Food: Cheddar Thyme Popovers

Last Friday I made cheddar thyme popovers.  It as the first time I'd made popovers in awhile, and they were just as good as I remembered!  So crisp on the outside and light and chewy on the inside (or at least what exists of the inside).  I used an old recipe from my eighth grade home ec class but added cheddar and thyme to it because I was feeling something with a little more flavor (and I also wanted to use up the fresh thyme before it went bad).

The popovers are so simple to make - just a few ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, oil, and salt, plus whatever other flavorings you want to add.  One bowl - that's it!

I love the combination of cheddar (my favorite cheese) and thyme (one of my favorite spices).  We made two batches of the popovers that weekend and put a LOT more thyme in the second batch.  I felt like you couldn't really taste it in the first batch - the second batch had a lot more thyme taste in it.

The clean-up was pretty minimal too.

-One bowl
-Beaters for the hand mixer
-Two measuring cups (you could get away with one if you want to eyeball the cheese or if you want to measure out the flour four times)
-One measuring spoon
-One spatula

So one thing that is missing is a sifter/strainer.  The recipe actually calls for sifted flour, which I did not do.  You could use a sifter (really no clean up) or a mesh strainer (would probably have to clean, depending on your standards).   I also didn't measure my salt (just eyeballed it), so that might be another measuring spoon you would need.  Still - almost all of this can go in the dishwasher (except for the spatula), so clean up was a breeze!

Here's the recipe!

Cheddar Thyme Popovers
1 cup sifted flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
bunch of fresh thyme (to your taste)

1.  Preheat oven to 475 F.  Generously grease popover or muffin tin.

2.  Combine flour, eggs, milk, oil, and salt together and beat well with an egg beater or handheld mixer.  Once thoroughly mixed, add cheese and thyme and beat again.

3.  Pour into cups, filling about half full.

4.  Bake at 475 F for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 F and cook for another 25-30 minutes, until nice and brown.  (Recipe says that if you want insides really nice and dry, turn off oven leave pan in oven with the door open for 30 minutes after cooking is finished.)

Couple notes: I would recommend sifting the flour and I would also recommend using a hand mixer or egg beater - this gets a lot of air into the batter and makes them a lot lighter.  The second batch we made was mixed by hand with a whisk and the popovers were much more dense.

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Scenes from the Weekend: Volume 3

Hey, we're on volume 3!  This must mean this is a real thing now, right?

This picture is actually from during the week but I had to share.  So see the amount of sheet that is showing on the left?  That tiny bit, from the left edge towards the middle?  See where the comforter is open to?  That's the typical amount of space I get in the bed at night.  Not because of Marek (he's usually on the couch), but because of Claudius.  He scoots right up while I'm getting ready, makes himself comfortable, and is almost impossible to move once he's settled in.  Ridiculousness!

On Friday I finally made popovers.  A couple weekends ago we had gone into Bed Bath & Beyond for some spice jars (gift for a friend) and as we were browsing, I saw the popover pan.  We ended up buying it and I finally used it.  I used my old recipe from home ec class and added cheddar cheese and lots of fresh thyme.  They were so good!  Marek had never had popovers before - he ate three in one sitting.  I ended up making another batch that night for our trip on Saturday.  

This Saturday is my least favorite day of the year.  It is the anniversary of my grandfather's death (first grandparent to die), and it is always a hard day for me.  I usually take the day off from work and spend most of the day just sleeping...and crying. :(  I realize this probably sounds a tad dramatic, but I was very, very close with my grandfather and I still miss him after all this time.   This year was going to be the same, but we decided to get out of the house instead.

So on Saturday we got up nice and early and dropped Claudius at daycare.  I went to Pure Barre class over in Seattle and then we headed down to Mt. Rainier to check out some (AMAZING!!!!!!! (or so I've been told)) mountaineering boots for Marek's next big trip.  Most of the drive is highway and then this really awful stretch on a local "highway" that has lights every quarter mile...and lights that always seem to be red.

Once you're off that stretch though, it becomes a lot more rural and is very pretty.  Driving through this tree-lined street has always been one of my favorite parts of the drive.

After we got the boots, we headed back and stopped at a scenic lookout to get some pictures of the mountain.  We can see it from where we live (about 80 miles away), but it never fails to impress.  It's just beautiful!

