chicken Dip and Red Velvet Cupcakes. She's probably one of my most stylish, classiest friends (though all my friends are classy, obviously, because I'm super classy). 

So here's the trick about red velvet cupcakes. Did you know that all red velvet cupcakes really are is just chocolate cake with a TON of red food coloring in it? Um yeah. It's really that simple. So, as long as you've got cocoa powder, you can basically make it at home any time you want.

What You'll Need:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
• 1 cup of water
• 4 tbsp cultured buttermilk blend powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 8 oz container of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• Red food coloring
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• Candy pearls (find these in the baking aisle with the sprinkles)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tins with 2 layers each of cupcake papers (I like the double-layered look, so I use two cupcake liners per cupcake).

Next, in a small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar (not the powdered sugar – that's for the frosting), cultured buttermilk powder, salt, cocoa and baking soda. Using a whisk, stir the dry ingredients, spinning the whisk while you stir. Next, in your electric mixer, combine water, oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract until blended, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Now, add in the dry ingredients and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Now, it should look like chocolate cake mix (and taste like it too if you're like Mr. Grumpy and love eating cake mix raw… apparently he's immune to salmonella). Next, turn your mixer to low, and start adding in your red food coloring. A tip: you want it to be dark red when you're finished because when they bake, they turn lighter. So, I ended up using about 2 1/2 to 3 tbsp of red food coloring. Next, using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mix into each cupcake liner, until they are about 1/2 full. The mix makes a little more than 24 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for a solid 18 minutes – no more, no less. Halfway through baking your cupcakes, rotate them in your oven. Once they've cooked for 18 minutes, take them out of the oven and let them sit for 1 minute. Topple them onto a towel, and let them sit until they're cool. While they're cooling, we made our frosting. And by we, I mean I made the frosting while Mr. Grumpy played Nintendo and patiently waited for the beaters to lick… 

For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese, and mix on medium speed – about 3-4 minutes until it's smooth. Next, add in the almond extract and the powdered sugar and mix on low for another 3 minutes. Place your frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool. Next, place your frosting in a pastry bag, and squeeze it out onto your cupcakes. Sprinkle the candy pearls on top. Serve immediately, or place in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

Now, being the classy lady that I am, I also made Robin a DIY present for her birthday. I got the idea from my bestie Ashley, who actually made me these coasters for me for my birthday last year. And I've been obsessed with them ever since and want everyone to have a set. Maybe because she made them using mustache paper and I think mustaches are hilarious. Which is also why, for Mr. Grumpy's birthday last year, Robin made us these amazing mustache glasses… I digress… So, I decided these would be the perfect housewarming/birthday present for Robin (especially considering I already got her and Mr. Salty mustache magnets for their fridge. I didn't want to exhaust the mustache thing). These are so much fun to make, you should go out and make them like… right now. 

What You'll Need: 

• Mod Podge – matte finish
• Scrapbooking paper 
• 6 ceramic tiles
• Felt pads (you can find these at the cash register at Home Depot)
• Spongy paint brush (you know what I mean? Here… like this one)
• Pencil
• Scissors

Mr. Grumpy and I went to Home Depot to pick up the ceramic tiles, and just assumed that they would have felt or something soft to put on the back. You want to do this because if you don't, it will scratch your table. And then Mr. Grumpy will give you one of his looks… which is really just quite a hassle. So, after wandering for like 20 minutes, I asked a Home Depot associate if they had cork board or felt. He said, "Let me guess, you're making coasters." Like he knew everything in the world. I replied, "Um… yeah? How did you know? Is your girlfriend a Pinterest addict too?" To which HE replied, "Well, yeah she is. But that's not how I know you're making coasters. There's about ONE of YOU each month who comes in here looking for tiles and felt because they're making these COASTERS. Go to JoAnns, you'll find everything you need there." At this point, I wasn't sure if I should thank him or be offended. So I continued onto the cash register, where I found these felt pads, which are actually quite perfect because they stick to ceramic tile and you don't have to use super glue. This is great for me because I'm actually not allowed to use super glue anymore. Mr. Grumpy banned me from it the LAST time I tried to glue my jewelry holder back together and glued my fingers together instead. And then tried to rip them apart, which was very painful.

