Cracked Wheat

I was very skeptical about eating cracked wheat, also (apparantly) know as bulgur. It just sounds bad. But it's actually good, with a slightly nutty flavor and a solid crunch that holds up to several days in the refrigerator. This is a modified recipe from Cooking Light.

Cracked Wheat Salad with Nectarines
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
3 thinly sliced nectarines
1/2 c thinly sliced green onions
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
3 tbsp EVOO
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp slivered almonds

Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour; drain any extra water. Stir in nectarines and remaining ingredients; toss well.

I like Tuscan Kale

The tuscan kale experiment was successful. The flavor is not as strong as spinach but crispier, an excellent combination. Apparantly tuscan kale is the best (a happy accident on my part -- I didn't know this when I bought it), with a lighter flavor than other kales.

Following is my breakfast smoothie recipe, which provides about 12 grams of fiber. Just blend together:
1/2 c. FAGE regular/total yogurt
1/2 banana
1 c. blueberries
1 c. kale
2 tbsp. fiber (metamucil)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 c. ice
1/2 c. water

Tuscan Kale

The food, the people, the art...I just finished Frances Mayes latest book, Every Day in Tuscany and want to go to Italy so badly I can almost taste it. The fresh herbs. The tomatoes. The wine. Did you know that Italians go through a huge bottle of olive oil every month per family? Clearly, I'm not using enough.

At the grocery store yesterday I bought some foods that remind me of Italy. Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil. And the tuscan kale. I'm told that I should use it in place of Spinach in my morning shake. Tomorrow morning will be the test.

Apricot Oat Scones

With the blizzard raging over the last few days, I decided to bake the Apricot Oat Scones from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  These were amazing -- first time I've ever had scones really turn out perfect (not underbaked in the middle). Already plotting when I can make these again.

Snowstorm = Cooking

The snowstorm that descended on the DC area on Friday night means that I've essentially been shut in the house (except for going outside to shovel) for about 40 hours now. Yesterday, I spent a good deal of this time baking. First Martha Stewart's "Classic White Bread" (surprisingly easy to make)

then peanut butter granola from the Washington Post.

I also made beef stew and started scones (they had to refrigerate overnight, we'll see how they turn out).

I'm going to run out of ingredients if I'm not able to leave the house soon:)

Popovers from Judith Jone's Pleasures of Cooking for One

I bought Judith Jone's new cookbook, Pleasues of Cooking for One, last Friday at Salt and Pepper Books.  Eagerly anticipating reading and cooking over the snowy weekend, I dove right in that evening. I read the full book by Saturday, and tried the popover recipe on Sunday afternoon. They were excellent, although next time I would mix them longer (I baked them exactly the 25 minutes called for in the recipe, and they were a little bit doughy in the middle). Next up from this cookbook: Quiche for one, including the pastry.