One good thing about the red-light-filled stretch of "highway" is that there is a Popeye's on it, so we pulled in and got some.  Marek had never had any before but it turns out he doesn't like it because it is too crispy - which is exactly why I prefer Popeye's to KFC. :)

It was a really lazy Saturday - we hit up the mall on our way back and then went home a took a nap.  When we woke up, we still had a couple hours before we had to pick up Claudius, so we went and got dinner at a restaurant nearby that we like.  It's actually inside of a movie theatre, but has really delicious food.  We practiced taking some duckface selfies too.  Exciting night!

When we picked up Claudius, we also got him these little Care Bear toys that PetSmart was selling.  Some of the proceeds (only 10%, wish it were more!) go to benefit homeless pets, so I used it as a good excuse to get a bunch.  We got one of each bear except for Sleeping Bear or whatever his name is (they were all sold out).  Claudius took turns "kill shaking" each one and now the floor is littered with colorful bears.  Two of the bears already have holes in them (looks like they came home from the store that way) so are currently awaiting surgery!

On Sunday morning Marek got up nice and early and went for a hike.  Claudius and I took advantage of no early morning Pure Barre class and slept in really late!

After doing some housework and going on a nice long walk, we were on the couch, waiting for Marek to come home and refusing to read any more of Anna Karenina.  Practiced taking a serious face picture/selfie some more.  Check out my new glasses!  Got them about a month ago and I love them.  I wear them all the time!  They are black frames but the inside of the frames is this pretty emerald green.

I went to Pure Barre class in the afternoon and then we just hung around and ate dinner.  Claudius played with his new toy, which has treats inside and he has to figure out how to get them out.  It kept him entertained for a long, long time.  It's a great toy!  (Thanks, Bark Box!)

I dug up my old iPod Mini this weekend because I had an itch to listen to Kelly Clarkson's rendition of "Up to the Mountain", and this was the only iPod I have it on.  This iPod is so old - about 9 years I think - and still works great.  It hasn't been updated in about three years though because of iTunes silly synching requirement, so it's almost like a little time capsule of my music tastes at that time.

We ended the night watching the Pro Bowl and taking some more selfies...feeling goofy!  After the Pro Bowl I was going to go to bed but we started our musicals project (more on that later) and ended up watching "The Phantom of the Opera" before bed.  All in all, another great weekend! :)

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Food: Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon and Chives

Last week we were trying out Aereo, as we are still somehow getting by without cable.  (We had the basic channels for awhile but no longer, and even the rabbit ears are unable to pick them up.)  We ended up watching an episode of America's Test Kitchen, and as usual, they were making something that looked really good - in this case, Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon and Chives.

I just love potatoes so I am always up for any potato recipe, especially one that calls for garlic, thyme, and butter, and results in a nice, crispy outside of the potato.  I was tempted to run out and buy the ingredients right after we watched the episode, but we waited and incorporated it into our weekly menu.

The recipe is fairly easy with a short list of straightforward ingredients.  It probably takes an hour or so to make it, but there is plenty of "standing" time while things simmer and brown.  Clean up was easy too - just one small cutting board, one knife, one pan, and one lid.  No clue if they reheat well as we ate all of them that night. :)

Here's the recipe in case you want to try it.  You will probably notice from the picture above that I put in way more garlic and thyme than the recipe called for.  It came out great, so I'd say just adjust to your tastes.

Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon and Chives by America's Test Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved

2 cups water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1. Arrange potatoes in single layer, cut side down, in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add water, butter, garlic, thyme, and salt and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Remove lid and use slotted spoon to transfer garlic to cutting board; discard thyme. Increase heat to medium high and vigorously simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until water evaporates and butter starts to sizzle, 15 to 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, mince garlic to paste. Transfer paste to bowl and stir in lemon juice and pepper.

3. Continue to cook potatoes, swirling pan frequently, until butter browns and cut sides of potatoes turn spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Off heat, add garlic mixture and chives and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve immediately.

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Scenes from the Weekend: Volume 2

I realized after last week's post that the tag for this post was "scenes from the weekend" but the title was "Weekend in Pictures" or something like that, so now the title matches the tag.  Volume 2 - look at that, two weekends in a row.

Weekends start on Friday for us.  On Friday I took Pure Barre class at lunch time and then met Marek for lunch at the office.  They have this DELICIOUS cake that I'm trying to track down a recipe for.  It's a delicious white cake with lemon curd in the middle and white frosting with coconut on top.  It's a good thing they only sell it in small pieces!