So let's DIY, friends. First, wipe off your ceramic tiles with a damp cloth or paper towel. Make sure they're completely dry. Now, take the paper you want to use, and flip it over so the pattern is facing down. Trace your tile with a pencil, getting as close to the edge of the tile as you can. This will act as your stencil. Cut it out, and measure it on the tile. It should be slightly smaller than the face of the tile (the shiny top part). So, you'll likely have to trim it a bit. Next, cut out all of your stencils. I used different paper for each set (two ceramic tiles matched one another). I also added some scrapbooking stickers to two of them by sticking them right on the patterned-side of the paper. 

Now that all your tiles are washed and your squares are cut, it's time to Hodge Podge it, kids. So, take your foam brush and dip it into the hodge podge. Paint it evenly on the shiny side of the ceramic tile (like the side you'd want to be facing out if you were redoing your kitchen). Make sure it is a really even, thin layer because you don't want it to bubble when you place the paper on it. Next, place one of the paper squares, pattern up, on top of the tile. Smoosh it down so it's evenly place on the surface of the tile. Now, paint another layer of Modge Podge over the paper on the tile. Set it aside and let it dry. Do that for all six tiles. Once the tiles are completely dry, flip them over and place the felt circles, one in each corner. Each tile will get four felt circles (they are adhesive on one side which is awesome). 

Voila! Homemade coasters. Which came in handy for the drinking games the boys decided to play on Robin's oak coffee table… Boys will be boys, I suppose. 

Weeknight Dinner: Sloppy Joe Chili Cheese Fries, and that time I did The Marilyn

So, I've learned many lessons this week (aka, wash your hands after cutting jalapenos, don't try to sneak onto the Captain America set, the Captain America security guards WILL accept homemade cookies but they will still not let you onto the set). One of the more important lessons I learned was today, whilst walking home from a work event. I was wearing this super cute new dress I got at Urban Outfitters on sale for $29. Yes, that's important because it was on sale, and therefore a justified purchase. It is a dress-shirt style dress with buttons all the way down. These details will be important in a moment, so stay with me here, people.

Now, before I tell you what happened I want to preface this by saying you'll likely laugh at me. And then you'll feel bad for me. BUT what you WON'T admit is that this has happened to you too. So just know that I KNOW. I know I'm not alone.

So, I'm walking home. In the Cleveland sunshine. And the wind. When suddenly I realized I was doing my best movie star in wind impression – what I call The Marilyn. Not catching on? The skirt of my dress went completely up in the wind, and my underwear which read No Sleep all across the touchey in big black lettering was exposed. (It's almost laundry day, OK?). Right in front of a Captain America security guard who felt the need to say, "Yeah, I don't get no sleep neither." Bad grammar aside, I was mortified. MORTIFIED. So, I tightened up, and tugged on my cross body purse, which then latched onto the button across the … breasty part … of my dress, which then POPPED open, and the other half of me was exposed. I asked the security guard if there was anything else he wanted to see and he replied, "Nope. Pretty much seen it all." 

So… that happened. Awesome.

Well, by the time I did get home, I was ready for some dinner. We had some sloppy joes planned for the evening, but I decided to jazz it up a bit and came up with a MUCH more fun recipe for a night in with your Mr. Grumpy. Now, there is a secret to making super delish Sloppy Joe (whether you put them on a bun or a fry pile). I already shared this secret with a reader of Home with You, but I'm spreading the love today. Suzie Q always adds a can of tomato soup to her Sloppy Joes. WHY ON EARTH WOULD SHE DO THAT?… Ok, I know that Manwich is God's greatest gift to all things ground beef on buns. But, trust her on this. It makes your Joe mixture so delicious, a little bit thicker (which I promise is good) and it's really flavorful. I sometimes do not have tomato soup on hand (like ever…), so I substitute tomato paste and it's really good. I promise.

On that note, let me introduce you to Sloppy Joe Chili Cheese Fries (don't worry, they're not as unhealthy as they sound)… 

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 to 1 lb of lean ground beef (we used the 92-7 kind, but you can also substitute ground turkey or chicken. I would just double the spices…)
• 1 small can of tomato paste (or you can substitute 1 can of tomato soup)
• 1 can of Manwich 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup of chopped sweet red peppers
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package of low fat frozen french fries
• 1/4 cup of fat free shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, chopped

First, preheat your oven as the frozen french fry package directs. Here's a hint: we turn up the heat a bit to make them crispier, but it's really what you prefer. Cook fries as package directs.

