Other Newlywed recipes.

In the past week, we've tried quite a few Newlywed recipes.

Henry's Famous Spicy Wings were a huge hit. Peter invited a friend over to share these with a few beers since I'm not much for company when it comes to hot foods. Nevertheless, I did try one, and it was delicious enough for me to try another!

Henry's Famous Spicy Wings

4lbs. chicken wings

6T butter, divided

1C hot sauce

3T sriracha*

3T sambal oelek

1/4C packed dark brown sugar

3/4C panko/ bread crumbs

The recipe says to bake them, but it was a nice night and we fired up the grill instead. But, if you want to bake. . .

 Preheat the oven to 425. Bake wings for 40 minutes, or until golden

Melt 5T butter in skillet. Add hot sauce, sriracha, sambal oelek, and brown sugar. Heat for 5-7 minutes.

In separate skillet, melt remaining 1T butter. Add bread crumbs and toast until crisp and golden brown.

When wings are cooked, pour drippings into hot sauce mixture and stir to combine. (I omitted this part as we lost the drippings in the grill. Again, you wouldn't know they were missing).

Tos wings in sauce (reserve left-over sauce) and arrange on baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes or until sauce is caramelized and wings lightly crisped. Toss wings again in reserved sauce and sprinkle with toasted panko.

Another huge hit was the Prosciutto, Sage, and Parmesan Pinwheels. They were easy to make, baked quickly and tasted fabulous.

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

3 heaping tablespoons honey mustard

3oz. thinly sliced prosciutto

1T finely chopped fresh sage (I didn't have sage, so I substituted for dried savory)

3/4C grated Parmesan

1/4t freshly ground black pepper (again, not freshly ground was just fine)

Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface.

Spread mustard evenly over entire surface....

...arrange prosciutto evenly on top of the mustard.

Sprinkle the sage (or savory), Parmesan, and pepper evenly over the prosciutto.

Roll up one side of the pastry toward the center, stopping in the middle.
Repeat this step on the other side so that the two rolls meet in the center.

Carefully wrap the pastry in plastic wrap to help retain shape.
Refrigerate for 3 hours or freeze for ~30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400.

Using a serrated knife slice the pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Place on parchment-line cookie sheet, leaving space between each piece so they have room to puff up.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Voila.

-A.H.

Turkey sausage, parmesan and artichoke bake.

Another Newlywed recipe. I put it together yesterday afternoon and just stuck it in the oven this morning for breakfast. Definitely a hit. I can't wait to have people spend the night here so I can make it for them in the morning! Any takers?

Turkey Sausage, Parmesan, and Artichoke Bake

1T EVOO

6 oz.turkey sausage, casings removed

1/2C finely diced sweet yellow onion

2 large eggs

2/3C whole milk

1/2C grated Parmesan

1/2t chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)

1/4t kosher salt

1/8t freshly ground black pepper (or whatever you have. Mine wasn't freshly ground)

1/2C diced marinated artichoke hearts

2C day-old bread, cubed

4 thin slices tomato

4 fresh basil leaves (I just used dried flakes because I had them)

1/3C grated mozzarella

Heat oil in skillet, add sausage and onions. Cook 4-5 minutes, breaking up sausage with spatula, until onions are soft and sausage is browned. Remove from heat (the sausage will complete cooking in the oven).

Beat eggs, milk, Parm, thyme, salt and pepper in large bowl. Stir in sausage and onion mixture, artichokes and bread cubes. 

Spoon into small casserole dish. Top with tomato slices, basil and mozzarella. 

If you want to bake it the next morning like I did, just cover and refrigerate.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (or until puffed and golden).

-A.H.

Green smoothies, etc.

After I got married, I realized that the health of not only me, but my husband also and any children we might have, was "in my hands", so to speak. After all, I do the grocery shopping-- choosing what and what not to bring into our house. Plus, Peter's kind of got other things to do and doesn't have time to worry about whether he's getting enough of the good stuff. I also realized that I had taken for granted the great efforts my mom went to to provide my family with a balanced diet and keep raw veggies in dishes throughout the day. Now I'm feeling a bit of pressure knowing we will reap the consequences, whether good or bad, of what I put on the table.

So with that, we're changing our lifestyle.

Our water is reverse osmosis and is stored in blue, BPA-free jugs. It is reverse osmosis because heaven only knows what Cleveland puts in their water... BPA-free because BPA has been know to cause premature-puberty, birth defects, cancer, diabetes, and more. Traces of it have also been found in newborns, showing that babies still in utero are exposed to the toxin and are highly susceptible to the dangers the compound poses.

Peter can't survive without meat and veganism is against our convictions, so we're finding a middle ground between factory farming and giving up animal products all together. Our animal products (meats, cheeses, milk, eggs...) all come from free-range, cage-free farms, and are local, preferably.
Confession: I used to think veganism was silly because "we have been given dominion over the animals", but after researching I'm convicted that, though we have dominion over the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, we are not entitled to be cruel in order to mass-produce. Free-range and, if we can afford, organically-fed, meat products are much much healthier and cruelty-free!