We went to Target after work (of course) and as we hit the grocery section, we were both in awe of the aisle, which had just been faced.  As we are both ex-grocery store employees, we appreciate a well-faced aisle.  That didn't stop me from wanting to kick some of the boxes over - and the aisle wasn't really properly faced - only the first line was faced and all the rest was left where it was.  Lazy facing job, but still looked good.

On Saturday I went to Pure Barre class and I finally got to sign the barre!  I was so excited.  I have been doing PB for awhile (planning another post about it at some point) and after the holidays, I knew I'd be on the bench for at least a couple weeks so decided to take advantage of being home and try to complete the 20 Consecutive Class challenge.  I went to class every day for 20 days (and actually completed 21 classes in those days because I took two classes in one day!), and so I got to sign the barre.  Very exciting day!

We took a little trip into Seattle for some Serious Pie and a Serious Biscuit - we always get the mushroom pizza and we finally tried the Zach biscuit, which a friend has been recommending for awhile.
Downtown Seattle (and everywhere else in the area) was all decked out with their 12s, ready for the big game on Sunday!

The main reason we went to Seattle was to pick up Marek's suit.  As part of our wedding package with Men's Wearhouse, he got a free suit.  We picked it out a few weeks ago and they had to do the alterations, so we finally made the trip back to pick it up...after we discovered that there was a Men's Wearhouse in the next town over from us, a stone's throw from where Marek works!  Whoops!  Doesn't he look handsome? :)

Saturday night we were in for an unpleasant surprise though - our freezer was not working!  We thought we had left the door ajar because everything in the freezer had defrosted.  All of my star potatoes from Target and all of Marek's fruit (among many other things) were lost, and the fruit even leaked all over the freezer.  We had to toss it all.  :(  Worse though was the next morning when I got up and discovered that the fridge itself was not working either - everything in it was lukewarm.  Luckily our apartment maintenance came and replaced our fridge - we kept everything from the fridge (not sure if we should have or not, but oh well) and now it seems to be working fine.  Definitely a plus to renting!

On Sunday we just stayed home and watched the game.  I tried out a tasty tomatillo salsa recipe my friend's boyfriend made when I was at their place last fall.  It came out pretty well and I'll post the recipe soon.

Claudius and I celebrated the Broncos' win!!!!

And we watched the Seahawks game with the "fire" going.  (That is an electronic fireplace with silly waving flames and fake logs with orange lights.  Haha!)

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In Memoriam: Eddie the Bird

Two weeks ago today we said good-bye to our last non-four-legged pal, Eddie.  :(  We brought Eddie home from Petco back in 2006 (wow!) which means we had him for 8 years, which we have been told is a long time in pet store parakeet life expectancy.

Eddie was the last surviving member of our little bunch of parakeets.  Harry passed away in 2010 and Leroy in 2012.  We think Eddie was lonely without his bird siblings, but we were not really looking to take on more pets (remembering that at one point we've had three fish, three birds, one turtle, and a dog), so he led a mostly solitary life.

We tried to make his cage as fun and comfortable as possible for him over the years - adding toys and treats, but he didn't seem to play with them much.  On days when Claudius was at daycare, we would take Eddie out of his cage and let him fly around.

On his last day, we suddenly noticed that he was having a lot of trouble walking.  His feet did not seem to be working - he couldn't grip onto the large bars in his cage.  When we took him out of his cage, his feet were folded underneath him, and he was walking on his "ankles".  He struggled a lot and we were freaking out.

We moved him to a smaller cage and removed the bars and tried to flatten his feet out and put the joints so they were facing the right way.  Then we looked on the internet for what the causes could be - they were not pretty.  Possible tumor, possible arthritis.  We looked up a bunch of treatments then rushed out to PetSmart to get new perches, better food, some vitamin drops, and some other supplies.

The poor guy could still barely walk - just hanging onto his cage with his beak.  :(

We got him set up in his new cage but he still struggled.  We kept our eye on him all afternoon, trying to help him where we could.  Marek went out to pick up Claudius from daycare and I was making dinner when I heard a big fluttering over in the cage.  I ran over and picked up Eddie and put him on a flat blanket and tried to comfort him.  I saw him flap his wing one more time and then he was still.  I actually kind of freaked out and kept telling him to wake up and shaking him a little, but he did not.  He was dead.  :(

It was very, very sad but he was suffering a lot that day so it was good to know that he was no longer in pain.  We waited until after dinner and then we went to a field nearby our house and buried him.  It was an extremely upsetting day but we are glad to know that Eddie has been reunited with his other bird siblings up in the big birdhouse in the sky.