In the meantime, in a small pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, garlic powder, pepper, chili powder and salt. Cook your meat all the way through, making little tiny meat pieces. Once it's fully cooked, add the onions, green pepper and sweet red peppers. Let those cook over medium heat until they soften (about 6 minutes). Add the can of tomato paste and Manwich. Stir, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. This lets your flavors mix together and be really yummy. 

By now, your fries should be all done! CELEBRATE – IT'S TIME TO EAT! First, take a small deep dish and place a layer of fries (about 1/2 cup). Then put about 1/4 cup of Sloppy Joe mixture on top of the fries. Add a sprinkle of cheese and chopped green onions, and voila! Sloppy Joe Chili Cheese Fries (Skyline, eat your heart out). 

Disclaimer: I used a bag of fries provided to me by a client of mine to try a new product of theirs… They did not ask me to post about it… They just happened to be the ones in my freezer for the day.

Mr. Grumpy was super excited about this one. In fact, after I made up his plate and started making up mine, I noticed that he was already piling on a SECOND layer of fries, Joe sauce and cheese so he wouldn't have to take the time to go back for seconds. I take this as confirmation that there are things that make Mr. Grumpy slightly … HAPPY… Did I just go there? Yeah… yeah I did. Note that the second picture above is just him pretending to be grumpy. I think he was actually quite pleased.

Happy National Running Day + I’ve Got a Fixin’ for Huevos Rancheros

First of all… Happy National Running Day! I started the day at 6:30 a.m. with a 3.33 mile run with my friend Melissa (blogging over at icrashedtheweb.com about our awesome run today). Yes, this actually happened. For those of you who know I don't do mornings… I did one today.

Jillian Michaels said this, and it's been a huge inspiration for me – Cari, who last year could hardly finish a mile. Now, just in one week, I've run more than 10 miles (2.75 on Monday, 4.12 on Tuesday and 3.33 today). I'm actually having a moment here, and yes, bragging a little. But this has been such a struggle, and I feel really amazing that now I'm able to do something that I've never been able to do before. The result? My friend Kelsey and I signed up for the Rock 'N' Run Half Marathon in October. That's right. I said HALF MARATHON – which I heard was like 13.1 miles, but I don't really want to think about that right now… My feet hurt from kicking so much ass.

Anyway, on to talking about food. One of my favorite, favorite, favorite things to eat when I visit my family in Colorado is Huevos Rancheros. In fact, the last time I went for a visit, my sister made several fat jokes as I downed my THIRD day in a row eating Huevos Rancheros. Much deserved. But still, I was not ashamed. You can't get that here in Ohio. You especially shouldn't get it if you go to ChiChi's or any of the Mexican restaurants in Findlay (which surprisingly are all owned by the same Italian family. I am not joking). I digress…

So, for those of you who don't have the money to just fly out West whenever you get a good breakfast craving, this recipe for at-home Huevos Rancheros is going to rock your world. I just made it up, based on what I'd had in my native state. Kim Kardashian and Kanye, if you're reading my blog, I'm sure you can probably skip making it at home and just fly to Mexico for the afternoon. (Ah, the life). Kim, actually that's really bad advice I just gave you, since I'm pretty sure you can't fly when you're that preggers. Anyway… 

Mr. Grumpy was really excited about this one for two reasons. A) Usually I substitute the sausage for turkey or chicken sausage. Which he is usually pretty grumpy about (where's the REAL meat… Uhh, that is real meat, Mr. Grumpy). And B) He loves breakfast for dinner (even though he also asked if we could have pancakes, to which I replied, "You're joking, right?"). Also, I had been hyping up this dinner for about a week so there were extremely high expectations.