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So anyway, my latest rage: green smoothies. I've been reading on fresh veggies, fruits, herbs, etc., and have come to realize all the nutrients that are lost when the product is dried, powdered in capsule form, frozen...
I know we definitely don't get enough fruits and vegetables, let alone those raw, dark leafy greens. And so, I've incorporated these into our diet:

(Serves 2)
In blender, puree:
2 heaping handfuls each of fresh, organic spinach and collard greens
3T flax seed oil (this stuff has been known to cure everything. Insomnia, schizophrenia, it strengthens hair and nails, purifies skin, improves eyesight, eases weight loss, accelerates healing of sprains and bruises, and so much more!)
1/2C frozen berries
2 bananas
1 apple


You can really use whatever fresh, raw produce you want. Last night I added some fresh green beans that I had in the fridge. We also have peaches and grapes that I'm going to use today.The point is to intake as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible and reap the benefits of healthier hair, skin and nails, have more energy and live largely off of the fruit of the land!

They taste better than they look. I promise.

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Their new favorite thing: snuggling on the couch.

Newlywed cooking.

Ashlee and I are working our way through The Newlywed Kitchen cookbook. It's fun because most of the recipes serve 2-4, so we're cooking only what we need, which has been a bit hard for me to grasp (I'm used to cooking for 11+ people-- 6 of them being boys!). There are some things I am going to skip over (and I know Ashlee is too), like the smoked salmon frittata. I wouldn't eat it to save my life.
Saturday night I made the Award-winning four-cheese mac-and-cheese. Any type of pasta with cheese melted over it is always a hit in our house, whether it be my MIL's delicious homemade recipe, a box of Annie's organic pasta, or elbows with some grated cheddar sprinkled on top. But this specific recipe was through-the-roof with onions sauteed in bacon drippings and white wine, and 4 not-so-ordinary cheeses melted together to form a rich, creamy sauce.

Here is the recipe for those who want to try it:

1T vegetable oil
4 strips bacon
3T butter, divided
3/4C finely chopped sweet yellow onion
2T flour
3T dry white wine
1 1/4C half-and-half (I had milk in the fridge and used that instead)
1 1/2t dried marjoram
3/4t chopped fresh thyme (I had dried on hand and that worked great. Just eye-ball the measurement-- it will be a little more than if you were using fresh)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2t freshly ground black pepper
1/4lb. fresh, whole-milk mozzarella, cubed
1/4lb. blue cheese, crumbled (we bought fresh, not packaged-- that's the stuff that is really stinky and processed. It was sandwiched between an extra-sharp white cheddar-- DELISH)
1/4lb. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4lb. Gruyere, grated
Kosher salt
1/2lb. pasta (we used a whole pound. Again, we love mac-and-cheese)
1/2C bread crumbs
Chives or parsley, for garnish

Heat oil in large skillet. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, reserve drippings. Add 2T butter to skillet and chopped onion, sautee for 7-8 minutes. Stir in flour and wine, cook for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half (or milk :)), marjoram, thyme, red pepper flakes, pepper and cheeses. Stir until cheeses melt into a creamy sauce that begins to thicken and bubble. Salt to taste. Add cooked pasta and mix thoroughly to coat.
Toast bread crumbs in remaining 1T butter. Add generously with the crumbled bacom to top of pasta. Garnish with chives, if desired.

I'm really not one to measure everything out before I mix it together or pour it into a bowl, so I estimated everything and it turned out great. Obviously we had less than 1/4lb. of blue, because it was sandwiched between the cheddar. I also think it'd be great with more sharp cheddar added and, for less "stink" I'd substitute less Gruyere for that cheddar.

-A.H.

Mud.

I started watching two more girls (10 months & 3 years) on Thursdays, so that makes for 3 girls 3 and under, twice as many diaper changes and lots of fun. I won't lie. It's crazy. But it's fun! I am convinced all of this will help one day when I am raising my own children.

On top of the 3, Aliza and Anna came this afternoon to stay through the weekend while my mom and brothers are house hunting in Michigan with my dad. They finally sold their house after a long and tiresome several years on the market. Thank you, Lord.

Aliza, Anna and I wanted to walk to CVS after dinner and get ice cream cones to eat on the front porch. So we did. Afterwards we decided to water the flowers and yard. Loxley loves jumping in the hose, so I figured we could just leave him out while we were watering.

What was I thinking? Or was I?

It didn't take long for the entire yard to turn to mud, Anna had her shoes off and was stomping in the puddles and Aliza had run inside and changed into her bathing suit. (WHAT?!)

I turned to yell at the dog to stop jumping in the puddles but when I did, he landed right in the middle of one, spraying mud all over my face.

I took a step back and thought about how fun this could be. So, I sprayed the dog and he jumped several feet in the air, trying to catch water drops in his mouth. The girls were running up and down the front path, shouting for me to spray them too.

Before I knew it, everyone (yes, even me) was covered in mud. Oh, Loxley included.

The flowers did eventually get watered and it was time to call in a night. We wiped our feet (and paws) as best as we could and ran upstairs for baths. Loxley was first. He jumped in the tub and Anna hosed him down while Aliza brushed his hair and I lathered the soap.

There was water (and mud) everywhere. No joke.

I am not usually like this and I have no idea what possessed me to allow such a mess to take place in my house, but it was so fun. And now, the mud and water have been cleaned up, everyone has bathed, and the girls are sucking their thumb and wrist :) while watching The Princess and the Frog (thanks Tizzy!) with Loxley curled up sleeping at their feet. Precious moment.

I wish I had my camera, but truth is, if I did, I wouldn't have this story to tell. I can't be spraying the hose and jumping in the mud, all the while snapping cute pictures. It's just not me.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's Friday and, the day before we're going to the beach. I love the beach.

-A.H.