So long to our little pal!  We love you and thank you for bringing cheer into our lives. :)

Eddie, taking a nap on his last day

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Food REVIEW: Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Shells and Cheese

I'm currently on the bench which means that I'm not staffed on a project.  My last project ended the Friday before Christmas so I've been enjoying some down time ever since.  Being on the bench also means that I get to be home instead of travelling, which also means eating home cooked meals again.  I am loving being able to control what I eat and make my own food again.  Marek seems to like it too.  :)

In anticipation of being at home and eating real food again, I started pinning and saving various recipes.  One of those was Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Shells and Cheese - basically mac and cheese with a layer of caramelized onions and mushrooms.  Good stuff.  I'm not going to bother posting a bunch of pictures of each step in the process because Joy has that pretty well covered over at her own blog.

Whenever I make a new recipe, I try to follow it exactly the first time so I can get as close to the intended dish as possible.  (Except for garlic quantities - pretty much always double or triple that.)  While I'm making it, I usually make mental notes for myself for the next time, if the recipe is worth repeating.  Things I evaluate when I'm making the recipe:

-Does the end result taste good?  (most important!!!!)
-Is the recipe easy to follow?  (I have definitely been known to rewrite recipes that I think are hard to follow)
-Are the ingredients easy to find?
-Does it reheat well?  (what if there are leftovers?)
-How much of a mess does it make?  aka How many dishes will I have to do when I'm done making this?


So general thoughts on this recipe:
Good things
very, very tasty (few different cheeses, the mushrooms and onions are very good), reheats well, and would definitely make it again, with some modifications

Changes I would make
I would rewrite the recipe so that it's easier to do mise en place (if that's your thing) and reduces overall clean up - see below for my rewrite.  Joy's recipe does not lump together certain ingredients (such as butter) when they are used in two different components, which I found frustrating.  The worst part of this recipe though was the number of dishes/utensils I used.

This is a picture of my sink when I was done.  LOOK AT THAT MESS (and I tried to keep it clean).  For the record, there is another pan under the sauce pan on the left.  (Normally I make the pictures a little smaller but I want to be able to show all the detail.)

A quick roundup of all the utensils used:
-Large pasta pot
-Large saucepan
-Saute pan
-Larger saute pan
-Cutting boards (2)
-Cheese grater
-Plates (2) - used to hold mushrooms and onions after they'd been cooked
-Whisks (2) - large one for sauce and small one for tempering
-Mixing spoons (3)
-Spatulas (2)
-Wire strainer - used to take the pasta out once it had cooked - other option is to use a strainer
-Small bowl - used to temper the egg
-Measuring cup
-Measuring spoons - may have gotten away with only one
-Knives
-Spoon - used to measure flour
-Pie plate - to cook mac and cheese in

That is...a LOT of utensils.  A lot of these can't go in the dishwasher (plus our dishwasher kind of stinks so that doesn't help either).  It did not make for a fun clean up situation.

So here is how I would rewrite the recipe.

Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Mac and Cheese - with Jenn's modifications

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2 TBSP + 2 TBSP

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 5 TBSPS + 1 TBSP and + 1 TBSP + additional for greasing pan

1 large yellow onion, sliced in semi-circles

half a pound of button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cup shredded Gruyère

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pound pasta shells, boiled until just undercooked

1/3 cup panko crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

*Before beginning, get pasta water boiling.  I recommend cooking pasta for whatever the box says MINUS at least 3 minutes.  This keeps the pasta slightly undercooked and it finishes cooking during baking - which prevents the pasta from getting overcooked and mushy.

*Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

*My recipe eliminates two pans used by cooking the macaroni and cheese in the pan that the sauce is cooked in.  I recommend using an oven-safe saute pan or skillet.  However, Joy's original instruction is:  Lightly grease a baking pan. I used a deep 10-inch pie pan, though a 9×13-inch pan would be great as well.

1.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the bread crumbs and toast until panko has absorbed all the butter. Remove mixture from pan and store to the side.