NOTE: This recipe calls for one-half of a chopped jalapeno. When you chop up your jalapeno, take a moment and wash your hands. I was feeling real cocky and thought I was above washing my hands after cutting up a jalapeno. A jalapeno for god's sake, Cari. Like really? You thought you were above this? Yeah, I know. Listen. I was having a kitchen diva moment. So, I did not wash them but merely wiped them off briefly on my paper towel. So, after enjoying my Huevos Rancheros, taking a shower and getting snuggly on the couch, I noticed this terrible burning feeling on my fingers. All of them. Especially my thumbs. Immediately, I knew I had a flesh eating bacteria and I was going to be without hands in about an hour. So that's what I started Googling, obviously. And screaming, "MR. GRUMPY. WHY DON'T YOU CARE! I'm going to lose my hands! I will never be able to write again! I AM DYING!" To which Mr. Grumpy replied, "I am certain you're fine. Do you want some ice?" He actually was extremely displeased with my chaos, as I was interupting his STUPID awesome TV show about buying Alaska or whatever it is they're doing. So, he asked me if I burned it on the oven, to which I said no. Then, he asked if I washed my hands after cooking the jalapeno, to which I said," NO! I JUST CAUGHT THIS OUT OF NOWHERE! SOMEONE PROBABLY HAD IT AT WORK AND NOW I HAVE IT." So, he started Googling something obviously not as smart as my Googling "death from flesh-eating bacteria." At this point, I was pretty sure it was over for me. Until Mr. Grumpy told me to come to the kitchen, as he had the cure.

For the record, if you do not wash your hands after cutting a jalapeno, it doesn't form a bacteria… it just really, really hurts. So, the cure? Take 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and mix it with 1 tbsp of sugar. Rub the mixture all over your burned area (aka, my fingers in this situation). Who knew that Mr. Grumpy would come so in handy? He found all of this on the Internet, although he was still really displeased when all of a sudden my fingers felt better, and I had changed the channel to watch TLC.

Ok, so you've been warned. Also, do not ever Google "flesh eating bacteria." You will never be the same.

Now, let's get cooking!

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 can of Bush's Brothers Bush's Black Bean Fiesta, drained and rinsed slightly
• 1/2 can of unsalted sweet corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1/3 cup red, orange and yellow sweet peppers
• 1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped 
• 1/2 lb (about three sausage links) chorizo sausage
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 Mr. Tortilla uncooked soft tortilla shells (taco size); or your favorite brand of small soft tortilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup of Helluva Good Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeno

First, preheat your oven to 350. Now, chop up all your veggies. Wash your hands. Seriously. Do it. In a strainer, combine the black beans and corn. Drain and rinse. Add the tomatoes. DO NOT RINSE. Set aside. 

In a medium pan, heat your olive oil over medium-high heat. Take the chorizo out of the sausage casings, and add into the pan with the oregano. Cook chorizo all the way through (about 10 minutes). Remove the chorizo from the pan, and set aside. Drain your pan slightly, leaving about 1 tbsp of the juice from the sausage. Add onions and garlic, and cook for an additional 5 minutes until you can smell the garlic and your onions are see-through. Add the peppers, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the chorizo back in. Add in the black bean mixture with the tomatoes and corn and cilantro. Let that cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove your pan from the stove heat, but keep your burner on. Take your tortilla and, over medium heat, place it directly on the burner. If you're using uncooked tortillas like we were, let it sit on each side for about 20 seconds. Do this for all four tortillas. If you're using already cooked tortillas, which is more likely, only put them on the burner for about 5-10 seconds on each side.

Spray an individual deep dish (you can use anything you can put in the oven with high sides) with olive oil cooking spray. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the black bean/chorizo mixture to cover the bottom of each dish. Place two tortillas on top to completely cover, and put about 1 additional small scoop of black bean mixture on top. Crack your two eggs over the dish, gently letting the eggs rest on the top. Careful, careful, careful not to break the yolk. Sprinkle the top with cheese.

Place your dishes in the oven, and bake for 14-15 minutes, careful not to overcook the eggs. Now, don't worry. If you DO overcook the eggs, just scoop them off the top, make a fried egg in a pan really quick and replace it. Listen people. No one's perfect. Ok? Great. Now that we've had this talk, go forth and eat your Huevos Rancheros! Eiyiy! 

Weeknight Dinner: Captain America’s Super Punch Salad

Well, as many of you know, Captain America has been causing QUITE the ruckus here in the CLE with his filming and such. Don't get me wrong… any time Chris Evans wants to stop by the CLE and snuggle with me, I'm totally down for that. While that will likely not happen during his trip to the CLE, he has opened my eyes to the large amounts of security those movie sets are packed with.

As many of you ALSO know, I am now walking to work when I am able to. On Tuesday of last week, it look me 30 minutes to get to work on foot. A normally 12 minute walk… And during this 30 minutes, I managed to discover an underground tunnel in CLE (which I was told by a security guard to go into when I was walking toward the set), and land right pat in the middle of Superior Ave. Right smack in the middle of a car crash scene. And smack DAB into the arms of a very angry security guard who then grabbed my arm and dragged me across the street to my office building. 