2.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  When heated, add the sliced onions and saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, and reduce the heat to low.  Continue to cook until the onions are completely browned and thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes. Spoon caramelized onions into a small bowl and set aside.

3.  In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and stir to coat in fat. Allow the mushrooms to soften and brown, about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper , and remaining thyme and reduce the heat to low. Cook until mushrooms are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4.  In same skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until mixture is combined. Add the milk and whisk together until mixture has thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add scant teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.

5.  In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add a few tablespoons of the warm cream sauce to the egg and whisk together. Once the egg is warmed, add it back to the cream sauce and whisk well to combine.

6.  Reduce heat to low and stir in cheeses. Stir until melted and combined.

7.  Add the cooked pasta and stir until all of the pasta is coated in cheese sauce.  Stir in mushrooms and onions.  Top with breadcrumb mixture.  (Note: if using a separate baking dish, Joy's instruction is: Spoon half of the pasta mixture into the greased pan. Top with caramelized onions and mushrooms. Top with the remaining pasta mixture and then top with breadcrumbs.)

8.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the bread crumbs are browned and the pasta is sizzling. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Joy's note: Pasta can be made a day ahead and left in the fridge unbaked. Just add the bread crumbs just before baking.

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Cross-Country Road Trip: Missoula to Seattle

Finally we have made it to the last recap of our cross-country road trip.  Our last leg was from Missoula, MT to Seattle, WA.  The drive was a little shorter (9 hours) than some of the other drives (12-14 hours), but we still wanted to be on the road early so that we could get to Seattle at a "decent" hour.

No one wanted to wake up early

It was very pretty in the morning and we got to see a little bit of the sunrise outside of our hotel.

We were all business though - just enough time for a quick breakfast and then we were back on the road.  You can tell the breakfast was quick because Claudius is all blurry!

We got Eddie settled into his spot in the car (passenger side backseat, on top of many other boxes and whatnot but securely settled in with no danger of slipping.  The poor guy had to make the trip stuck in this little travel cage, which is about a quarter of the size of his normal cage.  He didn't seem to mind too much though.

The rest of Montana was all right from what I remember - definitely not as breathtaking as the previous day.  Still pretty though.  It was really great to see such a different part of the country.  There are mountains in New England, but not a lot of big sprawling beautiful landscapes like we saw in "Big Sky" country.

Claudius was sedated, as usual.  He enjoyed the sun. :)

After awhile, we reached Idaho.  We'd never been there before, and we would not be passing through very long - we were driving through the skinny part up at the top of the state.  Our initial hope was to stay in Coeur d'Alene, but I could not find any pet friendly hotels there, so that's how we ended up in Missoula.  We hope to make it to Coeur d'Alene before we leave the west coast though.

Idaho was pretty - more mountains and green trees.  I seem to remember it being very windy as we drove through the mountains (at least I think that was in Idaho...maybe not).

After a quick sprint through Idaho, we finally made it to Washington state!  We did it - we'd made it from Massachusetts to Washington!

We were very surprised to find that the eastern part of Washington state is all flat fields.  So many boring, flat fields with nothing to look at.  We had no idea - not entirely sure what we were expecting, but Montana and Idaho had been so pretty that I think we were expecting the same out of eastern Washington.

After a few hours, the mountains finally started coming into view.

See them there, on the other side of the field?  This is why we moved here.  For the mountains (seriously).

Claudius was so ready for this drive to be over.  What a little trooper. :)

As we got closer and closer to our destination, the mountains were even more and more dominant.  They were really just amazing!  The views out here are just beautiful (and on clear days they are spectacular)!

We made a quick stop at our friend's office to pick up our keys.  We were SO lucky to have some good friends who already lived in Seattle and were so kind as to meet our moving truck (when it showed up a week early (because the guy didn't feel like holding onto our stuff (even though he was supposed to))) and oversee the movers while they moved all of our stuff into our apartment.  I'm not sure what we would have done without them, but we totally owed them!  Then we headed over to our apartment.  All of our stuff was already inside and it was just time to unpack and settle in.

And that's that!  Our trip from Massachusetts to Washington!  Most of it was probably pretty boring to read about it but it was quite an adventure for us.  We loved getting to see so many friends and family along the way and see so many different parts of the US (even if only for a little while).  I'll do one final post about the trip, but this officially finishes up the recaps of each leg of our trip.  FINALLY!

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