Sorry, guys (I'm actually not). Just trying to get to work here. And if that means that you need to set up a trailer for me next to Chris Evans equipped with Wifi so I don't disturb your filming again, than sobeit. I would gladly stake out in a movie star trailer. Just offering. 

Anyway, all this Captain America talk in the CLE has reminded me that I, unlike Chris Evans, have a Hilton Head vacation coming up in just two weeks time. And I, UNLIKE Chris Evans, have about 10 pounds to lose. For your reference, this is why Chris Evans isn't in the same boat as me:

Great. 

So, I decided to try my luck at the Special K diet. What especially makes me happy about this diet is that I can eat a normal dinner every night, but still have the potential to lose six pounds. Basically all I have to do is eat nothing but cereal for 14 days, and I will look like this:

SO, for dinner tonight, I made this super punched Captain America salad – what I imagine Chris Evans is probably eating RIGHT NOW. Although, he's probably at some super fancy restaurant right down the street and I have no idea he's so close (hello, Blue Point Grille? Is Chris Evans there?).

For this salad, I used this new type of rice I learned about at Camp Blogaway called Lundberg. It's a gluten-free short grain brown rice, and has such a nice texture and flavor that I may be sold. Although, I'm starting to think I'm a bit too easy here… I received a free sample, and was challenged to submit my own summer salad recipe on Pinterest. If you vote for my recipe by liking it on Pinterest, I could win a $100 Whole Foods gift card. So, do a gal a favor and go "like" my post (linked here). Thanks…

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice
• 1 cup organic chicken stock
• 1/2 pound uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp (I did it!!)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 ears of corn (peel off the leaves and the hair…)
• 1 avocado
• 1 orange
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 3 lemons
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, and then half again (fourths?)
• 1/2 cup of olive oil, divided
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (I use this for everything now, basically)
• 2 tsp honey, divided
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• salt to taste

The night before you want to marinate your shrimp. If you forget, it's no big deal. Just marinate them for 30 minutes prior to cooking them covered, in a bowl on the countertop. To make the marinade, combine the juice from one lemon, 1 tsp honey, salt to taste, 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, 4 cloves of garlic, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor. Combine until it's a little creamy and all mixed together. Place your shrimp in a bowl with the marinade and set aside (or if you're marinating overnight, place it covered back in the fridge). 

Combine your rice and chicken stock in a medium-sized pan. Place on your stove over medium-high heat. Once it boils, stir one time, and then turn your stove to low. Cover and let it simmer for 50 minutes.

Heat your grill. Take your corn and drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Grill your corn, slowly rotating it until each side is cooked and lightly charred. Keep your grill heated for the shrimp cookin'. Once you have about 10 minutes left on your rice, grill your shrimp. We put them on kabobs. You're going to notice these babies cook fast – probably a few minutes per side. You'll know they're done when they turn a light pinkish color, and get a bit firmer (but not TOO firm!). 

Peel and chop your avocado, and do the same for your orange. Combine in a large bowl your avocado, orange, black beans, cilantro, tomato and red onion. Cut the kernels from the corn, and add that to your bowl. Add the shrimp and feta cheese. Once your rice is done cooking, add that into the bowl as well.

Next, in a separate bowl, combine the juice of 2 lemons, 1 tsp of honey, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup of olive oil and garlic salt. Whisk that together. Pour it over your salad, and mix. 

Enjoy!! (This went great with the fried zucchini chips!).

This is actually really similar to a super yummy salsa that Suzie Q and Erhead (my sister) make each summer. I just added in some fruit and my favorite marinade that I changed slightly from the Feed Zone Cookbook. This is such a great cookbook because it's packed with all the things you need to keep up your energy when you're being super active. 

NOW, don't forget to VOTE FOR ME HERE by liking my pin!!! 

Disclaimer, I received a package of Lundberg rice for free as part of my participation in Camp Blogaway. Again, my opinions are my own. You should also know that I got distracted and burned the first batch of rice. Totally not Lundberg's fault. Unless they paid to have the Real Housewives of New Jersey run on loop all day… 

Sunday Snack Time and the new addition to our family…

Did your heart stop when you read my header up there? Well DO NOT FRET, my friends. Mr. G and I did not add tiny little grumpies (save us all) to our apartment. We also did not buy a puppy… (which makes me grumpy). However, when Suzie Q and DS visited this weekend, and Suzie Q asked to see our babies … (Yep, this happened) the look on Mr. G's face was pretty priceless. And then he proceeded to hide underneath this blanket on the couch… while I looked in HORROR at Susan wondering what on earth possessed her to think we had babies. Yikes… 

You should know this is also his safe place when we have to talk about anything gushy… like love. I prefer to hide under there when we have to talk about gushy things like… paying the bills.

What Suzie Q was ACTUALLY referring to was our new washer and dryer. She had already named our new washer and dryer but I was so in shock by them being referred to as our babies, I really have no idea what they were being called.

I'm going to call them Queen Frostine and Gramma Nutt. Why – Cari, are those Candyland characters, you ask? Yes, readers. Yes they are. Why would I name my washer and dryer after Candyland characters? Well, we discovered that when the washer and dryer are done with a load, they sing this AMAZINGLY cheery song, as if we were traveling into the Candy Castle, and a pack of Lollipop kids were welcoming us into the world of clean clothes. 

Our washer and dryer arrived when I was at Camp Blogaway, and this song was of course the first thing Mr. G mentioned. He told me it was just too much for him to handle, so he had turned it off. When I came home and heard it for myself, I felt pure joy. Therefore, I made a rule that it must stay on. Mr G doesn't really take my rules seriously… we've been battling it out ever since (i.e., I put a load in, he goes and turns off the song. I turn it back on with only 1 minute left on the load, and when the song plays Mr. G makes one of his notorious Grumpy faces). It's been quite fun. You're welcome to come over any time and do a load or two, if you promise to keep the song on. 

So, meet our new family members. Tadahhh! Now, let's eat something because I'm sure that whole thing about babies made you about as sweaty and clammy as it made me. 

Whenever I'm stressed, I like to eat comfort food. Well, sometimes comfort food is sorta fatty. And by sorta – I mean there is really no way to make a fried bologna sandwich without clogging a few pores and arteries. So, when I discovered I had a few zucchinis in my fridge, and noticed that I really should use them up, I decided to make zucchini chips – i.e., mini fried zucchini. 

I received this amazing OXO vegetable slicer at Camp Blogaway, and my life will probably never be the same. So, decided this would be the opportunity to try it out and see if I could use it without slicing off one of my fingers. 

Sunday Snack Time: Zucchini Chips

What You'll Need:

• 2 small zucchini
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp Lemon and Pepper Seasoning (McCormick's)
• 1 cup of milk
• OXO vegetable slicer or a very precise knife
• 1 cup of canola oil

First, take your handheld veggie slicer and slice your zucchini on setting 2. If you do not have one of these, you should seriously invest, people. I'm not kidding. Your life will change. You'll have time to do things you never imagined you could do. Like … vacuum. (No, I didn't vacuum, but I had TIME to). If you do not invest, that's cool. I won't be pushy. Just take your zucchini and make really thin coin-shaped slices. 

Next, pour your milk into one bowl. In an additional bowl, combine the flour with the Lemon and Pepper Seasoning. If you don't have that either, no biggie. Just add about 1 tbsp lemon zest to about 1 tsp of pepper. Next, in a third bowl, place your Italian bread crumbs. 

First, toss your zucchini pieces in the flour, making sure each slices is evenly coated with flour. Then, dip them into the milk. Then, place them in the third bowl to cover with breadcrumbs. If you aren't a fan of the milk, I should mention you could also use an egg. 

Now that your zucchinis are all covered with breadcrumbs, heat a deep pan (I used my wok) over medium-high heat with 1/4 cup of canola oil. Let the oil get hot. I had my stove on about one to two notches over medium, if that helps. Then, slowly add in your zucchini pieces, one at a time. Cook each for about 30 seconds on each side until a light golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate on top of a paper towel. Repeat this until all your zucchini pieces are fried, adding more oil as you go (you'll likely end up using about a cup). 

You can eat them all right away (we dipped ours in the Cucumber Dill Feta dip I found at the grocery), or you can store them in your fridge in a tupperware container and munch on them as needed. 

This will get rid of your Sunday munchies (which we definitely had today). 

Disclaimer: I was provided the OXO handheld slicer as part of my involvement at Camp Blogaway. The opinions are my own, though. Yes, I really did love it. And yes, I still have all my fingers. No, they did not ask me to review it. Phew. Got through that disclaimer stuff…